Work Text:
at age 5, ray is the best tree climber on their block. they have a knack for natural footholds and know the feel of a branch that can support their body, a limb they can thrust against and fly higher into the trees, whooping louder than any of the other kids. ray also learns to wear darker clothing during hide and seek, and that if they are just quiet and still enough, the other kids never see them. its disconcerting to not be seen, but it's also thrilling in a way ray can't explain.
then ray climbs their first building at 11 (and three quarters, thanks). when ray and their friends reach the top, they all grin at each other, feeling free as they chase the startled pigeons from the rooftop. its theirs now. ray learns the fun in taking something that isn't yours and molding it, warping it until it is. they find freedom in fear.
ray runs from their first fight when he's 17. granted, they've had a few scuffles before, living in the city and all. but these were not stuck up white kids from their school. these were grown men, and they had knives. they had strategy. the men spilt off into groups, corralling ray into a corner alley as the men chuckled and twirled their blades; overconfident.
ray feels their own instincts kick in without even inviting them first. they immediately feel calm, posture relaxing and eyes narrowing as they takes in the gang members. the longer ray looks, the funnier they all are; gapping teeth, fake guns, eyes darting back nervously for cops or wannabe heroes. they sense the change in ray and are, to their credit, only momentarily confused.
but it's enough.
ray tenses up; springs. ray's on top of the dumpster in the corner and hanging onto the lowest railing before the men even realize what's happening. they shout and start towards them, but ray has already pulled themselves onto the balcony and has both feet on the brick pattern sticking out of the wall. a couple men try to follow them, spitting curses the whole way up and even more as they fall back down. ray laughs so hard they nearly loses their footing.
less than a minute later, ray has scaled the whole building, the men's shouts below them barely a whisper. the adrenaline wears off half an hour later and ray barely makes it back to their apartment awake. they sleep for nearly 20 hours, and when they wake up they consume an entire 50 count bag of pizza rolls.
ray is just 25 when geoff first contacts them about a contract with his crew.
ray is 25 + 4 months when gavin first asks ray (stumbling around the question, beating the proverbial bush) to teach him how to snipe. ray is amused at first with gavin's shitty attempts, but is surprised that it turns to fondness every time gavin shoots a little straighter, looks over his shoulder to make sure ray was watching, ray ray i shot the can ray lookit!
ray is 25 + 5 months when michael first asks ray (gruff words and scuffing his shoes to hide embarrassment and genuine curiosity) to teach him how to climb. ray is taken aback with the natural talent michael has to move his stockier build into something more graceful, more dangerous than you would expect. they race each other to the roof of the penthouse, and michael beats ray 2 times out of 5. michael teases them mercilessly when he wins, and is grumpily silent when ray wins. ray is endeared by michael's genuinity.
it's the day immediately after the day with michael that geoff asks ray to get "fucked up" with him. to geoff's immense surprised, ray (a self proclaimed non drinker) accepts. geoff knocks back shot after shot of bourbon and ray smokes blunt after joint and ray wakes up with hickies in between their thighs and a bigger heart than they remember having.
ryan just. shows up out of the blue and tells ray, with a great deal of word-flubbing and hair-messing-with that ray has, you know, nice eyes or something and it's just, uh, they're really pretty, and, well. all this from the guy that wears a straight up skeleton mask to intimidate people, and it works, and its only 9 in the morning. ray is taken aback, to say the least.
ray is 26 + a bit when they're all laying around in various positions in the living room playing mariokart when jack pauses it, amidst faint noises of complaint.
"ray."
"hmm."
"we like you. like a lot. and you like us. we work well together, you know it. just fucking live here already."
ray tilts his head to the side, thinking, accidentally laying it on gavin's shoulder. gavin hums and sinks lower into the couch, causing ryan to shift his feet (which were still in gavin's lap). ray doesn't even know why they considered it in the first place.
"course, jack." they add a wink. "anything for you."
no one seems surprised by this. geoff asks, offhand, if anyone feels like chinese.
"fuck yes."
"god fuckin' damn it michael, no, i want pizza for once. why can't we just be, like, a normal dysfunctional crew that doesn't always get fucking, asian fusion or some weird korean barbecue shit. fuck."
"that's racist ryan, ryan how could you."
"shut up gavin, ya fuckin' british prick. you guys have invaded like, half the fuckin' world or something."
"michael!"
ray is 26 + a bit when they fall in love with all of them. ray is 26 + a bit more when they quit climbing out of fear, when they don't feel like they have to hide anymore. ray is just 27 when they start wearing bright colors again.
ray keeps climbing trees, just because. having people they trust to come with them and watch their back is something ray thinks they can get used to. (and they do.)