Chapter Text
Ralph didn't know at what point of his life he felt the need to kiss and hold hands with his best friend, but there he was.
It all started with a simple touch.
Ralph didn't know why, they've been friends since primary school, now almost finishing secondary, they sure have held hands before; like hell, they danced together thanks to Ms. Battle-axe being a petty teacher.
But a hand on top of his, a 'good job' at his sketch of some clothes he designed, left him with the feeling of butterflies fluttering their wings inside his tummy, and it made him feel sick.
Thump thump thump.
Maybe he actually was sick.
It was all too sudden, the realisation of being in love with your best friend for who-knows-how-long gave him a whiplash, he wanted to run away from whatever this was.
He wanted to run away from the classroom, from Henry, from his own feelings.
Something must have shown on his face since Henry gave him that worried look, a puppy-like look with furrowed eyebrows and a question that goes unasked.
Thump thump thump.
Ralph can't look at Henry.
He had stood up and made a bee-line towards the door with no explanation, even moody Margaret threw an inquisitive look at him.
The trip from the classroom through the hallways to the restroom passed by in a blur. One moment he was in the classroom, then the next one he was standing in front of a sink inside the restroom. His hands pressed against his chest, a constricting feeling settling on it, leaving him with the need to take off the stupid school uniform because it all felt too warm.
Thump thump thump thump—
It was all he could hear, it was all he could feel— he felt his heart pounding in his throat, making it difficult to breath.
When Ralph looked up and catched a glimpse of himself in the mirror, flushed cheeks that gave away his flustered state, he knew he needed to calm down before someone -maybe him- came looking for him.
Ralph pushed the sleeves of his uniform up, leaving them resting a little up beyond his elbows. He turned on the sink and cupped his hands under the faucet, the water that leaked through his hands producing a pitter-patter sound against the porcelain.
He splashed the water on his face once, twice, maybe even thrice, he combed his hair with his fingers, not caring about the disheveled look it left, the light sting of the pulling on his scalp felt grounding. Everything still felt warm, but his face was less flushed.
There was a knock on the door that made Ralph jerk in place, his heart rate picking up drastically.
Thump thump thump—
"Ralph?" came a voice from outside, it sounded a bit high pitched and he knew who it belonged to "Is everything alright?"
He was going to regurgitate last night's dinner.
"Yeah" his voice was too loud, it startled Ralph "Yeah I'm fine"
There was a beat of silence and then "You sure?" Henry asked, his voice filled with worry, none of the loud demeanor he usually carried around.
Ralph sighed, looking at himself in the mirror and all that started back was a disaster. There was no way he could arrange himself before facing Henry, so he just went to open the door with a defeated stance.
The floor was far more entertaining to look at than Henry's face at that moment. The silence was stretching, and stretching, and it just made Ralph feel more agitated.
And suddenly he was being pulled into a hug.
No questions asked, not a warning, no nothing.
It felt warm, but not in the same way Ralph had been feeling, it felt reassuring in the best way possible and he relaxed onto the boy's arms, letting himself weep for a few minutes.
Thump thump thump.
After that incident they didn't speak of it.