Work Text:
Henry’s on his way to class when it happens. He’s watching the ground in front of him, trying to avoid the iciest bits, when he sees a shoe in front of him step onto a sheet of solid ice and immediately slip off. He looks up just in time to get hit in the face by a splash of hot coffee as the man in front of him yells, “Fuck!” as both legs slip out from under him.
Henry’s arms are out before he’s fully processed things, and the stranger’s falling onto him, spilling the remainder of his coffee all over Henry’s right arm. He’s wide-eyed, but under the sheer terror on his face, he’s kind of cute. Then his terror shifts to embarrassment, and scratch that, he’s very cute.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Fuck. I spilled all over you, and I’d… wow. Hi,” he’s gotten to his feet and met Henry’s eyes for a second, then he sees Henry’s arm and blushes even darker. “You’re covered in my coffee; I’m so sorry. Honestly, you saved my life and I just spilled coffee all over you; that’s shitty thanks.”
“No; it’s fine. It’ll dry. Where are you headed?”
“The history building; I’ve got ethics in international law. Which starts in– shit. I’ve got to go. I’m so sorry.” He starts to take a drink of his coffee, then swears again. Henry’s wearing the entire cup.
“Give me the cup; I’ll throw it away so you can get to class on time.” Henry reaches out to take the cup, and their fingers touch. He’s wearing gloves, but he can feel how cold the other boy’s hands are. Part of him wants to wrap those cold hands in his own.
“You save me and the environment? Angel. Thank you so much. I’m so sorry. Have a good day!”
The other boy is off, and Henry looks at the cup a bit more closely. It’s from a nearby local coffee shop, and the order is printed on the side. He smiles slightly, making his way toward the coffee shop it came from and hoping they’ve got a bathroom where he can get cleaned up while he waits for them to remake it.
-
Not ten minutes into Dr. Millar’s ethics in international law lecture, someone slips in the back with a coffee. He spots Alex near the door and quietly makes his way over to hand him the fresh drink, and though they can’t talk, he makes sure Alex sees the note: “Since you seem to be falling for me, I’m Henry”. There’s a number under it. Alex looks up just in time to see the door closing after Henry, and with a smile, he starts a new text thread. “Henry? This is Alex. Ice to meet you.”