Chapter Text
Alex was studying in the library when a British accent pulls him from his thoughts.
“Hello.”
He looks up to see a man about his age standing there, and Alex can’t help but notice how beautiful he is. He’s tall, probably way taller than him, with blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes Alex wouldn’t mind losing himself in.
He realizes he’s staring and should probably answer. “H-Hi. Can I help you?”
“That depends,” he gives him a small smile, “Is it okay if I sit here?” He points to the chair in front of Alex’s.
Alex nods and the guy sits down, but he’s a little confused because the library is almost empty, and he could sit anywhere else. The confusion must be visible on his face, because the other man laughs shortly and starts to explain.
“This is a bit awkward, but. My ex-boyfriend caught me leaving class and wouldn’t stop bothering me. And my roommate is currently out, and I forgot my keys, meaning I can’t go to my room until he’s back. So, I figured he would leave me alone if I sat with someone else.” Alex doesn’t say anything, keeps looking at him, and the blonde starts to look less and less sure of his words. “Of course, I don’t mean to overstep, I can just—”
Alex’s brain turns back online. “No no, really, it’s okay, you’re not overstepping at all. I promise. I should probably take a break anyway.”
The other man visibly relaxes. “Okay then. Thank you. I’m Henry Fox, by the way.”
“Alex Claremont-Diaz.” He holds out his hand and Henry shakes it, firm grip and warm skin. Alex pauses for a moment and tries to make conversation. “This ex-boyfriend of yours must be a real pain in the ass. Can I ask... why did you break up?
Henry’s smile fades slowly, and he looks more serious. Alex panics slightly. “You don’t have to explain, it’s none of my business, I’m sorry I asked—”
“It’s okay, Alex.” He smiles reassuringly. After taking a deep breath, “He wanted to have sex. I didn’t.” His eyes fix on Alex’s, like a challenge. “I’m demisexual.” He looks at Alex expectantly.
He frowns. “And he was an asshole about it?”
Henry lets out a dry, humorless laugh, “You could say that.” He pauses. “It felt—it felt he was waiting for me to ‘get over it’ and just do it, I guess, and got mad when I told him I didn’t want to. So, I broke up with him.”
“Good.” He speaks before he even realizes what he’s saying. Henry raises his eyebrows, looking a bit surprised. “I just mean, he sounds like a fucking asshole who should go fucking educate himself.” His voice softens, “I'm sorry he was like that, no one deserves it."
Henry smiles, a bit shy, “Thanks.”
Alex finds himself saying, “I’m bi. Not sure why that’s relevant at the moment, but—yeah. I am.”
Henry watches him with an amused look, “Okay. Good.”
“Yeah.” God, he feels like an idiot.
Thankfully, Henry changes the subject, “So, what were you working on?”
They end up talking for hours, Alex explaining he’s a law student and work never seems to end, but his pile of books is quickly set aside and forgotten.
He learns Henry is an English and History student on the second year of his masters degree, which means he must be incredibly smart – which is proven when he goes on rant about Oscar Wilde and Jane Austen, and flushes bright red when he realized he’s been talking for ten minutes straight – it’s actually quite adorable.
He easily follows the conversation with Alex, offering his own whips of sarcasm and clever comebacks. He’s also really funny, and he laughs loudly at Alex’s remarks, pulling the sound from deep inside his chest. Alex finds himself quickly addicted to that laugh.
Eventually, Henry’s phone lights up with a text. “It’s Pez— my roommate, they’re back already. I should go back to my room.” Alex swears he can see a hint of disappointment in Henry’s eyes, but he must be imagining it.
Checking the time, he realizes it’s way past eight. Jesus, he really lost track of time. “Yeah, I should go back to my dorm too. My roommate is probably also wondering where I am.” As if on cue, a text appears from Liam, a concise ‘where are you man?’
He types a quick response as Henry nods and stands up. He hovers there for a bit. “Thank you,” he says. “For keeping me company.”
“Anytime.” Alex smiles up at him and with one last nod, Henry turns around towards the exit. Alex watches him go for a second before calling him back. “Wait!”
Henry looks confused but comes back to the table with hesitant steps. Alex scribbles his number on the corner of a page, ripping it off and hands it to Henry. “My number.” Henry looks between him and the piece of paper, blinking. “For whenever you need to escape your ex again.”
Henry doesn’t say anything for a while, staring at Alex and his number, and anxiety sparks in Alex’s chest. Maybe he read this situation all wrong, and this was just a one-time thing. Henry probably doesn’t want to see him again, or maybe he thinks Alex’s hitting on him, and he opens his mouth to apologize—
“Thank you.” Oh.
Henry’s smiling at him. He looks soft and sincere, and it makes Alex so much calmer it’s almost concerning.
“Of course.”
Watching Henry leave, he takes a moment to calm the feeling in his chest.
Who knows? Maybe he made a friend.