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It all happens so fast. One minute, Alex is beside him, holding his hand and talking about their Christmas plans. The next, Alex is on the ground, and Henry hears a terrifying whack as he hits. He bends down as Alex sits up, careful to avoid the icy patch that took Alex out, and waves a hand in front of Alex's face.
"Alex? Alex, are you alright?"
"Are you an angel?"
"No, Alex, I'm... I'm Henry. Your boyfriend."
"My boyfriend? But you're... you're so pretty." Alex's eyes aren't entirely focused, and his words aren't nearly as clear as they should be. He could be drunk, except that it's too early, and drunk Alex is much more excited about things than this Alex is. Henry sighs.
"Okay; you hit your head pretty hard. Let's get Cash over here, and he can help get you somewhere to rest." Henry pulls out his phone to call Cash, and as it's ringing, Alex puts a hand on his shoulder.
"You should give me your number, too. So I can call you. To talk about what happened, or... or whatever. Or not."
"Alex, you have my number. Hi Cash, this is Henry. We're pretty close to where we were going to meet up, but Alex slipped and hit his head pretty hard. Thanks; we'll see you soon."
"I have your number?" Alex asks the minute Henry hangs up, and Henry sighs, nodding.
"You do. You asked for it early on so that we could fake a friendship, but we've been dating for over a year now."
"We're dating? I get to date you?"
"That's right, and I get to date you. Cash, over here."
Cash makes his way to them carefully on the icy sidewalk, and at Alex's insistence, he bends down. Alex leans in close and says, far too loudly for the whisper he's intending, "Cash. Cash, I'm dating him. Henry's my boyfriend. Remember how I've been obsessed with him for ages? He's my boyfriend now.
"He slipped on the ice, and I'm pretty sure he hit his head. He sat up by himself, and I don't think he ever lost consciousness, but he's clearly pretty disoriented," Henry says, filing Alex's obsession with him away for another day.
"You're disoriented," is Alex's contribution to the conversation.
"Let's get him up and to a doctor. It looks like just a mild concussion, but we should be sure. Alex, Henry and I are going to help you up, okay?"
"Okay. Hey, Henry, what are you doing later tonight?"
"Probably looking after you, you big idiot."
"Wanna do that at my place?"
"We live together, Alex."
"We live together? Cash? Cash, do we really?"
"You do."
"Wow. Holy shit. I live with you."
"And my dog, David. He shares the bed with us every night, and he likes your side better, since you're short and there's room for him at your feet."
The sheer awe that spreads across Alex's face almost makes up for Henry's worry about him. He feels that awe sometimes, in the quiet moments they get together, but he's never seen it so obviously on Alex's face. It's beautiful.
"We really live together, and we have a dog and a house and a life and everything?" Alex asks, and Henry nods, smiling.
"We really do." He kisses Alex's cheek, and Alex looks up at him, slack-jawed adoration clear on his face. A little more of Henry's worry fades away.
-
At the hospital, the first thing Alex says to the nurse who helps them is, "This is my boyfriend! He's so handsome and nice and strong. We have a whole life together! We have a dog!"
"He forgot when he hit his head; it's... he's getting used to the idea again. It was a bit of a tumultuous getting together, so it might take some time for him to realize it's real," Henry explains, but the nurse just smiles. He clearly recognizes them, but he doesn't say anything other than to look Alex over and promise that a doctor will be in soon. When Alex insists that Henry really is his boyfriend ("He's dating me, and I'm dating him. I'm so lucky"), the nurse just says they're lucky to have each other.
When the doctor walks in, she starts to ask how Alex is feeling, but he interrupts her to brag about his life with Henry. Henry apologizes and explains what happened, but it's too late; Alex is starry-eyed and rambling, setting Henry's cheeks on fire.
"Will he... he'll remember eventually, right?" he asks the doctor, and she nods.
"He should. Disorientation and a bit of memory loss is common after a concussion; he should be better in an hour or so. My tests didn't reveal anything worse, so if you feel comfortable looking after him for a bit, I can send you home. Give him painkillers if he develops a headache, and give us a call if he gets any worse."
"Of course. Thank you, doctor; have a good day."
"You too. Enjoy your loopy boyfriend."
"That's me. I'm your loopy boyfriend."
"That you are. Come on, loopy boyfriend, let's get you home," Henry says. He helps Alex up and off the examination table, and Alex clings to him as they meet Cash outside and make their way to the van. He's uncharacteristically quiet on the ride home, especially for concussed Alex, and eventually, Henry asks, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just... my head hurts. And I'm tired. And you... you're my boyfriend."
"I am. If you need to, you can lean on me and rest, I don't mind."
"You're my boyfriend though? Really? You're not just saying that?"
"Why would I lie about loving you?"
"I don't know. Maybe you just want me to feel better, or you think it's funny or something."
"I don't; I promise. I promise you this is real. Here, look. Remember this?" He's pulled the chain out from under Alex's shirt, revealing the key to the house in Texas and the gold signet ring. Alex nods. "I gave you this ring. It used to be my family's, but now you're my family, too, maybe more than most of them are. I love you, and that's not a lie or a joke or anything like that. I love you."
A smile spread across Alex's face, slowly at first, but growing steadily into a grin. He leans over on the seat to rest his head on Henry's thigh, and Henry puts an arm around him protectively.
"Rest; I'll be here when you wake up. Promise. I love you." Alex closes his eyes, and as he falls asleep, the smile on his face doesn't fade.