Work Text:
Henry was excited that morning when he left the brownstone to go to work. He had a busy day at the shelter, but one of the fun ones. There were no meetings with investors or donors or accountants. Today he was meeting new kids. It was his monthly meeting with the newcomers and visit to the regulars already living at the shelter, and he was going to spend his day openly listening to their stories. He couldn’t wait.
Alex knew this. Henry was so excited that morning that he told him all about his day during breakfast: how he was going to buy everyone coffee and donuts on his way in and lunch later and make sure everyone had the best day possible. He promised to remember as many details of his day as he could to tell Alex when he got back after work.
He had no reason to have his phone on him. He didn’t want anything to distract him from the kids, so he opted to leave his phone in his office. He didn’t even take it out of the leather satchel resting on his chair.
Henry meets with the newcomers first, some of whom are intimidated and nervous about meeting him, but he’s completely open and approachable. After the introduction to the new group, he chats with them one by one- at least, with the ones who want to meet with him. Sometimes kids refuse to talk to him, and he’s more than okay with that. He’s well aware that even if they all struggle with rejection because of who they are just like he did, he comes from a place of privilege beyond anyone’s dreams. He can’t and won’t force anyone to open up to him if they don’t want to. All he cares about is that they feel safe and accepted here. Everything he didn’t feel when he lived in the palace.
He’s done with the one-on-one chats by lunch, when he joins the rest of the kids. Some of them absolutely adore him and he won’t admit it, but he does have a few favorites, so there’s a few especially tight hugs and brighter smiles. He gets updates on their lives and school and, If you need an English tutor I’ll do it myself if I have to, which he absolutely has no time for, but he would make it work however he can if he needs to.
After lunchtime, while he is having a conversation with one of the regular kids, he remembers he brought them a book he had promised the month before. When he goes to his office to retrieve it from his satchel, he checks his phone out of habit. The screen lights up and Henry frowns at it.
Alex ❤️: 20 unread messages
Alex ❤️: 5 missed calls
A chill runs down Henry’s spine and he freezes, hand shaking as he holds his phone. His heart is practically beating up in his throat. What could have possibly happened? Something urgent must have, because Alex knew he was going to be busy and wouldn’t have been so insistent in contacting him in such a way, otherwise.
He immediately pockets his phone without bothering to open any of the texts. Just grabs his satchel, crosses the strap over his shoulder and chest and rushes out of the office.
Henry finds one of the volunteers and apologizes profusely. “You know I wouldn’t just do this, but something happened at home. I really need to go. Tell the kids I’ll reschedule as soon as I can.”
The volunteer obviously tells him to “Go, go!” and he does, pondering which would be the fastest way to get home.
He decides on a taxi and begs the driver to go as fast as he’s allowed to. His knees bounce on the back of the car. He’s clenching his jaw tightly, holding it with his own strong hand. He’s scared and not thinking straight. He just needs to see Alex. He needs to know he’s okay, needs him to be okay. He has to be.
It feels like an eternity, but he actually arrives rather quickly. He gives way more money to the driver than the trip was worth, not waiting for the change. He steps out of the car as quickly as he can, taking the steps up to the brownstone two or three at a time.
He can see Cash approaching him in the corner of his eye while he fumbles with the keys, and he must look frantic, because Cash has a hand on his holster, sensing something’s wrong.
“Sir?”
“Has Alex left the house? These damn keys!” Henry assumes he hasn’t since Cash is here, but he doesn’t see Amy so they could have gone out? He finally manages to yank the door open.
“No, sir,”
Henry doesn’t stop to hear anything more that Cash has to say and steps into their home, immediately going into the living room. “Alex!?”
He goes through the first floor, Cash behind him. His heart still pounds in his throat and has been ever since he checked his phone. It’s a miracle it didn’t beat out of his chest. “Alex!?”
He sees no one and there’s no response, so he runs upstairs straight into their bedroom. He throws the door open again and he finally finds Alex in bed on top of the covers, fully dressed, glasses on. His phone is in his hand. David asleep curled against him but not for long, because he tilts his head up to look at Henry.
“Oh my god.”
He immediately grabs his phone as he rushes to Alex’s bedside, kneeling next to him. In a desperate move. He dials 911. Cash stands down by the door. There’s no immediate threat. No one’s here to harm them.
“Henry?” he hears Alex say quietly.
“Alex!”
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“Yes, hello, my boyfriend is,” He looks over Alex’s body and he sees- nothing.
“Who are you calling?” Alex asks half sitting up. He gets a hand up to his face to rub his eyes but they clash against his glasses, so he lifts them a little.
“What happened!?” Henry asks, exasperated and confused.
“Hello?”
“What happened when?” Alex yawns. “What are you doing here?”
“You called! And texted!” He turns to the voice on his phone and apologizes before he hangs up. “20 times!”
“Oh- yeah. I didn’t want you to forget to pick up that bread we like from that bakery on your way back from the shelter.”
While Alex is telling him this, Henry checks their text chain and sees a bunch of:
Hen. H. Baby. Heeeenryyyyy. Babe grab your phone pleaseeee. 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖
There are many more that don’t say anything about an emergency but also don’t say anything at all except for the bread emoji. They’re all sent in the span of 2 minutes tops, same as the phone calls.
“Henry?”
Alex asks quietly because Henry goes silent. He turns around and slides his back down the side of the bed to finally sit on the floor and lets out a sigh of relief. David jumps off the bed to nose at his hand, and Henry absentmindedly strokes him while he catches his breath.
“I thought something had happened to you,” he finally explains. His voice shakes, but he laughs nervously. “I didn’t open the texts. I saw all the notifications and just assumed something must have happened, so I just had to get to you,”
“Fuck!” Alex says, jumping off of the bed as well and sitting next to Henry on the floor. He wraps his arms around his neck. “Baby, I’m so fucking sorry. I never thought you wouldn’t check!”
It takes Henry a second to notice that he’s crying, and he ends up laughing about it because Alex is fine and he’s crying and the whole situation is completely ridiculous. It would have taken him only a second to check the texts, but he simply thought the worst and ran with it, almost giving himself a heart attack in the process. Pure madness.
“Are you okay?” Alex pulls back from Henry’s neck and looks at him, cupping his face while he laugh-cries. “I’m really sorry, Hen.”
“I’m just relieved that you are okay.” Henry nods and rubs one of his eyes while he’s still laughing a little. “Christ, Alex.”
“I know. I’m-” Alex doesn’t finish his sentence, instead he just leans in and kisses Henry sweetly a few times and Henry laughs into the kiss. “I thought you had your phone with you and you’d check,” Alex explains softly. “Once I realized you were obviously busy, I gave up.”
Henry nods and sighs. “Please, dear, next time make sure it’s a matter of life or death. Or else I’ll tell Zahara and then, it will be.”
“Oh, if I did this to her I’d definitely be dead right now.”
Henry can understand the feeling. “You’re a menace to society and to me specifically, but I love you and I’m glad you are okay.”
It’s his turn to grab Alex’s face and kiss him deeply as his body slowly stops shaking and gets the message to his nervous system that they’re safe and nothing bad is going on and Alex is here in his arms, unharmed.
“I’m going to wash my face, grab some water and go back to the shelter if you don’t mind.” Henry starts standing up from the floor on shaky legs. “And I’ll get your bloody bread.”
Alex grins, looking up at him from where he is still on the floor, David coming to curl against him now that Henry is standing.
“Love you!”
“Against my better judgment, I love you as well.”