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Walter woke up with the worst headache of his life.
He was cold and in pain from sleeping on the hard ground. He stretched his arms and opened his eyes, trying to adjust to the bright sun.
He sat up and turned, looking to his left. There lay a peacefully sleeping Henry, hand gripping a liqueur bottle, and suddenly all the memories from the night before came crashing onto Walter.
———
They were sitting on the couch together, talking to their group of friends. The party was still in its prime, music bright and loud as ever. It took Walter by surprise when Henry grabbed his hand and looked straight into his eyes.
“Come with me,” Henry whispered and stood up. Walter, who could never say no to him, obliged happily with a stupid grin on his face.
Henry smiled at Walter before pulling him through the crowds of dancing students. It was dark, loud, and getting chaotic.
“Where are we going?” Walter giggled when Henry grabbed a bottle of some sort of liqueur from the drink table. Henry gave his hand a little squeeze in acknowledgment.
“I don’t know,” He admitted, which sent a tipsy Walter into a fit of laughter.
Walter took the bottle from him, taking a long sip of the liquid. He wasn’t really sure what it was, but it was good. Really good. Like strawberries. It reminded Walter of Henry. His strawberry blonde hair. He giggled at the connection he had made.
Henry stopped walking and turned around with a half-amused smile on his face. He brought his finger to Walter’s lips and shushed him quickly. “Quiet,” Henry mouthed. Walter thought he was being so dramatic and kissed the tip of his finger lightly and giggled when Henry started to blush.
With Henry stunned, Walter took initiative and led them outside the building. Now outside, they decided to make a run for it to who even knows where. They ran behind trees while giggling, so drunk in the moment, all while still holding hands.
Once they could no longer hear the music blasting from the party, Walter sat on the ground with Henry laying his head in his lap. Walter took a drink from the bottle before handing it to Henry to hold.
“One… two… three…” Henry mumbled to himself with a dazy smile on his face.
“What are you counting?” Walter stared down at the pretty boy in his lap, admiring the features of his face. “The stars?”
“Yeah,” Henry said. He reached up, pushing Walter’s fluffy hair behind his ear that had fallen when he looked down. He hummed softly, “So beautiful.”
Walter looked up at the sky. He was right. The night was adorned with bright stars that were not seen often in this area. “Yeah, it’s really amazing.”
Walter felt Henry touch his chin, making an effort to make him look at him. Walter looked down at the boy and couldn’t resist the smile that crept on his face. Henry’s curious hand caressed his face before finding its place cupping Walter’s cheek.
“No, silly. You are,” Henry said softly and simply. He turned his head away so it was resting against Walter’s knee.
Oh. Walter’s heart stopped for a second. Henry said that as if it was the most casual thing in the world. Walter could feel his cheeks flush, both because of the alcohol and the boy in his lap.
Unsure of what to say, he brought his hand in his lap and played with Henry’s hair, something that they often did with each other in their dorm.
“Henry,” Walter whispered, not wanting to disrupt the tranquility of the moment. The boy looked back up at him, waiting for him to continue. Walter was praying that Henry couldn’t hear his quickening heartbeat, but he supposed that was nearly impossible due to their closeness.
“Yeah?” Henry said almost sleepily. He was a very affectionate drunk. He wouldn’t say a lot, which Walter guesses opposes his sober behavior.
“How drunk are you, one to ten?” Walter fidgeted with Henry’s silver chain around his neck. It was the one he had gifted him for his birthday. He smiled.
Henry sighed, “Probably like a four, I’m sobering up..” He said comically as he took a drink from their shared liqueur bottle. “You?”
“Same,” He said. “This is nice. Quiet.”
Henry yawned, “Yeah, it’s nice being with you.” He placed his hand on top of Walter’s hand and placed them on his chest.
Jesus Christ. Henry is trying to kill him.
Walter smiled and couldn’t help but overthink. This feels… intimate, but not that different from what they’ve done before. He hoped Henry understood what he was feeling.
“Henry,” He said, just because he can. It felt nice to say on his tongue.
“Yes, Walter?” Henry smiled at his nonsense. He knows well from past experiences that Walter was a clingy drunk.
“Promise to text me everyday when school ends?” It was one of the things he has been worrying about since the announcement that Hillerska might shut down.
“Of course, Walter,” Henry closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers against the back of his hand, comforting him.
“What are you thinking about now?” Walter wondered out loud.
Henry didn’t hesitate. “A lot. About you.”
“Like what?”
Henry hummed lovingly, “I don’t know what I’m allowed to say.” Walter hears him mutter something along the lines of “screw it” and suddenly Henry is leaning up, propping himself up on his elbows.
“What would- what would you do if I hypothetically kissed you right now?”
Oh. Walter was not expecting that. Crap. His heart stopped working.
“Hypothetically?” Walter repeated, more in a teasing tone.
Henry let out an amused huff, “Yeah, hypothetically.”
“Well, hypothetically, I would kiss you back,” Walter paused and tried to read Henry’s face. “I would…”
“Walter.” Henry said nervously. “Can I kiss you?”
“Hypothetically?” Walter joked and blushed profusely. Thank goodness it was dark and Henry probably couldn’t see it, or else the boy would be teasing him for it.
“Actually.” Henry stated with a smile. He admired Walter’s humor in times like these.
“Yes, Henry, yes.” It was all he needed to hear.
Walter closed his eyes and felt Henry meet his lips. This felt long overdue, a sensation that felt so right. Henry brought his hands onto Walter’s hips and pushed his back onto the grass. Walter moved his hands all over him, starting from his back and then burying them in his hair.
His lips felt so good against his. They moved in sync, and when Walter opened his mouth for a small breath, Henry tenderly let his tongue wander and explore his mouth.
With their bodies pressed against each other, Henry on top of Walter, they pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes. Their noses touching, breathing each other’s air, and both had huge smiles on their faces.
“You taste like strawberries,” Henry chuckled.
“Yeah, wonder why,” Walter said, grabbing the liqueur bottle that was discarded on the grass.
——————
Walter doesn’t really remember anything that happened after that, but he can assume that it included a lot of kissing and touching and more kissing.
Henry looks so peaceful sleeping there with a faint pout on his face, and Walter couldn’t resist. He leaned down and kissed him, short but lovingly, and let it linger in the air.
“I love you,” Walter whispered, and Henry broke into a smile.