Chapter Text
The second night after the prison, the Dads made camp near a small pond, or maybe a swamp? Henry didn't quite know when exactly murky ponds officially became a marsh or bog, but the body of water that served as the backdrop to their temporary homestead was clearly near the turning point. They decided to stop here for the free water, but the risk of unstable ground just wasn't worth the cloudy liquid. Which meant Henry had to cast waterwall, and the camp spent the allotted minute filling up their water bottles and trying to wash off the day's grime.
Henry didn't really mind. it was nice to feel needed. Even when his ability to cast spells had been needed more and more lately. To heal everyone back up, make something to eat, fly around to find a course. It was fine; they were all doing their part to get through this. He was sure there had been weeks he had done less and relied on the other dads to pick up his slack. It had just been a magic-heavy couple of days.
So he had made the call to stop by the water in hopes he could get a break from the casting for a night. But instead, the location just meant they spent the night being bitten by fantasy-mosquitoes. which meant they would have to devote extra time setting up the tents instead of just rolling out under the stars like they did most nights. After he was done with that task and he had materialized enough goodberries for the team, the only thing he wanted to do was crawl into his tent and sleep.
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"hey," the light had changed when Glenn's voice woke him; not enough to justify being pulled back into consciousness. It was proper night at this point, you could hear it just beyond the clearing.
"What, Glenn?" Henry was certain he wanted to have sex; Glenn had never come to his tent in the middle of the night for anything else. And they hadn't had the time this morning, after the whole fiasco.
"can I come in?" a lot of him wanted to say no. he was tired, and he was still sore from all the swimming, and the walking, and the casting. Magic made you hurt behind your teeth and through your eyes; the only cure was sleep.
"yeah," But it was Glenn, and the man had been through so much, too much. Henry could make it through a night of half-hearted sex. it wasn't like he was fully disinterested. He had genuinely wanted to this morning. And besides, he was pretty sure Glenn hadn't done anything like this in a while. It might be quick. Deep indigo and juniper framed Glenn's silhouette as he slipped into the small space. Henry caught the glint of Nick Jr.'s eyes as he turned to zip up the flap.
"How do you want to..." Glenn didn't seem to hear him. Instead, he set his bag down and started unbuckling the pauldron he had kept from the prison and then pulling off the leather jacket. Henry watched, mesmerized at the methodical way he did it like he had nothing in the world to think about but doffing these bits of clothing. Finally, Glenn moved to where Henry was lying. A massive arm came to wrap over his waist, Glenn's head on his chest. Smooth legs and bare feet tangled with his own. There was a small movement as Glenn's companion settled down somewhere in his hair, and then stillness.
"I, um..." Henry started, unsure what exactly he wanted to say. Glenn didn't say anything, just pressed his nose into his side and pulled himself just a little bit closer. Henry felt tense, waiting for something more to be expected from him. Some physical or emotional labor he needed to help with. But there was none. Just the nighttime symphony and the feeling of being held tightly by someone who missed him. Eventually, he let himself relax into it, shifting his hand up to set it on Glenn's arm.
"squeak," Henry stopped just before touching, waiting to see why the Rat had spoken.
"Go ahead. He's just letting me know you're there." Glenn's voice was low and even.
"Oh, okay." in the dim, Henry found the shape of Glenn's left eye. The lichtenberg scarring was visible with the patch off. Henry realized that Glenn must be totally blind, laying on his side like this. The weight of that trust sat warm and heavy in his chest as he drifted off to sleep.