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Alex has always been a deeply competitive person. He has never taken kindly to losing arguments, games, or even that one time he tried to negotiate with the vendor at the street fair and ended up somehow paying more than original price. He was pissed.
So it’s not surprising that he spends the entirety of Nora’s birthday party—and the week leading up to it—bragging in the group chat about how majorly he was going to kick everyone’s asses. They’ll never see it coming (they always know when it’s coming.)
What is surprising, is the way Henry is being just as competitive back. Alex never took Henry for someone who liked a challenge, considering how he was always a pretty fair loser during game nights or when Alex decided he wanted to start an argument with him because—Well, that’s not important, really.
But this entire week, Henry has been giving back just as good as Alex has been dishing. It’s hot annoying.
Now, they’re minutes out from entering the “LaserZone” which, seriously, they could not have come up with a less cool name. They’ve split into teams. After briefly arguing if it should be Brits v. Americans or Girls v. Boys, it was decided (Alex rallied hard) that it would be Brits v. Americans, for no specific reason.
The poor teenage employee, looking overworked and extremely exhausted, is explaining the ground rules to them—No pushing or hitting, no climbing barricades, no running (and fuck that, for real), no inappropriate behavior— Whatever, Alex barely hears most of it, too busy trying not to vibrate out of his skin from excitement.
Henry’s eyes are focused in on Alex’s every movement, and yeah, today is supposed to be about Nora, but there’s a snowball’s chance in hell Alex is about to let Henry fucking Fox beat him in Laser tag.
Alex is pulled back into reality when the aforementioned overworked, overtired, teenager smacks the door and asks the group, “Ready?” There are various noises of agreement, Pez whoops and Nora cheers.
Alex smirks at Henry, “You ready to get your ass kicked, sweetheart?”
Henry rolls his eyes, adjusting his vest, “Let’s do this, darling.”
And, oh. Oh, wow, that should not make Alex feel the way it does. Why does he feel like that?
He’s too focused on the warmth in his stomach and the tingling in his legs that he misses the door being opened and his group leaving him behind, “Fuck.” He jogs to catch up to them.
The arena is huge. There are three levels, and barricades nearly everywhere, he thinks he sees several small spaces to hide in, and maybe some sort of rope bridge? Which isn’t fucking horrifying at all, thank you.
He doesn’t see any of his friends, but he hears a very distinct squeal that he knows is Bea, and the cartoonish sounds of their guns going off.
Alex shakes his head, his curls falling out of his eyes, then starts his hunt for Henry.
______
Alex has no idea how long they have the arena, and he has no clue how long they’ve already been in the arena.
All he knows is every time he glances down at the screen on his gun, a giant 1 stares back at him, and he huffs triumphantly.
He’s seen Henry maybe once the entire time they’ve been playing, but not for a long while. He’s been mostly fixed on Bea and Pez, since Henry seems to have found a spot to hide in, because of course he did.
He’s turning a corner when he’s yanked by the back of his vest into a small alcove.
“Ow, what the fuck?” He yelps, because this has got to be against the rules.
He whips his body around, only to be met with Henry’s body bracketing his, their faces so close that if he just leaned in a little bit they could be— Wait, what the fuck?
“Man, what the hell?” Alex reaches for his gun, but Henry puts his hand on top of it, gently pushing it down.
“Wait, wait. Alex, can we—Just let me say something.”
Alex’s eyebrows knit together, “Right now? You want to say something right now?”
And, yes, Alex is a little irritated. Because they’re in the middle of a Laser tag game and he is winning! But Henry is right there, and he smells..really good, and his eyes are so blue even in this horrifically unappealing lighting and they’re wide and full of want.
So, when Henry says “Please,” and he frowns a little bit, Alex says “Yes.”
But, Henry doesn’t say anything, instead, he grabs Alex by his vest straps and connects their lips. Alex freezes, just for a moment, until he feels how soft Henry’s lips are, and how warm Henry’s hands are against his skin even through his shirt, and for a second it’s all just Henry Henry Henry.
Henry’s hands drop and Alex whimpers slightly, then he hears the tell-tale sound of a Laser gun, and the three beeps from his sensor that mean he’s been shot. He looks down, and his vest is flashing red, his gun vibrating in his hand.
When he looks back up, Henry is gone, his perfect irritating laugh following in his wake.
“Oh, you’re on, Fox!”
______
He’s completely, and totally, out of breath.
He knows he shouldn’t be, he’s an adult man in fantastic shape, and all he did was run around a fucking Laser tag arena for twenty minutes.
But after Henry’s little prank, or whatever it was, he sprinted around the damn arena for the rest of the game looking for the blonde.
He looks down at the screen, a lame 2 sitting in front of him.
The same employee from before lets them out and back into the main lobby, then shows them their scores.
Henry and Alex were three points apart.
“Oh, c’mon man. That’s not even fair! He cheated!” Alex puts his hands on his hips, and no, he is not pouting, thank you.
June puts her hand on his shoulder, “Lil’ bit, it’s just a game.”
Maybe it is just a game, but Alex’s knees feel all wobbly and he can still feel where Henry’s lips pressed against his own, and he honestly kind of feels like he’s going to throw up.
So if it’s a game, it’s a fucking horrible one and he should’ve at least won if he’s going to have to live with the phantom feeling of Henry’s lips on his for the rest of his life without being able to really have it ever again.
Just saying.
______
“Are we gonna talk about it?” Nora had barged into his apartment approximately eight minutes ago, after deciding Alex had been moping—he has not been moping— for too long.
It’s been two weeks since her birthday party, and he hasn’t spoken to Henry about the…the thing. Or to Henry at all, for that matter.
Actually, he’s been avoiding him.
Henry approached him outside his 8am class on Thursday, and Alex simply decided he was not having that conversation at eight in the fucking morning, so he went in the back door of the lecture hall. Henry tried again to come up to him in the library while he was studying, and Alex just…well he just wasn’t ready for it that time.
And it’s not like he enjoys seeing the way Henry frowns every time Alex dodges him. The way his eyebrows dip, and his eyes get all shiny like maybe there was way more to that kiss than just winning a game. But that would be ridiculous, right?
Alex huffs from where he’s laying on the couch, “Talk about what, Nora?”
She stares at him like he’s just grown two heads, “The kiss. You and Henry, you know.” She gestures airily.
“Fucking—You know?” He sits up so fast he gets a head rush.
“Well, I wasn’t actually sure, but now I certainly am.”
“Oh my god.”
Nora reaches into the bag of chips she procured somehow, Alex isn’t sure honestly. “I mean, I’m not surprised. You guys have been horny for each other since, like, the tenth grade.”
“We have n-“
“You’re really gonna try to argue that right now?”
Alex crosses his arms over his chest, frowning slightly. “I just—He did it to win the game. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”
Nora nods sagely, “Sure. But it does, doesn’t it? At least to you.”
He runs his hand down his face roughly, groaning, “No! I mean…I don’t-I just don’t fucking know.”
“Do you want it to mean something?”
He shifts on the couch, his gaze lowering to the floor. “Yes, yeah. I think so.” His voice wobbles slightly, and he’s so embarrassed he contemplates kicking Nora out. But she’s Nora, and she wouldn’t leave even if he asked her to.
She stands, shuffling over to him on the couch, then she wraps him up in her arms. She holds him for a few minutes while he comes down from his emotional spiral.
“I think you should talk to him, Alex.”
“What? No. No, Nora, that’s a terrible idea.”
And, yes, he knows what he looks like. His eyes all watery, his nose red, his hair a mess, there’s probably bags under his eyes, too. All this because of a kiss.
So, he probably should talk to Henry. But talking means there’s a chance Henry could tell him it was all for the game, and he didn’t mean it. Then Alex will have to lock himself in his apartment and never face Henry ever again.
And he can’t. He just can’t do that. Henry has been a constant in his life since he was fifteen, and he doesn’t…he’s never had to even think about a life without him.
He refuses to fuck it up over a stupid kiss.
Nora eventually leaves him after he promises he’ll talk to Henry if he doesn’t get over this feeling in a week.
_____
Alex doesn’t make it a week.
Henry shows up at his front door three days later. Says, “I think we should talk,” His eyes are heavy, and his voice is raw, and Alex can’t not let him in because he simply looks like a kicked puppy.
“Talk about what, H? The weather? Your latest writing piece? How you accosted me in the middle of a laser tag game? Oh, what’s David up to—“
“Alexander.” His voice is sharp, but not aggressive. Henry has a way about him, of always being gentle. He’s looking at Alex like he’s wounded, his eyebrows furrowed, his clear blue eyes glistening.
Alex sighs, “I’m not—Okay, talk.” He waves his hand.
“I’m sorry for doing that to you.” Henry clears his throat, averting his gaze, “But, for what it’s worth. It wasn’t just for the game.”
“No, Henry. You can’t say that. Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”
Henry steps towards him, a small step, but Alex backs up anyway, his back meeting the kitchen counter. “And what if…what if I did? Mean it?”
Alex scans his face, the arch of his nose, the shape of his lips—the way they’re pinched in the corner right now—the furrow of his brows. “I’d tell you to be damn sure you mean it, because I’ve loved you since I was fifteen, and I can’t lose you like this.”
The other man gapes at him, opens and closes his mouth a few times. “For christ’s sake,” He grabs Alex’s face and pulls him in. His lips are just as soft as they were the first time, but this kiss is different, softer. They take their time exploring each other’s mouths, each other's bodies.
When they finally pull back to breathe, foreheads resting together, Henry exhales softly. “For the record, I love you, too. I have loved you.”
Alex grabs Henry’s wrists and meets his eyes, smirking a little. “Mm, good to know. For the record, I absolutely would’ve won that Laser tag game if you hadn’t cheated.”
“You are an absolute bloody wanker oh my-“
Alex cuts him off with a kiss, because he can do that now.