Work Text:
Ray always thought that watching someone while they were sleeping was weird.
No matter what movie he was watching, his opinion never changed.
But sometimes, when Henry happened to fall asleep in the Man Cave, and Ray was next to him, something happened to him. He was possessed by the need to watch over the boy.
The kid was probably not aware of this because he never brought it up, but it made Ray feel like a creep even more.
Today was another one of those days.
They had a lot of emergencies, a lot going on so when they got back to the Man Cave, they were both exhausted. They didn't even have time to change, Henry sat on the couch, Ray on the chair by the monitors, and when he turned to say something to his sidekick, he saw that the latter had fallen asleep.
So, about half an hour had passed, and he sat and watched the teenager sleep. He tried to tell himself that he was doing it out of concern, that he was reassuring himself that Henry was all right, but it didn't help. He still thought he was exaggerating and acting like a creep.
He leaned against his chair and yawned. They were alone with Hen. Silence and stillness. The only sound came from the monitors behind him, the tubes and other machinery in the Man Cave.
Ray didn't like it when it got too quiet because then he would start thinking, and when he was thinking, he would start blaming himself.
And since there were only him and his sidekick here it focused on the kid.
Henry, in his Kid Danger suit, was sleeping on the couch, with his legs pulled up to his chest, his breathing steady. In general, the boy looked as if he wasn’t dreaming about anything, and this reassured Ray. The kid had far too many nightmares.
When he was looking at the kid like this he noticed a slight scratch on his cheek and felt a familiar feeling of guilt.
It was because of him that Henry got hurt, because of him that he had nightmares, because of him that he didn't have a childhood. Because Ray got him into this job. He should have said “no” when thirteen-year-old Henry Hart came to him, but Ray was weak.
He wanted someone with him so badly. He was so selfish-
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He won’t turn back time, he couldn't keep blaming himself for it.
If only it were that simple
He got up and quietly walked over to the couch. He crouched down next to the boy and brushed his hair away from his face.
"I'm sorry, Henry. It's all my fault."