Chapter 3. Decisions, Oh Decisions

A/N: Glad my readers seem to enjoy Henry's attitude as of right now, as well as Jasper's loyalty to Charlotte. I hope you can forgive me for seeming to drag my feet through updating my stories. Please understand, I'm very busy with school and I can't work on my fanfictions as much as I would like to. Have some patience, please. I promise, I will not abandon any of my stories.

Also, I know I said I would work on my RWBY fanfic, Of Serendipity and Duties of the Huntsman, next, but I had some inspiration for this story when I was watching some Henry Danger episodes, so the two are being posted on the same day. Hope you like.

…

When Ray had made it down to the Man Cave after checking things out above in Junk n' Stuff, he was almost surprised to see Henry was already there, working himself into a massive sweat and looking tired. Almost.

But the secret hero had a feeling his sidekick would resort back to training himself to the ground. He had noticed since the day before, when he had called the blond boy in to take care of a robbery at his favorite, how he was brooding to himself again. Ray hadn't brought it up, of course, because he knew the kid wasn't ready to talk about it. But now that the sidekick was here, a day later, he knew that was his subtle permission to bring up the subject.

This had been the routine since the boy was in the seventh grade, ever since his instincts had taken over when he ran into that kid. Henry had been beside himself then, unable to forgive himself and hysteric when the man had come to pick him up from school. So, within the three days he had been suspended, Ray had allowed him to wear himself out with training, allowing the kid to push himself as a way for him to process what happened in a healthy way and to seek penance by way of his aching muscles. And it had worked to bring him back from his pit of despair and self-loathing.

And now the blond sidekick considered the Man Cave his safe space, the place he can go to when he was wrestling the negative feelings he struggled with when having to hide who you are from just about everyone. From his family, and especially from any potential friends (not that Ray thought he was looking for friends, seeing he had decided to keep his distance since the aforementioned incident).

Sighing to himself, he moved forward to talk to the kid as he finished a set of pull ups and was about to work on his hyper mobility. "Hey, kid. When you'd get in?"

Henry turned to face him, standard smile on his face when he saw the only person he didn't have to hide from. "Hey, Ray. About half an hour ago. I would have let you know, but I figured you were actually working in the shop you own so I just got started. Hope that's okay."

It was more than okay, and they both knew it. But the bantering and pseudo courteously added a normality to their lives that couldn't be achieved anywhere else, seeing it was only in Junk n' Stuff everything concerning their lives was laid on the table. As superheroes, their lives outside the mask had to be concealed and vise versa.

Giving another sigh, Ray asked, "So what happened this time?"

"What makes you so sure something happened?"

"Well, let's see. You're training yourself to exhaustion and you have that same look you get when you're trying very hard not to think about something that makes you feel guilty. I'd list the other signs, but those are the two most obvious. So, what happened?" The superhero watched as the blond boy flopped over to the couch, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh.

"I saw a girl yesterday. She was one of the people I saved from the elevator, Charlotte Bolton. I don't know… I felt kinda drawn to her."

"So, you acted like a total jerk to get her as far away from you as possible and now you're punishing yourself even though your intentions are good. Not perfect, but good."

The kid nodded, still facing away from his boss. "She noticed my scar. I panicked a little and I just reacted, you know? She might have put two and two together or tried to look more into me. So, when we were in detention together, I made sure to send a clear message to stay away from me. And I think it worked."

He had watched her carefully in all the classes they had together (which was every one except Home Economics and Gym) and she had made a point of ignoring him whenever they were even breathing the same air. Even worse, her curly haired friend, whom used to be quite obsessed with buckets a few years back, glared at him as well. Seems she lamented about his treatment towards her.

"Kid, I know you and I know your heart is in the right place. But it really worries me that you must prefer keeping yourself on an island of complete isolation, especially when you have a chance to make friends."

Henry sighed as the two of them went over the same argument as they always did when things like this happened. "I told you, Ray. It's better for me to stay away from people. Bobby Finn taught me that."

"Come on, when are you going to cut yourself some slack concerning him?" Ray said exasperatedly, "You bumped into each other, you reacted and you haven't done anything like that since. And can you really blame yourself for that? With the life we lead, it's hard to go back and forth between the danger and the normal. Why do you think besides you and Shwozz, I have no other friends I ever real with? I'm just a joker with everyone else."

"And I'm a jerk with everyone but you because of the life we lead. Besides, if they aren't willing to look past the surface to see why I'm such an insufferable butt, then they aren't worth being friends with anyway. Either way, it doesn't matter. Charlotte probably out of my life and the matter is closed."

Ray stared at the blonde, pondering what to say next as he watched his protégé move on to the next workout. Before he could say anything else however, the alert sounded out throughout the Man Cave. Rushing to the computer, the superhero studied the notification flashing on his computer screen.

"Looks like there's a robbery in progress at the Swellview bakery. Ready for action, kid?"

"You know it."

Before long the two were suited up and shooting up the tube.

…

Charlotte was starting to wonder she had caught a heaping pound of bad luck from her high school. That was the only way she could explain how after finally starting the ninth grade, she found herself ending up in situations like this.

The brunette and her friend had made their way to the bakery after school as a way to comfort themselves. Charlotte had still been reeling and a little sad over her how last conversation with Henry had gone. And Jasper had suggested getting a cupcake, seeing as though she wouldn't let the boy confront the blonde. So now she was currently holed up in a closet of the bakery with her friend, wondering how a simple trip ended up being dangerous.

The two of them had been near the back, looking at a glorious display of cupcakes, when two men had show up, one holding a machete and another wielding a simple shotgun. They had ordered everyone, a total of seven people, including them, to the ground and to make their way to the back while they cleared out the shop of it's delicious treats and money. Jasper, in a rare burst of wisdom, had quietly stuck himself and Charlotte into the closet instead, and now they sat huddled in the back, hidden in the spacious room by the numerous brooms, mops and cleaning supplies. Someone would have to clear all of that to find them.

While they worked on not making any noise by moving or breathing too hard, Charlotte couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting back to Henry Hart, oddly enough. And that slightly infuriated her. This could be her final moment, and she was thinking about the hottie that was such a jerk to her.

But… at the same time, she couldn't stop wondering why. He had been pretty fine until she had spotted his scar. Perhaps she had made him too self-conscious or had even offended him by the blatant staring. After all, he had it hidden before, probably to stop nosy people like her from looking into it.

And that scar had been pretty gruesome, like something you find on a trauma victim or something. The brunette couldn't help but ponder how exactly he had gotten it. Did it himself in a cooking accident? Or perhaps… not an accident? Was he in a mugging gone run? Held hostage by a robber with a knife? Hurt by someone he's close to? Was he being abused?

The more she thought about it, the more curious she was. And the more she felt she couldn't leave things the way she had with the blond. After all, she had been pretty defensive and judging too. There had to be a reason why he looked so disheveled, why he looked so tired. Even why he had flipped Bobby the way he had. After all, the panicked reaction had shown he really hadn't meant to. So what was his state of mind when he had? And who was the one causing him to be this way now?

Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard the sound of the door outside bursting open, probably the front entrance by the sound of it. "Put the crème-filled scones down, villain!" She heard a loud and heroic voice call out. Could that be..?

"Captain Man!" One of the robbers exclaimed, sounding completely frightened, although desperately trying to hide it under weak bravado. "How the heck did you get here so fast?"

"I have eyes everywhere, criminal. Now, hands where I can see them?" Charlotte could see Jasper relaxing beside her, obvious relief emitting from him now that the resident superhero was here to save them. She, however, couldn't follow his calmness. After all, there were two robbers, along with the five hostages huddled in front of their door. And, she didn't hear any mention of Kid Danger, so Captain Man was out there, by himself, taking on those odds. Didn't sound too promising.

But, while the banter was loud, she could also pick a distinct whooshing sound, as well as a few quiet gasps behind their door, where the hostages should be. She wondered what was happening.

Then, a little while later, she could hear rattling happening above them. The two friends looked up to see a vent, probably for heat, where the sound of someone coming down it could be heard. The two held their breaths when they saw the silhouette of a head coming out of there. Was it the robber? His accomplice? Some new villain here to kill them. Then, they heard:

"Are you two okay?" That got her attention. She knew that voice.

The two of them watched in wondering awe as the blond sidekick, Kid Danger, jumped down to stand in front of them. He had a mini flashlight shining up to illuminate the room.

"Kid Danger!" Jasper yelled out, prompting both the blond and his brunette friend to shush him. Charlotte couldn't quite believe she was once again being saved from certain peril by the same guy. She hoped this wouldn't become a regular thing.

"Don't worry, you two. Captain Man and I are-" But then Kid Danger did a double take as he saw her, pure surprise in his eyes. "Charlotte Bolton?"

That got a blink out of her, momentarily forgetting their current situation. "You remember me?"

He was silent, watching her in quiet speculation. Like seeing her was the last thing he ever expected.

There were many things going through the girl's head as the sidekick looked at her. One, how the hell does he remember her name? Two, what a loser damsel he must think she is, having to save her butt yet again! Three, what the heck was he doing here, while Captain Man was fighting the robbers and protecting hostages on his own?

Actually, that last one was important. "What are you doing here? Doesn't Captain Man need your help?", she hissed quietly, anxiety and confusing making her sound harsh. Kid Danger blinked blankly at that, before understanding appeared in his eyes. "I am. I'm clearing the place of hostages while Captain Man distracts those two. You really this he'd be bantering so much if there weren't people in danger?"

That caused the girl to pause. That did make sense, seeing as how generally the duo take down the guys as quickly as they can, with maybe a quick one-liner. This time, the hero was really hamming it up.

"Besides, Captain Man is indestructible. He'll be fine for now. Now come on you two, you have to get out now." Once the two friends were standing and ready to leave, Kid Danger boosted Jasper up to the vent, allowing the boy to crawl through the duct and outside to freedom. When Kid Danger turned to her, Charlotte couldn't help but voice something that was nagging her. "What about you?"

Another blink from Kid Danger. "What about me?"

"Are you indestructible?"

"Well, no. But I have experience, training and my hyper mobility. I'll be fine, Charlotte, don't worry." The girl had no choice but to take the sidekick's word for it, letting herself be boosted and heading through the duct after Jasper.

"Good luck." She called out as loudly as she dared, continuing on before she could hear any kind of response. As she made her way outside, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was familiar somehow. So familiar.

...

The minute she and Jasper walked into Miss. Lynn's class, they were bombarded by students and questions about the bakery incident. Jasper could barely get away to make to his first period class. The girl managed to get to her seat before the bell rang, a little surprised to see a certain blond wasn't at his desk. Then again, he was late yesterday and the day before, so it was probably norm for him.

Seeing it just reminded her of her thought process before they were saved by Kid Danger. Perhaps there was a reason he was so standoffish and cold. But what could it-

Just then, Miss. Lynn arrived, visibly happy to see most of the people were in their seats, although frowning at Henry's empty desk. "Good morning, class."

Then just as the bell was ringing, Henry rapidly walked through the door, just barely on time. The teacher turned to address him, "Well, Mr. Hart. Glad you're finally-" Then she stop, looking largely concerned. "Mr. Hart, what happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just bumped into something, thanks for asking." Then the boy turned to face his classmates, causing everyone, including Charlotte, to gasp. Because Henry was sporting a rather gruesome-looking black eye.

...

So, here's chapter three. What do you think? Be sure to check out Of Serendipity and Duties of the Huntsmen for their chapter 3.