Chapter Text
Alex smiles as he looks out the window. His arms are crossed over his chest, his fingers are hidden under the thick layers of woven cotton of Henry’s hoodie sleeve. Over the rooftops of the brownstones across the street, he can see Manhattan peeking over. There’s little traffic at this late hour, but there have been a number of passing couples. Alex smiles as two young, teen girls run down the middle of the street hand in hand. It’s so easy to find little pieces of quiet happiness on these nights, nights where he and Henry have dinner at home and just spend time together. As much as Alex loves the loud nights, there’s something safe about quiet nights with Henry.
Somewhere behind Alex, there’s a loud clatter of glass clanging together. Alex turns on his heel.
“Hen? Are you good in there?”
There are a few moments of silence before Henry comes out of the kitchen. His sleeves are rolled up, and Alex can’t help admiring his arms. He’s distracted for a second. Polo really did something for those forearms, Henry has many thick veins popping up on his pale arms. Alex has a sudden urge to trace his fingers along every vein and find the beginning and end to all of them.
Alex runs his hands up Henry’s arms, up to his shoulders. Henry smiles and says, “Yeah, just finished with the dishes.”
Henry pulls Alex in for a hug, engulfing him with the warmth of his arms. He digs his face into Henry’s sweater, which he realizes is actually his own Georgetown sweater.
“That’s my sweater,” He looks up at Henry and accuses.
Henry blushes, “It smelled like you.”
God, Henry is adorable when he blushes. Alex pushes up onto his toes and kisses Henry softly. When he draws back, he stays there in Henry’s space and counts his freckles. He’d never noticed Henry’s freckles before, until one particular morning, when they were sprawled over each other in the warm Brooklyn daylight.
“What were you doing?” Henry whispers.
“Counting your freckles.”
Henry huffs out a laugh, it’s warm on Alex’s cheek. His arms tighten slightly around Alex’s waist as he says, “I meant before I came.”
Alex rocks back onto his ankles and shifts in Henry’s arms. He rests his back on Henry’s chest and fiddles with his long, slender fingers. Alex drops his head back and rests it on Henry’s shoulder.
“I was just, wistfully looking out the window,” Alex whispers softly, “Waiting for my love to arrive back from doing the dishes.”
“Wistfully?” Henry perks. Alex hums in response.
“Did you see anything interesting?”
Alex shakes his head, “Nah, just the same old stuff. But I did get inspired.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah. You wanna go on a walk with me, baby?”
Alex doesn’t need to see his face, he can hear the smile in Henry’s voice, “I’d be delighted, love.”