Work Text:
The problem starts when Alex’s bank account trends towards zero. He’s lucky he has enough on his meal plan to get him through the end of the semester, but he’s scraping the bottom for anything else other than food and coffee. He’s normally better with his finances, but it isn’t his fault his laptop decides to shit the bed halfway through the semester.
He’s already covered for next semester’s classes and his housing because of the scholarships from academics and lacrosse, but his “fun money” is fading and he’s far too stubborn to ask his mom and dad for anything. He’s the one who decided to go to Georgetown over UT Austin because he wanted to ”be in the middle of the action,” versus basically going to school for free. He made his bed, so now he has to lie in it.
He goes through his options. He can sell pictures of his feet for money on that one website that escapes his memory. He knows he has svelte ankles and proportional toes with clipped toenails and he’d make a killing. He scratches that thought immediately, because he doesn’t want feet pics to be the thing that bars him from taking the Bar exam down the line. He could do gig economy work—DoorDash, GrubHub, and the like, but the market is saturated and he’s a bit limited because he doesn’t have a car here. DC is a great city for public transportation, but taking peoples’ food orders around the city is not his idea of a good time. Then, the idea strikes him. He doesn’t know why he didn’t think of it before. His roommate/best friend’s eccentric billionaire philanthropist best friend runs a coffeeshop/bookstore/queer youth resource center. It’d be a perfect fit. He just doesn’t know if they’re hiring. All he needs to do is ask.
He’d met Henry their freshman year at Georgetown. They were placed in the same suite in Copley Hall and were assigned to the same room. Henry was a bit cold at first, and it ruffled Alex’s feathers, but he learned that Henry was struggling with the adjustment to living overseas, even if it was completely by choice. Alex worked his way through Henry’s chilly exterior with the grace of a toddler learning how to walk. They argued more than they didn’t; they sniped at each other over the pettiest things because they could. There were fits and starts, but they muddled through the rougher moments, and now by their junior year, they live in each other’s pockets.
Alex still knows Henry’s order from the closest coffee shop they frequented in their freshman year: medium Earl Grey with the smallest drop of honey and a cranberry muffin from Coffee Republic. Henry knows Alex’s go-to orders from Leo’s depending on his mood (he still gets a laugh that the main dining hall shares a name with his stepdad). Alex knows Henry’s class schedule and regularly meets him on campus when their schedules line up. Henry will always listen to Alex’s musings about everything and nothing. Alex will always be there for Henry’s difficult days when the slowly sinking mood becomes quicksand that Alex has to pull him out of.
There’s something else: Alex has the teeniest, tiniest smidgen of a crush on Henry. He thinks he realized it in the middle of sophomore year. He started noticing things that never mattered before. Henry’s laugh—for one. Henry laughs with his entire body. His eyes squint shut and his cheeks flush, and Alex would do anything to hear the breathy chuckles leave Henry’s lips. Then there’s also the warmth that spreads over his skin whenever Henry even glances his way. Henry looks at him a lot in many different ways, and Alex knows all of his expressions. He has a mental encyclopedia of every shift in Henry’s lips or quirk of his brows. He commits it to his own personal memory bank, filed somewhere between ‘Henry’s smiles’ and ‘Henry judging someone’ and struggles to close the already overflowing drawer. The only ones who know about his crush are June, his sister, and Nora, his ex-girlfriend turned best friend. They both encourage him on a regular basis to say something about it, but Alex, the one who’s known for the gift of gab, keeps it locked away. He doesn’t want to shift the tides and lose Henry in the process. He couldn’t deal with it.
All of his Henry related musings aside, Alex needs to ask Henry if Pez is looking for another body at A New Chapter ; it’s part bookstore, part coffee shop, and part youth center, all funded by donations. The books are pay what you can, there are options to donate a coffee to someone who needs it and there are drop-in services for queer youth in the community. Henry works in the bookstore portion of the building and runs programming for children and college students alike. Alex spends a lot of time in the coffee shop studying and when he’s done studying, he spends time reading books and paying full price for the ones that strike his fancy. He doesn’t know why it wasn’t his first thought, since he practically lives there, but he thinks it also has to do with Henry.
Even though they’re close, Alex still wants to give Henry space. He knows A New Chapter is one of the places Henry can be his most authentic self, and he doesn’t want to overstep. He also doesn’t know how well he’ll fare if he’s with Henry more often. He might slip and say something he’ll regret. But he needs the money, and it’s his best option, so he pulls out his phone and sends a text.
hey is a new chapter looking for bodies?
What do you mean by “bodies?”
really?? i mean do y’all need extra help for the holidays and beyond since my laptop decided to betray me i don’t have much money and i want to be able to fly home in a few weeks without asking ma to spot me
Oh. Well why didn’t you just say that?
because I figured your brilliant mind would have understood on the first try, sweetheart
Forgive me. I’m a bit tired, but I’ll ask Pez.
no worries you’re the best <3 and take a nap if you’re tired
It doesn’t take long before Henry comes back to Alex telling him he’s hired. Alex asks about an interview, but Henry explains that Pez already trusts him, so it would only be a waste of time. He gives Alex a time to come in for training. Alex tells Henry he’ll be there with bells on.
His first day on the job is filled with training. He’s given two aprons and two t-shirts. He’s taken around the coffee shop by Dom, the pink haired barista who explains the ropes. He gets shown the various coffee beans, tea blends, cleaning supplies and anything else he can think of. He’s shown the ratio of flavor pumps to cup size for different lattes and he manages to almost burn himself with the milk frother only once, which is impressive, given his track record of being clumsy. For all of his skill on the lacrosse field, he’s less graceful everywhere else. June, Nora, and even Liam joke that it’s a wonder he hasn’t gravely injured himself over the years.
He manages to pick up on things quickly, and he appreciates the ring of index cards with recipes hanging under the espresso machine when his brain decides to leave the building. He makes friends with regulars and learns orders. He works on his latte art, even though his attempts at leaves look more like a sad blob. He’s enjoying himself, and the best part? He gets to spend even more time with Henry. They tend to work similar shifts most days, and on those days, Alex thrives. On his breaks, he hangs in the bookstore, petting David—Henry’s therapy dog. David rests his head on Alex’s thigh while Alex studies in one of the reading nooks. He probably shouldn’t be spending his breaks doing research for finals, but it’s crunch time, and Alex is no slouch.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Henry comes up to him during one of his breaks a few weeks later, and sits in one of the wingback chairs across from him. Alex looks up when he notices Henry in his space.
“Hey stranger, long time no see.” Alex says, with a smirk on his face.
Henry lets out an undignified snort, sipping his tea before speaking. “You saw me five minutes ago, when you made my tea and told me to meet you here.” David, sitting at Henry’s feet, grunts in agreement at Henry’s statement. Alex glares in response.
“I missed you,” Alex says, jutting out his lip. It’s a bit dramatic, and partially a joke, but even though they’re in the same space, they don’t get much time to talk. Classes are getting hectic and things at A New Chapter are also hectic with the holidays drawing ever closer. The programming is more popular than ever, more kids are dropping in, and Henry is devoted to the kids. It’s another thing to add to the list of what he loves about Henry—his passion and care.
Henry smiles fondly. “I missed you too. It seems like we’re always in the same place, but we never get to talk. Is there a reason you asked me to meet you in the alcove?”
Alex smiles softly when Henry returns the sentiment. There is an actual reason Alex pulled Henry to the most quiet part of the space, away from nosy coworkers. “Yeah, actually. I’d have liked to do this differently, but our fucking schedules are a shit show this semester. I wanted to plan dinner sometime.”
Henry frowns thoughtfully. “Well, I’ll never say no to going to dinner with you, but why did this have to be a private conversation? Usually it’s a text.”
Alex looks at the confusion in Henry’s eyes and he wants to scream. It makes sense. Alex asks Henry to dinner a lot. As often as they can. They never go to the fancy restaurants in the area, but Alex tends to get food from Trader Joe’s and make meals that Henry raves about, or they go to the dining hall together. This time is different.
Alex takes in a breath, and prays this doesn’t backfire. “Iwannatakeyouonadate.” There, it’s out. The silence that immediately follows leaves Alex rooted to the velvet chair. He can feel each fiber digging into his hands as he grips it for purchase.
Henry blinks, brushing strands of hair that have fallen into his face. His eyes are wide, and he isn’t breathing. Alex needs Henry to breathe, to do something, to say anything , even if he’s going to be let down.
“Henry? Did you hear what I said?” He asks, voice quiet.
Henry finally inhales and exhales, and his gaze is fixed on Alex. “Can you repeat that?”
Alex nods. “I. Wanna. Take. You. On. A. Date.”
He enunciates every word, and now he can’t breathe, waiting.
“Oh,” is all Henry says. Oh. One syllable. No hint about the response. That’s it? Alex thought he’d get more than an ‘oh.’ He watches and waits. Henry tightens his fists in his lap.
“You. Want to go on a date. With me?” Henry asks. He looks nervous. Alex wants to grab him by the face to stop him from digging his teeth into chapped lips, but he doesn’t want to overstep, not now.
Alex nods. “Yeah. I do. Look,” he starts, trying to figure out how to word it. “I just couldn’t wa-,” no that isn’t right. Why is he flubbing this so badly? Henry is staring at him, patient as ever, with wide eyes unblinking, and he sets himself resolutely. It’s now or never. “Listen, I’ve liked you for the better part of a year, and I don’t know if you feel the same, and if you don’t, then we can forget this ever ha—”
Alex doesn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before Henry is stumbling to his feet, and closing the distance between them. He pulls Alex up and soundly kisses him on the mouth. Alex is stunned for a moment before pressing his lips into Henry’s plush lips. They’re a little bit dry from the winter chill, but Alex can’t bring himself to care. Henry is kissing him. It’s happening, and it’s everything Alex imagined. They eventually break apart because of the unfortunate need to breathe.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“Wait, you knew?” Alex balks.
Henry looks down at him, smiling softly. “I had hope. I wasn’t certain, and I didn’t want to lose you if I was wrong.”
“Well, you were right, and you’d never lose me. That would never happen.” He sighs out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “And now, we have to go back to work,” looking at his phone.
Henry purses his lips. “My shift ends before yours today. I’ll come back later and walk you back to the dorm. Then we can figure out what comes next.”
“Sounds good. Kiss me before you leave?” Alex asks, eyes bright.
“No PDA at work, love.”
Alex pouts.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
When Henry returns at closing, he has a bouquet in hand. It’s a mix of flowers that he explains the meaning of when Alex takes a grateful inhale. It looks customized, and part of Alex wonders how Henry managed to find a florist willing to do it on short notice, but Henry is Henry, so he doesn’t focus on it for too long.
“That’s not fair. I was supposed to get you flowers first,” Alex says, pretending to sound more put out than he actually is.
“You’re taking me out to dinner. I think it’s only fair if I get you flowers.” Henry responds, ever the diplomat.
“It’s not a competition, Hen.”
“You make everything a competition, love.”
He isn’t wrong.
“I’m glad you agreed to go on a date with me,” Alex says seriously.
“There isn’t a world where I would say no, Alex. You’re wonderful. And I’m grateful to have you whether it be as a friend or something more.” He sounds so sincere, and Alex’s legs feel shaky. He doesn’t know how they’re holding him up right now.
“You have me as long as you want me, sweetheart, however you want me.” Alex says, holding Henry’s hand in a firm grip.
“That’s a dangerous proposition. I can think of a lot of ways this could go. All of them are good.”
Alex grins.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, demon.”
“Who said it was in the gutter?”
Henry blushes, shoving him weakly.
Before Henry’s hand can leave his chest, Alex takes it into his. He notes briefly how soft Henry’s hands are and how well they fit together. The smile on his face shifts into something a little softer, thinking that this is the beginning of a wonderful new chapter for the two of them.