I can't believe it's here. The final chapter. Next is the epilogue, and then this baby will be done :,)

Ray's hard to write. I hope I did him justice (also spy, mayhaps, a trans!Ray allusion?)

Also I'm not sure if the 'earning a cape' thing is a Thundermans lore piece I picked up or something I just MADE up but regardless. It exists here. So.

Summary: Ray learns how to have a heart-to-heart

Viva La on with theStory!

Okay, look, Ray wasn't exactly a feelings guy. Blame it on one Carl Manchester, the man really knew how to mess up a seven year old kid with unrealistic expectations and have them carry with him from beyond the grave.

Sure, when he'd gotten that letter (in the midst of a boring forced vacation in some weird country with no internet and people who all looked disturbingly like Schwoz), he'd been rather touched. He'd never been good enough at the 'friendship' thing to really deal with postcards (wasn't he supposed to be the one sending it to them?), so he took the letter as a sign that he was doing something right.

But then of course, he read it, and not only did he then have something to do again, but he'd learned that his investment of $200 had, effectively, gone down the drain.

He did think the price was a little odd, but then again it's not like there's a market for superpowers to compare with…perhaps he wasn't exactly a finance guy, either. But he could worry about that at another time.

He had a kid to get back to.

The little menace hadn't made it easy, mind you, because apparently he'd decided to turn down the emo path since the day his powers started running up the walls.

The damn GPS trick was an entire hour's trip that he was never going to get back.

But still, Ray wouldn't…call himself a feelings guy. At least, Ray from yesterday wouldn't have. After all, feelings meant clouded judgment, and indestructibility can only get you so far when fighting crime.

"Invincible body, Invincible mind", his dad had said once upon a time, and though Ray had spent many years trying to clear his mind of anything to do with Carl Manchester's philosophies, that was one of a few things that managed to stick.

And sure, Ray knew that, deep back somewhere in his mind. And he knew he had problems with it to an extent. But when they'd finally gotten an address (an abandoned museum on the edge of town that Ray could have sworn he'd been to once, before his accident) and he'd finally unlocked the door, and he'd finally found his kid, only to see him crumpled in the arms of a stranger – a stranger in a cop's uniform no less – well, something in him broke.

Because it was one thing for Ray to have repressed trauma due to his father. It was another entirely inexcusable thing to have Henry develop those same things because Ray couldn't get his act together.

It was somewhere between the "what the fuck are you doing" and "get the hell away from him" that Ray realized that something needed to change.

Look, Ray wasn't stupid, okay? He knew thirteen was young, but it wasn't Pull Your Child out of Third Grade young.

Maybe his sense of responsibility was skewed, though. (as much as a lot of his senses in life seemed to be) Ray'd been forced to grow up fast.

By thirteen, he'd already earned his cape.

By fourteen, his indestructibility had moved inwards from his skin to coat his lungs, his brain, his bones, and took root: a new presence there, in the back of his mind. Something that was as steady as a rock in a time where he'd never had anything of the sort.

It had never occurred to him that Henry wasn't the same way.

Ray had thought that he could do it differently. That he could do it better this time. He thought he had the knowledge – the experience – to guide Henry. That easing him into crime fighting first and introducing powers later would be enough for the kid to avoid any of the mistakes he'd been privy to.

He thought that just… not doing things the way Carl Manchester had done, (not figuring out as they went, not forcing poisons down his throat to see what happened. Not doing something that couldn't be reversed first and making impossible decisions second) was enough for Henry to pull through unscathed.

And it worked. Henry was a natural in the crime-fighting aspects – Ray had to give himself credit for that, he'd learned from Drex what had worked and what hadn't and acted accordingly. The kid flourished because of it, filling in the gaps that Ray had become just maybe a bit too thinly stretched to cover with an enthusiasm that had lasted much longer than Ray's had at his age.

So he'd thought he'd done it. He'd thought he'd just proven Carl Manchester wrong.

But of course his father had to deliver one final blow. From beyond the grave, no less. Because what Ray didn't know how to do was mentor someone whose life wasn't entirely crime-fighting.

Henry had dragged Jasper and Charlotte along with him, and suddenly Ray's entire plan was up in the air. Suddenly Ray was eight years old again, crying as his parents separated him and one more faceless classmate. (He'd only wanted to show her his suit, he'd only wanted to tell her why he wasn't at school anymore, to gush about dad's new project, but he didn't like that and then she was gone.)

It was dangerous for people to know. Ray didn't understand it at the time.

He thought he'd begun to, after Drex was sent to prison, but now he was questioning it again.

Superheroism is a fickle career, and things are not always as easy as 'the hero beats the villain'. Oftentimes at the end of the day there was more blood than there was victory. Friendships didn't last long and many times that result came from death. Ray'd had schoolmates once upon a time, but he'd never really had the type of someone that he trusted enough to share both sides of himself with. His father had made sure of that.

Ray didn't think he was a shut-in. He had coworkers – people that followed him after he'd denounced Carl Manchester and left to be on his own, and they were easy to talk to and almost easier to work with. He didn't want to think that his father was sneering at him from wherever he was with that "I told you so" look that had always felt more punishing than sympathetic. Ray wasn't a shut-in.

But even though Jasper and Charlotte were smart and eventually became an irreplaceable part of the team, Henry's unwavering dedication to them instead of his job was something that unnerved Ray.

It was something he feared now that he would never understand.

And Ray knew that wasn't his fault, at least not entirely, because again his teenage experience wasn't what one would have called "normal".

But it still frustrated him, the way Henry's priorities had been so heavily oriented towards his civilian side. Especially towards things that Ray knew he didn't enjoy.

He couldn't understand why Henry didn't just skip the detentions when he got them, or avoid the family dinners he so obviously wanted to avoid. It seemed so…forward to Ray. If the kid didn't want to do something as Henry Hart, he had a perfectly exciting life he could do instead. A life that did good, too. Being a superhero did have more drastic decisions than any civilian one, from Ray's experience.

But then again, he hadn't been a civilian since 1988.

And it wasn't like Ray hadn't tried to explain this to Henry. He hadn't been looking to hire a temporary sidekick three years ago. He wasn't going to force someone into a lifelong position if they didn't want it.

He made sure that Henry knew what he signed up for, so it seemed only fair that he made an effort to be there.

When Henry's excuses had started tapering off – when he'd begun turning up for more calls and staying at scenes longer than necessary – Ray had thought that was exactly what it was: Henry was realizing the importance of the job, and beginning to act accordingly.

It had never occurred to him that Henry had been blowing off his other life for him.

And that wasn't good. That would not fly, because despite the fact that Ray didn't understand the true implications of having a double life, he knew what cutting one off for the other felt like.

And he wasn't going to let Henry make the same mistake he lived with every single day.

Carl Manchester still haunted Ray. He'd ripped away any chance at a support system he could have had, and now Ray was making that same mistake with Henry.

So he'd shut up. He and the officer did some cartwheels to get Henry into civilian clothes and then came up with a coverup.

And how here he was, standing on the Hart's front porch with nothing in his mind other than to stop Carl Manchester's ghost from moving to the next generation.

Jasper, Charlotte, and Schwoz were already warding him off, but now it was Ray's turn. It was his turn to not only apologize, but to begin to understand.

Because, apparently, those things are a package deal.

So he knocked. And Henry answered.

His sidekick looked… well, he looked like he'd just taken a good beating, but at least he was awake. At least he was alive.

At least he was still Henry, and not Kid Danger without a mask.

Ray forced a smile onto his face. "Can I come in?"

Henry was itching for his phone.

Quite literally, he kept wanting to reach into his pocket to pull it out, but when he remembered that it wasn't there his fingernails found his palm and scratched restlessly instead.

It was in evidence. To be used in court against Time Jerker, which was just great, now wasn't it?

Because that was his go-to for awkward situations. Henry had never considered himself to be bad at eye contact, but then again Raymond Manchester was never one to be known as 'stoic' either.

And yet there they both were, sitting in the living room in dead silence.

Henry had heard Jasper and Charlotte say that Ray wasn't mad at him. But he still didn't…entirely believe that. The itching in the back of his brain was telling him that he needed to see it to believe it, and now that the moment was here he couldn't even look towards his boss.

Sneaking a glance to Ray found the man staring at the coffee table, hands grasped firmly together and elbows resting on his knees in a way that almost looked haunted.

But that was ridiculous, right? Captain Man having ghosts in the closet…

"Sorry for cutting your vacation short." Henry spoke, voice much quieter than he intended it to be. His nail traced one of the creases in his palm self-consciously, finding it somewhat difficult with the wraps that were still there.

Ray blinked and swiveled his head just slightly towards his sidekick, "what?"

Henry swallowed again before nodding vaguely towards the man, "your, uh, vacation. I'm sorry you had to ditch it."

His boss tsked, briefly coming out of his stupor to lean back. "Eh, it wasn't that entertaining, anyway." He side-glanced him in that way he tended to do, "you know me, I don't really know how to not work."

Yeah. And that was part of the problem, wasn't it? Henry nodded, even though there was nothing to agree with and his head tilted down towards his hands again.

The words seemed to give Ray something to latch onto, which Henry was thankful for. His boss slung an arm over the couch and turned his upper body towards him. "You know, I was losing my mind over there from not doing anything," Henry could hear the fake smile in his words, "so this actually worked out better in the long-run –"

"Please don't do this." Henry pleaded, leaning forward slightly to emphasize his words. He looked to the side and finally met Ray's gaze.

The superhero still had that apprehensive look on his face that he hated, "You don't have to try and make me feel better. It's not –" He sighed and shook his head, "I understand." He finished and huffed to clear the tightness in his throat, "I deserve whatever punishment you see fit." He said.

Henry preemptively squeezed his eyes shut and his shoulders clenched to brace for the news. Because there was going to be a punishment. This was hardly an offense that deserved only a slap on the wrist.

"...Did I ever tell you about my first mission after I'd denounced my father?"

"...what?"

Out of shock, Henry turned to see Ray looking at him expectedly – maybe a little sadly? He couldn't quite tell –

"My first mission as Captain Man." his boss repeated, "did I ever tell you?"

…Henry shook his head, mind suddenly blank. This was the last place he'd expected this conversation to go, and he didn't know if he was relieved to be delaying the inevitable, or scared to go off script.

Ray scoffed and his gaze trailed to the ceiling, where the fan spun lazily around and around. "I was like…twenty? Twenty-two?" He began with a shake of his head, "no GED, just started my transition, living in a shitty apartment while the Man Cave was being built."

The man waved vaguely with an open hand near his head, "it was a, uh, hostage situation. The mayor at the time, his car was intercepted by a couple of jackasses that had him practically balancing on a cliffside."

Ray's eyes had gone awfully still as he pictured something Henry could not, but the teen was transfixed on his boss' look anyway.

"I failed." The superhero said with an embarrassed chuckle, "massively, I might add. As much as I hate my father, he'd always been the one to feed me instructions on what to do next."

Ray scoffed miserably, "I panicked. The villains shot at me, and I couldn't even dodge. I think the only thing that saved the mayor that day was the fear they had when I got back up. They ran for the hills, but the car went over the edge anyway and took me and the mayor down with it. I didn't even get the bad guys in the end."

Henry's brow pulled together. He'd…never heard anything about that. As far as he knew (and Piper was adamant about her Captain Man History), Ray's first job in Swellview had been security during a speech. Something fitting for a small town with a large crime rate at the time.

Ray must have seen the thought process on his face, because he answered the question before Henry could, "I wasn't called out. I just showed up. I didn't even have a superhero name for myself yet, but you know, the twenty-something ego I had…"

Yes, because Ray so obviously lost that as he'd gotten older. Henry had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"The mayor survived," his boss clarified, "but he came out with a few broken bones from the tumble. I thought I was done right then and there." He let out that nervous laugh he was prone to as Henry pressed his lips together.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Henry watched as Ray swallowed and paused. His boss' gaze fell back to the coffee table and something that was almost guilt crossed over his face. It was weird to see that.

His heart was beating in his chest and Henry's superspeed jumped out gingerly, as if trying to calm him down. His gaze fell from Ray to focus on the sensation.

"...Kid, I'm –" Ray stopped suddenly, leaning forward once again, "I'm not…mad."

He was just saying that.

He had to be. Henry had gotten in a lot of trouble for a lot less. Ray had to be joking.

Henry wanted to say something, to call the bluff before the superhero lured him into a false sense of security. Instead, a pitiful scoff left him.

His boss heard it and turned with thin lips. "I'm serious."

Henry stared at him with a locked jaw, disturbed at the tears that were prickling at the back of his eyes.

"Kid, I'm not gonna sit here and say you didn't make mistakes this week. I know you, you're not just gonna respond to me only praising you. So I'm acknowledging it." Ray started, "but damn it, you've only been doing this for three years. I've had thirty. What you did this week wasn't…"

His boss cringed with a crinkle of his nose and his head tilted to the side, obviously trying to reword something, "I'm saying that this week wasn't kind to you for a number of reasons, but you didn't give up. And you managed to keep Swellview on its feet despite the…" he gestured vaguely towards Henry, "freaky-power-surge-shit."

He waited for Henry to answer, but now the sidekick's voice was really clamped shut. It was all he could do to just swallow.

"I'm calling this a win." Ray said with a definitive nod of his head, "And not just to stroke my own ego, even though this means that I did do a great job at teaching you – "

"But I blew my identity." Henry croaked out, bringing his boss' attempt at a joke to a stop, "twice." his jaw quivered, "I screwed up so badly that my parents were gonna send me away. I put your identity in danger, you can't deny that."

He heard a quiet sigh leave Ray's nose, "No. I can't." his boss said much too quietly.

Henry's jaw was clenched again. "So?" he asked, trying desperately to rip off the bandage to reveal…well, he didn't know what it was going to reveal.

This time it was Ray who didn't answer. An all-consuming silence settled over the two supers for a while as both waited for the other to speak again.

It was Henry who spoke first. He was scared that if he didn't get out what he wanted to say then Ray wouldn't let him. He was scared of speaking, too, but that fear wasn't nearly as bad. "I'm sorry." He said again, "I'll – this won't happen again. I know that being Kid Danger is the most important thing right now. I'll–"

"No!"

Ray had crossed the space between them to set a firm hand on Henry's shoulder, and the sidekick stiffened in surprise, turning towards his boss.

"What?"

Shaking his head earnestly, Ray repeated himself, "No! You're not…Kid Danger is not more important than Henry Hart. He never has been. Kid, I need you to understand that! Please."

Ray almost sounded…choked up. Henry figured he'd be happy...

Slowly, the teen's hand lifted to his boss', which was still placed on his shoulder. His chin tilted slightly to the side in a skeptical way. "I thought…"

"Forget what I think, Kid. It's not – you know I'm not exactly Albert Einstein." A shuddering breath left Ray as his head fell, and that sent Henry's head spinning in concern towards his boss.

Seeing him look so…Henry didn't want to say vulnerable, because vulnerable was scary if it was coming from Captain Man, but what he was seeing was something similar. It was jarring. Jarring enough to have those tears he'd willed down bubble back up, so Henry quickly brought up a hand to scrub them away.

"I don't understand." He choked, "I…I'm supposed to take on your mantle, aren't I?"

His heart was leaping out of his chest. Because what if Ray said no? Henry didn't know if he could get his GPA back up to what it used to be in time for graduation – he loved fighting crime. He didn't want to…he didn't want to follow in Reed's footsteps, standing in the shadows of an organization that never worked in the first place. He wanted to be by Captain Man's side. He'd found his place young, and he was thankful for that…

But what if he'd…

Ray's voice brought him out of his spiral, even if he sounded on the verge of his own, "My…Kid, my mantle isn't…" the man trailed off and the grip on Henry's shoulder's tightened.

When Ray finally looked at him, there was genuine sorrow there, "Henry," he choked, "my father made mistakes. I thought I could…let them die with him, when I hired you. He cut me off from the outside world. Hell, you were there when I learned to ride a bike. I know I've told you it's behind me, but…"

The man swallowed painfully and broke eye contact, "Well, I guess I lied. Henry, I never got to have a double life. I never…I never really had friends. And well, I'd be hard-pressed to call my father 'family'. I didn't understand. I still don't, if I'm honest, and I'm not sure I ever will, at least not fully. But I don't want you falling down the same path my father dragged me down. I don't want to be the one dragging you, either."

The man's head fell to the side so that his face was partially obscured from Henry, "I…I need you to promise me. You can't turn out like me."

Henry's tongue was tied. He tried to find words, but nothing was there. Still, something croaked out, "But –"

"But nothing!" Ray turned to grab both of his shoulders this time, and Henry could see with alarm the tears that were flickering in the corners of his eyes, "You can't turn out like Captain Man, Henry Hart. You can't, because you're already better."

Like it had grown vicious claws, Henry's breath caught in his throat, digging in and holding its ground. Maybe his superspeed had kicked in, because suddenly the ticking of the clock was gone from his ears and the whir of the AC was distant. Or maybe he was about to faint again.

Or maybe…

His cheeks were suddenly wet and Henry's hands flew to his face, that god-forsaken breath released its grip and came rushing out of his throat with a cry that fizzled in the air. He shrugged off Ray's shoulders, his touch suddenly like molten iron.

"Oh, fuck," he sobbed, cupping his mouth as he curled into the couch, "holy fuck, I'm so sorry."

Henry didn't know why he was apologizing. Embarrassment to be crying, sure, but also pity for Ray, and then fear that he was feeling pity for Ray, and then just regular fear, and relief, and then sadness. Just – sadness.

Because how could he be better? He wasn't better, he was sixteen, he was just some super-fledgeling with brand new powers. He couldn't be better, because he didn't know what to do with that information. He couldn't process it. He needed to…he– he needed…

Holy Christ, Henry lamented, head shaking feverishly as his gaze blurred with more tears, he should not be crying right now. He'd resolved to do that later, in his own room, alone, not here, not now – god not now. Why now? He had things to process. A conversation to hold up, he cannot be crying in front of Ray right now.

Alas, his body didn't listen to his mind and another cry ripped its way out of him. That time Henry bit down on the side of the hand that was over his mouth, trying to focus on the feeling of bandages under his teeth. His eyes were shut tightly enough to see stars.

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down, damn it.

Henry could feel Ray startle at his tears, "You don't have to apolog – ah…shit,"

He just barely heard Ray's voice over his own thoughts, and if it weren't for the hand that was still on his shoulder he would have loved to just fall into the couch cushions and pretend that his boss wasn't even there. Maybe if he laid still enough he'd leave and let him save what remained of his dignity.

Except Henry didn't really want that, not really, but it was much less embarrassing than the alternative, which was…

The arm on his shoulder was pulling him now and though Henry didn't want to go with it he didn't exactly resist it either.

"Hey, uh, Kid it's…it's okay." Ray's voice was quiet in a way Henry didn't even hear on stealth missions and for some reason that made his throat tighten even more as his side connected with Ray.

The man let go of his shoulder at the last second to swing his arm around his back instead, and Henry's head came to rest on his shoulder. His teeth were still clamped down on the bandages around his palm, and he finally released them with a shaking breath.

"Oh my god, I'm so fucking sorry," he said again, because apparently he'd still been talking, and now he could feel Ray shake his head earnestly.

"Nothing to be sorry for, Kid. I'm uh, I'm always here if you need me. You know that, right? I'm not just saying that."

Henry didn't want to answer in fear of never finishing the sentence, and instead futilely tried to focus on grounding himself. With a shaking breath the sidekick wiped his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, just trying to focus on anything that wasn't his own thoughts.

He could feel the couch beneath him. The gentle breeze of the ceiling fan. He could feel Ray's shirt on his temple, his arm around his shoulders, his cheek on the top of his head – fuck, fuck, fuck, this was not how this was supposed to go.

Just as his breathing started to pick up again, Henry's superspeed piped up next to his palms, and in a familiar pattern it began weaving between his fingers. Maybe it wasn't angry this time, maybe it wasn't being stolen from him this time, maybe it was just his body trying to calm itself down, but last time that had happened, he'd caused an explosion that had nearly killed someone.

Henry swallowed thickly as he folded his hands in and cradled them against his chest, because he was not going to shock Ray. Not while he was already embarrassing himself like this.

His eyes were still squeezed shut, but he tightened them even more at the fear that they'd open and he'd have to look at Ray. He felt his neck tense at the force and let his lips roll inwards once again. This thumb began thrumming anxiously against his collarbone, and Henry could feel little bits of his superspeed jump between the contact point. He latched desperately to that sensation.

Ray seemed to be saying something else, but his voice was too low and Henry's thoughts were too loud for him to really focus on it.

But the baritone rattling in his boss' chest was soothing nonetheless and eventually the sidekick found his head turning to rest on a more comfortable position on Ray's shoulder, letting his body heat warm the tears on his cheeks enough for him to pretend that they weren't there. Ray's head lifted from his just briefly until he stopped moving.

The hand around his shoulders dropped to his back and Henry shuddered as Ray began tracing calming circles along it. His movements were hesitant, like he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, and Henry had to imagine that he really didn't – his boss wasn't exactly the touchy-feely type, nor did he have the experience of being an older sibling.

Well. Not that Henry had experience in being a younger sibling, but he felt oddly like one at that moment. Was this how Piper felt, whenever she'd come to him when they were younger? Was this why she came to him?

Was Ray experiencing that same aching mixture of concern and love that Henry felt any time she'd come to him in tears, and he'd just sit there and hold her as she ranted?

Another shuddering breath left Henry at the thought, because…because – look, Ray may be his boss, but he'd never been a very stereotypical one. They were more friends before anything else, and Henry was glad for that. He'd just never considered that…well, their relationship was something other than work friends.

Henry's hands unplastered themselves from his chest to slowly sink into his lap, and he tried to suck a breath in through his nose as he forced what remained of his tears back. He didn't know how long it had been, except that Ray's speech didn't seem to have slowed down so he'd stayed in normal time.

He could feel Ray's heartbeat just a few inches from his forehead (had he really shifted that much into his grasp?). Henry willed his powers back from his fingertips and let it nestle somewhere behind his ribcage. It sparked, almost as if to give a goodbye, before quieting down. A tired huff left the sidekick at the sensation and he swallowed thickly as he reached up to scrub what remained of his tears away.

"So…Piper as the social media manager, huh?" he asked, voice horribly nasally. He forcefully cleared his throat again.

Ray very obviously bit back a groan with a pained grunt. "Yup."

Henry finally peaked an eye open to glance upwards at his boss. The man still had his head placed on top of his so the action was kind of useless, but he didn't have the energy to care. "And you're okay with that?"

Ray shrugged as best as he could, "More okay than I would be if I melted her brain. I don't think I could…handle having you hate me like that. Even if she is the devil incarnate."

With a snort, Henry slapped Ray on the chest with the back of his hand. "She is not. For what it's worth, I think it's a good choice. You know she has the most followers in the entire county?"

That seemed to pique his boss' interest. "Really?"

Henry lifted his head finally, "well, last I checked. Janna Tetrazzini may have more now. You know, considering she taped the whole broken-ribs thing…" He held up his arm to gesture to his side.

Ray looked like he either wanted to puke or punch Henry at the reminder. Maybe both. "Yeesh…"

Rubbing his nose again, the sidekick laughed thickly, mouth still feeling too-wet from his tears. "Yeah. It's whatever. Superspeed comes with super healing now, so…" He shrugged as he trailed off.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, giving Henry enough time to take a swig of his smoothie.

He wrinkled his nose as he set it back down on the coffee table when Ray asked, "are you sure you're okay, Kid? Cuz you can take a couple more weeks off if you – need to."

Henry shook his head earnestly, rubbing his hands together. "No, no, I want to come back. As soon as I can." he said, and forced himself to make eye contact with his boss, acutely aware that his eyes were bloodshot, "It's just that –" he hesitated, before forcing himself to spit out the words before he chickened out.

"I think you should know that I'm gonna start seeing a therapist." He stated, and Ray's eyes widened considerably, "We don't – have anyone in mind yet. That's what…I wanted to ask you about."

Henry turned to look at his boss, leaning into the couch cushions. "I don't think having a…regular one would work. I want to know if you know any that specialize in…superhero-stuff?"

He squeezed his eyes shut at the last second, but managed to open one when he felt Ray's gaze linger on him for just a bit too long. He felt heat rush to his face once again, and broke the eye contact. "I mean…you don't have to –"

"No, Kid, I've – I've got a few numbers." Ray shook his head apologetically, "I can get them for you…"

Henry could feel the 'but' in the air, and the corners of his mouth tightened again. He fidgeted with the hospital band that was still around his wrist. "What's the catch?"

Ray huffed restlessly, "It's not really a catch. It's just that we don't have a lot of options out here. The only therapist in Swellview I'd trust with you is my own, and, well…"

That caused Henry's eyebrows to shoot up. "You have a therapist? How come I never knew about this?" He asked, and despite the fact that it wasn't something that he was entitled to know, he still felt rather shocked.

Cringing, his boss rubbed at the nape of his neck, "Eh, it's not like it was relevant… I stopped seeing her a couple years before I hired you," Ray admitted and refused to meet Henry's gaze.

"...why?"

"Well if it's any consolation I definitely think I need to start our sessions back up," his boss snorted and rolled his eyes, "I thought I'd…worked through my issues. Apparently I was wrong. But that's – that's not important. If you think that you want a therapist, then I'll recommend her to you."

Henry felt his brow pull together in worry, "You're not gonna – feel invaded, are you? Cuz I don't mind, finding a different one if, uh –"

"Henry, I don't want you pushing aside your needs for me again." Ray was suddenly stern, and there was fire in his gaze. "It's fine. Really. I need you to keep being a kid. Not Kid Danger, just a kid. If therapy helps you process that, then I'll do what I can to get you there."

Throat suddenly tight again, Henry ducked his head to nod in agreement. "Thanks," he managed to croak out, and saw Ray mirror his nod out of the corner of his eye.

Wiping his nose once again, the teen changed the subject. "So…what about Reed?"

His boss shifted on the couch, seemingly okay to the abrupt change in conversation. He brought a foot up to rest on his knee. "What about her?"

"Well…" Henry gestured vaguely between the two of them, "she knows about me now. Are you gonna…hire her, too?"

It seemed that the Man Cave was growing more crowded with every passing day, and Henry would really rather not have any surprise visitors when he came back.

Ray tilted his head to the side slightly, "Well, I tried."

Henry felt his brow furrow. Did she not take it? He figured that she'd…like a work environment that didn't try to make her quit. "But?"

Shrugging, Henry's boss tsked, "She turned me down. I gotta say, it kinda offended me. I mean, I'm Captain Man, who wouldn't want to work for me?" Ray threw his hands out incredulously.

That brought a laugh out of Henry, "Eh, doesn't surprise me," He said, "She was pretty stubborn when we worked together."

Ray snorted. "Yeah, I can tell."

He glanced towards Henry briefly as if he wasn't sure he should say what he wanted to next, "You know, I don't like that she was a cop. I mean, I know she helped you out last week, but I still can't help but round her up with her lazy-ass coworkers. You couldn't have chosen someone less…cop-y?"

"It's not like I had a list to choose from," Henry snarked, "Besides, she's not like them." Henry countered, suddenly defensive.

His boss backpedaled. "Yeah, I figured when we were working together back at the museum. I just –" Ray turned his neck in an irritated manner, baring his teeth, "I don't like that she didn't take the job. She has the potential, you know."

Henry had to agree, if only slightly. "Eh, she doesn't seem to be very fond of a desk job, so I can't blame her."

He eyed Ray warily, the sidekick knew that his boss had some of his own issues regarding secret identities and work, but he didn't think it was the time to push it. "But I do wish there was a way I could repay her. I know her coworkers aren't going to do much about her heroism."

A quiet sigh left Ray's nose. "Yeah."

"Yeah." Henry repeated his statement, setting a closed fist on his cheek. "...yeah," He said again and suddenly sat up straight.

Ray heard his change in tone and turned with a silent question on his face.

"You and that mayor are still on good terms, right?" Henry asked, and for the first time since his boss had walked through the door, a smile broke out on his face, "I think I have an idea."

His explanation, however, was cut off by the sound of the garage door, and both supers were on their feet in a matter of seconds.

"...is that your mom?" Ray asked with a much-too-eager purse of the lips, leaning to the side to try and catch a view of the garage door.

"Way to stick to the topic, Ray," Henry began pushing his boss towards the front door. "You need to go!"

"What? Aw, c'mon, I'm sure your mom needs help bringing in the groceries, why don't I just…"

"No, you need to leave, because I told her and Dad that you got into a car accident last week."

Ray was silent for a long while as Henry wrenched open the front door. "What?"

The two paused to stare at each other for a few seconds before Henry blinked and shook his head rapidly, a trickle of anxiety making its way towards the base of his spine. His mom could walk through the door at any second, "doesn't matter – you've just gotta go! I'll tell you my plan later, okay?"

His boss sputtered as Henry pushed him out onto the porch and turned with a bewildered look, "Uh, sure, Kid, wait! I just –" Ray stuck out a hand to stop the front door from closing all the way.

The two held eye contact for a considerable amount of time.

"I'm just…glad to know you're doing okay, Kid." Ray said with a tilt of his head.

A smile twisted at Henry's mouth, and his chest swelled with something akin to relief. "Me, too. It's good to have you back, Ray."

The faintest of smiles crept onto his boss' face as well, and they held it there for another second before Henry tilted his head to the other side. "But seriously. Get off my porch before my mom sees you."

Henry slammed the door and leaned against it in some habitual fear that it was still see-through, cutting off Ray's indignant squawk of "seriously?!"

That smile was still on his face, and with a shake of his head Henry turned the lock and hurried his way back to the couch.

Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit! It's done! We have an epilogue left and then THAT'S IT! THAT'S I T ! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I hope this brings some comfort to those of us with uteruses this week. I wish the supreme court a very Die.

*Singing* "Garfield, where is your lasagna? (oooo-oooo-oooo-oooo) Where is your lasagna, Garfield? Here kitty kitty~ (ah ah ah) Garfield~~~~" user "sxshaga" on

Until next time, my lovelies

~Local Dragon Haunt