Work Text:
After they both came down from their laughter they just sat staring at each other with fond grins plastered on their faces. Until Henry’s eyes left Alex’s and started roaming Alex’s face and finally lingering on his lips and Henry said, completely out of nowhere, “You’re really fucking pretty, Alex.”
Alex’s smile faltered and he felt heat come into his face immediately. “Huh?” he asked, wanting to make sure he heard his friend correctly. Maybe it was just the alcohol affecting his brain making him unable to comprehend things right.
“I said you’re pretty,” Henry confirmed. He flicked his eyes back to Alex’s for a split second and then went straight back to staring at his lips again. Henry smirked when he took in Alex’s expression: wide eyes and parted lips with a flush that could barely be seen underneath his tan skin unless you really looked, which Henry was. “You like being called pretty, huh?”
Alex couldn’t find any words to say and was, for only the second time in his life, speechless. Again, it must have been the alcohol because he was always able to go back and forth with Henry’s banter ever since they became friends. But that’s just it. It had always just been friendly banter. Not whatever this was. Not with Henry’s eyes glued to his mouth, his neck, looking down to Alex’s legs where he’s sitting cross legged facing him on the couch.
A hand came down on Alex’s knee and he could feel Henry’s weight shift as he leaned in closer. “Do you?” That smirk still hadn’t left his face.
Alex doesn’t know why he shook his head. This whole situation was so confusing for him because being called pretty never really did anything to him before. But when it’s Henry… Alex’s brain was seconds away from exploding until Henry spoke again, his voice dropping a little lower.
“You don’t like it?” he asked, setting his wine glass down on the coffee table. He reached up with his newly free hand and lightly ran his fingers over Alex’s jaw, nearly making him shiver.
Alex felt his face become hotter and hotter as the seconds passed. Henry’s touch on his skin was something he never thought he would have the privilege of feeling. Not like this anyway. “Uh…” he said, almost whispering. “I don’t know.” He giggled nervously as Henry’s hand loosely rested around his neck and his thumb rubbed up and down the center of his throat.
Henry slowly leaned in even closer. He brought one leg up onto the couch so he could face Alex easier. He rested his knee on top of Alex’s and when he saw that Alex’s eyes were fixed on the point where their legs met, Henry lifted his chin with a finger to force eye contact. Now he could really see the blush covering Alex’s face.
“So,” Henry said, studying Alex’s expression, “pretty doesn’t really do it for you, huh?”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said again. “No one’s ever really called me that in, like, a serious way before.” He looked up into Henry’s eyes and shrugged again, smiling.
“Well, that’s quite a shame,” Henry said as he slid his hand down Alex’s arm and rested it on top of his hand. He paused for a moment while he played with Alex’s fingers a little. “Whenever I see you I think to myself that you’re one of the prettiest boys I’ve ever seen. Probably the prettiest, if I’m being completely honest.” A deep red color filled his cheeks as he made his confession.
Alex’s head snapped up at that. “What?” he said. He grabbed Henry’s hand to keep it still from playing with his fingers. Alex could tell he was getting a little nervous now, too. It made him feel a bit calmer. “You really think that?”
Henry nodded. Then he opened his mouth to say something but second guessed himself. Alex lightly squeezed his hand to encourage him to say it. The corners of Henry’s lips twitched up slightly. “Ever since I first saw you I’ve thought that.”
Alex didn’t realize that he had subconsciously moved in closer to Henry until he flinched backward a little at what he had just heard. He couldn’t help but laugh. “When we first met you hated me, though, no?”
Henry’s bottom lip pouted out and his brows knitted together in confusion. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times trying to figure out what to say. “What…” he started. “You think I hated you?” He looked genuinely offended that Alex had even said that.
“Yeah?” Alex smiled as if he were about to burst out laughing. “I mean, when we first met at that dinner party you looked at me like you wanted absolutely nothing to do with me.” He paused and when Henry said nothing he kept going. “Unless I read it all wrong? Except that you barely spoke to me all night and seemed to make certain that you kept your distance.” He chucked under his breath. “That’s why I seemed so confused when you started asking me to have lunch with you once a week. You’re very hard to read sometimes.”
They were still holding hands and Henry squeezed Alex’s hard as a form of apology. The expression on his face was that of a guilty puppy and Alex wanted it to go away immediately.
“Alex, I’m sorry I made you feel like that.” He sighed and shook his head shamefully. “I was just going through a rough time a few months ago and was honestly taking it out on so many people who didn’t deserve it. I have a really shitty habit of pushing people away when things get too overwhelming for me.” When he looked back at Alex his eyes were soft and the corners of his mouth tilted downward. “I’ll tell you about it another time. I truly am sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable and confused.”
It was silent for a minute or two after that. Then Alex placed his hands on Henry's shoulders and squeezed. “It’s okay, Henry. I honestly kinda figured that it might’ve just been some freak thing and not the real you.” He slid his hands back down Henry’s arms and grabbed both of his hands. “Ever since I’ve gotten to know you, you have been nothing but so incredibly kind.”
“Thanks, I think I needed to hear that,” Henry said and then took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “It’s just that I really like you and don’t want to make you feel like that again.”
Alex breathed in and out slowly, feeling bad that Henry seemed genuinely upset by this. But it was also nice to clear the air on a situation that Alex had been confused about for the longest time. He smiled and relaxed his shoulders. “You like me?” he asked, becoming almost bashful at the confession. His heartbeat picked up its pace.
Henry nodded shyly. His face was beet red now and Alex thought it was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. He also didn’t think that the alcohol was affecting his brain so much anymore and that this was all very real. At least he wanted it to be.
“Like… like me ?”
Henry scoffed. “Have I made it anything other than obvious?”
Alex shrugged and his grin widened. He lightly squeezed Henry’s hands again. “Like I said. You’re hard to read.”
That made Henry laugh and Alex felt the air in the room lighten. “Well I’m glad you called me out on that so I can work on it from now on. But, yes, I do like you very much, Alex.”
“Aw, H,” Alex said as he brought Henry’s hands up to his mouth. He placed gentle kisses to each one and then just held them there for a few seconds, smiling against them. “I’m sorry I’m oblivious to literally everything. But if it helps at all, I like you back. Like, a lot.”
This time, a grin spread slowly across Henry’s face. It looked like absolute disbelief. “Really?” he asked, his voice rising louder than it had been all night. “You do?”
Alex nodded. “Have I made it anything but obvious?” he repeated. Before Henry could answer Alex added, “That was a joke, obviously. I did try. But I’m just recently figuring a lot of things out about myself, and this one was pretty big so it took a little while for me to fully come to terms with it, you know?” He took a deep breath and laughed as he let it out. “But yeah. I really, really fuckin’ like you, Henry.”
Henry looked like he was about to jump off the couch and start doing a happy dance, but Alex could see the restraint in his eyes keeping him still. Then his face got serious and his jaw went a little slack. “Are you telling me that you were thinking of me when you had your big revelation about liking men?”
Alex’s smile tightened a bit. “Unfortunately no. But also yes, to an extent.” He paused, thinking of a way to say what he was thinking. “There were definitely moments all throughout my life, you know, movie characters, celebrities. Things like that. But I also had this thing going on with an old friend in high school. Only I didn’t actually know it was a thing until recently.”
Henry laughed. “I hope you know I will be asking about that later on.”
“Of course you will, asshole,” Alex replied, playfully pushing Henry’s shoulder.
Henry nodded, chuckling. “I will let it slide for now, though, since I don’t really want to think about you doing dirty, gay activities with another man right now.”
He was laughing, but Alex could tell he was being serious. His voice gave it away. Apparently Jealous Henry was an open book. Alex smirked. “Why? Is it making you jealous?” He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. “You want me,” he said, resting his elbow on his knee and his head in his hand, looking up at Henry.
For a moment, Henry seemed unsure of what to say. He definitely did look like he was into whatever was going on. He did start it, after all. But still, all he could do was stare back at Alex. He fixed his eyes on Alex’s lips once again and licked his own. Then he said, “Yes.” And that was it.
Alex raised one eyebrow in confusion. “Yes, what?” he asked. “Yes, you’re jealous? Or yes, you want me?” He was only half joking at this point. He knew exactly what he wanted, but he needed Henry to say it too.
Henry swallowed and Alex couldn’t miss the way his throat moved. He wanted to kiss it. Then Henry reached up to loosen his tie a bit and repeated, “Yes,” and then said, “Both.”
Alex’s heart was doing somersaults in his chest but he hid his nerves behind his smirk. “Well, I assure you there’s really nothing to be jealous of. It was years ago and whatever we did couldn’t possibly have been any good, so.”
It was silent for a moment. Henry licked his lips again. “Must’ve been good enough for you to know you wanted to do it again, though,” he said. Then he took a finger and drew a line from Alex’s ankle, slowly up to the middle of his inner thigh. “ Have you done it again?” he asked, looking up at Alex when his finger stopped. He placed his palm there on Alex’s thigh and leaned some weight onto it. The other man’s chest started rising and falling a little heavier.
They weren’t really what could be considered drunk anymore, but the red wine was definitely still doing it’s work on them and Alex could feel a pool of heat low in his stomach. He shook his head. “No. Not since then.” He had to look away from Henry when he felt his thumb rubbing firm circles into his thigh.
When he glanced back the corners of Henry’s mouth twitched up but he remained serious. His thumb was still moving, but his hand was not going any higher or lower. Henry just kept it right in the middle and it was driving Alex mad.
Henry leaned in closer, using Alex’s leg for support and pushing it down. “Yes,” he said again. “I want you, Alex.”
That was all he needed to say before Alex’s hand was around the back of his neck and pulling him into a rough kiss. Henry gasped like all of the air in his lungs was knocked right out of him. But he quickly recovered and kissed Alex back, matching his force and gripping the sides of his face with both hands as if to keep him from going anywhere.
Alex didn’t want to be anywhere else but where he was. The feeling of Henry’s mouth opening and closing against his own was unlike anything he had felt before. At first, when that thought entered his mind, he thought he was just being dramatic. But it’s true. He’s never kissed a man before. He never kissed Liam when they experimented with each other. He didn’t know it would feel like this. He’s only been in love once in his entire life, and even she didn’t make him feel this way when they kissed.
Alex was pulled out of his thoughts when Henry’s hands suddenly gripped his waist, one of them rubbing up and down his side. When they pulled back for air, Henry’s mouth found its new place on Alex’s neck, kissing up and down from underneath his jaw to along his collarbone. He undid the first few buttons of Alex’s shirt as he made his way down his throat, sucking lightly at the skin here and there.
When Henry pulled back for a second, Alex grabbed at his tie and pulled it over his head, throwing it to the floor. “I hate that thing,” he said, working to unbutton Henry’s shirt. Once Henry shrugged it off he got on his knees on the couch and straddled Alex’s legs, pushing him down so his back was resting on the couch’s armrest.
“Yeah,” Henry said, laughing, “I’ve gathered that from the many times you’ve told me.”
“And yet you keep on wearing it. I give you good advice and you just toss it aside.” Alex clicked his tongue in mock disapproval.
Henry pushed a strand of hair out of Alex’s face and then ran his fingers through Alex’s hair, stopping at the back of his head. Then he grabbed a fistful of his curls and pulled and just held him there so that Alex was looking straight up at him and unable to look away. Alex gasped at the sudden tug and his lips stayed parted as he took in Henry’s almost completely dilated eyes. There was only a thin ring of blue left.
“Maybe I just like to get a rise out of you,” Henry said and Alex’s eyes narrowed, a smirk pulling at his mouth.
Alex opened his mouth to answer but before he could Henry’s lips were back on his and he was pulling Alex up with a hand around his back so their chests were flush together. This kiss was rough like the last one, but Henry was also being sweeter at the same time. It felt to Alex like he wanted to savor the feeling of their lips together. Like he wanted to memorize the way they moved and how they tasted. When he licked Alex’s bottom lip, Alex gasped in surprise. Then he could feel himself blushing again as he parted his lips to let Henry’s tongue explore his mouth. Alex did the same.
Henry tasted like a mix of red wine and minty chapstick, and his lips were soft . Alex wasn’t expecting another man’s lips to be so soft and cushiony against his own but…here he was, kissing the nicest pair of lips he’d ever felt. Also, with him so close, Alex could smell his cologne wafting in the air around them and it made his head spin more than alcohol ever had. This was nice. He could definitely get used to it.
After another minute or two of making out, Alex could feel Henry start to grind his hips into his own experimentally. Alex started to second guess himself and thought that he was letting this go too far, too fast. It’s not that he didn’t want to continue this. Because knowing he was the one getting Henry all worked up was doing so many things to him. He just wanted to savor the moment and work up to the good stuff.
Henry pulled his lips off of Alex’s and started attacking his neck again and Alex threaded one hand through his hair and tugged lightly to get his attention. “Hey,” he said. When Henry looked at him, Alex couldn’t help the grin forming on his face.
“Is everything okay? Do you want to stop?” Henry asked. He was smiling too, but his voice sounded concerned.
Alex lightly began scratching the back of Henry’s scalp. “No, no, it’s not that. Everything is fine,” he said. “I don’t want to stop . I think I just want to take things a little slower? If you don’t mind?” He hoped that Henry would understand what he meant and not get upset and think Alex didn’t want this anymore.
Henry’s smile softened. “Yeah, Alex. Of course we can take it slower.” He cupped Alex’s jaw and kissed his forehead. “Anything you need.”
A wave of relief washed over Alex, but he still felt the need to justify his reasoning. “Don’t think that it’s you, okay? Everything we were just doing was fantastic and I definitely want to continue. It’s just that I’ve got a lot on my mind right now and, again, I’m realizing so many things about mys-”
Henry cut him off with a kiss that he was smiling into. He pulled back and chuckled under his breath when he saw Alex’s wide eyes. “You don’t have to explain, Alex, I understand not being ready for certain things.” He twirled a curl around his finger. “Just let me know if things are moving too fast, okay, love?”
Alex’s chest deflated as he felt a second wave of relief. He placed his hands on Henry’s waist, feeling the heat of him radiating off of his skin. “Thanks,” Alex said quietly.
“Of course.” He placed another kiss on Alex’s forehead and one on his cheekbone. “Scoot over a bit,” he said as he started to lay down half on top of the other man. Alex did so and there was almost enough room for Henry to lay on his side next to Alex, but he still ended up mostly on top of him. But Alex didn’t seem to mind, though, as he slid his arm around Henry’s back, holding him close as he laid his head on Alex’s chest, holding him around his middle and tangling their legs together. Alex could feel Henry’s breathing slow slightly against his bare skin.
“H?” he said. “It’s getting late, are you tired?” He paused for a second, then, “You can stay if you want.”
Henry nodded and nuzzled his face deeper into Alex’s chest. The feeling of his hair tickling the underside of Alex’s jaw sent his stomach erupting in butterflies and he wondered if Henry could feel how fast his heart was beating.
As if he could read minds, Henry said, “I can hear your heart.” He chuckled and added, “Do I make you nervous?”
“It’s not nerves,” Alex replied. “I’m just really happy this happened.”
Henry moved his hand up from around Alex’s waist so that it was resting against the left side of his chest, feeling his heartbeat. Alex thought that Henry could probably feel it slowing down now both due to tiredness and the feeling of comfort he was experiencing from finally having Henry like this. From finally allowing himself to just feel his feelings and accept that this was what he wanted.
He wanted to be able to be close to someone without feeling like they’re going to pull back and leave when he can’t seem to get out of his own head. He wanted someone who would be willing to help him through his tough days, and someone that would also let him help them too. He felt all of that with Henry, even before all this happened. He knew they had a really good connection between the two of them and that, yes, it would take some work on both ends. But it would be perfectly worth it the entire time, no matter how challenging things may get. And, anyways, Alex loves a challenge.
He especially loved the challenge of trying to get Henry to move to his bed so they could get some sleep. “Henry, let’s go where it’s more comfortable,” he said. “There aren’t even any blankets over here.” He tried to nudge Henry’s shoulder to force him to sit up, but all he got in response was a chuckle, signaling that he was, in fact, awake and Henry’s hand sliding up his chest to grip the side of his neck, his thumb running up and down along his throat again.
“Sweetheart,” he tried again. He rubbed Henry’s back to stir him a little. “You’re really cute like this, but I also really need to pee, so if we could just go to my room.”
Henry finally perked back up to rest his chin on Alex’s chest and look up at him. With a sleepy smile he asked, “You think I’m cute?”
“I think you’re a lot of things, but one thing you’re not is in my bed, so let’s go.”
Henry sighed dramatically. “Fine,” he said, sitting up. “But only because you called me sweetheart and because, as you said, there are no blankets here and I’m quite cold.”
Alex lifted a brow. “Well, yeah, you have no shirt on.”
“And you’re literally the one who took it off of me.”
“Yeah, yeah, it‘s all my fault.” Alex grabbed Henry’s hand as he stood up to walk to his room. Henry stood up as well to follow, tightly holding Alex’s hand the whole way there until they walked in the door and Henry all but flung himself into the bed and crawled under the covers.
Alex just stood and watched as Henry made quick work of burying himself under the comforter and his unusually high number of blankets until he realized that, “Hey! That’s my side of the bed.”
Henry didn’t pay him any attention and just pushed his head deeper into one of Alex’s pillows. “You’re literally also still in your work pants,” he pointed out.
There was silence, and Alex thought Henry must have actually passed out this time. Until there was movement underneath the covers and Henry was rolling around until, finally, he held his pants up in the air and threw them toward Aex. “There,” he said, resuming his position in the pillows.
Alex couldn’t help but laugh. “You better not have been going commando today,” he joked. He laid Henry’s pants over the chair in the corner of the bedroom so they wouldn’t wrinkle. Then he walked over to his dresser and grabbed a fresh t-shirt and boxers and went to the bathroom to pee and brush his teeth. “You better be out of my side before I come back out,” he said as he closed the bathroom door.
He was finally alone for the first time all day and all he could think about was Henry in his bed on the other side of the door. Henry kissing him like he wanted nothing else in the world but Alex. The fact that both of their feelings are now laid out on the table before them, and they’re completely mutual. These thoughts just kept circling through his mind as he got changed and washed his hands.
He was just reaching for his toothpaste when he heard a quiet knock at the door next to him. When he opened it, Henry was standing there in his briefs, his hair already messed up from laying in bed. He looked like a dream. “You don’t have a spare toothbrush, do you? My mouth tastes like stale alcohol.” He grimaced, presumably at the taste in his mouth.
“Uhh, that’s a good question, actually,” Alex said. “Let me look. I think there’s one right…here!” He opened the medicine cabinet above the toilet and pulled out a brand new toothbrush for Henry.
Henry took the toothbrush and, after Alex put toothpaste on his own, he took some for himself. The two of them stood side by side at Alex’s single sink and brushed their teeth together. Alex had to try multiple times not to laugh as the toothpaste foamed around the edges of Henry’s mouth. A few hours ago, he would have been able to confidently say that brushing your teeth was one of the most unattractive things people do. But, of course, Henry had to waltz right into his life and into his bathroom where he looked fucking adorable and self conscious about how he looked while brushing his teeth. Yet another thing Alex could get very, very used to.
They almost hit heads going to spit their toothpaste out, but Henry flinched away before it could happen. Alex chuckled when Henry motioned for him to go first. He spit into the sink and scooped some water into his mouth to rinse. Then, when he came back up, Henry took his turn. As Alex was drying his face with a towel hanging next to the sink, Henry finished as well and came back up grinning in the mirror at Alex.
“What?” Alex asked.
Henry just shook his head and switched to Alex’s other side to use the same towel to dry his own face off. “Nothing,” he said. Then, before leaving the bathroom, he snaked his arms around Alex’s middle from behind and lightly kissed his neck. “I like to look at you. You’re just so pretty.” Before he let go he tugged at the hem of Alex’s t-shirt. “But you should take this off,” he whispered in Alex’s ear. And then he left him standing there with the door open.
Alex listened and took off the shirt because how can he actually say no to Henry. He walked back into his room and when he looked at the bed, Henry was already back under the blankets, on the other side, just like Alex told him.