Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"I'm not sure I want to go, mum," Henry said. 

Elizabeth sighed. "Honey, please. It's just for a week. And besides, Maddie is your best friend. Don't you want to spend this time with her?"

"Yeah, but it's not just with her," Henry argued. "Her whole family's gonna be there. It's awkward."

"Her parents love you," Elizabeth insisted. "They'd be happy to have you around."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that at least her parents want me around their house," Henry retorted. 

"Henry!" Elizabeth exclaimed, appalled. "You know that's not why we bought you the apartment."

"Right, right, it's just so that dad doesn't have to look at me anymore because he can't bear to have a gay son," Henry bristled. 

"That's not true," Elizabeth said, but she sounded defeated, almost. "He just needs to get used to the idea of you... being into other lads. A little time away from each other would help everyone."

"That's why you want me to go, right?" Henry asked. "Not just on this trip, but to move out?"

"I'm asking you to do this for me, baby," Elizabeth said, touching her son's cheek. "Just till your father cools down a bit. We'll have your stuff moved into the apartment soon, for when you get back."

Henry inhaled and exhaled. "Fine," he gave in after a couple seconds. "I'll go." 

"You okay there?" came a voice from the backseat of the car. "Henry? I'm talking to you."

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," Henry replied, coming back to the present. The car had suddenly gotten quiet, he realised. He looked over his shoulder and saw Madeleine sitting in the backseat, both her arms around her younger twin sisters who were now asleep. They'd been making quite a racket earlier, asking their sister to let them use her phone to play games.

Madeleine Thornton (Maddie to her friends, Mads to her family) was Henry's best friend. They were both about to be juniors at uni, majoring in psychology. He and Maddie had met on the first day of freshman year in class. Henry didn't have his copy of the text material, and Maddie had offered to share with him. They were the same age, 20, and had become proper friends when Henry happened to see Maddie at the pub he was at later that day and they had danced the night away together. At first, Henry hadn't felt that comfortable dancing, especially in front of people he barely knew, but he had felt less self-conscious dancing with Maddie. 

Maddie smiled at him now, her blue eyes warm. All of the Thornton family had blue eyes, while Henry himself had green eyes. The twins, Lily and Evie, were miniature copies of Maddie, with the same long blonde hair and soft features, and of course, blue eyes. Lily and Evie were about 8 years old, and from what Henry could tell, they were very bright. They also loved to play dress-up. They had once tried to rope Henry into playing dress-up with them, but Maddie had already warned him against it, unless he wanted to end up in a leopard-print dress, fruit headpiece and terrible makeup. Henry figured he could wait a bit before having to partake in such dress-up games. Things weren't that bad. Yet. 

Henry smiled back at Maddie and turned around. He ran a hand through his brown curls and looked down at his phone. He was supposed to be checking the map for directions. They were on their way to the Thornton's beach house for a week. It was almost the end of summer break, but this was the only time Maddie's parents had been able to take off of work. They were both partners at one of the top law firms in the city.

Henry had been glad when Maddie asked him to go, because it showed how comfortable they had become with each other, but he hadn't actually thought about going, until he'd had that conversation with his mum. 

Maddie's mum and dad would be meeting them at the house later that day. In the car with Henry now were Maddie, Lily, Evie, and Lucas, Maddie's irritating older brother, who was driving. Lucas was two years older than Maddie. He was an English Lit major, who had just graduated from the same uni Henry and Maddie were studying at now. He had short brown hair that fell across his forehead and a sharp jaw and cheekbones, and he was obviously a Thornton, because he shared their signature blue eyes. Even though he was older than Henry, he was smaller in size. Henry was about 6 feet tall, and Lucas was a couple inches shorter. Lucas had tattoos all over his right arm, and a few on his left. The tattoos were covered up at the moment, since Lucas was wearing a grey zip-up hoodie. Henry himself had a number of tattoos, as well, so he had initially thought that Lucas would be a cool guy. 

But Lucas had taken a dislike to Henry the second they had met. At first, Henry assumed that Lucas just didn't like him, because what older brother would instantly like the guy that his little sister had brought home? It wasn't like Henry and Maddie were dating or anything; he loved Maddie like a sister. And besides, Henry wasn't even into girls. Henry explained this to Lucas, excluding the being gay stuff, obviously, but it was futile. Lucas made it a point to ignore Henry and call him the wrong name and just generally be horrible towards him, like the time he was supposed to pick up Henry and Maddie from the movies late at night, and had chosen to show up there early and go to a pub across the street and get so drunk he couldn't drive them back home. Then he had refused to hand over his keys to Henry; Maddie didn't know how to drive. Henry and Maddie had had to find a cab at 1am and drag Lucas back to his apartment. Maddie had stolen Lucas' keys after he had passed out on the sofa so that Henry could go back and get the car. When Lucas found out that Henry had driven his car without his permission, he had gone apeshit and yelled at Henry and Maddie, even when the other option had been leaving his car in some random street overnight. It was this same car they were in now- a Range Rover Autobiography, with wood and leather interior. As much as Henry disliked Lucas, he had to admit that it was a great car. Henry himself had a Range Rover SVR. 

"You know, sitting in the front seat and looking at a map for directions means you can't zone out, right?" Lucas asked, already looking fed up. He spoke animatedly, used his hands quite a bit, and the way he expressed himself made it impossible to take your eyes off of him. The Thorntons all talked rapidly, like Lucas was, which contrasted with Henry's drawl. Sometimes, Henry had to ask Maddie to repeat what she had said at least twice, but he felt like he was getting better at understanding her accent. "It'll be your fault if we end up dead in the middle of nowhere." Henry hadn't wanted to sit in the front, but he figured it was better than being stuck in the backseat with the twins, who wanted to braid his hair. His hair wasn't that long; it curled just below his jaw and ears in soft rings. He didn't remember when he'd decided to grow it out, but it definitely didn't need braiding.

They were driving along a a quaint road that overlooked the beach. In the distance, you could see a row of houses, right on the sand. Henry squinted down at the map on his phone in concentration. "Keep going straight." 

"You sure I should keep going straight on this road with no exits or turns?" Lucas questioned, voice dripping with sarcasm. It had been obvious to Henry that Lucas had not wanted him along on this trip. He hadn't wanted to wait even a minute for Henry to come out of his parents' house when they'd come by to pick him up, and was clearly disappointed when Henry had sat in the front seat. Even after knowing Henry for nearly two years and having seen him at the Thornton house often, Lucas made him feel like an outsider sometimes. Henry had tried his best to get Lucas to like him, because he sort of couldn't stand the idea of someone not liking him for absolutely no reason. Maddie's parents had said that Henry and Lucas would make good friends, so Henry tried his best to get Lucas to like him. He'd bring stuff over to the Thorntons' house whenever he went by- some toys for the twins or some sweets for all of them- and he'd play with the twins whenever he could. Everyone loved him, save for Lucas, and Henry just couldn't figure out why. Lucas didn't even bother looking up sometimes when Henry was talking to him. Then he'd stopped trying to talk to him, because Lucas' snide comments and rude behaviour really got to him, and he'd begun treating Lucas the same way the older boy treated him. 

"Actually, if you let us get out of the car, you could just drive onto the sand and keep going till you hit water," Henry replied sincerely. 

"Come on, you guys," Maddie whined from the backseat. "Not again."

"Sorry, Maddie," Henry muttered, and heard Lucas sigh exasperatedly. Henry rolled his eyes and stared out the window at the beach, feeling the sunlight on his face through the window. It was always good to see some sunlight when you lived in a city where it rained all year round. Henry liked the rain, too, though. It was nice to sit by the window with his guitar and a cup of coffee and just strum a few songs. Henry wished he had brought his guitar along, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to play it with Maddie's family around. He tended to practice a song over and over for hours till he got it right, and that could get very annoying, according to other people. Maybe there was an upside to having his own apartment after all, he thought bitterly. He could play for as long as he wanted without anyone complaining. 

They had now left the other road behind and were driving on a narrow road with no divider. Henry looked down at his phone a couple minutes later, realising with dread that they had missed the exit onto the narrow dirt road that would take them to the row of houses. He absolutely did not want to tell Lucas, because the other boy would make a bigger deal out of it than necessary. Henry wondered if he could get away with casually lowering the window and tossing his phone out. He could pretend the wind had knocked his phone out of his hand, and if he didn't have his phone, how could he have known about the turn? But they could only drive around aimlessly for so long, and Lucas' company was already unbearable. 

"Um," Henry began, biting the inside of his cheek. "I, uh, I missed out on telling you which exit you had to take. We need to make a U-turn."

"Come again?" Lucas said, raising his eyebrows and scoffing. "You're telling me you messed up the one thing you had to do while sitting in the front seat?" He let out a dramatic sigh as he slowed down the car and made a U-turn when the road was clear. 

"I wasn't paying attention," Henry admitted. "Sorry."

"Well, 'sorry' makes up for everything, I guess," Lucas replied. Henry rolled his eyes. "Good thing you're not driving, since it seems you're incapable of understanding directions. We'd have died the second you got behind the wheel." Lucas seemed to be a huge fan of exaggerating, apparently. “Actually, no, you’d be dead, because I’d never let you touch my car again."

"Luke, lay off him," Maddie said. "It's just a small detour."

"Turn left up ahead," Henry told Lucas, pointing at the turn they were supposed to take. 

"You're sure this time? That's the way?" Lucas questioned, making the turn anyway. 

"Why do you need the fucking directions, anyway? It's your goddam house," Henry finally said, exasperated. 

"You're lucky the twins are asleep right now, but I will kick your arse if you swear in front of them again." Lucas glared sideways at Henry, who rolled his eyes some more.

They were now on the dirt road that led to the row of grand-looking houses. Every house had its own little staircase that led right down to the beach. Lucas slowed down the car in front of the gates of a beautiful two-storey building, painted beige and brown. The deck of the house had sunchairs and tables, a grill and an assortment of flowerpots. Lucas fished a tiny remote control out of the cup-holder and clicked a button that opened the gates.

"Get out," Lucas said, mostly to Henry, as he parked the car at the back of the house. 

Maddie tapped the twins on their shoulders to wake them. Henry got out of the car and stretched a bit. The scent of salty sea air enveloped him. He could hear the waves crashing in the distance. The sun had never felt so good. He couldn't wait to kick back and relax. 

Henry started unloading the bags from the boot of the car. A couple of Henry and Maddie's bags, the twins' matching Hello Kitty suitcases and two of Lucas' bags, one black one grey. Lucas came around to the back of the car. Henry assumed he would help him out, but obviously, he was wrong, because Lucas only picked up his own bags. Maddie came to help Henry after the twins had gotten out of the car. 

"Good thing we were able to get back on the right track," Lucas was saying to Maddie as he shouldered one of his bags. "People like Herman here need to pay more attention to things around them, though."

Maddie looked at her brother with a confused expression. "Who's Herman?"

Lucas turned to Henry. "What's your name again?"

"Henry," the boy answered, exasperated. 

"Right. Same thing," Lucas replied, shrugging. 

"Okay... Puke-as." Henry glowered at him. 

"Oh, honey, at least try harder," Lucas responded, heading towards the front door of the house. It was an ornately carved door made of oak. The front porch of the house had a variety of plants and multi-coloured bougainvillea flowers. There were wicker chairs and a table as well.

Henry felt his face burning. 'Honey?' "I hate him," Henry seethed, staring daggers at Lucas' back as the other boy went into the house. If only he could throw daggers with his eyes...

"I'm sorry about him, he's just protective," Maddie told Henry, trying to placate him. The twins' screeches and laughter could be heard from somewhere behind the house. "What are they doing? Lily, Evie!" Maddie called out, dumping the bags onto Henry and running after the sound of their voices. "Did you put on sunscreen?" Henry heard Maddie saying. He sighed and waddled into the house, trying to balance his and Maddie's bags on his shoulders and dragging the twins' suitcases behind him. Maddie's bags were particularly heavy. Henry wondered how much stuff she had packed just for a week.

"You look like a penguin bellhop," Lucas told him as he stepped into the house. The other boy had ditched his hoodie and was now in a white tank top and dark jeans. The living room was large and spacious with glass windows that looked out onto the deck and the beach. The furniture was minimalistic, mostly beige. 

"A little help?" Henry asked, voice strained. He just wanted to dump all the luggage onto the floor, but the bags could scratch the hardwood floor and Henry didn't want to take that chance. Lucas looked at him with amusement, seeing him struggle under the weight of the bags, then walked up to Henry, leisurely, and lifted Maddie's bags off of the other boy's shoulder. Despite being smaller than Henry, he didn't seem to be struggling much with them. The stag tattoo on Lucas' right bicep rippled as he shouldered his sister's bags.

"Leave the twins' suitcases here. They'll want to bring them to their room themselves. Careful not to scratch the floor," Lucas told Henry, who nodded. "Follow me." Lucas led Henry up the stairs that were near the front door. There were three rooms upstairs. "This one is Maddie and the twins' room." He opened the door nearest to the stairs and put down Maddie's bags on the floor. "That one is mum and dad's," he said, pointing at the door at the end of the hallway. "And this one is yours." Lucas went to the door opposite Maddie's and pushed it open. The room inside had cream-coloured walls, a four poster bed and floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a balcony that looked out onto the beach. There was a rug on the floor, a tv on the wall opposite the bed, and two other doors, which Henry assumed were the closet and bathroom. He deposited his bag onto the bed. 

"Thanks," he told Lucas, almost grudgingly, but the boy had showed Henry to his room.

"Do mention it," Lucas told Henry, who raised his eyebrows. "I could have told you you were to stay in the basement, after all."

"But that's where you're staying, isn't it?" Henry retorted. 

Lucas chuckled dryly. "Don't you worry about me. There's no chance in hell you'll ever get to see my room."

"Because hell and your room are the same place," Henry replied, nodding.

Lucas sighed. "It's so sad that you think you're funny." 

"Humour is subjective," Henry responded. 

"Jesus fucking Christ," Lucas muttered and stepped out of the room, slamming the door shut. 

Henry chuckled to himself and pushed open the windows to step outside onto the balcony. He breathed in the sea air carried over by the morning breeze. It was about 10:30 now. Maddie's parents would be here by noon. They were bringing their dogs, Bruce and Clifford, with them in the car. Henry had played with the dogs before, when he'd been over at Maddie's house. He knew they'd love to be out on the beach. He could see the twins pulling Lucas onto the beach now, both of them clutching each of his hands, to show him something that looked like a starfish. Lucas poked at the starfish with his shoe, which made the twins scream in disgust, turn and flee. Lucas laughed and chased after his little sisters, tickling Evie when he caught her. Henry noticed that Lucas' behavior changed completely when his family was involved. It was like there was a side of him that was only reserved for his family. Even though it was only a one-week trip, Henry had a feeling it would be a really eventful week. He stepped back into his room and decided to unpack. 

Chapter Text

Henry made his way downstairs a few minutes after getting off the phone with his mum. He had heard Camilla and Fredrick, Maddie's parents, come in about fifteen minutes ago, and could hear them talking to their kids, so Henry had decided to give them a few minutes alone. Camilla and Fredrick would be happy to see him, no doubt, but he still felt like he'd be snooping on something private.

"Henry, love!" Camilla exclaimed as he walked into the living room now. Camilla and Fredrick had been quite young when they had gotten married and had Lucas, so they were in their early forties now. Camilla had brown hair, like Lucas, which was tied in a low bun at the nape of her neck now. She wore a white floral summer dress and sandals. Her eyes were also Thornton blue, her face warm and loving. She opened her arms and pulled Henry into a tight hug. 

"Hi, Camilla," Henry said. Both Camilla and Fredrick insisted that he call them by their first names, because there was no need to be formal with family. Henry smiled thinking about it. 

"Lovely to see you, dear," Camilla told him, pulling away. "I feel like you've gotten taller after each time I've seen you." Henry chuckled. "How tall are you now, love?"

"Um, about 6 feet," Henry replied. 

"You're taller than I am, then, lad!" Fredrick said, clasping Henry's shoulder. Fredrick was right; he was about two-ish inches shorter than Henry. Fredrick had tousled blond hair, grey-blue eyes and a rugged handsomeness about him. If Henry had seen Fredrick at some pub, he might have tried his luck, but of course, he couldn't think like that now.

"Good to see you, Fredrick." Henry shook the man's hand.  

"Good to see you, too, Henry," Fredrick responded. "Hope the drive in was okay?"

"Yes, sir," Henry replied. Fredrick didn't need to know how annoying his son was, he probably already had first-hand experience. Meanwhile, Lucas, Maddie, Lily and Evie were all gathered around the dogs, Bruce and Clifford, who seemed to be loving the attention. Bruce was licking Lily and Evie's hands, while Clifford was lying on his back getting his belly scratched by Lucas and Maddie. Camilla and Fredrick went upstairs to put their bags in their room. Henry went over and stood next to Maddie. Clifford got to his feet immediately and starting wagging his tail at Henry. 

"Hiya, Cliff," Henry said, scratching behind the dog's ears. Clifford wagged his tail some more.

"Bloody traitor," Lucas muttered, glaring down at Clifford as the dog got up on his haunches and put his paws on Henry's arm. "As if it hasn't been weeks since he's seen me." Henry stifled a laugh. Lucas glared at him as well.

"It has been a while since you've seen them, right? I think you came over last before finals week, almost a month ago," Maddie recalled. Henry knelt down to scratch the dog's sides. Bruce and the twins had wandered off into the kitchen.

"Working under the editor at a publishing house isn't as easy as it might seem," Lucas told his sister. He said 'ouse' not 'house,' though. 

Maddie crouched next to Henry and petted Clifford's head. "Does he make you bring him coffee and stuff?" she asked.

"Not only that, he has me pick up his laundry and hold parking spaces for him, too," Lucas said.

"How would that even work? You're short, yes, but you look nothing like a traffic cone," Henry stated. 

"Well, Hector, not all of us are okay with having mummy and daddy pay for everything, so we do whatever work we can," Lucas retorted. Henry rolled his eyes.  

"Luke," Maddie said, but Lucas threw her the sweetest smile, as if he had never said that.

Lucas stretched on his toes. "Okay, I'm out of here. Good luck, sis," he said, glancing in Henry's direction and sighing dramatically. 

"Ooh, off to see your mystery lover?" Maddie asked, raising her eyebrows. 

Lucas scrunched up his nose in disgust. "Ew. Never say the word 'lover' again." 

"You are, aren't you?" Maddie pressed on. "Every year, Lucas sneaks off to see this girl who also summers here with her family," she told Henry, who couldn't care less about Lucas and his girlfriend. "It's the perfect arrangement. Summer fling, no strings attached."

"I don't appreciate you being so liberal with the details of my secret little rendezvous in front of a goody-two-shoes like Hector," Lucas said. 

"Don't worry, I, Henry, couldn't give a fuck less," Henry replied. 

Lucas nodded, picking up his hoodie and his car keys from the coffee table. "See you for dinner, Mads. Hope you're gone by the time I get back, Hector."

"Lucas," Maddie chided her brother. "I'm sorry about him, really," she told Henry.

"It's okay. I can practice my comebacks," Henry replied.

"I hope you go out and don't come back. Get it?" Lucas said, laughing at his own joke. He patted Cliff on the head.

"Hilarious," Henry said, still scratching behind Clifford's ears. The dog seemed to be focused on Henry. He wished he could have his own pet some day. Maybe he could actually, now that he would have his own apartment.

"Cover for me with mum and dad, please." Lucas gave Maddie a quick kiss and left. 

"How do your parents not know he has a girlfriend if he's gone for hours at a time?" Henry asked. 

"Well, Lucas is always kind of doing his own thing," Maddie replied. "Of course, he loves spending time with family, but even when he was younger, he'd just be by himself a lot. Especially here. So, my parents are kind of used to it. It can get bad sometimes, but mostly they just like to know he's okay wherever he is."

"It was hard to get a lot of alone time for me. My parents, mum especially, would always want to know where I was. And I don't have a sibling to cover for me." Henry sighed 

"Lucas and I have a nice thing that way. We used to cover for each other a lot, but that doesn't happen much now that he's moved out," Maddie said. 

Henry scooted back as Clifford suddenly stood up, shook himself off, and went into the kitchen. Henry and Maddie followed him inside. The twins were watching Bruce lap up some water from a bowl.

"Cliffy! Are you thirsty, too?" Evie asked, pouring water into another bowl. Henry had had some trouble telling the twins apart, but it was a bit easier now that he had been around them so much. Their faces were a bit different, and besides, Evie had a fringe now. 

Maddie led Henry over to the deck, which could be accessed from the kitchen as well. They stood by the railing, looking out at the ocean. Thankfully, the deck had some sort of roof over it, so it wasn't very sunny.

"Oh, speaking of moving out," Henry said. "My parents bought me an apartment of my own."

"What?" Maddie gaped at him, blue eyes wide. "When did this happen?"

"Just last week, actually," Henry replied. "My mum thinks it's best that everyone has their own space to 'cool down' after my news. I'll be moving right after we get back from the trip." Withdrawal- a strategy to combat stress by changing your environment, like moving away from an unaccepting parent, Henry thought. He was glad at least some of the stuff he'd studied for his psych finals had sunk in.

"Oh, Henry, I'm so sorry," Maddie said, putting her arms around him. Maddie only came up to his shoulder, so she was basically only able to hug his chest and stomach. Henry always found that quite funny, but he didn't laugh now as he wrapped his arms around her, too.

"I don't wanna live alone, Maddie," Henry told her. "It feels scary. I kind of get why my mum wants that, but still. It's just a huge step."

"Well, think of it this way," Maddie said, pulling away. "You get to have as many sleepovers as you want. Not just with friends," she added, winking. 

Henry chuckled lightly. "I haven't had much luck in the romantic department of late."

"Weren't you seeing someone before, though?" Maddie asked. "You wouldn't tell me much."

"He and I weren't really seeing each other, actually," Henry answered. It wasn't entirely true. "It was just a... physical thing."

"Like you met just to hook up?"

"Basically," Henry agreed. "I didn't tell you because I was sort of embarrassed that I even stayed with him that long. He isn't out, he has a girlfriend, and he wanted everything to be on his terms. It wasn't much of a relationship."

"Well, it's a good thing that's over then, because you deserve better than to be somebody's secret," Maddie told him firmly. 

Henry smiled down at her. "Thank you."

"You can call me whenever you're feeling lonely, and we can have a sleepover at your place, okay?" Maddie said. "You, me, Logan and Noah."

"Speaking of Noah, how are things with him?" Henry asked. 

Maddie blushed. "I don't know. I like him, but I have no idea how he feels."

"You should tell him," Henry said. 

"Nooo," Maddie whined, covering her face with her hands. "I'm scared."

"Scared of what, Mads?" came Lily's voice from behind them. The twins were standing in the doorway that led to the kitchen. 

"Nothing," Maddie replied quickly, shooting Henry a look. 

"You're being weird," Evie noted, looking from Henry to Maddie.

"So, what do you feel like doing for lunch, girls?" Maddie asked, changing the topic. "Mum's planning on doing a barbecue tonight, so we can decide what to do for lunch."

"Ask Henry," Evie said. 

"Since you know this place better than I do," Henry said to the twins, "why don't you suggest something?" 

"Ooh, can we go to Seafood by The Pier, please?" Lily said, clapping her hands. 

"It's this little place about ten minutes away. We go there whenever we come here," Maddie told Henry. "What d'you think?"

"Sounds good," Henry replied. 

"We'll tell mummy and daddy." Evie took Lily's hand in hers and the two girls went into the living room and up the stairs. 

"They're old enough to know about liking people and dating and stuff, right?" Henry asked, turning to Maddie.

"I guess, but they get super attached to people. And I don't even know how Noah feels, so I don't want to get their hopes up," Maddie answered. 

"Whatever you think is right," Henry said, smiling at Maddie, who smiled back. 

Maddie wanted to go upstairs to change, so Henry took that opportunity to put on some sunscreen. He kept his white t-shirt on and only changed out of his joggers into dark coloured ripped jeans. 

There was a knock on his door. "Yeah?" Henry called. 

"Mum and Dad will meet us there. You, me and the twins can go on ahead," came Maddie's voice. 

"Okay, be right out," Henry replied, grabbing his sunglasses and hooking them onto his t-shirt. He went downstairs. The twins and Maddie were waiting for him out on the deck. Maddie, now in a bright, flowy, halter dress, hat and sandals, was rubbing sunscreen on the twins' arms. "Ready?" 

Maddie nodded, leaving the sunscreen tube on a table on the deck. "Okay, now girls, no running around on the beach, okay? It's too sunny. We'll come back to the beach in the evening."

"Promise?" Evie asked as they made their way down the stairs and onto the beach. Henry put on his sunglasses. 

"Promise," Maddie said. "Evie, hold Henry's hand. Lily, hold mine."

"I wanna hold Henry's hand," Lily argued.

"No! Maddie said I could, right?" Evie said, looking at Maddie for confirmation. 

"You can both hold one hand, how 'bout that?" Henry held out his hands to both the girls, who grabbed them quickly. 

"Thanks," Maddie told Henry in a low voice. 

Henry didn't mind spending time with the twins He didn't have a sibling of his own, so it was nice to be around them. They were walking across the beach towards the pier. He could see a tiny restaurant in the distance. It looked like there was a fair at the pier, too. Henry could see a Ferris wheel and a bunch of other stalls. 

Maddie was walking near the surf, Henry and the twins on her left. 

"Is this real?" Lily asked, running a thumb over the cross tattoo on Henry's left hand. 

"Uh huh," Henry said. 

"Did it hurt?" Evie asked from the other side. 

"A lot, so don't get any ideas," Maddie told the girls, who exchanged a look. 

"How many tattoos do you have, Henry?" Lily asked after a second. 

Henry glanced at Maddie, who shook her head slightly. "Just a couple." He couldn't lie about that, the twins could see the ones on his arms right now. "They hurt a lot, though." He probably had about 60 of them, honestly, and the pain was the last thing he had thought about when getting them done. Okay, maybe the pain had been an important part of the process, but he wasn't going to say that, especially to the twins. 

"Then why'd you get them done?" Evie asked. 

"Uh, I-" Henry floundered for a bit. 

"Girls, don't ask him so many questions, come on," Maddie scolded. 

"Lucas has a lot of tattoos, too," Evie said.

"He's always getting new ones," Lily agreed. 

As they approached the pier, Henry realised that the fair hadn't started yet, since there were a couple people on the pier, but none of them were looking at the games or anything. 

"It'll start later this week," Maddie said, answering Henry's unasked question. 

"We should bring the twins by," Henry told her. 

"It's actually tradition for Lucas to take them every year," Maddie said. 

"Yes, he takes us here every year, and we can eat and buy anything we want," Evie said, sounding proud. 

"That sounds fun," Henry told her. 

"It is! You should come this year," Lily urged. 

"Ha! Lucas would sooner bleach his eyes out," Henry muttered under his breath. 

"I think you guys should let it be a tradition for you and Lucas, don't you?" Maddie suggested. "He doesn't get to spend much time with you anyway, with his job and moving out."

"You're right," Evie agreed. 
 
"Okay, why don't you two go ahead and get us a table?" Maddie said to the twins. They had arrived at the restaurant. It was a light blue one-storey building, with a dark blue and white sign with its name. There were French windows, painted white, that faced the beach. "No wandering around, alright? I can see you."

"Okay," the twins chirped together. They let go of Henry's hands, smiling at him, and took each other's hands, skipping as they went into the restaurant. 

"Get a table for six," Maddie called after the twins as they vanished through the doors. "Thanks for putting up with all their questions."

"Maddie, it's okay," Henry told her. "You don't have to thank me for this stuff. I like spending time with them."

"Still. You don't have to do this, but you do it anyway," Maddie replied. "It means a lot to me."

"It means a lot to me, too," Henry agreed. "I've known you almost two years, and your family has been so welcoming and warm. Well, except Lucas. But I like hanging out with the twins."

"They love hanging out with you. They can't stop talking about you at home," Maddie said. Henry pulled open the doors to the restaurant, letting Maddie go in before him. The interior of the restaurant was keeping with the seafood theme. The walls were blue and white and there were red and white lifebuoys hung up on the walls, along with anchors and ropes, which reminded Henry of his tattoo.

"I get what you meant about not wanting to get their hopes up with Noah and everything," Henry told her. He had spent time with the twins before, at Maddie's house, but this was the longest he'd been around them. The twins were seated at a table at the back of the restaurant. They waved excitedly at Henry and Maddie. 

"We asked the waiter to get us water," Evie informed her oldest sister, who nodded. The four of them were the only people in the restaurant, except for the waiter, who came over with glass bottles of water, glasses and the menu. 

"What're you having, Henry?" Lily asked. 

"Maddie?" Henry asked. 

"I love the fish and chips, of course, and the crab cakes and fried calamari are really good," Maddie told him. 

"We can share, then," he said. "And I want some fish tacos."

"We want pizza," the twins declared in unison. 

"Pizza? Why'd you want to come here, then?" Maddie asked, confused. 

"No one else lets you put shrimp and pineapple on pizza here," Lily said, shaking her head. 

"Y'know, shrimp's what a proper Hawaiian pizza should have. But you're right, a lot of places just put ham or chicken, no shrimp," Henry said. 

"See? Henry gets it," Evie said.

Maddie sighed, gesturing to the server, and placed the order.

A couple minutes later, Camilla and Fredrick walked in and there was a round of greetings. Fredrick knew the owner of the restaurant, who came by to say hello after seeing them come in. He said he would get them the freshest catches for the food, and Fredrick thanked him. Fredrick and Camilla ordered some seafood pasta and coconut shrimp. They also got some red wine and insisted Maddie and Henry have some. The food was spectacular, especially the fish and chips and fish tacos. Henry knew he'd be coming here again. 

"Did Lucas not come with you?" Lily asked her mother, putting a half-eaten slice of pizza down. It had been almost forty five minutes since Camilla and Fredrick came in. They'd all been chatting up till now, Fredrick and Camilla sharing stories about past beach house trips. 

"No," Camilla answered, taking a sip of her wine. 

"Where is he? Is he coming for lunch or not?" Evie asked. 

"I didn't see him at the house when we left," Lily recalled.

"He'll be there for dinner," Maddie told them. 

"What's he doing? We're supposed to be spending time together," Evie said. 

"And you said he wanted to spend time with us, Mads. Why didn't he come then?" Lily asked, sounding upset. 

"Uhm," Maddie began, but she looked like she couldn't think of anything to say. Maybe she was a bit tipsy from the wine. But her sisters had a point. Lucas should've been here. 

"He told me he had to work, actually." Henry stepped in. The hurt looks on Lily and Evie's faces were too much for him to bear. "You know how his boss is always asking him to do stuff." Maddie shot him a grateful look.

"He didn't have to go back to the city, did he?" Fredrick asked. 

"No, no, nothing like that. He's still around here," Henry answered. He'd only had one glass of wine and was still able to think of a proper lie, thankfully. 

"That boss of his is running him ragged," Camilla said disapprovingly. "He's always making Lucas work, even on the weekends. He's never at his apartment when we drop by." 

"Yes, we haven't seen him much since he's moved out," Lily said. 

"I wish he had come. We had fun on the way here," Evie added. 

Henry could not recall what 'fun' they'd had; he just remembered wanting to claw his way out of that car. 

"He'll be there for dinner," Maddie repeated. 

"He better," Fredrick said. 

"Right. This trip is meant for family." Camilla looked at her children, smiling, then smiled over at Henry. He could feel a lump forming in his throat. He couldn't remember the last time his family had all sat around a table and actually talked like this, civilly, and about things that mattered. He smiled back at Camilla. 

"I gotta text Lucas," Maddie whispered to Henry as they were leaving the restaurant. The twins were walking ahead of them with Fredrick and Camilla. "Thanks for handling that." She typed a quick message out to her brother. 

"The twins were really upset, I had to come up with something," Henry replied. 

"I'm glad you came along on the trip," Maddie told Henry, grinning up at him. "Ugh, why is he not replying?"

"I mean, if he's out with his girlfriend he's not gonna be looking at his phone," Henry replied, kicking sand up as they trailed behind the twins and Fredrick and Camilla. 

"Still. D'you think I should call?" Maddie asked. "I think mum and dad might have been slightly pissed."

"Call if he doesn't reply in an hour," Henry answered. 

"Okay, yeah," Maddie said. "Just so you know, if anything ever came up while I was out on a date, definitely call me."

"Noted. But Lucas seems like the kind of guy who would throw the phone at your head the next time he saw you," Henry noted.

"Probably, yeah. Wonder what they're doing now," Maddie said. 

"Well..." Henry began, raising his eyebrows. 

Maddie smacked his arm. "Ew! That's my brother!"

"'Ew' indeed," Henry agreed. They had reached the Thornton's beach house now and were walking up the steps. 

"Henry, dear. Can I talk to you a moment?" Camilla asked. She was waiting for him on the deck. 

"Sure," Henry replied. Maddie smiled at them both and followed the twins and Fredrick into the house. 

"Thanks for letting us know that Lucas had to work today," Camilla told him. "I don't know why he didn't tell us himself, but of course he trusts you enough to know that you'd tell us."

"Um, yeah," Henry said, biting his cheek. 

"You've made it a point to be nice to each and every one of us, and that's wonderful of you, love. You're a very nice lad," Camilla said.

"Thanks, Camilla," Henry answered. 

"I know Lucas doesn't make it easy sometimes, but I'm glad you two are friends now. Makes me happy knowing my two boys are getting along," she said, smiling at him. Camilla ruffled his hair and went into the house, leaving Henry on the deck, wondering how he was supposed to pretend to be 'friends' with Lucas now, at least in front of his parents. He let out a groan and went into the house. 

Chapter Text

Lily and Evie fell asleep soon after they got home from the restaurant, and stayed asleep till evening, so Henry and Maddie couldn't take them to the beach. Instead, Henry, Maddie and her parents sat in the living room, chatting. Camilla had made some coffee for all of them, and once the sun had started to set, the four of them moved their conversation to the deck to watch the sun set over the water. 

Camilla was telling Henry about the time Lucas and Maddie had gone down to the beach, when they had been 8 and 10 years old, and collected a bunch of seashells in a huge bucket and insisted they take the bucket home with them. Once they got home and opened the boot, they realised that Lucas and Maddie had picked shells that still had live animals in them, and putting them in a bucket and sticking them in the boot of a car for almost three hours had been a really bad idea. Camilla had thrown up on the spot because of the smell, and poor Fredrick had been tasked with disposing of the seashells. When Henry asked what he did with them, Fredrick shuddered and said it was best not to talk about it. 

"How could you not have known there was still stuff in them?" Henry asked Maddie, laughing. The four of them were seated on the sun chairs, empty coffee cups on the tables in front of them. Clifford and Bruce were asleep next to Camilla and Fredrick's chairs. The setting sun washed everything in an orange light. The sky was purple, pink and orange, and the smell of salty sea air was carried over by a soft, cool breeze. Henry loved everything about summer evenings. 

"They looked pretty, okay? I didn't really think past that," Maddie reasoned. "Plus, you'd always think that the shells that wash up on the beach are empty."

"True, but what are the odds that each and every one of those shells weren't empty?" Henry said. "That's crazy."

"Maybe Lucas picked those on purpose, as a prank," Maddie ventured.

"Lucas threw up right after I did. I doubt he planned that as a prank," Camilla told her daughter. 

"Still," Maddie insisted. "He was so sure about which shells to pick, it's weird."

"Too bad he's not here to defend himself," Fredrick replied. 

"How long do you think he'll be, dear?" Camilla questioned. It took Henry a second to realise she was talking to him and not Maddie. 

"Um, he'll be here soon, I think. He'd already left last time we spoke to him," Henry said, shooting Maddie a look. He had told her about the conversation he'd had with Camilla. Maddie ended up calling Lucas because he hadn't responded to her text. He'd been annoyed initially, but Maddie had explained what happened and asked him to come home as soon as he could. Lucas had texted Maddie when he'd left, and she'd told Henry about it in case Camilla asked him. 

As if on cue, the front door opened and Lucas entered the house, big smile on his face. He spotted everyone out on the deck and walked up to them, shoving his car keys in his pocket. 

"Hi, mum, sorry about today," he told Camilla, bending down to kiss her cheek. "Donahue made me proofread like, three documents, and he insisted I go to a 'quiet' environment like a café to get more work done. He doesn't even care that I'm on vacation." Lucas kissed Fredrick on the cheek as well. 

"You could have told us you had to go, though, love," Camilla replied. "If you hadn't let Henry know where you were, we'd all have been worried."

Lucas shot Henry a confused yet murderous glare. Henry turned away and looked at the beach instead. There were a couple people on the beach. A few kids the twins' age building sandcastles, a few older people on a walk. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. It just slipped my mind. Hi, Mads," he said, giving her a side hug.

"I guess we can get started with dinner now," Camilla stated, standing up and stretching on her toes. She and Fredrick went into the kitchen together, leaving Henry with Maddie and Lucas. Clifford and Bruce sat at Lucas' feet and stared up at him adoringly. He scratched behind both their ears.

"Where are the twins?" Lucas asked, unzipping his hoodie and dumping it on a nearby table.

"They're asleep upstairs," Maddie answered. "They were really upset today. They wanted you here for lunch."

"Fuck." Lucas sat down on the sun chair his dad had just vacated, covering his face with his hands. "I thought being here would keep them busy." 

"I'll go wake them up and you can talk to them," Maddie said. "Be right back, okay?" she told Henry, who felt like he had no choice but to nod. Maddie squeezed her brother's shoulder on her way out. 

"They thought of you because they're here," Henry said. He couldn't help himself; the twins' hurt faces cropped up again in the back of his mind. 

Lucas looked as if he were struggling to decide whether to reply to Henry sarcastically or normally. Of course he chose to be sarcastic. "Still here, huh, Herbert?" 

"Look, I wouldn't talk to you unless it was important," Henry told the other boy. "I care about the twins, and I could tell that they were really upset today. They thought of you so many times. They kept wondering why you weren't there with them if you wanted to spend time with family."

Lucas looked Henry up and down once. His blue eyes were slightly narrowed; he looked conflicted, like he didn't know what he should say in front of Henry. "I know I should have been there, alright? I feel plenty guilty about it already, but I just had to go."

"Because seeing your girlfriend was more important than spending time with the family you barely get to see?" Henry asked with raised eyebrows. 

"She's not me girlfriend, and you don't know shit about my family, so don't talk about them," Lucas snapped immediately. "We can't all live perfect lives and do everything right all the time, okay?"

"You don't know shit about my life," Henry shot back. 

"Thank fuck for that, or else we'd be 'friends' like me mum seems to think we are." Lucas stood up and walked towards the railing of the deck. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

"She does think we're finally getting along, so let's not make her think otherwise," Henry said, even though he wished he could give the other boy a slight push and send him flying over the railing. 

"And why would she think that?" Lucas turned back to Henry, annoyance clear on his face. 

"You having to work- I came up with that lie. Maddie couldn't think of anything, and the twins looked so upset, I just had to come up with something. That's why Camilla thinks you told me where you were going," Henry answered. 

"Wow. Tough week ahead of me, having to pretend to care about you," Lucas said with a sigh.

"Not an easy feat for me, either," Henry replied. "Just don't let the twins down again. They look up to you for some reason."

"Can't imagine you've had someone do that," Lucas responded with a smirk. 

Henry clenched his jaw. "Just don't mess this up, okay?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Sure thing, Herbert."

"It's Henry," the boy said pointedly.

"Okay, Hebert. Whatever you say," Lucas replied. He picked up his hoodie and snapped his fingers as he went into the house. Clifford and Bruce followed the boy in immediately. Henry watched Lucas go up the stairs, the two dogs following him. He assumed Lucas was going to see the twins. 

Henry turned back to the sunset, fidgeting with the cross necklace he wore. He took a few deep breaths, watching the colours in the sky fade from light to dark slowly. 

A couple minutes later, he went inside the house to help out Camilla and Fredrick with dinner, which was barbecue. They had already marinated the meat and vegetables for the barbecue, so Henry helped bring the food out to the deck, where they would all sit together to grill and eat. Fredrick brought out some more red wine to go with dinner. 

Maddie and the twins came out to the deck sometime later. The twins looked much happier, probably since they'd finally been able to see their big brother. Maddie told her parents that Lucas would be right out after his shower.

It was about 8pm now. Smoke from the grill curled upward into the salty night air. The sky was mostly dark, but a streak of vermillion was still visible just above the horizon. Henry sat on a sun chair, ceramic plate full of delicious steak and vegetables in his hand. Maddie was sitting cross-legged on the floor near the twins' sun chair, her plate balanced on her thigh. Camilla and Fredrick were sitting on the other two sun chairs. Clifford and Bruce were gnawing happily at two huge chunks of meat. The combination of barbecue and chilled red wine on a summer night was something Henry could get used to. 

The sliding door opened and Lucas stepped out onto the deck. He was now wearing a black t-shirt and dark coloured joggers, hair damp from the shower. 

"Hi, Lucas" the twins chirped in unison. 

"Hello," Lucas replied in an almost singsong voice. He seemed happier and more relaxed now. He knelt in front of the twins, next to Maddie. "You've both gotta eat all the vegetables on your plates, okay?"

Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Even the broccoli?" 

"Especially the broccoli. Promise me you'll eat it?" Lucas asked, holding out both his pinky fingers to the twins, who shook them together. "Some broccoli for you, too, Mads?"

"No chance," Maddie answered. "It tastes horrible."

"Good girl." Lucas ruffled her hair. "That's why I'm not eating any either."

"That's unfair," Evie complained. "Why do we have to eat it, then?"

"Because you just promised you would, love," Lucas told her, booping her nose. The twins accepted their defeat, both of them stuffing a piece of broccoli in their mouths.

"Here you go, dear," Camilla said to Lucas, holding out a plate of food and a wine glass to him.

"Thanks, mum." Lucas smiled, taking the plate and the glass. He turned around, looking for a place to sit, but all four of the sun chairs were occupied. He made to sit on the floor, but Clifford and Bruce had made a bit of a mess and had left bits of steak everywhere. 

Henry bit the inside of his cheek as he scooted to one side of the sun chair. He didn't know why he did it, maybe because Camilla and Fredrick were right there. Lucas looked surprised to see Henry make place for him, but walked over and sat next to Henry anyway. Henry stiffened slightly as their knees touched. He'd never been this close to Lucas, save for the time he and Maddie had helped the other boy to his apartment when he'd been drunk. Henry could smell a faint, woody cologne on Lucas, along with cigarette smoke.

The Thorntons had a long conversation, mostly about the current political situation in the country. They were all open-minded, and didn't argue with each other over a difference of opinion; each of them simply made their own views known and listened patiently to the others. Lucas was loud, but not in an obnoxious way. That was just how his voice carried through the room. Everyone would turn to him and hear him out, because the way he put forward his point was so precise and eloquent, and also thought-provoking, that even Henry found himself paying special attention when Lucas spoke. Maddie, on the other hand, was quieter, and didn't speak up too often, but when she did, the rest of them quieted down to hear her. 

Lily and Evie, like Henry, only listened. The twins looked a bit tired and were probably too young to understand, anyway, and Henry didn't know if he should say anything. He just wanted dinner to get over. The food and the weather were really nice, the topic of conversation was really interesting, but Henry only wanted to go to his room and faceplant onto a pillow. He had finished his food and wine, but he couldn't just leave because it would be rude. He had put his empty plate under the sun chair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and tapped his foot impatiently for a bit as he waited for everyone to be done. 

"Fucking hell, lad. Just relax, would ya?" Lucas said in a low voice. Maddie, Camilla and Fredrick were still chatting, not looking at the two lads.

Henry felt the other boy's hand on his shoulder, which surprised him and gave him goosebumps. "Sorry," he muttered, straightening up so that Lucas would move his hand, which he did, almost immediately. 

"Here," Lucas said, offering Henry his half-empty glass of wine. His voice almost sounded gentle. Maybe Henry was too drunk already. 

"It's fine," Henry told him, clenching his jaw. 

"Take it," Lucas insisted. "You need it more than I do, apparently." 

Henry bit his lip, and took the glass after a second. He drained it in one go, and handed it back to Lucas without looking at him. "Thanks." 

"More?" the other boy asked softly, then stood up and refilled the glass without waiting for Henry to answer.

He walked back over and sat down next to Henry again, handing him the glass. Thankfully, Maddie and her parents were still engaged in conversation.

Henry sipped some wine slowly, finally looking at the other boy. "Why're you being nice to me?" Of course Henry was suspicious. This was Lucas.

"You're clearly uncomfortable here," Lucas said, taking the wine glass from him and taking a sip. "And I'm not as mean as you think I am."

Henry scoffed, taking the glass back from the other boy. "You don't call me by the right name, even when you're sober." He took a big gulp and gave the glass back to Lucas. 

"Just so you know, I'm not gonna catch you if you pass out or fall." Lucas looked up at him sideways, through the hair falling into his eyes.

Henry felt a sudden, unexplainable urge to reach out and push the other boy's hair back. He clenched his fists, heart racing. "You couldn't if you tried," he replied, trying to forget what he'd just felt. 

"I'm stronger than I look, Henry," Lucas added, winking at the other boy as he drained the glass. He stood up and walked to the kitchen with his empty plate and glass. 

Something made Henry want to follow Lucas. He picked up his own plate and glass from under the chair and excused himself.

The other boy's back was to the door as Henry padded into the room. The kitchen was spacious, with shiny, black cabinets and white marble countertops. Lucas was drying his hands by the sink. Henry walked across the floor, trying to make as little noise as he could, but he tripped over one of the dogs' empty water bowls near the sink just as Lucas turned around. 

"Oops," Henry muttered as he stumbled, clutching the plate and the glass tightly so as not to drop them. 

"Hi." Lucas reached out immediately, blue eyes wide, and steadied Henry, his hands warm on Henry's arms. "You okay?" Did the other boy look worried? Henry was definitely drunk.

"Y- you caught me," Henry stuttered, surprised. "You said you wouldn't."

"Don't get too used to it," Lucas replied, but his long-fingered hands were still holding onto Henry's arms. His grip was surely stronger than Henry had expected. "Are you alright, though?"

"Stubbed my fucking toe on that thing," Henry replied, glaring at the water bowls. 

Lucas followed his gaze and then chuckled. "You'll live."

"Um, thanks... for catching me," Henry told the other boy, looking down to meet his eyes. Lucas was definitely taller than Henry's shoulder, but not by much; he probably came up to Henry's ear. 

Lucas let go of Henry suddenly, as if just now realising he'd still been holding him. "Good thing you held onto that plate, else I'd have whacked me nose." 

"You're much nicer when you're drunk," Henry said as he turned and deposited his plate and glass in the sink. Lucas was still standing behind him, barely two feet away. "Except for when you're blabbering nonsense and passing out in cabs."

"Passing out drunk has just got a bad image. It's actually quite fun," Lucas said sagely, raking a hand through his hair and finally pushing it out of his eyes like Henry had wanted to do. "I don't have to tell you, though, you're almost there yourself." He gestured to the water bowls on the floor which Henry had tripped over.

"I take back what I said about you being nice," Henry responded jokingly as he dried his hands on his jeans. 

"There's paper towels right there, for god's sake," Lucas scolded.

"I did not see those," Henry admitted as he turned away from the sink. Lucas was right in front of him. "Maybe I am too drunk."

"You definitely look less uncomfortable here with just us, though," Lucas commented, slight smirk forming on his face.

Henry opened his mouth to respond, but they heard a voice before he could say anything.

"Hey, boys," came Fredrick's voice. Both Henry and Lucas looked up to see him standing in the kitchen doorway. Lucas stumbled away from Henry quickly, which slightly confused him. Had they been standing that close to each other? "We're planning to have some ice cream and watch a movie." 

"I'll help you with the ice cream, dad," Lucas piped up, a bit too loudly. Fredrick nodded and made his way over to the fridge. If he thought something weird had been going on, he didn't show it.

Henry cleared his throat a bit. "I'll, uh, go out to the living room." He turned to leave, stepping past the other boy, Henry's upper arm brushing Lucas' shoulder. Henry felt goosebumps again for some reason, but he didn't turn around till he'd reached the kitchen door. 

Lucas was already looking at him, blue eyes slightly narrowed, as if he, like Henry, couldn't understand what the hell had just happened. Henry wondered if he should say something, but Lucas turned away from him and opened a cabinet to bring out some bowls. Henry bit his cheek again and went into the living room. 

Chapter Text

Maddie, the twins and Camilla were already in the living room. There was one sofa, an armchair and a settee in the living room, all of them pointed towards the tv. 

Maddie and Camilla were seated on the settee. The twins, who were seated on one end of the sofa, closer to the settee, were watching Maddie put on some pastel pink nail paint. Henry looked down at his nails, which were painted a plain white right now, some of the paint chipping because he'd played guitar right after it'd dried.

Camilla had turned on the tv and was flicking through movies on Netflix. "Hi, love," she said when she spotted Henry, who smiled at her. "Have a seat." 

"Henry, come here," Maddie called to him. He walked over to her. She took his right hand in hers and painted a small heart over the chipped nail paint on his ring finger. The twins giggled and cheered. 

Maddie looked up at Henry, smiling. He smiled back. Fredrick came into the living room and passed around bowls of chocolate ice cream to his wife and daughters. He sat on the armchair in between the settee and the sofa. Henry went and sat on the far end of the sofa, closest to the sliding doors that led to the deck.   

Lucas walked into the living room, somehow holding three ice cream bowls in his hands. He handed one bowl of strawberry ice cream to his dad.

"Chocolate or strawberry?" Lucas asked Henry. 

Henry pointed to the strawberry ice cream. Lucas handed him the bowl. Again, he looked around for place to sit, but the only empty seat was next to Henry. Henry felt weirdly glad when Lucas sat next to him this time. As he sat down, Lucas made a funny face at the twins, who giggled again.

"Maddie drew a heart on Henry's nails," Evie told Lucas, smiling wide. 

"Is that so?" Lucas said, raising his eyebrows as he turned to look at Henry, who didn't meet the other boy's eye. "Still just friends with my sister, right?"

"Lucas, stop," Maddie whined.

"Of course we're just friends," Henry replied, still not looking at Lucas. 

"What d'you guys want to watch?" Camilla asked, changing the topic quickly. Maybe she realised that what Lucas was talking was too awkward a topic to discuss in front of everyone. 

"Tangled," the twins replied together. 

"Henry, is that okay?" Camilla questioned. "We're all used to watching Disney movies together because of Lily and Evie."

"Sure," Henry answered. He knew he wasn't going to be able to focus on a movie right now, anyway. 

Camilla reached behind her and flipped off the light. Henry suddenly felt sober in the dark, watching the bright colours from the tv reflected on everyone's faces.

A few minutes into the movie, Clifford and Bruce jumped onto the sofa and curled up between Lucas and the twins. Lucas had to scooch closer to Henry to make place for the dogs. The two boys hadn't been sitting very close before, but they now sat with their shoulders and knees touching. Henry shifted, but there wasn't much place left on the sofa. He stopped trying to make more room, especially since the other boy didn't seem to mind that they were sitting so close again. 

Lucas pulled up his feet onto the sofa, and Clifford lay his head on the boy's lap. Lucas scratched behind the dog's ear, and Cliff made a deep rumbling sound. Henry, who'd been watching from the corner of his eye, felt an overwhelming tenderness for Lucas. He blinked, surprised he'd felt that way, and looked away, finally eating his ice cream which had started to melt. 

Henry tried to watch the movie, but it was impossible to concentrate. He could smell the other boy's woody, cigarette smoke scent, and was extremely aware of how close they were sitting. He didn't understand what he was feeling now, and how he could have gone from being angry at the other boy just a couple hours ago to feeling this, whatever it was. 

Henry looked around the room at everyone. The twins were following the movie intently. Maddie was blowing on her hands to dry her nail paint. Camilla had gone around collecting everyone's empty ice cream bowls a couple minutes ago, and was now leaning back and watching the tv screen with heavy-lidded eyes. Fredrick was looking at something on his phone, probably work-related. 

Lucas was staring straight ahead, not at the tv, as if he were thinking about something and had zoned out. He was drumming at random beat on his left knee. Henry noticed the numbers 2 and 8 tattooed on Lucas' left middle and ring fingers. If his hand was an inch to the left, Henry thought, he'd be touching my knee. Henry groaned internally, and looked out of the glass doors. The sky was completely dark now, a couple lighter-coloured clouds moving across the sky slowly. The plants out on the deck rustled and swayed with the light summer breeze.

Henry couldn't sit still. He kept fidgeting with his rings, pulling at the threads in his ripped jeans, and cracking his knuckles even after they'd stopped making the sound. 

"Don't tell me you're scared of this movie," Lucas whispered, right in Henry's ear, a couple minutes later. Henry shivered, but not from cold. It should've been hard to hear over the movie dialogues, but he had almost been expecting Lucas to say something.

"Of course not," he whispered back.

"Think you need something stronger than wine this time," Lucas suggested in a low voice. "Anyone fancy a night cap?" he asked, louder this time.

"Oh, I do," Camilla piped up. 

"There's some vodka in the kitchen," Fredrick said. 

"Could you get it, please, dad? Cliff's asleep on my lap," Lucas replied.

Fredrick nodded and went into the kitchen. He came back out with two glasses and a nearly full bottle of vodka. He poured some of the alcohol into a glass and handed it to Lucas. "Would you like some, Henry?" Fredrick asked. Henry shook his head, strangely hopeful that Lucas would share his glass with him. Fredrick handed the other glass to his wife and sat down, leaving the bottle on the coffee table.

Sure enough, Lucas pushed his glass in Henry's direction. Henry took it, feeling glad, and had a small sip. He didn't drink vodka much; he mostly stuck to whiskey or wine. 

"With the amount of alcohol you're feeding me tonight, one might think you're planning to take advantage of me," Henry said in a low voice. It had taken a lot of courage to say that, but he had to know how the other boy would respond. 

"I don't need to use alcohol to make people want to sleep with me, love," Lucas murmured in Henry's ear, his voice sounding almost husky. Henry inhaled sharply out of surprise, then coughed to cover up. Lucas chuckled next to him. 

"You okay there, Henry?" Camilla asked from the other side of the room. 

"Yeah, sorry," Henry replied, taking a big gulp of vodka and swallowing hard. Lucas took the glass from Henry and downed the rest of the alcohol. 

"Feel better now?" Lucas asked a couple seconds later, smirking a bit.  

"Fuckin' fantastic," Henry muttered. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. It was his mum wishing him a goodnight, since it was past ten already. Henry wished her back and sent her a heart. He knew she felt badly about the whole trip and apartment situation. 

"Girlfriend?" Lucas asked, peering over at Henry's phone as he poured himself some more vodka.

"Mum," Henry replied. 

"Oh. She hot?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow as he set the glass to his lips.

"You're disgusting," Henry responded. 

"Yeah, but you love it," Lucas stated. Henry barked out a surprised laugh, then coughed again in an attempt to cover it up. He felt Lucas laughing silently next to him, making Henry shake because of how close they were sitting. Lucas was practically leaning on Henry. 

He sank down in his seat, embarrassed at the whole laugh/cough situation, but he also wanted to laugh again, deliriously. The vodka was starting to get to his head, probably. Henry inhaled, leaning forward and putting his elbow on his knee, and rested his cheek on his fist. 

"Henry, wake up, dear," came Camilla' voice.

Henry opened his eyes slowly, but it was too bright. He felt so nice and warm right now. He didn't want to move. 

"Lucas, honey, wake up." 

Henry realised that he was half-lying down, and that there was a weight on his shoulder and the side of his head. He shifted slightly and heard a groan in his ear. 

"Boys, come on. You can't both sleep on the sofa."

'Both?' Henry opened his eyes immediately, startled as he realised he'd fallen asleep. He was using some kind of dark coloured fabric for a pillow, apparently. He tried to sit up and felt the weight on his shoulder shift as something brushed his cheek. It was Lucas' hair. Oh God. Oh fuck. Henry had fallen asleep with his head on Lucas' lap, and Lucas had fallen asleep leaning over Henry's shoulder. Fuck.

"Baby, wake up," Camilla said, shaking Lucas' shoulder. 

Henry couldn't move; the other boy was still asleep and leaning on him. He glanced around the living room. The movie had ended, and the lights were on. The twins and Fredrick were nowhere to be seen. Bruce and Clifford were still asleep at the foot of the sofa. Camilla was standing in front of the sofa, and Maddie was staring at him and Lucas with her mouth open. 

Camilla shook Lucas' shoulder again. Henry heard Lucas murmur faintly as the weight lifted off of his shoulder and the other boy sat up. Henry could finally move and sit upright. He blushed a bright red as Lucas looked at him and realised what had happened. Lucas practically leaped off the sofa, away from Henry, and cleared his throat. Henry was still sat on the sofa, processing what had happened.

"Sorry, mum." Lucas had been sleepy just a few seconds ago, but he looked wide awake now. "I'm just really tired today." 

Henry glanced up at Lucas, but the boy wouldn't look at him.

"It's alright, dear. That's quite understandable," Camilla said, smiling at her son. "I just didn't want you both to be uncomfortable. The sofa is too small to fit you both, especially with the dogs there, too."

Henry cleared his throat as well. He was feeling a bit of an ache in his temples. "Thanks." 

"Henry," called the twins' voices together. He turned to see them both standing at the top of the stairs, Fredrick right behind them. "Can you check for monsters, please?" Evie asked.

"I tried to tell them not to bother you, but they wouldn't listen," Fredrick said to Henry.

"Girls, come on, don't annoy him," Camilla began, but Henry shook his head. 

"It's no bother, really," he told Camilla and Fredrick. "I'll be right up," he said to the twins.

"Wait. Y- you don't want me to check?" Lucas asked the twins, frowning.  

"You're not around much since you moved out, so Henry does it instead, whenever he's there," Lily told her brother. Henry knew she didn't mean to be so blunt, she just said it in a matter-of-fact way. But Lucas blanched immediately. Henry felt a tightness in his chest looking at the other boy's miserable face. 

"How about Lucas and I both check today?" Henry said after a second, looking back up at the twins. He could feel Maddie staring at him. 

"Okay," the girls said together. 

Lucas shot Henry a quick, grateful look as they both went up the stairs and into the twins' and Maddie's room. Apart from a bunk bed and a single bed instead of a four poster bed and a view of the backyard instead of the ocean, this room looked exactly like Henry's. Henry checked under the beds and out on the balcony, while Lucas checked the closet and the bathroom. 

"All clear," Lucas told the twins. Henry nodded in agreement. 

"Thank you. Goodnight," the twins said in unison. Henry wondered how they could say so much stuff at the same time, but twins were supposed to be very much in tune with each other, especially at a younger age, so maybe it was normal. 

"Goodnight, darlings," Lucas told them, kissing the top of their heads. 

"Goodnight." Henry smiled at them. Lily and Evie kissed both Henry and Lucas on the cheek and went over to their bunk bed. Fredrick followed them, smiling at Henry and Lucas in thanks. The twins wanted him to read them a story. 

Henry and Lucas stepped out of the room, Lucas going ahead. Henry shut the door softly, thinking of what he should say to Lucas. The hallway was lit dimly, with a couple sconces emanating yellow light. There were a few abstract paintings and potted plants on some wall shelves. 

Lucas was leaning against Henry's door, as if he knew Henry would want to talk. Why was Henry just now realising how attractive Lucas was? The light smirk on his face, the one raised eyebrow, long lashes casting a shadow on his sharp cheekbones and the faint stubble along his jaw and throat? Henry was suddenly nervous. 

"Hi," he began, not knowing what to say. 

"Hey," Lucas replied. They both had to talk quietly, so as not to disturb the twins. "Thanks for letting me come with you to the twins' room."

"Always better to have a teammate when monster hunting," Henry acknowledged. Lucas smiled. "It couldn't have been easy to have to hear that from them, though," he added on a more serious note. He didn't have to specify; he knew Lucas would know what he meant.

"I try to be around when I can, but it's still not enough." Lucas' expression was hard as he stared at the floor. "It's like they're forgetting about me." Henry was surprised Lucas was being so open and vulnerable, but he didn't think about that right now, because the only thing he wanted was to make the other boy feel better.

"They could never forget about you," Henry insisted. "You're their big brother. They'll always think about you. They talked about you so much today that it annoyed me."

Lucas chuckled, crinkles forming around his blue eyes. "That does make me feel better." 

"Glad my being irritated gives you pleasure," Henry replied. 

"Thanks for being there for them when I'm not around," Lucas acknowledged, now serious. "I can tell that you mean a lot to all me sisters."

"I'll be there for them as long as they need me, just like you will," Henry said, smiling. Lucas looked up at Henry, grateful once again, and smiled back. Lucas had a really nice smile, the kind that made you want to smile just looking at him. Henry felt butterflies.

Henry didn't want to ruin the moment, but he just had to ask Lucas about what had happened downstairs. "Um, also, about what happened downstairs. We fell asleep-" 

Lucas cut him off with a wave of his hand. "We're never talking about that again. Just forget it happened."

"But-"

"There's no need to make things awkward, right? We just fell asleep. So what?" Lucas reasoned, like he was trying to convince himself more than Henry. 

"Right," Henry said, biting his cheek again. He was so confused. 

"Hey," came Maddie's voice. She was walking up the stairs. "What're you two talking about?"

"Football," Lucas replied casually. 

"Monster hunting," Henry blurted out at the same time. Maddie raised her eyebrows at them. "Football players... who hunt monsters in their free time."

Maddie scoffed. "Seriously?"  

"Yeah, yeah. It's all the rage, apparently," Lucas chimed in, shooting Henry a look. "They're pretty good at hitting their targets, you know, with that professional precision." 

"Yep, one swift kick to the balls and bam, your monster's dead," Henry explained, looking very serious. Lucas made a choking sound. Henry looked over, realising the older boy was trying not to laugh. "You're gonna blow our cover," Henry hissed at him.

"You really thought I was believing you up till now?" Maddie questioned incredulously.

"Well, it was worth a try." Henry shrugged. "If only some people could learn to be more subtle." He gave Lucas a side-eye.

Lucas feigned a hurt look. "You can't expect me not to laugh when you're making ball jokes."

"Balls are no joke, though," Henry replied, trying to be serious. "Balls are a heavy topic. To understand the sizeable concept of balls, one must try and grasp all the balls they can."

Lucas guffawed, covering his mouth with his hand.

"That was a really bad joke," Maddie declared.

"It made him laugh, didn't it?" Henry said, gesturing at Lucas.

"He has a horrible sense of humour," Maddie argued. "He watches compilations of people falling on YouTube."

"That sounds quite funny, actually." Henry shrugged. Lucas smiled brightly at him. Henry felt more butterflies.

"Um, excuse me?" Maddie waved a hand between Lucas and Henry. 

"Just lads doing laddy things like lads do, y'know?" Lucas said to his sister. 

"Okay, well, lads, take a minute to realise that you're laughing about testicles in front of two 8 year olds's room," Maddie hissed. 

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute." Lucas held up a hand. "Get your head out of the gutter, sis."

"We're talking about footballs here," Henry said, shaking his head disapprovingly at Maddie.

"I hate you both so much right now," Maddie stated. 

"Kind of worth it, actually," Henry replied. Lucas nodded.

"You." Maddie glared at Henry. "I need to talk to you," she said, pointing a finger right in his face. 

"Guess we all saw this coming." Lucas exhaled. "Well. Goodnight, Mads." He kissed her cheek. "Goodnight... Heston," he mumbled, turning around and hurrying down the stairs. 

"What the fuck?" Henry and Maddie exclaimed together. 

"No swearing near the twins," Lucas said without turning around, and disappeared into the living room. 

"Okay, you have a lot to fill me in on," Maddie told Henry, who sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Who is swearing and talking about footballs out here?" questioned Fredrick, poking his blond head out of the twins room. "We can hear you in here, y'know."

"We don't know what you're talking about," Maddie claimed. Henry nodded, trying not to laugh. Fredrick narrowed his grey-blue eyes suspiciously but went back into the room.

Maddie smacked Henry's arm as soon as Fredrick went in. "What happened?"

Henry groaned, opening the door to his room. "My room in ten minutes? I'll tell you everything. I can't make sense of it myself anyway."

Maddie sighed. "Okay. Ten minutes." 

Chapter Text

Henry went into his room and flipped on the lights. It was way too bright, especially with his headache, so he turned off the main lights and only left on one of the sconces above the tv and the light out on the balcony. It was just past midnight. He washed his face and put on some moisturiser, then changed out of his jeans into some grey pyjamas. He lay face-down on his bed and waited for Maddie to come in. 

He kept playing his conversations with Lucas over and over in his head, for nearly a half hour. It was driving him crazy. He put a pillow over his face and groaned. 

"Hey, you okay?" came Maddie's voice. 

Henry sat bolt upright, the pillow falling onto the bed. "What took you so long?"

"Had to make sure mum and dad were asleep," Maddie replied. She was standing by the open door, wearing pink shorts and a black tank top. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun. She walked over and sat down next to Henry, pulling up her bare feet and hugging the pillow he had just dropped to her chest.

"Maddie," Henry groaned, putting his head in his hands. "I'm so confused."

"Start at the beginning," Maddie told him.

So Henry did. He told her about the conversation he and Lucas had had on the deck before dinner, how Lucas had been nice to him during dinner and had even called Henry by his actual name and how Lucas had caught him when he'd tripped. He was going to keep the part about Lucas holding him for longer than needed and the conversation they'd had in the living room to himself. 

"I had no idea Lucas could be this civil to you," Maddie said after Henry was done. He was now laying horizontally across his bed, face down, still, and Maddie was sitting up against the headboard, knees pulled to her chest. 

"Me neither," Henry replied, voice slightly muffled since he was speaking into the mattress. 

"But it's a good thing, right? That you're finally getting along?" Maddie asked. "Why are you so confused?" 

Henry didn't know the answer to that. He had known Maddie for almost two years now, but he'd interacted with Lucas only a couple of times before this trip, and none of those interactions had been as normal or good as tonight's. Well, last night's, since it was half past one now. But what had changed suddenly between him and Lucas was what confused Henry the most. "I don't know."

"I think you should get some sleep," Maddie told him, squeezing his shoulder. 

Henry half-turned and lay on his side to face her. "I'm not tired right now."

"Wanna watch a movie? Since you fell asleep halfway through the other one?" Maddie asked teasingly. "How did that even happen, by the way?"

Henry blushed just thinking about it. "I was tired, and probably too drunk."

"Your head was on his lap," she recalled. "Very cute."

"I don't like you," Henry told her, trying his best to glare. 

"Yeah, because you love me." Maddie grinned at him, winking.

"I don't," Henry said, pouting. 

"You do. And I love you, too," Maddie said, poking Henry's cheek. Henry had to smile. "I'm sleepy," Maddie said after a couple seconds, yawning.

"Sleep here?" Henry asked, hopeful. He didn't want to be alone right now.  

"You can forget about being friends with Lucas, then, because he'd definitely kill you if he found out," Maddie told him. She had a point. "Besides, I'm coming over to your new apartment to help set up, so we can have a sleepover then."

"I'm gonna hold you to that." Henry sat up and held out his pinky. Maddie shook it.

"Goodnight, Henry," Maddie said. 

Henry hugged her. "'Night, Maddie." Maddie ruffled his curly hair and got off the bed. She blew him a kiss as she shut the door to his room and left. 

Henry inhaled deeply and lay back down on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling fan spinning till he felt dizzy and had to look away. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he couldn't get the events of last night out of his head. Why was it affecting him so much? Henry turned over, burying his face in a pillow. 

Just think about something else, anything else, he told himself. What can I use to decorate my apartment?

He would ask Maddie, Noah and Logan to go shopping with him. He decided he would get some of those dark green vines that he was seeing everywhere on Pinterest. Warm white lighting was growing on him, too; every room at the beach house had warm white lighting. My guitar, he thought, record player, definitely a coffee machine, my polaroid photos, a bean bag, some hanging plants, candles... 

Dinner at his parents' house, about ten days before the trip. The three of them were seated at the dining table. His parents had been arguing a lot in the days leading up to this dinner. Elizabeth had suggested that they all have dinner together 'as a family.' Henry had scoffed at that.

No one was talking. Elizabeth had made some pot roast which Henry would normally have liked, but he was too nervous. He was planning to come out to his parents. The timing was bad, but how much worse could it get? His parents were already arguing so much that they might end up getting divorced. And keeping a secret like that was eating away at him. Maybe this could bring them all closer again. 

"I have to tell you something," he said, staring down at his plate. 

"What is it, honey?" Elizabeth asked. 

Henry swallowed hard. Oh, God. Should he even be doing this? He glanced up at his parents, both of whom were looking at him expectantly. "Um, I- I, uh..." He felt panic building in his chest. His tongue felt thick in his mouth. His lips were quivering. 

"Well? Say something, lad," David, his father, demanded, brown eyes stern. 

"N-nothing, forget it," Henry managed to say. His leg was shaking now, too. Why was it so hard to talk all of a sudden?

"Are you sure, dear?" Elizabeth questioned, green eyes wide with worry. "Are you alright?"

Henry had a sip of water. His food had gone cold, he couldn't even think about eating now. He felt sick. "Y-yeah."

"You were so serious. I was afraid you were going to tell us you're gay or something," David laughed. "You know, like in those new movies they're making these days? The kid's all quiet and then he tells his parents he's gay? It's so cheesy." 

Henry inhaled sharply, feeling tears well up in his eyes. I guess this is happening, he thought. "What if I am?" he said, but it wasn't much louder than a whisper. 

"What was that?" David asked. 

"What if I am?" Henry said, louder, but his voice still trembled. 

David looked stunned. Elizabeth sat back in her chair. Henry stared down at the table, a lump forming in his throat. Silent seconds stretched into silent minutes. Why aren't they saying anything?

Henry looked up, vision blurry, teeth chattering without cold. He swallowed again, trying to speak despite the lump in his throat. "You heard me, right?" 

"Yes, we heard you," David snapped. Henry flinched. 

"Don't you have anything to say to me, then?" he managed to say after a second. 

David wouldn't look at him. Elizabeth had suddenly developed an interest in the tablecloth. 

Henry nodded despite the tears escaping his eyes. "Right. I love it when we play 1950." 

He pushed his chair away from the table and stumbled out of the room. His heart was beating so fast. His hands and legs were shaky. Tears wouldn't stop falling. He staggered up the stairs to his bedroom, panic building and building in his chest. His parents were now arguing in the dining room. Now what? I said it, but now what? He slammed the door shut and sank onto the floor, his back against the wall, still able to hear his parents yelling.

Henry awoke with a start. He gasped out loud and sat up, still breathing hard. He looked around, realising he was at the Thorntons' beach house, not at home. It's okay, you're okay, he told himself. His face felt damp. Was it from sweat or tears? Henry got off the bed, legs unsteady, and went into the bathroom to wash his face.

He ended up throwing up his dinner instead. He couldn't stop shaking or crying. He felt angry that he was crying, but he couldn't help it. He sat on the bathroom floor a while and tried to distract himself by looking around, so that he didn't feel more anxious or angry. 

The bathroom was spacious and decorated well. It was painted white. There were tiny plants on the light-coloured wooden shelves. The mirror had a strip of warm white lights behind it. It smelled like lemongrass in there, which Henry would have liked under normal circumstances, but it made him feel sicker now. 

He left the bathroom and sat on the floor by his bed. He brought out his headphones and put on music. Music always helped him feel better. He was tired, but he didn't want to sleep, not after that nightmare or flashback or whatever it was. 

About a half an hour later, Henry had stopped feeling sick, but he was hungry now, after throwing up. He looked at his phone. It was almost four in the morning. No one would be awake now. He decided to go downstairs to the kitchen and see if there was anything to eat. 

Henry took his phone with him in case he needed a flashlight, but two of the sconces in the hallway were still lit. He walked downstairs carefully, trying not to make any noise. The stairs had motion-sensing lights on the sides, also warm white. Henry loved them. He went into the kitchen through the living room and turned on one of the lights above the counters. He spotted a fruit bowl with some bananas and apples. Good enough. 

He picked up a banana and turned to leave the kitchen, when his eyes landed on Lucas, who had just walked into the room. 

Lucas was shirtless and had a cigarette in his mouth. He was still wearing the dark-coloured joggers from before. Despite having a narrow frame, the boy was definitely muscular. His collarbones and biceps stood out the most to Henry, who couldn't help but stare. He could see some tattoos on Lucas' chest, ones that he'd never gotten to see before- the number 78 and the words 'it is what it is' in all caps. 

"Oh, hey," Lucas said when he spotted Henry, exhaling a cloud of smoke through his mouth. "Fuck, sorry," he muttered and made to put out his cigarette. "Didn't think anyone'd be up right now." His speech was slightly slurred. 

"You can smoke, it's fine," Henry told him, finally looking away from the other boy's chest. 

"You sure?" Lucas questioned, eyebrow raised. In the low light of the kitchen, his eyes seemed darker, but still blue. "Don't you have asthma?"

How did he know that? Had Maddie told him? And why would he remember? "Yeah. But cigarette smoke doesn't affect me like it used to," Henry answered. His voice still sounded raw from crying. He cleared his throat. 

Lucas stepped closer to Henry, who swallowed nervously, inhaling Lucas' woody, cigarette smoke scent once again. There were barely a couple inches between his and Lucas' face. "What's wrong?" the older boy asked, looking up at Henry, voice impossibly soft. 

"Nothing," Henry replied quickly. 

"You've been crying. I can tell," Lucas continued in the same soft voice.

Henry felt like crying some more now. "Nightmares," he murmured. He didn't know why he'd been even half-honest.

Lucas' expression turned even softer. "D'you- d'you want to talk about it?" 

Henry shook his head, sniffling. "It's stupid."

"It's not stupid if it's making you cry," Lucas replied, brows furrowed. 

Henry said nothing. 

"Do you think you'll be able to sleep again tonight?" Lucas questioned. 

Henry shook his head again. 

"You should go for a walk, then. Watch the sunrise from the beach. It's one of my favourite things to do when I'm here." Lucas took a drag from his cigarette, held in his left hand. Henry noticed that the boy's slender fingers were calloused, making him wonder if Lucas played guitar, too. 

"Is that why you're still awake?" Henry asked in a low voice. He didn't try to be louder; Lucas was still close enough to hear him whisper.

Lucas glanced over his shoulder, beyond the living room, and exhaled. "You could say that." He was still slurring his words a bit. 

"Are you drunk again, by the way?" Henry questioned. 

"Is that condescension I'm sensing, curly?" Lucas asked, looking up at Henry and raising an eyebrow as he took another drag. 

"Not at all," Henry answered, almost blushing at the word 'curly.'

"Good boy," Lucas stated. Henry definitely blushed now.

"Don't, uh- don't tell Maddie about this, okay?" Henry said after a second. He knew Lucas knew what he meant. 

Lucas nodded, miming zipping his lips shut and throwing away the key. "What were you listening to?" he asked, glancing at Henry's headphones, which were still around his neck. 

"Uh, Oasis," Henry replied, looking down at his headphones, too. Lucas scoffed, smiling. "What?"

"Didn't think you had such good taste," Lucas answered, still smiling. 

"You don't know me as well as you think you do," Henry reminded him.

"I definitely know you well enough to be sure that you'd rather eat a pop tart than a banana at 4 in the morning," Lucas told him eyeing the banana in Henry's hand. 

A response about how some bananas were usually eaten late at night crept into Henry's mind, but he let it go. "Anyone in their right mind would, but I didn't see anything else here," he replied. 

"The pop tarts are in the cabinet next to the fridge," Lucas informed him. "The twins can't reach it." Lucas walked past Henry to the cabinet, his bare shoulder brushing Henry's arm. He handed a strawberry flavoured pop tart to Henry. 

"Thanks," Henry told him.

Lucas gave him a tiny smile and put his cigarette in his mouth to open his own pop tart packet. "I promise not to lock you out when you get back from your walk, by the way," he said, nibbling on his pop tart. 

Henry chuckled. 

Lucas looked over his shoulder once more. 

"Something wrong?" Henry asked, following Lucas' gaze this time. There was another hallway behind the stairs which Henry hadn't seen before. There were two doors down there. The hallway hadn't been lit before, so Henry had missed it, but he could now see a dim yellow light under the door on the left. 

Lucas looked back at Henry. "Not at all."

"Um, thanks. For the pop tart and everything," Henry told the older boy after they were both done. He made his way out onto the deck, Lucas following him. The air was cool now, still salty, of course. The sky was a bit lighter than it had been last night, but dark nonetheless. The beach was empty now. The wind whipped through their hair. Henry and Lucas both reached up and raked a hand through their hair at the same time, and laughed seeing the other's action. 

"You'll be okay. We can talk tomorrow," Lucas told him after a few seconds, squeezing Henry's shoulder with his right hand. They held each other's gaze for a moment.   

"Thanks," Henry whispered. 

"Don't use the front door when you get back, though. It creaks sometimes. Use the deck. And keep your phone with you," Lucas instructed. 

"Yep, got it," Henry replied, patting down his pockets to make sure he had his phone.

Lucas stepped back inside, glancing at that hallway again and slid the glass door shut. He winked at Henry, taking another drag and exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Henry gave him a half-smile and stuffed his hands into his pyjama pockets and went down the stairs to the beach. 

Lucas was gone when Henry glanced back up. Henry put on his headphones again and played another Oasis song. The surf looked silver in the night, the ocean dark and mysterious as ever. It was almost a full moon, casting its silvery light onto the water. Henry could see the other houses along the beach, next to the Thorntons' house. A couple houses had some lights on out on their decks, but he couldn't see much apart from that. There were various rock formations on the sand, and so many seashells. Henry would have liked to pick up one of the shells, but after hearing Camilla narrate Maddie and Lucas' experience he didn't dare touch one. 

Henry walked to the end of the beach, kicking at the sand and feeling the wind on his face and in his hair. It took about twenty minutes. He turned back around, coming back to the Thorntons' beach house after almost forty five minutes. The sky was lightening steadily now, bright orange streaks already visible. The colours formed a nice gradient in the sky, going from dark blue to light blue to orange as you got closer to the horizon. 

There was an alcove of sorts under the deck of the house, next to the stairs. Henry sat down among the wooden posts that held up the deck and took off his headphones. He could now hear the surf crashing and the calls of seagulls and other birds. In sometime, the sky was lit up orange. The sun was on the other side, since the beach houses were west-facing, but its colour still was reflected on the water. The sky was a beautiful purple, pink and orange again, similar to the way it had looked last night, yet so different. Lucas had been right to suggest this, because being out here had definitely gotten Henry's mind off of things. 

Henry could hear people talking now. Maybe someone was coming out to talk a morning walk or something. Henry didn't want to interact with people right now, in any way, so he stood up and brushed the sand off his clothes. He walked out from under the deck, glancing about him and up at the Thorntons' beach house. His gaze landed on Lucas, standing in one of the balconies of the house. Lucas' room was on the bottom floor of the house, right under Henry's room. He knew, because he had left the balcony light on. Lucas, still shirtless, was leaning over the railing of the balcony, watching the sunrise. His face glowed golden in the light, his hair a light brown halo around him. So that's his room, Henry thought to himself. He couldn't see into the room from where he was standing; he could just see the balcony. 

As Henry watched, two hands reached out and clasped around Lucas' naked torso. A pretty, brown-haired girl put her chin on his shoulder from behind him. Lucas half-turned, smiling, and planted a kiss on her cheek. He pulled the girl next to him, putting an arm around her shoulder. She was wearing his black t-shirt from the night before, which came down to the middle of her bare thighs. The girl laid a hand on Lucas' chest and reached up to kiss him. Lucas kissed her back, and the girl pushed him towards his bedroom as they kept on kissing. 

Of course. Of fucking course. That's why Lucas was awake. That's why he'd kept glancing over his shoulder when he'd been talking to Henry, because he was worried that Henry might see her. Was that why the other boy had suggested that Henry go out of the house? Because he knew Henry wouldn't sleep and could've heard him and the girl? Had he even cared that Henry had been crying, or did he just use it to his advantage to get him out of the house? Henry felt rage bubble up in his chest. Lucas did care more about his girlfriend than his family. Why else would he risk calling her here for anyone to catch them? Lucas had lied, and Henry had fallen for it. 

Henry had to go back into the house because it was nearly five-thirty in the morning now. He used the deck, like Lucas had said. He could see Lucas' closed door from the living room. The thought of what was going on in there made him want to throw up again. He swallowed hard and went upstairs to his own room, closing the door softly, and sat down on his bed. 

Henry couldn't understand why he was so mad, but he was mad. It wasn't like Lucas had to be honest with him. They weren't even friends. Just because they were able to converse civilly with each other for once didn't mean that they were anything, right? Then why was Henry so upset? Did he even have the right to be upset over this? He was doubly mad, because Lucas had accepting parents and yet he was keeping his relationship a secret. Why did that have to be kept a secret, anyway? A boy dating a girl was considered normal, wasn't it? Henry thought bitterly. He pulled on his headphones again, and put a pillow over his face. So much for things having changed, right?

Chapter Text

Henry managed to fall asleep at around 6 in the morning. It was always good to sleep with headphones on, even if it was uncomfortable, because if he had nightmares again, at least he'd be comforted by the music. 

The twins and Maddie came to check on him at around 8, and the twins wouldn't stop prodding him in the back. Henry was a bit irritated because he had to get out of bed. He would've liked to sleep till noon, at least, but the twins wanted him to go with them to the beach after breakfast. He couldn't even tell them that he'd been up late. He told them he'd be downstairs in a bit. 

Henry showered and met Maddie and the twins in the kitchen. Lucas, unfortunately, was also there. As Henry sat down, he wondered how Lucas had managed to sneak that girl out of here in the morning, but groaned internally thinking of it. Why should he care at all?
 
Camilla and Fredrick were paying a visit to one of the neighbours right now. Bruce and Cliff were out on the deck, waiting to be let out onto the beach. The dining table was laden with food that Camilla had prepared- French toast, waffles, pancakes and fruits. Maddie was having pancakes, and the twins were having French toast and chocolate milk. Lucas only had a cup of coffee and some strawberries in front of him, and was leaning back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling and yawning every few minutes and eating strawberries. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and black pants, and looked about as tired as Henry felt. Both of them hadn't gotten much sleep, apparently. 

Henry had about three cups of coffee with his waffles to feel less sleepy, but they didn't help much.

"Christ, Henry, slow down on the coffee," Maddie scolded, pouring some more syrup on her pancakes. "Are you alright?" 

"Fantastic," Henry replied putting away his last cup. He had finished his waffles already, and was just waiting for the others to be done. 

"Sure about that? You don't look so good," Lucas chimed in, stifling a yawn as he tried to catch Henry's eye. 

"Look who's talking," Henry shot back, avoiding looking at Lucas. He hadn't intended to be rude, but it just came out that way. Luckily, Lucas just chuckled and let it go. 

"You're both looking tired, actually," Maddie said to the boys after the twins had left the table and gone to wash their hands. "Am I missing something here?" she added, giving Henry a meaningful look. 

"Well, Mads, I can't speak for Henry here, but I have a life," Lucas responded, looking a tiny bit smug. Henry was annoyed, because Lucas had called him the right name but still found a way to insult him, plus the thought of what Lucas had been doing instead of sleeping had crept into Henry's mind again. 

"You lied about going on a morning run. You were just coming back home then, weren't you?" Maddie questioned her brother. Lucas just winked at her and stood up and went out to the deck. Henry wondered where Lucas had gone after the sunrise. Maybe he'd gone to drop the girl home. 

"And you?" Maddie turned to Henry. 

"Just had some trouble falling asleep, y'know. New place and all," Henry replied. He wasn't completely lying, so. 

"Oh. Maybe you should go back upstairs and try to sleep for a bit," Maddie suggested. 

"The twins would be disappointed," Henry told her.  

"I'm sure they'd understand. Besides, Lucas is here as well, so I think it'll be fine," Maddie reasoned. 

"It's alright," Henry insisted. His head was pounding, and he couldn't factor it to one thing even if he wanted to. He really did want to sleep, but then he'd probably miss lunch, which would make Camilla and Fredrick worry about him. 

Maddie just gave him a look, she didn't say anything. For some reason, Henry was feeling super disconnected from her today. They were usually on the same page about stuff, and Maddie was the last person he'd lie to, because she usually saw right through him, but things seemed weird now. 

They sat in silence as Maddie finished her food, then went out to the deck. Henry had to put on his sunglasses immediately because of his headache. Lucas was standing at the foot of the stairs, wearing sunglasses, too. He had already let the dogs go down to the beach and was watching them run about and dig up sand. The twins had gone to the garage now to bring their beach toys. Maddie ensured that the twins had put on sunscreen after they came out to the deck, and then lead them down to the beach, Henry following close behind. 

Henry would've just liked to sit in a corner and relax a bit, but the twins wanted him and Lucas to help them build a sandcastle. They had decided to make the sandcastle near the stairs, so that the tide wouldn't wash it out. Maddie was sitting on the stairs, reading a book, and commented on the sandcastle-making process here and there. Henry's eyes felt heavy with sleep, but he and Lucas had been tasked with filling up sand in the toy buckets and delivering it to the twins.

Once the twins had enough sand, Henry sat down under the deck, where he had been sat just a few hours ago, and pulled his knees to his chest and put his head down. It was cool and shady here, and he felt a bit more relaxed here. He could hear the twins and Maddie talking about something, but he couldn't focus on it. He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

Henry stirred after a while and could hear people talking near him. 

"Henry," came Maddie's voice from somewhere to his right. "We're going back upstairs for lunch."

"Take the twins back, I'll get Henry," said Lucas from somewhere next to Henry. A hand shook him gently. Henry groaned, head still aching, and turned his head to the right, to where the sound had come from. His cheek was resting on the hand that was gripping his shoulder. 

"Hey." 

Henry jerked awake, realising it was Lucas who had spoken. 

Lucas' grip on Henry's shoulder tightened. "You've been asleep for like an hour. You okay?"

"Yeah," Henry stated, scooting away from Lucas. The boy was kneeling next to Henry. Lucas' sunglasses were pushed up into his hair, which was mussed because of the wind. He was close enough to Henry that he could smell the older boy's cologne again. 

"Are you narcoleptic or just tired, by the way?" Lucas asked, blue eyes narrowed at Henry. 

"Aren't you tired? You got as much sleep as I did. Plus, you're hungover," Henry replied. 

"I didn't sleep at all actually," Lucas informed him.

"Huh. What'd you do?" Henry ventured. 

"What's with all the questions?" Lucas responded, looking slightly amused. 

"Just wondering."

It was quiet for a few seconds. Henry observed Lucas, his brown hair fluttering in the wind, and recalled how he'd looked standing in his balcony, before his girlfriend had appeared. 

"I saw you... with your girlfriend," Henry said. He had no idea why he mentioned it. He was still annoyed at Lucas, but maybe if he gave him a chance to explain it would make some sense. 

"W-what?" The other boy seemed caught off guard. 

"The girl in your room. The brunette," Henry added. 

Lucas raised his eyebrows, scoffing disbelievingly. "Were you spying on me or something?"

"I was watching the sunrise like you told me, and I saw you and her in your balcony when I turned to go up to the house," Henry admitted. 

Lucas took a second to process, then his expression turned colder. "What are you going to do?"

Henry was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Are you going to tell Maddie? Or my parents?" Lucas questioned. 

Henry was slightly taken aback. "Why would I tell your parents about your girlfriend? It's your business."

"She's not me girlfriend, mate, for god's sake," Lucas groaned. 

"Whatever. But for the record, I don't get why you have to keep it a secret," Henry said. 

Lucas stiffened. "I don't remember asking for your opinion."

Henry clenched his jaw. "Just saying."

"Well, don't, alright? It's my fucking life and I didn't ask for your input on it. Stay out of stuff that doesn't concern you," Lucas snapped. 

"It started concerning me when you pretended to care about me and used it as an excuse to get me out of the house," Henry shot back. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"I told you I wouldn't be able to sleep again, so you said I should go out to the beach. Was that because you actually cared that I couldn't sleep or because you didn't want me to see you with her?" Henry questioned. 

Lucas avoided Henry's eye and looked at the ground instead. 

Of course. Why had he even expected anything else? "Oh, screw you," Henry spat, standing up and walking towards the stairs that led up to the house. 

"Didn't going for a walk help you clear your head, though?" Lucas asked, also standing up, and followed Henry. "What're you so mad about?"

Henry whirled around to face the other boy. "Because we were finally getting along! I thought we were becoming friends, but you lied." His voice was unsteady. "Why would you care, anyway? Nobody does these days."

Lucas looked shocked, eyes slightly wide. "Henry, I-" he began, but Henry cut him off. 

"It was stupid of me to say anything. Just forget what I said, okay? Go back to living your secret life with your secret girlfriend," Henry said, turning around and going up the stairs.

"Henry," Lucas called. It sounded like he was right behind him on the stairs. 

"Right, right. She's not your girlfriend," Henry rectified. 

"I'm sorry I lied, okay?" Lucas said. 

They were on the deck now. Henry could see everyone else in the house, seated at the dining table. 

"No. I'm sorry," Henry replied. "I should've expected this from someone like you."

"'Someone like me?'" Lucas scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"An arrogant, self-absorbed, entitled arsehole," Henry answered. "Want me to keep going?"

"Oh, y'know what, piss off," Lucas hurled, pushing past Henry and going into the house. 

"Wanker," Henry muttered following the other boy into the kitchen. Maddie was seated on one side of the table, the twins were sitting at the head of the table on either side, and Fredrick and Camilla were on the other side. There were two empty chairs on Maddie's side of the table. 

"All okay, boys?" Fredrick asked. 

"Amazing," Lucas replied sarcastically, and sat down opposite his father at the dining table. 

Henry was getting really tired of having to sit next to Lucas, but he didn't have a choice now because the only empty seat was between Lucas and Maddie. He sat down, clenching his jaw, and tried to swallow his anger. Camilla urged them to start eating. 

"Did you and Henry have an argument, Lucas?" Evie piped up. "You both look angry."

"Nothing like that, love, don't worry about it," Lucas told his sister, his expression growing softer immediately.

As they ate, Camilla said, "So, Fredrick and I've just been to visit the Joneses, right? They told us that Renee's moving to the city for work, so we'll have to have her over for dinner some day soon."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, mum," Maddie replied.

"Why not?" Camilla questioned. 

Maddie looked over at Lucas. "You want to tell them or should I?"

Lucas, who'd been loading mashed potatoes onto his plate, stopped and looked up. "What?"

"Mum wants to call Renee Jones over for dinner once we get home," Maddie said. 

Lucas grimaced visibly. "You can call her over, but I'm not going to be there," he told his mother.

"When are you there, these days?" Camilla replied almost-jokingly, but Lucas paled. "Am I missing something, though?"

"Renee and I... kinda dated," Lucas replied, biting his lip. "It didn't end well."

Fredrick raised an eyebrow. "When did that happen?"

"Uh, grade eleven. Then my second year of uni," Lucas answered, fidgeting nervously. He was clearly uncomfortable with this topic. 

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Camilla asked, disbelief clear on her face. "She's the daughter of our close friends. Didn't you think we'd like to know about it?"

"Well, i-it wasn't that serious," Lucas reasoned.

"You dated, broke up, then got back together. I think that counts as serious," Fredrick replied. 

"I can't believe you didn't tell us," Camilla went on. "We never know what's going on in your life. You dated that girl twice and you never mentioned it to us."

Lucas swallowed, jaw tightening. "It's just this one thing, mum." Henry saw Lucas tapping his foot nervously under the table. He felt like he shouldn't be here for this, but he was stuck between Lucas and Maddie. He just stared down at his plate of chicken and tried to pretend he couldn't hear them. 

"How many girls have you dated? What else haven't you told us?" Camilla continued. Henry was surprised at the turn the conversation had taken. He could understand why Lucas hadn't said anything about the brunette to his parents. 

"Mum, I don't think this is the right time for this," Lucas said, glancing at Henry and the twins. 

"It's never the right time with you, is it, though?" Camilla asked bitterly. "After this trip is over, you'll go back to living alone and you'll barely stop by the house. You'll just be working all the time and be too busy to visit your family."

Lucas scoffed. "Why are you always trying to guilt me for wanting to live alone? Can't you see why I would want that, with the way you're constantly questioning me about things? I'm 22 years old, mum. I have a life of me own."

Camilla looked taken aback. "It's like I don't even know you anymore." Henry felt sorry for the other boy. It was never easy to have someone say that to you.

"I can't do this right now," Lucas stated, standing up, and stalked out of the room. 

Camilla stared after her son, holding her head in her hands. "Was I wrong?"

"I think he was right in saying that this wasn't the correct time to have this conversation," Maddie answered.

"I barely get to see him anymore, Madeleine," Camilla cried. "I never know what's going on in his life. He's always got something going on, but I never know what."

"I get that, mum, but if he wanted to tell us, he would. If you try to force it out of him, it's just going to end up driving you further apart," Maddie replied. 

"Henry, could you please check on him?" Camilla asked. "Tell him to come back to lunch."

"I'm not sure he'd want to see me right now," Henry replied, flustered at being suddenly included in the conversation.

"Please, dear. He trusts you," Camilla insisted. 

Henry sighed and stood up, Maddie shooting him a look as he walked out of the kitchen. Lucas wasn't out on the deck or in the living room. Henry walked over to the hallway behind the stairs, where Lucas' room was. The hallway was decorated the same way as the one on the floor above. Henry knocked on Lucas' door. 

"What?" Lucas' voice snapped from behind the door. Henry and Lucas had already argued, and now this. He'd be lucky if Lucas didn't throw a shoe at his head or something. 

"It's me," Henry said. "Your mum wanted me to check on you. She wants you to come back to lunch."

"No, thanks," Lucas replied through the closed door. His voice was closer to the door now, like he was standing right behind it. 

"Okay. By the way, I'm sorry... for what I said before. I get it now," Henry told him, before turning around to go back to the kitchen.

The door opened. "Henry," Lucas called. Henry turned back around. Lucas was standing in the doorway, cigarette in hand. Henry couldn't see much of the room; he just noticed some fairy lights and a bookshelf. "D'you think I was wrong just now?"

Henry shook his head. "Parents don't take everything you tell them well. I wish there were some things you could take back, however difficult they are to keep to yourself."

Lucas looked him up and down once. "I'm sorry I lied to you, really," he said.

"It's okay," Henry said, and he meant it. "Come back to lunch, though. You didn't even eat a proper breakfast."

"Are you worried about me?" Lucas looked amused as he took a drag of his cigarette. 

"I-I just don't want to have to pick you up if you faint or something," Henry replied quickly. "And look, Camilla just feels left out of your life since you've moved out. It's called empty nest syndrome. Parents who don't deal well with their children leaving the house try to micromanage their children's new lives, as if to show their children they still need them as parents. Helicopter parenting."

"I forget you're a psych major sometimes," Lucas answered, smiling. 

"It's not like you're always using ostentatious words because you're an English major," Henry reminded him.

Lucas blinked. "That was an ostentatious display of knowledge, Sullivan."

Henry chuckled. "Touché."

"Look, thanks for coming to check on me and everything, but I don't think I'm gonna go back there right now," Lucas said after a second. 

"I understand," Henry replied, nodding. 

Lucas nodded once in response, putting the cigarette in his mouth, and closed the door. 

Henry made his way back to the kitchen. "He wants to be alone right now," he told them. "Sorry."

"It's okay, dear, you tried," Camilla told him, but she seemed disappointed. 

Henry sat down again. He was surprised at how quickly Camilla's behaviour had changed, because she'd always seemed cool and collected. He'd never seen her act that way. The rest of lunch passed without mention of Lucas or Renee Jones. The twins wanted to go their friend's house here, and insisted that Camilla and Fredrick take them after lunch. 

"I actually wanted to go shopping, girls. I need to buy groceries," Camilla told them. 

"Can't Maddie and Henry go shopping?" Lily asked. 

"We'd need a car, Lily, and you guys will take dad's car," Maddie explained. 

"Take Lucas' car, then," Evie suggested. "Please, please, please."

"Okay," Henry said before Maddie could reply. She stared at him. "We'll make it work," he insisted. 

"Thank you, Henry," the twins chirped in unison, smiling brightly at him. He smiled back. 

"I'll write you a list," Camilla said. 

"Lucas isn't going to give us his car," Maddie hissed at Henry. "How are we going to get the groceries?"

"Just trust me," Henry replied. He didn't know why, but he felt like he and Lucas were on better terms than ever before, and he could convince Lucas to come with them. 

Camilla gave the list to Maddie before she and Fredrick left with the twins. 

"What's your big plan, then?" Maddie asked Henry. 

Henry went into the kitchen and opened the cabinet next to the fridge. He took out a strawberry pop tart and went back into the living room where Maddie was. "Wait here."

"A pop tart? Seriously?" Maddie asked incredulously. "Where'd you get that from, by the way?"

Henry walked to Lucas' room again and knocked on the door. The tv was on inside. Sounded like he was watching The Office (US).

"Yeah?" came Lucas' voice after pausing the show. 

"It's me," Henry said again. "I got you something."

A few seconds later, the door opened and Lucas stepped out of the room. 

Henry held out the pop tart. "Figured you'd be hungry."

Lucas chuckled as he took it. "Thanks." He opened the packet and took a bite.

"Are you busy?" Henry asked. Lucas shook his head, still chewing. He looked very cute when he was eating. Henry almost smiled. "Your mum wanted Maddie and I to do some grocery shopping, and we'd need a car, so..."

"So, you want to take mine?" Lucas questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd want to come with," Henry replied. 

"Since you asked so nicely," Lucas said, gesturing to the pop tart, "sure." Henry grinned. He and Lucas walked out to the living room.

Maddie gaped at them. "How did you get him to agree to come with us?" she asked Henry. 

"Bribery?" Henry asked Lucas, who nodded as he finished the last of his pop tart. "Bribery."

Maddie sighed. "Wow. Well, let's go." 

Lucas drove them to the grocery store, which was about fifteen minutes away from the beach house, and waited in the car while Henry and Maddie did the shopping. Henry felt a bit awkward around Maddie now for some reason. It was like he didn't know what to say to her, and she wasn't trying to start a conversation with him, so they just talked about the groceries on the list or not at all. 

Lucas got out of the car to help them with the grocery bags when they came out of the grocery store. Maddie just dumped her bags onto him and went to sit in the car. Henry had sat in the back on the way here, but Maddie sat in the back now. Henry and Lucas loaded the groceries into the boot and Lucas closed it.

"Everything okay with you two?" Lucas asked Henry, looking at Maddie in the car. 

"I don't know," Henry admitted. "Things are weird right now."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Lucas told him. 

Henry smiled. "Thanks. Are you okay... after what happened at lunch?"

"The breakup with Renee was much worse actually," Lucas admitted. "She threw a hardcover book at me head."

Henry couldn't help but laugh. "What'd you do to make her so mad?"

"Which time?" Lucas replied. Henry laughed more. "The first time, it was stupid teenage stuff. She got jealous, I got jealous, the usual. In uni, we just wanted different things out of the relationship, I guess. We got into an argument, and it got heated."

"Did you have to get stitches?" Henry asked.

"Nah, just had a bruise for a few days. Hurt like hell, though," Lucas answered. 

Henry was going to say something, but he was interrupted by Maddie poking her head out of the window. 

"Um, hello?" she called. "Are you guys done having your secret conversation or what?"

"Yep, all secrets talked about," Lucas replied, winking at Henry, who smiled. 

"I think I liked it better when you hated each other," Maddie declared, sitting back and rolling up the window. 

Lucas raised an eyebrow at Henry as he went over to the driver's side and got in the car. Henry sat in the passenger seat. They didn't talk much on the way home, because they both could tell that Maddie was in a bad mood. Henry guessed she was feeling left out, but he didn't really know what to do about it right now. He glanced over at Lucas, who was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel along to the song on the radio. The other boy grinned at him sideways. It was almost as if gaining Lucas' friendship back had lost him Maddie's. Henry smiled back, chiding himself for having such a dramatic thought, even though he felt utterly confused now. 

Chapter Text

When they got back to the beach house, Maddie went straight to her room, leaving Henry and Lucas to bring the groceries to the kitchen by themselves. They heard the door upstairs slam shut, which made Henry flinch a bit. They put away the groceries in silence and walked out to the living room together. Clifford and Bruce wagged their tails happily upon seeing the boys. The boys sat down on the sofa and the dogs jumped up to sit with them. Lucas scratched behind Bruce's ear, while Clifford licked Henry's arm.

Lucas clasped Henry's shoulder suddenly, which gave him goosebumps. "Listen, I don't feel like being 'ere for dinner tonight, so I'm going to head out. If my parents ask, just let them know."

"Are you going to be back to sleep here?" Henry asked, furrowing his brows. 

"Worried about me again, are we?" Lucas questioned, mouth quirked up in a smile. 

"Just get some sleep tonight, okay?" Henry muttered, using petting Clifford as an excuse to not meet the other boy's eye.

Lucas chuckled. "You too. Try not to think about whatever it was, and if you find yourself thinking about it, distract yourself."

"Will do," Henry replied, finally looking at Lucas. 

They both held each other's gaze for a second. Lucas looked away and cleared his throat. He stood up and walked over to the door and opened it. "See you later, curly." 

The door closed before Henry could respond. He sat back and stared out of the windows that led to the deck. It was about 5pm now. The sky was orange and blue with streaks of pink. Henry wished he had his guitar with him. It'd be nice to play something while sitting out on the deck. He didn't know what to do now. He could probably go to his room and watch some tv. He rubbed a finger over the nail on which Maddie had painted the pink heart. He should go talk to her, actually. Yeah.

Henry petted the dogs once then got off the sofa and went upstairs. He knocked on Maddie's door. 

"What?" Maddie called. 

"It's Henry. Can we talk?" he said. 

"Come in," she replied after a second. Henry opened the door and went inside. Maddie was lying across her bed, phone in her hand. "What is it?"

She didn't move to make place for him, so Henry stood awkwardly by the foot of her bed. "Um, are- are we okay? I just feel like you're mad at me or something," he admitted. 

"We're fine," she replied quickly. It almost sounded curt. 

Henry blinked, confused. "Oh, o-okay. I don't know why I thought that."

"Well, did you do anything that would make me mad?" Maddie questioned. 

"I don't think so?" Henry responded. He had no idea where this conversation was going. 

Maddie scoffed, sitting up. "Really?"

"What?" Henry was confused again.

"You're lying!" she exclaimed, exasperated. 

"What're you talking about?" Henry questioned.

"You lied about not being able to sleep," Maddie said. "I saw you with Lucas in the kitchen at 4 in the morning. I wanted to get some water, so I was about to go downstairs and I saw you both. You were just chatting like you were best mates, and then you went out to the beach and he saw you off."

Oh. "I did have trouble sleeping, and I was feeling a bit hungry. That's why I went downstairs, to see if there was anything to eat, and I ran into Lucas. He suggested that I should go on a walk to clear my head."

"Well, why didn't you tell me then?" Maddie asked. 

"I didn't want to worry you," Henry said, biting the inside of his cheek. 

Maddie scoffed again. "But you can worry Lucas? I'm supposed to be your best friend, Henry! You've pretty much ignored me since you and he have become friends."

"I'm not trying to make you feel excluded, Maddie. I just- I didn't know what to say to you today because I kept thinking you were mad at me," Henry stated. 

"You didn't even like him up until yesterday and now you've been glued to him all day! And you were somehow able to convince him to drive us to the grocery store, and you were joking around and laughing and winking at each other. You didn't even care that I'd feel left out," Maddie stated, looking dejected. 

"Maddie, I'm sorry," Henry replied earnestly. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that. I just feel different here, it's like I don't know what to say or talk about. And your parents and sisters are here as well, so it's just... I don't know."

"You shouldn't have lied to me, though," Maddie told him.

"You're right. I'm sorry," he said again.  

Maddie sighed. "It's fine, I guess. Why did you have trouble sleeping, though?"

"Uh, I had a bad dream," Henry recalled. 

"Oh. Well, I'm just across the hall, okay? You can come to me if it happens again," Maddie said, smiling.

Henry smiled back. "Thanks." 

"So, where's your new mate?" Maddie asked, shifting to let Henry sit on the bed. 

"He didn't feel like being here after what happened at lunch, y'know, so he's gone out," Henry answered, sitting down. 

Maddie groaned. "I'm sorry you had to see all of that at lunch. I had no idea mum would say all that."

"It's alright. I'm just surprised at how quickly Camilla's behaviour changed," Henry admitted. 

"She gets like that sometimes," Maddie replied, sighing. "She just misses having Lucas around. Since he's moved out and got a job and everything, things have been a little strained. She doesn't get why he couldn't have just lived with us at home and commuted to work from there."

"Yeah, but having your own space is a good thing, right? It means that he's becoming independent," Henry said. 

"She doesn't see it that way. He's her only son and everything, y'know?" Maddie replied. "When you're younger, you tell your parents every single thing, but you start to keep more stuff to yourself when you get older. Lucas does it. I do it, too. But mum sees me a lot more than she sees him, so maybe it's hitting her harder that she doesn't know what's going on with him."

"Yeah, I think that's it," he agreed. "You were right before, when you said that if she tried to pry and force him to tell her what's going on, it's just going to drive them apart."

"I wish they'd just talk it out once," she said. "I think that's the only thing that can help."

"I don't think Lucas would go for that just yet. He's still a bit mad about what happened, I think," he responded. 

"You've been friends for all of one day and yet you know him so well," Maddie said, smiling. "Maybe my mum was right in saying that he trusts you."

"Yeah, I don't know what it is." He shrugged. 

"Anyway, there's a party tomorrow night, and we're going," she told him. 

"Sounds great," Henry agreed immediately. 

"It's a good opportunity to meet new people and y'know get to know them," Maddie said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. 

Henry laughed. "Maddie, come on."

"No, seriously," she insisted. "Everyone here's just looking for a fling. If it turns into something more, great. If not, that's still okay. Maybe you meet a cute guy and you guys hit it off. It'll be great to get your mind off of things."

"I'll go to the party with you, but I'm not gonna promise anything," Henry said. 

"Alright, deal," she replied with a grin. 

They talked a bit more about the party; Maddie told him about which of her friends would be there. A while later, they heard Camilla and Fredrick come in with the twins so they went downstairs to greet them. Camilla and Fredrick were seated on the settee, both looking tired and the twins kneeling in front of the sofa to pet the dogs. Maddie sat on the floor next to her sisters, and Henry sat on the sofa next to the dogs.

"Where's Lucas?" Lily looked up at Henry as she and Evie rubbed the dogs' bellies. 

Henry shot Maddie an uncertain look. Should he tell the twins the truth? She shook her head slightly. "Um, he had some work, so he had to go out," Henry said, scratching the back of his neck. 

"You mean he didn't want to be here because of what happened at lunch, right?" Evie said with a knowing smile. "It's okay, you don't have to lie for us."

Henry gave her a small smile, feeling a bit guilty. The twins really were smart for their age. He glanced at Camilla and Fredrick. Camilla looked a little upset, but she didn't say anything. Fredrick, on the other hand, looked slightly irritated, but he, like his wife, didn't say a word. 

Since Camilla was feeling too tired to cook, they decided to order some Chinese for dinner. There was little room for conversation, for which Henry was glad, because they were sitting in the living room in front of the tv. The twins wanted to watch Frozen today. Henry and Maddie conversed a bit throughout the movie. He was glad to be back on her good side.

Henry couldn't help wondering what Lucas was doing, though. Was he with the brunette again? Henry was getting tired of referring to her as 'the brunette.' Maybe he could ask Lucas what her name was. Henry recoiled at the thought at first, because why should he care about Lucas' girlfriend/ not-girlfriend? But then maybe he'd have to get used to the idea of Lucas and that girl if he wanted to continue being friends with the older boy. Why did he even want to be friends with Lucas in the first place? Sure, he seemed like a nice guy when you actually got to know him, and it was nice to not have to come up with crafty ways of asking each other to get lost or to just y'know... go away but more permanently. Would it be better if he just stopped being friends with Lucas? For Maddie's sake? Because he had no clue why he'd actually begun to like the other boy, as a friend, of course, and if their friendship was making her feel left out, shouldn't he try to do whatever he can to make her feel included again? But then again, Camilla thought that he and Lucas were good friends, and that had actually brought them closer, so he couldn't just suddenly stop being friends with Lucas after all of this. He exhaled softly, mind still swarming with questions.  

"Henry, you okay there?" asked Camilla. The movie was paused, and everyone except Henry had gotten up to put their plates in the sink. He could see Fredrick and the girls in the kitchen, trying to decide what flavour of ice cream they'd like. Camilla, who had just returned from the kitchen, took Henry's plate from him. "You seem so much quieter these days. You were much more energetic earlier, when you used to come by the house in the city. Is everything alright, love?"

"Yes, Camilla, sorry about that. I'm just kind of... y'know..." Henry trailed off, not knowing how to conclude. 

"Lost in thought?" Camilla asked with a smile. "You seem a bit preoccupied."

"A bit," Henry agreed. He was a bit thrown, because Camilla was now back to how she usually behaved. It was like the Camilla at lunch hadn't even been her. "But it's nothing, I promise."

"I hope our company isn't too boring for you," Camilla said, laughing. "I know you're not used to being around us for so long, but there's no need to be formal, alright, love? We're just as much your family as Elizabeth and David."

Henry smiled, despite feeling a tightness in his chest at the mention of the word 'family' and his parents. "Thank you. I admit, I do feel a bit awkward. Is it that obvious?"

"A bit," Camilla responded, smiling. Henry chuckled. "But, you have Maddie and now Lucas, too, to talk to, so try not to feel so out of place, dear. You're one of us."

"Thank you," Henry said again, smiling. 

Camilla smiled at him, squeezing his cheeks between her thumb and index and middle fingers. "Oh," she added after a second, "did Lucas say when he'd be back?"

Henry shook his head. "Sorry."

Camilla sighed, her expression growing somber. "It seems like he's going to be avoiding me for a bit, so just let him know I want to talk to him, alright?"

"Of course," Henry replied with a nod. Camilla smiled at him, a bit sadly, and went into the kitchen to put his plate in the sink. 

"Henry," Maddie called from the kitchen. "Would you like some ice cream?"

"I'm good, thanks," he answered. 

Henry sat with the Thorntons as they ate their ice creams and finished the rest of the movie. He zoned out almost immediately, though, trying to process what Camilla had said. She had always been nice to him and so inclusive. It was nice to hear how they felt about him, particularly when he didn't know how things were going to be in his own family. He was glad she was back to being her usual self, but he felt a bit bad for her and Lucas both. He'd tell Lucas what Camilla had said when he saw him next. Soon after the movie was over, Henry checked the girls' room for monsters again, like twins had asked him to. He wished Lucas had been here, but there was nothing he could do about it now. The twins kissed Henry on the cheek and wished him goodnight. Camilla and Fredrick retired to their room after tucking the twins in.

"Are you alright? You seemed almost worried, downstairs in the living room," Maddie said. They were standing in the hallway outside their rooms.

"I'm fine, I was just kind of overwhelmed a bit, because Camilla asked me the same thing and said I shouldn't feel awkward because I'm one of you now and that you guys are my family, too," Henry replied. "It's nice to hear things like this, y'know, especially with what's going on with my parents."

"Oh, Henry, of course she's right," Maddie told him, immediately pulling him into a hug. "You are part of the family. You think I'd bring just anybody along on this trip?" 

"Well, maybe Noah, but for different reasons," Henry said, chuckling. 

Maddie pulled back and stuck her tongue out at him. "You're so funny."

"I know, right?" Henry responded, grinning. 

Maddie poked his cheek. "Get some sleep, okay? I'm right across the hall if you need me."

"Thank you," he replied, smiling at her. She winked at him and opened the door of her room and went inside. 

Henry went into his own room and turned on one of the sconces and the balcony light, like he had the night before. Just being back in the room brought back the nightmare/ flashback he had had. It was weird that he'd dreamt about what had happened exactly like it had happened, but it was also possible that he hadn't been completely asleep and had probably just been thinking about it. He couldn't even really remember if he had been asleep. 

He kicked off his shoes and changed into red plaid pyjamas and a black t-shirt. He brushed, washed his face and put on moisturiser, then crawled into bed. He knew he wouldn't be able sleep, so he turned on the tv. He couldn't decide what to watch, and the only thing he could think of watching was The Office (US), so he put it on. 

It had been about 11pm when he had come back to his room, but now it was almost 1 in the morning. He had watched about 6 episodes back to back, and was now starting to feel drowsy. Just the thought of sleeping was making him anxious, but he was exhausted. He had to at least try. He turned off the tv and closed his eyes, leaning against the headboard. Sleep found him quickly. 

Henry had moved into his new apartment after getting back from the trip, and things were going as well as they could be. Maddie had helped him decorate, and his apartment looked nice and cozy. Something was missing, though, but Henry didn't know what. 

He was having lunch with his parents at their house one day. His parents were arguing a lot less, which was great. Henry hadn't heard them disagree so little in years. It was strange, in a way. 

"So, Henry, what's new?" Elizabeth asked, twisting spaghetti around her fork. 

"Nothing much, just uni and classes. The usual," Henry answered.

"And outside of your academic life? Are you seeing anybody?" David questioned. 

Henry blushed. "Uh, actually, yes. His name is Lucas-"

"'His?'" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Did you say 'his name?'"

"Um, yeah, I'm uh- I'm gay," Henry said. It felt good to say that out loud. He was finally able to tell his parents who he really was. 

"What?" David looked shocked. "You're not serious, are you?"

Henry scoffed a bit. "What do you mean? Of course I'm serious."

"You're gay and you're dating Lucas Thornton of all people?" Elizabeth questioned, eyebrow still raised. 

"What's the big deal?" Henry responded, confused. 

"You never tell us what's going on in your life!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I can't believe you didn't tell us before."

"Well, I'm telling you now, aren't I?" Henry was a bit annoyed. 

"You never have the time to see us anymore," David said bitterly, "because you're always running around with that boy. You're glued to him!"

"Didn't you think we'd have liked to know about this? He's Camilla and Fredrick's son, and they're close friends of ours," Elizabeth said. 

"How many boys have you dated?" David asked, almost looking disgusted. "What else haven't you told us, huh?"

"Mum, dad, I don't think this is the right time to talk about this," Henry answered. He was feeling panic building in his chest. These were too many questions to handle. 

"But when else can we talk about this? Because after lunch, you'll go back to your own apartment and we won't see you for another week!"

"I can't believe you didn't tell us!"

"It's like you don't care about us anymore."

"What else haven't you told us?"

"We don't know who you are anymore."

"You're always too busy to visit your own family!"

"You're our only son, yet you treat us like we're strangers. You don't tell us anything about your life."

"You've changed so much, it feels like we have no idea who you are."

"You're not the same Henry."

"I can't believe you didn't let us know!"

"You don't care about us anymore."

Henry felt more and more panicked. His parents words were swarming in his head. What was going on? How was he supposed to answer all of this? Would they even understand? They already didn't seem to be accepting of the fact that Henry was gay. And since when was Henry dating Lucas? Wasn't Lucas with the brunette? How could his parents say they didn't know him anymore? They were the people who had known him the longest, and if they thought he was different and had changed, then who was he, really? How could he know who he was for sure anymore?

Henry awoke with a start, gasping for breath. Immediately, he felt someone rubbing his shoulder and heard shushing. 

"Hi. It's okay, you're okay, you're fine," said Lucas' voice in his ear. 

Henry, still breathing hard, turned to see Lucas sitting next to him on the bed, which startled him. Lucas had his right arm slung around Henry, holding him close, and was rubbing Henry's shoulder with his left hand. "What're you-"

"Shh. Don't talk," Lucas told Henry softly. His blue eyes were narrowed in concern, but his voice was steady. "Just breathe, okay? Look at me. Breathe."

Henry breathed in and out, eyes trained on Lucas, and blinked the tears out of his eyes. Lucas maintained eye contact with him, breathing in and out with Henry, still rubbing his shoulder. In about a minute or so, Henry's breathing slowed down to normal. 

"Are you better now?" Lucas asked Henry, who nodded. "Here." The older boy handed Henry a half empty bottle of water. Henry took a few sips and handed it back, pushing down the bile rising in his throat. He was not going to throw up again. 

When he trusted himself to talk, Henry said, "What're you doing here? What time is it?"

Lucas let go of Henry, but he didn't move away from him. "It's five minutes to two. I just got home. I figured you were awake because the light in your balcony was on, so I thought I'd come upstairs and tell you that I was home and you didn't need to worry about how much sleep I got and everything. I knocked on your door, but you didn't respond, so I opened the door and saw you just gasping for breath."

"Oh. Uh, thanks, for helping," Henry told him, still a bit surprised that any of this was actually happening. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucas asked, looking uncertainly at Henry. "That seemed like one hell of a nightmare."

Henry blinked, recalling something about dating Lucas in his dream. "Yeah. I'm sorry you had to be here for that."

Lucas reached a hand out and wiped the tears off Henry's face with his thumb. Henry almost shivered at the boy's touch. His hand was very warm. "Don't be sorry, curly." He and Henry looked at each other for a few seconds, before Lucas looked away, clearing his throat. "I should go. You should try to go back to sleep." Lucas turned away from Henry and got off the bed. He was almost at the door when Henry called out to him.

"Lucas, wait." 

The older boy turned around, eyeing Henry up and down once. "Yeah?"

"Can you stay here tonight? Please?" Henry asked, biting his cheek. He didn't know why, but Lucas being there when Henry had woken up had made him feel a lot better. If he had been alone, he probably would have ended up throwing up like he had last night. 

Lucas approached the bed again. "I am not sleeping on the floor," he said with a smile. Henry scooched to one side of the bed to make place for the other boy. Lucas chuckled before kicking off his shoes and sitting down on the bed. "No funny stuff, alright, Sullivan?" He lay down next to Henry, their arms now touching.

"You wish, Thornton," Henry replied, trying his best not to blush. 

Chapter Text

"You mind if I turn off the lights?" Lucas questioned. They'd been lying next to each other quietly for the past couple minutes. Henry's heart was beating rapidly. "I can't sleep with the lights on."

"Go ahead," Henry replied, trying to keep his voice even. Lucas got off the bed and turned off the lights. The room was bathed in darkness immediately. Henry couldn't see anything at all. He felt Lucas sit back down on the bed and then lie down. Their arms were touching again. There was no place on Henry's side, because he was to the far right of the bed. There had to be some more place on Lucas' side, but the other boy had lain down right next to Henry. He swallowed hard. "Um, were you with the... brunette again?"

Lucas chuckled quietly. "I thought you couldn't give a fuck less, right?"

"I guess I just wanted to know her name," Henry said, curling and uncurling his toes. He didn't want to move his arms because that would mean not touching Lucas' arm anymore. The other boy didn't seem to mind that they were that close to each other once again, so Henry didn't either. It sort of blew his mind how much things between them had changed. 

Lucas said nothing for a couple seconds. Then, "It's Elena. I wasn't with her, though. I was with my friend Zeke."

"Oh."

"Why'd you ask me to stay?" Lucas asked softly after a couple seconds. 

"Now who's asking questions?" Henry replied. Lucas chuckled again. "In case I had a nightmare again, I guess. You always seem to know what to say."

"I usually don't, but I'm glad I can be of some help," Lucas responded. 

"It's more than 'some help,'" Henry said quietly. 

It was silent again. The older boy's woody, cigarette smoke scent was starting to grow on Henry. He hadn't expected the other boy to agree so readily to stay in Henry's room. The dream he'd just had was coming back to him now. He could see the resemblance in it and what had happened with Lucas and Camilla at lunch the day before. He guessed that was what had brought it on; he was just afraid his own parents would think that way of him, too. The part about dating Lucas was so weird, though. What could've made him think that? And should he tell him now what Camilla had said?

"What're you thinking about?" Lucas asked.

"Your mum," Henry answered absently. 

Lucas scoffed. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, fuck, sorry." Henry blushed profusely. "I-I meant that literally. After dinner, she told me to tell you that she wants to talk to you."

"Huh. Playing messenger for us, are you?" the other boy questioned. 

"She thinks we're good friends and that you trust me, so..." Henry trailed off. It was weird not being able to see Lucas' face while talking to him. Henry turned his head slightly to the left. He could just see the silhouette of the other boy. It seemed like Lucas was staring at the ceiling. 

"I don't know what to say to her anymore," Lucas replied after a second. 

"I wouldn't either. But you can't avoid her forever," Henry told him. 

"I can avoid her for a bit, though," Lucas responded, humour in his voice. 

Henry chuckled. He understood that this topic of conversation was now over. "Goodnight."

"'Night, curly," Lucas answered in a low voice. 

Henry blinked a couple times, then closed his eyes. He didn't usually sleep on his back; sleeping on his stomach or side was more comfortable. But it would be hard to move around right now, since Lucas was right next to him. Henry wondered what the other boy was thinking about. He opened his eyes and glanced at Lucas, but he couldn't make anything out in the darkness.

Henry closed his eyes again and inhaled. He tried his hardest to fall asleep, but he just couldn't sleep on his back. He sighed inwardly, and finally turned on his left, facing the other boy. Henry had no idea if Lucas was still awake, because the other boy didn't move an inch. There were barely any distance between Henry and Lucas' faces. Henry swallowed again, breathing in Lucas' cologne and shut his eyes. 

Weirdly enough, Henry didn't have nightmares for the rest of the night. He didn't even dream, he was just out cold. 

When Henry opened his eyes in the morning, the first thing he noticed was that Lucas was gone. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed. He rubbed his eyes, then stretched and got out of bed. He went to the bathroom, brushed and showered. When he came back outside after getting dressed, he noticed a glass of iced black coffee that had been sitting on his nightstand. He walked over to it and saw that there was a note underneath the glass, slightly damp because of the beads of condensation sliding down the glass and onto the paper. Henry smiled when he read the note.

'Hope you slept well, but you seem to like coffee a lot, so here. -L' it said. There was a smiley face with X'ed out eyes after the 'L,' like the tattoo on the outside of Lucas' right wrist. The handwriting was slightly messy, but Henry understood what it said, anyway. He had slept well, better than he had in days, but it didn't matter. Even if he'd gotten twelve hours of sleep, he'd still want coffee. Lucas had made this coffee for him, which surprised him a lot. Why would the other boy go through so much effort? Henry had a sip, and was even more surprised when he tasted vanilla. He had no idea that Lucas had noticed that he had added vanilla to his coffee yesterday, but then again, he had made three cups of it at breakfast, so. He folded up the note and stuck it in the side pocket of his backpack.

Henry sipped his coffee as he made his way downstairs. It was almost 9 now, so everyone would be at breakfast. Everyone except for Lucas, Henry noted as he stepped into the kitchen. The rest of the Thornton family was seated at the dining table, eating sausages and eggs and having some juice. The dogs were sitting at Camilla and Fredrick's feet. 

"Hi, Henry," the twins chirped together. 

"Morning, dear," Camilla said. 

"Good morning, Henry," Fredrick told him. 

"Hi, good morning," Henry replied, smiling at them. He sat down next to Maddie and put the half-empty glass of iced coffee on the table. "Hi, Maddie."

"Hey. You look well-rested," Maddie commented, pushing a plate of sausages and eggs towards Henry. "Where'd you get the coffee from?"

"Thanks," he said as he took the plate. "Lucas made it for me, actually."

She raised her eyebrows, a smile forming on her lips. "Wow. You're getting room service from my brother now, are you?"

Henry chuckled at the idea. "Where is he?"

"You just missed him, actually," Maddie answered. "He just went to play footie with his friends a couple houses down."

"He was at breakfast?" he questioned in a low voice, surprised. 

"Yeah, I was surprised, too," she replied in the same low voice. "He spoke to mum a bit, mostly to say that he was going to play footie, but they didn't mention what happened. Dad seems to be a bit mad, still."

"Huh," was all Henry said. Had Lucas changed his mind after last night? 

"He definitely looked less tired today, though. Do you know when he got in last night?" Maddie questioned. 

"Around two, I think," Henry replied. "I haven't seen him this morning, though." That was technically not a lie. 

"How'd he give you the coffee, then?" she asked. 

"He left it on my nightstand," he answered. He didn't think he should tell her that Lucas had slept in his room last night. She might feel bad again that Lucas, instead of her, had been there for Henry after he'd had a nightmare.

Maddie just nodded. If she thought something was off, she didn't mention it. 

They all finished breakfast, chatting a bit here and there. Camilla asked what plans Henry and Maddie had for the day. Maddie just told her mum about the party they were going to later that evening. Camilla and Fredrick had some work to catch up on in the morning, so Henry and Maddie would have to look after the twins. 

The twins wanted to play some games today. So after Camilla and Fredrick got to work, Henry and Maddie spent the rest of the morning playing hide and seek around the house with the twins. Henry had no idea where he could and couldn't hide here, because he hadn't been to every room in the house. So he said he'd just be the seeker today. Lucas' room, his own room and Camilla and Fredrick's room were considered off limits, which left the deck, basement, garage, kitchen, guest bathroom, living room and the twins' and Maddie's room, and the room next to Lucas' which turned out to be a storage closet.  

Around noon, Henry was still looking for Evie. It had been about 15 minutes that he hadn't found her. Maddie and Lily were in the kitchen getting something to drink. Henry had looked almost everywhere, and he was growing a bit tired of the game now. He only had to search out on the deck and in the storage closet, so he decided to go out to the deck first, since he was already in the living room. He crouched down out on the deck and looked under the sun chairs and tables. 

"If you're looking for a sense of humour, you're not going to find it there," said a voice behind him. Henry turned and saw Lucas coming up the stairs from the beach. The other boy was wearing a white t-shirt, black Adidas shorts and white trainers. A football was tucked under his arm. Lucas' hair was sticking up in all directions. Henry itched to reach out and smooth it back down. He noticed the words 'The Rogue' tattooed on Lucas' right and left shins, with a spiderweb tattooed above the word 'Rogue.' Lucas looked good. Like, really good. "Christ, lad. I'm only joking. You look so serious."

Henry blinked. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Did you lose something?" Lucas questioned, walking up to Henry, who stood up. 

"We're playing hide and seek," Henry replied. "Haven't found Evie yet."

"Look in the storage closet. She'll be there," Lucas told him. 

Henry feigned a look of disbelief. "Um, that's cheating."

"Why do I talk to you?" Lucas sighed exaggeratedly and rolled his eyes. 

Henry chuckled. "Oh, by the way, thanks for the coffee today," he added. 

"Did you like it?" Lucas asked, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He face was glistening with sweat. 

"Yeah. The vanilla was a nice touch," Henry commented.

"Good, good."

"Um, why didn't you wake me up when you left?" Henry asked.

Lucas snickered. "It's not like I snuck out of the window in the morning after we shagged, Henry."

Henry blushed. "That's not- I wasn't- We-" He couldn't finish his sentence. 

Lucas proper laughed. "You're cute."

Henry blushed some more. 

"You slept well, though, right? No more bad dreams?" Lucas asked.

"Nah," Henry replied. 

"Good," the other boy said. 

Henry just nodded. It was quiet for a couple seconds.

The other boy looked up at him and raised his eyebrows. 

"What?" Henry asked.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Lucas questioned. 

Henry stared down blankly at the older boy for a second. "Thank you... for staying in my room last night?"

Lucas looked amused. "You are just- wow."

"Thanks, I guess." 

"Henry, love," Lucas said in a low voice, as he stepped closer to the younger boy and looked up at him through his lashes. 

Henry's heartbeat sped up immediately. "Y-Yeah?"

"Go get Evie. Now."

"Oh, fuck, right." Henry turned and dashed to the storage closet. He could hear Lucas chuckling behind him. Henry opened the door, and sure enough, Evie was there, crouching next to a few boxes. "Got you," he said to the girl. 

"Took you long enough," Evie huffed, standing up and dusting herself off. 

"Sorry, Evie. You're just really good at hiding," Henry said, trying to placate the girl. She walked out of the closet and ran to Lucas, who was standing outside his door. 

"Lucas, hi," Evie said, reaching out to hug her brother. 

Lucas kneeled down in front of her so she could actually hug him and not just his waist. "Hi, darling."

"Oh, you're sweating," Evie complained as she pulled back and scrunched up her nose in disgust. 

Lucas chuckled. "I just got back from playing footie."

"We've been playing hide and seek," Evie told her brother. "Henry says I'm really good at hiding."

"Yes, you are," Lucas agreed, smiling at his sister. "Why don't you go get something to drink, love? Mads and Lily are in the kitchen already."

"Okay," she said, smiling. "Bye, Lucas. Bye, Henry." She skipped towards the kitchen. 

Lucas stood up, sighing. "I need a smoke."

"And a shower," Henry added. 

Lucas chuckled again.  "Right." When Henry didn't move, Lucas asked, "D'you wanna stay and watch or something?"

"Huh?" At this point, Henry was pretty sure he was just gaping at Lucas with his mouth open. What the hell was going on today?

"Jesus Christ." Lucas laughed, crinkles forming near his eyes. 

"I- Huh?" Henry said again. He had no idea how to respond to the other boy. Lucas seemed to be in a very good mood today.

"You really are cute," Lucas told him, still smiling, and reached up to ruffle his hair. Henry shivered a bit at the other boy's touch. "I should go."

"O-Okay," Henry replied, dazed. Lucas smiled at Henry, shaking his head, and went into his room. Henry was still standing there for a few seconds after the door had closed.

"Go, curly," came Lucas' voice through the door, stretching the 'o.' 

"Right," Henry said, clearing his throat. He walked out to the living room, still slightly startled, and sat down on the sofa. He laughed out loud in disbelief over what had just happened. Why did he always have to be so awkward, though? He leaned back and covered his face with his hands. 

He thought back to when Lucas and he would just argue all the time and Maddie would have to tell them to stop. How does that turn into this? The dinner they'd had out on the deck was when everything had changed. Just seeing that other side of Lucas had been like meeting a new person. Henry sighed, clutching at his hair, feeling a bit frustrated. Where was this even going? He exhaled as he stood up, and went into the kitchen. 

"You okay there?" Maddie asked. Henry hated how this was what people always ended up asking him, but he knew it was only because they cared. 

"Yeah, just a bit tired from the hide and seek," he lied. 

"Here, have some iced tea," Maddie said, pouring some into a glass from a pitcher. 

"Thanks," Henry told her as he took the glass from her. He sat down at the table with the girls and they all chatted for a bit. Bruce and Clifford were sitting under the table and occasionally surprised one of them by licking their feet. Camilla and Fredrick came downstairs after about a half hour. 

"Pizza should be here soon," Fredrick told them. "Is Lucas back yet?" 

"He is, he's in the shower," Henry replied, because Camilla, Fredrick and even Maddie looked to him for the answer. 

Lucas came out of his room about fifteen minutes after the pizzas had arrived. He was wearing a black tank top and jeans, hair damp from the shower. Henry noticed that he and Lucas both wore black a lot. 

"Hi, Lucas," Lily said when she saw her brother. 

"Hello," he greeted, smiling at his sisters and even at his parents.

They were all seated around the tv in the living room, watching the first Harry Potter movie as they ate pizza and drank wine. Lucas grabbed a plate and picked up a slice of pepperoni. He sat next to Henry on the settee even though there was place on the sofa. That was actually probably just because he didn't want to sit next to Camilla and Fredrick, who were sitting on the sofa. Henry was sandwiched between the twins and Lucas. Maddie was sitting in the armchair.

"How is Zeke? Did you both have fun playing football?" Camilla asked Lucas. She sounded a bit desperate, like she wanted everything to go back to the way it was before, but didn't know how to fix it. She was looking at her Lucas' face as if she could figure out what he might be thinking just by staring at him. 

"He's good. Yes, we had fun, thanks," Lucas responded, avoiding her eye and staring at the tv. 

"You should tell him to come by some day. It's been a while since he's been to see us," Fredrick added, looking up from his plate at his son. 

"Sure," Lucas answered, mechanically. 

"Don't be like that, honey, come on," Camilla said, sounding like she was on the verge of crying. 

"Be like what?" Lucas bristled.

"Can we just put everything behind us, please?" Camilla urged. "I don't like it when we're not on good terms."

"It's forgotten, mum," Lucas replied woodenly. "We're okay."

"Is it? You won't even look at me," Camilla exclaimed, her voice cracking. 

Lucas swallowed hard and turned to look at his mum. "We're okay," he repeated, voice strained. 

Camilla scoffed, shaking her head. "Forget it."

Lucas clenched his jaw and turned away, staring blankly at the tv. He stood up suddenly, leaving his uneaten plate of pizza on the table, and stalked out of the room.

Henry stared after the other boy for a second, then got to his feet. He picked up his own glass of wine and Lucas' plate, adding another slice of pizza to it.

"I'm sorry, excuse me," Henry said to the rest of the family and rushed after Lucas, without waiting for them to reply.

Lucas was about to go into his room. His shoulders were drooping, like he was tired. The door to his room was fully open this time. Henry could see a king size bed with dark sheets, a wooden desk and bookshelf. The curtains, also dark coloured, were drawn, and the only source of light were the fairy lights hanging on the wall.

"Lucas," Henry called.  

Lucas turned around, and smiled when he saw Henry, despite looking miserable. "Hi. I'm sorry, I just want to be left alone."

"I figured," Henry told him. "Just- please, don't go hungry." He handed the plate and the glass of wine to Lucas.

Lucas leaned into his room and put the plate and glass on the desk. He turned back to Henry, eyes shining, and pulled the younger boy into a tight hug. Henry stumbled back from the force of the hug, stunned.

"Thank you," Lucas murmured softly.

Before Henry could put his arms around the other boy, though, Lucas had already pulled away and disappeared into his room. 

Chapter Text

Henry walked back to the living room in a daze. Camilla eyed him with uncertainty, Maddie looked at him with a bit of surprise. No one asked what happened, and he obviously didn't volunteer and tell them himself. The rest of the lunch passed in silence, and Camilla and Fredrick retired to their room to work once again. Lily and Evie wanted to take a nap, as did Maddie. So Henry just went up to his room and listened to music till it was evening. Maddie came by later to give him some leftover pizza, so that they could have an early dinner and leave in time for the party. Once again, she didn't question Henry about Lucas, which he found a bit weird. 

She went to get dressed, leaving him to decide what to wear. He hadn't really brought a lot of clothes with him; most of them were just black t-shirts, jeans and joggers. He put on a plain black shirt, jeans and his favourite boots, and of course his rings and necklace. 

He wanted to experiment more with his clothes, maybe try wearing brighter colours or different styles of clothing. But he didn't know how his parents would react to that. He knew his dad already wasn't a fan of him wearing nail paint and rings. He'd have to take things one step at a time for now and stick to the way he normally dressed, at least for a bit. 

Maddie came to Henry's room again after she was done getting dressed. She was wearing a navy blue cami dress with a cowl neck. Her hair was down, eyes lined with kohl. 

"You look... incredible," Henry told her, grinning. 

"Thank you," she said, with a little bow, and grinned back.

"I didn't bring a lot of clothes, so had to make the best of what I had," Henry admitted. 

Maddie shook her head. "You look good. Just- here." She stepped forward and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, pushing the collar back. 

"Wh-Hey," he complained. Maddie shushed him, pulling at his cross necklace and placing it over his shirt, instead of leaving it tucked away like Henry had. She rolled up the sleeves of his shirt till his elbows.

"Wait here," she said, and left the room, re-entering a couple seconds later with an olive green bandana. She reached up and tied it around his head, pulling a few curls loose.

"There," Maddie said, pushing him towards the bathroom and pointing at the mirror. 

Henry blinked. The bandana looked great on him. The tattoos of the swallows on his chest were slightly visible, the cross resting perfectly in between them. He looked... really good. "Thanks."

Maddie winked at him. "Let's go." She turned and exited the bathroom, Henry following close behind. They went downstairs and saw the twins and Camilla and Fredrick sitting at the table, eating dinner. 

"Don't you two look nice together," Camilla commented, smiling at Henry and Maddie. "Let me take a picture of you." She stood up, picking up her phone from the table. 

"It's not like we're going to prom, mum," Maddie said with a sigh. "There's no need to take a picture."

"Come on, now. Henry doesn't mind, does he?" Fredrick asked. 

Henry felt like he didn't have a choice, so he just shook his head. Camilla snapped a picture of him and Maddie as the twins giggled and cheered. Henry and Maddie had specified to her family before that they weren't together or anything, but he knew they probably didn't believe them, like Lucas, because of how much time they spent together. 

Henry felt slightly awkward being dressed the way he was, with his chest tattoos being visible in front of Maddie's family, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Fredrick made both of them promise to be back before midnight and not drink too much. 

Henry had glanced towards Lucas' room once before they left. The door had been shut, but there was that faint yellow light coming from under it, so Henry knew Lucas was still home. He wondered if the other boy would come to the party, but he didn't ask Maddie about it. 

They were walking along the beach now. It wasn't dark yet. The sky was turning from orange to dark blue steadily. A couple grey clouds were scattered along the sky, although it didn't look like it would rain. 

Henry could see the house where the party was, it was about half a dozen houses down from the Thorntons' place. There were coloured, flashing lights visible from the windows, and Henry could hear faint music coming from there. There were also a number of people on the beach, some playing volleyball, some just sitting on the sand and watching as they drank from red solo cups. Typical party scene, then. 

Henry followed Maddie as she walked up the steps that led to that house from the beach. The layout of the house was similar to the Thorntons' house, but the furniture was vastly different. There was an L-shaped couch made of red leather, and a velvet loveseat in the living room, placed behind a circular marble-top table, pointed at a gigantic tv, which had some music video from the 2010s playing on YouTube.

It was a small party, with about twenty five or thirty people, counting the ones out on the beach. It was different from the parties Henry had been to at college, though. Everyone here looked rich. He spotted many people in expensive, branded clothes with expensive accessories, too. He was feeling out of place already, of course, but he tried to convince himself it was fine, because he'd never see these people again. 

"Oh, my god, Maddie, hi," came a voice. It was high-pitched, almost sickly sweet. Henry and Maddie turned and saw a girl with bleached blonde hair rushing to hug Maddie. The girl looked about twenty five, had an obviously-fake tan and was wearing a floral green halter-neck dress. Her eyelashes were almost comically long and very bushy. Henry had once heard Maddie call eyelashes like that 'falsies.' 

"Ashley, hi," Maddie said, hugging the girl back. "How've you been?"

"Good, y'know. Each year, I try to top the previous year's party, so we'll have to find out what happens this year," Ashley answered. She had a bit of a posh accent, which Henry pretty much detested. But this girl was friends with Maddie so of course he'd be nice to her. "Who's your friend here?" Ashley looked Henry up and down, head tilted to the side. 

"I'm Henry, hi," he told the new girl. He stiffened when the girl just stepped closer to him and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Ashley, what're you doing?" Maddie questioned, sounding embarrassed. 

"What? I'm just introducing myself to your cute friend," Ashley replied innocently. 

Maddie sighed, shaking her head. "Henry, I'm sorry."

"Oh, no. You two aren't together or anything, right?" Ashley asked, putting a hand over her mouth in dramatic fashion. 

"No," Henry and Maddie said at the same time. 

"Wow," Ashley said, raising her eyebrows. "Okay, Henry, come with me. Let me introduce you to some people." Before Henry could respond, however, Ashley had grabbed his hand and was dragging him to the kitchen. Henry looked back at Maddie helplessly. At least she was coming with them to the kitchen, so Henry wouldn't have to suffer alone. 

The kitchen was also in keeping with the red theme of the living room furniture, because the cabinets, the countertops and the kitchen island were all red. Why? Henry didn't know.

There were only two people in the kitchen, standing by the sink and talking. One was a pretty girl who looked about the same age as Henry and Maddie, with dyed black hair and a lot of piercings. She was wearing a black, leather mini skirt and a crop top and was drinking out of a solo cup. The other one was a boy with brown eyes and fluffy, light brown hair, about as tall as Henry. He was smoking a joint and wore jeans with a graphic white t-shirt and a flannel shirt. He had tattoos up and down his arms and a single ear piercing. 

"Guys," Ashley called to them. The two of them ceased their conversation and turned to her. "This is Henry," she told them, slinging her arm through his. Henry clenched his jaw, but tried to maintain a friendly expression as he looked at Ashley's friends. 

"What's up?" said the boy, looking Henry up and down. "I'm Chris. That's Kylie." He pointed to the girl with black hair. 

"Hi," Henry said awkwardly. Chris was kind of cute. 

"Maddie, is that you? Come here," Kylie ordered, reaching to pull Maddie forward and into a hug. 

"Hey, Kylie. The black hair looks great on you," Maddie told her friend. 

"Doesn't it?" Ashley piped in, finally letting go of Henry, and walked over to her friends. "It's definitely a much better look than blonde."

"So," Chris said to Henry as he took a drag of his joint. "How do you know Maddie?"

"We go to uni together," Henry replied. 

"Are you dating her or something?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Henry said with a sigh. "Why does everyone think that?" 

Chris shrugged. "Want a drag?" he asked, offering Henry his joint. 

"Think I'll start with a drink first," Henry replied. Chris chuckled, turning to pour some vodka into a cup for Henry. The vodka immediately made Henry think of Lucas, but he pushed that thought down with a sip from the glass. 

As the night went on, Henry pretty much stuck by Chris' side. He was funny and nice to Henry, and introduced him to a few other people. Henry learned that Chris was twenty three, and worked with his father at his real estate company. He had graduated college last year and usually spent a couple weeks here by the beach every summer. He liked to surf, and talked about it a lot, which Henry would've found a bit annoying if he hadn't been drunk. Chris had met Maddie only last year, but somehow didn't get along with Lucas. Henry wanted to know why, but Chris seemed reluctant to talk about it, so Henry had to let it go. 

Maddie disappeared for a bit, because she had to go say hi to all her friends. Thankfully, Ashley was following Maddie around and didn't come back to talk to Henry. He saw Maddie a few times, talking to a bunch of different people here and there. He was slightly mad, because she just ditched him, but he knew she couldn't just ignore her other friends because he was here. And she was hoping that Henry would find someone to hook up with and maybe thought that someone could be Chris, so she could've been giving them some alone time. Hooking up with someone on this trip was the last thing on Henry's mind. Kind of.

At around ten, Henry and Chris were in the kitchen with some others, playing beer pong on the kitchen table. From the corner of his eye, Henry saw Lucas entering the living room from the deck, followed by the brunette, Elena, and another boy, who had dark, close-cropped hair, and tattoos pretty much everywhere. Henry guessed that was Zeke. Lucas wore a white t-shirt and dark pants, with a denim jacket. He turned towards the kitchen, eyes landing on Henry. Lucas raised his eyebrows as he took in Henry's outfit and grinned. Henry, flustered, waved at Lucas. Why am I such an idiot, he thought to himself.

Lucas stepped toward the kitchen, like he was going to come talk to Henry, but his eyes landed on Chris standing next to Henry, and the boy stopped. Lucas' expression turned hard and he turned deftly away, going over to the sofa instead. Henry glanced at Chris, wondering if he'd caught all that, but he seemed oblivious as he sunk another ping pong ball into a cup. Henry, though, couldn't focus on the game anymore. Was Lucas not going to talk to him again because he thought Henry was friends with Chris?

After losing at the game, mostly because Henry was no longer paying attention, they went out to the living room. Chris didn't mind that they'd lost, he was telling Henry they'd have to meet up sometime later so they could play again. Henry had noticed that Chris had mentioned quite a few times that he would like to meet Henry later on, alone. He didn't know how to feel about that. 

Apart from two girls who were making out in the loveseat, Lucas and his friends were the only people sitting on the sofa. About a dozen people were standing around the living room, dancing to the music or just chatting. 

Lucas, beer in hand, was seated in between Zeke and Elena. The three of them were discussing something intently. As Henry neared them, he realised they were discussing the show 'Peaky Blinders.' From the looks on their faces, Henry had thought it was something a bit more serious, but hey, it was a great show. Henry and Chris sat on the smaller end of the L-shaped sofa, Chris leaning back and looking up at the ceiling. Henry was feeling a bit awkward, because he and Lucas had made eye contact twice already and neither of them had said anything. 

"Henry," came Lucas' voice after a few seconds. Finally. Henry turned to look at the other boy. "This is Elena and that's Zeke." He pointed at his friends. Elena smiled at him sweetly, and Zeke, who was vaping, threw him a peace sign. 

Henry smiled at them both. "Hi." 

"You're at uni with Maddie right?" Elena asked. It was sort of hard to hear over the music, so Henry leaned towards the girl. He could just sit with them, but he didn't want to do so unless they asked him. 

"Yeah. Met her on the first day of freshman year," Henry answered. He felt a bit strange talking to Elena. He had no idea if Lucas had told her Henry knew about them. But she was being so nice to him.

"Wait," Zeke interrupted, eyes narrowed. "This is Henry? The Henry?" He stared at Lucas, who shushed him and shot him a glare.

Elena ignored the two boys and went on. "So, do you want to major in psychology as well?"

"That's the plan," Henry replied. "What do you do?"

"I studied architecture. I work at my mum's firm now," Elena told him. "I love your bandana, by the way. It looks really good on you." Lucas glanced at Henry at that and nodded. 

Henry blushed a bit. "Thank you. Maddie helped me out with it."

"Come sit with us. I can barely hear you," Elena said, scooting closer to Lucas to make place for Henry. 

Henry glanced at Chris, but his eyes were closed. Was he asleep? Henry had no clue. He scooched over and sat next to Elena. They chatted for a bit. Elena told Henry that she had known Lucas and Zeke since high school, and they'd had no idea that they'd still be friends after graduating from uni. She didn't mention anything about being with Lucas, so Henry figured the other boy had actually been telling the truth about not dating her. Maybe it was just a friends with benefits kind of situation. Zeke didn't talk much after his initial interruption. Henry wondered what he'd meant, but Zeke was zoned out completely now. Lucas was kind of quiet as well; he mostly let Elena carry the conversation and just chimed in here and there. Henry hadn't had a drink in a bit and was starting to feel the buzz wear off. 

After a bit, Elena left to use the bathroom, leaving Henry alone with the other boys. 

Lucas scooted closer to Henry. "So. How're you liking this party so far?" Except for the introduction to Zeke and Elena, this was the first thing Lucas had said only to Henry all night. 

"It's different from a college party," Henry replied. "Less people and nothing too crazy. I like it."

Lucas nodded, giving him a small smile. 

"What did Zeke mean when he said 'This is Henry? The Henry?'" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't get that out of his head. 

Lucas smiled sheepishly. "I might have told him about how I found you irritating. But that's all in the past now."

Henry laughed. "Jeez. I didn't know you cared enough to complain about me to other people."

Lucas feigned a hurt look. "You mean you didn't tell other people about how irritating you found me?"

"I have a life, Lucas," Henry replied sagely. "I don't waste my time talking about others." Lucas raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I might've complained about you a bit. A lot. To Maddie, Noah and Logan. And my mum."

Lucas laughed, too. "Fuckin' hell, lad. You-"

"Henry," interrupted a voice. He turned and saw Chris next to him on the sofa. Henry had nearly forgotten about that boy. "Can I talk to you?" Chris' words were slurred. He stood up and walked a few steps away from the sofa.

Lucas shook his head. "Don't talk to him. I was gonna tell you but we've only just gotten the chance to talk-"

"Henry," Chris called impatiently. Henry felt like he didn't have a choice. 

"I'll just be a minute," Henry assured Lucas and went over to Chris. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to another party at a club. Come with me," Chris said. 

"I think I'll stay," Henry replied as politely as he could. 

"Seriously? This place is a shit fest," Chris replied, looking around the place with disgust.

"I'm okay here. Thanks, though," Henry said, glancing at Lucas, who was watching him and Chris.

"If you wanted to get some alone time with me, this would be it," Chris told him in a low voice.

Henry blushed. "I think you got the wrong impression."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Have I? I saw the way you were looking at me when Ashley brought you to the kitchen."

"I don't know what you mean," Henry insisted, swallowing hard. He couldn't help but glance at Lucas. 

Chris looked from Henry over to Lucas. "Oh. Oh. I get it. You probably have a crush on-" Chris laughed, a bit too hard. "You have a crush on that lad? He's the straightest person I know."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Henry said, feeling anxious now. Was Chris being so loud that Lucas could've heard?

"He's an arsehole. But hey, if you're into lads like that, let me help you out," Chris told Henry. "Hey, Thornton," he yelled. "Henry here-" Henry clamped a hand shut over Chris' mouth.

"Shut the fuck up," Henry snapped. 

Chris chuckled, pushing Henry's hand off. He didn't seem so cute now. "I should have known you'd be into him instead." He glared over at Lucas, who was now walking towards them.

"Everything okay?" Lucas asked Henry. 

"Yeah," Henry replied. "Just go sit down, please."

"Last chance, Henry," Chris said teasingly. "Come with me to the other party or I tell him."

Lucas tilted his head sideways, confused. "Tell me? Tell me what?"

Henry was breathing hard. What the fuck should he do? "Fine. You win, Chris. Let's go." Chris turned to leave, looking smug. Henry felt like he had no choice but to follow.

"You're not going anywhere with him, Henry," Lucas stated, grabbing Henry's arm. Henry felt a wave of relief wash over him, but he was also dreading what was to come.

"Hey, pretty boy? Fuck off," Chris said, shoving Lucas backwards. Lucas stumbled a bit, but caught himself before he could fall. 

"He's not going with you, alright? You need to leave," Lucas told Chris as calmly as he could. 

"He can decide for himself," Chris declared, turning to Henry. "What do you think, Henry?"

Henry swallowed again. He felt beyond angry, but he also felt like crying. He didn't want to go with Chris, especially not now, but he'd tell Lucas if Henry didn't go. Henry could just say it wasn't true, obviously, but then their new friendship would never be the same again, because Lucas would always have that doubt in his mind. He'd start to see Henry differently, just like his parents had. "I- I-" He couldn't get any words out. Fuck. 

"Please, just go, lad. I'm askin' nicely," Lucas said to Chris. "Henry, go sit down, okay? I'll be right there." Henry couldn't move though. He was stood rooted in place, breathing hard. 

"Henry, should I tell him?" Chris asked, words slurred. People were staring at them now and were starting to crowd around them. Zeke had walked over, too, and was standing next to Lucas.

Henry felt stuck. He didn't know what to say or do. Where was Maddie? Why had they decided to come to this stupid fucking party? 

"Just leave us alone, lad, for fuck's sake," Lucas said with a sigh. "You won't wanna be here when I get mad." 

Chris scoffed at that, but he seemed a bit flustered now. "You lost your chance, Henry," he told him after a few seconds, shrugging. The boy finally turned and walked out the front door. 

Henry felt like he could breathe again. Lucas and Zeke turned to Henry immediately.

"Are you alright?" Lucas asked, gripping Henry's shoulder. Henry nodded. "D'you wanna go back to the beach house? I can go with you."

"No, stay," Henry insisted. "I just need some air." He turned away without waiting for a reply and went down the stairs to the beach. Everyone who had been down at the beach was now back in the house, because the air was a bit chilly. 

Henry staggered to the alcove area under the house, just like the one under the Thorntons' place, and sat down. He pulled his knees to his chest and put his head on them.

How could he have been so wrong about Chris? He'd seemed so nice, but then what had happened was just so messed up. At least Chris showed his true colours before Henry could've made the mistake of hooking up with him. Why had he even considered that? He was so relieved that Chris had left. He didn't know what he would have done if Chris had actually told Lucas. Henry hated himself for just having stood there, though. If Lucas hadn't told Chris to leave, he would've still been bothering Henry. 

"Hey," came Lucas' voice after a few minutes. Henry looked up, bleary-eyed, and saw the boy standing in front of him. Lucas' voice had started becoming a thing of comfort to Henry. 

Henry wiped his face with his palm quickly. "Hey." 

Lucas sat down next to Henry, a few inches away. "Look, don't beat yourself up over what happened. The guy's an arsehole. I should've told you. I'm sorry."

Henry scoffed, surprised. "You're sorry? I'm the one who should be apologising. I got myself into that mess."

"He was going to cause trouble one way or another," Lucas replied. "He might have a bit of a drinking problem. He got very drunk at last year's party and said a bunch of bullshit about everyone. Zeke and I tried to calm him down, but it didn't work and it ended in a fight."

"Fuck." Henry sighed. "Thanks for having my back. I don't know what I would've done."

"It's done now, don't worry about it. You'll never see him again," Lucas promised. They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the waves crashing at the beach, which were just barely audible over the music that was still coming from the house. 

"Are you not going to ask me what Chris was talking about?" Henry asked quietly. That was the first thing he'd been expecting Lucas to say, but it hadn't come up yet. 

Lucas shook his head, pushing back his hair with one hand. It was a bit windy. "If you wanted to tell me, you would."

Henry smiled gratefully, relieved. 

"You should go back to the beach house. Try to get some rest," Lucas told him. 

"I'll wait for Maddie," Henry replied. "God knows where she is, though. I've texted her thrice already. I should go look for her."

"You're a good boyfriend to her," Lucas told him with a smile. "Sorry I was harsh on you before."

Henry sighed. For fuck's sake. "Maddie and I aren't together."

The other boy chuckled. "Sure thing."

"I'm serious," Henry insisted, turning to look at the other boy. Why did nobody believe that Henry and Maddie weren't together?

"If you say so," Lucas replied with a smile.  

Henry groaned, exasperated. "How can I convince you?" 

Lucas turned to Henry, hair fluttering in the wind, crinkles forming around his blue eyes as he smiled again. "I don't know."

Henry stared at the other boy, heart hammering. Maybe he wanted to tell Lucas now. He leaned closer to the other boy. Lucas was watching him intently, his blue eyes fixed on Henry's green ones. Henry stared into Lucas' eyes then down at his lips, pulse racing, and pressed his own lips to Lucas'. His lips were warm, slightly wet, and tasted like cigarette smoke and mint. Lucas let out a surprised laugh. Henry pulled away quickly, scared. What was Lucas going to say now? "There. That's why she and I aren't together," he said after a second. His heart was racing so fast. Why wasn't Lucas saying anything?

Lucas looked Henry up and down, amused. He reached out, hooking his hands around Henry's neck and pulled him into a kiss again.

Chapter Text

Henry awoke the next morning, at about 8, with a slight headache. He sat up in his bed, massaging his temples. A few minutes later, he got out of bed and went to shower. He needed a shave as well. He felt lazy, though, so he was going about everything super slowly.

As he was getting dressed after his shower, he kept remembering bits and pieces from last night's party. What had happened with Chris made him shudder. He was so glad Lucas had been there. Lucas... Wait. No. No. Had Henry and Lucas really kissed? Kissed? Henry sat down on his bed halfway through pulling up his jeans. No way. No fucking way that happened. He actually laughed out loud, incredulously. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened after that. 

Henry and Lucas had been kissing fervently. There was really no other way to put it, because Lucas had been gripping at Henry's curls and Henry's hands had been trailing all over the other boy's body. But, Zeke had come looking for Lucas soon, calling out his name, and Henry and Lucas had sprung apart when they heard someone approaching. Lucas scrambled to his feet and ran off without a glance at Henry to meet Zeke by the stairs. Henry could hear them talking in the distance, his skin feeling cold in the absence of the other boy's touch. Henry was miffed that Lucas had just left, but then again, what had he expected? Of course Lucas had reacted that way. Maddie had then called Henry back a couple minutes later, saying that she'd left already because she'd had too much to drink and was at the beach house. So Henry left too, and came back to his room around midnight. The house had been dead quiet, everyone else seemed to be asleep. 

His phone rang. It was his mum. Henry sighed, pulling his jeans up, and picked up the phone. "Hey, mum."

"Hi, love. How are you?" Elizabeth asked softly. "You sound a bit tired."  

"Yeah, there was a party last night at Maddie's friend's place. But I'm fine. How are you? And dad?" he added after a second.

"Good," she said after a pause. "Hadn't spoken to you in a bit, so I figured I should call."

"Right. Have you been busy with work?" Henry questioned. 

"Yes, it's been a bit busy at the clinic lately," his mum told him. Dental clinic; she was a dentist. "Your father's barely spoken to me since you've left. He's all booked up with lunches and playing golf." Typical businessman, his dad. 

Henry scoffed. "I'd have thought he'd be spending more time at the house with me out of the picture."

Elizabeth sighed. "Baby, don't be like that, come on. You know it's been difficult for him after your news."

"I just don't understand why, though," Henry argued. "So what if I like lads? Why is he acting like I've done the worst thing ever?" 

"I don't know, dear. I know it's hard, but what can we do?" Elizabeth herself had approached Henry later that night, after he'd come out to her and David at dinner. She had said that she was sorry she had reacted poorly, but didn't say anything about Henry's news. Not exactly what he'd wanted to happen, but it was a start. At least she was still able to look him in the eye, unlike his father. 

"Whatever," Henry said with a sigh. 

"How are things at the beach house? How's Maddie? How's everyone else?" Elizabeth asked, probably eager to change the topic.

"Good, good. It's a nice place. Sunny and airy, and everything smells like the ocean, but in a good way," Henry replied. 

"And how's it going with the annoying lad? Maddie's brother. What's his name?" Elizabeth said. 

Henry practically blushed at the mention of Lucas. Jesus Christ. "Lucas. He's... different now. Not as annoying as before."

"Oh," Elizabeth replied, clearly surprised. "Have you talked to him a lot, then?"

"Here and there. He's apologised for being mean to me," he told her, fiddling with his rings. 

"Wow. Guess you've made a new friend now, that's great," she said. Henry knew she was smiling. He could hear it in her voice. 

"Yeah. Mum, I gotta go downstairs for breakfast. I don't want to keep them waiting," he said, trying to find a way end the conversation. He didn't want to think about Lucas anymore. 

"Okay, darling. Go on then." She sound a bit disappointed. Henry felt guilty, but what was he to do? And how long could they keep beating around the bush for? "We'll talk later, okay?" 

"Yeah," Henry answered. "Bye, mum."

"Bye, love." She hung up. 

Henry went downstairs to the kitchen and saw everybody but Lucas at the table. Cliff and Bruce wagged their tails at Henry. He scratched behind their ears. "Good morning," he wished everyone. 

Camilla and Fredrick were solving the crossword together as they ate some fruit. The twins were drinking chocolate milk and eating cereal out of the box. Maddie looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes, and was eating granola and yoghurt. 

"Morning, dear," Camilla told him, smiling. "Have a seat." He did, and made himself a bowl of granola and yoghurt like Maddie's.

"Hi, Henry" the twins said together. He smiled at them. It was quiet for a bit. Henry could tell Camilla and Fredrick wanted to ask about the party, but they couldn't say anything in front of the twins. Once the twins were done, Fredrick told them they could go watch cartoons on the tv, to which they readily agreed.

"You look hungover as hell, lad," Fredrick commented after the twins had left. 

Henry rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Do I?" he asked earnestly. 

"Well, no more than Maddie, I'll give you that," Fredrick replied with a laugh, glancing at Maddie with his eyebrows raised. 

Maddie just groaned in complaint. Henry guessed she was too tired to come up with a clever response. 

"Have some coffee, love." Camilla pushed a cup of coffee towards Henry. He thanked her. "So, how was the party last night?" she inquired. 

"It was okay," Henry replied as he sipped some coffee. Oh, coffee. It was, in his opinion, one of the best things about being alive. "A little bit crazy," he said, even though it was a lot crazier than a 'bit.' 

"Maddie has barely said a word this morning," Fredrick stated. "How much did you guys have to drink?" 

"Not that much," Henry answered honestly, at least for his part. "I had a bit of vodka, then some beer, that's it. Maddie and I didn't get to hang out much at the party, because she had to go see her other friends." Maddie nodded, groaning, as if even that action had made her more tired. Henry was seriously wondering how much she'd had to drink. He'd have to talk to her soon. 

"And Lucas? He was there, too, right?" Camilla asked. Her voice always sounded hopeful whenever she talked about Lucas to Henry, like he could tell her something about her son that she had no idea about. Well, after last night, he actually could, but he wasn't going to do that, obviously. 

"Yeah, yeah, he introduced me to his friends and we all chatted to each other. They're all very nice," Henry replied. "Um, is he- is he back home?" Had Lucas stayed out after what had happened between them? Had he gone home with Elena?

"He's asleep in his room. Didn't he come back with you two, though?" Fredrick questioned. 

Henry almost felt relief upon finding out Lucas was home. "Right, no, yeah. He did," Henry lied. He had no clue what Lucas had done after he'd left Henry alone on the beach. "He said Maddie and I should go ahead, though, and that he'd be right behind us. He probably had to make sure Zeke got home okay."

"You should go ask him to come to breakfast after you're done," Camilla told him. Henry nodded, even though he was nervous to see the other boy now. How would things be between them after last night? 

They finished eating soon, Camilla and Fredrick discussing what work they had left to do. Something about a merger.

Henry went to Lucas' room after he'd finished eating and knocked on the closed door. His heart was already hammering. There was no response, so Henry knocked again. 

"Lucas, you in there?" Henry asked after a second. 

"Henry, is that you?" came Lucas' muffled voice after a pause. It sounded like he was speaking into his pillow. 

"Yeah. Are you gonna come have breakfast?" Henry questioned. And are we going to discuss what happened last night? How am I supposed to behave normally around you now that I know what you taste like? Fuckin' hell, I need to stop, Henry thought. 

"Aw, shite. What time is it?" Lucas asked, voice still muffled. Henry could almost picture the other boy lying shirtless in his bed, limbs tangled drowsily in the sheets. I'm going to slap you if you don't stop, Henry told his brain. It might be hard to slap his brain, though. He hoped it would shut up so he wouldn't have to figure out a way. 

"It's half-past nine," Henry replied, trying his best to keep his voice even. 

"I've a hangover from hell, lad. I might sleep till tomorrow, or like, noon at least," Lucas answered, then yawned. He must've had more to drink after he'd left with Zeke, then. 

"Okay," Henry said. He had till noon to figure out how to stop his stupid brain from thinking too much about last night. He turned to leave.

"Not gonna wish me goodnight?" asked the other boy. "I thought we were friends."

Henry almost breathed a sigh of relief. So they were still friends. "I would, but it's morning now," he replied teasingly. 

"You've got a heart of stone, Sullivan," Lucas stated. "If you're not gonna say it, I'll say it. Goodnight, Lucas." 

"'Goodnight, Lucas,'" Henry repeated, smiling. 

"Good boy," came Lucas' sleepy voice. Henry knew the other boy had fallen asleep now.

He went back to the living room and saw Maddie half-sitting, half-sleeping on the settee. The twins were watching cartoons on the tv. Henry went over and sat next to Maddie. 

"Are you alright?" he asked to his friend. "You look like a zombie." 

"Cheers, lad, thanks," Maddie barked out. Definitely Lucas' sister. "I'm fine, I just need to sleep, like a lot more," she answered sincerely after a few seconds.

"What'd you do last night, though? Haven't talked to you since we saw Ashley," Henry told her. 

Maddie groaned as she sat up straighter. "I was talking to a bunch of different people last night, right? People I knew from around here. And then Ashley suggested that some of us go upstairs and play reverse 'Never Have I Ever.' Biggest mistake of me life, 'cos I haven't done shit."

Henry grimaced. "That explains why you look like you drank a pool-full of vodka." 

"You're so helpful today," Maddie told him with a false smile.

Henry chuckled. "If you want to sleep, why don't you? Go upstairs, lie down."

"Mum and dad have some work again. Who's gonna watch the twins?" she asked, yawning. 

"Certainly not you. You can't even keep your eyes open," Henry replied. 

"Just a ray of sunshine this morning, aren't we?" It was funny how being drunk or hungover made Maddie snarkier, but made Lucas nicer. 

"Go upstairs and sleep, really. I'll watch the twins," Henry told her. 

"Would ya?" 

"'Ray of sunshine,' right?" Henry asked, grinning. 

Maddie dragged herself off the settee. "Correct. Thank you. For answering my mum and dad's questions this morning, too." She leaned down and kissed the top of Henry's head. 

"Just don't die, please. It'd really put a damper on this trip," Henry told her as sincerely as he could, as she staggered upstairs. Maddie stuck out her middle finger at him and disappeared into her room. 

The twins were so engrossed in 'Doc McStuffins' that they didn't even look up for the entirety of Henry and Maddie's conversation. Henry went to the kitchen and made himself some more coffee, then sat with the twins. They didn't bother him at all, they were completely focused on the tv, so Henry figured he could just have a minute to think. 

Right. Back to what had been cropping up in Henry's mind when he'd been talking to Lucas. Henry had kissed Lucas, and Lucas had kissed him back. A lot. Okay. But then he'd left Henry alone without a word when Zeke had come looking for him. What had Henry expected, though, really? That they'd get together or something? No, that was ridiculous. Plus, he didn't even know exactly what was going on with Elena and Lucas. Henry wondered what Lucas would say to him when they saw each other. He needed to talk to the other boy soon, however awkward it was. 

Maddie and Lucas stayed asleep through lunch, leaving Henry to eat with Camilla, Fredrick and the twins. They ordered from a nearby Italian place, making sure to get extra food for Maddie and Lucas. Lunch wasn't awkward or anything, like Henry had expected, because he'd never been alone with Maddie's parents. They asked Henry about his parents and told him he'd have to bring them by on next year's trip. Henry agreed, though he was unsure of whether his parents' marriage would even make it through the year. 

After lunch, Henry went upstairs to his room, because Camilla and Fredrick said they would keep the twins company. He figured he should talk to Logan and Noah, because the last time they spoke was the day before Henry and Maddie had come to the beach house. Henry had come out to them as well, at the same time as he had to Maddie, which was at the beginning on their sophomore year. The three of them had been so supportive that it had made Henry tear up. He had known then that they'd been the right people to pick as a first choice for officially coming out to. 

He Face-Timed their group chat, and the lads picked up almost immediately. He showed them around his room, and also the view from his room, and caught them up on what had happened. Except the whole sharing a bed with Lucas, kissing Lucas thing. No one else needed to know till he himself was sure about what was going on. He did tell them about how Lucas and he were actually friends now, though, because he'd complained to them about Lucas multiple times. They were surprised, obviously, to hear anything good about Lucas come from Henry's mouth, but they trusted his judgement. He also told them about the whole apartment situation, and like Maddie, they promised they'd help him out with whatever he needed. Henry was glad he had such good friends in college, because school had not been a great experience. Best not to think about that right now. 

After the call was over, Henry decided to read for a bit. He'd brought his kindle with him, but he hadn't had the chance to read much yet.

At about five pm, when Henry was almost halfway through 'Giovanni's Room,' he heard voices downstairs. He walked down the stairs and saw the twins, Camilla and Lucas in the living room. Henry's heartrate sped up as soon as his gaze landed on the other boy. He was almost startled when he heard Camilla spoke.

"Hi, love," she said when she spotted Henry coming down the stairs. The twins were putting on their shoes, sitting on the sofa, Lucas standing next to them. 

"Hi," Henry replied. Lucas turned around when he heard Henry speak. He was wearing a black tank top and dark pants. His hair was messy, like he'd only just woken up. The boys held each other's gaze for a couple seconds, before Lucas cleared his throat and turned to the twins. Henry's stupid brain, that's what he was going to call it from now on, immediately thought about the kiss and mint and cigarette smoke again. The way that Lucas had looked at him last night as they'd kissed was glued to the back of Henry's eyelids. The older boy's eyes had been dark with desire, but there was something warmer, softer behind them, something that Henry had never seen in there before. He almost sighed thinking about it. 

"Henry, will you come with us?" Lily asked, looking up at Henry from the sofa. A look of alarm crossed Lucas' face, but he tried to play it off and assumed an expression of apathy, looking anywhere but at Henry. 

"Lucas is taking us to the fair," Evie added in explanation. 

Henry glanced at Lucas, who was clearly trying to avoid his eye. Right. "I think you two should just go with your brother. It's your thing, right?"

"Will you come with us next time, then?" Lily questioned. 

"Sure. Next time," Henry agreed, sighing internally. Lucas, though, seemed relieved when Henry had said he wouldn't go. 

"Boys, I need to talk to you both," Camilla told them suddenly.

"Um, what about?" Henry inquired, biting the inside of his cheek. He just wanted to go upstairs now. It was getting more and more awkward to be around Lucas. He himself couldn't stop thinking about last night, but the other boy didn't even want to look at him. Obviously Lucas was ashamed or embarrassed about what had happened last night. 

"Fredrick's parents are going to be joining us here tomorrow," Camilla informed them. "But there's a bit of a problem with the rooms now. So I thought that maybe you and Lucas could share a room for a couple days." Lucas paled immediately, his mouth slightly open in disbelief.

Henry wanted to laugh. Of course this had to come up the day after they'd kissed. How were they supposed to share a room when they couldn't even look each other in the eye for more than a couple seconds? 

"Is that okay with you, Henry? I'm sorry about this last minute change, but it's just that we don't have enough room," Camilla said, sounding embarrassed. 

"Yeah, it's not a problem," Henry replied, even though it was a huge fucking problem. But he was a guest here, he couldn't just be rude and unreasonable. And Camilla thought he and Lucas were good friends. 

"Right," Lucas affirmed, though his voice was stony. "You can bring your stuff downstairs tonight," he said in Henry's general direction, because he was looking at the floor and not at the boy. 

"Thanks for understanding, loves," Camilla told the boys with a smile and turned and went into the kitchen. 

Henry stood by the stairs as Lucas waited for his sisters to finish putting on their shoes. He had to try to talk to Lucas, didn't he? He inched closer to the boy, who had now gone over to the sliding doors.

"So much for 'I thought we were friends,' right?" he asked, repeating what the other boy had said to him that morning. 

Lucas glanced at Henry for a second, surprised at being spoken to directly. "We are." Then he was looking at the floor again. 

"Are we? You won't even look at me," Henry mumbled, his voice sounding tight. He wanted Lucas to look at him again, long enough for him to be able to see what had been there last night. He needed to know what it was, because just the thought of it gave him butterflies, and stirred something in his chest.

Lucas practically flinched at Henry's words, but couldn't respond, because the twins said they were done. 

"What're you talking about? You both look so serious," Evie said.

"Come on, darlings, let's go," Lucas told the twins, ignoring Evie's question. The twins grasped his hands.

"Bye, Henry," the girls called together. He managed to smile at them.

So now Henry would have to share a room with Lucas after they'd both kissed, and were still supposedly friends, but Lucas couldn't even look at Henry. Fucking amazing. 

Chapter Text

Henry went back upstairs to his room and tried to read, but he couldn't focus now. He could already feel how awkward it was going to be later tonight. How was he supposed to stop thinking about the kiss if he was supposed to sleep in Lucas' room for the rest of the trip? They still had two days of the trip left, not including today. And more importantly, what was he feeling? Was he into Lucas? Lucas? Is that why he was feeling so much more awkward and thinking about it so much? He groaned, pulling a pillow over his face. A couple minutes later, he got to packing. He'd have to do it sooner or later. 

At about seven-thirty, Henry went downstairs for dinner. He kind of loved the way that the Thorntons vacationed. Everyone was left to do whatever they liked. Henry and his parents hadn't been on any trips recently, but when they had, about two years back, his parents would force him to go different places with them and do this and that. But here, he could just do what he liked, because no one told him how he should spend his time. 

Camilla, Fredrick and Maddie were in the living room, watching a wild-life documentary on tv. Cliff and Bruce were sitting at Fredrick's feet. 

"Hi, Henry," Maddie said when she saw him. Henry smiled at her. She looked much better now, well-rested at least. 

The doorbell rang. 

"Dinner's here. Could you get that please, love?" Camilla said to Henry; he was standing right by the door. "The money's on the table there." She pointed at the small, circular table by the door, which had a few bills sticking out from under the vase on it. 

"You guys have paid for everything so far. Let me get it, please," Henry insisted despite Camilla and Fredrick's protests. He greeted the delivery person and took the bags of food from him, then handed him a couple bills and told him to keep the change. The man grinned at Henry and thanked him. Maddie came over to help Henry with the bags and the two of them walked to the kitchen together.

"So, mum tells me you and Lucas are going to be sharing rooms now," Maddie began as they unpacked the bags. Sushi for dinner. Yum. 

"God, don't get me started," Henry sighed, picking up the tiny containers of wasabi. He'd rather eat all of those than think about Lucas right now. 

"Trouble in paradise? Already?" Maddie questioned teasingly. "Ugh, I don't even want to look at alcohol again," she groaned, pushing away the bottles of sake. 

"Those bottles are gonna haunt you if you ask me about Lucas again," Henry told her, picking up two boxes of sushi, chopsticks, and a couple plates and walked out to the living room. Maddie followed him outside with the rest of the boxes, holding the bottles of sake at arm's length. They placed everything on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa. All of them made themselves a plate. Henry also got some sake for himself. He'd need that to be able to deal with having to sleep in Lucas' room. 

They heard the deck window slide open after a couple minutes, and turned to see Lucas and the twins right outside. Lily was sitting on Lucas' shoulders, holding a giant tub of candy floss and a couple of chocolates. There was a pink and black butterfly painted on the left side of her face. Evie was clutching Lucas' left hand, holding a stuffed teddy bear. She had a similar butterfly painted on the right side of her face. 

"Mind your head, babe," Lucas warned Lily, grabbing her hand tight as he ducked to avoid Lily hitting her head on the window frame, and entered the living room. Henry smiled out of surprise when he noticed that Lucas was wearing a headband with pink cat ears, and had whiskers painted on his face. He carefully set Lily down, who kissed his painted cheek and ran to her parents. 

"Hiya, darlings," Camilla grinned at the three of them. Lucas gave his mum a small smile, eyes looking tired now as if coming back to the house, not the fair, had made him exhausted. 

"Mummy, daddy," Evie squealed, also going to her parents. "Look at what Lucas won for me." She showed them the teddy bear, patting its head affectionately. 

"We played so many games," Lily added excitedly. "We also went on the Ferris Wheel. Twice! And Lucas bought us these chocolates and candy floss, too, look!" 

"And we got these painted," Evie said, pointing at the butterfly on hers and Lily's faces. "We made Lucas get cat whiskers."

"We had so much fun." Lily sighed with satisfaction. 

"That's wonderful," Fredrick beamed, kissing the twins' cheeks, and smiled over at Lucas, who smiled again, only a little bit. It was kind of like that smile you'd give if you met someone you knew in public but didn't want to engage in conversation with them.

"Don't eat all the candy floss and chocolates now, okay? Have some proper dinner first," Camilla told the girls. "Why don't you go wash your hands? I'll serve you both some food." 

"Lucas, come with us," Evie insisted. Lucas rolled his eyes dramatically but let his little sisters pull him to the kitchen. Henry could hear Lucas telling them to use enough soap and to dry their hands properly. They came back out after a minute, and the twins sat next to Camilla on the settee. She handed them both plates of sushi and chopsticks. 

"Should I make you a plate, too, honey?" Camilla asked Lucas. Once again, she sounded hopeful. Maybe she and Lucas hadn't had the chance to talk yet. Henry almost felt bad for Camilla. It seemed like she was trying to make things go back to normal. But Henry wasn't going to judge Lucas for still being bitter, if he was, because he understood his position better than anyone else. 

"I've got it, mum, thanks," Lucas replied politely, kneeling down by the table and making himself a plate. Henry couldn't stop staring at the other boy. Lucas looked adorable with the whiskers and the cat ears. He stood up, glancing about the living room for a place to sit. With Fredrick seated in the armchair, the only remaining place was on the sofa. He could have sat on Maddie's side, but Lucas chose to sit next to Henry, which was a good sign. Right? 

Clifford and Bruce came over to Lucas and wagged their tails, Cliff putting a paw on Lucas' knee. "Hi there," Lucas said to the dogs, balancing his plate on his thighs as he petted them. After a couple seconds, the dogs settled at the boy's feet, content. "Are you gonna keep staring at me or are you gonna eat your dinner?" Lucas said to Henry in a low voice as he picked up a piece of sushi and stuffed it in his mouth. Henry caught a flash of blue as the other boy observed his face for a second and turned away. It wasn't enough time for him to look for that look in Lucas' eyes.

Henry blinked, almost surprised that Lucas had chosen to address him directly. "You make a cute cat," was all he said, before turning his attention to his plate. Lucas chuckled but said nothing further. 

The rest of dinner passed with no conversation between the boys. Henry couldn't help but glance at Lucas from time to time as the other boy took a sip of sake or said something to his sisters. He was surprised Lucas didn't take off the cat ears, not that Henry was complaining. Lucas almost caught Henry looking at him a few times, but Henry always turned away before the other boy could see. 

After dinner, Camilla went upstairs to tuck the twins in for the night. Fredrick took the dogs for a walk down at the beach. Lucas said he had some work, so he went to his room. Maddie and Henry were tasked with putting away the leftover food. Actually, it had been just Maddie who had been given that work, but Henry was glad to help, because he wanted to delay going to Lucas' room to sleep as much as he could. 

"You've been super quiet," Maddie noted. "Are you okay?" She loaded up the dishes in the dishwasher. 

Henry sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I'd much prefer sharing rooms with you than Lucas."

"I know, but Lucas can't share with the twins, and of course, my parents would never let you and me sleep in one room here. Did something happen last night, though? I thought you and he were friends, right?" Maddie asked, no longer teasing. 

Henry put away the last of the sushi in the fridge and leaned against the closed door. "Chris tried to force me to leave with him to go to some other party, and I didn't want to. Lucas had to step in and ask Chris to leave me alone. I mean, I'm grateful and all that Lucas helped, but I feel kinda weird around him now."

"Oh, Henry, I'm so sorry. I had no idea Chris would do something like that," she admitted.

Henry shook his head. "It's nobody's fault but his. He was being a complete arse."

"Fuck, I left you alone with him. I should've been there. I'm so sorry," Maddie told him, shaking her head. 

"It's okay," Henry assured her. "Lucas handled it. But I shouldn't have needed anyone else to handle it."

"I'm sorry, Henry," she repeated, now sounding like she was about to cry.

Henry reached out and pulled Maddie into a hug. "It's okay," he said again. 

Maddie sniffled, wrapping her arms tight around Henry. "God I'm such a horrible friend. I should've been there with you."

Henry pulled back to look at her, shocked. "You are not a horrible friend," he said firmly, meeting her blue eyes. "I don't think there's anything you could've done. And it's in the past now. It's over. I never have to see him again."

"You swear you're okay?" Maddie asked, looking up at Henry. 

"Promise," he replied with a smile. She smiled back at him, then pulled Henry closer, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Henry put his chin on top of her head, holding his friend close. 

Someone cleared their throat in the kitchen doorway a second later. Henry turned his head and saw Camilla standing there, a warm smile on her face. Maddie pulled away from Henry and turned to wipe her eyes. 

"Sorry, dears. Just wanted to ask if Henry's got all his stuff packed," Camilla said. She seemed slightly embarrassed about having interrupted them, but she couldn't stop smiling. Henry wondered what all that was about. 

"Yeah, I've got it," Henry replied. He hadn't wanted to think about the whole room switching situation, but it was unavoidable now. 

"Sorry about this whole thing again, love," Camilla told him. 

"Don't be, seriously. It's alright," Henry answered. He could tell she felt badly about the whole thing, but it was nobody's fault. 

"You're such a lovely lad," Camilla said with a smile. "Your parents must be so proud of you."

Henry had to stop himself from scoffing out loud at that. "Yeah, I'm sure they're beaming with joy," he muttered. 

Neither Camilla nor Maddie seemed to notice what he'd said. "It's getting late. You should go to bed, Mads. Best not to disturb the twins," Camilla suggested. 

Henry turned back to Maddie. "Don't worry about all that, okay? I'm alright," he told his friend in a low voice. 

Maddie nodded, smiling, and grasped his hand tight. "Goodnight, Henry."

"'Night, Maddie," he replied, smiling, too. She turned and left the kitchen.

"Everything okay?" Camilla inquired, eyes wide with curiosity. 

"Yes," Henry replied immediately. He didn't know how he could explain what had happened, so he didn't. It felt a bit curt, but he couldn't help it.

"Why don't you go get your bags and go to Lucas' room, dear? There's nothing else to do now," Camilla told him. 

"Right," Henry said with a sigh. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, darling," she told him with a smile. He managed to smile back at Camilla and went up to his room to get his stuff. He changed into some grey sweats and a black t-shirt, then walked downstairs, heart pounding faster and faster with every step he took towards Lucas' room. He stood outside the other boy's door and swallowed hard. He forced himself to raise his fist and knock on the door. 

"Come in," came Lucas' voice. He must've known it would be Henry. 

Henry bit his lip hard and twisted the doorknob to open the door. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light being the fairy lights on the wall behind the bed. The dark curtains were drawn. Lucas was sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard, and typing away on his laptop. He had finally taken off the cat ears and washed the paint off his face. 

Henry glanced around, finally able to see all of Lucas' room and took it in. The walls were painted white like the rest of the rooms here. The king-sized bed had dark blue sheets and a duvet, similarly coloured. There were bedside tables with lamps on either sides of the bed. The desk and bookshelf were pushed up against the wall opposite the bed, the one with the tv. Henry noticed a leather-bound notebook and a few crumpled up papers on the desk. He also spotted an acoustic guitar propped up against the wall, next to the desk. 

Henry put his bags down by the door. "You play?" he asked, walking over to the guitar and running a finger over the fretboard. He remembered having thought that Lucas played guitar because of the other boy's calloused fingers. 

"Yeah. Do you?" Lucas questioned. Henry turned to face him and nodded. Lucas hadn't moved from the bed. He was wearing pyjamas and the black tank top from before. His mouth quirked up in a smile slowly as he watched Henry. "Are you just going to stand there all night?"

"Uh- There's no sleeping bag," Henry muttered, raking a hand through his curls. His heart was still hammering.

"D'you think I need all this space to sleep?" Lucas inquired, indicating the empty space next to him on the bed. 

"But- I thought-" He felt flustered. They were going to share a bed? They'd already done it once, sure, but this felt way different for some reason.

"What?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow. The light from his screen was reflected on his face, making his skin appear whiter. 

Henry exhaled softly. "Nothing." If Lucas didn't see a problem then what could Henry even say?

"I've made some place for your stuff in the closet, so you can unpack if you like," Lucas told him. "Or you can keep standing there. Just an FYI, I can't sleep when someone's staring at me, obviously, so maybe you could turn around or something."

Henry glanced at Lucas, biting the inside of his cheek, then dragged his bags to the closet. He wasn't going to unpack right now, so he just left his bags there. He could deal with that in the morning. Right now, he had to try to talk to Lucas about last night. He brought out his headphones from his bag, put them around his neck and pocketed his kindle. 

Henry walked back to the bed, fiddling with his rings. It was only 11pm now. He knew he wasn't going to sleep so soon. He swallowed hard and sat down on the bed, his back to Lucas. 

"Are you alright?" asked Lucas, somewhere behind Henry. 

"Yeah," he replied quickly. He turned and sat against the headboard, stretching his legs out in front of him. It was quiet for a couple minutes. Henry could hear the surf crashing in the distance. It was strange being in Lucas' room, even more strange sitting in silence in the dim light cast by the fairy lights. He took a deep breath. "Um, are we going to talk about last night?" His voice was quiet, but of course, there was no need to be loud, because Lucas was barely a foot away. 

Lucas scoffed, smiling, and shook his head. "I knew you'd bring this up."

"Obviously," Henry replied, surprised. Were they just supposed to forget it happened?

"It was just a kiss," Lucas replied with a shrug. "No need to discuss it further."

"It was more than that," Henry argued, voice still low. "We practically made out." He couldn't bring himself to turn his head and look at the other boy, so he stared at the edge of the bed while he spoke.

Lucas chuckled softly. "Okay, fine. We did. So?"

So? "I... dunno," Henry admitted. 

"See? Nothing to talk about, then," Lucas said simply. If that was the case, then why couldn't Henry stop thinking about it? Why could he recall what Lucas had tasted like every time he thought about it? 

"Does this mean you're gonna be able to look me in the eye now?" Henry murmured, while not looking at Lucas himself.

"Unless you want to keep discussing this topic while looking like someone kicked your dog," Lucas retorted. 

Did Henry look that upset? "And now what?" he asked, twisting his cross necklace in his hand. 

"I don't know about you, but I'd love to get back to work," Lucas responded, giving his laptop a little shake. 

Henry blinked. That was it? "Okay," he found himself saying even though it was not fucking okay. Was this all they were going to talk about? Did a small part of Henry expect that they'd kiss again? No. Plain and simple. Nope. Right?

"Great," Lucas replied, and then he was typing again. Henry glanced sideways at the other boy, biting the inside of his cheek. Anything that had to do with Lucas now was so confusing. Their friendship had just come out of nowhere, like water bursting forth from a dam. But now Henry was perplexed as to what they were, because where was that water going? Were they now just friends who had made out once? He should be able to live with that, right? 

Henry sighed and lay down, facing away from Lucas. He lay still for a couple minutes, but images kept cropping up in his mind. He saw Elena and Lucas making out in the older boy's room, even though he hadn't actually seen them inside the room. Had Elena lain right where Henry was right now, when she'd been here the other night? The thoughts made him nauseous, and he had to sit up. He stood up suddenly, feeling Lucas' eyes on him, and walked out to the balcony. 

The salty, night air was cool on his face. The water was dark and mysterious, surf crashing against sand with fervour. He leaned over the railing, trying to swallow the bile that had risen in his throat. After about a minute or so, Henry felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Lucas behind him, looking at him with concern. Their eyes met this time, and neither of them looked away. 

"You alright? You look like you're gonna be sick," Lucas commented. 

"I'm fine," Henry replied, as normally as he could, and shrugged away from Lucas' hand. His shoulder immediately felt cold in the absence of the other boy's touch. 

"Well, I guess if you're gonna throw up, over the railing would be the perfect place to do it," Lucas said casually. 

Henry scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Go back inside. You're busy with work, right?" 

Lucas smiled a tiny bit, like he was amused. "This is what you're gonna be like from now on?"

"Truthful?" Henry retorted. 

Lucas stepped closer to Henry, eyes softening. "Alright, then let me be truthful, too. I just- I can't deal with... what happened last night right now. I have too much on my plate."

Henry stared into Lucas' blue eyes, not knowing what to say. The minute the boy had come closer to him, Henry had thought back to last night. It was strange how Maddie and Lucas' eyes were the same blue, yet so different. Henry could almost see green flecks in Lucas' eyes, but it was hard to really tell in the dim light on the balcony. He could see the warmth in Lucas' gaze again, but there was a kind of sadness to his eyes now. That look he'd had in his eyes while kissing Henry was gone.

"It's best if we forget what happened, okay? I can't give you what you're hoping for, if that is what you're hoping for," Lucas continued in a low voice. His eyebrows were furrowed, like he were trying to convince Henry of what he was saying, but also himself. 

"I'm not hoping for anything," Henry replied. Just lied, actually. "Just a clear answer as to what it means for us now." His heart was beating rapidly.

Lucas shrugged, a sad smile forming on his lips. "I'd still like to be friends, if that's okay with you. You're a nice lad, and you're Maddie's best friend, so I'd be okay just being friends."

Henry swallowed hard. He could live with that. At least this way, he'd know for sure nothing would happen between them again, and he could try to move on. "Yeah, okay." 

Lucas gave his shoulder a squeeze, then turned to walk back into the room. 

"Hey," Henry called. Lucas turned back around to face him. "Are you...?" he trailed off, hoping Lucas would understand. Was he bi? Gay? Queer? Anything other than straight? Henry had to know.

Lucas chuckled, like he'd understood what Henry had been meaning to ask. "Goodnight, Henry." He went back into the room, leaving Henry alone on the balcony. 

Chapter Text

After Lucas left, Henry put on his headphones and leaned against the closed windows. He stayed outside for a while listening to Pink Floyd, and watched the moon climb higher and higher into the sky as it cast its silvery glow over the dark water. 

When he went back inside, Lucas was still typing away on his laptop. He didn't look up as Henry padded into the room, just kept doing his work. Henry almost thought he saw Lucas' jaw clench a bit, but he didn't want to look at the boy too long, so he looked down at this feet instead as he made his way over to his side of the bed. He lay down, turning on his side and facing away from Lucas. The silence between them was strange- it was heavy, but not. It seemed like they'd said a lot of things to each other in the short span of time Henry had entered the room and lay down, but then those things made no sense to Henry. He almost turned to look at Lucas, but stopped himself with some effort, swallowing hard. He pulled on his headphones again, closing his eyes and trying to lose himself in the music.

He hadn't expected to fall asleep anytime soon, but being surrounded by the dim glow of the fairy lights and Lucas' woody, cigarette smoke scent had made him drowsy, and he fell asleep in a couple minutes. 

Henry woke up the next morning, music still playing in his ears, hoping he'd be back in his own room at the beach house and that the night before had been a dream, but he was in Lucas' bed in Lucas' room. Lucas. Right. Henry turned his head sideways to look at the other boy, eyes only half-open in case the other boy caught him staring, but the space next to him was empty, and cold. He reached for his phone, wondering how long he'd been asleep for. It was eleven a.m. Dammit. Henry threw the covers back hurriedly and got out of bed. Camilla would still have left food out for him. 

He took a quick shower and got dressed. Lucas' bathroom was similar to the one upstairs, except it smelled like lavender instead of lemongrass. Henry went out to the living room and was slightly caught off guard when he saw the entire Thornton family seated in the living room, chatting and laughing. There were two other people sitting on the sofa, a man with grey-white hair who had a striking resemblance to Fredrick and a woman with light brown hair and grey eyes. Maddie's grandparents. Of course. 

"Oh, there's Henry," Maddie said when she spotted him. "Come here." She was sitting on the sofa, next to her grandparents. Henry went over and stood next to her, feeling slightly awkward. He could feel Lucas watching him from where he was sitting, next to the twins and his mum on the settee. 

"Hello, Henry, dear," Maddie's grandmother said, smiling up at him. "I'm Catherine. This is Jack." She pointed at her husband, who also smiled at Henry. 

"We've heard so much about you from Maddie," Jack told Henry. 

"Hi, nice to meet you," Henry said, smiling as well.  

"Why don't you go eat breakfast, Henry?" Camilla suggested. "I'm sure you must be hungry. We can all catch up later on. Lucas, keep him company, will you? He shouldn't have to eat alone." 

"Oh, it's okay, I don't mind," Henry replied quickly. Thoughts about having kissed Lucas and the way the other boy had tasted that night had already popped into Henry's head. It was pathetic how quickly Henry's stupid brain was able to conjure up those thoughts.

"Come on, Sullivan, you don't hate my company so much now, do you?" Lucas asked, standing up and walking over to Henry. "I'll even make you some coffee," he added in a singsong voice, wiggling his eyebrows at Henry. 

Henry couldn't resist that. The prospect of coffee, not the wiggling eyebrows. "Alright." The two boys went to the kitchen. Henry sat down at the table where Camilla had left a covered plate of waffles and maple syrup for him. Lucas made Henry a glass of iced coffee with vanilla and then sat down next to him. 

"Glad you finally woke up," Lucas said as Henry stuffed a piece of waffle into his mouth. He was really going to miss eating a good breakfast like this every morning. Back home, he'd just eat cereal or a fruit, and now that he was to live alone, he had no clue what he'd be eating.

"You coulda woken me up earlier if you wanted to be graced by my presence, y'know," Henry responded, sipping coffee. The coffee was so good that Henry didn't even feel as awkward anymore. The cigarette smoke and mint taste was replaced by sweet, sweet vanilla-y coffee. 

Lucas chuckled. "You looked really cute when you were asleep, so I figured I should let you be. Curls in disarray, drool coming out of your mouth, necklace stuck to your cheek. It was a splendid sight."

Henry glared at Lucas over his coffee glass. "I do not drool in my sleep." He was so taken aback by this accusation that he didn't even process the fact that Lucas had called him cute again. 

"You absolutely do," Lucas insisted. "Believe me or don't, but I know what I saw."

Henry took another big sip of the coffee and exhaled deeply. "It's kinda creepy that you were staring at me that long when I was asleep."

"Well, you were planning on watching me sleep last night when you came to me room, so," Lucas replied with a shrug.

Henry rolled his eyes. There was no way to win. "So, why're you glad I finally woke up?"

Lucas sighed, pouting a bit. He looked so cute it almost made Henry smile. "I guess I wanted to talk to you. My grandparents asked if I was seeing someone, and I said I wasn't, but my parents kept trying to pry and push me to tell them what was going on, because they were so sure that I'm busy just because I'm dating somebody."

"Is it just your job that keeps you so busy though?" Henry questioned uncertainly. "Because I've heard Camilla say a million times that you're never at your apartment when they stop by."

Lucas bit his lip. "Sometimes, yeah, because me boss makes me do all sorts of bullshit, like I mentioned before. But sometimes, I just like to go hang out with friends, or play football, or just spend time by myself. If they told me in advance they were going to pop by me place, I'd try my best to be there, but they stop by whenever they like and I can't help it if I've got other plans."

"Is it... easy living alone?" Henry asked, raising his eyes to meet the other boy's. Maybe Lucas' experience could help Henry out. "I'm moving out of my parents' house when this trip gets over."

"Whoa." Lucas narrowed his eyes in confusion. "How come?"

Henry sighed, cracking his knuckles. Lucas already knew Henry was gay, so he could tell him the truth. "I... came out to my parents and they aren't particularly pleased with the fact that I'm gay, my dad especially, I guess. So my mum thinks that it's best if everyone has their own space for a while."

Lucas' eyes softened, and he reached over to Henry and squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry it didn't go the way you'd wanted."

"Honestly, I don't even know how I had wanted it to go," Henry responded with another sigh. "The nightmares I had... they had to do with this stuff. I wish I could take it back, and let them just think about me the way they used to. My dad can't even look me in the eye now."

Lucas' grip tightened on Henry's shoulder. "Don't let them ruin anything for you. If you're sure about who you are and what you want, that's all that matters. Your version and your idea of you matter the most."

Henry smiled out of surprise. "Who knew you were so wise?"

"Well, I did, and like I said, that's what matters the most," Lucas replied with a smile. 

Henry chuckled. "Thanks," he told the older boy earnestly. Lucas nodded, and patted Henry's shoulder once before moving his hand away. 

"Living alone seems hard at first, but you get used to it. And if Maddie was being honest, you don't have to worry, because you're good at everything and you'll be good at this, too," the older boy said after a second, the trace of a smile still on his lips. 

"She said I'm good at everything?" Henry asked with raised eyebrows. 

"Yes, but I wouldn't say that, because you literally can't even walk straight," Lucas told him.

"Well, I am gay, so," Henry replied with a grin. Lucas proper laughed. It actually sounded like a 'hahaha.' Henry laughed, too. Crinkles formed around Lucas' eyes when he laughed or smiled. Henry's chest felt warm knowing he'd made the other boy laugh.

"Okay, now shut up and eat your waffles. They'll get cold," Lucas told him after a couple seconds. Henry nodded and put another piece of waffle in his mouth. They chatted as Henry ate, Lucas making jokes whenever he could. It was obvious he was trying to lighten the mood, and Henry really appreciated that. 

After Henry was done, the two boys went out to the living room. The movie 'Moana' was playing on the tv and the twins were sitting on the floor right in front of the tv, staring up at the screen. Everyone else was sitting on the sofa or the settee and watching the movie.

"There you are," Camilla commented. "It took you almost a half hour to eat, Henry. All okay, love?" 

"That's my fault, mum, I was being amazingly funny," Lucas replied, smirking at Henry. 

"Okay, 'amazingly funny' is taking it a bit too far," Henry stated with a raised eyebrow. 

Lucas shrugged. "Some people can't appreciate the value of what's right in front of them."

"Told you they argue like a old married couple," Maddie piped up, shooting her grandmother a meaningful look. 

Catherine shook her head, smiling. "Jack and I don't even argue like this." Everyone except the twins and Lucas and Henry laughed at this. 

Lucas and Henry both blinked in surprise. "That was uncalled for," they both said at the same time, then turned to each other with a smile.

"They're even mirroring each other's behaviour now, wow," Camilla said with a smile. 

"We're trying to watch the movie. Stop making so much noise, please," Lily groaned. 

"Sorry, love," Catherine told her, still smiling. 

Henry shot Lucas a look, unsure of what to make of what Camilla had said. Lucas looked equally confused and only shrugged. Henry sat down next to Camilla on the settee because there was nothing else to do but watch the movie. Lucas came over and sat next to Henry after a couple seconds, at which Maddie raised her eyebrows and shot Henry a look, which he didn't quite get. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she responded by sticking out her tongue at him. Lucas watched this exchange with a small smile, then looked away and at the tv instead. Henry, who'd been watching the other boy out of the corner of his eye, also turned to look at the tv. 

After the movie was over, Camilla left to prepare lunch, Fredrick accompanying her to help out. Maddie and the twins were watching 'Doc McStuffins' on the tv, and Lucas was on the phone out on the deck, Cliff and Bruce with him, too, which left Henry and the Thornton grandparents in the living room. Catherine and Jack asked Henry about his plans after the trip, and what he wanted to do later on after graduating. Henry answered them politely, then changed the topic and asked them how far they lived from the Thorntons and how often they saw their grandkids. Catherine told him that they didn't actually live that far away from their family in the city, but she and Jack both liked travelling a lot, and that since their retirement they'd been travelling all over the world, which didn't leave them much time to visit family. They tried to meet them whenever they could, like for the holidays, and more often than not, it would end up being a last-minute plan. They had been in Greece this past week, and had only just changed their plan to come back home and see their son and grandkids before the summer holidays got over. 

"Sorry about this last minute change, though, Henry," Jack told him. "I know you had to change rooms to make place for us."

"It's no problem at all, really," Henry replied. "That room would have been yours if I hadn't been here, anyway."

"Camilla was right about what a nice lad you are," Catherine told him, pulling his cheek. "She's so happy about you getting along with all the kids."

Henry smiled as best as he could, because Catherine was still pinching his cheek. "They're all really nice. I'm glad Maddie called me along on this trip." Henry wasn't lying. If he hadn't come along on this trip, he'd never have gotten the chance to really get to know Lucas. 

"You're such a sweet lad," Catherine said, ruffling his hair. Henry was surprised at how often he got told this. "I'm so jealous of your hair, by the way. It's so curly and soft."

"Thanks, I grow it myself," Henry replied with a smile. Catherine and Jack both laughed, and Henry said a silent thanks to Chandler from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

"Lunch is ready," came Fredrick's voice from the kitchen. 

The girls got off the floor and headed to the kitchen, Catherine and Jack following them in. Henry glanced at the deck, where Lucas was still talking on the phone, a smile on his face. He didn't seem to have heard Fredrick. Henry wondered whom the other boy was speaking to. He went over to the sliding doors and knocked. Lucas turned around and gave Henry a small smile when he saw it was him. Henry pointed towards the kitchen and mouthed the word 'lunch' to the other boy. Lucas nodded and held up a finger. Henry nodded back and went into the kitchen, understanding that the older boy meant he'd be there in a minute. 

Two extra chairs had been added to the dining table, and of course, the only two chairs left were next to each other. As he sat down, Henry wondered if the rest of the family tried to leave two chairs next to each other for him and Lucas on purpose. Camilla and Fredrick had prepared roast chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables and gravy. Everyone commented on how delicious the food looked and smelled. Lucas walked in a couple seconds later, looking almost surprised that the only place left to sit was next to Henry, then sat down. 

It was slightly cramped at the table now, owing to the two extra chairs. Jack was seated on Henry's other side, so Henry tried to scooch away from him, because it was weird to so close to Maddie's grandfather. But Lucas was on his other side, and now Henry was extremely aware of how close he and Lucas were sitting, knees, thighs and elbows touching. He glanced at Lucas from the corner of his eye, but the other boy was busy doling out vegetables to the twins despite their protests. 

Lunch was a lively affair, with the twins recounting the events of the entire week for their grandparents and Maddie and Lucas chiming in here and there. Henry didn't eat much, since he'd had his breakfast barely two hours ago. He also didn't say anything unless he was spoken to, because he was trying hard to stop thinking about the fact that he was so close to Lucas. His brain needed to be bleached at this point, honestly. Lucas didn't seem to mind how close they were sitting, but Henry couldn't get over how warm the other boy's skin was every time his arm or elbow touched Lucas'.

When lunch was finally over, Henry practically scrambled away from Lucas and escaped to the living room after putting his plate in the sink quickly. He went out to the deck so that he wouldn't have to sit next to Lucas on the sofa again or something. He needed to get a hold of himself. What the hell was he doing? What the hell was he thinking? Lucas had said he only wanted to be friends, and Henry had agreed, right? Then why was he feeling so weird and awkward every time he had to interact with or sit next to Lucas? He groaned and covered his face with his hands. 

"Henry?" came Lucas' voice from somewhere behind him, a couple seconds later. Henry straightened up immediately and turned to face the other boy. "Are you alright? You quite literally ran out of the kitchen after lunch."

"I'm fine" Henry declared, biting the inside of his cheek. 

Lucas walked up to Henry, looking up at the younger boy with impossibly soft eyes. "Are you sure?"

Henry could hear himself breathing hard. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I just had to get away for a bit. I just- I can't remember the last time I had a lunch like this with my family. It almost always ended in an argument." It wasn't a lie, technically, but he hadn't been thinking about his family just then. 

"Oh. I'm sorry," Lucas told Henry earnestly. "But as you know, not everything in my family is perfect, so don't give us too much credit."

Henry chuckled dryly. "Right."

"Look, if you want to be alone for a bit, you can go to my room. It's completely fine," Lucas said, still looking up at Henry. 

"It'd be rude to just leave like that, plus I woke up late, so I don't really have an excuse," Henry replied, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Lucas turned away from Henry abruptly and went into the kitchen. "Mum," Lucas called. Maddie, her grandparents, the twins and Fredrick were back in the living room, trying to choose a board game to play. Camilla was still in the kitchen, cleaning up. Henry rushed after Lucas into the kitchen. "Henry's not really feeling well. It's fine if he goes to my room to lie down for a bit, right?"

Henry's eyes widened in surprise but he didn't say anything. 

Camilla immediately left the soapy dish she was holding in the sink, dried her hands and went over to Henry. "What's wrong, love?" she questioned, putting the back of her hand against Henry's forehead and then his throat. "Are you sick?"

"Just a bit of a headache," Henry replied through gritted teeth. He didn't want to lie to Camilla, but he had to because otherwise she would know Lucas had lied. 

Camilla ran a hand through his hair gently. "Of course you can go lie down. Don't worry at all. Feel better, okay, darling?" 

"Thank you," Henry told her with a small smile. 

"I'll come to check on you in a bit," Lucas told Henry.

"There's no need for that, really. I'm fine," Henry said. This had gone far enough already.

"Christ, you're such a twit," Lucas hissed in Henry's ear. Henry blinked, taken aback. "Checking on you will be my excuse."

"Oh. Right. Okay," Henry mumbled. 

Lucas shook his head, sighing. "Go on then, I'll see you in a bit."

Camilla didn't seem to have caught this exchange between the two boys. She ruffled Henry's hair lovingly again and smiled, then went back to the sink and continued washing the dishes.

Henry turned around and walked out of the kitchen, shooting Lucas one last look. They were both just going to hang out in Lucas' room? And do what? Henry groaned internally. This was getting out of hand.

Chapter Text

Henry went inside Lucas' room and shut the door behind him. He had no idea what to do now. Lucas had said he'd be here in a bit. How long was 'a bit?' Henry had 'a bit' of time to collect himself and not act like a dumbass. He was embarrassed of the thoughts he was having while being around the other boy, all while Lucas was thinking they were just friends. Why was Henry getting so bent out of shape over the fact that Lucas and he had kissed? At first, he'd hated Lucas. Then he'd become friends with Lucas. Then he and Lucas had kissed. No, they'd made out. And then Lucas wanted them to still be friends because he couldn't 'deal with' the fact that they'd kissed? Was that what he'd said? Henry's brain was going to implode, surely. This was too fucking confusing. 

And now Lucas was going to come back to his room in a while. What was Henry supposed to do? How was he supposed to behave around the other lad now? It was almost perverse, the kind of thoughts that were in his mind, while Lucas was unsuspecting and considered them to be just friends. Fuck. Should Henry pretend to be asleep so that he wouldn't have to talk to Lucas when he came into the room? Yeah, that might work. Henry kicked off his shoes hurriedly and got into bed. He pulled the covers over him and suddenly, his senses were bombarded with a woody, cigarette smoke scent. Baaad idea. He threw the covers off and got off the bed. What if he pretended he was on the phone? How long would he be able to keep that up for? What if-

No, Henry stopped himself. This is stupid. I should be able to accept the fact that we're just friends now. I would've recoiled at the idea of being friends with Lucas Thornton in the past, but I've learned a lot about him since then, including how he kisses, which I should forget, and now I just need to focus on the fact that we're getting along. Whoo. Okay. Big speech. Henry inhaled deeply. He sat back down on the bed, leaning against the headboard, and picked up his kindle from the nightstand. Reading would help take his mind off of things. 

After about a half hour, Henry got a text from an unknown number. The text read:

'Decided not to "check in" on you after all, since you wanted some alone time. Got roped into playing scrabble, though. Wish you were here so that someone else could also object to the twins making up their own rules.- L' 

Henry blinked a couple times at his screen. Had Lucas asked Maddie for his number? 

'In case you forgot,' typed Henry in response after a second, 'I'm a guest at this house, so I can't question the rules around here, scrabble or otherwise.'

'Tell me you're doing something more fun than getting absolutely butchered at a board game.'

'Not particularly. I'm in some guy's room, and it's so messy it's driving me crazy,' Henry replied. He was being driven crazy, yeah. Lucas' room wasn't even that messy, but the fact that it was Lucas' room was crazy.

'Maybe the guy made his room messier so that you'd think he was more interesting,' came Lucas' response in a few seconds. 

Henry chuckled. 'Well, it's working, then. The guy's like an onion. He has many layers.'

'What the fuck? I'm getting compared to an onion now? Have I ever made you cry?' 

'You can't have made me cry. I haven't cut you open yet, right?'

'Are you... thinking of murdering me? I mean, I know we've had our differences but I hardly think that warrants murder.'

'This can be another thing we have a difference of opinion on, then' Henry replied, laughing to himself. He could picture Lucas' exasperated face right now. 

'Jesus Christ, what was I thinking texting you? I was better off getting my arse handed to me at Scrabble by a bunch of eight year-olds.'

'Yeah, you probably are that bad at a board game.'

'I'm an English Lit major. I can't be bad at scrabble.'

'But you are?'

'Only because the twins are making up their own rules! They say they're allowed to fetch tiles out of the bag whenever they want, but I'm not.'

'Excuses, excuses.'

'You're meaner over text.'

'And you're probably a sore loser.' No response to that. 'Right?' He pressed on.

'Yeah, I guess,' came Lucas' reply after a few seconds. 'But if you tell anyone I said that, I will hunt you down, Sullivan.' 

'See? There's another layer of the onion I've peeled away now.'

'I'm starting to feel objectified. And naked.'

'Don't you mean vegefied?' Henry couldn't think of anything else to say owing to the second part of the other boy's text. 

'Lose this number.'

'You were the one who chose to text me.'

'And I'm regretting it now.'

'Come on, though. A vegetable is not really an object, right? A vegetable grows and is alive at some point of time, but something that can be generally classified as an object isn't considered living.'

'I'm blocking you for the rest of the day.'

Henry laughed and put his phone away. He felt bad that he'd lied to the other boy about why he needed to be alone, but he couldn't tell him the truth, either. He was sort of bummed that Lucas wasn't coming, actually. Henry bit his cheek trying to decide what to do. Lucas said he wished Henry was there, right? Henry put his kindle back on the nightstand and got off the bed. He hesitated for a moment and then went out to the living room. 

Camilla, Fredrick, Catherine, Jack and Maddie were out on the deck, chatting and laughing. Lucas and the twins were sitting on the floor, around the coffee table, in the living room, playing scrabble. 

"Hi," Henry said awkwardly.

Lucas turned around, smiling when he saw the other boy. "Hey. Are you... feeling better now?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yep," Henry replied with a nod. 

"Henry," the twins squealed together. "Will you take us to the beach?"

"Um, hello?" Lucas gaped at his little sisters. "If you wanted to go to the beach, why'd you wanna play this shi- this stuff?" he corrected himself as he slapped the scrabble board away. 

"We were waiting for Henry," the twins replied simply. "But you have to come, too, Lucas."

"Unbelievable," Lucas muttered, standing up. 

"We're gonna go get our buckets," Evie told Henry and the two girls went off to the garage. 

"Wow, you suck at this game," Henry commented as he observed the scrabble board. 

"They're both on the same team but they got to play one turn each!" exclaimed an exasperated Lucas. "Tell me how that's fair."

"They're eight, Lucas," Henry reminded the other boy. 

Lucas sighed, the air from his mouth moving his hair very slightly. "Still. They're gonna tell people I lost to them. That's not good for me reputation, y'know?"

Henry's mouth curved up in amusement. "And what reputation is that?"

Lucas turned to Henry, eyebrows raised, smirk on his face. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"That's kind of why I asked," Henry told the other boy, leaning in slightly closer as he raised his eyebrows, too. 

Lucas' blue eyes widened just a little bit. He scoffed, amused, and stepped closer to the younger boy. "Well, Henry, I-" 

"We're ready. Can we go?" the twins interrupted. Lucas cleared his throat and turned away from Henry, who, for lack of having anything better to do, pretended to stare intently at the scrabble board. 

"Of course," Lucas told them clearing his throat again. He glanced at Henry once before opening the sliding windows and walking out onto the deck. The twins followed their brother, Henry behind them. 

"Hello, darlings," Camilla greeted them with a smile. She, Fredrick, Jack and Catherine were sitting on the sunchairs, and Maddie was stood leaning against the railing. "Are you feeling better, Henry, dear?"

"Yes, thank you," Henry replied, smiling, too. 

"Where are you guys off to?" Jack questioned. 

"We asked Henry and Lucas to take us down to the beach," Lily told her grandfather. 

"Did you remember to put on sunscreen?" Maddie asked her little sisters.

"Yes," they chirped together. 

Maddie grinned. "Good girls."

"I'll call you guys when it's time for dinner," Camilla instructed. 

The four of them went down the stairs and onto the beach. Immediately, Lucas and Henry were tasked with collecting sand in the buckets and delivering them to the twins; they wanted to build another sandcastle. Henry and Lucas kicked off their shoes and socks and left them in the alcove-like area under the deck of the house. There were a few groups of people on the beach, but they all mostly just stuck to the area in front of their own houses, so Henry, Lucas and the twins had their own space. It was still bright out, since it was only around five. 

"So" Lucas began. They were both filling up the twins' buckets with sand, a couple feet away from the girls, who were sitting near the stairs. "Did you come outside only because I texted you?"

Henry shrugged. "Maybe." They gave the buckets to the twins and waited while the two decided how they wanted to make their castle. 

"Wow," Lucas said to Henry in a low voice. "Didn't know I could just make you do stuff like that. I'll have you clean my car next time."

"I thought you'd kill me the minute I touched it again," Henry told the other boy with a raised eyebrow. 

"I can make an exception for this," Lucas replied with a sweet smile. 

"If the twins beat you at scrabble again and the only way to cheer you up is to clean your car, then sure, I'll do it," Henry said teasingly. 

Lucas scoffed, feigning being offended. "Excuse you! Did you think that you coming back out to the living room was going to cheer me up?"

"Not so much as save you from an embarrassing defeat at the hands of two eight year-olds," Henry retorted with the same sweet smile the other boy had just given him. 

Lucas chuckled. The twins handed them the empty buckets back, and the boys got to gathering more sand. 

"You know something, though," Henry continued. "You losing to the twins is better. You can be the loving older brother who let them win, you know? They probably won't think that, seeing that they actually played you and know you're shit, but the others will."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You know what, you're right. I let them win. Yeah."

Henry snickered, shaking his head. "You need to sharpen your scrabble skills though, because you're definitely gonna play me now."

"Oh, if playing kids' board games with you is something that comes with your friendship then I don't want it anymore," Lucas replied, kicking sand at Henry. 

"'I'd be happy just being friends,'" Henry imitated the other boy's rapid cadence of voice. "Didn't you just say that last night, Thornton?"

"True, but since then, I have learned that I made a mistake, because you're practically bullying me when I've been nothing but nice to you," Lucas shot back, shaking his head. "Also, I sound nothing like that." They handed over the buckets to the twins again. 

"That's exactly what you sound like," Henry insisted, lowering his voice again. "And you were a huge prick to me for absolutely no reason, for like, the last two years!"

"I wasn't!" Lucas claimed in the same low tone. Henry rolled his eyes. "Okay, maybe a little bit. But come on, imagine how it must've been for me. One day at uni, and all my little sister can talk about is some guy she met and how he's great at every single little thing! And once my parents met you, god, they couldn't stop talking about you either. And the twins, too. 'Henry this, Henry that, Henry brought us this toy, or Henry brought us these chocolates or cookies or whatever.' Come on."

"In conclusion," Henry said as they started filling up the buckets again, "you heard everyone say nice things about me and decided to be an absolute wanker to me? After I told you so many times that Maddie and I weren't together. You just didn't want to believe me." 

"Yeah, but think of it from my point of view, too," Lucas told him. "Maddie's crazy about you. Of course I thought you were together. My parents think so, too."

"Wait, they really do?" Henry questioned. 

"A hundred percent. Maddie keeps telling them no, but they don't believe her, just like I didn't, because you both are so close. If you hadn't... told me about you, I'd still be thinking the same thing," Lucas replied. Henry wondered if the other boy had also thought about their kiss when he'd trailed off for a second there after 'hadn't.'

"Okay, yeah, I get it," he gave in with a shrug. 

"Again, I'm sorry I was a dick to you," Lucas told Henry. "I hope that your introduction to the real Lucas Thornton has made up for it."

"'The real Lucas Thornton?' Where is he? I haven't met the lad yet," Henry responded, glancing around the beach.

"Now who's being a dick?" Lucas questioned, elbowing Henry in the ribs lightly.

Henry chuckled. "Okay, okay. It has," he answered the other boy sincerely now, smiling. Lucas smiled, too. 

"Um, excuse me? Sand, please," came Evie's voice from behind them. 

"Right away, ma'am," Lucas replied, winking at Henry and turning around to give the bucket to his little sister. "Exactly how much sand do we have to bring you? It's very taxing work, you know?"

"Well, you don't need to walk all the way there to bring us sand. You could just be here with us, but then you guys wouldn't be able to talk," Lily told her brother as she set the bucket on the sand and tapped it to get the moulded sand out. 

"Yeah, what are you guys talking about?" Evie questioned, using her fingers to draw windows in the side of the sand mould. Henry realised he'd barely been paying attention to anything other than what Lucas had been saying. The twins had made a castle with two towers of three storeys each with the bucket mould. "We have enough sand now, by the way."

"We were just chatting," Lucas told his sister as he sat down opposite the twins and crossed his legs. Henry followed the other boy's example and sat next to him. 

The four of them talked for quite a while, Henry asking the twins about school and other things back home. He and Lucas offered to help the twins with the castle, but the girls refused, saying they would do it on their own. The castle was looking great, but the twins had wanted to make it taller, and they started adding more sand, which eventually led to it collapsing. They weren't really bummed out about it and wanted to sit with Henry and Lucas at the beach for longer, because they felt like they were 'big girls' when they hung out with them, as Lily had put it. 

Lucas was telling them about how Maddie used to be confused about which twin was who when they were babies, and had tried to draw on their faces with sharpies so that she could identify them easily. Camilla had yelled at Maddie and spent about twenty minutes cleaning a bright green moustache and orange eyebrows off of Lily and Evie's faces, while Lucas and Fredrick had been dying of laughter. Henry couldn't help but smile as he watched Lucas talk. The older boy was talking animatedly, narrating in such a way that the twins were holding onto every word he was saying. 

"I can't believe Maddie drew on our faces!" Evie exclaimed, her eyes wide in horror. "She was twelve, she should have known better." Henry guffawed at that. 

"Mum was so mad," Lucas said, traces of laughter still on his face. "Dad still laughs about it to this day, though."

"Were you always able to tell us apart, Lucas?" Lily asked.

"Well, not really," Lucas admitted. "You both looked very similar as babies. The only way I could tell you apart was by looking at your feet, because Evie has a tiny mole on the side of her foot." Evie checked her feet immediately, nodding happily when she found the mole on her left foot. 

The sun had almost set now. Henry had no idea how time had passed so quickly. He'd had a great time at the beach with Lucas and the twins, and now he couldn't stop thinking about how it would be later tonight in Lucas' room. Hopefully less awkward than it had been last night.  

"It matches," Evie was saying. 

Henry snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at her. "What does?"

"You have an anchor tattoo and Lucas has a rope, look." She took both the boys' hands in hers and pointed out the tattoos. 

"Oh, look, the ship and the compass, too!" Lily exclaimed, pointed at the ship tattooed on Henry's upper arm and the compass on Lucas' forearm.

Henry couldn't help but stare at both his and Lucas' arms. What the hell? He looked up at Lucas, and the other boy was equally confused. 

"Guys, dinner's ready," called Camilla's voice. She was standing on the deck, looking down at the group with a smile. 

Lily and Evie stood up, dusting sand off of themselves, and made their way upstairs. Lucas got to his feet, too, grabbing his shoes and started to walk after his sisters. 

"Hey," Henry called after him, scrambling to pick up his shoes, and rushed after him. "Lucas."

"What?" Lucas questioned curtly, shooting Henry a quick look. His expression seemed cold and closed-off.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked. The other boy's behaviour seemed weird suddenly.  

"Yeah."

"Why'd you get-" Henry began, but the other boy sped up and ran up the stairs and into the kitchen, leaving Henry outside by himself. 

Chapter Text

Henry stared after Lucas. What the hell? He sighed, not knowing what to make of the other boy's action. Lucas had pretty much just run away from him.

Inside the kitchen, everyone was already seated around the dining table. Lucas was sitting next to his mum and dad, deliberately avoiding Henry's eye as the younger boy sat down between Maddie and Catherine. Henry was surprised that Lucas had chosen to it next to his parents. Was he so eager to avoid talking to Henry that he'd choose to sit next to his parents after that argument he'd had with them the other day? 

Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. As they ate, the twins started retelling Lucas' story to their grandparents, about Maddie not being able to tell the girls apart. Fredrick started laughing immediately, Camilla sighed disappointedly at Maddie, who was blushing in embarrassment. Catherine and Jack were thoroughly entertained, even though Henry was sure they must have heard this story before. 

Lucas was quiet, eyebrows furrowed as he stared hard at the lace table runner, only eating a bite every few minutes. His eyes looked dark and stony in the light of the circular lamps that hung above the dining table. Henry himself wasn't eating much, because he was wondering what the other boy was thinking. 

The fact that their tattoos were connected sort of blew Henry's mind. He didn't know how that could even happen. When he'd gotten some of those tattoos done, the artist had told him that they were part of a pair and shown him both, but only the ones that he'd actually gotten had appealed to Henry, not both. He'd even wondered at the time if there could be someone who'd gotten the other part of the pairs, and if he'd ever see them. He'd met Lucas about two years ago, but he'd never realised that the older boy had the other half of those tattoos. It was too weird to think about now. He could tell that Lucas was also weirded out by it. He needed to talk to the other boy soon. 

After dinner, they all moved to the living room, chatting and eating ice cream. Henry wondered if the Thorntons usually ate ice cream pretty much every night, or if it was just because they were on vacation right now. Catherine and Jack wanted to get to know Henry better, so he and Maddie, sitting on the floor by the sofa, were telling them about uni and their other friends. Camilla, Fredrick and the twins were adding to the conversation here and there, mentioning some time that Henry had come over to their house in the city and what they'd done that day. The twins in particular were raving about Henry, telling their grandparents about how Henry would always check under their beds for monsters and play games with them. They'd make decent wingwomen, because Catherine and Jack were very impressed with Henry.

Lucas, though, was completely silent. He was staring into space with a frown, eyes glassy and distant. Henry had never seen anyone look less happy while eating chocolate ice cream with sprinkles. He couldn't help but glance at the older boy's brooding face from time to time and be curious about what was going on in Lucas' head. Henry knew Lucas was deep in thought, because he definitely would've scoffed at all the praise Henry was getting, had he been paying attention. 

At around 11, everyone was tired. Catherine and Jack wished everyone a goodnight and retired to their room. Camilla and Fredrick went upstairs to tuck the twins in for the night. Lucas wished his family a goodnight and left without a glance at Henry. Maddie and Henry were still in the living room. Henry was sitting on the sofa, his legs pulled up to his chest, eyebrows furrowed. He was really confused. What was he to even say to the other boy?

"Hey, are you alright? Are you feeling better?" Maddie asked. She sat next to him and turned sideways to face him, one of her legs planted on the floor, the other folded on the sofa. 

"Yeah," he replied, shaken out of his thoughts, and turned to look at her.

"Did you sleep well last night? Or was it weird being in my brother's room?" she continued, looking a bit troubled.

"I slept well, actually," he told her truthfully. "It was nice, because I could hear the surf crashing outside, and that helped me fall asleep."

"Good." She grinned, clearly relieved. "And how are you doing with the other stuff, y'know, with the thing that happened with Chris and everything?"

"I'm fine," he affirmed, realising he hadn't even thought about Chris after he and Lucas had kissed. "How are you? We haven't really gotten much of a chance to talk today."

"I'm alright. I was just kind of tense about my grandparents being here, actually, 'cos they always ask me about my plans for the future and everything, and it's so hard to answer that sometimes. But they were more focused on getting to know you today, so I was saved from that, thanks to you," she told him, smiling. 

"Glad I could be of help," Henry replied with a grin. 

"Listen," Maddie added, suddenly serious, gripping Henry's shoulder lightly. "I know this trip isn't exactly turning out the way we had expected. I didn't think we'd get to hang out so less, with you and Lucas becoming friends and my grandparents also joining us."

"It's okay, Maddie. I'm just glad I came along," Henry assured her. "And I'd rather be here than at home," he added with a bitter laugh.

"Oh, Henry," Maddie whispered, pulling him closer and wrapping her arms around him tight. She smelled the same as always, familiar and comforting, like coconut and vanilla. Henry put his head on her shoulder, holding his friend close. He hadn't realised how much he needed a hug. "It's gonna be okay. I know it will."

"Thanks," he replied earnestly. They stayed like that for a few moments, Maddie rubbing his back soothingly. Henry drew away from the girl and smiled at her.

Part of him wished he could tell Maddie about everything that had happened with Lucas, but he had no idea how Lucas would react if he found out that Maddie knew. Lucas hadn't even told Maddie that his 'summer fling' was just one of his best friends from the city, so Henry didn't think the other boy would appreciate Maddie finding out he'd kissed her best friend. 

Maddie smiled at him. "You should get some rest."

"You too," he told her, still smiling. She stood up, taking his hand in hers, and they walked to the stairs together. 

"Goodnight," she said, kissing his cheek. 

"'Night, Maddie," he responded, reciprocating the gesture. She turned and went up the stairs. Henry heard her door close a few seconds later. 

He exhaled deeply, then made his way to Lucas' room. He knocked on his door, but there was no response, so he just opened it and stepped inside. Henry could hear the shower running in the bathroom. Should he come back later after the other boy was done? It would be too weird being in the room while Lucas was showering 10 feet away from him. Henry decided to go back to the living room and closed the door behind him.

The door opened again in a couple seconds. "Hey," called Lucas' voice. "You don't need to leave. I'm done."

Henry turned around, breath catching when he noticed that the other boy had nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was wet, pushed to the side, beads of water dripping down his cheek. Henry could see the tattoos on his chest again. He nodded, training his eyes on the floor, and walked back into the room when the older boy had stepped away from the threshold. The fairy lights were on again, and the sheets were messy, the way Henry had left them that afternoon.

Henry sat down on his side of the bed, immediately picking up his kindle and looking busy with reading. The other boy picked out some clothes from the closet and went back into the bathroom to change. A couple minutes later, Lucas stepped out, hair still damp, wearing shorts and a large white t-shirt. Henry himself was still in dark jeans and a black t-shirt, and needed to change into his pyjamas. 

Lucas didn't look at Henry as he picked up his pack of cigarettes and lighter from his nightstand and went out to the balcony. Henry watched him through the corner of his eye, heart beating erratically. Were they just not going to talk at all now? He cracked his knuckles, then fiddled with his necklace for a bit, before finally tossing his locked kindle away and standing up. He was going to have to initiate the conversation. 

Henry padded outside to the balcony, where Lucas was leaning over the railing, hands clasped together, cigarette in his mouth. He was looking at the waves crashing against the sand, but his eyes had a sort of faraway look in them. The light in the balcony was on, painting some of the brown strands of Lucas' hair silver.

"Hey," Henry began lamely, not knowing what else he could say. 

Lucas turned his head to Henry, glancing him over once, like he'd expected Henry to come out to talk him. "Hi," he said, the cigarette still in his mouth. 

Henry had no clue what to say now. He copied the other boy's action and leaned over the railing. The moon had begun waning, but it still cast a silvery pool of light over the beach. The beach was mostly empty; Henry only spotted one couple, lying on a pink blanket on the sand, about three houses down. One of the people was pointing up at the stars, while the other gazed at them and then up at the night sky. 

Lucas took a drag of his cigarette. A couple minutes passed in silence, as the boys just listened to the surf crashing in front of them. Henry bit the inside of his cheek, pouting a bit. The silence didn't exactly feel awkward, but he had come out here to talk to Lucas, not stand quietly next to him. 

"What's got you all pouty?" questioned Lucas after a bit, glancing at Henry sideways. 

"You," Henry declared, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lucas raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Tell me, what did I do?"

"You've been ignoring me all night, and you pretty much ran away from me when we were coming back upstairs from the beach," Henry stated. 

Lucas stuck the cigarette back in his mouth and inhaled. "I've just been... preoccupied with something," he answered, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Is it the tattoo thing?" Henry asked immediately. There was no reason to beat around the bush. "Look, it weirded me out, too, but-"

"Of course it weirded you out!" Lucas exclaimed, blue eyes widening. "It's fucking insane that we've got matching tattoos. How does that even happen?" 

"Well, when I went to get mine done, I was told that they were part of a pair, but the other half-"

"Didn't appeal to you as much as the ones you did get done?" Lucas guessed.

Henry blinked. "Y-Yeah. How did you know?"

He gave Henry a small smile as he shrugged. "Because that's what happened with me, too. It's like these ones called out to me, y'know? Like I'd had a rough idea in mind, but when I saw these, I just knew I had to have 'em," Lucas said, glancing down at both his arms. 

"Yeah, exactly," Henry agreed, surprised the other boy had put words to precisely what Henry had been thinking. 

Lucas sighed deeply and turned to watch the waves again. "I just needed time to think. Sorry."

Henry shook his head. "I understand. I get that the tattoo thing is weird, but it doesn't have to mean anything." He himself wasn't fully able to process it, so he'd be happy just forgetting about the whole thing. 

Lucas eyed him sideways again. "Okay," he said simply. 

It got quiet again. Lucas took one final drag from his cigarette, then tossed it on the ground, crushing it under his slippers. 

"Who were you on the phone with earlier?" Henry questioned, suddenly remembering that he'd wanted to ask.

"Huh? Oh, it was Elena," Lucas replied after a second. 

"Oh." Elena. Of course. 

"What? What's that look on your face?" Lucas asked, smile forming on his lips already. 

"What look?"

Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. "Forget it."

Henry furrowed his brows. "No, what look?"

"It almost looked like you were jealous," Lucas insinuated. 

Henry scoffed. "You wish. Why would I be jealous?" Was he jealous?

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe because you haven't been able to stop thinking about kissing me?" Lucas teased. 

Henry gaped at the other boy. Had Lucas been thinking about it too? "How did you know?" he muttered, not realising that Lucas could hear him. 

Lucas let out a surprised laugh. "I didn't, until just now. Come on, lad, you're making this too easy."

"I was only joking," Henry told him quickly, chiding himself internally. Fuck. 

"Suuuure," Lucas said, shaking his head, still laughing. He sighed and turned to go into his room. 

"At least I was still able to look you in the eye the next day," Henry shot back at the other boy's retreating figure.

Lucas stopped in place and turned around slowly. "You're reading too much into that."

"Am I?" Henry questioned, taking a couple steps forward till he was facing the other boy. "And you're the one that said there was nothing to discuss, yet you brought it up again."

Lucas shrugged. "Just a joke. Between friends," he added. 

"Right. 'Friends,'" Henry repeated, using air quotes around the word, pushing past the other boy into the room. He was annoyed. Lucas couldn't keep doing this, pretending like Henry was the only one thinking about them. If there really was nothing to discuss about their kiss or about whatever it was that was going on between them, then why did Lucas bring it up again? And Lucas was the one that kept getting freaked out and distant after something that happened, when Henry wanted to talk about it.  

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucas asked from somewhere behind Henry as he shut the sliding window. 

"Nothing," Henry replied curtly. "Absolutely nothing." He went into the closet and grabbed his pyjamas, then went into the bathroom to change and brush. 

When he came back outside, Lucas was sitting on Henry's side of the bed, facing the bathroom door. His feet were planted wide apart on the floor, hair falling onto his eyes. "What did you mean?" he questioned in a low voice. 

"Forget it," Henry responded, chucking his jeans at his bag in the closet and shutting the door. He still hadn't unpacked, and didn't think he was going to get to it any time soon. "Can you move? That's my side of the bed."

"No, not until you tell me," the older boy insisted. 

Henry threw his hands up, exasperated. "You said you couldn't deal with it, because there was too much on your plate, and I said okay. You can't say there's nothing to talk about and then bring it up again as a joke. If you hadn't kissed me again after I kissed you, I would've agreed that there was nothing to talk about, but you chose to kiss me again, with tongue."

"'With tongue?'" Lucas scoffed and stood up, trying to stare down the other boy, which was hard because of the height difference. Henry would've thought it was funny, but now was not the time. "Are you twelve?"

"I'm just saying it like it happened." Henry shrugged. "You chose to do it."

"So we kissed and there was tongue. So what?" Lucas challenged, staring up at Henry defiantly.

"So what!? 'Oh, your honour, I saw that bloke in the middle of the road, and I chose to speed up and run him over. So what?'" Henry fumed. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Lucas demanded angrily. "That is not the same thing."

"You made the conscious choice to kiss me again, okay? You weren't even drunk!" Henry shot back. 

"Who said you could kiss me, eh?" Lucas questioned. "You kissed me first!"

"If you didn't like it then why'd you kiss me again?" Henry asked.

"What do you want from me?" It was Lucas' turn to throw up his hands. 

"I want you to admit that that kiss wasn't nothing!" Henry explained, trying to make sure his voice was even. "We made out, and then you told me to forget about it because you had too much on your plate and you wanted to just be friends, and I said okay. But you brought it up again, because clearly, you also keep thinking about it."

"God, next you're gonna say that the tattoos also mean something!" Lucas claimed. "You'll say that I 'chose' to get those because you got the other ones."

"I was serious when I said that it doesn't have to be a thing. Unlike other people, I mean what I say!" Henry retorted. "You're the one who gets distant and obsesses over these things, not me."

"I knew it was a bad idea becoming friends with you," Lucas stated, shaking his head. 

"'Friends' again." Henry laughed bitterly. 

"Yes, Sullivan, friends," Lucas repeated pointedly.

"So you kiss all your friends, is it?" Henry wondered. "Oh, I guess that is your thing, though. Friends with benefits is exactly what you've got going on with Elena. You've got commitment issues, mate."

Lucas scoffed, expression hard. "Oh, fuck you."

Henry chuckled dryly. "Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you?"

"You're giving yourself way too much credit," Lucas replied, eyes sparkling with anger. 

"Am I? Because you're the one that decided to shove your tongue down my throat the other night," Henry retorted. 

Lucas clenched his jaw, shaking his head. "You're such a wanker."

Henry had had enough. "You knew exactly what you were doing, kissing me, joking about us shagging or me watching you shower. Don't pretend like this is something that I'm reading into," he said bluntly.

Lucas' breathing was heavy as he stared up at Henry. He almost looked dazed at being confronted like that. "I- I-"

"Yeah, why don't you work on another excuse? I'll give you some time," Henry taunted, before turning away from the other boy.

"Don't walk away from me. We're not done yet," Lucas hissed after a second, hand shooting out and gripping Henry's shoulder hard. 

"What're you gonna do about it?" Henry demanded, turning back to look at the other boy as he slapped Lucas' hand away. 

Lucas glared up at him, then shoved him in the chest. Henry scoffed, anger bubbling inside him, and shoved the other boy right back. Lucas looked furious as he pushed Henry again, harder this time. Henry was surprised at the force the other boy had been able to muster, because he actually stumbled backwards and lost his balance.

Lucas' eyes widened in alarm and he reached a hand out to catch the younger boy, immediately regretting what he'd done. Henry was already falling when Lucas grabbed his hand, and he ended up pulling the older boy with him. Lucas crashed smack into Henry's middle, and the two of them went tumbling down with a loud thud. 

The older boy was lying flat on top of Henry, face buried in his chest at the impact of them falling. He was heavier than Henry had expected him to be, but he wasn't surprised, because Lucas was much stronger than he looked. Henry cleared his throat, waiting for the other boy to look up. His heart was racing. He had no idea if it was because he'd just been angry a few seconds ago or because they'd fallen, or because they'd fallen together, with Lucas on top of him. Whatever the case, he'd prefer if Lucas couldn't hear his heart slamming against his ribcage. 

Lucas slowly lifted his head, expression much softer now as he gazed at the boy under him. He pushed himself up and sat up, knees on either side of Henry's thighs. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly, already looking ashamed of his actions. 

Henry had never been under someone while they did a sort-of push up. It felt very strange. Was that how the floor felt every time? Nope, focus on the matter at hand, he told himself. "I would be, if some bloody tosser hadn't decided to shove me to the ground," he snapped at Lucas. He wasn't going to let that go so easily. He could've hit his head on the nightstand or something. 

"I dunno what came over me. I'm sorry," Lucas replied with a sigh, looking down at Henry. His eyelashes were so long they were casting shadows on his sharp cheekbones in the soft glow of the fairy lights. "To be fair, I did try to catch you."

"That makes it all better, thanks," Henry said sarcastically, glaring up at Lucas. He felt his face getting warmer when he realised how they were sitting. If anyone walked in right now, they'd get a very wrong idea. 

"Plan on getting off of me anytime soon?" Henry asked, attempting to sound a lot braver than he felt. He'd also just realised that Lucas was gripping Henry's forearms very tightly, and that his own hands were clutching Lucas' back. Well. "I have things to do, y'know?"

"Is that so?" Lucas challenged, voice breathy. He was staring intently at Henry, blue eyes searching Henry's green ones rapidly. 

Henry felt more nervous, feeling his own breathing speed up as he looked up at the older boy. Lucas' gaze was intense. "Y-yeah."

"Okay," Lucas replied simply, and stood up, towering over Henry on the floor. Henry's hands fell to his side lamely, and he immediately felt cold all over after the other boy had stopped touching him. He managed to get to his feet quickly, now standing nearly half a foot taller than Lucas. 

He swallowed hard, because Lucas had just taken a step forward and was now barely a few inches away from Henry, who could feel the other boy's breath on his face. Lucas being so close to him was distracting.  He could see faint traces of stubble along Lucas' jaw, his long eyelashes. The older boy's eyes did have a bit of green in them. Henry didn't realise he was breathing slightly hard. That look, the one that Henry had been waiting to be able to see in Lucas' eyes again was back. It made his stomach drop.

"What're you doing?" Henry whispered anxiously. What was going on? One minute they were yelling at each other, and now they were... What were they doing? 

"I'm gonna hate myself for this," Lucas said. Henry didn't have time to be confused, because the other boy had grabbed his face and brought their lips together. 

Chapter Text

Henry wanted to laugh. Deliriously. He and Lucas had just been arguing, and now they were making out. Lucas pushed him towards the nearest wall, next to the bathroom door, hands twisted in Henry's curls. Henry's insides were liquid fire. This was vastly different from the way they'd kissed at the party. Lucas' mouth was burning hot against his, tongue sliding against Henry's. Henry's hands were fisted in the other boy's t-shirt, trying to pull him closer and closer still. Lucas' hands slipped down from Henry's hair to under his t-shirt, gripping at his waist and back. Henry half-gasped, half-moaned and pulled away, surprised. 

Lucas looked up at him, blue eyes dark with desire. "Are you alright?" he questioned in a low voice. Henry felt chills up his spine, where Lucas was still touching him. He just nodded. "D'you want to stop?" 

"Fuck no," Henry breathed, chest rising and falling rapidly as he stared down at the older boy. Henry pushed off from the wall, taking small steps towards Lucas' bed as the other boy pulled Henry's t-shirt off. 

Lucas exhaled softly, his eyes taking in the tattoos that marked Henry's chest and stomach. "Fuck," he muttered, fingers lightly tracing the butterfly on Henry's stomach. Henry watched him, his mouth slightly open, breath hitching whenever the other boy's fingers touched his skin. "That's fucking hot," Lucas commented, eyebrow raised, as he observed the laurels tattooed above Henry's hipbones. 

Henry swallowed hard. "Can I-?" He trailed off, hands already reaching for the other boy's t-shirt. Lucas watched Henry intently as he pulled his t-shirt off of him and tossed it behind them. He took in the other boy's torso, the tattoos, the muscles, the collarbones, hardly able to believe that any of this was happening. 

"You look mesmerised," Lucas whispered with a chuckle. His lips were bright pink and swollen, hair sticking up in every direction. Henry might just pass out.

"Shut up," he ordered anyway, bringing their lips together again, eager to wipe that smile off of the older boy's face. 

"Wait," Lucas interrupted, pulling away from Henry too soon.

"No, hey. Where are you going?" Henry couldn't believe how disappointed he felt now that they weren't touching.

"Stop pouting, you frog. I'm only locking the door," Lucas told him, walking backwards towards the door and locking it, never taking his eyes off of Henry. He made his way back to the younger boy leisurely, then pushed Henry onto the bed and planted his knees on either side of the younger boy's thighs. "Now, where were we?" 

The kissing this time around was graceless and rapid, with Henry's lip caught between Lucas' teeth, and Henry's hands pulling at Lucas' hair. The next hour passed in a haze. Henry had uttered a number of curses as Lucas had trailed kisses along his throat, chest and stomach, edging lower and lower, the older boy's smirk growing with every swear word. It was blurry, sweaty, and amazing. The woody, cigarette smoke scent on Lucas mixed with sweat seemed heavenly. Henry could think of nothing except the other boy in front of him and what they were doing together. The way that Lucas looked at him made him want to wither up and disappear, because it made him feel unexplainable things. He was kind of overwhelmed with the way Lucas kept making sure it was good and that Henry was enjoying it. It was so different from every other time Henry had done it with someone else, which was only a handful of times, but still. No one else had ever been this considerate. 

Afterwards, the boys lay next to each other, trying to come down from the high, still breathing heavily.

"You look like you're gonna pass out," Lucas told Henry after a couple minutes, chuckling as he leaned over and tossed the condom into the dustbin under the desk. 

Henry was lying on the bed, bare legs tangled in the duvet, one arm thrown carelessly over his head. He was blissed out right now. He wouldn't have been able to move if a meteor had hit them. Well, to be fair, they'd be dead if a fucking meteor hit them, but you get how he was feeling. "It'll be your fault if I die," he mumbled. Even talking seemed like too much of an effort right now. He was going to doze off anytime now. 

"I'll take the credit for this one, honestly," Lucas replied smugly, flopping back down on the bed next to Henry. Henry's eyes were only half-open at this point, but he still couldn't get over the fact that Lucas was naked next to him. Henry had no clue where any of their clothes were, actually. They'd been flung various places in the room. Good thing the window was shut, or else someone might've found a pair of boxers lying on the beach or something. Would've been kind of obvious where they'd come from, seeing that they'd be right under Lucas' window. Henry sluggishly wondered if that had ever happened before. "Get over to your side of the bed. Look at how much space you've got there," Lucas complained, giving Henry a little push.  

"How do you have the energy to talk right now?" Henry questioned slowly and with great effort. "I couldn't move if I wanted to."

"Is this just your excuse to be able to cuddle me?" the older boy asked, amused. 

"Lucas, seriously, I'm gonna fall asleep," Henry muttered drowsily, turning on his side and burying his face in the crook of Lucas' neck. Henry heard the other boy scoff lightly, but Lucas didn't make an effort to move. Maybe he couldn't move because there really wasn't a lot of room on his side. Henry drifted off to sleep before he could decide on an answer. 

*

The following morning, Henry was woken up by the sound of the blender going in the kitchen. He stretched, eyes moving to the space next to him immediately in search of Lucas. But Henry was alone again, lying mostly on Lucas' side of the bed. He reached for his phone in a hurry, worried he'd overslept again, but it was only about 8. 

He sat up, wincing slightly because of how sore and achy his body felt. His gaze landed on a pile of his clothes folded and placed neatly at the foot of the bed. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of Lucas picking up the clothes and placing them on the bed for him. But he was also wondering why the other boy had woken up so early and not with Henry, next to him. He played the events of last night over in his head, blushing and unable to believe that had actually happened, that he and Lucas had done that together. He wondered how things would be between them now, but tried not to think too much about it. 

Henry grabbed some clothes from his bag and went to the bathroom to shower. He walked past the mirror to get to the shower, but had to stop and come back to the mirror because something had caught his eye. He stared at his reflection in horror as he took in the tiny purple bruises that marked his neck, chest and stomach. The ones on his neck went all the way up to his jaw. How the fuck was he supposed to cover those up? His waist and hips were also slightly purple. Henry gaped at himself in surprise, unable to remember when those had happened. He was kind of annoyed, because Lucas should've known better. If someone saw those marks and asked Henry what happened, what was he supposed to say? He walked back into the bedroom with a sigh and picked out a grey hoodie instead of the t-shirt he'd previously chosen. It was too warm for it, but he didn't have a choice. He showered and got dressed, making sure the hood covered his neck, then went to the kitchen.

Seated around the dining table were Camilla, Fredrick, Catherine, Jack... and Lucas. Henry's breath caught in his chest the second his gaze landed on the other boy. Lucas was wearing the same clothes he had been last night before Henry had pulled them off. He glanced up and saw Henry in the doorway of the kitchen. Henry thought of the way Lucas' hair had tickled his chin as the older boy had hovered over him planting kisses on his skin as they'd moved in unison. A smirk started forming on Lucas' face, like he was thinking about the night before, too. Henry swallowed hard, feeling butterflies in his stomach as he remembered the way that Lucas had looked at him last night. 

"Morning, love, come sit," came Camilla's voice. He looked up and saw her ushering him towards the table, already pushing a plate of bacon and eggs towards him. He felt really weirded out all of a sudden, with Lucas' family all around him. They had no idea what had happened, yet that was all Henry could think about.

Henry smiled at her after a second and went to sit down, but grimaced slightly as he lowered himself into the chair next to Lucas. Everything ached. "Are you alright, dear?" Camilla asked immediately, worried. 

Henry hadn't realised it had been that evident that he'd been in pain. "Yeah, just a little sore."

"Oh, no! Are you coming down with a fever, darling? You had a headache as well, didn't you?" she questioned, reaching over to touch his forehead. "Isn't it too warm to be wearing a hoodie?" Before Henry could do anything, she'd lowered his hood to touch his throat. "What's that on your neck, Henry?" she questioned in panic, eyes widening. Henry jerked away from her quickly as everyone looked at him with curiosity and surprise. Lucas' eyes went wide with fear as he realised what Camilla was asking about.

Henry's hands shot up to hide his neck as he pulled the hood up again. "Lot of mosquitoes last night," he mumbled lamely, unable to stop himself from glancing at Lucas. 

The other boy glared at Henry. "Can I talk to you outside for a moment, Henry?" he questioned, trying to keep his voice steady. "About the mosquitoes," he added, looking around at his parents and grandparents. "He left the window open all night, the silly lad." Henry didn't have a chance to respond to those allegations, because he was being dragged out of his chair by the other boy instantly. 

Lucas led him to the living room, practically stomping, then smacked Henry in the arm, hard. They were stood a couple inches apart, Henry with his back to the deck. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Lucas scolded in a low voice. "Why are you drawing attention to all that?" He just pointed at Henry in general, who scoffed. "What you said was clearly a lie. What are they going to think?"

"I couldn't help it! You bruised me," Henry replied hotly, pulling down his hood to show the purple love bites to the other boy. "They're everywhere! What the hell were you thinking?"

"You said you liked it last night," Lucas claimed. 

Henry scoffed once again, surprised. "I think I'd remember asking you to do something like that."

"Did you blackout or something?" Lucas questioned, exasperated. "You told me you liked it and that I should keep going."

"But still," Henry protested. "This is too much." He pulled down the hood again. "I look like fucking Thanos because I'm so purple!"
 
Lucas tilted his head to the side. "Hm. I don't think you're up to the standard of playing Thanos. Maybe a less attractive sibling?"

"Excuse you, I could be- Wait. Did you say 'less attractive?' Do you think Thanos is hot?" Henry asked, eyes widening.

Lucas shrugged. "He has a nice, deep voice and he's big and tall, y'know."

"Um, excuse me?" Henry asked, pointing at himself. "I'm big and tall and my voice is deep."

The older boy shrugged again. "I dunno. He just kinda radiates power and authority. That's hot."

Henry couldn't help but look slightly disgusted. Thanos was hotter than him? "I'd agree if you'd said Josh Brolin is hot."

"Oh, yeah, he is," Lucas agreed, nodding in approval. 

"So Josh Brolin is hotter than Thanos, right?" Henry inquired hopefully. Lucas had to have some common sense.

"Yeah, but Thanos is Thanos because of Josh Brolin," Lucas countered. "Like, if Thor was played by someone other than Chris Hemsworth, he wouldn't be Thor, y'know?"

"Huh, yeah," Henry agreed, then blinked, suddenly remembering the problem at hand, and smacked the other boy in the arm. "Shut up! We're going off topic here. You bruised me! I can't even sit without wincing because I'm so sore."

"For God's sake, quit complaining! I'm not bringing up what you did," Lucas responded crossly. 

Henry raised his eyebrows. "What did I do?"

"This," he hissed, pulling his t-shirt up over his back.

"Whoa, whoa, what're you doing?" Henry asked, panic colouring his voice. Anyone could walk out right now and see them. 

"Look," Lucas insisted, and turned around so Henry could see his back. 

Henry almost gasped out loud, because there were a number of scratches and deep red crescents on Lucas' back. Fingernail marks. "H-how?"

"You and your nails with the stupid chipped nail polish scratched me and gouged at my back like a trapped fucking animal!" Lucas exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice low. "Am I complaining?"

"You kind of are," Henry answered honestly. He reached out to touch one of the marks on Lucas' back, still refusing to believe he'd made them. 

"What are you doing?" came a confused voice. Henry turned and saw Maddie standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at the two of them, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. The twins were next to her, looking equally confused. Henry felt panic building in his chest as he pulled up his hood hurriedly. Shit.

Lucas lowered his t-shirt quickly and stepped away from Henry. "I... got bit by a bunch of... mosquitoes," Lucas replied, shooting Henry a murderous glare. "Henry left the window open. I was just showing him what his mistake cost me."

Henry could barely breathe. No way Maddie would buy that. Fuck. "Yeah, I forgot to close it," he added anyway, trying to maintain an even voice despite the ball of anxiety forming in his stomach. 

"Mosquitoes are horrible," Lily said, nodding. 

"Right?" Evie agreed. "I don't know why they exist." 

"Girls, why don't you go to the kitchen? We'll join you in a minute," Maddie told her sisters, staring at Henry with cold eyes. His heart rate was skyrocketing. How were they going to explain this? Maddie looked furious.

"Okay," the twins chirped together and made their way to the kitchen. 

Maddie waited till they had left, before striding up to the boys, glaring at them. "What the fuck? What were you doing?" she demanded angrily. 

"I was just seeing- he scratched his back because of the... mosquitoes," Henry answered hopelessly, glancing at Lucas, but the other boy looked just as flustered and nervous as he was.

Maddie sighed in exasperation. "Seriously? You know I don't believe that. Tell me what's going on!"

"Nothing, Mads," Lucas piped up, trying to placate his sister. 

"Henry?" Maddie turned to him, looking up at him questioningly. 

Henry looked at Lucas helplessly, not knowing what to say. 

"Wait," Maddie said, watching Henry and Lucas pointedly, then scoffed. "Did you- Did you both shag or something?" she asked, voice wavering. She looked upset, confused and angry all at once. 

"Maddie!" Henry exclaimed, surprised. How had she just jumped to that conclusion?

"Those scratches couldn't have been made by Lucas himself. I saw the fingernail marks, too. Did you do it?" she went on accusingly.

How was he supposed to answer that? His heart was slamming against his ribcage. What if Maddie found out? What would she say? How supportive would she be of Henry if he was with her brother?  

"Maddie, okay, I'll be honest," Lucas began after a second. Henry turned to him, alarmed, but Lucas was looking straight at his sister and avoiding Henry's eye. "The fingernail marks... they're from that girl, y'know, the summer fling, from a couple days ago. I was just showing Henry because it still hurts and I don't know what to do." 

Oh, god. Elena. Henry had forgotten about her and Lucas'... situation. 

Maddie didn't reply, just glanced from her brother to Henry with disbelief. 

"Why would Henry and I sleep together? I don't know about him, but I'm not into lads," Lucas added, chuckling. 

There was a slight panic in the other boy's voice, though, Henry was almost sure. He felt bile rising in his throat, unable to find it in himself to say anything. 

"You promise?" Maddie asked her brother.

"I swear," Lucas assured her. "Henry is the last person I'd be attracted to, even if I were into lads. He's your best friend. It'd be too weird and complicated." Henry flinched at Lucas' words, unable to control himself, but tried to play it off by blinking a couple times. 

"I'm sorry," Maddie said with a sigh, touching her temple. She looked relieved now. "I don't know what came over me. Of course the marks are from that girl."

"It's okay," Lucas told her. Henry tried desperately to catch Lucas' eye, but Lucas was still avoiding his gaze. "I'm gonna go get some breakfast, I'm starving." He disappeared into the kitchen without another glance at Henry and Maddie. 

"Hey, I'm sorry," Maddie told Henry, reaching out to touch his arm. Henry recoiled at her touch without meaning to. Her eyes narrowed in concern immediately. "Are you alright?"

"Can you- can you tell them I'm not feeling well?" Henry managed to say, trying to push back the bile rising in his throat. He left his friend standing in the living room, staring after him, and went back to Lucas' room. 

Once the door was closed behind him, he stumbled to the bathroom and retched over the toilet, throwing up last night's dinner. He sat on the bathroom floor, trying to stop heaving, and wiped his face with the back of his hand to rub the tears away.

How was Henry supposed to explain what he'd felt? That what had happened just now had reminded of what it was like to be with his ex, Tom. He would make out with his girlfriend in public, but in his dorm room later at night, he'd tell Henry how much he hated being with her and he'd kiss Henry, promising they'd be a real couple soon. The lad had pretty much used him whenever he felt like it, and Henry had let him, despite knowing that Tom would never interact with Henry in front of other people, because Henry had truly believed that someday he could be with Tom without all the shame and secrecy. Maybe he could even tell his parents, because he'd thought that with Tom next to him, things would be just a little bit easier. He'd be able to deal with his parents, the arguments, the sleepless nights, the anxiety, the fear, the guilt, if he just had someone, anyone by his side. 

But Henry's dreams would come crashing down, because Tom always went back to his girlfriend in the morning. 

What was happening with Lucas was not the same thing, of course. Obviously, he hadn't expected Lucas to actually say that he and Henry had been together, but the panic that both of them had felt at the prospect of Maddie finding out said enough. It hadn't felt at all wrong, what they had done last night, but the way Maddie had behaved was a reality check. What the hell had they been thinking? Of course they shouldn't have slept together. Lucas was Maddie's brother. Henry had known they couldn't be together as a couple, but he'd let himself get lost in the idea of having someone by his side again, so that he wouldn't have to feel so fucking alone all the time. Lucas had obviously been the wrong choice, even if Henry had thought it could've been the right choice.

He knew that they'd never be able to go back to the way things had been before they'd slept together. He could feel it. He knew Lucas would be freaking out about Maddie finding out. Lucas couldn't even look at him anymore, probably because the guilt was too much to bear. Henry was Maddie's best friend. He and Lucas both should've known they shouldn't have crossed that line. Besides, none of Lucas family knew about him, and he probably wanted to keep it that way. Using Elena as his excuse had made that much clear.

Henry felt like laughing again, out of sheer disappointment this time. He had set himself up for a spectacular failure.

Chapter Text

About an hour had passed, and Henry hadn't moved from the bathroom floor. He couldn't fathom going back outside and facing Lucas or Maddie. Maddie had had no idea that Lucas knew Henry was gay, and she'd accused him of having slept with Lucas anyway, which practically would've outed him if Lucas hadn't known already. He was upset that she hadn't even thought twice before saying that, however accurate. She could even have approached him in private, although he wouldn't have been able to come up with a believable excuse like Lucas had. He wondered why she'd thought Lucas would sleep with him, though. He could've said something to Maddie before, about being into lads, but the way he denied it outside suggested otherwise. Strange.

For the first time, Henry found himself wishing he was at home. He could have just shut himself up in his room, away from everything else, and gotten lost in a new book or tv series. Escapism, Henry thought. He had hoped that this trip could also have been an escape from his life back in the city, at least for a bit, but it had just complicated his life a lot more. And now he would have to live alone after they got back. 

In a way, he had lived without his parents this past year, too. Besides sharing the roof over their heads, Henry and his parents lived completely separate lives. Sometimes, he didn't see his parents for the entire week, with them working late and him being asleep before they got home, or them being asleep when he left for uni in the morning. They would all only really see each other for dinner on Sunday night, to 'catch up,' but that was always a rather dour affair because no one ever talked. For as long as he could remember, his parents had never been very happy together. And after his dad began spending more time at work, around a year ago, his mum started going out with her friends more often, leaving Henry by himself nearly every night. Both of them would be upset because the other had left Henry alone again, but neither of them would want to really spend quality time with him and would only complain about the other in their supposed 'family time.' 

Henry had tried multiple times to intervene in their arguments, because they were fighting over him, after all. He'd interrupt several times, saying that if they both just took a little time off in their schedules, they could all spend time together and do something. But they'd tell him to pipe down and go to his room, because the adults were talking. He'd get mad at that, yell at them, remind them that he existed in that fucking house and that he should have a say as well, and then his parents would tell him to 'calm down' because he was 'overreacting' and that 'all married couples have such problems.' It took Henry a while to realise that they weren't really fighting about him and that he was just basically being used as a pawn. They'd just throw his name around to be able to blame the other, not even caring that what they'd said was actually true to Henry. 'Oh, but you promised Henry you'd take him to the movies and you never did!' 'I can't believe you're not going to be home again this weekend. Henry will be so disappointed.' And after their arguments, they'd each come to Henry, his dad later at night, his mum at breakfast the next morning, to ask Henry who he thought was right. 

Henry obviously couldn't choose, so to avoid his parents, he started staying out late, too. He used to hang back at the library whenever his friends were too busy to keep him company. That's how he'd met Tom, who worked there as a student assistant. Tom noticed Henry coming in pretty much every day, and they'd struck up a conversation and become friends. Soon, Henry started seeing Tom a different way. His close-cropped, light brown hair and grey-blue eyes would come to Henry in his dreams, making him blush-y and awkward around the other boy the next day. Then they'd ended up kissing late one night at the library, and Tom's dorm room became Henry's safe haven for almost three months. Any time Henry needed to get away from things, he'd go to Tom's room. It was easier to fall asleep there, knowing he wouldn't be woken up by his parents yelling at each other. And it was easy to be distracted by Tom’s pretty eyes and his kisses. Henry knew Tom had a girlfriend, but he let himself get lost in the idea of not having to be alone, even if that meant being with someone who was already dating someone else. He'd really thought that things would work out for him and Tom, though, and that they would end up together.

But of course, Tom kept going back to his girlfriend, and Henry just couldn't hold onto his silly fantasy any longer. He had to return to his own house, leaving behind Tom's dorm, and with it all that he had imagined they could have been. Back at home, he would have headphones on all the time and stay in his room as much as he could. He didn't know if it was to avoid his parents or avoid thinking about Tom. Of course, his parents took it as a sign that it was okay to leave him alone more often, because they figured he probably wanted to be alone anyway. The time he'd come out to them during dinner had been one of the rare instances that they'd all been home, and he'd decided to take that opportunity, because he was just so fed up of keeping everything to himself. Henry had hoped that that would maybe bring them closer together as a family, because his parents would feel more involved in his life. And it had led to him getting his own apartment and having to live away from his parents. Funny how things worked. 

A knock sounded on the bedroom door. Henry stood up, wondering if it would be Lucas or Maddie who had come to check on him. He didn't know which would be worse. 

Surprisingly, it was Fredrick. "Henry. How ya doin', lad?" the man questioned. He was standing in the doorway, hesitating about whether or not he should step into the room. Henry was standing away from the threshold, just in case, but Fredrick decided not to come in after all. "Maddie said you weren't really feelin' well. Thought I should come to check on you. It'd been a while."

"I'm alright, thanks," Henry answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Fredrick was really the last person he'd expected to be here. "I just needed some time to stop feeling queasy."

"D'you need any medicine or anythin'? I can ask Lucas to pop by the pharmacy," Fredrick told him.

"No, no, no need for all that," Henry replied quickly. "I think I just need to rest for a bit."

"I understand." Fredrick nodded. "I'll ask Camilla to bring you some food, and you can have it when you're feelin' a bit better, alright?"

Henry thanked him with a smile and the man left. Henry shut the door and inhaled deeply. He couldn't help but wonder why Maddie or Lucas hadn't come to check on him, not that that would've been very pleasant. But still. Wouldn't their parents and grandparents think it was weird, too, that they hadn't come to check in on their friend? 

He sighed and turned towards the bed, jaw clenching hard when the dark sheets and fairy lights brought memories from last night swirling back into his head. He turned off the fairy lights and pulled open the curtains, bathing the room in bright sunlight. He then sat down on the bed and picked up his kindle to read.

Camilla came by at around one in the afternoon, with some chicken, vegetables and rice, telling Henry to feel better soon. He thanked her, feeling slightly guilty, but it was better to let the Thorntons be on their own for a while. It was a family trip after all, and Henry wasn't really feeling part of it right now. 

Henry ate his lunch alone in Lucas' room, reading his book. His mind was working non-stop, jumping from one scenario to another, all of them involving Maddie still being upset with him and Lucas not talking to him anymore. He couldn't stop thinking, but managed to fall asleep around five, tired.

*

Henry was woken up by some rustling sounds a couple feet away. He inhaled sharply and sat up, eyes darting around the room. The curtains were still open and sky outside was an inky blue. The fairy lights were on again, though, casting a soft yellow glow. Henry turned and saw Lucas sitting on his side of the bed, grabbing something from the nightstand. His cigarettes and lighter. Lucas' back was to him, but Henry could picture the boy's face with no problem. 

Henry checked the time on his phone. It was 11pm. He was surprised he'd slept so long, but he was more concerned with the fact that Lucas was here. "Hi," he said, heart already hammering. 

"Hey," Lucas responded tersely, before standing up and stuffing his cigarettes and lighter in his pockets. He walked over to the door and pulled it open. 

"Wait," Henry called, sort of panicking. Lucas paused at the door, only turning halfway, still not facing Henry. "Where are you going?" Wasn't he going to come sleep now?

"Out," the other boy replied impatiently, then walked out of the room. 

Henry threw the covers aside and ran after Lucas, who was going towards the front door. The living room was empty and almost completely dark, except for the tiny light out on the deck. The waves could be heard as they crashed against the sand outside loudly. "Lucas."

"What?" 

"Are you going to stay out tonight?" Henry asked. He was nervous because of the way the other boy was reacting. Were they just not going to talk at all?

"Yes," Lucas answered as he grabbed his car keys from the table by the door, not looking at Henry.

"Lucas," Henry said again, reaching a hand out and touching the other boy's shoulder. Lucas' body relaxed for a second, then he straightened up and shrugged Henry's hand off. 

"What?" he asked once more, finally looking at Henry. His mouth was a hard line, the usual spark missing from his eyes. That look they'd had in them last night was gone, as if it had never been there at all, as if he'd never looked at Henry like that. Henry wanted to cry.

"Are we supposed to forget about... it?" Henry questioned, pushing his curls out of his eyes and looking down at the older boy, desperately searching Lucas' blue eyes. It couldn't really be gone, right? Because that would mean...

Lucas sighed. "Obviously. You saw what happened with Maddie. You felt the same amount of guilt that I did."

"We won't have to feel it next time. I can talk to her-" He stopped short because Lucas cut him off. 

"'Next time?' Are you mental? And what would you even say to her?" Lucas demanded crossly. 

"Well, we can start by telling her the truth and saying that we-"

Lucas cut him off. "'We?' There's no 'we,' Henry," he hissed. "There was never going to be a 'we.'"

"You should drink more water, then," he said before he could stop himself.

"What? 'Wee?' You're making wee jokes? For fuck's sake, lad!" Lucas groaned. "Just forget that it happened, alright? It's what's best for everyone. And I don't think we should be friends anymore." He spoke rapidly, more so than usual. He wouldn't look up at Henry. 

"Lucas, don't react like this, please," Henry begged, earnest now. "We can still be friends." 

He'd known the other boy would say that they shouldn't be friends anymore. This exact conversation happening had been playing in his head on loop all day, filling him with dread. But he didn't want to accept it. How could he? Being friends with Lucas had suddenly become important to him over the past week. They had actually been friends before last night, right? After that dinner out on the deck on their first night here, things had really changed. The way they talked, behaved around each other, everything. And most importantly, he'd felt like he could really be honest with the other boy. He'd been able to open up to Lucas, about his sexuality, his family situation, and had even cried in front of him after that one nightmare. Lucas had agreed to stay in his room, too. It had all felt so normal, so freeing, to be able to be that open with someone again. Of course he had friends, but things with Lucas were just different. It was like he understood Henry. Really understood him. And there wasn't a lot of that in Henry's life. Of course he didn't want to let that go. So being just friends was better than being nothing at all. 

"Please?" he repeated, trying to keep his voice even. Please. 

Lucas shook his head sadly. "It's just too complicated."

"What about Camilla? She still thinks we're friends," Henry reminded the other boy desperately. He was grasping at straws now, he knew, and so did Lucas. 

Lucas' eyes softened as he saw the state Henry was in. "I dunno, lad. I gotta go." He made to turn away from Henry, but Henry caught the other boy's arm and held him in place.

"Lucas," Henry breathed, voice breaking halfway through the older boy's name. "Please. I can't- I can't feel that alone. Not again," he whispered, a lump forming in the back of his throat. "I'm okay with being just friends. Please." He couldn't leave Henry. Henry wasn't sure he could take it, and somehow the fact that it was Lucas made it harder. Henry couldn't take it, no he couldn't. 

Lucas clicked his tongue, looking up at Henry with gentle eyes. "We can't be friends, Henry. Try to understand."

"This can't be it." Henry knew how hopeless and desperate he sounded, but he didn't care. He couldn't bear to accept the idea that he and Lucas wouldn't even be friends anymore. 

"Then how come it is?"  

Henry shook his head, refusing to accept what the other boy had just said, feeling tears escape his eyes already. Lucas exhaled softly, nodding, and carefully removed Henry's hand from his arm. And then he was gone. 

Henry stared at the closed front door, listening as Lucas started his car outside and drove away. He clenched his jaw to keep himself from crying more and went back to Lucas' room. He didn't know what to do anymore. He wanted to throw things, or scream. If he and Lucas hadn't done what they'd done last night, they would still have been friends. They shouldn't have crossed that line. Henry laughed bitterly at the stupid notion he'd had about him and Lucas actually being together. It had lost him the other boy's friendship as well. 

Henry put on his headphones and went out to the balcony, then sat down with his back against the glass doors. He watched the inky sky for hours as it turned lighter and lighter, music playing in his ears. The dark ocean water crested and fell, folding in on itself a hundred times, over and over again, distant moonlight glinting off it. It was always the same, yet somehow new. Henry stared at it and wondered what the other boy was up to now, if he was hanging out with Zeke or if he was with Elena. He found himself hoping Lucas wasn't with Elena, but chided himself for doing so. He could do nothing about it.

Henry couldn't help but feel mad at the circumstances. Why did Lucas have to have that situation going on with Elena? If that wasn't happening, maybe Lucas would have been more open to the idea of being with Henry. And Maddie had felt left out because Henry and Lucas had become friends. Was that why she'd jumped so quickly to the conclusion that Henry and Lucas had slept together? Henry kind of understood why she'd be mad, because of the way Lucas had treated him thinking that he was dating his little sister. Wouldn't Maddie feel the same way if Henry was with her brother? But why did they have to stop being friends?

At least he was leaving tomorrow. Well, today, since it was about five-thirty in the morning now, but it wasn't tomorrow until you'd gone to bed and woken up, everyone knew that. Henry could go back to living his life and try to forget that any of this had actually happened with Lucas. He could pretend that they'd continued hating each other the entire trip and that nothing had changed. They hadn't become friends, they hadn't joked around and flirted, they hadn't kissed, they hadn't fought and then ended up shagging. Yep. None of that had happened. Maybe it could be just some mad fever dream that Henry's stupid brain had cooked up. 

His throat felt raw from crying, and his eyes couldn't stay open any longer. So he padded back into the room and flopped down on Lucas' side of the bed. He wasn't going to be here, so Henry could sleep wherever he wanted. He turned on his stomach, pulling Lucas' pillow close, breathing in the other boy's scent for the last time, and drifted off to sleep. 

*

Henry woke up at 9, feeling almost dazed. Nothing that had happened last night or the night before that seemed real. It seemed as silly and improbable as a dream was by dinner. He showered and got dressed, wearing the grey hoodie again to cover up the love bites. He couldn't believe that those marks were all that was proof of the night he and Lucas had shared, and obviously they had to be hidden. He was still slightly sore as well, but what could he do about it?

As he glanced around Lucas' room, he realised that the other boy had been back here to pack up. The notebook and papers were gone from the desk, and so were  Lucas' football, his laptop, shoes and clothes. He wondered if the other boy had had to be extra quiet so as not to wake him up. The thought made him want to cry again, because who would have been so considerate after their last conversation? He observed the room one last time, not exactly sure what it was that he was leaving behind. He inhaled deeply and got to packing his own things. He didn't want to make the others late. 

After he was done, he carried his bags out to the living room. The Thorntons had left their bags by the door, so Henry deposited his own next to the twins' Hello Kitty suitcases. He glanced out at the beach from the living room. The sea was choppy and grey today, the foamy white peaks of waves rising and falling periodically. The sky was grey and overcast as well, making it seem like it could rain any minute now. At least his hoodie would seem an appropriate choice for this weather. 

He could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Lucas' as well. He didn't want to face the other boy, but he would have to do it eventually. 

"Morning, love!" Camilla greeted him brightly when he entered the kitchen. Maddie, the twins and Camilla were seated on one side of the table, and Lucas and his grandparents were on the other. Fredrick was seated at the head of the table. Of course they'd left the seat next to Lucas empty for Henry. 

Henry greeted everyone, hanging back awkwardly in the doorway. He didn't want to sit next to Lucas anymore. 

"How are you feeling? We can leave a bit later if you want to rest some more. That's why I didn't come wake you," Camilla went on.

"I'm feeling a lot better, thank you," Henry replied, trying his best to sound normal. His voice sounded croaky, probably from the crying. Camilla motioned for him to sit. Henry sighed and sat. She pushed a plate of waffles in his direction. 

"We were just deciding who's taking which car," Fredrick told Henry. "Thing is, my parents are leaving for Naples today in the late afternoon, so they have to be at the airport. So I was thinking, Lucas, you can take the Mercedes and take your grandparents to the airport and then drop Henry off. We can take your Range Rover because the dogs will come with us, too. Plus, the Rover has a bigger boot, so we can fit all the bags." Henry had known that Lucas was probably going to drive him back home, and he wasn't happy about it now that it was settled. 

"Okay, sounds good," Lucas agreed, sipping his orange juice. Henry looked at the other boy sideways, and saw Lucas' jaw tighten after he noticed Henry looking.

Breakfast passed with Catherine and Jack telling their grandkids about what their plans were once they got to Naples and when they'd be all be able to get together again. They both said they'd love to meet Henry again as well and that he was welcome to join them once they all met up later on. He smiled politely, not making any real commitments. Catherine and Jack were lovely, but who knew how things would be later on? Maddie hadn't even looked at him since he'd sat down. 

After they were done eating, Lucas and Fredrick said they'd start loading all the bags in the car and went out to the living room. 

"D'you need any help?" Henry asked, following the two outside. Fredrick shouldered his and Camilla's bags and shook his head at Henry. 

"No need, lad, it's alright," the man said and went out the door. 

"Yeah, and you'd probably fall over trying to pick something up with that shitty balance of yours, anyway," Lucas hissed at Henry as he made to follow his father. Henry scoffed, shocked and confused, and stared after the other boy. What the fuck?

"What's got you scowling, then?" came Maddie's voice from behind Henry. 

He turned to look at her, surprised she was talking to him. She was wearing jeans and a red crop top, hair twisted up in a bun, eyebrows raised a bit as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Nothing," he replied. "Your brother's being a twat again."

Maddie smiled a bit but didn't comment on that. "Are you feeling better? What happened yesterday?"

"Yeah, I'm better now," Henry answered, cracking his knuckles. "I don't know what happened, I just felt really sick and ended up vomiting."

"Oh, no," Maddie sighed, reaching out and rubbing Henry's arm. "You're sure you feel better now? I haven't seen you since... yesterday morning."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Henry said, ignoring the part about yesterday morning. He didn't want to think about that. And Maddie was talking to him now, so that was a good thing. "I just needed to sleep and get some rest."

Maddie nodded, smiling. "I know this trip was kind of weird, and we didn't get to hang out that much, but I hope you had fun."

"Yeah," Henry said, nodding as well. He didn't want to elaborate on the topic. 

"Come here," Maddie told him and pulled him into a hug. "I'll come over to your place once you're settled in and we can hang out whenever, okay?"

"Thanks, Maddie," Henry responded, smiling as he hugged his friend back. 

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Maddie said into his chest in a low voice. "I didn't mean to."

"You didn't," Henry replied quickly. He was surprised at her words, but he was also just happy they were talking. He could keep at least one friend after this trip. 

"Oh, look at you two," Camilla commented, grinning wide. She was sat on the sofa with the twins, who were watching some last-minute Doc McStuffins before leaving. Henry pulled away from Maddie, both of them smiling embarrassedly. "You're going to be seeing each other tomorrow, but you're hugging like it's going to be weeks before you see each other again."

"Tomorrow?" Henry questioned. He wasn't aware they had plans to meet the next day. 

"Classes start tomorrow, remember?" Maddie prompted. 

"What? I thought we had two weeks of break left," Henry said, confused. 

"You're juniors now, darling," Camilla reminded him. "Classes start earlier than they used to."

"Shit," he muttered. He'd have to go home and start packing immediately. His mum had said they'd take him to his new apartment before classes started. 

"Okay, we're all done," came Fredrick's voice as he and Lucas walked back into the living room. 

There was a round of goodbyes, Camilla and Catherine both kissing Henry's cheek after asking him to lean down a bit because he was too tall. He decided to kneel for the twins to be able to hug him, because he couldn't bend that much. Jack and Fredrick both shook his hands and clapped him on the shoulder. Camilla once again told Henry that he should come by their house with his parents, to which he just nodded and agreed in a polite and non-committal manner. Lucas told his parents he'd be by for dinner that night, which made Camilla beam with joy. Lucas and Fredrick exchanged car keys and all of them walked outside to the cars, Camilla locking up the beach house behind them. 

Catherine and Jack sat in the back of Fredrick's black Mercedes Benz S-class, and Lucas got in the driver's seat. Camilla and Fredrick led the twins and the dogs to Lucas' Range Rover. Maddie hugged Henry again and told him she'd see him tomorrow. Henry watched as she went and sat in the backseat of the Rover, pulling Bruce onto her lap. All of them waved goodbye to Henry as Fredrick pulled away from the beach house. 

"Oi, baby Tarzan," called an annoyed voice. "We haven't got all day, y'know."

Baby what? Henry turned to see Lucas glaring at him through the windshield of the Mercedes. 

Lucas honked twice, still glowering. "Get in the car." 

Henry jogged over to the car and got in the passenger seat, trying to maintain a friendly expression for the sake of Catherine and Jack. But he was fuming on the inside. What the fuck was up with Lucas today? 

Chapter Text

As soon as they started towards the city, rain began pouring down on them. Henry leaned his head against the cool window and watched the droplets of rain streaking down the glass, the scenery zipping past them in a grey blur. Catherine was telling them about when she used to teach the second grade at a school in the city and how one of her students had gotten a pencil stuck in his ear, thankfully, the eraser side of it. Henry was only half-listening, because the gloomy atmosphere outside and the car smelling faintly of Lucas' cologne was making him sleepy. He was watching the beach fading further and further away into the distance from the side mirror, regretting that he hadn't been able to go back to that seafood restaurant for more fish tacos.

Lucas seemed completely invested in his grandmother's story, and was asking her questions and laughing at her anecdotes. Henry glanced over at him, eyes heavy with sleep. Lucas was wearing joggers and a large black jumper. The sleeves were a bit too long on him, though, so he'd pushed them back to his wrists, where they were bunched up. His hair was swept across his forehead, covering his left eyebrow, and it stuck up a bit at the back. Henry hated the fact that he knew Lucas' hair was feather-soft and smelled like argan oil, and that he'd loved it when Henry had played with it that night. He still found it hard to believe that that night had actually happened. The Lucas Henry had been with was not the same Lucas he was in the car with now, because this one was more reserved and distant. Colder. His body was tense, knuckles white on the steering wheel. 

Lucas' jaw tightened and he shot Henry a glare when he saw him looking. Catherine continued to tell them about how she had to wait with her student at the emergency room for about three hours that day, oblivious of any tension between the boys. Jack chimed in saying that he'd cooked dinner for the first time that night because Catherine had gotten so late. 

"Really, grandpa, you'd never cooked before?" Lucas questioned, turning his attention back to his grandparents.

"You know how much of a disaster us Thornton men are in the kitchen, lad. I hadn't wanted to take any chances," Jack told him, laughing. Lucas laughed his 'hahaha' laugh, but it didn't seem genuine. He didn't have those crinkles around his eyes this time. Henry sighed softly, making Lucas glance over at him, but Henry didn't meet the other boy's eyes and turned away from him instead, leaning his head against the window once more. 

Two hours and Henry would be free. He wouldn't have to see Lucas again after this car ride, and he could really start to forget what had happened. Lucas drove slightly too fast, but he had a good amount of control over the car, so Henry found himself trusting the older boy's driving skills and closed his eyes.

He kept drifting in and out, sometimes waking up to Lucas talking to his grandparents about their recent trip to Greece, or his job. Henry didn't know why he felt the need to sleep so much all of a sudden. Maybe because the next day was a Monday and he'd have to go back to uni. His sleep schedule had gotten really messed up last year, partly because he'd stay up late studying or because he'd wait for his parents to fall asleep so that he could sneak off to Tom's room. He wondered how his parents would react when he told them that uni was starting immediately, instead of two weeks later like he'd told them. He hadn't spoken to his mum since that day, when she'd called him up, but they knew he'd be back today afternoon. He wasn't sure how he really felt right now about going back home and moving out and everything.

Henry was startled awake when there was a loud honk somewhere in front of them. He groggily registered that they were exiting the drop-off area at the airport, where there was a long queue of cabs and other vehicles, impatiently waiting to exit. It was only drizzling now, the sky grey-white, making it impossible to gauge what time it was. According to the clock on the dashboard, it was just past noon. He had been asleep for more than an hour, then. Henry turned to look at the backseat and saw that Catherine and Jack were gone. 

"I tried to wake you up, but you didn't move." 

Henry glanced at Lucas, but the other boy was staring straight ahead, at the taillights of the car in front of them. "Oh." He sat up straighter, raking a hand through his hair, feeling wide awake now that he and Lucas were alone. There were only about five cars ahead of them now, all of them inching forward slowly. 

"Uh, how come you guys didn't, like, go in the water or sunbathe and stuff?" Henry asked, staring out of the window. At the beginning of the week, he himself would've loved to have done that, but he didn't care so much now. He felt like he had to talk about something, so he might as well ask about this. 

"We did. Yesterday, when you weren't feeling well," Lucas replied, eyes still fixed on the car ahead of them. "Mum and dad were mostly busy the rest of the week, and I don't know what's been up with Maddie."

"What d'you mean?" Henry questioned, now turning to look at Lucas. 

"She's been acting weird," the older boy answered, tapping the accelerator lightly and then braking as the line moved forward a couple feet. 

"You mean since... yesterday morning?" Henry didn't want to think about that conversation again but he wanted to know what Lucas was talking about. 

"Not just that, but the entire week."

"Yeah, things have been a little strained between us. We didn't get to hang out as much as we'd thought we would, and it was awkward sometimes when we did get to talk," Henry admitted. 

"Yeah, I figured it was you that was the problem," Lucas said with a shrug. 

"Actually, it's you who's the problem," Henry shot back.

"Yeah? How so?" Lucas demanded, pressing hard on the accelerator as they finally left the airport and got onto the highway to the city. 

"Well, your change in behaviour is what upset her. She told me she was feeling left out because you and I had become friends," Henry announced. 

"She doesn't need to worry about that now," Lucas said with a mirthless chuckle. "Don't know what I was thinking."

"Me neither. I shoulda known you were incapable of being an actual human being for longer than five seconds. You pretended to be friends with me, got what you wanted, and now we're back to not being friends," Henry found himself saying. 

"'I got what I wanted?'" Lucas asked with raised eyebrows. "You're giving yourself too much credit. It was hardly any good, anyway."

Henry actually laughed. "You were moaning too much for it not to have been 'any good.'"

"Maybe I'm just a good actor," Lucas replied with another shrug. 

"So you did all that moaning just to please me? Wow." Henry raised his eyebrows, pretending to be impressed. He wanted to piss Lucas off. The older boy couldn't just change what had happened and minimise it like this. 

"Well, I figured I'd get some bonus points if I acted like I cared," Lucas admitted. 

Henry chuckled dryly. "The lengths you'll go to keep yourself from admitting that was one of the best shags you've had." 

"Maybe it was one of the best shags you've had. I've had better," Lucas promised. 

"Yeah? Do you like it more if you're shagging as friend with benefits?" Henry questioned sardonically. 

"You don't have to worry about what I like and don't like, anymore," the older boy responded with a chuckle. 

"You're such a wanker," Henry hurled, scoffing. He turned away from the boy again. They were going fairly fast, and were in the city already, the tall glass buildings surrounding them zipping by in a rainy blur. Henry's parents' house was about twenty minutes from the airport, but they'd be there in ten minutes because of how fast Lucas was going. "Could you slow down a bit? I dunno about you, but I don't want to die."

"I don't want to be around you any longer than I have to, so forgive me for trying to speed things up," Lucas replied with a sarcastic smile. 

Henry scoffed. "What the fuck did I do to you, huh? How can you hate me all of a sudden?"

"Bold of you to assume I ever stopped hating you," Lucas answered sweetly. 

"I know you stopped hating me. You're not a good actor," Henry retorted. "I get that what happened can't happen again, but you don't need to be mean to me."

"I disagree," Lucas said simply, indicating to change lanes and then speeding up even more. 

"Lucas, this is stupid." Henry sighed. "We need to deal with this like grown-ups."

"Hm, you're right. Why don't you call me in a couple years, then?" Lucas suggested. 

Henry let out a frustrated groan. "God, you're impossible."

Lucas sighed, too, looking resigned. "Alright, alright. You're right," he gave in after a couple seconds.

"I am?" Henry asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I know how we can deal with this." Lucas nodded.

"How?"

"You can stop being friends with Maddie, too, then we never have to see each other again." Lucas looked delighted at the thought. 

"Every time I think you can just be normal and handle things maturely, you go and pull something like this." Henry shook his head disappointedly. He had really hoped Lucas would have an answer to their problem, but now he was beginning to think that Lucas was the problem. 

"Define normal," Lucas told him. 

"It's certainly not you," Henry shot back, irritated. Lucas snickered, like all of this was amusing him, and it made Henry even more annoyed. Lucas didn't need the directions to Henry's parents' house this time. He took all the correct turns to get them there and in a couple minutes, they were in Henry's neighbourhood. 

Lucas pulled over outside the house with the mailbox that said 'Sullivan' and put the car in park. "D'you need help getting your bags out of the boot? Because if you fall, I can't promise I won't back up over you."

Henry stared hard at Lucas, seriously wondering what the hell had suddenly happened. How had he ever thought that he and Lucas could still get along? "I never met the 'real Lucas Thornton,' did I?"

"This is the real me," Lucas replied, grinning. Once again, his smile didn't reach his eyes. 

"No, Lucas, it's not." Henry sighed, looking at the older boy sadly. Why did he have to be this way with Henry? 

"Stop doing that, okay?" Lucas exclaimed suddenly, making Henry jump. "You have no clue who I am. No fucking clue. Stop trying to act like you know me and that we were ever friends. You don't know me."

Henry was stunned into silence. He just stared at Lucas, who was clearly upset. 

"Can't you just accept that night for what it was? Just a meaningless shag. We don't need to make a big deal out of it," the older boy went on.

"Why didn't you tell me? You could've told me it meant nothing before you kissed me that night," Henry informed him.

"Would you have been okay with that?" Lucas challenged.

"Yeah," Henry agreed readily. Of course he wouldn't have been okay with that. But Lucas didn't need to know. 

"No, you wouldn't have," Lucas cried, throwing up his hands. "You'd never have gone ahead with it. You'd have wanted to sit and talk about it for an hour, then your narcoleptic arse would've fallen asleep!"

"So you just used me? You wanted a shag and you got it. Is that it?" Henry demanded angrily, glaring at the other boy.

"If that makes you feel any worse, then yeah, that's exactly it," Lucas agreed with a shrug.

"Oh, go to hell," Henry spat. 

"Maybe I'll see you there," Lucas acknowledged, nodding once.

"Wanker," Henry muttered, undoing his seatbelt and shoving the car door open. It was chilly and windy outside and the rain was coming down hard now, soaking through his hoodie. But he didn't care. The boot opened, and he grabbed his things as quickly as he could.

He walked to the driver's side door after a second and yanked it open. Lucas started, surprised, and turned to Henry, who bent down to be able to glower at the older boy. "If your goal was to make me hate you again, you've succeeded. So congrats and fuck you," Henry hurled.

"Fuck you, too," Lucas chirped sweetly, smiling up at Henry. 

"Dream on, arsehole," Henry snapped, flipping Lucas off and slamming the door shut. He whirled around, shouldering his bags and marched up the driveway without another look at the older boy. The tires squealed on the wet pavement as Lucas stepped on the accelerator and sped off. 

Henry threw his bags on the ground and tried to quell the rage bubbling up inside him as he paced around on the front stoop of the house. Most of the houses in the neighbourhood were identical- two or three storey structures with a front and backyard, each separated from the other by white picket fences. Henry's parents' house was two storeys tall, painted a light, grey-blue and white. His mum's love for gardening was evident from the way that their front and backyard were both covered in a colourful assortment of plants, shrubs and trees. Henry especially loved the lemon trees in the backyard. Nothing screamed summer to him like floating around in the backyard pool with the scent of lemon trees wafting through the air. He didn't get to do that this year though. 

The front door opened. "Darling! What are you doing?"

Henry stopped pacing and turned to face his mum, who was standing at the threshold of the house, staring at him with worried green eyes. She was wearing blue jeans and a grey sweater, her brown hair tied in a bun at the nape of her neck. "Nothing," he replied curtly, shouldering his bags again. 

"Come in, honey, please," she told him, stepping away from the door. 

Henry went into the house, greeted by the familiar smell of rose air freshener hanging in the air. The foyer gave a view of the living room and the kitchen, and the carpeted staircase that led to the second floor. Elizabeth led Henry into the living room, where he put down his bags again. The living room was airy and bright and had eggshell-white walls and a marble floor. There was a large television mounted on the far wall, overlooking a comfortable, brown leather sofa and a glass coffee table. A bookshelf made of dark oak was placed near the tv wall, containing various magazines and books. A couple abstract paintings here and there added a splash of colour to the room. There were also some family photos, all of them dating back more than two years. Henry didn't recognise any of the people in those photos. They'd all gotten lost somewhere along the way, forgetting that they were supposed to be a family. 

Elizabeth had been sitting on the sofa, solving the crossword in that day's newspaper. Henry knew because the newspaper was spread open on the coffee table, remote laid on it as a paperweight, a cup of tea next to it. 

"Would you like a cuppa, too? You must be cold," Elizabeth said to Henry, eyeing his damp clothes. 

He adjusted his hoodie, ensuring the love bites would be covered up. He couldn't afford to have his parents see them. "No, I'm alright." He was feeling cold, actually, since his drenched hoodie was clinging to his skin, and beads of water were dripping from his hair and onto his face.

"Is dad...?" Henry trailed off, looking over his shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of his father, see if he was home.

"He's at a business lunch," Elizabeth told him, placing a warm hand over his. "Come sit." Henry let her guide him to the sofa and they both sat down, Henry crossing one ankle over the other knee, Elizabeth pulling both her legs up onto the sofa. "Tell me everything about your week."

Henry found himself just staring into space, having no clue where to begin. What could he even say? Majority of his week had revolved around his and Lucas' fleeting friendship and figuring out what things with him meant. He hadn't done anything other than worry about his friendship, relationship, situation, whatever that could be called, with the older boy.

"Honey?" Elizabeth sounded worried. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Henry responded quickly, turning to his mum. 

The lines on her forehead deepened as she studied his face. "You seem different," she told him, reaching out and touching his cheek. Her eyes narrowed as she observed him, like she could figure out what was different about him just by looking at him. "Is everything okay with you and Maddie?"

"Yes," he answered mechanically. "Listen, mum, classes start tomorrow. I just found out. I thought I'd have two more weeks, but classes start earlier for juniors."

"Oh, dear," his mum sighed, dropping her hand. Henry found himself feeling glad she wasn't touching him anymore. He couldn't bear to have to think of an answer to any of her questions. He wasn't sure what he'd find. "I wanted to talk to you, actually. We've packed most of your stuff and taken it to the apartment. There's just a few things here that I knew you'd want to bring over yourself, like your guitar and your records."

"Oh." So Henry wouldn't even get to pack his own room up? It saved him a lot of effort, sure, but he'd wanted to pack his things himself.

"Don't worry, I didn't go through any of your things," Elizabeth added, misinterpreting the look on Henry's face. "I've left your photos in the diary. It's packed with your other notebooks and novels."

"What photos?" Henry questioned. She wasn't going to send his childhood photos with him, too, now, was she?

"Of you and the... lad. With light brown hair," Elizabeth prompted in a low voice. 

Henry blushed a deep red. The photos were polaroids Tom had taken of them one night, when they'd just been hanging out in his room with a pizza and a couple beers. Henry's face was buried in Tom's shoulder in one of the pictures, the other boy's arm holding him close, and the second picture was just the two of them laughing drunkenly, happily, at everything and nothing. Things with Tom had ended months ago, around the beginning of the year, but Henry had still held onto those photos because that day had meant a lot to him. His parents had had yet another fight, his father having left the house in an fit of anger. Elizabeth had wanted Henry to drive around the neighbourhood to look for his dad, and Henry had turned the car around and gone to Tom's dorm instead because he had just been so fucking fed up. Tom had succeeded in distracting Henry with 'The Notebook,' bad jokes and kisses, and Henry had felt so overwhelmed and grateful. Luckily, David had made his way back home before nightfall, like Henry, who had pretended he'd been out looking for his dad. He was so glad that everything had worked out that day, but just weeks after that, Henry and Tom had gotten into an argument of their own, about Tom not wanting to be seen with Henry in public, and shit had hit the fan. 

"Are you- is he your...?" Elizabeth questioned, looking at Henry with gentle eyes. 

"No," Henry answered pointedly. "Not anymore, anyway."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," Elizabeth told him, shifting closer to him and reaching out again to squeeze his shoulder. 

"It's fine," Henry replied woodenly. He didn't want to think about Tom, and he didn't want to talk to his mum about it. He had been mad that Tom hadn't even wanted to be seen talking to him in public, that he'd ignore his presence in front of other people. But after they'd broken up, Henry himself hadn't told the people closest to him about them, because he didn't want them to judge him for believing that things would work out for them, even when it had been obvious they wouldn't. He had reveled in that fantasy once, and it'd felt like the ground beneath his feet was crumbling when that bubble had burst. He didn't need other people telling him he'd been stupid to think that it would ever have worked. He knew it already.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly. This was uncharted territory for them. They'd never discussed relationships or anything like that. Even before he'd come out, they never spoke about such things. His dad would occasionally ask him if there was a girl at uni he fancied or something, or joke about Henry and Maddie being together, but nothing other than that. 

"No." He was glad she was making an effort, but she still hadn't told him anything positive after he'd come out. In the movies, family members would always say things like, 'Oh, I'm so happy for you,' or 'I'm proud of you and I love you no matter what.' Was he ever going to get to hear that from his parents? The thought of his father telling him any of this made him want to laugh. He couldn't even remember the last time David had hugged him. 

Elizabeth was examining his face, a wistful smile on her lips. "You're growing up so fast. You look so different now, so mature."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Henry questioned. Growing up, being an adult- it meant that you knew what you were doing, right? That you'd feel less confused, less lost and less lonely?  That you'd know what you wanted to do, who you wanted to be? That it would stop feeling like you were trapped underwater and couldn't get to the surface? That you'd be able to breathe without letting the water into your lungs?

"Of course, but I just... feel disconnected from you," his mum said, still rubbing his shoulder. He wished she'd stop. "You've changed so much."

"I'm still me," Henry muttered, staring hard at the half-finished crossword laid out on the table. He knew that if his mum went on, he'd start crying.

"But it's like I have no clue who you are," Elizabeth said softly. "That's my fault, though, not yours. I should have made more of an effort." The dream he'd had came surging back into his head. He hardly heard the latter part of what she'd said. 

Henry stood up. His mum's hand fell limp at her side and she looked up at him with more concern. He couldn't take that look anymore. "I need to go." He strode to where he'd left his bags, picked them up and started up the stairs. 

"Darling! Have I upset you?" Elizabeth asked, following Henry up the stairs. The wall next to the staircase was covered in photos- Henry as a baby, in elementary school, on his first day of uni, his parents on their tenth wedding anniversary back when they could still stand next to each other for two minutes without starting an argument, the three of them in front of Henry's car the day they'd bought it, and on Christmas Day last year. Henry's smile had diminished in every photo, as the years went on. He wondered what the point was of putting up so many family pictures. Whom were they trying to fool?

"I just want to be alone," he told her. The upstairs hallway led to three rooms. One used to be his parents' bedroom, now just used by his mum, the guest bedroom where his dad slept, and Henry's room at the end of the hallway.

"What about lunch, baby? I thought we could eat together since your dad's not here," Elizabeth called after him. She had stopped at the landing and was staring after him, confused and upset. 

"I'm not hungry," Henry replied. "Sorry," he added guiltily, as he rushed to his room and shut the door. 

He dumped his bags onto the floor one last time and let out a disbelieving laugh when he glanced up at his room, or rather, what was left of it. Most of his things were gone. His desk was devoid of its usual pile of textbooks, novels, diaries and notebooks, an empty rectangle, lighter than the rest of the wall above his desk, where his little blackboard had been that he'd use for a to-do list. The bed was stripped of its sheets, now just a plain mattress on a wooden bedframe. His nightstand was bare, the lamps, the candles, more books, all of it gone. The closet door was open, showing the empty shelves within. His guitar, thankfully, was still propped up against the wall next to his bed, shiny and black as ever, with little stickers Henry had pasted on it. The walls were a dark blue, and used to be covered in photos of him and his friends, now just holding old pieces of tape where the memories had once been. 

He sighed, feeling a crushing sense of disappointment, looking at the last remnants of the years he'd spent in that room. He sank down onto the floor, one sob breaking through, then another, and pulled his hoodie up to hide his face, though there was no one to hide it from, as the tears fell. Why did things have to change? He'd gotten used to being on his own, but he had known that sooner or later, his parents would come back to the house and it would stop being empty. But he would be the only person who'd be in his new apartment. Sure, he'd have his friends over and everything, but no one would stay. 

And the one person who he'd hoped would stay, the last person he'd expected it to be, had turned out to only have used him for a meaningless shag.

Chapter Text

Henry stopped crying after a bit, annoyed with himself for having done so at all. If people looked at him as being 'mature,' he couldn't just dissolve into tears every time something happened, right? He couldn't do anything now about having to move out. They'd already paid for the apartment and moved his things there. And hadn't he wanted to get away from his parents? This was his chance. He didn't want to think about Lucas at all, obviously, so he shot down those thoughts as soon as they popped up, and decided to pack up the remainder of his things instead. 

He got off the floor and padded towards his bed, then crouched down on the floor. His box of vinyl records was still under there, along with his record player. He also had an old shoebox under there, in which he'd left a bottle of whiskey and some weed. Hey, he'd had to be prepared for when he couldn't go out of the house to escape his parents' arguing. His dad probably had bigger problem with the gay thing, anyway, so. He pulled the boxes and the record player out and placed them on the mattress.

Next, he went into his bathroom to clear his things out of there. He knew his mum wouldn't have touched it. He was really glad about that, because he didn't want to explain some of the things he had in the drawer under the sink to his mum. She may already think of him as an adult, but she didn't need to know how much of an adult he was. He had some extra space in one of the bags he'd taken to the beach house, so he just used that to pack up his toiletries and everything else. He'd have to go downstairs to the storage closet next to the kitchen if he wanted to get a box, and he didn't feel like it right now. 

He got his headphones and pulled his desk chair to the window, which overlooked the backyard, and sat down. He played something on his phone, trying to get lost in the music, but thoughts about the past week kept cropping up in his mind as he stared at the grey-white sky. It was raining steadily, making it hard to see very far, because it looked like everything was covered in some kind of fog. He gazed blankly at the drops of water making their way down into the grass, onto the trees and shrubs in the backyard. The pool had been covered already, meaning that it had rained in the last week as well.

Henry itched to reach for his guitar. The weather was perfect for it. But he didn't want his mum to hear him play. His parents would get irritated when he'd practice a song too many times, but they'd always love to tell people who came over that Henry could play the guitar and that he'd play for them. He would always try to get out of it, but the guests would insist and he'd have to give in. Any time he fumbled a bit, or hit the wrong string, his dad would let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head, and say that Henry needed to practice more. After that happened a few times, Henry stopped playing when his parents were awake, which caused his father to start complaining about how buying Henry a guitar had been a waste of money. Henry only used to practice it at night, after his parents went to sleep, strumming softly with his thumb instead of using a pick. He could practice whenever he wanted now that he was going to move, though.

After a while, his stomach grumbled from hunger. He sighed, supposing he should eat something, and put his headphones around his neck, immediately accosted by the raised voices floating upstairs from the kitchen. So his dad was home now. Henry clenched his eyes shut, wondering what they were arguing about this time. He wished he could stop caring, stop worrying about their fights. They were adults, for fuck's sake. They should be dealing with their own shit. But of course, Henry found himself opening his door to listen. 

"I can't believe you, David! How could you?" Elizabeth was yelling. 

"It's an important deal, Liz, come on," David tried to reason. "If I close it tonight, the commission's mine."

"I told you his classes start tomorrow. It's his last night with us," his mum argued. Henry's heart sank. Of course they were talking about him. "I wanted us all to have dinner together."

"Why? It's not like he talks to us anyway," David said with a scoff. "He didn't even tell us that his classes start tomorrow. Why am I expected to drop all my plans for him?"

"David! I told you, he didn't know about his uni schedule either."

"So he says. And after his 'news,' he's barely spoken to me." Henry could picture his father using air quotes around the word news and it filled him with rage. 

"Can you blame him?"

"Don't pretend like you took it well," his father snapped. "You always make me cancel my plans to have a 'family dinner,' as you call it, and nobody bloody talks!" 

"We need to make more of an effort with him," Elizabeth insisted. 

"'More of an effort?'" David repeated. "He doesn't care, Liz! If he did, he'd at least open his mouth, ask about our days or something."

"He tries, David. He told us about... himself, didn't he? He's trying."

His dad scoffed again. "Then I would've preferred if he hadn't said anything at all." 

Before Henry knew what he was doing, he'd made his way downstairs to the kitchen. It was an open room, with white marble countertops and cabinets, looking out onto the backyard through large sliding doors of glass. His mum was leaning against the kitchen island while his father sat at the table, a couple feet away, with his laptop in front of him. He was wearing a light blue shirt and jeans, brown hair and beard neatly trimmed. He hadn't seen his dad in days, or even heard from him on the trip, so it was kind of strange seeing him after so long. 

"Darling. Hi." Elizabeth was clearly surprised to see him there. 

"If you're going to talk about me, say what you want to my face, or do a better job of talking behind my back," Henry hurled at them. 

"Calm down, son," David told him. His glasses were balanced at the tip of his nose, brown eyes peering over them at his laptop. 

"Don't tell me what to do," Henry snapped, feeling all of his frustration breaking through now. "D'you have any idea how hard it was for me to come out to you, knowing that you wouldn't be okay with it? You can't just treat it as a joke!"

"Henry..." his mum began. Her eyes were sad, her lips pursed as she observed him. 

"What?! Why are you surprised I don't talk to you? Look at how you respond when I do! And when was the last time you asked about my day? You don't care one bit!" he spat. 

"Stop yelling, for God's sake!" David exclaimed, slamming his laptop shut and turning to Henry.

"Why? Is all the yelling upsetting you?" Henry sneered. 

"You need to start behaving like an adult! You're twenty years old, dammit," his father shouted, standing and striding up to Henry. 

"How should I know what adults behave like? Look at my role models," he said with a bitter laugh. 

"Is this how you're going to talk to us? After all we've done for you?" David demanded. He was glaring up at Henry, who realised with surprise that he was now taller than his father. 

"And what exactly have you done for me?" Henry questioned, straining to keep his voice even.

David scoffed yet again, raising his eyebrows. "I paid for everything you see around here. You have this nice house because of me."

"Do I? You're shoving me out of your 'nice house' because I told you I'm gay," Henry replied. 

"You're such a spoiled brat!" David yelled. Henry almost flinched, but he forced himself to stare back at his father. "Most children would be grateful if their parents were giving them such an opportunity." 

"'Opportunity?' To live by myself? I've been doing that for the past year! I barely saw you both," Henry countered angrily. 

"That's because we have jobs," David hissed. "And if you're so used to living by yourself, you shouldn't have any problem doing it in your new apartment. Besides, you couldn't have spent time with us anyway, because you were so busy sneaking around at night, doing god knows what."

"W-What?" Henry stuttered. 

"I've seen you sneak out of the house nearly every night these past few months. Don't make this out to be our fault when you yourself weren't around."

"Excuse me? What d'you mean you saw him sneak out?" Elizabeth demanded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"To whom? It's not like Henry would listen to what I have to say. He never does," David said, shaking his head. 

"To me! He can't just go wherever he wants in the middle of the night, David!" Elizabeth explained, exasperated. 

"Jesus, Liz, calm down. I reckoned he was just going to see that little girlfriend of his, Maddie."

"She's not my girlfriend, dad," Henry exclaimed, frustrated. Why why why? Every fucking time.

"How could you not care where he was going?" his mum continued. "It's not safe for him to be going off in the middle of the night!"

"He's twenty years old, for chrissake," David sighed. "When I was his age, I was working already. I used to have to take two buses to get to there everyday. I never-"

"David!" Elizabeth interrupted, looking fed up. "You should have told me. And he's your son. You can't just not care."

"I don't care?" David repeated dubiously. "Would I have got him that apartment if I didn't care?"

"You only got it because you can't bear the fact that I'm gay and you want me out of the house," Henry bristled. 

"You ungrateful brat," his dad snapped. "When will you realise that this lifestyle that you're used to doesn't come for free? You'd have fucking nothing if it wasn't for me."

"I still have nothing, dad, and no one," Henry said quietly, not breaking eye contact with his father. 

"Honey!" Elizabeth was appalled. "You have us."

Henry laughed. 

"You don't deserve the nice things we do for you. Your car, that guitar, now this apartment. You don't deserve any of it," David said, shaking his head once more. 

"When will you realise there's more to being a parent than just throwing money around?" Henry cried out in frustration, throwing his hands up. "I don't care how much money you have or don't have! You're my parents. You're supposed to mean more to me than the money you earn, or the kind of house or car you can give me. I just want your love and support, that's it." 

David had a look of disbelief on his face, as if he couldn't quite comprehend that Henry, or anyone, thought that. Elizabeth was staring at her feet. Henry had expected her to understand, at least. He felt a lump forming in the back of his throat. Why was he always stuck talking to people who didn't want to listen? 

"Guess I don't have you after all, huh, mum?" he choked out, forcing a smile. "Text me the address to that apartment, please."

'Honey, why don't you wait a few minutes? We'll get ready and we can all go, okay?" Elizabeth asked, sounding desperate. She looked ashamed when Henry laughed once more.

"Seriously? You really thought I'd agree?" Henry asked incredulously. "And you can go to your stupid business dinner or whatever the hell it is," he told his dad. "I don't want to have dinner with you."

"The least you could do is show some appreciation for everything I do around here, you know," David told him. Henry had had enough. 

"You're right. Here." He stuck out his middle finger, then turned and ran up to his room, hearing his dad cursing indignantly and yelling about how ungrateful Henry was, and his mum trying to placate David. Henry was done here. 

He put his guitar in its case and shouldered it, along with the two bags from the beach house, and picked up his records and the shoebox. He realised it was too much to carry in one go, as he struggled under all the weight, but he wanted to get out of here as quickly as he could. He made his way downstairs again, barely able to balance everything. He was glad his mind was occupied with keeping the boxes upright, because he didn't want to look at all the family photos on the wall next to the staircase. He wasn't sure if he'd start crying again or smash them all to bits.

His mum was standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for him. "Henry, please, just wait. We'll take you," Elizabeth pleaded. It sounded like she was about to cry. She moved out of his way when he reached the last step. "I'll take you," she urged. He grabbed his car keys and the keys to the new apartment from the table near the door.

"No." He threw open the front door, with some effort. The rain hadn't let up still. He hesitated in the door a moment, worried about his records and guitar. He didn't want to get them wet. 

Elizabeth misunderstood his uncertainty. "Honey, just come back inside. We'll talk, okay? I promise he'll be nicer." 

"Mum! It's not just him that's the problem. I'm fucking tired of this. I can't keep doing this."

"Baby," she said desperately, placing a hand on his shoulder. Henry flinched at her touch, and she gasped a little, withdrawing her hand, which was now shaking. She looked beyond crushed, her eyes the saddest he'd ever seen them. "I'm so sorry, darling. I'm sorry about everything." 

She was always sorry. Henry swallowed hard, feeling guilt trying to bubble up in his chest, but he pushed it down. He wasn't the one at fault here. "I gotta go, mum." 

"Honey! Wait!" she called, voice cracking. "Where- where did you used to go?" 

"You know where," he replied in a low voice. She'd already found the photos. 

"Did you-"

"I'll see you later, mum," Henry interrupted. "Text me that address, yeah?" 

He walked briskly to his car parked in the driveway and opened the door to the backseat to dump all of his things. He pulled open the door to the driver's side and got in. He started the car and immediately pulled out of the driveway, not even stopping to put on his seatbelt. As he drove away, he saw Elizabeth standing on the front stoop, staring after his car. He couldn't tell if she was crying or if it was the rain that made it seem that way. 

                                                                                                                 *

He ended up driving to a nearby supermarket and doing some grocery shopping for dinner and the following week. He also bought some snacks since he hadn't had any lunch. By the time he'd paid for everything, his mum had texted him the address, along with an apology. He ignored her second message and fed the address into the car's gps. He deviated from the route that the gps showed, though, so that he could drive for longer and try to collect his thoughts.

He never drove in silence, so it was kind of a strange feeling. He could only hear the rain pattering against the roof of the car as he drove. The apartment complex came into view a few hundred meters down the road. It was a quaint neighbourhood, with lots of trees and there were a lot of shops around. The building looked posh and was about ten storeys tall, painted cream and white, with balconies jutting out at every floor. He could see the lights on in a few apartments already, since it was sort of dark out. The keys had a tiny clicker attached to them, which Henry assumed was for the main gate. The gate slid open with a slight creak. The ground floor of the complex was reserved for parking. His apartment was number 9, so he looked around for the parking space set aside for it and parked when he found it. Almost every other parking space was occupied, but there weren't any people around. Henry brought out all his things, making two trips this time, and took them to the lobby, then waited for the lift. The lobby was well lit, and had a big glass chandelier and letterboxes.  

He took the lift to the fifth floor, since there were two flats on each floor. He opened the door, feeling slightly anxious, and flipped on the light. The living room that lay beyond was open and spacious, with powder white walls. There were large glass sliding windows, overlooking the main street outside. The apartment was furnished already, with a light grey sofa, glass coffee table, television and grey rug on the floor to go with the sofa. There were boxes everywhere, labelled in his mother's handwriting. He realised that his mum had left the same sachets of rose-scented air freshener she used at home in every room here, which almost made him tear up. The hallway near the front door led down to the kitchen, the bedroom and the bath. The kitchen wasn't too big; the counter ran the length of the far wall, and a rectangle, glass dining table was placed near the entrance. There were a couple boxes on the counter with dishes and cutlery and all that stuff. A coffee machine sat next to the boxes, a sticky note with a smiley face stuck on its front. He went to check out the bedroom next, finding even more boxes on the hardwood floor. The bed was pushed up against the wall opposite the door, a dark wooden nightstand next to it. The closet was spacious, with a full-length mirror and a laundry hamper inside. A big desk, similar to the one he had at home, was placed by the window, his blackboard lying on top of it. 

Henry inhaled deeply, went out to the living room to get his headphones and then got to work. The place looked cluttered at first, when he was deciding what went where, but once he'd gotten through everything, it looked quite nice. He'd go out later that dayand buy some stuff to decorate the place, like those vines that he'd seen, or maybe print a couple pictures and put them in frames to hang. He divided the photos of him and his friends, putting some of them up on the fridge and the rest in his bedroom. He'd also come across the polaroids of him and Tom, but he'd left them in that diary, which was shoved in the drawer of the desk in his bedroom. By the time he'd finished organising everything, it was almost 9pm. He quickly made some spaghetti aglio e olio, because that was the easiest recipe he knew, and ate while watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S on the tv. He'd thought he'd have trouble falling asleep that night, but sleep found him quickly when he lay down in his new bed, surrounded by the smell of rose air freshener. 

He walked to uni the next morning, greeted by familiar faces once he entered the building. Uni was strange, honestly. There were people milling about like zombies, either high as hell or sleep-deprived, people with coffee cups, groups of girls putting on lip gloss and checking themselves in their phone cameras as they walked, and way too many cats. There was also music floating towards him from somewhere. Maybe it was one of the acapella groups around campus, or just someone playing guitar in their free time. He'd missed the random, crazy stuff that went on like this at uni. He spotted Maddie, Noah and Logan chatting by the psychology building and went up to them.

"Henryyy," Logan crooned when Henry said hello, and pulled him into a hug, kissing his cheek. He smelled like aftershave and coffee. Logan had curly brown hair, like Henry, but it was cut short and swept to one side smoothly. He had hazel eyes and a bright smile, and was wearing a large jumper and dark jeans. Henry had always thought Logan was kind of attractive, and couldn't help but blush a bit now. "How are you?" 

"Good," Henry grinned. "How are you?" 

Logan pressed his index finger and thumb together, the the other three fingers held up, still smiling at Henry. 

"You look great, lad. The hair suits ya," Noah told him, hugging and kissing Henry as well. 

"Thanks, Noah," Henry smiled at the other boy. Noah's dyed blond hair stuck up in every direction, even more so when he ran a hand through it. He had a laugh that carried through the air loudly. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and zip up hoodie, blue-grey eyes sparkling as he flicked the silver lighter in his hand on and off. He smelled like cigarette smoke, too, but it was different from the way Lucas smelled. Henry hated that he'd just thought of Lucas again. 

"Hey, there," Maddie said, smiling and hugging him. She was wearing a white top and skirt today, blonde hair falling over her shoulders. Her eyes were lined with kohl again, cheeks and lips pink. "Have you moved out yet?"

Henry nodded, trying not to think of the way he'd left his parents' house yesterday. "I can have you guys over today, if you'd like."

"Are you sure? We can wait till you're settled in and everything," Logan suggested.  

"Yeah, we can help you decorate and everything. We can go to Ikea and buy stuff you like," Maddie added. 

"Oh, um, I actually already finished decorating," Henry informed them, rubbing the back of his neck. He'd forgotten about his friends saying they'd help him out. 

"You did?" Maddie asked. She sounded hurt and confused. 

"Sorry, I just wanted to get that stuff over with," Henry replied apologetically. 

"It's fine lad" Noah told him, hooking an arm around his shoulder. "We'll go to yours after class."

The four of them went to class together, then to the cafeteria for lunch, and back to class. Henry had missed just hanging out with them like this. He didn't have to think about anything else when they were all together. They were all chatting, recalling things from the break, as they walked to Henry's apartment after classes. Noah told them about some random dreams he'd had during the summer, or something that had happened to him when he was high, and the rest of them listened with disbelief, concern and disgust. Logan talked about going to his grandparents' farm with his little sister, who wanted to bring a baby goat home at the end of their visit. Maddie told the boys about her and Henry's trip. Henry let her do most of the talking, feeling slight panic in his chest when she mentioned Henry and Lucas becoming friends. He'd told them himself, of course, on facetime, but it still made him nervous.  

"Yeah, how does that even happen?" Logan asked, eyes wide as looked at Henry questioningly.

Henry shrugged. "It doesn't even matter now. Lucas has gone back to hating me." He wished that sentence hadn't hurt as much as it did. 

"He was in a strangely good mood last night, though," Maddie informed him. "I almost thought he was pretending."

"Huh," was all Henry said. They'd reached the complex now, and Henry opened the main gate with his keys and went in, Logan and Noah following him. 

Maddie didn't. She was standing outside the gate, staring at Henry. "You live here?" 

"Yeah. Why?" 

"Henry. This is Lucas' apartment complex," Maddie reminded him.

"What?" Henry was shocked. 

"Yeah. Remember that time we'd gone to the movies and he was supposed to pick us up, but he got drunk instead and we had to bring him back here?" she prompted. 

That night came flooding back into Henry's mind, when he'd driven Lucas' car back here and the other boy had gotten mad at him for it. Maddie was right, obviously. This was where Lucas lived. Henry swallowed, suddenly feeling anxious. "Oh."

Chapter Text

Maddie, Noah and Logan stayed for dinner. Henry ordered some takeout and they watched a film together, eating and drinking beers. All the while, Henry's mind was occupied by other thoughts. How could it not be? Lucas lived in the very same apartment complex that Henry was now living in. What were the fucking chances? He couldn't remember Lucas' apartment number and was too scared to ask Maddie. He was better off not knowing, anyway. He'd begged her to not tell Lucas or her parents about it. He would try and do everything he could to avoid running into Lucas, but he already knew it was impossible. God, how could he not have recognised the apartment complex? He'd thought it looked familiar, but he figured it had only been because he'd driven past this area many times before. After all, it was only about twenty minutes away from where his parents lived, and super close to uni and Logan's apartment as well. And he hadn't really been thinking of much that night he and Maddie had brought Lucas back here; he'd just been furious at the other boy's behaviour. 

"Henry," Noah was saying. "Henryyy," he sang low in the lad's ear, giving him chills.

"Fuck's sake," Henry muttered, starting. Noah laughed seeing the other boy jump. It was dark out now, and the living room could be seen reflected back in the windows. Maddie was sitting by Noah's feet on the floor, and the three boys sat on the sofa. "Sorry."

"Are you alright?" Logan questioned, looking worried. "It's like the tenth time you've zoned out." 

"Yeah, sorry," Henry repeated, poking at his half-eaten burger. "I'm just..."

"Thinking about what happened with Lucas?" Logan asked with a wry smile. 

Henry sighed, burying his face in his hands. "I know it's stupid. I just didn't wanna see him again, y'know? And now it's not gonna be possible." 

"What happened between you two, though? One minute you're the best of mates, the next, you never want to see each other again. I can't keep up," Maddie told him, looking at him curiously. 

Henry felt a warmth in his chest thinking about what had happened. He didn't know if it was anger, or because he'd thought of the night he and Lucas had shared. He cleared his throat and blinked. "I can't either. He's the one that decided things had to be this way." That was true. All of this was Lucas' fault. Why shouldn't he pin the blame on him, then?

"I was just so surprised when you and he became friends, honestly," Maddie continued. 

"Can we just let it go?" Henry sighed. Maddie and Noah shrugged, but Logan gazed at him a second longer before giving in, too. 

"I think we should get going, it's getting late." Noah stood up, dusting his hands on his trousers. 

"Gross! You just ate a bunch of gherkins. Now your trousers are going to smell like it," Maddie whined. 

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Why would you care what my trousers smell like?" 

Maddie blushed furiously, flustered. "I- Well-" Logan and Henry looked at each other and burst out laughing. Maddie groaned, shoving Henry and Logan in their arms when they wouldn't stop. 

Noah just stood there, blinking innocently and looking from Maddie to Henry and Logan. "Am I missing something here?"

"Come on, lad, let's go," Logan told him, still smiling, and hooked an arm around Noah's shoulder. "The place looks great, Henry. Thanks for having us."

Henry beamed at him. 

"Seriously though, Maddie. What were you trying to say?" Noah turned around to look at Maddie, a playful look in his eyes.

"Nothing," Maddie insisted, not meeting Noah's eye. She was still blushing. "I don't like gherkins. That's it," she said quickly. 

"Sure, yeah, that was exactly it," Logan agreed, trying to suppress laughter. "Maddie doesn't like gherkins." 

Maddie glared at Logan, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. Logan shrugged, smiling at her. She rubbed at her eye with her middle finger, aiming it at Logan, who let out another laugh.

Noah had a incredulous smile on his face. "Wait. What's wrong with gherkins?" 

"He smokes too much weed," Henry muttered. 

Logan snorted. 

"You guys," Maddie complained, opening the front door and rushing outside. 

"Maddie, wait," Noah called after her, flashing a knowing grin at the other two boys as he followed her out. "Weed is good for Gherkins, though! He loves it!"

"Gherkins and his friends can piss right off," came Maddie's angered voice from the stairwell, followed by Noah's booming laughter. 

Henry and Logan were still chuckling. "I'll call them an uber, make sure they both get home okay," Logan assured. They were standing at the front door, the dim light from the lobby spilling over them and onto the threshold of Henry's apartment. 

Henry nodded, his smile slowly fading as he realised he would be alone again. 

"Are you alright?" Logan questioned, eyes looking concerned. 

"Yeah," Henry responded immediately, then cleared his throat.

"Listen. If you want to talk about the Lucas thing... without Maddie, we can talk, okay?" the other boy told him.

Henry met his friend's eye uncertainly, heart hammering. He had a feeling Logan already knew what might have happened. 

"It's okay," Logan insisted, like he knew what Henry was thinking, and placed a reassuring hand on Henry's shoulder. "You can talk to me about anything."

"Maybe some other day?" Henry suggested softly. Right now, it was enough for him knowing that he had someone to talk to. 

"Whenever you want, mate," Logan told him, giving his shoulder a squeeze and smiling. Henry smiled back, heart filled with gratitude. "Okay, I should go make sure 'Gherkins' didn't piss Maddie off too much. She's scary when she gets mad." 

Henry laughed again. "Text on the group once you guys get home, okay?" 

Logan nodded, winking at Henry, then disappeared down the stairs, leaving Henry by himself at the front door. 

                                                                                                                        *

The next couple of weeks passed quickly. Elizabeth had messaged and called Henry nearly everyday asking if he was alright. He couldn't bring himself to reply to the messages or pick up the phone when she rang him at first, but he realised that she would come over to check on him if he didn't respond, so he began to answer. His dad didn't contact him at all. His mum, glad that he was texting her back, had started suggesting he come by the house for dinner one of these days. Henry had replied in non-committal manner, of course, because he had no intention of going back there.  

Maddie wasn't mad about the whole 'gherkins' episode anymore, since it had actually brought her and Noah closer. They would flirt a ton every day, both of them blushing when Henry or Logan called them out on it. Logan hadn't brought up the Lucas thing again, because Henry hadn't mentioned the older boy's name since that night. Henry was afraid every time he stepped out of his house that he might run into Lucas. He had no idea what he would do or say. He kind of couldn't believe his good luck that they hadn't spotted each other around the complex yet, but of course it would run out soon. 

Henry was just about to get on the lift in the complex, around 11pm on a Friday, when it happened. He'd just come back from Noah's place, where he'd had dinner with his friends. They'd been chatting and drinking wine, taking advantage of the fact that Noah's parents were out and had a great collection of reds. 

"Please tell me I'm hallucinating," came a sharp voice from behind him. Henry could tell who it was from the accent. He knew if he turned around, his good mood would be ruined. But he had to. 

He turned, sticking a hand out to keep the lift doors open, and saw Lucas standing a couple feet behind him in the lobby, by the letterboxes. Henry's heart rate shot up instantly. The other boy looked different from the last time Henry had seen him. He looked older... and good. Really good. His hair was styled differently now, swept back in a quiff, and longer, coming down to his ears. He was wearing his blue denim jacket, a graphic white t-shirt and dark trousers, his guitar strapped to his back in a black case. His cheekbones were more prominent, his upper lip, jaw and throat covered in fine hairs. Henry snapped out of it, not wanting to look at the boy too long. Lucas would make fun of him if he knew what Henry was thinking. "Well, I am dreamy, but no."

Lucas scoffed. "Leaning into the whole baby Tarzan look, are you?" he questioned, cocking his head to the side as he observed Henry. 

Henry reached up and touched his hair unconsciously. He'd let it grow longer, and now it fell to just above his shoulders, curling in soft brown rings. He was glad he hadn't tied it up in a bun now, as he sometimes did. Who knew what Lucas would've said then? "You keep saying 'baby Tarzan' like it's a thing."

"It is a thing, Hector," Lucas replied with a sneer. "It's a cartoon."

"You'd know all about cartoons, wouldn't ya?" Henry shot back, irritated at being called by a different name by the older boy. Were they really going to do this again?

"You try having two eight year-old sisters," Lucas challenged, blue eyes sparkling. 

Henry rolled his eyes and turned to the lift again. He got in and held the door open. "Are you getting in or what?" he questioned when he saw that Lucas hadn't moved from where he was stood.

Lucas laughed. "I'd rather take the stairs than be around you for even that long."

That hurt. Why did he still have to be like that? "You're such a vile person! How do you sleep at night?" Henry hurled.

"Usually drunk and on top of somebody," Lucas responded with a shrug. Was he quoting Charlie Harper from Two-and-a-half Men? Seriously?

"You need therapy," Henry told him. 

"And you need to move out," Lucas snapped. "I can't believe you've followed me here."

Henry scoffed. "Oh, just get fucked."

"Are you offering? 'Cos no, thanks," Lucas answered with a look of disgust. 

Henry stared at Lucas for a second, heart twisting when he recalled the way he had actually grown to like the boy standing in front of him. He couldn't fathom that now. "I hate you," he choked out, letting the lift doors shut, hoping the memories of the other boy would somehow be shut out as well. 

Around midnight, Henry was lying awake in his bed with the covers drawn up to his chin, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about his interaction with Lucas, and their conversation kept playing over and over in his head. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and threw back the covers. He got his car keys from his desk and went downstairs. 

It was chilly outside, and quiet, except for the occasional honk or bout of laughter from a nearby pub breaking through the night. Henry started the car and exited the apartment complex. He didn't have any particular destination in mind, so he just set out in a random direction. He put on some music to drown out his thoughts. He could scream the lyrics to whichever song without having to hear his dad call it girly or emotional or whatever. He didn't realise how fun this could be, how freeing it would feel to just be by himself like this, driving to nowhere. 

That was the first of many times he'd set out in the middle of the night like that, when he couldn't sleep, to just get behind the wheel and feel the open road in front of him. He would come back home late at around two in the morning, without having to worry about waking his parents up or getting caught sneaking around. He found himself going out like that more and more, especially if he'd seen Lucas around earlier that day. Since running into him that Friday, he'd started seeing Lucas in the apartment complex a lot more often, mostly later in the night. Sometimes, the older boy would be carrying a backpack, hands full of papers and documents. Other times, he'd have a football at his toes or tucked under his arm, or he'd be carrying his guitar, or even groceries. 

They never interacted, though. Lucas would pretend Henry didn't exist, and Henry would play along, ignoring the older boy's presence, too. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder about the other boy's life. Maddie didn't mention Lucas to Henry anymore, so he didn't know what was going on with him. Were things still strained between Camilla, Fredrick and Lucas?

Henry hated that he thought so much about Lucas, even when he was trying to ignore the other boy's existence. 

                                                                                                                        *

Around four weeks after the beach trip, Henry was having dinner with his friends at Logan's place. Logan lived alone, too, not too far away from Henry's place. His apartment was clean and orderly, smelling fresh and citrusy. There were a lot of family photos everywhere, something that was lacking from Henry's apartment, and a few dolls and board games that belonged to his little sister, Becky. It had a nice, homey feel to it, the apartment, and Henry loved hanging out there. 

He was helping Logan out in the kitchen with plating the Chinese takeout he'd gotten. Noah was out in the living room, flicking through tv channels and smoking. Maddie wasn't here yet. She'd said Lucas was coming by for dinner, so she'd pop by later on for dessert. 

"So, how's living by yourself going?" Logan questioned, turning over a container of Chinese chicken salad onto a plate. 

"Good," Henry replied. He stuck three forks into the salad. "Better than I expected. I can practice guitar as much as I want and I don't have to fight for the tv remote."

Logan chuckled. "Have you seen... him around?" he asked, giving Henry a look as he spooned out fried rice onto a plate.

Henry sighed. "Too many times. I hate it."

Logan smiled sympathetically. "If you-"

"Lads!" called Noah from the living room. "I am starving! Ravenous! Food. Now. Please. Grrr."

Henry and Logan snickered. They picked up their food and went out to the living room. The boys sat together as they ate dinner, chatting and watching football. Henry wished the night could keep going on, because he didn’t want to return to his empty apartment.  

Around 9, a knock sounded on the door. Logan opened it, and found a dishevelled-looking Maddie standing outside it. She was soaked in rain, her blonde hair hanging down in lank strings around her face. 

"Babe! Are you okay?" Noah questioned, putting down his plate and rushing to Maddie. Babe? 

"Fine, just got caught off-guard by the rain," Maddie replied, shrugging off her coat. She turned to Noah and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. 

"Whoa, whoa! When did this happen?" Henry pointed at Noah and Maddie, confused, and stood up, too. His phone was buzzing like crazy, but he didn't look at it.

"What d'you mean, mate?" Logan asked him, puzzled. "They've been going out two weeks now."

"What? Two weeks?" Henry repeated disbelievingly. "Why did nobody tell me?"

"You didn't tell him?" Noah turned to Maddie, his blue-grey eyes narrowed in confusion. "You said you had."

Maddie shrugged, shooting Henry a dirty look. "Why should I tell him anything? He doesn't tell me things either."

Henry was really lost. "What? Maddie, what are you talking about?"

"What?" She shrugged again. "You lie all the time. Why do you expect me to keep you in the loop about things?" 

"I don't know what you mean," Henry said desperately. Why was she mad at him again? 

"Alright. I'll make it simple for you. Did you sleep with Lucas? Yes or no?" Maddie demanded, staring straight at Henry. Noah's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Henry. Logan didn't seem as surprised, but he looked concerned.

This. Again. And without Lucas to help out. "W-what? Maddie, I've answered this before," he managed to say. 

"Yeah, but you lied," Maddie told him. "You slept with my brother and you lied about it!"

"I didn't!" Henry insisted. 

"Henry! You're lying right now!" Maddie cried. "Lucas told me."

Henry felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "Lucas told you?" 

"He tried to lie, too, but I told him I'd heard you two talking that morning. I heard your entire conversation, about the love bites, the scratches, Thanos!" Maddie hurled. "You didn't even notice me standing there till I said something when the twins came!"

"Maddie," Henry began, not knowing where he was going with that. How the hell was he supposed to get out if this one? 

"You're such a liar, Henry! You and Lucas both! You slept with my brother! How could you?" she asked, hurt clear in her voice. 

"I'm sorry, Maddie. Just let me explain," Henry told her, a lump forming in his throat. 

"I've been waiting for you to explain! Why do you think I'm only bringing this up now?" she questioned angrily. "I kept thinking, hoping you'd finally come clean about it, because maybe you needed time, but both of you kept lying to me! I asked you about it so many times. I thought you were having a tough time with everything, because of your parents and moving out, but you lied over and over and insulted my intelligence." She was crying now. 

"I'm sorry," Henry repeated, walking up to her and placing a hand on her arm, but she shrugged it off. 

"I trusted you! Why don't you trust me? We've been friends for two years!" Maddie wiped at her eyes, causing her eyeliner to smudge and drift to her cheeks. 

"I didn't know how you'd react," Henry explained wretchedly. "I thought you'd be mad at me."

"I am mad at you! You didn't even give me a chance to be okay with it, Henry! You just don't trust me, that's it. Even on the trip, you wouldn't tell me what was going on, but you told him when you had nightmares. You trust him more than you trust me! You must've lied about why you were both in the kitchen that morning. And now you both live in the same apartment complex. You can go see him whenever you like now," she spat, scoffing. 

"Maddie," Henry said again, desperately, but again, he didn't know what to say.

"I don't know what to do anymore. I'm done trying with you," she announced, shaking her head. "You can just go hang out with him now. It seems like you don't need anyone else anyway."

"Maddie, please," Henry choked out, looking down at his friend. She wouldn't look at him. "I'm so sorry."

"That means nothing coming from you," Maddie said quietly. "I think you should leave."

"Maddie, come on, now," Logan interrupted, holding up his hands in a placating manner. 

"No, it's okay. I'll go," Henry found himself saying. He didn't know what he could say to Maddie that would change her mind. He couldn't think straight. 

"Henry!" Logan was shocked. Noah said nothing, just watched Henry quietly as he pulled his new girlfriend into a hug. 

"I'll see you guys around." Henry opened the front door and let himself out.

The night was a dark grey, rain clouds covering every inch of the sky. The taillights of passing cars, along with the streetlamps, created bright and colourful streaks on the wet road. Henry ambled along the footpath, water from puddles splashing onto his sneakers, unable to process that what had just happened had actually happened. What was he going to do now? Maddie was pissed at him, and Noah would likely be on her side now, since they were together. He might still stand a chance of being on good terms with Logan. He could talk to him, explain his side of things. But Lucas had told Maddie? What the hell was he thinking?

Henry reached his apartment complex and got in the lift, his thoughts running wild. How was he going to get Maddie to understand his side of things? The doors opened, revealing, very much to Henry's surprise, Lucas waiting by Henry's door. He was leaning against it, wearing a large black t-shirt and jeans, hair mussed, most likely because of the rain. 

"Hi," Lucas said when he saw Henry step out of the lift. He blinked, observing Henry for a second. "Are you alright?"

"What's it look like, Thornton?" Henry was irritated at seeing Lucas. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded crossly. "Leave."

"Henry," Lucas sighed, raking an impatient hand through his hair. "Maddie knows."

"I know, I just saw her," Henry snapped.

"Fuck," Lucas muttered, shaking his head as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. "What happened?" He lit one and took a deep drag, eyes never leaving Henry's face.

"Let's see. She called me a liar, said I don't trust her, told me she was mad at me and that she was done trying to be friends with me. Then she asked me to leave. So thanks for that," Henry bristled, glaring at Lucas. A part of him felt like he shouldn't be so mad at Lucas because the older boy looked visibly upset, grimacing as Henry recounted everything. 

"What'd you tell her?" Lucas questioned, taking another drag. Smoking in the lobby wasn't allowed, but Lucas seemed like he couldn't give a fuck less, so Henry didn't say anything.

"What the fuck could I say, huh? I tried to deny it at first, but that just made it worse for me, because I lied to her again," Henry groaned, throwing his hands up. "Why would you tell her? Are you mental?"

"She had me, alright?" Lucas exclaimed, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "I was at dinner at my parents' house and something happened, and she asked me about it. She said she'd heard us talking that morning. I couldn't deny anything after that."

Henry gazed at Lucas for a second, biting his cheek hard. He was still standing by the lift doors, not wanting to go near Lucas. It felt as if he was betraying Maddie just by talking to Lucas right now. "Can you please leave?" His voice wavered, but he tried to look unfazed and glared at the other boy.

Lucas stared back at Henry, blue eyes soft and sad. "Yeah, okay." He pushed off from the door, sticking his cigarette in his mouth as he walked towards the stairwell. "I'm sorry."

"You fucking should be. First, I lost you, and now I've lost her. At least she was actually my friend. It's your fault, it's all your fault," he cried frustratedly, trying to make himself believe that it was just Lucas' fault. 

"I know. I'm sorry," Lucas repeated, looking beyond crushed. Henry suddenly wanted to pull Lucas to him, hug him, kiss him, find some way to comfort him. 

"That means nothing coming from you," he told the other boy anyway, Maddie's words flowing through him. 

Lucas clenched his jaw hard, nodding once, then took off running up the stairs. 

Henry wished he could chase after the older boy, still wanting to take him in his arms and hold him close, but instead he opened the door to his apartment and turned on the lights. He pulled out his phone, remembering that it had been buzzing like crazy. There were about ten texts, all of them from Lucas, warning Henry that Maddie knew and apologising. 

Henry hurled his phone at the sofa, wishing he could erase the past few hours from his memory. This was not how he'd seen this evening playing out.

Chapter Text

A knock thundered on the door of the apartment around 11pm. Henry was sat on the floor near the sofa, practicing guitar, trying to forget the past couple of hours. He looked up, heartbeat quickening, wondering if Lucas had come back to talk to him. What would he say to him now? 

"Henry, are you home?" called a voice. Henry exhaled softly, almost disappointed. It was just Logan. 

"Coming," he replied, abandoning his guitar. He opened the door to let the other boy in. Logan was wearing pyjama bottoms and a full sleeve t-shirt, carrying a black umbrella in his hand. He looked relieved when Henry opened the door. 

"Are you alright?" Logan questioned, stepping into the apartment when Henry backed away from the door.

"Yeah," Henry heard himself say. 

Logan didn't look convinced. "Look, Maddie's really pissed off with you. She kept talking about how you betrayed her trust and everything, and that you were a bad friend. Noah just took her home, and I came over to check on you."

"Thanks, but I'm fine" Henry insisted. 

"You don't need to lie to me, mate," Logan told him, tilting his head slightly. 

Henry sighed. "Wanna go for a drive?"

Logan blinked, taken aback. "Yeah, okay."

The boys made their way downstairs in silence. Henry could feel Logan watching him with concern. He'd decided he was going to tell Logan everything, he just needed a bit of time. Both the boys looked up when they heard a car door open in the parking garage. Henry had thought no one else would be around right now, but of course, the person who was there was Lucas.

"Oh, shit," Logan muttered, glancing from Henry to Lucas.

Lucas was getting into his car, which was parked in the space reserved for number 14, a couple spaces down from Henry's car. He was now wearing grey joggers and a red t-shirt, hair still mussed up. Henry's stomach did a somersault when Lucas glanced up and saw him. Lucas' eyes softened the tiniest bit as he observed Henry, but then his eyes shifted to Logan, and his expression hardened again. Henry panicked slightly, wondering what Lucas must've thought. And was he going to see Elena? Lucas pulled the car door closed, and turned on the engine, exiting without looking in Henry's direction again. 

"Hey, you okay?" Logan asked, placing a hand on Henry's arm. 

"Fine," Henry answered immediately, pulling open the door of his own car. 

Logan got in the passenger seat and Henry exited the parking garage once they'd both put their seatbelts on.  

"Can I have a cigarette?" Henry asked Logan after a couple minutes. They'd been driving in heavy silence, which Henry didn't like at all. 

"Since when do you smoke?" Logan inquired, surprised. "What about your asthma?"

Henry shrugged, lowering the driver's side window. He didn't really know why he was asking for a cigarette, actually. Logan quietly fished out his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to Henry along with his lighter. Henry put it in his mouth and lit it, inhaling a bit, then some more. It was some clove-flavoured shit, and it tasted horrible. Henry's tongue felt fuzzy and weird, his throat scratchy, but he took another drag anyway. Logan lit one for himself, too.

After another few minutes, when they were nearing the road to their university, Henry finally started talking. Then he couldn't stop. He told Logan everything that had happened, feeling glad he could finally get that off his chest. He told his friend about the dinner out on the deck, the conversation in the kitchen and living room, falling asleep on the couch, monster hunting- all of it as it had happened that week. Logan listened patiently, nodding in understanding, and looking sympathetic when Henry finally got to the part where Lucas had said the two of them shouldn't be friends anymore. 

"Mate..." Logan began, eyebrows raised slightly, when Henry was done. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I dunno," Henry admitted. "I just... I didn't know what I was feeling, I still don't. He's Maddie's brother, you know, and that was always at the back of my mind. And he was just so irritating, I never even fathomed this happening." 

"I get it," Logan sighed. 

Henry also told Logan about the drive back home from the beach house and the conversation he and Lucas had had in the lobby that day, and even the fact that Lucas had come to see Henry a couple hours ago. 

"I dunno what to say, lad. It's all just too complicated," Logan said, shaking his head. 

"I know, I'm just so confused," Henry groaned. They were just at the outskirts of town now. Henry figured he should make a U-turn and go back. It was past midnight already, and they had uni in the morning. 

"D'you wanna be with him, though?" Logan asked. 

Henry thought about it for a bit. "The new Lucas I met, yeah, I can see that happening, maybe. But he's gone back to being the annoying one from earlier."

"I feel like it might just be because of the way Maddie reacted, y'know." 

"Yeah, could be. He isn't out. I think, at least," Henry replied. "He fully said he wasn't into lads to her." Logan inhaled deeply. Henry glanced over at his friend, realising the other boy's eyes were heavy with sleep. He felt guilty for having talked for so long. "I'm sorry for having kept you out for so long. You should take a nap or something. I'll wake you up when we get back."

"I'm sorry. I've been up since 6," Logan told him. He yawned, as if he was just now acknowledging the fact that he was sleepy because Henry had said something.

Henry shook his head. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

Logan smiled at him sleepily, then slid down in his seat and closed his eyes. 

                                                                                                                           *

Over the next few weeks, things were really weird. Maddie wasn't talking to him at all, Noah would just nod at him and smile, but not talk to him, and Logan was trying to balance being friends with Henry and Maddie and Noah at the same time, which was really tough. Henry ended up feeling responsible for running his friend ragged like that, having to divide his time between his friends, so he started telling Logan he was busy, allowing the other boy a moment of peace. 

About two or three days after the Maddie's confrontation, when Henry was driving through a neighbourhood near his apartment complex, he saw a 'help wanted' sign in the window of a small bakery. He pulled over and went inside, not really knowing what he was doing. The bakery smelled heavenly, the aroma of various kinds of breads and cakes wafting through the air along with one of Henry's favourite smells- coffee. 

"Hi, love," greeted the lady behind the counter. Her name tag said Joan. She had a broad, almost lopsided smile, and short white-blonde hair and brown eyes. He guessed she was probably in her late fifties. "What can I get you?" Her accent was slightly posh, and she spoke quickly.

Henry stared at the glass shelves laden with baked good after baked good. "I... I saw the 'help wanted' sign, actually."

Joan smiled even more broadly. "Okay. D'you have any previous work experience? Any references?"

"Not really," Henry admitted, rubbing his neck. "But I'd like to work here. I'm a quick learner, I promise. I can work the register or something, at least. Please?"

Joan observed him for a second, deep in thought. "Look, I'll be honest with you, babe. We need all the help we can get. It's just me and my husband taking care of things here, and we're not getting any younger. He's in the back." She pointed at a metal door behind the her. "He's the one that does all the baking. I handle the customers. But it's hard because it's just us two. So if you work the register like you said..." she trailed off, thinking some more. 

"Yeah, yeah, I can do that," Henry agreed immediately. 

"I like your enthusiasm, darling, but it's not gonna pay so well. That's why we're having so much trouble finding someone," she told him. She mentioned the amount they were offering per week. It was just enough for him to buy groceries and everything for the week. He wouldn't need his mum to send him money for that anymore, at least. 

"That's okay," he assured her. He also just wanted something that could take up his time, maybe, because he couldn't stand being alone for too long these days. Plus, he'd have a real excuse for not hanging out with Logan now. "I'll do it. If you'll have me, that is."

Joan smiled once more. "You seem like a sweet lad. I think we could work something out."

Henry grinned back at her. Joan introduced Henry to her husband, Paul, who looked around the same age as her, and had grey-white, close-cropped hair and a salt-and-pepper beard. Paul was really pleased that someone had taken an interest in the job and assured Henry that he'd catch on quick. They lived in a flat just above the bakery, and had worked there for about thirty years, since they'd been married. They asked about the timings Henry would prefer, and he told them he could come by after his classes and stay till closing. When Joan heard Henry was still studying, she insisted that he need not come in every single day, because his studies were more important. They settled on three days a week for the same amount Joan had mentioned before, which Henry argued should be reduced, but the couple wouldn't hear it. Joan gave Henry some basic training, telling him how to work the register and the coffee machine and everything. 

Henry started work the next day, and ended up going to the bakery pretty much every day, just to have something to do. Sometimes, Joan would let him work, other times he'd just sit behind the counter and chat with her. Joan and Paul had two children, a girl and a boy, both of them married with kids now. Joan constantly told Henry how much he reminded her of Brandon, her son, because they both had the same curly, brown hair, while Paul gave him numerous kinds of breads and cakes to taste. He felt really comfortable with them, and they didn't expect too much from him. They were happy he was just there and that they had someone to talk to. Henry even tried his hand at baking, under Paul's guidance, making his first loaf of bread and a couple muffins. A beaming Paul said he was a natural. It would get busy in the evenings sometimes, then Henry would put on his black apron and name tag and work the register while Joan packed the customers' orders. 

"That girl's making the eyes at you, look," Joan told Henry early one Friday evening, elbowing him lightly to get his attention. It was raining outside, making everything look gray and gloomy. They'd had the lights on inside all day.

It was slightly busy right now, and Henry had just finished billing two customers. He looked up and saw a well-dressed girl with a roundish face and short, dyed-black hair observing him. She smiled and blushed when Henry met her eye then looked away. She was standing at the far end of the shop, checking out the different types of bread. 

"Why don't you go over and help? Maybe you can ask her out on a date later on," Joan suggested, winking. 

Henry chuckled. "I'm gay." He was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the words had flown out of his mouth just then. 

"Oh," Joan squeaked, face reddening. "I'm so sorry, darling. I shouldn't have been so presumptive."

"It's okay," Henry said earnestly. 

"Really, though. It was stupid of me to have said anything. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, love," Joan told him solemnly.

"You didn't," Henry assured her with a smile. She smiled back at him, a little uncertainly, and was called away by another customer who had a question about the cupcakes. 

The black-haired girl came to the register, finally having chosen two loafs of whole wheat. Henry greeted her and billed her. She batted her mascara'd eyelashes at him the entire time, smiling shyly. She seemed a little miffed when Henry simply handed her her change and receipt and didn't ask for her number or something, and left without another look at him. Henry thought it was funny and couldn't help but snicker. 

A little while later, he was helping Paul bring out trays with fresh baked goods and put them on the shelves. He was about to go back into the other room to bring out more trays, but Joan put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. 

"There's a lad here right now, who stops by every few days, sometimes with his little sisters. He's real sweet. I could introduce you if you want," she told him in a low voice. Henry could tell she felt badly about earlier and was probably trying to make up for it. He had a lot of experience with his mum's friends trying to set him up with their daughters or someone else they knew, but none of them would have tried to set him up with a lad had he told them he was gay. 

"I'm not really sure..." Henry began, not wanting to turn around yet to look at this new lad. 

"He's a lovely lad, trust me," Joan insisted. "He's friendly with everybody. And he's fit, too. He's got blue eyes and some seriously sharp cheekbones." 

Henry frowned slightly. "How d'you know if he's... also into lads?"

"I don't," the woman admitted. "But he could be a good mate to you, too." It was like she knew Henry didn't have many friends these days. Wasn't that hard to figure, honestly, because he spent all his free time at the bakery, so. "I'll help out Paul. Just have a chat with this lad." Before Henry could answer, however, Joan had pulled the metal door open and gone inside. 

Henry sighed, wondering what he would find when he turned around. He almost let out a laugh, but his heartrate shot up, too. How the fuck did Lucas Thornton manage to be everywhere?

Lucas was wearing a oversized grey jumper and black trousers, hair styled in a quiff again. He looked soft and at ease, standing with his back to Henry facing the other end of the bakery, trying to pick out a cake. He was the only customer there now, somehow.

"Lucas, darling," called Joan's voice. She'd just walked out with a tray of pies. "How are ya?" She put the tray down on top of one shelf. 

"I'm buzzin', Joan," Lucas replied, his smile vanishing as he turned around and saw Henry. He clenched his jaw and inhaled, then smiled at Joan again. "How are you?"

"Great," Joan beamed. "Much more relaxed because of Henry here. He's been such a great help," she said, squeezing Henry's shoulder. 

"Oh, that's nice," Lucas answered, giving Henry a polite once-over. "Horace, was it?" Horace? That wasn't even close. Henry scowled at the other boy.

"Henry," Joan corrected with a smile. 

"Right. How d'you do?" Lucas questioned, tilting his head slightly. 

Joan glanced over at Henry, concerned when he didn't reply. "He's just shy," she told Lucas, shooting Henry a look. "Why don't I let you both get acquainted?" She disappeared behind the metal door once more. 

"So. Working at a bakery, huh?" Lucas began, his voice already teasing and sarcastic as he returned to his examination of the cakes. "Should I worry about being poisoned now?"

Henry jammed his hands in his pockets and stood rooted in place, not looking at the other boy. Lucas glanced up when Henry didn't respond, his eyes growing a little sad as he took in Henry's closed-off expression. The older boy quickly picked up a box of carrot cake and brought it over to the register. Henry made a bill for the cake and put the box in a paper bag silently. Lucas handed him a note, and Henry fetched his change and dumped it in onto his outstretched palm. 

"Not talking to me at all, are you?" Lucas questioned, pulling out his wallet to put his change in. His voice sounded strange to Henry. Lucas almost sounded... miserable.

"Thank you. Have a good day," Henry responded with the standard reply he used for all customers, trying to maintain his composure as he held the paper bag out to Lucas. 

Lucas didn't make a move to take the bag. He observed Henry for a second, his still-sad blue eyes locking in on his face, making Henry's stomach flutter. He reached out and took the bag, calloused fingers grazing Henry's knuckles during the handover. "Yeah. You, too," he replied softly, sounding crushed, and walked over to the door. Lucas paused in the door. "You've got flour on your face, by the way," he said, turning his head slightly to look at Henry. Henry blushed, wiping at his face furiously. Lucas watched Henry and smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes, then he was gone. 

Joan walked out after a minute or two, glancing about and then realising Lucas had left. "How was it? What happened?"

"You were right, he's nice," Henry told her through gritted teeth. She grinned at him, and was about to say something when she was interrupted by the door opening. An older woman with grey hair entered, greeting both Henry and Joan. Henry was glad when she began chatting to Joan, so he could have a moment to himself. 

Henry's heart skipped a beat when his phone buzzed. He wondered if it was Lucas. He looked down at his phone, feeling disappointed when he saw it was just his mum. 

'It's been too long since I've seen you, Henry. Please come to dinner tonight. 7pm. You've been avoiding coming home, but you need to now, else I'll have to show up at your apartment because I can't think of any other way I'll get to spend time with you.' 

He sighed, dreading the thought of having to see his dad. He wasn't exactly eager to do so after their last conversation. He usually texted with Elizabeth a couple times a week, but since he'd told her he didn't need her to send him money anymore, she'd kept telling him to come see them. He knew his mum was serious, because she'd only used his name and not said 'honey,' or 'love' even once. He wouldn't mind if she came to his place, but he knew she would be really angry at him and was scared of what would happen if he kept ignoring her requests for him to go home. 

"Um, Joan?" Henry called. She was still chatting with the lady who'd come in just now.

"Yes, darling?" 

"D'you think I could leave early today? I've to go to my parents' place for dinner," he explained. He only had an hour before he had to be there. 

"Of course," she replied with a bright smile. Henry wished she had said no. "You weren't even supposed to be in today, remember? Why don't you take some apple pie for your parents, though?" she suggested, pointing to the pies Paul had just baked. "I'll pack it for you," she said, and got to work.  

Henry went back to his apartment to change and then drove to his parents' house, apple pie sitting safely in the passenger seat. It had been nearly two months now since he'd been back home. It was odd to call his parents' house 'home' now. When he thought of 'home,' his apartment was what popped into his head. Empty and cold and lonely. But home.

He pulled into the familiar driveway, the house looming up in front of him. He swallowed hard, throwing the car door open and trudged up to the front door. He rang the doorbell, heart hammering in his chest with anxiety. The door opened, revealing Elizabeth standing behind it, a wide smile already on her face. She was wearing a floral top and jeans, and had cut her hair shorter since the last time Henry had seen her. It fell to her chin now, in loose brown waves. 

"Hi, darling," she squealed, pulling Henry into the house and into a tight hug. He managed to raise the box with the pie above their heads so that it didn't get crushed, and hugged his mum. "I'm so glad you came. I missed you so much. 

"Hi," he said once she'd pulled away. 

She surveyed his face, eyes going over every little detail. Henry felt weirdly exposed somehow, but he knew obviously that she wouldn't know anything other than what he told her. "I cut my hair and you're growing yours out. Isn't that fun," she commented, reaching up and ruffling Henry's hair. He smiled politely. "How do I look though?" She tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. 

"You look great, mum," Henry answered. 

"Thank you, darling," Elizabeth grinned at him. "Can't get over how mature you're looking these days," she told him, her smile turning sad now. 

Henry could never figure out what she meant when she said that. Maybe his face looked more angular? Or it could be that he had stubble growing along his jaw? Or that he had gotten taller, his shoulders and chest broader? He just smiled again. 

"Are you alright, though? You're looking tired," she observed, pouting a bit. 

"I'm alright," he confirmed. 

"Come on, we'll chat more in the kitchen," she told him, taking his hand in hers and leading him to the kitchen. Henry followed her reluctantly, knowing his dad would be in there, too. 

The kitchen smelled of the lasagna that was being baked in the oven, and sure enough, David was sat at the table, peering at his laptop once again. Henry's mind flashed back to the last time he'd been in this kitchen and he couldn't help but shudder. 

David looked up when Elizabeth and Henry entered, his eyes going wide with amusement when he saw Henry. "No time to get a haircut, lad?" he questioned.

Henry chuckled humourlessly, realising he wasn't going to end up staying long enough to eat that lasagna. He looked out the kitchen window. The rain had stopped for a bit, but the sky was still a dark grey, the clouds waiting to pour down any minute now. 

"Did you bring us something, darling?" Elizabeth asked, eyeing the box in his hand. 

"Right. Apple pie," he answered, putting it down on the kitchen island. 

"Thank you, love. Very thoughtful of you," his mum said with a smile. "Sit, please." She sat down opposite David at the table. Henry couldn't bring himself to move at first, then forcefully dragged one foot ahead of the other and went over to the table and sat. 

"Your mother tells me you don't need an allowance anymore," his father began. "I'm glad you've gotten yourself a job. Didn't I say living by yourself would bring you more opportunities? You never would've done anything like that if you were still holed up upstairs in your room."

Henry didn't respond; he was staring blankly at the floral pattern on the table runner.

"So, where do you work?" David continued. "Henry?"

Henry blinked. "Uh, there's this bakery near my apartment complex that-"

"A bakery?" David scoffed. "That's where you work?"

"David, don't start," Elizabeth complained. "It's his first job."

"What does it matter where I work? I'm earning money for it," Henry countered, irritated. 

"Don't you think it's a... girly job?" David questioned, raising his eyebrows as if he was pointing out something fairly obvious. 

"No," Henry replied pointedly. "I like working there. The couple who owns it is really nice, and they let me come by whenever I want."

"Is that why you've been avoiding us so much?" David inquired with a sneer. "You spend all your time there instead of coming to see your own parents, is it?"

"David!" Elizabeth looked shocked. 

"Come on Liz, we were both thinking it. It's been two whole months since he came to see us," his dad went on. 

"D'you even realise that I don't like coming here because of the way you talk to me?" Henry fumed. "You can't talk to me normally for a second."

"Here we go again," David said with a sigh, looking back down at his laptop screen. 

Henry scoffed. "Look, mum, if this is what it's going to be like, then I'm leaving." He moved his chair back in order to stand up, but Elizabeth grabbed his hand and stopped him. 

"No, darling, wait," she pleaded. "I haven't seen you in so long. Please stay." She looked distraught, her green eyes sad and panicked at the same time. Henry pulled his chair back to the table, and some of her uneasiness seemed to disappear. She glanced at his father furtively once, then turned to him again. "How have you been? How is living alone? How are things with Maddie and your other friends?"

"Good," Henry answered woodenly. 

Elizabeth sighed a little, tilting her head to the side. "Tell me more, honey, come on." She was still holding onto his hand. The weight felt immense. 

Henry shrugged. "Everything's fine."

David scoffed again. "Look at the way you're talking to your mother. How do you expect us to feel if you answer this way?" 

Henry clenched his jaw, recalling their last argument again. "Fine. Let's see. I haven't slept well in weeks because I hate being alone in that apartment, so I drive around aimlessly all night just to have something to do. Maddie isn't talking to me, nor is Noah. Logan tries, but I don't want to be a burden on him so I tell him I have other things to do so he doesn't have to hang out with me. And yes, I spend all my time at that bakery, because it's the only place left where I can interact with other people without them looking at me like I've committed some crime."

Elizabeth stared at him, her mouth slightly open in shock. David, too, looked surprised. "Darling," Elizabeth began, her eyes moist already. Her grip tightened on his hand, adding to the weight. 

"What? You wanted to know, right? Now you do," he declared with a shrug. 

"Come home for a while," Elizabeth begged when she could find her voice. "Just for a bit, so you can rest."

"'Rest?' Here?" Henry chuckled mirthlessly. 

"Baby, please," his mum requested. "Stay here tonight and get some sleep. You can go back tomorrow if you want to."

"No, Liz. He needs to learn to deal with his problems," David announced. "He can't just come running back here when something goes wrong. He needs to figure out how to face his issues. He's not always going to have something to fall back on."

"But while he does have something to fall back on, he should make use of it," Elizabeth argued. "Look at him! He's exhausted!"

"You can have some of those sleeping pills I've got. How's that sound?" David asked Henry.

"You can't be serious, David," Elizabeth said, appalled.

Henry gaped at his dad for a second, then wondered why he was surprised. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Look, whatever the case, you can't give up and come back here. You've got yourself a job, albeit, a slightly feminine one, but I suppose that's okay with you since you're 'gay' and everything, so you should keep going, you know?" David said in a matter-of-fact way. 

"David." Elizabeth was staring at her husband in shock. 

Henry inhaled sharply, his father's words washing over him. "Yeah, okay. I'm gonna go." Henry stood up.

Elizabeth didn't stop him this time.

His feet found their way to the door quickly, his mind still reeling from what had just happened. He had to get out of there.

It was raining outside now. He got in his car quickly and drove to his apartment complex, thoughts racing in his head. He parked the car and got out, still in a sort-of daze. He went up to his apartment, and stared at the closed door blankly, not wishing to open it and be alone yet again. Once again, his feet began moving of their own accord, and took him up to the seventh floor.

He stood in front of apartment number 14, heart racing, and knocked on the door. 

Chapter Text

The door didn't open. Henry waited for a few minutes, shifting his weight from one foot to another nervously and biting his cheek. Was Lucas not home? Wait. The carrot cake he'd bought. He must've been going somewhere, maybe to his parents' for dinner. Or Elena's place, thought Henry bitterly. He knew Lucas  said she wasn't his girlfriend, but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He exhaled loudly, glancing at Lucas' closed door once again, then set off downstairs. 

He threw open the door to his own apartment, which somehow seemed emptier now, if that was even possible. He thought about going back to the bakery and staying till closing, since it wasn't even 9 right now, but then he'd have to explain to Joan and Paul what had happened. He knew they'd understand and everything, but he just didn't have it in him to think about it again. 

He didn't feel like putting too much effort into dinner, so he just ate two pop tarts, which, coincidentally, were strawberry flavoured. It's not like he chose those ones on purpose because they reminded him of Lucas. No, that would be crazy. 

After watching tv for a while, he was starting to feel drowsy. He lay down on his bed, but then found himself staring up at the white ceiling again, wide awake. What the hell had he been thinking, going to Lucas' apartment like that? Thank god the older boy hadn't been home. What would Henry even have said to him? He groaned, pulling his pillow over his face. He breathed in and out, trying to drown out his thoughts, till his eyelids became heavy with sleep. 

Henry's phone went off loudly around midnight, causing the boy to jolt awake. He'd been lying on his stomach, face buried in the crook of his arm. He reached blindly for his phone, finding it under the pillow. There were two texts. The one he'd gotten just now was from his dad. His dad never texted him, unless it was important.

'Henry, I know what happened today must've upset you. Liz made me see as much. I'm sorry. I'll give you a call later on when I've got my own place.'

Henry sat up immediately, staring hard at his phone. He narrowed his eyes, confused, then saw the other text he'd received, about thirty minutes ago, from his mum. 

'Hi, love. I hope you're asleep right now, which is why I'm texting and not calling you. Your dad and I had a long talk, and we've decided that we're going to take a break. He's going to get a hotel room for the night and then start looking for a place to stay later on. I'm so sorry for what happened at dinner, baby. I can't even imagine what you must've thought. Why don't you come by tomorrow morning around 10? We can talk then.'

He gaped at the text from his mum. His parents were taking... a break? David was going to get his own place? He reread both texts to make sure that was what they actually said. He looked up at his dark bedroom, unable to process what was happening. His mind was racing, and nothing made sense. He felt a lump forming in his throat.

He stood up, wandering out into the living room, and spotted his car keys on the coffee table. He couldn't go back to sleep now, and he didn't want to stay in the apartment anymore. He yanked open the front door hurriedly, and set off down the stairs. If something like this had happened a couple weeks ago, he would've called up Maddie right away. She would've asked him to come over immediately, and they'd talk things over and eat ice cream, and Henry would've been able to go back to sleep, knowing he had Maddie by his side. But right now, he wasn't even sure she'd pick up.

Maybe he could go see Logan. But he would most likely be asleep. Henry clenched his jaw as he rushed into the parking lot, eager to get in his car and get away for a bit. He pulled open the door and got behind the wheel, a dry sob breaking through as he turned on the engine. Another as he put the car in reverse. Hadn't he hoped, prayed for the day his parents would finally realise they shouldn't be together anymore? Then why did he feel like crying now that it was actually happening? He put the car in park again, not having moved from the spot, and buried his face in his hands, feeling warm teardrops slide down his palms. 

Henry wiped his face on his sleeve after a minute, but it was no use. He kept tearing up thinking of his parents. He couldn't help but feel guilty. Maybe if he'd been a little more understanding, it wouldn't have happened like this. If he'd tried to understand why his dad had reacted the way he had, why his mum didn't say anything, maybe it wouldn't have come to this. Were they just splitting up because of him? Had they actually been happy before, and he'd been the problem? 

Henry looked up, bleary-eyed, realising he shouldn't be crying in a parked car in the garage. Anybody could see him. He didn't feel like going for a drive anymore. Maybe he could just sit in front of the tv for the rest of night and sleep with his eyes open. He turned off the engine and got out, about to go back upstairs to his place, but then he saw it.

Lucas' car, parked in the space reserved for number 14. He was home.

About two minutes later, Henry couldn't believe he was standing in front of apartment number 14 again. It was like his mind had dissociated from his body, and his feet had brought him up here on their own. His heart was racing. He inhaled deeply, steeling himself, and knocked on the door. 

A couple seconds later, the door opened. Lucas stood at the threshold, wearing black shorts and an oversized, light green t-shirt and big white socks, his face glistening a bit, probably from moisturiser or something. He looked shocked upon seeing Henry, his eyes going wide as he took in the state the younger boy was in. Henry was tapping his foot anxiously, biting the inside of his cheek again. Was Lucas even going to let him in? As if on cue, Lucas reached a hand out, grabbing the front of Henry's t-shirt and pulling him into the apartment. 

Lucas' place was warm and cozy and smelled faintly of lavender. The living room was dim, with only two of the wall-sconces lit, both warm white. The layout of the apartment was the same as Henry's. There was a large, beige sofa, and two armchairs, all of them facing the television. The coffee table had an ashtray on it, along with a few books, a pencil and sticky notes stacked on one end. The wall behind the sofa had fairy lights put up on it, which made Henry smile. There was a little wicker basket in the corner next to the tv, full of blankets and small pillows. 

Henry looked at the other boy again. Lucas was stood a few inches away from him, watching him with unbelievably soft eyes. Henry was suddenly aware of the fact that his face probably bore the signs of crying, but he was unable to look away from Lucas or say anything. 

It was Lucas who broke the silence a couple seconds later. "Drink?" he asked softly, then padded into the kitchen without waiting for a response. 

Henry stood where he was, hearing the dull clink of glasses on the kitchen counter. Lucas reappeared with two glasses and a bottle of vodka. He set the glasses on the table, pouring a bit of the clear liquid into both, then picked them up again and handed one to Henry. 

Henry held the glass carefully, and stared at the liquid it held. Lucas glanced at him once, then went and sat down on the far end of the sofa. He took a sip, then put the glass down on the table. Henry sat on the other end of the sofa, trying to squeeze himself into that corner and keep as much distance as he could between Lucas and himself. 

He tipped his head back and gulped down the contents of the glass in one go, and placed the empty glass on the table. "I don't know why I'm here." He stared at the carpeted floor, not looking at the other boy. 

"I didn't ask why you're here," Lucas reminded him in a low voice. Henry glanced over at him to find Lucas already looking. His eyes were so, so blue. Henry could feel a tug in his chest, pushing him to close the distance between them, but he didn't. "Are you okay?" 

Henry shook his head once, then once again, that tug in his chest pushing to transform into another sob. Lucas sighed softly, looking at Henry with tenderness. Henry kicked off his shoes and pulled his knees to his chest, just to have something to do so that he would stop looking at Lucas. 

"You can stay here tonight," Lucas told him a couple seconds later. "If you want to." 

"Can I?" Henry asked, his voice betraying more hope than he'd wanted it to. 

Lucas nodded. He finished his drink quietly, not saying anything more.

Henry stared at the soft material of his pyjamas, unsure of how to break the silence. "I didn't wake you, right?"

"Nah. I was just getting ready for bed," the older boy answered. Henry nodded slowly. Lucas smiled tentatively. "If you want to talk about... it, you can. I'm here."

Henry looked over at him again. Lucas. His Lucas. 

"Is there anything else I can do?" Lucas asked earnestly after Henry didn't answer him. 

Henry swallowed hard. He'd wanted his Lucas back for so long. "Can I have a hug? Please?" he whispered, heart beating rapidly. 

Wordlessly, Lucas scooched closer to Henry's side of the sofa, and wrapped his arms around the younger boy. Henry melted against him, transferring his weight onto the other boy's chest and clutching at the his t-shirt, hands fisting in the fabric. Lucas' arms held him tightly, and Henry let out a half-sob, half-laugh, finally having regained that sense of comfort he'd lost weeks ago. Lucas' skin was warm and smelled of that amazing, woody, cigarette smoke scent. Henry didn't realise how much he'd missed it. Lucas shushed him softly, rubbing his back. 

"Do you want to sleep now?" Lucas asked in a low voice a few minutes later, when Henry had gone still against him and was breathing steadily.

"Okay," Henry said drowsily. He pulled away from Lucas, laying sideways and resting his head on the armrest of the sofa.

Lucas stood up, and trudged towards his bedroom. A couple seconds later, he came back into the living room, looking confused. "Are you coming or what? I'm not carrying you in."

Henry blinked sleepily. He knew he was going to fall asleep soon, because he hadn't even registered the other boy's words. "Stay here with me," he murmured. "Please."

Lucas clicked his tongue and sighed. "Fine. But I'm not sharing a sofa with you again." He pushed the coffee table off the rug that was under it, and picked up a large grey blanket from the basket in the corner of the room, spreading it over the rug. He disappeared down the hallway and brought back a couple pillows and a dark-coloured duvet and put them down. "C'mere, Henry," he called softly. Henry pulled himself up with difficulty and flopped down on the rug. Lucas turned off the sconces and put on the fairy lights, then crawled onto the rug, on Henry's right. 

He felt like he was already dreaming, watching Lucas sitting next to him in the dim golden glow of the fairy lights, with sleep-heavy eyes. 

Lucas raised his eyebrows, eyes glinting with amusement. His cheekbones and jaw looked so prominent in the low lighting, his dark hair making a halo around his head. Henry sighed deeply. Lucas looked angelic. "What're you trying to do?" 

He stared at Lucas for another second, before looking away. "Sleep," he answered finally, then lay down. His feet touched the coffee table at the end of the rug, so he turned towards Lucas, curling up. Lucas lay down as well, resting his head on his left arm. It was quiet for a couple minutes, both boys breathing evenly next to each other in the quiet of the night. Henry was starting to feeling cold, though, so he moved towards to Lucas, placing his head on the older boy's shoulder. Lucas shifted, making Henry groan at first, but he was only wrapping his arm around Henry's side to hold him close.

"Thanks for letting me stay," Henry mumbled into the older boy's neck, glad to be breathing in his scent again. 

"Shush, love. Go to sleep," Lucas whispered back, pulling the duvet over them both. Henry finally felt some solace as they drifted off to sleep on Lucas' living room floor. 

The next morning, Henry awoke to the smell of coffee and pancakes wafting through the air. He couldn't believe how well-rested he felt. He didn't think he had even dreamt last night; he'd just been out cold. He stretched, muttering a curse when he stubbed his toes on the coffee table again. He turned on his side, finding Lucas' side of the bed empty once more and sighed. 

The living room looked brighter now, since it was morning. Henry sat up, scooching back till he could lean against the sofa, and observed the living room again. He caught a few things that he'd missed last night, like a couple colouring books and crayon boxes lying on top of one of the armchairs. He assumed they belonged to the twins and not Lucas. He didn't seem like he'd enjoy colouring in pictures of princesses. Dog hair was practically everywhere, even on the duvet they'd used last night. There were numerous family photos around, in frames on the walls or atop the table under the tv. They seemed like pictures Lucas had taken, because he wasn't in a lot of them. There were photos of the twins at the beach, Maddie trying her hand at cooking in the Thornton's kitchen, Camilla and Fredrick sitting on the sofa with Bruce and Cliff next to them. There was one picture of all of them, which seemed like it was taken at someone's wedding, because everyone was dressed up. 

Henry closed his eyes, unable to comprehend the fact that he was really here, able to see all of these things around Lucas' apartment. He'd been so nervous about whether or not Lucas would let him in, but the older boy had been so nice. He'd even cuddled Henry, twice, so he could fall asleep. Henry didn't love how easy it had been to fall asleep again in Lucas' presence last night, but somewhere deep down, he'd known that Lucas would be the one to bring him comfort. 

"You okay?" came Lucas' voice. 

Henry opened his eyes and saw the other boy standing by the doorway of the kitchen, looking down at him. He was still in last night's clothes, hair messy and sticking up at the back. "Never better," he replied with a tiny smile. Henry felt butterflies seeing the crinkles around Lucas' eyes as the older boy smiled back at him. 

"Want some breakfast?"

"What time's it? Gotta see my mum at 10," Henry said, trying not to think about that too much. 

Lucas sucked in air through his teeth. "You might wanna get a move on then. It's nearly half nine."

"Ah, fuck," Henry groaned, scrambling to his feet. He picked up the duvet and started folding it, but Lucas grabbed it out of his hands. 

"I'll take care of it, don't worry," he told Henry. His breath smelled like coffee, and he had a bit of toothpaste at the corner of his mouth. Henry looked down at him, unable to stop himself from smiling. Lucas raised his eyebrows, looking amused again. "What?" He dumped the duvet back onto the rug, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked up at Henry.

"Nothing," Henry answered immediately, taking a step back. "I should get going." He patted his pyjama pockets to make sure he had his phone, wallet and keys, then strode over to the door, Lucas close behind. Henry pulled the door open, turning to face Lucas. "Thank you for letting me stay. You have no idea how much I needed that." He couldn't meet Lucas' eye as he said that, so he stared at the carpeted floor instead. 

"You don't need to thank me," Lucas assured him in a low voice. "I'm actually glad you showed up."

"You are?" Henry looked up. 

Lucas nodded. "I just wish it hadn't been because of whatever happened with you last night, though. What was it?"

Henry bit the inside of his cheek. "My parents are taking a break," he admitted after a second.

Lucas looked at him sadly, his mouth turning down at the corners. "I'm so sorry."

"Things have been really strained between them, especially since I came out," he continued, sounding more upset than he'd thought he was.

"Don't think for a second that it's your fault, alright?" Lucas said firmly, blue eyes big as they locked in on Henry's face.

"How did you-"

"I know you. That's the first thing you'd have thought. It's not your fault," the older boy repeated. "You were incredibly brave to come out to them, and if they have a problem with it then that's on them, okay?"

Henry nodded gratefully, smiling. Some of his guilt seemed to have disappeared. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything."

Henry shook his head. "You've helped me more than you know. And I came by earlier last night, but you weren't here."

Lucas pouted a bit, then inhaled. "You should get going. You'll be late to see your mum."

Henry suddenly didn't want to leave. He wished he could stay here and eat breakfast with Lucas. "Yeah." He wanted to ask if he could come by again, or say he'd talk to Lucas later. But he wasn't sure he should say it. 

"Okay," Lucas said with another nod. Both of them waited for a second, as if waiting for the other to say something more. But neither of them did. Henry gave the older boy a small smile before turning and running down the stairs. 

He went to his apartment, showered and changed, then drove to his parents' house. He hadn't been able to stop thinking for even a second about Lucas. He was so grateful that Lucas had assured him his parents splitting up wasn't his fault. He'd known that he'd been able to sleep properly again if he was around Lucas. He wished he could go back to the older boy's place again tonight, but Maddie was still not talking to him. He hadn't been thinking at all when he showed up at Lucas' place, both times. Talking to him that day, after Maddie had told Henry she knew about them, had seemed like he was betraying her. So how had he let himself go to his apartment last night and fall asleep cuddling him? But he hadn't slept so well in weeks, and he'd missed Lucas way more than he wanted to admit. Henry sighed, feeling torn as he pulled into his parents' driveway. 

He rang the doorbell, trying to push the thoughts of Lucas and Maddie out of his mind. Right now, he had to focus on his parents. Elizabeth opened the door, smiling at Henry sadly, like she was already apologising. She was wearing a long skirt and a white top, a gold bracelet glinting on her wrist. Henry hadn't seen that bracelet in years. It had been a gift to her from his dad on their fifteenth wedding anniversary. Henry wondered why she was wearing it now. 

"Hi, honey," Elizabeth greeted, making him look away from the bracelet. She stepped back to let him in.

"Hi," he replied, crossing the threshold of the house. It felt different in here now, but Henry couldn't point out any particular reason for it. Maybe he just thought that because he knew his dad wasn't going to be there now for a while. Elizabeth began making her way to the kitchen. "Mum! Can we talk in the living room? I don't wanna..." he trailed off, gesturing vaguely at the kitchen. Again, he couldn't help but think of the argument he and his dad had had two months ago, and didn't feel like going into that room. 

Elizabeth clicked her tongue softly, tilting her head to the side. "Of course, darling. Why don't you go sit down? I'll bring us a bite to eat."

Henry nodded and went into the living room. The morning wasn't particularly gloomy, but the sun was hidden behind clouds as usual, so the lights were on in the living room. The coffee table held Elizabeth's laptop, some document open on it. The tv was on, turned to the news channel, but it was muted. Henry went over to the sofa and sat down. He could hear the whoosh and bubble of the kettle in the kitchen, and the clink of a plate. He twisted one of the rings on his fingers, pulling it off and placing it on over and over, wondering what his mum would say to him.

Elizabeth came into the living room a couple minutes later, carrying a tray with two cups of tea and some sponge cake. She set it down next to her laptop, which she closed with a light click, and sat down. 

"How are you doing?" she asked after a couple seconds, turning sideways to look at Henry. 

"Good," he replied. 

"I wasn't sure you got my message. You didn't reply," she told him.

"I didn't know what to say," he confessed, tugging at the threads around the rip in his jeans. 

"I'm sorry for everything, darling," she said a few seconds later. "I can't even imagine what you must've been thinking last night. After your dad said what he said about your job, I realised how you must've felt all this time, about the way that we reacted to your news. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, mum. You already apologised that day."

"No, Henry, let me say this again," Elizabeth insisted. "I'm really sorry I reacted so poorly. It's never easy stepping up and announcing your identity to the world, and you had the courage to tell us, but we didn't take it very well. I can't apologise enough for it."

"It's okay, mum," he repeated. 

"No, darling, it's not," she told him, her voice breaking. Henry looked over at her and saw that she was crying. Henry felt a lump forming in his throat again. "I should've- I should've said this to you that day. I'm proud of you. No matter what. You'll always be my baby and I'll always love you, okay?"

"I love you, too, mum," Henry told her, eyes moist. "You know I'm still me, right? I'm the same person," he said, voice trembling as he thought of that nightmare he'd had at the beach house. He needed her to know he was still the same Henry he had been before.

"Yes, baby, you are," she agreed, nodding, "but you're more you now than you've had the chance to be in so long. I'm so proud of you, and I'm so happy for you. You deserve to have the love you want."

"Thanks, mum." He sniffled, blinking back tears. 

"Oh, come here," Elizabeth said, pulling him into a tight hug. Henry smiled into her shoulder and hugged her back. "I'm sorry it took me so long to say this, love." She pulled away and looked at him, her green eyes bearing into his. "It's just... you're my little boy, y'know? But you've grown up so fast and you're discovering things about yourself already, and it just hit me that you're going to have to do some things alone in life, and I can't be there to help you, because this is your journey. I was just sad because you're growing up and it means you won't need me anymore."

"I'll never not need you, mum," Henry said firmly.

"It shouldn't have taken me so long to tell you I'm proud of you, though," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. It took me a long time to be able to tell you guys, so."

"How long have you known?" she questioned. 

Henry thought about it for a second. "Since I was 14 or 15, maybe?"

"'14 or 15?'" Elizabeth repeated disbelievingly. "Oh, god," she choked out, a tear running down her cheek. "You kept it to yourself for five years? I'm so sorry you felt like you couldn't tell us."

Henry shook his head, rubbing his mum's shoulder. "It wasn't just you guys, though. I had to come to terms with it myself before I could go ahead and tell someone else."

Elizabeth tilted her head to one side, looking at him sadly. "I'm so sorry, Henry, really. I can't believe you had to keep that to yourself for so long. It must've been so hard."

"It's okay, mum," he said for what felt like the millionth time. "I'm glad you're okay with it, though. Better late than never." He grinned at her, reaching out to wipe the tears from her cheek.

Elizabeth chuckled. "My baby," she said, pulling Henry into another hug and kissing his cheek. Henry groaned, trying to wipe his cheek, which made Elizabeth laugh and kiss his cheek again. Henry laughed too, feeling giddy with happiness, and they smiled at each other. "Okay, come on, now. Drink your tea. It'll go cold," she told him after a second, picking up both cups and placing one in his hand. 

"What happened last night after I left?" he asked, sipping his tea. He was glad his mum was okay with his news now, but she'd called him over to tell him about her and David taking a break. 

She sighed. "We got into a big fight. Like I said, I 'd just realised how horrible it must've been for you all this time, and I was trying to make David see that we needed to do better. We also realised that we've barely been a family these last few years, because we both spent so much time at work and so little time with you. I'm sorry we left you alone so much. We really dropped the ball, didn't we?"

"Kind of," Henry replied, scrunching up his nose. 

Elizabeth scoffed out of surprise, shaking her head at him. "Well, then we just decided maybe we need to take a break and figure things out, because our marriage hasn't felt like one in years. I knew it wouldn't work itself out and that it would probably come down to this, but I was still crushed when we decided to separate."

"It's not my fault right?" he asked in a small voice.

"God, no!" she exclaimed, turning to him with wide eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I felt so guilty last night after seeing your messages. I couldn't help but think it was my fault, because things had been sort of okay before I came out."

"Look, even if it had been because you came out, I don't want you to regret doing that. You were so brave to step up and tell us, and you shouldn't feel bad for doing it," she told him firmly. "And things hadn't been okay before, darling, you know that. The three of us barely spoke to each other! At least you and I are being open about things now. I'm happy about that."

Henry smiled, more of his guilt disappearing. "I'm happy about it, too."

Elizabeth smiled too, then sighed again. "I'm sorry again, about everything. I know it must be hard."

"Thanks for being honest with me," he said. "Not all parents woulda done that."

"It's about time I started treating you like an adult," she decided.

"So are you getting a divorce?"

"I don't know, love," Elizabeth told him. "We're just gonna live separately for a bit, and maybe go to a marriage counsellor."

"I think that's a good idea," he agreed, nodding. 

"Thank you for being understanding, darling," she said, reaching out and touching his cheek. "You're so nice for that."

Henry smiled again, and had a bite of the sponge cake she'd brought. 

"Did you sleep last night? I hope you weren't out late," she asked after a second, concern colouring her voice. 

"I was asleep when you messaged me, but then dad's message woke me up and I couldn't go back to sleep," he admitted. "I was going to go for a drive, but then I didn't feel like it. So I went back upstairs and I was able to go to sleep." He didn't know why he didn't bring up Lucas. He could've told his mum about it now that she was okay with his news, but he was still feeling guilty about having gone to see the older boy in the first place, because Maddie was still pissed at him.

"I'm glad, baby. You look well-rested today. I'm happy you could sleep," she told him, smiling. "But if you can't sleep, you can come here, okay? We can watch a movie or something, and I'll sit with you till you fall asleep, like I used to when you were younger."

Henry felt like he was going to tear up. "Thanks, mum."

She pinched his cheek, winking at him. Henry finally stayed for lunch that day. They ordered some Italian takeout and had some wine while they watched a nineties rom-com. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy in that house, but he also couldn't wait to go back to his apartment, because that would mean he would be closer to Lucas. He wondered what would happen that night. 

Chapter Text

Henry ended up staying for dinner as well. He was starting to feeling nervous about going back home that night, because he was unsure of whether or not he should go back to see Lucas. Elizabeth was overjoyed at being able to spend so much time with Henry, since they hadn't done that in years. For dinner, he suggested they could cook something, because he wanted to do something other than just think about Lucas. 

"You're gonna burn the spaghetti, love," Elizabeth was saying. "Henry, the heat's too high. Turn off the stove."

"Huh? Oh." Henry thrust a hand out and turned the stove off. "Sorry." They were in the kitchen. Henry was standing by the stove and had been staring blankly at the pot of spaghetti as the water boiled and bubbled. His mum had made the meatballs and had been getting some wine out of the fridge when she'd noticed that Henry wasn't paying attention to the stove. 

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth asked as she set the bottle of white down on the kitchen island. 

"Yeah, sorry," Henry said, turning around and leaning against the kitchen counter. The room was lit dimly with the lights under the cabinets. Henry quite liked those, actually, but he wished they were warm white instead of yellow. It was dark outside for it being around 7, and he could barely make out anything in the backyard a the moment. Maybe it was going to rain again. 

"You seem lost in thought," she commented, coming up to him. "Are you thinking about Maddie?" 

"Maddie? Why?" 

"Well, you'd said yesterday that she wasn't talking to you, and Noah wasn't either, so I figured that was what was troubling you," Elizabeth confessed. 

He felt guilty now, because he'd actually been thinking of Lucas. He bit his lip anxiously. "Yeah. It's... complicated."

"I'm here to listen if you want to talk about it," she said with an encouraging smile. 

Henry sighed and reached behind him to pick up two wine glasses from the counter. He poured some white wine into them and handed one to his mum. He took a deep sip, trying to savour the taste and articulate his thoughts. "You remember I'd told you about Lucas, her brother? He and I sort of became friends during the trip, right, and Maddie started to feel left out, because she thought I trusted Lucas more."

"Really? But why would she think that? You're so close with her!"

"Usually, yes, but things were just so weird on the trip," Henry admitted. "It's like I didn't know what to say to her, and I just got this feeling sometimes that she was mad at me for something I didn't even know I'd done wrong. I hadn't been able to sleep on the first night there after I'd had a bad dream, and I'd wandered down to the kitchen and saw Lucas and we chatted for a bit. Lucas said I should go for a walk and see the sunrise if I wasn't going to sleep. Maddie asked me in the morning why I looked tired and I told her I hadn't really slept well, but it turned out that she'd seen me leaving in the morning and talking to Lucas in the kitchen and was annoyed that I'd told him about my nightmare and not her."

"That sucks," Elizabeth said somberly, taking a sip of the wine. 

Henry couldn't help but laugh.

Elizabeth blushed a bit. "What? Did I say it wrong?" 

Henry shook his head, still smiling. 

"Good. Go on, then."

"Well, towards the end of the trip, Lucas wasn't really talking to me anymore because our... friendship was affecting Maddie a lot and making her feel left out, and I didn't want to stop being friends with him, but I didn't have a choice, because he went back to being his old, mean self. And it turns out, he lives in the same apartment complex as I do, which Maddie was unhappy about again. She said he and I can hang out whenever we want now, because I don't seem to care about anyone else." He had mostly explained the issue to his mum. Except he'd left out a very big detail.

"I'm sorry she feels that way. But can't you just explain to her that her friendship is just as important to you as Lucas' is?" Elizabeth questioned. 

"We haven't spoken in weeks now. It's like I can't say anything right. It comes out all wrong, and it makes things worse."

"And Lucas? Have you talked to him?"

Henry tried his hardest not to blush as he thought about last night. "I've just seen him around the complex and at the bakery, that's it."

"Well, darling, you need to talk to both of them. Tell Maddie how much she still means to you, and tell Lucas you don't want to lose his friendship just because of how Maddie feels," his mum told him. "Why's Noah not talking to you?"

"He's dating Maddie, so he's on her side."

"Oh? Good for them, but it's a shame that this misunderstanding between you and her made him stop talking to you, too."

"Yeah," Henry agreed with a sigh.

"I'm sure it'll all work out, love," Elizabeth promised, ruffling Henry's hair. "Just talk to them."

"Thanks, mum." Henry smiled, taking another sip of the wine.

"I know you're not particularly happy right now with all your friend troubles, but I sure am glad you talked to me about it," Elizabeth beamed, practically bouncing up and down on her heels. 

Henry scoffed, shaking his head fondly at his mum. "Come on, let's eat dinner."

After dinner was over, Elizabeth came to see Henry off at the door. "You sure you don't want to stay, love? You can sleep in your room, or I can set up the couch for you."

"Nah, mum, it's alright," Henry assured. "You can get some peace and quiet. Maybe take a nice, long bubble bath and have some more wine. You haven't had the house to yourself in, like, years."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, contemplating over Henry's suggestion. "That does sound nice, actually. Maybe throw on some Sinatra, too."

"Yes! You need some me-time. It can be a self care Saturday for you."

"What?" she asked, cocking her head to one side. "What's that?"

Henry chuckled. "Never mind. Just relax and don't think about anything that's going on."

Elizabeth sighed deeply, smiling at Henry. "Thank you, darling. I had a lovely time with you today."

"Me, too, mum. I'm glad we could spend some time together," Henry replied, grinning. 

"Come here." She pulled him into a hug, kissing the side of his head. "I love you, baby. I'm always here for you, okay?"

"I love you, too," Henry told her, smiling still. 

Elizabeth pulled away and looked at Henry, smiling as well. Her eyes searched his face again, and her smile didn't waver. "Get home safe, okay?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" Henry exclaimed, raising his hand in salute. 

Elizabeth scoffed, shaking her head as she laughed. "Silly lad. Go on, then, and get some sleep tonight. If you can't sleep, please come back. I'll sit with you till you can sleep."

Henry smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Goodnight, mum."

"Goodnight, love." Elizabeth winked at him, and he turned around and walked down the driveway to his car.

Henry waved goodbye as Elizabeth shut the front door, then pulled out of the driveway and made his way to the apartment complex. He knew it was a bit cliche to think so, but he genuinely felt like he could breathe better now. Some of the weight seemed to be lifted off his chest. Spending all this time with his mum today had made him feel like he was a teenager again, because back then he and Elizabeth always used take the time out to watch at least one movie a week. Sometimes, they'd go to the movies, other times they'd just stay home and watch Netflix, but it was their thing. David had been part of it at the very beginning, but as things between his parents had gotten more strained, Henry had started seeing less and less of his father. He wasn't particularly looking forward to having to go to his dad's new place, and he knew he could probably just put it off and tell his dad he was busy, but he knew Elizabeth still wanted the two of them to be on good terms, so he'd try his best to make it happen for her. 

He knew Elizabeth was right about him needing to talk to both Lucas and Maddie, yet it felt like he'd end up doing something wrong and getting one of them pissed at him. Just the fact that Lucas was now important to him was so strange. He couldn't quite believe it himself, though he knew it was true. He felt that as dramatic as it had seemed then, he'd been right in thinking that gaining Lucas' friendship had lost him Maddie's. He wanted to talk to her; he missed her so much. But somehow he knew he had a better shot at talking to Lucas. He didn't even think Maddie would want to talk to him anymore, because he'd really never thought that either of them could go so long without talking to each other. He'd tried smiling at her a couple times at uni, in the days that followed their fight, but she always turned away and stalked off. If Logan even brought up Henry, as the lad had told him, Maddie would grow annoyed and not want to talk to him either. Henry understood that she felt betrayed and everything, and he really wanted to make it up to her. But nothing like this had ever happened before, and he didn't know how to even start the conversation. It was like the longer he stayed away from her, the more he forgot how to talk to her. 

He parked his car in the garage and got in the lift to go up to his apartment. As time crawled on, pushing the hands of the clock on his bedroom wall towards midnight, Henry was still undecided about going to see Lucas again. At first, he'd decided he wasn't going. He'd done his nighttime routine, changed his clothes and gotten into bed, but his brain wouldn't just stop and let him go to sleep. He wanted more time before going to see Lucas, because he wanted to talk to him about their whole situation, and he wasn't even able to articulate properly what exactly it was that he wanted to say. Yet, he wanted to go see Lucas, just to be able to be near him again, to breathe in his scent again, to hopefully be able to hold him again. Henry sighed, pulling the covers over his head at first, then pushing them back a second later and standing up. 

He would go see Lucas. They didn't have to talk right now, right? They could just be there with each other like they had last night. There was no need for conversation. He turned out the light in his bedroom and walked out to the living room, pocketing his phone and keys. He stopped short behind the door. What if Lucas wasn't even home right now? Hadn't he been out last night around this time? Henry couldn't recall when he'd gone up to the other boy's apartment. He stood still for a moment, trying to remember what time it had been, but then he decided he could just go knock on his door. If Lucas opened it, well and good. If not... Henry didn't want to think about that. 

Henry pulled open the door, taken by surprise upon seeing Lucas standing outside with a raised fist, about to knock. Lucas looked cute and tiny, in his large green hoodie and black joggers. His blue eyes looked slightly tired, faint circles visible beneath them. His hair was messy, sticking up here and there, sort of making it seem like he'd gotten electrocuted a bunch.

"H-Hi," Henry stuttered. 

"Hi," Lucas replied, giving Henry a quick onceover. "Going somewhere?" His voice was low and kind of husky, hinting, again, at his being tired. 

"I was... coming to see you," Henry confessed, looking at his feet. His heart was beating erratically.

Lucas chuckled quietly, raking a hand through his soft brown hair. "I was wondering why you hadn't shown up yet. I was waiting."

"You were?" Henry questioned, glancing up.

"How else would I be able to sleep?" Lucas asked. Henry gaped at him. "Can I come in?" Henry nodded after a second, taking a step back. Lucas padded into the room, observing everything around him. Henry wasn't particularly messy, although he could be at times. He tried to be as neat as he could nowadays, since he was the one who'd eventually have to clean up. "Cozy," commented Lucas, turning around to look at Henry again. 

Henry gave him a small smile. Lucas was in his apartment. Lucas. In his apartment. "Drink?" he asked, mirroring what the other boy had done last night. 

"Sure," Lucas answered with a shrug, and plopped down on one end of the sofa. Henry bit the inside of his cheek, then went into the kitchen. He only had some of that whiskey he'd brought from home. He pulled it off the shelf and poured some of it into two glasses and carried them outside. "That whiskey?"

Henry nodded once more, placing the glass on Lucas' outstretched palm. 

Lucas looked amused. "Cat got your tongue, curly?" he asked, taking a tiny sip of the whiskey. 

Henry closed his eyes for longer than a blink. Curly. Lucas hadn't called him that in forever. "No."

The older boy snickered, taking another sip. "Do I have to invite you to sit on your own sofa?"

Henry glanced down, just now realising he was still standing. He sat on the other side of the sofa again, away from Lucas. He took a sip of the whiskey, feeling the golden-brown liquid warming up his throat. Lucas was watching him from the corner of his eye. Henry felt nervous, biting at the inside of his cheek again. He needed to stop doing that so much, but it had become a habit by now. He downed the contents of the glass, swallowing hard against the burn of the whiskey, and set it down on the table. 

Lucas raised his eyebrows, looking surprised and impressed, then did the same. He made a sour face as he put his glass down. "I dunno how you drink that shit." 

He shrugged, cracking his knuckles.

"Are you... not talking to me again?" Lucas inquired a couple seconds later.

"I just- I don't know what to say to you," Henry admitted, twisting the rings on his fingers.

Lucas observed him for a second. "Tell me about your day. How did it go with your mum?"

Henry smiled immediately. "We had a great time. I just got back here after dinner. She was really nice, and we had a good talk about everything."

"I'm glad," Lucas said, smiling too. "Is she okay with your news now?"

Henry nodded, beaming. 

Lucas smiled wider, crinkles forming around his blue eyes. "Good. It's nice seeing you so happy."

"Thank you," he told the other boy sincerely. "How was your day? What did you do?"

Lucas sighed, smile disappearing suddenly. "I had to work for a bit, then I decided to go to my parents' in the evening. I've been going there more often, hoping that Maddie will talk to me again, but she's just been ignoring me. I went last night, too, but it's been no use."

"I'm sorry. She's mad at you because of me," Henry said, shaking his head. 

"It's not your fault. Actually, it's not just your fault," Lucas corrected himself. 

"But-"

"Henry, please. You and I... we didn't do anything wrong, okay?" Lucas said firmly. "Yes, we lied to her the morning after, but only because we knew she would freak out if she knew. Obviously, we didn't know she already knew the truth. But we didn't do anything wrong." 

Henry chewed his bottom lip anxiously. "D'you think she'd understand if we told her that?"

The older boy exhaled deeply, crossing one ankle over his knee, then settled deeper against the sofa cushions. "I dunno. I tried explaining to her, but she was genuinely hurt, because it happened with you. She'd kept hoping one of us would come clean to her about it, but we didn't, and it made it worse. She did give us the chance to tell her, we just didn't take it."

"I just wanna tell her I'm sorry for lying to her and that I miss her. But I don't know how to approach her anymore," Henry said with a sigh. 

Lucas looked at him with a sad smile. "Just go up to her at uni and ask if she'll talk to you for a minute. I'm sure she'll agree. She must definitely miss you. I know I did."

Henry blinked a couple times, surprised at Lucas' words. "Doesn't she miss you, then?"

Lucas laughed bitterly. "Who knows? She's never been this mad at me, and for so long. Nothing like this has happened before."

"Don't you think she'll keep being mad at us if we're still... y'know?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "'If we're still' what?"

Henry shrugged again, unsure of what he was trying to say, of what they were. "Friends?" 

Lucas chuckled dryly. "Friends who show up at each other's place at midnight to cuddle to be able to fall asleep?"

"Well, we're a specific type," Henry said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Lucas snorted, shaking his head. "Come on, then, friend. I'm tired." He stood up and stretched, in a somewhat cat-like manner. Henry stood up as well. He glanced at the older boy once, then trudged towards his bedroom. His heart was still hammering against his ribs as they walked into Henry's bedroom. 

Henry flipped on the light, but Lucas grimaced at the brightness. He tutted softly, and flipped the light switch back off. In the dark, Henry felt Lucas' hand grip his own tightly. Henry sighed, squeezing the older boy's hand back and pulled him towards the bed. They both sat down, shoulders and knees touching, and stayed still for a second. Then Henry scooched backward till he was leaning against the wall. He could make out Lucas' silhouette as the older boy turned and looked towards him. Henry reached out and grabbed Lucas' hoodie, pulling him with him as he lay down. 

Lucas put his arm around Henry and snuggled closer to him, despite all the space on the other side of the bed. Henry lay his head on Lucas' shoulder, and turned his face so that it was buried in the other boy's green hoodie. He breathed in, feeling himself relax against Lucas' body as the older boy's scent enveloped his senses. Henry snickered into Lucas' chest as the other boy caught one of Henry's feet with his own and held it. 

"Laughing at me, are you?" came Lucas' voice in Henry's ear. 

"Not at all," Henry replied sincerely against the fabric of Lucas' hoodie. 

"Good," Lucas murmured, placing his other hand on his chest, next to Henry's face, raking it softly through the younger boy's curls.

Henry sighed deeply, feeling drowsy at the other boy's touch. "I'm still confused about what to say to Maddie," he said after a couple seconds. "How can we be here, doing this, when she's still mad at us for it? I feel guilty."

"Shush, curly. We'll figure it out," Lucas mumbled, already sounding like he was half-asleep. "Trust me."

"Okay." He put his other arm around Lucas, to really ensure that Lucas was actually there next to him and that he wouldn't go anywhere. Lucas' hand brushed his hair again once slowly, and he turned his head slightly, his chin now resting on Henry's head. Henry smiled to himself, unable to believe this was really happening, and closed his eyes. 

Henry woke up around seven the next morning. He was on his side, facing the wall, head resting on Lucas' outstretched arm. Lucas' other arm was slung over him, holding him close. His foot was still caught between Lucas' feet. Henry turned on his back, surprised Lucas was still here. He'd never woken up next to Lucas. Lucas' eyes were still closed, his dark lashes brushing the top of his cheekbones. His mouth was pink and turned up slightly at the corners, in a very tiny smile. He looked almost child-like, except for the fine hairs on his jaw and throat. Henry felt unbelievably glad that he'd been able to see Lucas asleep next to him like this. He turned towards the other boy, making sure his hands were still holding him, and observed Lucas' peaceful, sleeping face. Lucas breathed in and out steadily, nostrils flaring the tiniest bit as he inhaled and exhaled. It wasn't sunny out, but Henry was sure that if it had been, Lucas' skin would have been glowing golden. His messy hair made a dark halo on the pillow under it. Henry couldn't help himself as he reached out and ran a hand through it. 

Lucas' eyes fluttered open at Henry's touch and he gazed at him with heavy-lidded eyes. "Good morning." His voice was throaty and low, deep in a way that made Henry's stomach drop. 

"Hello," Henry replied, his hand coming to rest on the side of Lucas' face, his facial hair tickling Henry's palm. 

Lucas closed his eyes again, stifling a yawn, and stretched his legs. Henry watched him, feeling a fondness creeping up on him. Lucas rubbed at his eyes, turning his head and leaning into Henry's open palm. He then turned on his back and opened his eyes, looking down at Henry. "You're staring."

"I'm allowed to stare. I've never woken up next to you before."

Lucas chuckled quietly. "I had to wake up so early for that. I hated it."

"Why'd you do it then?" Henry inquired, inching closer to Lucas and putting his head on the other boy's chest to look up at him. 

Lucas pouted, still looking down at Henry. "I dunno. I felt vulnerable, I guess. I wasn't sure if I wanted you to see me like that."

"What changed between yesterday and today?"

Lucas shrugged. 

Henry nodded slowly. He wouldn't have been able to answer, either. "For the record, you look very pretty in the morning."

Lucas smiled tenderly, cheeks colouring red. "I'm pretty?"

"Very."

"I'm pretty," Lucas beamed, eyes disappearing as he smiled brightly. Henry chuckled, pinching Lucas' cheek, then poking the dimple that had appeared on the right. Lucas raised his head, leaning forward and planting a small kiss on the tip of Henry's nose. Henry tilted his head towards Lucas before the older boy could move away, and pressed his lips to Lucas'. He didn't know what pushed him to do it, but he wasn't sorry he did. Lucas laughed softly into Henry's mouth, pulling him closer as he kissed him back. It was slow and soft, like they had all the time in the world. Henry wanted to stay there forever. After Lucas pulled away, he planted another kiss on the tip of Henry's nose. That tender, warm, desirous look was back in Lucas' eyes, like it had never left, and it made Henry want to jump up and dance around. "If I'd known we'd be waking up this way, I would never have left the bed."

Henry chuckled again, putting his head on Lucas' shoulder. Lucas twirled Henry's curls in his fingers over and over, his other hand rubbing Henry's back. They lay like that till Henry's stomach growled from hunger, making Lucas cackle and laugh his 'hahaha' laugh. 

"You need to eat," Lucas stated, planting his feet on the floor in one swift movement and pulling Henry up with him. The boys made their way to Henry's kitchen. Lucas insisted on cooking, and made Henry scrambled eggs and coffee while chatting to the younger boy, who was sat at the table. Henry was loving Lucas' humour and wit more and more. He could really make him laugh. Henry brought out two strawberry pop tarts after they had finished eating the eggs, making Lucas chuckle and shake his head fondly. 

Henry gazed at Lucas sitting across him at the table, wondering if anyone else had gotten to see Lucas so careless and free, without the burden he usually seemed to carry, hidden away behind those blue eyes. His light brown hair was sticking up at the back of his head, falling into his eyes at the front, which were slightly red and narrowed from sleep. This was what he looked like before the rest of the world got to see him. Henry sighed deeply as he sipped on his vanilla coffee. 

"You okay?" Lucas asked, putting down his own coffee cup. 

"Better than ever," Henry replied, grinning. 

Lucas grinned, too. "D'you have any plans for today?" 

Henry shook his head. "Not really."

"Me neither. How do you feel about being graced by my presence all day?" Lucas questioned, assuming a look of importance and superiority.

Henry chortled. "Really good." Lucas winked at him.

"I don't wanna go back upstairs to change. I feel lazy," he groaned after a couple seconds, putting his head on his arm.

"Then stay. Shower here, and I can lend you something to wear," Henry told him. 

Lucas looked up, tilting his head to the side and raising his eyebrows. "'Shower here'... with you?" he asked hopefully.

Henry laughed, shaking his head more. "You wish."

"I am wishing, actually," Lucas said, standing up and walking over to Henry. He leaned against the table in front of Henry, staring down at him intensely.

"Why don't you go on ahead while I clean up in here and think about it?" Henry recommended, still smiling as he looked up at the older boy. 

Lucas groaned loudly, throwing up his hands. "You're killing me, Sullivan. It's not nice to play with a man's feelings like that."

Henry thought of a wildly inappropriate response about how he could play with something other than Lucas' feelings, but he let it go. "Go," he said, stretching the O. "You're lucky I'm actually even considering it."

Lucas' eyes widened. "You are?"

"Maybe not anymore," Henry replied teasingly. 

"I'm going, I'm going," Lucas said with a heavy sigh, trudging over to the bathroom. 

Henry shook his head again, disbelievingly, and laughed. What a morning. He heard the bathroom door open, then the shower turned on after a minute or so. Henry stood up, stretching on his toes, and picked up their plates and cups and put them in the sink. He was about to start washing the plates, but he heard a rapid knock on the front door. He dusted his hands off on his pyjamas and went to open it.

Maddie was standing outside, in a green halter neck top and jeans, hair tied up in a bun. She looked nervous, out of place, like she didn't know what she was doing here. "Hi, Henry."

"Maddie?" Henry questioned, taken aback.

"Can I come in?" she asked wringing her hands anxiously. "Henry, can I come in?" she repeated when the boy hadn't answered her.

"S-sure," Henry answered, taking a step back to let the girl in. Maddie came into the apartment, glancing around. Henry looked down the hallway at the bathroom, heart beating rapidly, and swallowed hard. You could hear the shower running, and a distant, musical hum, like Lucas was singing in there. Maddie didn't seem to have noticed yet.

"I really need to talk to you," Maddie told him, sitting down on the sofa, where Lucas had sat less than twelve hours ago. She eyed the two empty glasses on the table from last night which Henry hadn't picked up yet. "D'you have company?"

Henry shook his head, already feeling guilt weigh down on him. But after their fight, how could he tell her that his company was her brother?

Chapter Text

"Aren't you gonna sit?" 

Henry tore his eyes away from the bathroom door down the hallway and looked at Maddie for what felt like the hundredth time. He still couldn't believe she was here. His heart was thudding anxiously in his chest. He prayed Lucas would take a long time in the shower and sat down on the sofa. 

Maddie observed him, looking upset. "I know you're mad at me, too, but just hear me out? Please?"

"I'm not mad at you," Henry corrected her in a low voice. He turned to face her. "I'm glad you're talking to me."

Maddie breathed a short sigh of relief, a tiny smile appearing on her lips. "I just- I'm so sorry, Henry, for reacting the way I did. I heard you talking to Lucas that morning, right, and I just couldn't believe what I was hearing." She was talking rapidly, not looking at Henry, like she'd stop talking if she knew he was really listening. "When I asked you guys about it, the way that my brother responded made me think I was wrong. So I let it go, because I guess I didn't want to believe it, because... it's Lucas, y'know? He's my brother, and I thought we were close and that he tells me things. So why wouldn't he be honest with me about this? I couldn't get your conversation out of my head, because if Lucas and you slept together, then it would mean he was into lads, too, and I just had no idea. It just felt like I had no idea who he was anymore. And then that night when he was at the house, things got heated and I asked him about it again because it felt like such a slap in the face y'know, like I thought I knew him, but..." she trailed off, wringing her hands again.

"I can understand how you're feeling," Henry assured her. 

Maddie glanced at him. "I came here to tell him I'm sorry, but he isn't home. He's been coming by the house so often, just to talk to me. I feel so guilty for not talking to him. He's trying so hard, and I know he's busy, but he comes home every chance he gets now. I knocked on his door upstairs and called as well, but he didn't answer. Then I thought of you and figured I should apologise to you, too. I'm so sorry, Henry."

"It's okay, Maddie," Henry insisted. "I'm sorry, too. We should've been honest with you."

"I was already feeling left out then because you guys had become friends, and you two got to share a room and were closer than ever. It's still so crazy to me, because I really thought you hated each other," she said with a sigh. "And I'm the one that suggested you hook up with someone to take your mind off of your ex. I just didn't expect it to be Lucas, because you know, he's my brother and I thought you wouldn't.... cross that line." 

Henry bit his lip nervously, cracking his knuckles over and over. If she thought he’d crossed a line then, what would she think now? He couldn't look at Maddie. 

"I'm sorry for the way I behaved at Logan's place. I shouldn't have done that. But you have to understand how I was feeling! You're my best friend and you hid such a major thing from me, y'know? Like not just that it was my brother, but the fact that you did hook up with someone," Maddie continued. 

"If you already knew why'd you wait so long to bring it up?" Henry found himself asking.

"I dunno, I kept hoping that it wasn't true, maybe? Both of you were keeping me out of the loop about things and I just didn't wanna accept that, but then it was staring me right in the face, and you moved here of all places so of course, I connected the dots for real that time," Maddie responded. "I was also feeling out of touch with you again when we came back, because you'd said that you wanted me and the lads to come over and help you decorate and everything, but you just did it yourself. You didn't even tell us when you left your parents' house."

Henry didn't know what to say. Maddie glanced at him sideways. In the silence between them, the sound of the water running in the bathroom could be heard more clearly. Lucas was still humming in there. Henry swallowed hard. He had to say something to cover up the sound. "I'm sorry, too, Maddie. I understand how you're feeling, and of course you were hurt by my actions and I'm sorry. I left my parents' house after I had a fight with them, I wasn't thinking. And I ended up doing all the work to keep my mind off of things. I'm sorry, I hope we can move past this."

Maddie nodded eagerly. "I would love that, Henry. I miss you so much."

"I miss you, too. It's been lonely without you." 

Maddie smiled sadly at him. "How are things going? How's everything with your mum and dad now?"

Henry sighed deeply and shook his head. "They're taking a break. My dad moved out. He's looking for his own place to stay."

Maddie gaped at him. "Oh, my god."

"I went to see my mum yesterday, though. We had a nice chat about things, and she's okay with me being gay and everything," Henry told her. He was glad Maddie was here and that they were talking, but Lucas was in his bathroom. How was he supposed to think about anything other than them getting caught?

"I'm glad, Henry," Maddie beamed. Henry smiled back at her as best he could. 

It was quiet again. Henry stared at the coffee table, trying to think of what he could say. Noah. He could ask about her and Noah. "How're things--" He was cut off by the bathroom door opening.

"Were you just toying with my feelings again, Sullivan? 'Cos I'm pretty sure you said you'd join me in the shower," came Lucas' voice from down the hallway.  

No no no no. God no. Oh fuck. Henry's mouth literally fell open in horror. He was scared to look at Maddie but he forced himself to. She was extremely still, her eyes focused on the hallway. Henry swallowed hard, but it felt like his mouth was full of sand.

"Henry? Where'd you go?" came Lucas' voice again. A second later, the boy poked his head into the living room, beads of water falling onto the floor from his damp hair and shoulders. He was naked except for a white towel from Henry's bathroom cabinet wrapped around his waist. His expression was playful at first, but then his blue eyes went ridiculously wide as they took in the scene in the living room. Henry would've thought it comical, but he felt like throwing up right now. "M-Mads?"

Maddie blinked slowly, staring from Henry to Lucas. Henry just wanted the floor to open up and swallow him. “That’s what that sound was!” Maddie shot up suddenly, like one of the sofa cushions had electrocuted her. She looked beyond furious. "You- You're kidding, right? Henry, what the actual fuck?" Henry had expected her to scream, but her voice was low and hard, full of anger and hurt.

Henry looked up at Lucas helplessly. He was standing by the doorway, eyes still wide. He was only staring uncomprehendingly at Maddie, like he still couldn't believe she was here.

Maddie scoffed, shaking her head, still looking from her friend to her brother. "You're such a- You're so-" and she scoffed out of disbelief and annoyance. "I can't believe you, Henry! Did you even mean it when you apologised? You let me apologise to you while Lucas was in your apartment? Are you serious? You've spent the night together again, haven't you! You knew I was mad at you, but you didn't give a single fuck! Neither did you, Lucas!" She whirled on her brother, who grimaced and shrank. "This is why you didn't pick up my calls? And you knew I wasn't okay with this! You didn't give me the chance to be okay with it in the first place, and you're still seeing each other after knowing I wasn't okay with it?"

"Maddie," Lucas began, but he stopped when she whirled on him and shook her head vehemently. 

"No. You don't get to talk. I was feeling so guilty for being rude to you," she cried. "But you just don't care, do you? You don't care!" She marched to the front door and threw it open. "You're unbelievably selfish, Henry! And cruel! You went ahead and did what you wanted, knowing that I wouldn't be okay with it. And Lucas," she scoffed. "I'd think twice about stopping by the house again if I were you." She glared at the two boys again, but this time her anger was replaced by hurt, and shook her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. She stormed off, slamming the door shut behind her.

Henry thought about following her, but there was nothing to be said now. Lucas took a step forward, like he was thinking of following her, too, but he stopped. Henry stared at the closed door. The guilt that had disappeared after his meeting with Elizabeth was weighing down on him again. He stood up, breathing hard and took a couple steps around. So Maddie knew now. Maddie knew that after their fight, Henry had still gone back to Lucas. Henry didn't know what they were doing, the two of them. 

"This is wrong, this is wrong," Henry muttered, standing still near the sofa. 

Lucas, who had been stood rooted in place near the hallway, looked up at Henry. "What?"

"We shouldn't have- We shouldn't have done that last night," Henry said, staring at the floor.

"We didn't do anything, though, Henry," Lucas reminded him softly, taking a few steps closer to him. Henry wanted to move away from the other boy because he was still feeling guilty, but he couldn't find it in himself to move. 

"But you have Elena! God, how'd I forget about her?" Henry shook his head, eyes still trained on the floor. 

Lucas clicked his tongue and sighed. "I told you, we're not together. It was just a one-time thing.”

“Isn’t she your summer fling?” 

“There’s no summer fling, love. I do go to see Elena every time we go to the beach house because Elena, Zeke and I try and plan the beach trips at the same time, so it's not just her I go to see. We’ve been meeting up with each other, the three of us, on the first day of the beach trips every single year. That’s why I had to go, because we’ve been doing it for so long. That day when I went out, we saw our other friends here as well. Everyone was teasing Elena and me and saying we were being too flirty, and I thought they might've been right, like she and I should be together or something. I'd never thought of her that way before, she was always just a friend. But I was drunk and I called her over that night, 'cos everything that had happened with you during and after dinner made me panic. I hadn't... I've never..." he trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.

But Henry knew he'd probably meant to say that he'd never felt like that about a lad before. He didn't look up, though.

Lucas continued after a second, "So she came over, surprised I'd called her so late at night, and we got carried away... with y'know, but then after I saw you in the kitchen, I just couldn't get you out of my head. And I watched the sunrise like I'd told you to do. After she and I went back inside, I couldn't... do that again, so I told her we should stop. She wasn't mad or anything."

"So you're bi, is it?" Henry asked, staring at Lucas' feet. There were beads of water trailing down his legs and onto the floor, making a small puddle around him. 

Lucas hesitated for a moment. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm bisexual."

Henry finally looked up. "You've never said those words out loud before, have you?"

Lucas shook his head, drops of water making their way down his forehead and into his eyes. He pushed his hair away from his face, looking Henry square in the eyes. "You're the first one to hear them."

Henry exhaled softly. "I'm glad you found the courage to say them."

Lucas smiled. "You gave me the courage to say them."

Henry smiled, too, shaking his head again. "I didn't do anything."

"You've helped me more than you know," Lucas told him, repeating what he'd told the older boy just yesterday morning. 

Henry gave him a small smile, then sighed. "Maddie's right, though. I was so selfish and cruel."

"You? Selfish? Cruel?" Lucas asked incredulously. He took another step forward, closing the distance between him and Henry. "You always put other people first. That morning at the beach house, you were so tired you fell asleep sitting down, but you'd still come to play with the twins. You always help out me parents in the kitchen when you go over to their house, and you always bring the twins a gift, and check under their beds for monsters. You always made sure Maddie got home safe after you guys went out, and you were willing to be friends with me so that me mum wouldn't feel bad. You're not cruel or selfish, Henry. Not one bit."

Henry bit his cheek as he searched the other boy's blue eyes. "Really?"

"Really. You need to do what makes you happy. You should put yourself first for once," Lucas told him. 

"But Maddie- She's never gonna forgive me," Henry sighed, looking down. "She's really angry at us."

Lucas sighed too. "I know," he said. "But I- I want you in my life. You changed something in me, and I can't go back to how it was before. I need you."

Henry gaped at Lucas. The older boy had never been so honest about his feelings with Henry before. "I need you, too. So much. But Maddie," Henry whispered. “She just showed up at my door and I couldn’t turn her away. Now she’s more mad at you. I’m sorry.” 

Lucas sighed again. "I know. We'll figure it out. It’s okay."

Henry believed him. He knew he could trust Lucas; he felt it in his gut. Lucas was the one who made Henry feel less lonely. Lucas was the one that had told Henry he shouldn't feel guilty about being who he was. Lucas was the sense of comfort Henry had been lacking for weeks and had just regained. Lucas was what Henry needed. All he wanted now was for the other boy to hold him. Henry took a step forward, practically falling into Lucas' strong arms. Lucas' stag tattoo rippled as he held Henry tightly, pulling him closer to his own body that was still damp from the shower. Henry put his forehead on Lucas' shoulder, feeling a strange happiness upon smelling his own coconut shower gel on the other boy's body. Lucas buried his face in the crook of Henry's neck, and the two boys stood silently for minutes on end. 

"Wait. I think my towel's coming loose," Lucas muttered suddenly, pulling away from Henry. 

Henry raised an eyebrow. "I dunno why you're being so shy all of a sudden. It's nothing I haven't seen before."

Lucas shook his head rapidly to spray Henry with water droplets. "You need to take a cold shower."

Henry pouted, tilting his head to one side. "Will you come?"

It was Lucas' turn to raise an eyebrow. "That's an entirely different conversation."

Henry barked out a surprised laugh, just realising what he'd said to Lucas. "You know what I meant."

Lucas nodded sagely. "I do, I do. You can't expect me to be able to answer that right now, though. There's a process to it, Henry. You know that."

Henry tapped Lucas' forehead with his index finger. "You think too much."

"I highly doubt that."

Henry sighed, shaking his head. "You're impossible."

"Not really. There's somethings you can do for me that make everything possible. You were actually really great that night, you knew what you were doing."

"Duh. You just didn't wanna accept it. I told you it was one of the best shags you'd have had."

"You did."

"Wait a minute. Am I the first lad you've shagged?" Henry asked incredulously, just now connecting the dots. 

Lucas blushed a deep red and stared up at the ceiling. "No."

"Lucas?"

"Maybe. Yes."

Henry let out a gleeful chuckle. "I can't believe it."

Lucas narrowed his eyes at him. "A gentleman would never bring it up again."

"Sorry, did you just say genital-man?"

Lucas choked out a laugh. "I most certainly did not."

"What a great day," Henry said with a satisfied smile. "I just found out I'm the first genital-man Lucas Thornton has shagged."

Lucas guffawed, putting a hand to his mouth and shaking his head at Henry. "You're crazy."

Henry shrugged and put on his best smile. "You need me."

Lucas clicked his tongue, smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Debatable."

"'I- I want you in my life. You changed something in me, and I can't go back to the way it was before. I need you,'" Henry repeated, mimicking the other boy's rapid cadence of voice. 

"Hey, I did not tell you that just to have you throw that in my face like this," Lucas complained, burying his face in his hands. 

"You're right, I'm sorry," Henry agreed, looking down. "Speaking of throwing things in people's faces, your towel fell around the time you said genital-man."

Lucas' eyes went wide as he looked down and realised he was indeed fully naked. "Henry!" he whined, pulling the towel back up hurriedly, while Henry clutched his stomach and laughed. Lucas observed Henry with a smile, unable to keep himself from laughing, too.

It took them a while to stop laughing. Henry felt stupidly happy that Lucas had been so honest with him. He'd said they'd figure out how to talk to Maddie, so Henry trusted him. Henry went to take his shower, alone, which was Henry's punishment for not telling Lucas about the towel, while Lucas looked for something to wear. Henry still felt guilty about what had happened with Maddie, but he was glad knowing that both Lucas and he were in it together. He knew he needed Lucas, and now he knew Lucas needed him, too. That was enough for now.

Henry got dressed after his shower, and went back out. He saw Lucas doing the dishes he hadn't been able to do. Lucas was wearing one of Henry's grey, oversized jumpers and pyjama bottoms. Henry stood in the doorway to the kitchen and observed the other boy singing under his breath and swaying as he rinsed the utensils and dried his hands. It sounded like he was singing Mr. Brightside by The Killers. He turned around, finding Henry watching him and grinned. 

"You dance well," Henry commented. "Nice singing voice, too."

"Why, thank you," Lucas said as he took a bow. 

"What's got you feeling so happy, huh?"

Lucas pouted, shrugging. Henry was loving Lucas' pout more and more. "Just... something."

"'Something?'" Henry repeated. 

"Mmhmm. Something," Lucas affirmed. 

Henry stalked up the Lucas, looking down at him, and pouted, too. "Does this 'something' have a name?"

Lucas looked up at Henry, blue eyes sparkling. "He does."

"What is it?"

"Brandon Flowers," Lucas replied. 

"Uh!" Henry feigned a hurt look. "The lead singer of The Killers?"

"Great bloke, love him," Lucas said with a nod.

"Anyone else you love?" Henry ventured. He wouldn't have joked around about love and everything this early, but he was feeling brave.

Lucas tried to fight a smile. "Hmm. Let's see. Paolo Nutini, Liam and Noel Gallagher-"

"Is there a Henry Sullivan on that list?"

"Love? Sullivan? No, I don't think so."

Henry raised an eyebrow. "The lad you dropped your towel for isn't on that list? Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Hey, I didn't 'drop my towel.' It fell," Lucas protested. 

"'It fell.' Sure. That's convenient."

"Inconvenient, really. I was feeling pretty exposed."

Henry couldn't help but think back to when it had happened, and smiled, then giggled. 

Lucas smacked his arm lightly, cheeks reddening. "Are you thinking about it?"

"Obviously," Henry replied, then giggled again. 

Lucas groaned, then leaned forward and buried his face in Henry's chest. Henry caught the other lad, laughing, and rubbed his back. 

"I dunno why you're so embarrassed. It was a pretty great view," Henry said low in Lucas' ear after a couple seconds. 

Lucas groaned more, clutching Henry's forearms tight. "Stopppp."

Henry chuckled quietly, still rubbing Lucas' back. "Consider it forgotten. I won't bring it up again. I'm your genital-man."

"What the fuck?" Lucas laughed into Henry's chest. He looked up at Henry, shaking his head fondly. "Thanks, curly."

"You're welcome," Henry beamed, making Lucas chuckle. "Now, come on."

Henry led Lucas to the living room, where they sat on the sofa, cuddling, and watched a movie. They ordered in for lunch- McDonald's- and lazed around all afternoon, chatting and aiming fries into each other's mouths. Henry found out more about Lucas, and ended up telling him more things about himself, too. Lucas told him about people he'd dated before, which were just two girls, Renee, whom Henry knew about already, and this woman called Dana. Henry told him everything about Tom, which he'd never said to anyone before, and Lucas listened attentively, holding Henry's hand when he got to the tough parts. Lucas told Henry that he hadn't told his parents about being bi, obviously, because things were still strained between them, and also because he wouldn't know where to begin. Like Maddie had said to Henry, they all had this idea of him, and it scared him to defy it any more than he already had, because he didn't know how they would react. He knew they already felt like he'd changed too much and wasn't the same lad, so telling them about this would be even scarier. 

Henry was glad they had shared this stuff with each other, because he felt like he knew Lucas even better now, despite already feeling that they'd known each other forever. He was happy Lucas was being so open with him and that he could trust him. That knot of unease that had formed in his stomach after what had happened with Maddie had loosened a bit. Henry cooked dinner for Lucas, since the other lad had made him breakfast that morning. They chatted while Lucas sat at the table and watched Henry make ravioli. They ate together at the dining table, still finding a number of things to talk about, like embarrassing stories and funny incidents. Henry could really get used to this. Lucas stayed the night again, and they kept talking, even when they were half-asleep. Soon, the boys fell asleep cuddling like they had last night. 

In the morning, Lucas stayed for pancakes, which Henry made for the two of them. Later, he crept up behind Henry, who was washing the dishes in the sink and wrapped his arms around him, stretching on his tiptoes to rest his chin on Henry's shoulder. Lucas was kind of the last person Henry had expected to be so cuddly and affectionate, honestly. You just had to get to know him, he guessed. 

Henry tilted his head to be able to look at the boy. "What's this?" he asked with a smile.

"Nothing," Lucas replied, pecking Henry on the cheek. 

Henry dried his hands and turned around, putting his arms around Lucas. He observed the older boy's messy brown hair and blue eyes, a giddy happiness blossoming in his chest, and sighed deeply. "Thank you."

Lucas cocked his head to one side. "What for?"

"It's easier to stay in this apartment because of you. You make me feel less alone," Henry told him.

Lucas smiled, then kissed Henry. Henry chuckled, kissing the other lad back. "I had a great time with you, really," Lucas told Henry after he'd pulled away. 

"Me too," Henry replied. Lucas winked at him, brushing one of his curls back and tucking it behind his ear. 

"I wish I didn't have to go to work," Lucas groaned after a second, putting his head on Henry's shoulder.

"I wish I didn't have to go to uni," Henry groaned, tilting his head and placing his chin on top of Lucas' head. 

Lucas stayed still for a few seconds, then pulled away and pouted at Henry. Henry pouted back. Lucas called him a frog. Henry pouted some more. Lucas laughed his 'hahaha' laugh, making Henry laugh as well. Lucas took Henry's hand in his and looked at the time in the younger boy's watch and groaned some more. He put his arm around Henry's waist and they walked to the front door together. Lucas kissed Henry about three times in the thirty seconds it took them to get from the kitchen to the front door. Henry felt a dizzying, delirious joy at how much things had changed again. He pulled Lucas into a deep, fourth kiss, languidly running his tongue over the other boy's and biting at his lip. 

"Do you want me to quit my job?" Lucas mumbled into their kiss. "Because I will."

"And what would you rather do all day?" Henry mumbled back. 

"You."

"All day?"

"All day, all night, whenever you want."

Henry chuckled, pulling away from the older boy. "We'll see about that."

Lucas shook his head, disappointed. "You're edging me."

Henry cackled. He liked having this much power over the other lad. "Go get dressed for work."

Lucas sighed. "I hate my job."

"Don’t kill yourself just yet. I'll see you tonight?" Henry asked. He had to go to work today, too.

Lucas nodded. "Dinner at my place?"

"See you then," Henry acknowledged. Lucas grinned at him, smile growing when Henry reached down and pecked his cheek, then the older lad was gone. 

Henry took a deep breath as he went to his bedroom to get dressed. He was gonna try and talk to Maddie at uni today. Yesterday and today morning had been more proof that Henry needed Lucas. He wasn't going to let that slip away, not again. 

The anxiety in his chest grew as he made his way to uni, going over what he was going to say to her. He needed her to understand how much Lucas meant to him. 

Chapter Text

But Maddie wasn't at uni that day. In fact, she didn't show up for weeks. 

Henry texted her multiple times a day, even called, and at first she didn't open his texts or pick up, but then she started leaving his texts on read. Lucas had gone back to his house despite what Maddie had said to him, and every time he stopped by, she would be busy in her room or not home. She was on medical leave from uni for a while, but Camilla told Lucas Maddie was fine and just didn't feel like going, and they didn't want to force her to go. She was behaving normally around all of them, except for Lucas. Camilla, though, was overjoyed that Lucas was stopping by the house so often. Things weren't that great between Lucas and his parents still, because even though Lucas came by often, he didn't 'share' enough with them. Lucas wasn't too preoccupied that, his main worry was Maddie.

"But you go home for a family dinner, don't you?" Henry had asked Lucas. "Does she not eat with you guys then?"

Lucas shook his head. "She makes herself a plate and eats in her room when I come over. Mum and dad can tell there's some sort of tension between the two of us, but I can't do much if she won't talk to me." The reason Maddie had found out about Henry and Lucas having shagged that day had been because she hadn't told Lucas she was seeing Noah, either, and when he'd expressed his surprise, she'd blown up at him the same way as she had at Henry.

"Have you been able to say anything to her?" 

"I've tried, but it hasn't gone well. It feels like the only way she might hear me is if I yell, and that hasn't helped anyone. Noah's the only person she's really talking to other than mum, dad and the twins."

So Henry approached Noah at uni, with apprehension and some fear, because they hadn't talked since that night at Logan's apartment, but he had to know if Maddie was alright. Noah said she didn't feel like coming to uni these days, and fortunately for Henry, she hadn't told him the reason. Noah would go by her house with notes and sometimes food, and they'd hang out. He told Henry he thought she might be facing some migraine trouble again, since she was on medical leave, which is why she seemed a bit different to him. Noah spoke to Henry like normal now, for which he was beyond glad. Logan already knew from Noah what was going on with Maddie, but when Henry brought it up, he realised what might've actually happened. 

"So did you have another fight with Maddie?" Logan asked Henry one Friday as they were walking back from uni. Noah had gone off to Maddie's place with that day's notes already. Logan was walking Henry to the bakery for his shift, and to see where Henry worked, and would then go on home. The sky was overcast again, making it really seem like fall. The low and distant rumble of thunder showed promise of rain. 

Henry sighed. He knew he'd have to own up to what had happened, at least to Logan. "Yes." He explained everything that had happened, truthfully. He was dying to tell someone about him and Lucas, anyway.

"Wait, are you both together?" Logan questioned, hazel eyes widening. 

Henry tilted his head to one side, frowning a bit. "We haven't really discussed it, but we've seen each other everyday now for the last couple of weeks." He and Lucas would meet up nearly every night for dinner, sometimes at his house, sometimes and Lucas'. If either of them were busy, like if Henry was going to see his mum or Lucas was going home, they'd still meet up later at night to sleep. It was a nice arrangement, because Henry hadn't been by himself at night for weeks, and he'd been sleeping well in Lucas' arms. 

"Mate..." Logan said, shaking his head at Henry. "How can you see him every night when Maddie's angry at you for it? You just said she didn't take it well, but you're still seeing each other."

"Logan, I've tried to talk to her," Henry protested. "But she won't text me back, she just leaves me on seen. I even tried calling her, so many times. I'm trying to apologise, but she won't even let me. What else can I do?" 

"Have you... shagged him again?" Logan asked uncertainly.

Henry shook his head definitively. "No. We just talk, have dinner, kiss or make out sometimes, and fall asleep cuddling. That's all there is to it. It's easier to fall asleep when he's holding me," Henry sighed, staring at his feet. "You know how much I struggle with being able to sleep. And that apartment... it's easier to be there when he's there. I need him."

"I know you do, lad. I know you do," Logan assured, squeezing Henry's shoulder. "But you should make sure Maddie knows about it, don't you think? Do you really want to lose her friendship?"

Henry pondered over that question for a minute. He had spent the last few weeks worrying about Maddie, yes, but he'd sort of been more focused on the fact that he and Lucas were a thing now. It was like Lucas also seemed to forget about his sister's anger when he was with Henry. The two of them were in their own little bubble every night, chatting, laughing, kissing and cuddling, and everything else was forgotten. Being around Lucas made Henry tune out the rest of the world. But how could he forget about Maddie? Maddie. The same Maddie who would stay on FaceTime with him whenever he wanted to ignore his parents arguing at home, the same Maddie who had been so accepting of him when he'd come out to her, the same Maddie who'd called him on a family trip and made sure Henry felt like a part of it. 

But she was also the same Maddie who'd been angry with him for weeks now despite his trying to apologise to her. It was like she wanted to be mad at him and Lucas. Henry had been desperate to get her to understand how much she and Lucas both mean to him, and that he didn't want to lose either of them. He'd told her that on text multiple times, and she's never replied. She'd already made her choice, then. He wasn't going to give up Lucas, not again. He needed him too much to let him go.

"All that's left for me to do is go to her house and confront her, and I know that's not gonna end well. She called me selfish and cruel the day we fought, and I thought she was right, but Lucas assured me she wasn't. He said I needed to put myself first for once, and I'm going to. I've tried so hard to talk to her, Logan, but if she doesn't care then there's not much I can do."

"She really called you selfish and cruel?" Logan asked in disbelief, stopping in place. 

"Yes, she did." Henry stopped, too. "And I get that she's mad at me, but what about him? He's her brother! She won't talk to him either." Lucas had told Henry how badly he was feeling about it, and how he didn't know what to do anymore. It only added to Henry's annoyance towards Maddie, because he hated seeing Lucas upset. He tried his best to keep Lucas' mind off of things by distracting him with kisses and dumb jokes and whatever else he could think of. It seemed to be working so far, but how long could they keep that up? 

Logan looked concerned as he stared off into the distance. There were only a few people on the street, since it was a chilly afternoon. The crisp wind pushed about a few dried, orange-brown leaves and bits of paper and other trash, depositing them in various nooks and crannies of the sidewalk. "I know at the end of the day Maddie just wants you and Lucas to be happy," Logan told him. "If being with him is what you really want, then tell her. You not telling her stuff is the real reason she's mad at you."

"But how? She won't reply to my texts."

Logan sighed. "You'll figure it out. Maybe you will have to go to her house."

Henry sighed, too. All of this was exhausting him. He just wanted to get done with his shift and go home to Lucas.

Logan clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't forget you still have friends, Henry. You've been pulling away these last few weeks, but you still have me."

"I know, and you're a really good friend for that," Henry told Logan earnestly. "It's just... I felt guilty because you had to balance being friends with both Maddie and me at the same time."

"That's not your fault, though."

"But I knew it would come down to picking sides between her and me," Henry admitted, staring at his feet. "I didn't want to make you do that. So I made the choice myself."

Logan smiled at Henry sadly, seeing right through him. "I wasn't gonna pick between Maddie and you, mate. I could never."

Henry bit his lip anxiously, not fully believing Logan.

"I'm always here for you, okay?" Logan promised. "Whatever's going on with you and Maddie is between the two of you. I'm still your friend." Logan pulled Henry into a hug and kissed his cheek, then patted it. "Lucas seems like a smart lad. You do need to put yourself first for once, Henry."

"Thanks" Henry smiled at Logan gratefully. "I'm always here for you, too, even though I might suck at showing it at times. But I'll be better, I promise."

Logan smiled back. "I know you will, lad. Now come on. Show me this bakery you work at."

It wasn't very busy at the bakery that evening, but Henry had billed more customers than he could care to count. Joan and Paul were sweet as ever, chatting to Henry and the customers alike. Henry used to spend all his free time at the bakery earlier, but since Lucas, he only came in when he was supposed to, and sometimes if Joan and Paul needed extra help. He'd told them about becoming 'friends' with Lucas, since Joan had 'introduced' him to Henry, and she was really glad the two lads were friends now. But Henry wondered what they thought when Lucas stopped by almost every other day when Henry was working, and hung around for a bit. In Henry's mind, it probably wasn't that hard to tell that there was more than 'friendship' going on between the two boys. No one cared enough about bread to spend 45 minutes staring at it and asking the cashier, of all people who worked there, questions about it. 'Right. Now what exactly is rye?' Lucas had asked Henry once, trying to look serious as Henry fumbled for an explanation when an older lady also turned to him for an answer to that question. 'It's a plant,' was the best Henry could come up with, because Lucas, stood behind the older lady, was staring him up and down while biting his lip.

Henry loved Joan and Paul, but he tried to not bother them too much with his issues, so he usually pasted on a fake smile and carried on with work. He did the same thing today, because he was contemplating over what he would say to Maddie if she talked to him. He might actually go to her house, because that was the only thing left to do. That would be his last try, and if it didn't pan out then... Henry didn't want to think about that. But he'd talk to Lucas first before just showing up at the Thorntons' house.

Henry had loved these last couple weeks with Lucas. His fondness for the older boy grew more and more with every passing day, and he felt content just thinking about Lucas, which was how he got through the day. He knew that whatever happened during the day, Lucas would be with him at night, waiting to kiss him and hold him close. Lucas had admitted to Henry that he too had had trouble sleeping after the beach trip, and he'd go on drives, too, or go to Zeke's place and play video games all night. Henry wished they hadn't wasted so much time in being able to admit that they needed each other, but he wasn't going to complain about how things had worked out now. 

He stayed till around 7, when his shift ended, and wished Joan and Paul goodnight as he left. He texted Lucas as soon as he exited the bakery, asking if they were meeting for dinner or just later on. Lucas replied within seconds, telling Henry he was about to leave and would be there soon. They'd spent last night at Henry's, so he went up to Lucas' apartment and let himself in. The boys had exchanged housekeys a couple days after they'd started seeing each other every night, y'know, for convenience. The amount of happiness Henry felt at seeing Lucas use a key to open the door to his apartment was crazy. Lucas had a key to Henry's apartment, and Henry had a key to Lucas' apartment. The thought alone made Henry want to giggle and kick his feet.

He was also grateful that Lucas was always there to listen to his stuff about his parents. Elizabeth had told Henry that she and David were going to a marriage counsellor, and their sessions were not very productive every time. David would text Henry every couple days and how things were going. He'd gotten an apartment somewhere downtown, and had been saying Henry should come by. Henry had been putting it off, saying he didn't have the time, but he was feeling a bit guilty. David was trying to make an effort, and he knew his mum really wanted things to work out. Lucas had told him he shouldn't feel obliged to go and he shouldn't go if he didn't want to, and Henry knew that, but he still felt that he should go. He'd have to make a decision soon.

He settled down on the beige sofa and flipped through the tv channels. Every time he was alone in Lucas' apartment, he sort of couldn't believe he was really there. It was crazy to him that he knew that Lucas had fairy lights in every single room, even in the kitchen, where they were taped to the tiles behind the counter. There were so many books around Lucas' apartment that Henry had started reading more now, because every once in a while he saw a book lying around that grabbed his attention. Lucas also had a collection of Marvel comics, mostly Spider-Man, and lots of vinyl records and a record player like Henry did.

Lucas' bedroom was probably Henry's favourite room in the apartment, though. It was similar to his bedroom at the beach house, with the same dark sheets and fairy lights, of course, and he had another guitar and a keyboard in there as well. Henry would ask Lucas to play him something on keyboard or guitar, and he would while Henry lay down or sat on the bed and watched him. They played for each other for quite often, even if it was the same couple of songs, and Henry loved it. Henry sat next to Lucas sometimes when he played the keyboard, and Henry would play the chords while Lucas played the melody. There were a couple board games and kids' books around, too, that Lucas had for when the twins came over. But now that Lucas was going over to his parents' so often, they hadn't been over in a while. 

Like it always happened when he was alone, Henry's mind drifted to thoughts of Lucas. Henry wanted to ask Lucas what they were. Were they boyfriends? Or were they not gonna label things? He knew he could talk to Lucas about anything and everything, and they did do that, but he didn't wanna spoil what they had going on by bringing up labels and dating and relationships. He was perfectly content with what they had going on now. He probably wouldn't mind adding one thing to it, though. They hadn't done 'that' again, since that night at the beach house. They'd made out since then, a lot, they'd joked about 'it' but they hadn't done 'it'. Henry didn't mind, really. It's not like he thought about it every time he lay next to Lucas at night. Pfft. Nope.

Well.

A couple minutes later, the key turned in the lock and Lucas stepped into the apartment. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt and black trousers, hair perfectly tousled, beard neatly trimmed. Henry loved his beard and his clean-shaven look, too. Lucas managed to look great in every way, which Henry used to hate when they hated each other, but he loved it now. Henry himself had let his hair grow out more, and it fell just past his shoulders now. He wasn't sure about how long he was going to let his hair grow out, but he definitely felt more comfortable with it now, and it helped a lot that Lucas loved it, so. 

"Hello," Lucas chirped, grinning at Henry. He put down his backpack on one of the armchairs and skipped over to Henry. 

"Hi," Henry replied, smiling. "You seem to be in a good mood."

"Just happy to see you," Lucas answered brightly, plopping down on the sofa next to Henry. 

"Orrrr you're drunk," Henry tested, raising an eyebrow at Lucas. 

Lucas feigned a shocked gasp. "How dare you!"

"I have to make sure," Henry played on.

"Fine. Check for yourself." And he pushed Henry back onto the cushions and brought their mouths together. 

"You did exactly what I thought you would," Henry mumbled, Lucas' tongue sliding over his. Heat was pooling in his stomach, making his heart race.

"So this was your plan all along, was it?" Lucas murmured back, biting at the younger boy's lip.

"My plan involves way more," Henry told him, reaching out to unbutton Lucas' shirt.

"Uh-uh!" Lucas pulled away from Henry quickly, chuckling. 

"Whyyyy?" Henry groaned, turning and burying his face in the pillows. Lucas was seated over him, knees planted on either sides of his thighs. Henry felt like he might combust any second now if things didn't happen, like, soon.

"Because this," he said, gesturing at Henry, "is too much fun."

"I can show you way more fun," Henry replied, looking up at Lucas through his lashes. 

Lucas was breathing hard already, and his breath hitched slightly as he looked down at Henry. "You wanna do something crazy tonight?" he asked a second later in a breathy voice, looking down at Henry. 

"Yes," Henry whispered, heart beating rapidly. 

"Yes, what?" Lucas questioned innocently. 

"Yes, please," Henry added, swallowing hard. 

"Okay. Come on, then," Lucas told him. He stood up and walked to the front door briskly, picking up the big grey blanket from the basket in the corner of the living room on his way. 

"W-What?" Henry stuttered, sitting up. 

Lucas tilted his head slightly, looking confused for a second. "Oh! You thought-" and he laughed his 'hahaha' laugh. 

Henry blushed. "What did you mean?"

"Come on," Lucas insisted, holding out a hand. 

Henry looked down at his lap. "Gonna need a minute here, actually." 

Lucas looked down at Henry's lap, too, holding back laughter. "Oh. Take your time."

"Grandma, grandma, grandma," Henry muttered, closing his eyes in concentration. 

"That's just messed up, Henry," Lucas told him, amusement clear in his voice. 

"It's all your fault," Henry responded. 

"I'm sorry," Lucas replied sweetly. 

"No, you're not."

"No, I'm not."

Henry groaned, trying to think of literally anything else. He stood up a couple minutes later, walking over to the older boy. 

"All okay?" Lucas asked kindly. 

"Fuck off." 

Lucas cackled, pulling Henry closer and putting an arm around his waist, nuzzling his face in his neck. Henry rolled his eyes and sighed, putting an arm around Lucas' shoulder and kissed the side of his face. Lucas led Henry down to the parking garage and they got into his car. Lucas dumped the blanket onto the backseat. Henry wondered what it was for, and his mind couldn't help but go there. But they were most likely just going to get dinner.

They had driven around a few times at night, sometimes in Henry's car, sometimes in Lucas'. They'd go get ice cream or frozen yogurt or stop by the convenience store where Lucas would get cigarettes and Henry would get M&Ms or a chocolate milk. Lucas had even dropped Henry off at uni a couple times in the morning on his way to work. It had felt risky, with everything going on with Maddie, but Henry couldn't help feeling a little giddy with excitement every time that happened because he'd never had that before.

"Where are we going?" Henry asked as they pulled out of the parking garage. 

Lucas put a finger to his lips. "Shhh."

Henry pulled a face at him. Lucas blew Henry a kiss. Henry pouted and looked out of the window. The sky was a purplish-blue, grey clouds scattered throughout. There was still an occasional, distant rumble of thunder. Lucas' car smelled just like him- cologne and cigarette smoke- and it was making Henry drowsy. 

"Lucas?" he asked after a couple seconds. He should talk about what happened today before he fell asleep or something.

"Mm?"

"I had a talk with Logan today about everything that's been going on with Maddie, and he said that I should find a way to talk to her. I was thinking of stopping by the house to check on her, maybe."

"Are you sure? I don't know how she'll react. But I don't know anything about her anymore," he added bitterly, hands tightening on the steering wheel. 

Henry reached a hand out and squeezed Lucas' shoulder. "I'm gonna give it one last try. If she still doesn't want to listen, then... I dunno."

Lucas glanced over at him. "You're happy... with me, right?" he asked uncertainly.

Henry smiled, observing Lucas' face in the dark of the night. The only sources of light were the intermittent streetlamps that lit up the inside of the car for a second, and then they were bathed in darkness again. "Very."

Lucas beamed at Henry gratefully.

Henry sighed, settling deeper against the seat. "Are we going somewhere far?" They were driving towards the outskirts of the city now; they'd never gone this far before. There was quite a bit of traffic since it was Friday night.

Lucas nodded. "You should take a nap if you're tired."

Henry inhaled, turning in his seat towards Lucas and held his hand out. Lucas glanced down, then took Henry's hand with a smile, giving it a small squeeze. Henry squeezed it back, putting both their clasped hands on his knee and shut his eyes. 

"Henry," came Lucas' soft voice, right by his ear. 

"Hmm?" he muttered sleepily.

"Wake up, love. We're here," the older boy whispered, gripping his shoulder. 

Henry opened his eyes, rubbing a hand across his face to wipe away the sleepiness. He glanced around them, realising after a second that they were parked in the driveway of the Thornton's beach house. Everything around them outside was dark, but Henry recognised the building with no problem. He could already hear the surf crashing in the distance, and the air smelled salty. The clock on the dashboard said it was almost 10. "What're we doing here?"

"Come on," Lucas told him, smiling as he pushed open his door and got out. 

Henry blinked a couple times, wondering if he was still asleep and having a strange dream. He pinched his thigh and muttered a curse when it actually hurt. Henry opened his door and stepped out, feeling the chilly and salty sea breeze on his face. "Lucas?"

He walked up to Henry from the back of the car, holding the big grey blanket from his living room, bundled up in his arms. There might be something else under there, but Henry couldn't be too sure. He held out a hand to Henry. They walked up to the beach house together, Lucas unlocking the door with his keys. They didn't need to turn on the lights because Lucas guided Henry to the deck with ease. They made their way down onto the beach, going down the wooden steps. 

It was a full moon tonight and it shone down brightly on them, casting its silvery glow about the beach. The moonlight glinted off the dark blue water, making the waves silver and white as they lapped against the sand. None of the houses had the lights on around them, and there wasn't a single person in sight other than the two of them.

Henry turned to Lucas, who was spreading the blanket down on the sand. A big brown paper bag sat at the edge of the blanket. Lucas kicked off his shoes and sat down, looking up at Henry. "C'mon, sit," he told him. 

Henry kicked off his shoes, too, and sat down next to Lucas, their knees touching. "What're we doing here?"

"I thought we could just sit here and look at the stars," Lucas told Henry after a second, turning to look at the sky. "I don't know if you remember, but that night, before it happened, you came to talk to me out on the balcony and we were just stood watching the sky and the ocean, and there was that couple out on the beach looking up at the stars and you were looking at them, so I thought you might enjoy this."

Henry gaped at the other boy. "I can't believe you remember all that! It was so long ago."

Lucas shrugged, smile forming on his lips. "It was a very special night."

Henry chuckled, ecstatic. "It really was."

"I couldn't stop thinking about this place," Lucas continues, staring out at the water. His voice suddenly had a faraway quality to it, like he was just thinking out loud. "Every year I come here, I find out something about myself. When I was 10, I found out that dead sea animals in shells make me throw up," he said with a smile, then shuddered. Henry chuckled. He had told Lucas about Camilla narrating the story to him. "When I was 13, I found out how much I enjoyed reading. 15, I found out how much I love footie. 17, I found out how much I loved playing guitar. 20, found out how to important it is to enjoy my own company. And at 22, I found myself because of you."

Henry smiled, surprised. He surveyed the older boy's face, cheekbones highlighted and some strands of his soft brown hair painted silver in the moonlight. He could hardly believe that they were really here, and that Lucas was saying these words to him.

"I've been wanting to come back here since we left, because that night with you changed everything. I almost ended up coming back here by meself, when you and I weren't talking, but I realised I only wanted to come back with you," Lucas went on. "I know we didn't start off right, but I'm glad I found my way to you. You've helped me come to terms with who I really am, and I can't thank you enough for it."

"I'm glad I found my way to you, too," Henry agreed with a smile. "As irritating and annoying and angering as you were-" Lucas chuckled, shaking his head- "I'm happy I finally realised how much I need you. Your arms are my comfort place, and being around you makes everything else easier." Lucas leaned over and kissed the tip of Henry's nose, smiling broadly. 

"Oh, I have something for you," Lucas piped up after a second. "But you've gotta close your eyes."

Henry closed his eyes. 

"Okay, now open your mouth."

"If you want me to blow you just ask."

"Henry!" Lucas exclaimed, surprised.

"It'll probably be public indecency to do that here, though."

"Henryyy!"

Henry did as he was told. A familiar smell found its way to his nose, and a bite of something was placed in his mouth. Henry chewed for a second, then his eyes flew open with excitement. "It's the fish tacos, oh my god! From Seafood by the Pier!" Henry had told Lucas a couple weeks back about how he'd regretted not being able to go back for the fish tacos.

Lucas grinned happily at seeing the other boy's excitement. "I rang the owner when you were asleep. He knows dad, so he was willing to keep aside some food for us and deliver it to the house."

"That's so nice. Thank you," Henry told Lucas earnestly, feeling his fondness for the other boy grow.

"Here." Lucas pushed a takeout container with the fish tacos towards Henry. "I've got wine, too," he said, reaching into the paper bag and pulling out a bottle of chilled red wine. "Don't have glasses, but we can share from the bottle."

Henry grinned from ear to ear, shaking his head. This was too nice. Lucas winked at him, pulling off the cork and taking a sip of the wine. He offered it to Henry, who took a sip as well. They sat quietly for a few minutes, watching the waves, the moon and the stars as they had their dinner.

Lucas reached into his pocket after they were done eating. "I got you something else. I pass this jewellery store on my way to work every morning, and I thought of you when I saw this in their window." He held out his hand, a silver ring sitting on his outstretched palm. "It's a fiddle ring." He placed it in Henry's hand. The ring had the word 'PEACE' engraved onto it, and the middle part of the ring could be rotated. "I know you play with your rings and necklace when you get anxious, so I thought this could help, and also be something that reminds you of me."

Henry felt a lump forming in his throat as he looked down at the ring and then up at Lucas. "Thank you," he whispered, eyes moist. He was wearing a plain hammered silver ring on his right middle finger, which he pulled off and placed on a different finger. He placed his new ring on the newly-empty finger, holding up his hand to admire it.  

"I'm glad you liked it," Lucas told him.  

Henry stared at the ring. The word 'PEACE' stared back at him. No one had done anything like this for him before. The picnic, the tacos, and now the ring. He was feeling overwhelmed.

"I-Is something the matter?" Lucas asked uncertainly, because Henry had tears in his eyes. "Wait. Is this too much? Oh, god, did I overdo it? I-"

He stopped talking because Henry had tackled him in a fierce hug. Henry almost knocked Lucas flat because of the force of the hug. Henry inhaled deeply, clutching the older boy as tightly as he possibly could.

"I love you," Henry found himself whispering in Lucas' ear. 

Chapter Text

"W-what?" Lucas stuttered, pulling away from Henry. 

Panic bloomed in Henry's chest as he stared at the other boy's wide eyes. Why had he said that? It's not like he could pretend he'd said something else, he'd said it right in Lucas' ear. "Y-you don't have to say... it back. I just wanted you to know."

Lucas looked Henry up and down, eyes growing softer. "D'you really mean it?"

"I wouldn't say it unless I meant it," Henry told him earnestly. 

Lucas observed him for another second, before swallowing hard and wrapping his arms around Henry tightly. "I love you, too, Henry," he murmured. 

"You do?" Henry questioned, gaping at the other boy in surprise.

"I think I've felt that way for a while now, but I didn't wanna spoil things," Lucas admitted, still holding Henry tight. "That day we were joking around in your kitchen, and you asked if I loved you, I think I knew it then."

Henry breathed a sigh of relief. Lucas felt the same way he did. He half-laughed, half-sobbed, and put his arms around Lucas, peppering kisses over the side of his face. Lucas laughed, turning his face into Henry's neck and pecking his jaw. Henry kissed the corner of Lucas' mouth and put his head on Lucas' shoulder, feeling more content than he had in years. He could never have guessed that he'd be here at the beach, under the dark sky smattered with stars, with the waves crashing against the sand, holding in his arms a boy he loved, a boy who loved him back. His Lucas. 

"D'you remember that question you'd asked me? A couple weeks ago, late at night?" Lucas muttered in Henry's ear. "'Could we ever be enough?'" 

It was a bit hazy, but Henry remembered. He'd been half-asleep then, and he and Lucas were lying in bed, talking. He'd been feeling down, doubting if they were really going to make it with everything that was going on. "Yeah."

"Baby, we could be enough," Lucas told him. 

Henry groaned, feeling giddy with happiness. "Thornton, you romantic. You're killing me with all this tonight. How can anyone beat all this, huh?" 

"I'm pretty great, I know."

"Okay, you just ruined it," Henry pulled away from the other boy and shook his head. 

"Ruined it?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrows. 

"Yeah," Henry insisted, raising his eyebrows, too. 

"You're gonna regret saying that, Sullivan," Lucas informed. 

"Is that so?" 

"That is so."

"How?"

"Easy," Lucas responded. He unwrapped his arms from around Henry and looked down at his hands while he flexed his nimble fingers. Then he looked up at Henry, reached forward and started tickling his sides. 

"He-ey!" Henry protested between laughs, trying to bat away the other boy's hands. Lucas laughed too as he caught at his waist and pushed him flat on the blanket, still tickling his sides. Henry squirmed and tried to get away, but Lucas planted his knees on either sides of Henry's and held him in place. Henry looked up at Lucas seated over him, the cloudy grey sky and ocean forming the background, struck once again with how handsome Lucas was. His soft brown hair fluttered slightly in the sea breeze, mouth pink and perfect, eyes sparkling like the stars that were hidden behind those grey clouds. 

"You stopped laughing," Lucas observed, not tickling Henry anymore. 

"It's not funny anymore," Henry breathed, staring at the older boy. 

Lucas looked back at him, mouth slightly open. They were both breathing hard. Lucas leaned over Henry. But instead of feeling the other boy's touch, Henry felt raindrops pouring down on them all of a sudden. 

"Fuck's sake," Lucas muttered, getting off of Henry deftly and offering him a hand. Henry pulled himself up and the two boys pick up the blanket and the takeout containers and the bottle of wine, along with their shoes and made a break for it. They ran up the steps to the house, pushing the sliding doors open and spilling into the dark living room. 

"Lucas?" Henry asked, trying to locate the other boy, but his eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet. He turned a bit, and caught the silhouette of the older boy near the sliding doors. Lucas reached out and took Henry's shoes and the blanket from him. Henry heard a thud on the hardwood floor, followed by the paper bag crumpling and the wine bottle being put down. "What're you doing?" Henry questioned. 

Lucas didn't reply, he grabbed Henry's arms and took a step closer. Henry could faintly make out the other boy's features in the darkness. He swallowed hard, staring down at Lucas. Lucas slowly pushed him backwards, steering Henry towards his room. 

Lucas opened the door to his room, and turned on the fairy lights. Everything looked the same as they'd left it back then. Memories from the trip came swirling back into Henry's head, and obviously, one stood out the most. Henry turned to Lucas, who had come to stand next to him and was observing him. 

"Are we staying the night?" Henry asked.

"If you want to," Lucas replied suggestively, raising an eyebrow. 

"Do you want to?"

"Do you?"

"Do me?" 

Lucas tried to look serious but he ended up chuckling. "You're an idiot."

"Yes, but I'm your idiot," Henry responded with a grin.

"You are," Lucas replied fondly. 

Henry couldn't wait anymore, he turned to Lucas and pressed his lips to the older boy's. Lucas let out a sigh, and took a few steps backwards and sat on the bed. Henry placed himself over Lucas' lap carefully, hooking his hands behind Lucas' neck. Lucas pulled away and planted a wet, sucking kiss on Henry's neck. 

"Hey! No hickeys tonight. I had to wear a hoodie for an entire week after last time," Henry told him. 

"But I want to mark my property," Lucas argued, looking up at Henry with puppy eyes. 

"Are you saying I'm your property?" Henry questioned, surprised. He liked the sound of that, honestly. 

"Yes. Aren't you my idiot? So, my idiot, I would like to bite your neck," Lucas responded. 

"Oh, you have such a way with words, Thornton. Have at it," Henry gave in. He wore hoodies a lot around this time of the year, anyway. Lucas smirked and got to work on Henry's neck. "You'd make a decent mosquito, actually."

Lucas stopped and pulled away, staring at Henry, aghast. "You need to work on your sexy talk, babe."

"No, remember, from before? I told your mum that the hickeys were mosquito bites, and you told Maddie and the twins that you scratched your back because of the mosquitoes?"

"You can't mention my mum and sisters when you're sitting on my fucking lap, lad!"

"Sorry." Henry blushed. 

Lucas sighed, burying his face in Henry's shoulder. Henry could feel his warmth breath tickling the skin under his t-shirt.

"I'll make it up to you." Henry tilted his head, pecking the side of Lucas' face and placing a finger under his chin to pull him into another kiss. Lucas looked up as Henry clutched at his hair and ran his tongue over the other boy's. Lucas exhaled softly, holding Henry by the waist with one hand, his other hand trailing over Henry's thigh. Henry finally unbuttoned Lucas' shirt and tossed it behind him, his hands tracing the older boy's tattoos. 

"You know," Lucas breathed after a second, "that all that stuff afterwards, I didn't mean any of it, right?"

Henry pulled away, a hand still hooked around Lucas' neck. His other hand was resting on the '78' tattoo on Lucas' chest, still tracing its outlines. "What?"

"In the car. I thought the only way we could move on was if you hated me. I knew I could never hate you again, but if I made you mad enough, you might hate me," Lucas explained, eyes soft as he looked up at Henry. 

"It didn't really work, though," Henry told him, lifting his hand to place his palm on Lucas' cheek. "I thought I hated you after it, but I didn't. I couldn't quit thinking about you and that night."

"I'm sorry for leaving things that way then. I only did it because of the way Maddie reacted, and because I wasn't sure about... myself."

"You made out with me and shagged me but still thought 'Nah, I'm not into lads?'"

"It was difficult, okay?" Lucas protested, turning his face and leaning into Henry's open palm.

"I know, I know," Henry assured him, chuckling, gliding a thumb over the other boy's beard. "Wait. Is that why... we haven't done that again since then? Because you wanted to be sure?"

"Yes and no, because I wanted to be sure that you wanted me. And you just said you loved me," Lucas told him with a smile. 

"I do."

"You do?"

"Me do."

Lucas snorted.

"No wait, that was 'do me,' wasn't it?" Henry sighed. 

"I'll do you, don't you worry. Wear all the hoodies you have to later. Tonight, you're mine and I'll do what I want to you."

Things progressed quickly after that. Clothes were flung with such vigour that Henry's boxers got caught on the tv and Lucas' socks ended up in the bathroom. They could deal with that later. Right now Henry was more focused on the naked lad in front of him, because, y'know, priorities. Plus, they'd didn't need to be quiet now like they'd had to last time, and Henry was going to take full advantage of that. Henry loved the amount of trust between them, because they told each other exactly what they needed with no fear of judgement. Once again, Lucas went out of his way to ensure Henry was having a good time, and Henry had never felt happier than he had then. If it was even possible, this time was better than the last, but that was probably because the boys had said they loved each other instead of having a heated argument that had gone sideways, or rather upwards. 

"That was fucking amazing," Lucas said in between heavy breaths, putting his forehead on Henry's shoulder. Henry was lying on his back, the sheets tangled between him and Lucas, pillows strewn about the room. Lucas lay on top of him, both of them trying to catch their breath. 

"And you wanted to wait for this long," Henry replied, wiping the sweat off his face. Every time he and Lucas did this, he reached some kind of new plane, some other world. No wonder he'd been thinking about this so much.

"I'm a fool," Lucas sighed, exhaling loudly. His warm breath grazed Henry's bare chest. 

"A big one," Henry agreed, reaching up to push Lucas' hair out of his eyes. 

Lucas lifted his head to look at Henry, his blue eyes searching Henry's green ones intensely. "You had a good time, right?"

"The best. Thank you for making sure. No one else did."

Lucas smiled and reached up and pecked Henry on the lips. His lips were warm, and the feeling of kissing Lucas brought Henry immense comfort. Henry lifted his head and pressed his lips to Lucas' again, feeling fuzzy and calm on the inside. He loved how Lucas closed his eyes every time Henry inched closer to him, and he loved how Lucas' lashes tickled the top of Henry's cheekbones. He wished he could stay here forever, playing with Lucas' soft hair, looking into his kind blue eyes and giving him kisses. It really was another world. Henry was struggling to keep his eyes open as he gazed at the handsome older boy looking up at him.

Lucas blinked, smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You need sleep."

"Uh huh," Henry muttered, already drowsy.

Lucas slid off of Henry and lay down next to him, extending his arm for Henry to put his head on. Henry did, and snuggled as close as he could to Lucas, putting his head on his shoulder. He breathed in Lucas' familiar scent, feeling himself relax even more when Lucas started raking a hand through his hair. Lucas put his other arm around Henry's waist, turning his face so he could kiss the top of Henry's head. "Goodnight, darling."

"Goodnight, babe," Henry murmured, and drifted off. 

The following morning, Henry awoke to feeling Lucas' lips against his own. Henry opened his eyes, meeting the older boy's gaze as Lucas gave him another kiss. Henry smiled, kissing him back, neither of them caring that they had morning breath. 

"Woken up with a kiss, huh? Who am I, Snow White?"

"Well, you are my princess, so," Lucas responded with a smirk. 

“I’m a princess now?”

“Whatever you are, you’re mine.”

Henry quite liked the sound of that, too, actually. "I am, yeah," he said with a grin. 

Lucas smiled and pecked him on the lips again, putting his head on Henry's chest. Henry put his arms around Lucas, holding him tight. Sun rays filtered through the gaps in the curtains as they billowed in the sea breeze, bathing the room in golden light and painting the boys' skin gold and red. Lucas' hair looked caramel brown in the sunlight, his lips perfectly pink and soft, nose adorable as always. Henry could do this forever, honestly. If this was all his life was, he was okay with it. 

Henry traced Lucas' arm tattoos with his thumb, then ran a hand through his hair. He loved Lucas' hair so much, and he loved that he was the only one that got to play with it like that. He could feel Lucas' breath on his bare chest as the older boy inhaled and exhaled softly. 

"Lucas?"

There was no answer. He'd fallen asleep. Henry smiled, happiness blossoming in his chest, and planted a kiss on top of Lucas' head. "I love you."

Henry held onto him tight and closed his own eyes again. 

The lads woke up again after a while, when Lucas' phone on the nightstand started ringing. Lucas sat up, rubbing his eyes, and glanced at his phone before silencing it. "Stupid Donahue, calling me at 9am on a Saturday."

Henry was still lying down, and stretched his toes, which went over the edge of the bed. "What if it's important?" he asked with a yawn.

"Ugh, you're right. Let me call him back." Lucas got off the bed, stretching in his usual cat-like manner and grabbed Henry's boxers off the tv and put them on.

"Those are mine, by the way," Henry informed him. 

"You can wear mine," Lucas told him with a raised eyebrow. "If you can find them, that is." He picked up his phone and went out to the balcony. Henry heard him talking after a couple seconds.

Henry exhaled softly and stood up, stretching as well. He glanced about the room, trying to locate Lucas' boxers. Lucas shirt lay on the desk, his trousers under it, Henry's t-shirt covering the lamp on the nightstand, his joggers inside the closet, Lucas' socks in the bathroom, Henry's somehow stuffed into a pillowcase. He gathered all the clothes, still looking for the boxers. 

Lucas came back into the room after a second. "Well, well, if it isn't the sexiest maid service in the world."

Henry jutted his hip out as he turned around to face the older boy. "In the whole world? Really?"

"Absolutely," Lucas affirmed with a smirk. "Also, look what I found, about to fall off the railing." He tossed his boxers at Henry. 

"The window was open?" Henry questioned. He did not remember that. 

"I didn't think it was open, either," Lucas told him. 

The things they'd gotten up to last night, wow. The lads got dressed, teasing and poking each other as they did. 

"What did Donahue want, by the way?" Henry asked as he pulled on his joggers. 

"Bagels," Lucas responded, putting on his socks. 

Henry gaped at him. "He called you for that?"

"Sorry, bagels and coffee," Lucas corrected himself and sighed. "I told him I wasn't home, and he flipped out because I hadn't told him I wasn't going to be there."

"That's so fucked up," Henry decided. "Is he like that with everyone?"

"He's worse with them, honestly. He made this girl, Karla, who works with me, bring him soup when she was sick."

"What? Are you sure you want to keep working there?" Henry asked, surprised. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Lucas told him, reaching over and squeezing his hand. "I've pondered over it quite a lot. But yeah, this is how it is when you're starting off work at a place like that. You've gotta pay your dues."

"If you're sure, then I'm with you," Henry confirmed, smiling over at Lucas.

Lucas grinned back. "Breakfast?" 

The lads made their way to the kitchen, finding only pop tarts and cereal in the cabinets, since the beach house had been empty for months now. They ate out on the deck, watching the birds in the bright blue sky and the waves crashing against the sand as they talked. After breakfast, Lucas disappeared into his room for a minute, and came back out with two pairs of swim shorts, one blue, one green. 

"What d'you think, Sullivan? Wanna go for a swim?" he asked, throwing Henry the green swim shorts. 

"Swimming right after eating? Thornton, you daredevil."

Lucas chortled, shaking his head at Henry. They put on the swim shorts and made their way down to the beach, Lucas chasing Henry, trying to catch and tickle him. It was sunny and bright out, but still a bit chilly. They were still the only people in sight. Henry raced to the water and waded in, finding it somewhat warm, but also cold, and turned around and splashed Lucas, who was close behind. Lucas sputtered a bit, shaking his head, his wet hair sending beads of water flying about, and splashed Henry back. Henry pushed his hair back, and splashed more water on Lucas, drenching the older boy in saltwater. Lucas narrowed his eyes mischievously at him and reached forward and caught Henry around the waist, pushing him down into the water. Henry pulled Lucas along with him, of course, and held his breath as they both fell into the water.

Henry grabbed Lucas' shoulders once underwater, Lucas still holding Henry by his waist, barely a few inches of distance between them. Their skin appeared whiter underwater, sunlight glinting off it in broken bits. Their hair floated up around their heads in different shapes, reminding Henry of jellyfish. Lucas tilted his head as he gazed at Henry, then pressed his lips to Henry's with a smile. Henry tried to kiss him back, but ended up swallowing a bunch of seawater which made him sputter. Lucas threw his head back like he was laughing silently, and held Henry tight as he pushed upwards and they broke through the surface of the water. Henry coughed and wiped at his mouth, and then joined Lucas in laughing at himself.  

They horsed around for a bit, climbing on each other and trying to push the other one so he lost his balance and fell into the water. Henry loved seeing Lucas with his hair plastered to his forehead, skin glistening with sunlight and water droplets, eyes sparkling playfully as he climbed onto Henry. Henry caught Lucas' legs as the other boy clambered onto his back and then onto his shoulders. Lucas played with Henry's hair as Henry walked back up the beach house's steps, carrying Lucas on his shoulders. Once on the deck, Lucas jumped off, landing with a cat-like grace that Henry could never have managed. 

"What now?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow at Henry.

Henry raised an eyebrow in response as he gathered up their clothes from the living room floor, and walked backwards into Lucas' room. Lucas followed him in, smirking already, and the boys got in the shower. What the two of them got up to in there should probably stay just between them.

Around noon, they ordered takeout, more fish tacos and some fried calamari, and lounged around the living room and watched tv. About an hour later, they decided to leave for home.

"Can I drive?" Henry asked. Lucas looked tired to Henry, so he didn't want him to have to drive for so long to get back home. 

Lucas pouted, then stifled a yawn and handed the keys over to Henry. 

"Remember when you'd said you'd kill me if I touched your car again?" Henry questioned as they pulled out of the driveway. 

Lucas had his feet pulled up onto the seat, his cheek against the car seat, facing Henry. He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Crazy fucking times."

"Yes, they were," Henry agreed, shaking his head as well. "Did you really hate me so much?"

"Didn't you hate me?"

"Lowkey might've been attracted to you all along," Henry muttered, looking anywhere but at Lucas. He'd known that, but he hadn't known that.

Lucas raised his eyebrows, amused. "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Lucas snickered. "Don't worry. I think I was 'lowkey' attracted to you all along, too."

"We wasted way too much time," Henry said with a sigh. If they could've just talked things out instead of coming up with creative ways to tell each other how they should die, they could've had so much more time together already. 

"It led to us being together now, didn't it?"

"Are we... together-together?"

"No, Henry, this is just an enemies with benefits kind of situation," Lucas retorted. "Of course we're together, silly. You think I'd tell just anyone I loved them?"

"You seemed to love that pizza a lot that day. You talked to it while you ate it and you told it you loved it."

Lucas sighed deeply, smiling. "That was really good, yeah. Pizza's fucking amazing."

Henry glanced over at Lucas, who was looked really happy thinking about his pizza, and chortled. "I should change my name to Pizza."

"Pizza Sullivan? Sounds good honestly." Lucas went on to give Henry a graphic description of the kinds of toppings that could be put on him and how Lucas could eat them off, which was more than enough to make Henry blush for the entirety of the drive, even after Lucas had fallen asleep.  

Once they got to the apartment complex, they went up to Henry's, and lazed around there till dinner time. 

Henry made the two of them some pasta with marinara sauce, Lucas' favourite. He thought about getting them pizza, but he'd need a few days before being able to look at one again.

"I had the best time with you today and last night," Henry told him over dinner. They were sat at the dining table, with candles and white wine. Henry's life felt like a movie, honestly. What was life, even? "Thank you."

Lucas grinned as he ate a bite of his pasta. "Thank you, curly. I had a great time, too. And, man, are you a good cook! This is awesome."

Henry grinned back and took a little bow. "Pleased to be of service."

"Listen, I'm going to my parents' tomorrow for lunch. I was thinking of maybe... coming out to them."

"Lucas, that's wonderful! I'm so proud of you," Henry beamed. 

Lucas smiled nervously. "Will- Will you come with me? Please?"

"I would love that, really, but this is your thing," Henry told him. "It's personal, and I think you should do it by yourself. But if you still want me there, then I'll be there. I'll go anywhere with you."

Lucas smiled again, exhaling deeply as he gazed at Henry fondly. "You're right. Yeah. I should do it by myself."

Henry smiled back. "Good. You've got this. And remember everything that you've told me, okay? You're incredibly brave to step up and announce your identity like that."

"Thank you, love." Lucas leaned over and pecked Henry on the cheek. "If everything goes well, would you maybe come with me next week? You can talk to Maddie then, and we can be more... official."

Henry smiled, surprised. "Tell our families?"

"I-If you want. No compulsion."

"No, no, I think that's brilliant. I'd love that!" Henry wanted to tell everyone, anyone who would listen that he was with Lucas. He'd scream it at the top of his lungs, go up to strangers and tap them on the shoulder to tell him he loved Lucas Thornton, stand up in the cafeteria at uni and yell it out loud if he could. It was crazy how things had changed.

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you think that. I really want people to know how much I love your stupid arse."

"I love your stupid arse, too. So much."

Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. "We're both idiots."

"Yes, but we're each other's idiots."

Chapter Text

"Would you like some more tea, darling?" asked Elizabeth. "Henry?"

"Huh? No, no, I'm good. Thanks," Henry replied quickly.

"Okay." Elizabeth smiled at him and got up, making her way to the kitchen. 

They were watching a movie in the living room at Elizabeth's place after having Chinese takeout for lunch. It felt odd to refer to it as just his mum's house, but it was true since his dad didn't live there anymore. Elizabeth had told Henry that she thought that her and David were making real progress in couples' counselling and that David might be moving back any day now. Henry couldn't help but hope that everything worked out between them. The spark in his mum's eyes at the thought of David moving back in made his heart hurt. She was still wearing that gold bracelet. He was thinking of going to see David later this week, because he didn't want to be the reason his parents weren't together. He didn't even live with them anymore, so he felt like he might be able to handle their dinners or meetings better, especially since Elizabeth claimed that David had changed. 

Henry had been thinking about Lucas again, of course. Lucas was at his parents' house now for lunch. He'd admitted to being tense about coming out to them last night as they had laid next to each other, staring up at the ceiling and chatting. 

"Henry? What if they don't- I don't even know what I want them to say, but what if it doesn't go well?" Lucas asked softly. They'd been talking about some movie just then, and Lucas had seemed lost in thought for a moment, before voicing his worry.

Henry turned his head to be able to look at the older boy. He was lying with his head on Lucas' shoulder, their intertwined hands lying on Lucas' stomach. "You won't know how it'll go until you do it."

Lucas exhaled, turning his head to look at Henry. The lights were turned off, and it was too dark to really see anything, but Henry knew their gazes were locked on each other. "How did you know you were really ready?"

Henry inhaled, snuggling closer to Lucas and turning his face so that it was half-buried in the other boy's t-shirt. They could say anything to each other at any time, but here, in the dark, they had their own little bubble every night, where they'd talk about the things they'd never really say out loud. "I dunno, actually. I was just... I was tired of keeping it to myself, because my dad kept thinking that Maddie and I were together and kept talking about it. They were having problems, and we were barely a family anymore, so I thought me coming out could be something that could bring us all together again, y'know, make us feel connected. But you know what happened."

"How d'you... find the courage to do it, then?"

"You're really doing it for yourself more than anyone else. I know it's scary to think that they might not see you the same way again, but that kind of is the point, no? You're still you, except for this one tiny detail. It doesn't really change much for you, because you keep being who you've always been, but there's just someone else now who knows how you you are. It's scary, but it's also nice, because you can be more yourself around them."

Lucas took a deep breath. "What would I do without you?"

"Mm. You'd probably be running around like a headless chicken, smacking into walls," Henry teased. 

"Hey, that happened once! You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" Lucas asked. 

"Never," Henry agreed with a grin. 

"Stop smiling, you frog," Lucas told him, squeezing his hand. Henry loved that Lucas knew him well enough to know he was smiling, even in the darkness. 

"It'll be okay, Lucas. Like you told me, you'd be incredibly brave by coming out to them, and if they have a problem with it, it's on them."

"Right," Lucas said, inhaling again.

"Even if they're not okay with it, I'll always be by your side, okay? Think of me like, oh, I dunno, gum stuck to your shoe."

"That'd be under me, right? Are you saying you'll always be under me, Sullivan?" 

"Well, maybe not always. It'll be nice to switch things up once in a while, don't you think?"

Lucas chuckled. "Whatever works best for you, love. But you promise you'll always be by my side?"

"Always," Henry replied, squeezing Lucas' hand. "You?"

Lucas squeezed his hand back, inhaling deeply again. "Always."

"It'll be okay, baby. I promise you'll be okay." 

Lucas turned and kissed Henry's forehead. "I know. I trust you."

In the morning, after having breakfast together, Lucas had to go up to his place to get dressed. 

"I'll see you back here later?" Henry asked as he walked Lucas to the front door. 

"Of course. Wish me luck?" Lucas turned to him, pouting and tilting his head to the side. 

"Just tell me to kiss you. That's what you really want."

"Kiss me."

Henry pulled Lucas to him, grabbing a fistful of his black t-shirt, and pressed their lips together. Lucas relaxed against Henry, hooking his hands behind Henry's neck, fingers caught in his curls, as he kissed him back. Henry loved that Lucas let himself be vulnerable and open around him. He always used to think of Lucas as the strong one, the one who never lets others see him in his most vulnerable state, the one who never lets others in. But he let Henry in, always, and Henry couldn't ask for anything more. 

"I'm not gonna want to leave if you keep this up," Lucas murmured into their kiss. 

"You're not really leaving, though. You're always with me." 

Lucas smiled, kissing Henry with renewed force. He was right, though. Henry could stand there and kiss Lucas forever. But the older boy would be late for his lunch. Henry pulled away after a couple seconds, then leaned forward and pecked Lucas on the lips thrice, unable to stop himself. He loved Lucas' soft, pink lips, the way they always parted under Henry's without any resistance, how they tasted of Henry's toothpaste this morning. He loved everything about being with or around Lucas. 

"I love you," Lucas told him, still smiling brightly as his blue eyes met Henry's green ones. 

"I love you," Henry told him, mirroring his smile. 

Lucas, too, leaned forward and pecked Henry on the lips thrice, making him laugh, and then, was gone. 

"What're you thinking about, honey?" Elizabeth asked as she sat back down next to Henry with her cuppa. "You keep touching the ring on your middle finger."

Henry looked down at his hands, just now realising that he was playing with peace ring as he thought about Lucas. "Sorry. I've been sort of out of it today. I stopped by to spend time with you, but I've barely been paying attention."

"It's okay, darling," Elizabeth assured him. "Is that ring new?"

Henry couldn't help but smile. It didn't feel like the ring was new, actually. It felt like it had always been there, and was now just a part of his hand. He hadn't taken it off since he'd put it on that night at the beach, and he wasn't planning on taking it off any time soon. "Yes. It's a gift from... someone."

"Is it from Lucas Thornton?" Elizabeth asked with a knowing smile. 

Henry gaped at her. "How did you know?"

Elizabeth chuckled, taking a sip of her tea. "I dunno, love. I had a feeling you two were more than just friends. I thought that when you first mentioned that he was 'different now' that day on the phone, when I called you at the beach house, because you'd suddenly changed your opinion on him, and something like this is what would make most sense. Then that day when you were telling me about how Maddie was upset about your friendship with him, I just felt like there was more to it than you were letting on."

"I'm sorry I kept that from you. I just wasn't sure about what was going on between me and him, but now I know. We're together, and we love each other."

"That's wonderful, Henry! Oh, look at you, baby, you can't stop smiling," Elizabeth laughed. 

Henry laughed, too, feeling giddy. "He makes me really happy."

"That makes me happy," Elizabeth replied, pinching Henry's cheek. "Okay, I want to get this right. Spill the tea, bestie."

Henry stared at her again, wide-eyed. 

"Don't tell me I said it wrong," Elizabeth sighed. 

"No, no. That was perfect. Wow," Henry said with a laugh. "Who's teaching you all this?"

Elizabeth shrugged, smiling.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything?"

Henry ended up telling her the truth about why Maddie was upset with him and Lucas, and how Henry had showed up at Lucas' apartment that night he'd heard about Elizabeth and David taking a break.

"I'm really glad you have him by your side," Elizabeth told Henry. "But you need to fix things with Maddie, darling. You need to try, at least."

"I know. Lucas is over at his parents' place right now. He said he'd come out to them today, and if things went well, he and I would go over to their house for dinner next week and I could talk to Maddie then." 

"Wow, you're going to make it official then? That's lovely, dear. I'm so happy for you," Elizabeth said with a smile. 

"Thank you, mum, really. And thank you for trusting my choices."

"Of course, darling. So, when do I get to meet him?"

"Soon, soon. I was actually thinking I might go see dad, and if he's... okay with me, I can introduce Lucas to you both, together."

"Henry, that sounds brilliant! I'm sure David will be glad to get to know Lucas, too. It's a splendid idea," she commented. Henry wasn't really sure of that, but Elizabeth looked so happy and hopeful at the thought of that that Henry didn't have the heart to say anything on the contrary. 

"Thanks, mum."

"Also, since you and Lucas have... gone all the way, I hope you know you still have to use protection when you're-"

"Mum!" Henry blushed furiously. "We don't need to talk about that."

"It's important, though, darling!" Elizabeth insisted. "I know we've had the talk before, but you need to know that it's important to use condoms even with another lad-"

"Mum, trust me, I know. I've had four years of experie-" Henry clamped a hand shut over his mouth. Well. He'd spilled the tea and slipped in it. Lucas would've laughed at him if that had actually happened. Henry knew he had shit balance, he'd accepted it now. 

Elizabeth stared at him, green eyes going wide. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Henry rubbed the back of his neck, looking away and staring at the coffee table. 

Elizabeth sighed after a second, tilting her head. "As long as you were being safe, I guess it's fine?"

Henry sighed, too, relieved. "I knew you'd be cool about it. Bestie," he added, with a tilt of his head. Elizabeth chuckled, shaking her head at him fondly. 

They watched the remainder of the movie, Henry sneaking sips of tea from his mum's cup and her laughing at him. He left late in the afternoon, driving back to his apartment complex while he listened to music. The sky was overcast once more, but it didn't look like it'd rain anytime soon. He needed to buy some groceries, so he decided to walk to the store around the corner from the complex. He bought some vegetables, some of the vodka that he knew Lucas liked, some skittles and oreos and the like, and was walking back to the complex when he spotted Logan... and Zeke.

Logan and Zeke were walking hand in hand, chatting, laughing and sharing a cigarette. They had just turned the corner and were walking towards where Henry was stood staring at them. They hadn't noticed him yet. Logan was wearing dark trousers and a white t-shirt, Zeke was dressed in a black graphic t-shirt and ripped jeans. Zeke whispered something low in Logan's ear, making him turn his head and laugh out loud, when he finally spotted Henry.

"Henry! Hi," Logan called. Zeke looked up and saw Henry, too. The both of them had an embarrassed sort of smile on their faces, but they didn't let go of each other's hands. 

"Hi," Henry managed to say after a couple seconds. He could end up dropping his paper bag of groceries if he didn't get an explanation soon. It might still be harder to pick his jaw up off the floor than those groceries, though. 

Logan observed him for a second, realising the reason for Henry's confusion. "Oh, right. I should probably explain this." He gestured to himself and Zeke with his free hand. This? 

"Oof," Zeke coughed, exhaling a cloud of smoke. He ran his free hand through his dark, close-cropped hair. "I'm gonna leave that one to you, babe." Babe? Logan was Zeke's babe? Lucas' friend Zeke was calling Henry's friend Logan babe? Logan and Zeke were babes? Wait, no, that can't be right. Henry blinked, trying to get his brain working. Zeke turned and pecked Logan on the lips once, then stuck the cigarette in Logan's mouth. "I've gotta run. See you around, Henry." Zeke winked at Logan, smiled at Henry, and disappeared down the road. 

Henry stared at Logan, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. What was going on? "What? How? When?"

Logan chuckled, taking a deep drag of the cigarette and exhaling. "Mm?" He offered it to Henry, who shrugged. Might as well. He felt like he'd need it. Logan held up the cigarette for Henry since his hands were full. Henry leaned forward, taking a short drag and exhaled with a grimace. It was that same clove-flavoured thing that Henry didn't like. "D'you wanna go upstairs so you can put those groceries away? You look like you're gonna drop 'em."

Henry looked down at the bag in his hand and then back up at Logan. "Yeah, okay," he replied after a second. He was really having trouble processing things right now.

Logan stuck the cigarette in his mouth again. "Okay, let's get you home." He put his hands on Henry's shoulders and steering him towards the gate of the complex. Henry let himself be steered because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make sense of anything right now. 

They went up to Henry's apartment, Logan having to take the keys from Henry to open the door and putting the groceries down on the kitchen counter. Henry was sat on his sofa, eyes wide as he stared at the wall above the tv. 

"Mate, you alright?" Logan asked, plopping down on the sofa next to Henry. It was getting darker outside, grey clouds gathering in the sky. They had to keep the lights on inside.

"You've got some explaining to do, lad," Henry responded a second later. 

Logan exhaled, crossing his ankle over his knee, and looked over at Henry. "Are you mad I didn't tell you?"

Henry chuckled dryly. "I'm the last person that can be mad about someone not telling him about their relationship."

Logan scoffed, shaking his head with a smile. "I met Zeke at the pub a couple weeks back. He's a bartender, right, and I thought he was really fit, so I was kinda hanging around the bar all night to chat to him. He was super nice, and we ended up going home together."

Henry gaped at Logan, then smacked him in the arm. "You dog! You dogs!" he corrected.

Logan laughed, corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "Yeah, it was really unexpected, honestly. But we both had a great time that night, so we decided to keep seeing each other."

"That's great, Logan, really," Henry informed him. "I'm sorry I've been kind of... shocked. I just wasn't expecting this."

"It's okay, mate. I was looking for a way to tell you, anyway," Logan admitted. 

"I'm sorry if I made it hard to do that. I know I haven't been a good friend to you in a long time," Henry apologised. 

"Hey, stop that! You're a good friend, Henry, you really are. Things have been pretty crazy for you these last couple of months. It's alright," Logan assured him. "I just couldn't find the right time to tell you or Maddie and Noah, with everything that was going on. It just didn't seem like there was a correct moment to do it, because you had to move out and you had something going on with Lucas, then Maddie was pissed at you, so yeah."

Henry sighed. "I know things were crazy, but Logan, whatever's going on in my life, I always want you to be able to tell me what's going on in yours. Even if I've had the shittiest day, I want you to be able to tell me if you've had a good one, okay?"

"Thanks, lad. You're really nailing this friendship thing," Logan told him with a smile. 

Henry rolled his eyes, smiling. "So, how long have you known you weren't straight? What do you identify as?"

Logan thought about it for a second. "I've kinda been feeling like that for a couple months now, but I wasn't really sure about it till I met Zeke. As for what I identify as, I dunno, mate. I don't wanna put any labels yet, because I'm still figuring things out. I guess I'm just... queer."

Henry smiled again, observing Logan. "I'm so glad you told me, though. Thank you for telling me. I'm proud of you, and I'm proud to be your friend. I'm genuinely so happy for you and Zeke, mate."

"Thanks, Henry. Thanks a lot," Logan beamed, reaching forward and pulling Henry into a hug. Henry squealed a little and clapped his friend on the back, making Logan chuckle.

"How did you find out you might be into lads, by the way?" Henry asked as he drew away from Logan. 

Logan blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um... it was because of you, actually."

Henry stared at him. "No way," he snickered. He had not expected that at all. If he'd found out a couple months ago that Logan had a crush on him, things would've been very different right now. But the thought didn't even occur to him because he was with Lucas now and that was all that mattered.

Logan shrugged, still a bit red. "Yeah, it's crazy. Thanks, I guess."

Henry laughed. "Glad I could help."

Logan rolled his eyes with a smile. "You look like you're gonna pass out from happiness."

"I just might. You had a crush on me," he sang teasingly. 

"Had," Logan emphasised in the same teasing tone. 

Henry chuckled, shaking his head. "Thank you for telling me about you, really. I'm honoured."

"I'm glad," Logan responded with a grin. "Oh, by the way, did you think about what we talked about the other day?"

"Yeah, I spoke to Lucas about it. He's gone over to his parents' house for lunch right now, and to come out to them. If everything goes well, I'll go with him next weekend to dinner and speak to Maddie then."

"Oh wow. You're going to dinner with him to his parents' house?"

"Pretty crazy, I know," Henry admitted with a smile. "But we've... we've said the words to each other." Henry recounted for Logan how he and Lucas had exchanged I love you's that night at the beach, and showed him the ring Lucas had gotten for him. 

"Henry, that's brilliant, mate! I'm so happy for you both," Logan said with a smile. Henry grinned at him, twisting the ring on his middle finger. 

The lads chatted a bit longer, and Henry brought out some whiskey for them to celebrate. He was feeling giddy with happiness, for himself and Lucas and for Logan and Zeke. 

A while later, the front door opened and Lucas stepped inside. He was wearing a black jumper and trousers, hair fluffy and sticking up, indicating to Henry that he'd had the windows down on the drive back, most likely since he was having a smoke. He looked content and relaxed, not upset or unhappy, so Henry assumed everything had gone well at his parents'.

"Baby," Henry chirped, jumping up and skipping over to Lucas. A couple months ago, Henry would never have believed that seeing Lucas would make him this happy, but right now,  he'd felt a little jolt in his heart, pushing him towards Lucas.

Lucas smiled at him, a dimple appearing on his right cheek as he watched him. "Hi, love."

"Hello," Henry replied, hooking his hands around Lucas' neck and pecking him on the lips. Lucas kissed him back, tucking a few loose curls behind Henry's ear. 

"And is your friend just going to be sitting there to watch us?" Lucas inquired as Henry pulled away. 

Henry chuckled. "That's Logan. You've met him before at your parents' place, when Maddie had us over for dinner. He and Zeke are together."

"Oh, right, right. Zeke's told me all about you," Lucas said to Logan. 

"And Henry's told me all about you," Logan replied, glancing at Henry. 

"Can't stop telling people how much you love me?" Lucas asked Henry with a raised eyebrow, amused.

"Well, I'd told Logan how much I hated you, so I figured I should try and balance that out," Henry replied. 

Lucas scoffed and shook his head, smiling. "Idiot."

"Only yours."
 
"Only mine, yes." They both walked over to the sofa together, Henry's hand around Lucas' waist, and sat down. Lucas and Logan chatted some more, getting to know each other better. They got along really well, which made Henry really happy. The daytime melted into darkness as the boys kept on chatting. 

Around 8, Zeke called Logan asking where he was, and Henry told Logan to invite Zeke over for dinner. They ordered in McDonald's once Zeke came over, and had beers and smoked and talked well into the night. Henry was really glad they were all getting along so well. Lucas and Logan even ended up dancing together after having too many beers, and Henry and Zeke watched them and laughed as the other two boys stumbled their way around Henry's living room trying to move to the music.

Zeke and Logan passed out on Henry's sofa at around 2 after too many drinks. Logan was lying on his back, one arm tucked under his head, the other holding Zeke close, who was sleeping with his head resting on Logan's stomach, both his feet going over the armrest. Henry grimaced at the thought of the hangover they'd be waking up with as he laid a blanket over the two boys. 

He turned around, padding into his bedroom, where Lucas had disappeared to soon after the other two boys had fallen asleep. He was pulling on one of Henry's sweatpants when Henry walked in. His gaze landed on Henry and he smiled immediately, strolling over to him and pulling him closer by the waist. 

"Hi," Henry whispered, looking down at the older boy. Only the lamp on Henry's desk was on right now, casting a yellow glow about the room. 

"Hi," Lucas mimicked, still smiling. 

"How was lunch? Did everything go well?"

Lucas inhaled, rubbing a thumb over Henry's side. "Just like you said it would. Mum was just so happy I told them, because she now feels more involved in my life. Dad was kinda shocked at first, but he was nice, too. They said they kinda knew about you and me, though."

"My mum said the same thing," Henry replied, surprised. 

"I guess we suck at being subtle, huh?" Lucas chuckled. "I was quite surprised, because they always thought you and Maddie were together, but they said that things had changed quite a lot after the trip, which made them realise you and her aren't together. They teased me because I'd said I could never be friends with you, and then we did become friends, and now we're together, so."

Henry chuckled, too. "Yeah, we do suck at being subtle."

"And I thought we were playing it so cool."

"So cool, oh my god. Making out at that party, shagging in your room while your entire family was home, the million hickeys and scratches. Very cool."

Lucas laughed, putting his head on Henry's shoulder. Henry held him tight, kissing the top of his head.

"Did you see Maddie?"

Lucas sighed, burying his face in Henry's chest. Henry held him tighter. "She wasn't home. But mum and dad now know what happened, so they said they'd try to talk to her. Mum's gonna try and convince her to have dinner with us next weekend."

"I'll have to thank Camilla. I'm so glad they were understanding, Lucas. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks for being here with me, darling." Lucas looked up, blue eyes soft and full of warmth. Henry really felt giddy.

"Thank you for being here with me. I can't believe I'm all yours and you're all mine."

"Better believe it, Sullivan."

"Still working on it."

"Any way I can help you believe it?" Lucas asked suggestively.

Henry leaned forward and whispered something in Lucas' ear that made the older boy's eyes widen. 

"Really? With those two right outside?"

"The door locks," Henry reminded him. 

Lucas still looked unconvinced. 

"There's something in it for you, too." Henry whispered something else, which made Lucas raise his eyebrows appreciatively.

"Yeah, okay. I was only pretending to care about those two being right outside," Lucas told him.

"So you're in?" Henry asked as he reached out and pulled Lucas' jumper over his head.

"Oh, I'm hoping to be very much in."

Henry choked out a laugh as Lucas grabbed Henry's shirt and pulled it off. "You're going to hell, Thornton."

"You're going with me." Lucas winked at Henry and reached out behind him to turn off the lamp.

Chapter Text

It was Friday evening now, and Henry was nervous. He'd finished his shift early at the bakery, after helping Paul bake a couple pies, and was on his way to David's place downtown. He wasn't going for dinner or anything, though. He was just going to talk to David, like his dad had requested, and tell him to come to dinner at Elizabeth's place if everything worked out. David had been texting Henry asking him to come over, and Henry thought he should finally get it over with. Lucas was going to come to Elizabeth's place directly after work for dinner. Henry could introduce his mum to Lucas at least, even if his dad decided not to come. She was extremely excited to see Lucas and was going to cook them red sauce pasta, because Henry had told her it was Lucas' favourite.

Henry put the car in park, sighed and sat back. He'd parked out on the street instead of inside David's apartment complex. It was a chilly evening, the wind crisp and sharp, the sky a cold, greyish blue. The area was quite busy, busier than Henry had expected. David's apartment was near some construction site, so there were workers milling about still in their neon vests and helmets. Some of the workers were, ahem ahem, very well-built, and Henry ended up texting Lucas about it, and the older boy responded with a 'HAHAHA' and 'No funny stuff, Sullivan.' Henry actually loved making Lucas jealous, so he sent him a kissy face emoji and replied 'No promises, Thornton' to which Lucas responded with a selfie of himself with narrowed eyes. Henry sent Lucas a video of the workers walking about and then turned the camera to himself and raised his eyebrows appreciatively. Lucas called Henry up immediately after seeing the video. 

"Henry." He was talking softly, gently, but his voice was also a bit stern. Henry loved it. 

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing?"

Lucas sighed. "Babe, you've gotta go upstairs sometime. You can't just sit in the car."

Oh. That's what he meant. "I know," Henry sighed, too. He put his head on the steering wheel, holding his phone close. "I just..." he trailed off. Lucas was right. Henry was still trying to put off going to see his dad.

"I know, love, I know," Lucas murmured. "Look, you don't have to do this, okay? I'm sure your mum will understand."

"I know, but Lucas, you have no idea how hopeful she sounds every time she talks about dad coming back home," Henry told him. "Her eyes, like, light up at the thought of it, and she really wants things to work out. I have to do this for her."

"If you're sure, then I trust you," Lucas told him, smiling. Henry could hear it in his voice. "I'm proud of you, y'know? You're very brave to do this."

"Thank you, baby," Henry whispered. "I wish you could be here with me." 

"Do you want me to be there? 'Cos I'll leave now," Lucas replied hurriedly. Henry heard papers being put away in the background, like Lucas was already putting his work away to leave. 

"No, no, you're already leaving early to come to my mum's. It's fine. Thank you so much for offering."

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked uncertainly.

"Yes. I've gotta do this on my own."

"Okay," he breathed. "You've got this, Henry. You've got it. I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Yeah," Henry breathed. "Thanks so much."

"No need to thank me, love. Go on now, or you'll be late to dinner, okay?"

"Yeah," Henry sighed. "I love you."

"I love you." Now that they'd said the words to each other, Henry repeated them as often as he could, and his heart did a little dance routine every time Lucas said them back, even though he'd heard the older boy say them before. 

"Bye, babe."

"Bye, darling."

Henry took a deep breath and got out of his car, shoving his phone in his back pocket. He was doubly nervous, actually, because he and Lucas were to go to the Thorntons' house for dinner the following night. It was crazy how it had been just over three months since Lucas and he had slept together at the beach house, and now they were meeting each other's families officially. He knew things were moving fast, but he didn't care about that as long as he and Lucas were both on the same page about things, and they were. He'd never been so sure about anything in his life. Lucas was the one. 

Despite Lucas' assurance, though, his heart was beating anxiously in his chest as he walked up the stairs to David's apartment. Henry pulled his phone out and looked at the selfie Lucas had sent him just now. He felt a calm wash over him, knowing that Lucas was there for him, as he looked at the other lad's blue eyes, his soft and messy hair. Henry could do this. For them. 

He stopped in front of apartment number 3 and knocked on the door. The complex was neat and orderly, everything painted in shades of white. The lobby was well-lit and clean, and smelled a bit like paint. The front door opened, and David appeared at the threshold. He looked like he usually did, with his neatly trimmed hair and beard, glasses resting on the tip of his nose. He was dressed in a plain light blue shirt and trousers. He smiled broadly upon seeing Henry. Henry managed to look up and meet his dad's eyes, which he suddenly realised looked tired. His dad didn't look the same, actually. The lines on his face were deeper and more defined, like he'd aged a few years in the last couple months since Henry had seen him. 

"Hi, lad," David greeted him, taking a step back to let Henry inside. 

Henry thought of Lucas again, took a deep breath and stepped into the apartment. "Hi." The apartment was small and empty-looking. David didn't have a lot of stuff. The walls were painted a pale blue. There was a cream-coloured sofa facing a tv set and a wooden coffee table in the living room. David's laptop was open on the coffee table, the screen emanating a bluish glow, sat next to the tv remote. Henry turned his head slightly and looked down the hallway that led to the closed bedroom door and kitchen. It smelled a bit like coffee.

"Please, sit," David insisted, pointing at the sofa. Henry bit the inside of his cheek, hesitating for a second, then sat. "Would you like something to drink? Water, tea, coffee?"

"Um, tea would be good, thanks," Henry replied. He'd have liked coffee, but tea might help calm his nerves. 

David smiled again, and disappeared into the kitchen. Henry was honestly surprised that his dad had offered him anything like that, because David had never helped out in the kitchen before. He would grill sometimes, if they were having a barbecue in their neighbourhood, but they hadn't done that in years. Henry could hear the water bubbling and boiling inside the kitchen, and the soft clink of teacups. He looked around the living room again, dully lit in the fading daylight. His heart skipped a beat when he saw his own face in a photo frame sat on the tv table. It was a picture of him as a baby, next to another family photo of him, Elizabeth and David at Thanksgiving a few years ago. Henry was already feeling overwhelmed with emotion, and the pictures weren't helping. He touched the peace ring on his finger, closing his eyes as he twisted it. 

"You alright, Henry?" asked David a minute later. 

Henry opened his eyes and cleared his throat. "Yeah."

David was carrying a tray with a white china teapot and teacups, milk, sugar, and some biscuits. He set the tray down on the coffee table, shutting his laptop, and sat down on the other end of the sofa. Henry was glad for the distance between them. 

"Milk and sugar?" David questioned as he poured out tea into the teacups.

"Uh, no, thanks," Henry said, biting his painted yellow nails. He remembered how David hadn't really been okay with Henry wearing nail polish, so he'd been thinking of removing it when he went to see his dad, but Lucas had told him he shouldn't have to and should do what makes him happy, and that painted nails made Henry beautiful. So Henry had left the nail polish as it was.

"Right, right, you don't like milk in your tea," David recalled, pushing a teacup with black tea towards Henry. 

Henry lifted it, feeling the warmth seeping through the cup and onto his fingers. He took a sip, and then another, trying to push back the bile rising in his throat. It was quiet for a couple seconds as the both of them sipped their tea. Henry finished his, thought it was nearly scalding hot, and put his teacup down on the table.

"Biscuit? It's the oat kind, the ones you like," David told Henry. 

"Sure," Henry replied, stunned. David knew what kind of biscuits he liked? David handed him one and took one for himself. 

"How are you?" his dad asked, taking a bite of the biscuit. 

"Good," he said, nodding his head as he gingerly took a bite of his biscuit, too. "How are you?"

"Fine," David said with a sigh. "I was finishing up some paperwork for a deal before you got here. The client's a mardy one, no one else wants to deal with him."

"Good thing the deal's done, then," Henry responded. 

David chuckled, then sighed as he looked over at Henry, his brown eyes sad. "I know it must've been hard for you to come here, so thank you for still being here."

Henry swallowed hard, nodding again. He was just not accustomed to the way his dad was acting, talking, being right now. It all felt so strange. He'd never seen David be this way before- acknowledging Henry's feelings, asking him if he wanted something to drink, bringing out biscuits that Henry liked. 

"I wanted to apologise to you for the way I've behaved with you," David told him. His voice was taut as a wire, like he wasn't sure of how Henry was going to respond. "Going to counselling with Liz has helped me see things more clearly. It's been hard, but I think I've gotten better at being able to talk about things. I've realised now that I can get defensive easily, and that I don't listen, and I'm going to try my best to change that. I'm very sorry about how things went down."

Henry was about to say something, but David continued, as if he wouldn't be able to stop now that he'd started talking.

"It's hard having a kid, y'know," his dad said, "because one day they're this little bundle in your arms, all wrapped up in a blanket, cooing and gurgling at you, and the next, they're all grown up, taller than you and having their own life that you suddenly realise you're not a part of. I've missed out on a lot in your life, and it's entirely my fault. I was still seeing you as a kid, and not an adult who can make his own decisions and choices and have his own life. It was really tough realising that I'd missed out on so much, and I took that out on you. I wasn't there for a lot of things. Actually, Liz and I were both not around for a lot of things, because we had issues between us and would always stay out. You were so good at taking care of yourself that it was easy to forget that you were getting affected by our problems, too. My father was not a very loving man." His voice was hard as he stared off into the distance. "I'm not sure how much you remember about him, because you were barely five when he passed, but he was cold and distant, and barely said a word. Your uncle James and I had to look after ourselves, because like you know, your grandma died when I was ten. Things were difficult for James and I, but we had each other to count on, and we still do. When you came out, I felt immensely guilty for talking about things the way I had, the jokes that I'd made before, but I didn't realise that it was guilt I was feeling. I thought I was angry, and I was, at myself not you, but I took it out on you and your mum. Oh, what do you call that? Psychologically speaking?" He turned to Henry.

"Displacement of anger," Henry prompted. He was shocked at hearing his father talking this much, and so openly. He'd never heard so much about his grandparents before, he'd just known that his grandma had passed when his dad had been very young, and that his grandpa had passed when Henry had been five. This was definitely the longest conversation he and his dad had had in months without either of them yelling at each other. It was just so strange.

"Right. I was angry at having missed the signs that you were holding onto something and were unable to be who you really were around us. When I got you that apartment, I don't really know what I was thinking. I knew I wanted you to be independent and have your own space, and that's what I thought I was giving you- the chance to live your life the way you wanted to, because let's face it, it's not cool to bring your date back to your parents' house once you've graduated high school."

Henry couldn't help but laugh.

David smiled a tiny bit, shoulders and voice relaxing slightly, then continued. "But I think somewhere in the back of my mind, I'd realised that because I hadn't said anything to you after you'd come out, I was behaving like my father, by being cold and distant. I knew it, but I didn't know it. What's that called?"

"You knew it subconsciously?" Henry guessed. 

"Yes! Bang on!" David snapped his fingers. "You're really quick with those terms, lad. I thought that sending you away, keeping you away from me might be better for you, because that's how I dealt with my dad- I moved out. I thought that would be best for you, but I never thought to ask how you felt about it. When you said that you didn't care about how much money I had and that parenting was more than throwing around money, I was stunned, because I hadn't realised that I was trying to make up for my absence by giving you things. I've worked my arse off to be where I am today, and I thought you were being disrespectful of that, but you weren't. The way you put your point forward made me realise how grown up you really are now, but I didn't take it well. I brought up the fact that you're an adult now and that you should act like one, but I hadn't quite processed that you are one, and I was the one behaving irrationally. And about your job," he sighed wearily. "I'm so sorry about what I said. I can blame it on the way I was raised and the kind of beliefs that were passed down to me, and that's what I was doing. But times are changing, and if I stay stuck in the past with my old values, then I'm going to be left behind, and I don't want that."

"Thanks, dad, for explaining your side of things," Henry told him earnestly. Nothing could've made him understand his dad like his dad himself telling him all this. "I know it couldn't have been easy for you coming to terms with all of this. You always had a hard time talking about you feelings, so I'm glad you're able to do it now."

"Thank you, Henry. I'm sorry for the way that I acted in the past, and I hope you can forgive me. And I'm not entirely sure how to do this, but I've been reading up, so here goes," he said, exhaling loudly as he pushed his glasses up. "I'm proud of you and who you are, and I'm glad you chose to share that with me."

Henry beamed at his dad, feeling relief wash over him. "Thank you so much, dad. I forgive you. I wasn't in the right all the time, either. I could've been nicer at times. I'm sorry, too."

"It's all in the past, lad," David assured him with a smile. "Can I give you a hug?"

"Of course," Henry replied, taken aback. He couldn't remember the last time David had hugged him, and he was immensely happy that he'd asked his permission. David leaned forward, putting his arms around his son and clapping him on the back. Henry held his dad tight, the citrus-y scent of his cologne bringing childhood memories swirling back into Henry's mind, and smiled. 

"I'm genuinely so sorry that you felt like I don't accept you for who you are. I was uncomfortable with it, and I was mad, because why do you get to be you, but I don't get to be me by not being okay with it, but I've come to realise it's not about me."

"Dad, I'm still me. I'm still the same Henry, and nothing's changed except this one tiny detail. I know you know, but I want you to hear it from me," Henry said firmly. 

David nodded, inhaling deeply as if accepting Henry more with that intake of breath. "Yes, Henry, thank you. I'm really so proud of you and the man you've grown up to be. You're a wonderful son, and I'm lucky to be your dad."

Henry smiled again, heart full. He had absolutely not expected his visit here to go so well. "Thanks so much, dad, really. This means the world to me. You're a great example of how well therapy can work."

David laughed. "It's all to Liz's credit. This," he said gesturing at the apartment, "is my life without her, and it's horrible and empty. I need her in my life and I'll do anything to make things work between us. I miss her," he added with a sigh. 

"Why don't you move back in, then?" Henry inquired. 

"I would love that, really. It's hard living here by myself when I'm so used to being around her, hearing her voice at least. And I'm shite at cooking, lad. Shite! I was boiling some eggs the other day and the shell cracked and the water went inside them and I couldn't get them cleaned. Oh, it was a nightmare," he said with a shudder. 

Henry chuckled. "How would you feel about going home for dinner tonight?"

David's eyes widened. "Really? Is Liz okay with that?"

"Dad, she would love it! She's been wearing that bracelet since you moved out, the one you got her for your anniversary a couple years ago."

"Oh, right, I saw that on her wrist a couple days back at counselling, but I couldn't remember where it was from," David admitted. "You really think she wants me to move back in?"

"Absolutely! She beams with joy at the thought of it."

David laughed disbelievingly. "I thought things would take longer to fix."

"She kept telling me how much you've changed and I couldn't believe it, but I do now."

David smiled at him sideways. "I'll talk to her. We can keep the counselling going while living together."

Henry nodded in agreement, smiling, too. 

"So are you coming to dinner, too?"

"Yeah. I actually told mum I'd talk to you and call you over if everything went well. I wanted to... introduce you both to my... boyfriend," Henry managed to say. Boyfriend. Lucas was his boyfriend, yes. Henry couldn't help but smile. 

"You have a boyfriend?" David gaped at him. 

"Yeah. It's Lucas... Thornton. He's Maddie's older brother, and he lives in the same apartment complex as I do."

"Isn't that the lad you used to hate? I remember you were telling Liz about how much he got on your nerves and how annoying he was," David said. 

Henry laughed at how different things were now. "Yes, that's him. But things changed on the beach trip. I got to see a different, nicer side of him, so we became friends. And something... happened between us-"

"You don't have to mince words around me, lad, come on."

"Are you sure?" Henry asked uncertainly. It was great that David was being so accepting, but did he really want to hear everything?

"You can tell me anything. I want you to feel comfortable enough to do that," David insisted. "And it'll help me understand your life better."

So Henry told him everything, just like he'd done with Elizabeth. It was almost dark by the time Henry had finished talking. David had been listening so attentively that he hadn't even gotten up to turn on the lights. 

David blinked, shaking his head after Henry was done. "You've been through so much together, the two of you. I'm glad he's there for you, Henry. But Liz is right, you need to try and fix things with Maddie."

"I know. We're going to his parents' house tomorrow for dinner," Henry informed him. "I'll talk to Maddie then."

"So I take it you were okay with moving out after all, right? Because Lucas lives in the same apartment complex?"

Henry laughed. "Yes, that worked out quite well, actually."

"I'm glad, Henry." David inhaled deeply and sighed. "I trust you to do the right thing about Maddie, lad. I'm happy for you and Lucas. You said he's coming to dinner tonight, is it?"

"Yes, you and mum can meet him," Henry told him.

"We should get going, then," David said, stretching his arms. "I'm really happy you trusted me with all of that, Henry, seriously. Thank you."

"Thank you for listening, dad, and thank you for trusting my choices. I couldn't ask for anything more."
 
David beamed at him. "You drove here, right?"

Henry nodded.

"Can I come with you then? To Liz's place?"

"Of course."

The two of them made their way downstairs and got into Henry's car. They chatted on the way to Elizabeth's, about David's work and Henry's uni, a little more about Henry and Lucas. David made him stop at a liquor store and bought a nice bottle of wine for dinner, which Henry thought was really sweet. He was feeling so much better now that David was okay with him being gay. He was genuinely surprised at how much of a positive change he could see in David, and was so glad for it. He didn't feel any kind of apprehension now as he had before when talking to his dad. The conversation they'd had today was the best one he'd ever had with him. 

Right now, David was recounting a story about something that happened when he'd gone golfing with a client, and was laughing as he told Henry the client was so bad at driving the golf cart that the clubs fell out the back. Henry glanced over at him, laughing, too. David looked younger now, his eyes sparkling and bright, the lines on his face transformed into dimples like the ones Henry had. Henry smiled, happiness blossoming in his chest.

He pulled into the driveway of the house when they got there. He couldn't spot Lucas' car, so he assumed the other lad was on his way. Henry and David got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Henry raised his hand to ring the doorbell, but David stopped him. 

"Wait! How do I look?" David asked, straightening his shirt collar.

"You look great, dad. She's gonna be so happy to see you," Henry promised with a smile, and rang the doorbell.

Elizabeth opened the door after a few seconds. She was wearing a flowy, olive green dress, which complemented her eyes well. Her hair was styled like usual, in loose waves, and of course, she was still wearing her gold bracelet. "Henry! David!" she squealed happily and stepped back to let the two of them in the house.

"Hi, Liz," David said, smiling at her. She smiled back at him, the two of them holding eye contact for a few seconds. 

"Um, hello?" Henry waved his hands around. "I'm also here. Hi."

Elizabeth tore her eyes away from David and smiled at Henry. "Of course, love. Hello!"

"Why don't you both catch up? I'll go set the table," Henry told them. His parents smiled gratefully at him, Elizabeth pinching his cheek and calling him her baby. She looked giddy with excitement. Henry thought it was so cute the way his parents were so excited to see each other. He hoped David would be able to move back in soon. He went into the kitchen as his parents stepped into the living room to chat. 

He put the wine in the fridge. The pasta was ready, placed on the kitchen island in a Le Creuset pot. Elizabeth had been in the middle of toasting the garlic bread, so Henry took over, hearing bits of his parents' lively chatter floating into the kitchen from the living room. He plated up the garlic bread after he was done, set the table and was just about to text Lucas to see where he was, when the doorbell rang. Henry's heartrate sped up as he made his way to the front door. 

Lucas was standing outside, looking incredible. Henry's heart was slamming against his ribcage. How the hell was Lucas his boyfriend? Lucas was wearing a black shirt and dark trousers, his hair perfectly styled back in a quiff, blue eyes sparkling mischievously like they always did, cheekbones looking perfectly sculpted, lips pink and pretty. He was holding a paper bag in his hand. Henry recognised the name of the bakery he worked at printed on the bag. "Hi."

"Hi," Henry greeted, reaching a hand out and pulling Lucas inside. 

Lucas glanced around the house, taking everything in, then turned to Henry. "How did it go with your dad? Is he here?" he asked softly.

Henry took the paper bag from Lucas and placed it on the table near the door and pulled Lucas into a bone-crushing hug. The older boy's woody, cigarette smoke scent added to the comfort Henry was feeling in his arms. 

"Hey, you okay?" Lucas questioned low in his ear, hand already rubbing Henry's back soothingly.

"Mmhmm. Dad's here. It went really well. He's okay with everything," Henry replied, hearing the glee in his own voice and smiling even more broadly. 

"Oh, I'm so happy for you," Lucas told him, clutching him tight. "I knew you could do it."

"Thank you so much, Lucas. I couldn't have done it without you," Henry told him, still holding his boyfriend. 

"You did it, babe. Don't sell yourself short," Lucas responded, squeezing Henry's shoulder. 

Henry pulled away and pecked Lucas on the cheek with a grin. "Did you stop by the bakery?"

"I didn't want to show up empty-handed, so I went by and bought apple pie. I asked Joan specifically for one you'd baked," Lucas said with a smile. 

Henry groaned. "You're bloody perfect, you know? I hate you for that."

Lucas chuckled, crinkles appearing around the corners of his eyes. "I know. You're perfect, too. Even though you smell a tiny bit like garlic."

Henry blinked. "Oh, I was toasting garlic bread in the kitchen."

"Garlic bread? Are we having pasta?" Lucas asked, face lighting up at the thought of it. 

Henry snickered at the other boy's reaction. "Of course."

Lucas raised both his fists, punching the air victoriously. "Fuck yeah."

Henry laughed some more, a fondness for the other boy creeping up on him again.

"You know me so well, Henry. Thanks," Lucas said earnestly, hooking his hands behind Henry's neck and pulling him into a kiss. 

"All this for pasta? I know what we're eating for the rest of our lives," Henry murmured into their kiss. 

"I love you even more now," Lucas told him. Henry chuckled, kissing Lucas back. 

"I thought I heard someone talking," came Elizabeth's voice from behind them. "Oh, sorry, loves. Didn't mean to interrupt," she said, sounding embarrassed.

Henry and Lucas straightened up, pulling away from each other, but still smiling. It felt nice not to have to jump away from each other like they'd been doing something wrong. Henry caught Lucas by the waist and pulled him closer as they turned to see Elizabeth and David standing in the doorway to the living room. 

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan. I'm Lucas," the older boy said, extending his hand to shake David and Elizabeth's hands. 

"Hello, darling," Elizabeth beamed. "Lovely to meet you. I'm Elizabeth, that's David."

"Hi, lad. We've heard so much about you." David smiled.

"All good I hope?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow at Henry, who deliberately avoided eye contact with the older boy and looked up at the ceiling. Lucas poked him in the side, making Henry exclaim loudly and laugh. David and Elizabeth chuckled, Elizabeth already shaking her head fondly at the two of them.

"Come on, let's eat," she suggested. Henry and Lucas nodded and followed Henry's parents into the kitchen, Lucas picking up the paper bag from the table on their way. 

"You looking fucking amazing, by the way," Henry whispered to Lucas. He was still holding the older boy by the waist as they walked into the kitchen. 

"Glad to call me your boyfriend?" Lucas asked in a low voice, smirking.

"Always am," Henry replied, making Lucas smile broadly and peck him on the cheek.

"Joan and Paul are big fans of us, by the way. Joan's taking the credit for you and I being together, because she thinks she introduced us," Lucas informed him. 

"You told them?"

"Couldn't keep it to myself any longer," Lucas told him with a grin. Henry chuckled, giving the older boy's waist a tiny squeeze. 

Lucas and David sat at the table while Henry put the pie on the island and Elizabeth brought out the wine. The kitchen looked as it usually did, with its shiny marble countertops and cabinets, and yellow lights, but it had a homier feel to it tonight, more than Henry had ever thought it did. 

"You're so nice to bring us that pie, Lucas. Thank you," David said with a smile. 

"Oh, it was no problem at all. Henry's the one that baked it, so of course I brought some."

"You made that, honey?" Elizabeth turned to Henry, surprised. He nodded. "That's wonderful, Henry. And thank you, Lucas, for bringing it by." Henry and Lucas both grinned at her. 

"Wine, dear?" Elizabeth asked Lucas. 

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm driving," Lucas replied.

"Henry?"

"Nope, thanks. I'm driving, too."

Elizabeth poured some wine for just herself and David then, while Henry served up the pasta and sat down next to Lucas. It was a bit quiet at first, as they all tasted the food. 

Lucas ate a bite of the pasta as Henry watched him from the corner of his eye, and immediately closed his eyes and sighed deeply with satisfaction. "Holy shit, this is fuckin' amazing!" he exclaimed, then his eyes flew open in panic as he realised what he'd said. "I mean, I can see where Henry gets his wonderful cooking skills, Mrs. Sullivan," he corrected, smiling sheepishly. 

Henry snorted, trying to hide his laughter behind his napkin as Lucas shot him a glare. David tried to keep a straight face but failed.

Henry's mum laughed, too. "Don't worry, love. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. And please, call me Elizabeth." 

"Thank you," Lucas replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he smiled.

Things were more relaxed after that, with all of them engaged in conversation over dinner. Lucas told Henry's parents about himself, about his work and his sisters, his smile drooping as they spoke about Maddie. Elizabeth reached over and squeezed Lucas' shoulder reassuringly, making Henry smile despite the topic of conversation. David was perfectly pleasant and was keen on getting to know Lucas better, making Henry feel immensely glad. 

Henry felt himself falling in love with the older boy even more, if that was even possible, watching the animated expressions on Lucas' face as he talked to Henry's parents. The way Lucas expressed himself always made people watch him intently, like they couldn't take their eyes off of him, and the rapid cadence of his voice obviously required full attention to be understood. Henry's parents were hanging onto every word Lucas said, and Henry felt so content that he leaned over and kissed Lucas' cheek while he was still talking.

Lucas glanced over at him, stopping halfway as he was telling Henry's parents the seashell story over pie and ice cream. "What was that for?" he whispered sideways to Henry, surprised and amused.

"For being you. Carry on," Henry replied with a smile, putting his head on the older boy's shoulder. Lucas' mouth quirked up in more surprise, and he put his arm around Henry and continued with his story. Henry's mum and dad smiled at them. He could swear Elizabeth was going to cry. He might, too. It felt so unreal being able to be held by Lucas like that in front of his parents without having to hide anything from them.

After dessert, as Henry was helping Elizabeth wash up, while David and Lucas chatted some more, Elizabeth pulled Henry aside, and said in a low but very excited voice, "Darling, he's amazing! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you, mum," Henry responded with a grin. 

"He's so fit! Oh, those cheekbones! And his eyes! He's so intellectual and knowledgeable! And funny!" Elizabeth gushed, making Henry laugh. He was beyond glad his mum saw in Lucas what he did. 

"He's great, yes," Henry agreed with a sigh.

Elizabeth let out a little squeal, her green eyes bright and happy, pinching Henry's cheek. "Why don't you take Lucas out to the living room while I bring us all some coffee?"

"Sure," Henry replied, and skipped over to Lucas. "Luuucas," he sang low in the other boy's ear, leaning over him. Lucas and David were still seated at the table. David was telling Lucas about his work when Henry came over and stopped halfway with a smile as his son approached the table. Lucas looked over at Henry, smiling, too. "Mum's making coffee for all of us. Let's go out to the living room."

"Actually, lads," David interrupted in a low voice, "d'you think you could... I dunno, just...?" he trailed off, tilting his head towards the door. 

"What?" Henry asked confused. Did he want them to leave?

"I had a talk with Elizabeth earlier, and she's okay with me moving back in. I think I might, uh, stay over tonight," David said meaningfully, emphasising on 'stay over' with a jut of his chin.

"Ah," Lucas chuckled with a knowing smile. 

Henry scrunched up his face in disgust. "I could've done without that information, honestly."

"I didn't think you'd understand if I didn't explain," David went on, shrugging. 

"It's okay, sir. We understand," Lucas assured him with a laugh.

"I knew I liked you, Lucas," Henry's dad beamed. "And please, lad, call me David. You're family."

Henry smiled, staring at his feet. Lucas was family. 

"Elizabeth? I think we're gonna take off, actually," Lucas told her, raising his voice a bit so she could hear him over by the stove.

"Oh, no, dear! Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked, looking disappointed as she set down some coffee mugs on the counter. 

"Coffee will keep us up, and you know how much Henry needs his sleep," Lucas replied with a smile, pulling Henry closer to him by the waist. Henry couldn't help but blush at the gesture. 

Elizabeth smiled, too, then sighed. "Alright, loves. Drive safe, okay? Both of you." The boys nodded. Henry's dad clapped him and Lucas on the shoulder, smiling broadly as he shook Lucas' hand. Elizabeth came over and hugged Henry, kissing the side of his face with a smile. She turned to Lucas, pulling him into a hug and patting his cheek affectionately. "Thank you for taking care of my baby," she told him sincerely.

"My pleasure," Lucas responded with a grin. "It was lovely meeting you two, really. I had a wonderful time here. You've been so nice."

"You're great company, lad, really," David told him. Elizabeth nodded, smiling still. Lucas blushed a bit, and Henry's heart skipped a beat watching him. 

"Goodnight, guys," Henry told them after a second, unable to stop smiling. This had turned out to be the perfect evening. 

"Definitely have some of that coffee, though. You're going to need it," Lucas told Elizabeth sagely. "Run, Henry!"

The two lads sprinted out of the kitchen laughing, able to hear David laughing heartily and Elizabeth sounding confused as she asked what Lucas meant. Henry pulled open the front door and the two of them stepped out into the chilly night air. They stood under the porch, the dim light shining down on both of them. The neighbourhood was lit up from the streetlights, all the houses washed in a yellow glow under the cloudy night sky. The fragrances of various flowers from Elizabeth's garden wafted over to them immediately, making Henry sigh deeply. 

He turned to Lucas, looking down at him to observe his bright blue eyes with a smile. "You were such a hit with them. My mum loves you, and I've never heard my dad talk as much as he did today."

"I'm glad, Henry, so glad. I was so nervous," Lucas admitted wearily, putting his head on Henry's shoulder. 

Henry hugged him tight, swaying a little bit, feeling drunk with happiness. "You were perfect."

"Thank you, baby," Lucas murmured into Henry's neck, giving him chills because of how close the older boy's lips were to his skin. 

"Always. I just... I don't have words, Lucas, for how happy I'm feeling," Henry whispered, running a hand through Lucas' soft hair. 

"That's how I feel around you all the time," Lucas replied, turning his head to peck Henry's jaw. 

Henry groaned softly, all kinds of emotions exploding in his chest. "Youuuu are just... ugh. Frustratingly perfect."

Lucas lifted his head, eyebrows raised in amusement. "You really think I'm perfect?"

"Beyond perfect, actually," Henry corrected, reaching out to boop Lucas' nose with his index finger. 

Lucas bit at his finger playfully, making Henry laugh. Then he pressed his lips to Henry's, hand resting over his chest. Henry closed his eyes, comfort and peace unfurling in his chest. He pulled away after a second and smiled down at Lucas.

"Come on, darling, let's go home," Lucas told him, pulling Henry close and walking him over to his car. 

Henry couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this content. But there was still tomorrow to worry about. If things went well at the Thorntons' house, then Henry would be the happiest he'd ever been. He sighed, wondering how Maddie would react on seeing him after so long. 

Chapter Text

"Oh, god. Oh, fuck," Henry muttered under his breath. It was evening, darkness gathering slowly around them, turning the sky from a grey-white to a dull, dark blue. They were pulling into the Thorntons' driveway now. The house stood three storeys tall, painted cream and white, balconies and a chimney jutting out of the main structure, complete with picket fences and a swing set in the front yard. Various shrubs and plants dotted the yard, fallen orange leaves of various shapes raked into a neat pile in one corner. He knew there were doghouses in the backyard, along with a large pool, sunchairs and a variety of trees, that were never used because Bruce and Clifford were always inside the house, free to roam wherever they pleased to. The house was as familiar to Henry as his own, yet today, he absolutely did not want to enter.  

"Hey, it'll be okay," Lucas assured him for what was probably the millionth time. He put the car in park in the driveway and took Henry's hands into his, kissing them both. "Breathe."

Henry inhaled, then exhaled. There was another apple pie sat on his lap, in the paper bag from the bakery. Lucas had gone back and gotten another one for his family. "How did you manage to be so calm, so normal last night? I'm meeting your parents as your boyfriend and not just Maddie's friend. Oh god, Maddie's not gonna want to talk to me, is she? D'you think-"

Lucas had cupped his hand behind Henry's neck and pulled him closer to cut him off with a kiss. Henry relaxed, the familiarity in Lucas' touch, his taste, causing a calmness to wash over him. He hooked his hands around Lucas, pulling the other lad as close as he could, because he provided Henry with a sense of comfort like no other. Lucas ran his tongue over Henry's lazily, like they had all the time in the world, allowing Henry to lose himself in that moment. He'd stay there forever if he could. But that forever would only really be the happiest it could be if his best friend stopped being mad at him. So he had to go in, and he had to talk to her and Camilla and Fredrick and the twins, so that he could ensure he and Lucas really had that forever. He was not going to let the other lad go, ever. The connection they'd come to have the way they spoke with each other about everything and anything and the trust between them was so crazy to Henry sometimes. He'd sit back and think about it quite often, an incredulous smile forming on his lips just at the stark contrast between how things were now and how they used to be barely three months ago. 

Henry pulled away after a couple seconds, opening his eyes slowly. Lucas' car was lit dimly, owing to the disappearing daylight, but Henry didn't need light to know that Lucas' mouth would be quirked up in a soft smile, his pink lips slightly wet from their kiss, his blue eyes sparkling with a tiny amount of pride in himself for being able to shut Henry up like that. Henry reached out and ran a hand through Lucas' hair, smoothing it down a bit from the back. Lucas had wanted to get a haircut that morning, but Henry hadn't let the older boy out of bed, so he'd missed his appointment and Henry had ended up giving him the haircut. Lucas was very particular about his hair and the fact that he'd let Henry cut it was crazy to him. It wasn't much shorter than before, but it wasn't long enough to be styled in a quiff, so Henry had brushed it forward, where it now fell across his forehead like it had used to when they'd been on the beach trip. The older boy closed his eyes for longer than a blink at Henry's touch, and then opened them to gaze at him warmly. "Thanks."

Lucas leaned forward and kissed Henry on the forehead. Henry sighed deeply. "Take your time, okay? We can step out of the car whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready," Henry insisted, taking a deep breath. "How do I look?" he asked, looking down at himself. He'd dressed in the same manner Lucas had last night, only in a white shirt instead of black, and dark trousers, and of course his boots and rings and cross necklace. He'd rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to the elbows, because Lucas liked it when his tattoos showed. Lucas was dressed a bit more casually, which made sense since it was his house. He was wearing a large dark-coloured jumper and trousers, the sleeves rolled up a bit so that his hands were free. 

"You look perfect," Lucas replied, reached out to tuck one of Henry's curls behind his ear.

"You really think I'm perfect?" Henry inquired.

"Beyond perfect, actually," Lucas responded, booping Henry's nose with his index finger. Henry laughed, watching the older boy fondly as Lucas smiled. "Oh, wait." He unbuttoned the first two buttons on Henry's shirt, raising an eyebrow appreciatively as Henry's tattoos came into view. "That's what the fuck I'm talking about."

Henry scoffed, shaking his head in amusement. "This is how you want me to show up in front of your parents?"

Lucas shrugged, still eyeing the swallows on Henry's chest. "Dare you."

"And what do I get if I do it?"

Lucas told him. 

Henry whistled appreciatively. "Really? You think you can go a full ten minutes?"

"I'm a great masseuse, yes, you can ask my mum," Lucas replied. 

"Oh, you meant an actual massage," Henry responded, quite literally deflated.

"You'll just have to do the dare and find out if there's a happy ending, darling," Lucas answered with a wink, lowering his voice.

Henry took a short breath, trying to regain his composure. He was glad for the falling dusk, because it hid the flush in his cheeks. "We should, um, get going."

Lucas chuckled breathily at Henry's reaction. "Sure."

The boys got out of the car, Henry almost tripping on something. He was always finding a way to trip on something. He caught himself before the older lad could notice and then took a few quick steps to catch up to Lucas, who was already at the front door. The front porch had the same warm white light that the Thorntons used everywhere, which spilled onto both the lads as they stood there. Henry couldn't help himself as he reached out and caught Lucas' hand in his as the other boy rang the doorbell. Lucas squeezed his hand reassuringly. Henry sighed again. 

The door swung open. At first, Henry saw no one. Then he glanced lower and saw the twins rushing forward to hug him. Lily and Evie were dressed in matching sweaters, Lily's pink and Evie's purple, and jeans, their blonde hair twisted into pigtails tied with fuzzy scrunchies. "Henry, hi!" the two of them squealed together excitedly as they hugged him around the waist. Lucas smiled and took the pie from Henry so the younger lad could kneel down and hug the twins properly. 

"Hi, girls. How are you?" Henry questioned as both the girls clung to him, one twin standing on either side of him, both his arms around them.

"Good," they chirped in unison, smiling identical gap-toothed smiles at him. "Hi, Lucas!" they said to the older lad, who had also kneeled down next to Henry. 

"Hiya, darlings. Don't I get a hug?" he asked, assuming an injured air. The twins rushed over to him quickly, each one hugging him tight and receiving an equally tight embrace from the lad. 

"Come in," the twins insisted, each girl pulling one of the boys into the house by the hand. 

The house smelled faintly of lemongrass, and the wonderful smell of Camilla's pot roast that was wafting toward them from the kitchen. The foyer looked onto the white-painted wooden staircase that led upstairs, the living room and the kitchen. The walls were painted light grey, abstract paintings hanging here and there, along with tiny potted plants sat on shelves, next to framed family photos. The beach house was furnished very similarly to this house, Henry realised. He hadn't been to the Thorntons' house in months now. He clicked his tongue softly when his gaze landed on a picture of Maddie from a couple years ago, hung up by the stairs. He glanced upstairs, to where he knew her room was, wondering if she was in there. 

"Come to the kitchen," Evie told them.

"Yes, we need to finish our milk," Lily added, and the two of them skipped towards the kitchen, hand in hand. 

There was a slight commotion all of a sudden, and Henry was knocked backward by a strong force. He staggered against the wall in shock, before realising that Clifford had leaped onto him happily, his paws resting on the boy's arms as he licked them and wagged his tail. 

Henry chuckled, scratching behind the dog's ear, still leaning against the wall. "Hi, Cliff. Did you miss me?" Clifford licked Henry's arms some more. Bruce sniffed around Henry's feet, tail wagging hard. Henry couldn't help but feel a little emotional at the welcome he'd received, first from the twins and now from the dogs. He struggled a little to bend and pet Bruce, since Clifford still had both his paws on his arms. 

"Everyone's ignoring me because you're here. Not cool, Sullivan," Lucas whined, somewhere to his right. Henry looked over at him and saw that the older boy looked a bit sullen at his dogs fawning over Henry. Henry laughed, moving away from Cliff, who had just let him go. The dogs made their way over to Lucas, finally, trying to climb up on him and lick him, too. Lucas tried to look annoyed, but gave in with a smile after a second and kneeled down, both dogs licking at his face happily. 

"Good luck getting me to kiss you after that," Henry leaned over to whisper in Lucas' ear. "You're basically cheating on me."

Lucas threw his head back in laughter, laughing his 'hahaha' laugh. Once the dogs stopped licking him, he stood up and inched closer to Henry, who was pretending to be sour. Lucas nuzzled his face in Henry's neck, and Henry yelped out loud, sharply, because Lucas just licked his neck. 

"What the hell?" he hissed as the older boy cackled, clutching his stomach. Henry rubbed at his neck, trying to be mad at Lucas, but found himself wanting to laugh.

"What was that sound?" asked an urgent voice. Henry looked up to see Camilla, clad in her usual kind of floral dress, red apron around her neck, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. 

"I accidentally stepped on Bruce's paw," Lucas replied, shooting Henry a grin. Camilla sighed, shaking her head, then saw Henry and grinned wide. 

"Henry, darling! How wonderful to see you," Camilla said, stepping forward and pulling Henry into a tight hug. Her brown hair was tied in a knot at the nape of her neck, a few strands escaping from it. Her blue eyes were warm and loving as she pulled away and observed Henry. "You've gotten taller again, haven't you!"

Henry chuckled. "I stopped keeping track of it," he answered honestly. 

"I haven't," Lucas muttered, narrowing his eyes at Henry, who smiled and rolled his eyes. Lucas had told Henry about how he'd been 'slightly' jealous of how tall Henry was and the height difference between them. Henry made up for it every time they hugged or kissed by leaning down for the other boy instead of making him stretch up on his toes, and Lucas said he loved him all the more for it.

"Whatever the case, love, it's so good to see you. You look great. I think the hair really suits you," Camilla commented, patting Henry's cheek affectionately, crinkles forming around her eyes as she smiled, reminding Henry of Lucas. 

"Thank you," Henry replied with a grin. 

Camilla pinched his cheek, still smiling. She turned to Lucas. "Hi, darling." She reached forward and pecked Lucas on the cheek. The way she looked at him was the same as the way Elizabeth looked at Henry these days, a gaze full of warmth and love and closeness. Henry was happy for Lucas.

"Hi, mum," Lucas replied with a smile. "The pot roast smells amazing."

"Thank you, baby. I'm so happy for the two of you, really," Camilla beamed, looking from Henry to Lucas. "I couldn't believe it at first, but seeing you two together- oh! It just makes so much sense."

Henry and Lucas looked at each other, both of their lips quirking up in a smile.

"Come on, let's go into the kitchen. We'll talk some more."

They went into the kitchen, Cliff and Bruce close behind, where the twins were already seated at the table, having their milk. It smelled even better inside the kitchen, and it made Henry's stomach growl a bit with hunger. The kitchen was a wide room, painted a soft, pale green, the white marble cabinets and kitchen island glinting in the warm white lighting. The dining table was at the far end of the room, with a lace table runner and high backed chairs. The kitchen usually gave a view of the backyard from the large sliding doors, but the curtains were drawn that night. 

Lucas set the pie down on the island. "D'you need any help, mum?"

"No, darling, thank you. Dinner's ready, actually," she told him, pulling off her apron and folding it up neatly. "Girls, why don't you bring your backpacks downstairs? Maria will be over to pick you up for the sleepover soon. And call your dad downstairs while you're at it." 

"Okay," the twins chirped together. "Bye, Lucas. Bye, Henry." They came over to them, kissing their cheeks once the boys leaned down. 

"You be good, okay?" Lucas said to his sisters, kneeling down and looking them both in the eye. "No scary movies and no staying up too late. And you're going to eat some greens at dinner, not just junk."

"Promise," the twins said in unison. Lucas kissed them on the top of the head and stood, ruffling their hair as they went out of the kitchen. Henry loved Lucas' relationship with his sisters. He was loving, but also stern when he needed to be, like about them eating their vegetables and stuff like that. The twins looked up to Lucas so much, and it made Henry so happy and proud.

"Maria is Fiona's mum, right?" Lucas inquired. 

"Yes, darling," Camilla answered. 

"Mum, what about Maddie? Will she join us?" Lucas asked a second later as he, Henry and Camilla walked over to the table and sat. His voice was low, hopeful but also not, like he didn't know at all what the answer could be.

Camilla sighed softly. "She said she would, but she's been out all afternoon with Noah. Hopefully she'll be back soon."

"Okay," was all Lucas said. He looked down at the table. Henry shifted his chair closer to him and gave his hand a small squeeze. Lucas looked over, giving Henry a small smile as he returned the pressure. 

"Uh, sorry, but do the twins know about us?" Henry questioned. He'd just remembered that he hadn't asked Lucas about that.

"I did tell them, yeah. They didn't think it was that big a deal that you and I are dating, they reacted like it was normal news. But they were very happy about all the time they'll get to spend with you," Lucas responded with a chuckle. 

"I'm happy about it, too," Camilla chimed in, smiling. Henry chortled. "Lucas has told us everything about you both, Henry, and I'm so happy you've found each other."

"I'm happy about it, too," Henry repeated with a grin. Lucas squeezed his hand again. 

"I know things are hard with Maddie right now, but she'll come around, okay? I've talked to her, Fredrick has talked to her. It's just that these days, I can't really tell what's going on in her head," Camilla admitted wearily, shaking her head. Lucas let go of Henry's hand and stood up, making his way to the fridge and bringing out a bottle of white wine. He picked up two glasses from a cabinet and brough them over, pouring out some wine into them both. He pushed one glass towards his mum as he sat back down. "Thank you, honey," she told him, taking a long sip from the glass. 

Lucas pushed the other glass to Henry, who shook his head out of habit. "I'm driving tonight, babe. You can drink." 

"Oh, right." Henry picked up the glass, staring at the beads of condensation already forming on the sides as he took a sip of the sweet, cool liquid. Lucas took his hand again, tracing circles on the back of Henry's hand with his thumb.

Camilla continued, putting her half-empty glass on the table with a clink. "She's just been so distant of late, always in her room or not at home. And she'd already filled out the medical form for a leave from uni without asking us about it. I didn't want to be overbearing and tell her what she can and cannot do, because she was already shutting me out and I didn't want to make her angry at us."

"It's not your fault, mum," Lucas told her firmly. "I'm- We're," he corrected, glancing at Henry, "going to talk to her today."

"Right," Henry affirmed. "I miss her, too, Camilla. She'll come around." He didn't know she would, but he said it confidently, because Camilla needed to hear them as much as he did.

Camilla smiled sadly at him, about to say something, when Fredrick came in. "Did Maria pick up the girls?"

"Yeah, they're all set," Fredrick answered. "Henry!" He came over to the table and clapped Henry on the shoulder. Henry stood up, shaking Lucas' dad's hand. Fredrick was wearing a polo t-shirt and trousers, blond hair swept to one side. His grey blue eyes were sparkling good-naturedly. "How are ya, lad?"

"Good, thank you. You?" Henry replied, sitting down as Fredrick went over and sat at the head of the table, opposite Camilla.  

"Great," Fredrick replied with a nod. "I was kind of surprised hearing about you two, I'm not going to lie, because we always thought that you and Maddie were together. But we know better now. We should've known earlier, though, because that excuse about the mosquitoes that morning was terrible," he added, making all of them laugh. 

"But really, Henry, I'm so glad it's you our son is with. You're the sweetest, most thoughtful and wonderful lad ever, and I'm so happy you're part of this family. You know already, but we love you, darling," Camilla told him earnestly, reaching over to grip Henry's hand.

"Thank you, Camilla," Henry replied with a smile, overwhelmed. Lucas grinned at him, touching their knees together under the table. He always made sure Henry knew he was there next to him, either by touching his knee or taking his hand, and Henry was immensely grateful, because next to Lucas was where he wanted to be. Henry grinned back at him, feeling more relaxed. 

Camilla got up and brought over some wine for Fredrick, some breadsticks and different types of cheese. Nobody mentioned it, but they were waiting for Maddie. They all chatted, about Henry's uni, the twins' school, Lucas' and Camilla and Fredrick's work. It didn't feel very different from when Henry used to come over for dinner as just Maddie's friend. The only difference was that Lucas was sat next to him, holding his hand or with his arm around Henry's waist, laughing with him, instead of ignoring him or calling him the wrong name or just not being there. 

It was almost 8 when the front door opened. Henry had been hungry, but the breadsticks and cheese and wine had helped quell his hunger a bit. They heard keys jangling as they were deposited into the ceramic bowl on the table by the front door, then light footsteps making their way towards the kitchen. Henry braced himself as his friend stepped into the kitchen and he saw her for the first time in nearly a month. 

Maddie looked different. She was thinner, her cheekbones and jaw more pronounced, her bare wrists bonier. She was wearing a pink jumper and light blue jeans, white sneakers on her feet. Her hair was shorter, falling below her shoulders instead of almost halfway to her waist. She looked slightly tired, her mouth a hard line, as she took in the scene in the kitchen. 

"Hi, honey," Camilla began warily. "Will you be joining us for dinner?"

"Sure," Maddie replied. She hesitated for a second by the door, then padded over to the other side of the table and lowered herself into a chair opposite Lucas. Henry was hearing her voice after so long. It sounded almost unfamiliar.

"Hi, Maddie," he said, raising his eyes to meet hers. 

But she didn't look up at him, and stared at the table runner instead, picking at it with a pastel pink fingernail. "Hey."

"How are you?" Henry went on. Seeing Maddie right there in front of him was strange. He hadn't seen her or heard from her since that day at his apartment, when she'd left angered and in tears. His heart twisted thinking of that morning. 

"Fine. How are you?" 

The emptiness in her voice made Henry flinch. Lucas' grip tightened on his hand. "I'm good," he managed after a second.

She nodded, still not looking up. 

"Hi, Mads," Lucas greeted. 

"Hi."

Camilla was watching her daughter with sad, desperate eyes. Henry had to try to get something out of Maddie, anything that could bring her back to her normal self. 

"I missed you at uni. You haven't been there in weeks," Henry continued.

"Yeah, well, I'm all caught up on what's going on," she responded. 

"What about the midsems-"

"I can manage, Henry."

Henry opened his mouth, but no words came out. He didn't know what he could say to that anyway. 

"Honey, come on, be nicer." Camilla sounded embarrassed.

Maddie laughed humourlessly. 

"Maddie," Lucas interjected. His voice was firm, commanding. "Can I see you outside for a minute?"

"No," the girl answered immediately. 

"It wasn't a request." Lucas stood up. 

"No," she repeated. She still hadn't looked up. 

"Get up. Now," Lucas ordered. 

Maddie groaned and stood up, walking out of the room without a word. Lucas smiled at his parents, then leaned down and kissed Henry on the cheek and strode out of the room. Immediately, they could hear the brother and sister's hushed voices, arguing quietly in the living room. Henry sighed, clasping both his hands together, either tracing circles on the back of his hand like Lucas did or twisting his ring. He was glad Lucas was talking to Maddie first, because he himself had no idea what he'd say to her if she was being like this. He'd thought that she wouldn't be so mad at them anymore, but her behaviour today suggested otherwise. 

"I'm sorry, Henry, for that," Fredrick told him, shaking his head as he sipped from his wine glass. "She's been very difficult lately."

"It's okay. I just... I just want to be friends with her again," Henry said with a sigh. The kitchen still smelled of that heavenly pot roast, but Henry didn't have much of an appetite anymore. Maddie was still angry with him, and he felt immensely guilty now for just showing up at her house with Lucas. 

"She'll come around, honey. She misses you, too," Camilla promised. 

Then why was she still mad at him? Lucas and Maddie's conversation wasn't loud enough for them to be able to make out any words; they could just hear them talking. Henry suddenly felt awkward just sitting there and listening to Lucas and Maddie. He reached for his glass of water and took a sip.

Fredrick probably felt the awkwardness as well, so he asked, "Water's good, right?" 

"Yeah. It's wet," Henry responded, then his eyes widened with panic when he realised what he'd said could be taken a different way. 

It was quiet for a second, then Camilla let out a laugh, clutching at her stomach. That's where Lucas got that from. Fredrick laughed, too, shaking his head. 

Henry blushed a bit. "Sorry."

"No need, darling, it's alright," Camilla assured, the traces of laughter still on her face. Henry smiled gratefully, chiding himself on the inside as he reached for a piece of cheese. They chatted a bit more, Henry answering their questions about his job at the bakery.
 
"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Lucas' voice carried through from the living room after a couple minutes, cutting off the conversation in the kitchen. Henry, Camilla and Fredrick all exchanged a glance. 

"Lucas," they heard Maddie whine. Then there was some more conversation between the siblings, before Lucas finally came back into the kitchen. 

"Maddie would like to speak to you, Henry," Lucas informed him, eyebrows slightly raised, waiting by the kitchen door. Henry wondered what he'd said to his sister that made her agree to talk to Henry now. He stood up, heart beating anxiously already. Lucas squeezed his shoulder reassuringly when Henry reached the kitchen door. 

"What'd you say to her?" Henry asked. 

Lucas shook his head. "Just have a chat with her, okay?" He leaned forward and pecked Henry on the lips. 

Henry wished he could stay and kiss Lucas instead of having to go and talk to Maddie, but he wasn't sure Camilla and Fredrick would appreciate the two boys just snogging in the middle of their kitchen. Henry exhaled, not wanting to go alone, but he knew he had to. 

"It'll be okay, love, I promise," Lucas insisted, reaching out to touch one of Henry's curls. 

"I know. I trust you," Henry replied, raising his hand and touching Lucas'. Lucas smiled at him, giving him a little push towards the living room. Henry had needed that. He swallowed hard as he entered the living room. 

The living room was spacious and open. A large white sofa and two matching armchairs sat facing the television, a coffee table with magazines and newspapers on it in front of the sofa. There were a lot of family photos placed around the room, on the table next to the sofa, under the television, on the fireplace mantel. Henry spotted a couple photos that were also in Lucas' apartment, like the one of the twins at the beach and of all of them at a cousin's wedding. There were more pictures of Lucas here than there were at his apartment, though. There was one picture of him at around five or six years old, Henry guessed, holding hands with one of his little friends, both of them looking absolutely adorable. Henry would have to ask Camilla for a copy. 

"Hi," came Maddie's voice. 

Henry looked up, startled, nearly having forgotten she was also in the room. She was standing by the window, looking out at the backyard. It was dark out, any traces of daylight now gone. "Hey." Maddie turned towards him, then turned again and went to sit on the sofa. Henry followed her, heartrate rising in anticipation, and sat down on the armchair closest to where she was sat on the sofa, and turned to face her. 

Maddie looked up at Henry, finally. Her blue eyes still seemed tired to him, but she managed a smile which Henry returned instantly, thankful. "Um, are you still... mad at me?"

"I wasn't lying that day, Maddie. I'm not mad at you. Are you mad at me?"

She sighed, cracking her knuckles. "No," she answered finally. 

Henry breathed a sigh of relief, but he still had questions. "Then why haven't you spoken to me? You haven't texted me back or taken my calls or been to uni. It was like you were going out of your way to avoid me."

"I was," Maddie agreed after a second. Henry raised his eyebrows. "I just... Look, I was hurt, okay? You knew I wasn't okay with you and Lucas, but you didn't care, and it hurt me."

"I'm so sorry, Maddie, but you know it wasn't my intention to hurt you," Henry promised her. 

"No, I know that now. It was just hard to see that then, because I'd just gotten over the fact that you and him had slept together, and then I found out that you were still together after that. I was just shocked because I hadn't known that he was into lads, and that he's into you. It was like I had no clue who he was anymore, and you'd also kept your relationship a secret from me. You both are two of the people I'm closest to in the world, and it was just so difficult finding out all that like that. I was mad at Lucas, because I thought that you and him being together would mean- he was... he was taking you from me. I know we weren't together or anything, but Henry, the connection I feel to you has always been so strong, and you're my best friend, y'know? And I thought that you'd start seeing him more often and forget about me," she admitted, staring hard at her sneakers. 

"Maddie, I'd never do that," Henry told her, reaching out to place a hand on her clenched fist. 

"My parents always seemed to care more about what he was up to, y'know? 'Lucas never stops by anymore.' 'What's going on in Lucas' life?' But, like, of course they were worried about him! He's their son who's living alone for the first time in his life. Of course they'd be preoccupied with that. But I was jealous. When they had three other daughters, why should they spend all their time worrying about their son? He didn't stop by often, and I never realised it was my fault, because I never talked to him properly anymore, and it made him not want to come here. I was mad at Lucas for being the center of their attention, but I was also mad at him for leaving me. He's my brother, and I know he'll be there for me when I need him, but it wasn't easy getting used to the fact that he wasn't just down the hall from me anymore. I couldn't just go to his room at midnight and ask him to get ice cream with me, or tell him to cover for me when I was sneaking out to see you, Noah and Logan. He wouldn't come to me in the mornings anymore, asking me to go with him for a run. We wouldn't be able to fall asleep in front of the tv every other night after having talked about every little thing. I didn't have my teammate anymore when the twins ganged up on me." Her voice was thin, stretched taut. Henry knew she was struggling to not cry. He closed his hand around hers, holding it tight. "I was so mad at him I forgot about the fact that he'd drop everything for me if I had just taken the time to call him and talk to him. And then I thought he was taking you away from me, and you were willing to go."

"Maddie." Henry felt a lump forming at the back of his throat. 

"I knew you wouldn't hurt me like that over nothing. Lucas obviously means so much to you, and you mean the world to him. I can see it in his eyes when he talks about you. You deciding to be with him wasn't about me, and it took me a while to realise that. I didn't answer your texts out of spite, but then I read them again a few weeks back and I realised that it just wasn't about me. You both deserve to be happy, and I'm so glad you have each other, Henry. I'm so happy for you," Maddie told him sincerely, smiling as she wiped a tear away. 

"Thank you so much, Maddie. You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that," Henry admitted. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before. I'm just so embarrassed about the way I had behaved. I know things weren't easy for you, breaking up with that other guy earlier this year, and with your parents, and I made it worse by being a bitch about you and Lucas' relationship. I hope you can forgive me."

"I forgive you, Maddie! Of course, I do," Henry insisted. Maddie smiled at him tentatively. "Have you really been skipping uni because of me, though? Be honest."

Maddie inhaled sharply, then nodded slowly. "I just didn't know what to say to you. The way that I had behaved was just so embarrassing, Henry. I was being such a child about not having my way, and I hated myself for behaving like that with my best friend. I just couldn't stand the idea of having to see you everyday, at first because I was annoyed with you, then because I was annoyed with myself. I thought if I was rude to you, you'd keep being mad at me. But speaking to Lucas now made me realise how silly I was being."

"But you knew I'd see you somewhere eventually, right?"

"Maybe? I didn't want to step outside the house, so I filled out the medical leave form for uni. I thought I could just stay at home this year and go back to uni next year," she confessed in a small voice.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Henry found himself yelling. In the back of his mind, he could see Lucas smiling proudly.

"Henry, come on," Maddie groaned, turning and burying her face in the sofa cushions. "Lucas already yelled at me for it." 

"Hey, no, sit up. Look at me," Henry ordered. She did, raising her eyes to meet his, her expression one of shame. "You can't just sit out an entire year of uni. D'you know how hard it'll be to catch up? You can't screw up your future like that! I get that you were embarrassed, Maddie, but it's me! You can tell me about literally anything. It's a hard topic to speak about, but it wasn't impossible to do that right now, right? You can't skip uni because you didn't want to face a tough situation."

Maddie groaned, scooching to the edge of her seat and putting her head on Henry's shoulder. Henry breathed in her familiar coconut and vanilla scent, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry I'm such an idiot."

"Maddie, it's okay. Don't apologise anymore, please. And don't call yourself a bitch again. You're far from one," Henry told her. 

She chuckled, taking an unsteady breath and threw her arms around Henry. He held her tight, still rubbing her back. "How are things with your parents?"

"Much better," Henry answered with a smile. "They've been going to couples counselling, and my dad is like, a new man now. He's okay with my news, and he was wonderful last night when Lucas and I had dinner with them."

"Henry, that's amazing!" Maddie beamed, pulling away from him. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you," Henry grinned at her. Maddie poked the dimples in his cheek, making him chuckle.

"One last apology," Maddie piped up. "I'm sorry I called you selfish and cruel. You're one of the best people I know, and I shouldn't have called you those things at all."

"It's okay," he assured her. "It's forgotten. Literally. You know how shitty my memory is."

Maddie snickered, pulling away from Henry and smiling at him. "Thanks so much. You really are the best."

"Takes one to know one." Henry winked at her. "And hey, listen. I know Lucas must've told you this ten times over, but he's always, always going to be there for you, Lily and Evie. He loves you all beyond words. And I'm always here for all three of you, okay? I'm still your best friend, Maddie."

"I love you, Henry. Thank you," she told him with a smile. His best friend was back. 

"I love you, too," he replied. "Come on. Let's go have dinner. I can't believe Camilla's pot roast has been ready for two hours now and nobody's eaten it. It must be so upset."

They returned to the kitchen, and all of them had dinner together. Henry had never been happier. His heart was racing, like he'd just ran a couple miles, but it wasn't at all an uncomfortable feeling. It was like the rush of adrenaline, only it was happiness, glee, even. Maddie was happier, too, and her parents were beyond pleased that she was back to her normal self. Henry loved the time he'd spent with the Thorntons that night, holding hands with Lucas as they ate, laughing and talking late into the night, because it had been a preview of how his life would now be. 

He'd once thought that he'd be alone most of the time without having anyone to spend it with, but he knew better now. As the months progressed, passing Lucas' 23rd birthday and Henry's 21st, the boys spent every weekend with either Henry's family or Lucas'. They went with Elizabeth and David to the movies or to a play, they took the twins to the park, they went to yoga with Maddie (who had come back to uni right after her talk with Henry) and Noah, bowling with Logan and Zeke, cooking classes with Camilla and golf lessons with Fredrick. All of them had gotten together for Christmas and Easter, with Catherine and Jack as well. Henry had thought his life would be empty, but it was so full now, so full of love and warmth and affection from his friends and his two families, all because of one person. His Lucas. 

It was the end of summer again, and the boys had just returned from a trip to Mexico with both their families. It had been a whole year since the beach trip. Henry was going to be in his last year of uni, and was still working at the bakery with Joan and Paul. Lucas had gotten promoted to assistant editor, and Henry was beyond proud of him.The boys had decided to move in together, since they spent all their time together anyway. Lucas was going to move into Henry's apartment, and they'd paid Henry's parents back together with both of their salaries. Though they'd practically been living together already, since they'd never spent a night apart since that time he had showed up at Lucas' apartment last year, Henry was giddy with excitement because Lucas was moving in with him. It felt more official. 

Henry had always thought that 'home' would be somewhere else. That his safe haven would be somewhere else. It had been so hard to live in his parents' house, in his own apartment at the start, but being with Lucas had made it easier to be there. Being with Lucas made everything easier. Henry could breathe without letting the water into his lungs. Maybe home wasn't a place after all. It could be a person. 

"Y'know," huffed Lucas, heaving a box of books onto the floor of Henry's living room, "this might go faster if you helped out a bit. And I might have a lesser chance of dying from manual labour." It was about eight in the evening, and they were moving Lucas' stuff down into Henry's apartment. The first thing Henry had done was put up Lucas' fairy lights everywhere, and they cast a soft glow about the room in the dull light of falling dusk. Lucas was wearing a white tank top and black shorts, skin glistening with sweat. His beard was a bit fuller now, and his hair was still swept across his forehead, falling into his eyes, because Henry was the one that still gave him his haircuts. "And it's game night tonight. We need to hurry up."

Maddie, Noah, Logan, Zeke and Elena were coming over for a very high stakes game of monopoly. The stakes were so high that they wouldn't know what they were till they'd all had two shots each and decided on something ridiculous. Henry loved it. He also loved that Maddie and Noah, and Logan and Zeke were still together, just like him and Lucas. It made him feel like they were all growing up quickly, but he was glad that they were all in it together. He wasn't afraid to voice his feelings in front of Lucas, and they spoke about life and things changing as they got older very often. 

"You're not going to die from manual labour. You're too strong for that," Henry told him, going up to him and taking a second box from his hands and putting it down by the tv table. 

"Good boy," Lucas smirked. "What were you thinking about, though? You had a faraway look in your eyes."

Henry pouted a bit, running a hand through his hair. It was shorter now, than it had been in years, styled back neatly, a few short curls coming loose. He'd donated his hair to charity a couple days back. He wasn't used to having such short hair, and found himself squeezing out more shampoo than he needed to use now, or reaching up to tuck his hair behind his ear and finding nothing. But Lucas promised Henry he looked great anyhow, so he'd get used to it. "I dunno, I was just thinking about how hard it used to be to live here."

Lucas put his box down on the floor with a thump and padded over to Henry. Henry turned to face him, already smiling. Lucas reached out and raked a hand through Henry's hair, too, twirling the short strands around his fingers. "Sexy as hell," Lucas muttered, nodding in approval. "Hot as fuck." 

Henry chuckled, shaking his head fondly. Lucas smiled at him broadly, crinkles appearing around his eyes. It still gave Henry butterflies. Lucas leaned forward, and Henry leaned down at the same time out of habit. Lucas pressed his lips to Henry's softly. Henry melted against the older lad, pulling him closer by the waist as he kissed him back. 

Lucas pulled away after a couple seconds, pressing his forehead against Henry's. Henry, still holding his boyfriend by the waist, could feel Lucas' cool breath on his face as he exhaled. "Darling" Lucas breathed softly, his voice so gentle it gave Henry tiny goosebumps. He loved that he was the only one that got to hear Lucas' voice so soft. "I promise, I'll make this feel like home."

Henry closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of Lucas' body against his. He couldn't have been happier if he tried. "What d'you mean, baby?" he whispered, gliding his thumb over Lucas' cheek. "You are home."