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There was a lot that could be said about the kind of treatment Henry faced at home and what he did in order to escape the abuse. It became a common occurrence for him to sleep over at friends' houses rather than his own because he felt safer. It was weird to consider when one knew what kind of friends he had, but it was true nonetheless. The one issue with that was how his friend’s parents viewed him. Butch Bowers was not a kind man, and this was a fact the whole town knew. Most looked down on him because of the man he came from. Well, that and because of his own actions, but that was neither here nor there. Vic and Belch's parents didn't care much to have him around. He couldn't name the amount of times he had been called a bad influence, but then there was Patrick. It was weird to consider, but Patrick's home became almost like a safe haven for him. He was welcomed there and treated as one of their own. It could have been because of the loss of their youngest child or having to deal with Patrick as a son, but Patrick's parents never saw an issue with him. In fact, they sometimes seemed disappointed when he had to leave. It was nice. It was nice to be wanted, and Patrick never had an issue when he stuck around longer than he really should have. He had a home there. He knew that now.
“Do you want to shower first?” Patrick asked as he looked up from the magazine he was reading, turning his attention to a new article as he continued. “I don't mind.”
“I don't have any clothes here.” Henry responded as he looked at the collection of knives and other weird shit his friend had started to collect, seeming a bit startled when a towel was thrown at him. “Hm?”
“Go.” Patrick instructed as he crawled out of the bed, pushing his friend to get up and shower. “I'll find some.”
“Jeez, fine.” Henry muttered as he headed towards the bathroom, pausing in front of the bathroom before he spoke again. “I didn't realize you had such high standards to allow me into your bed.”
“Go.” Patrick encouraged once more as he opened the door to his closet, not bothering to even turn around as he called out to his friend once more. “And don't use all the hot water.”
Henry was more than a bit aware of the class difference between him and Patrick, but it was times such as this that he felt it was almost shoved in his face. Patrick had his own bathroom attached to his room. It had a walk-in shower and even a counter with a built-in sink. It was a harsh contrast from the outhouse and old-fashioned tub he was used to at home. It was nice, and to his surprise, it was clean too, outside of a few personal items scattered about. Henry tried not to think too much about the differences as he stripped his clothes off and climbed into the shower. There had once been a time where he had to call Patrick into the bathroom with him, as he couldn't figure out how to turn on the water on his own. He could still remember how amused Patrick had been over this fact and how he more or less had to shove him back out of the shower afterwards. Henry didn't feel the same level of discomfort with Patrick there as he felt back then, and as he felt that warm water wash over him, he felt almost relieved. He kind of stood there for a minute and let the warm water wash over him before he made any effort to actually clean himself. Patrick had a bottle of 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner and a bar of soap in the corner, which Henry didn't hesitate to snatch up. It smelled like Patrick. He would smell like Patrick.
Henry was almost done with his shower when he heard the bathroom door creak open. In hindsight he knew he should have locked it, but the last time he did, Patrick had bitched at him for over an hour and a half. It was his bathroom, but Patrick was Patrick, and to be in such a vulnerable position around him was never ideal. Henry kind of froze when the bathroom door opened, but as Patrick walked in and tossed some clothes on the bathroom counter without care, he started to relax. Patrick didn't linger like he had before, nor did he make an effort to make him uncomfortable or attack him. It was casual. Domestic even. Henry was uncertain how he should feel about that fact. He found himself more in his head than he knew he should have been. It was Patrick's voice that snapped him back to reality.
“Are you going to stay there all night?” Patrick called out as he leaned against the doorway of the bathroom, not bothering to hide how he looked at the other teen through the clouded glass of the walk-in shower. “I'd like a shower tonight if there's any hot water left.”
“Almost done.” Henry responded as he rinsed the soap out of his hair, taking notice of the fact that his friend hadn't moved and had continued to stare at him despite his confirmation efforts. “Are you just going to stand there?”
“Shy?” Patrick asked with a sense of amusement, not missing the frustrated sound that came out of his friend as he turned his back towards him. “Fine.. Fine.”
It was a few minutes after Patrick headed back to his room that Henry finished his shower, and from there he crawled out, dried off, and headed over to look at the clothes Patrick had laid out for him. Henry wasn't sure what he expected, but the old shirt and sweatpants were kind of a comfort to him. Henry knew they were old based on how loose they fit him combined with how worn the clothes appeared. The clothes were comfortable. The clothes also smelled like Patrick, and if Henry found himself hung up on that fact, then that was his business. Henry took a minute to brush his teeth and straighten his hair before he left the bathroom. Patrick didn't hesitate to take his place, leaving Henry alone in his bedroom. It took almost an hour for Patrick to return. Henry tried not to think too much about the reason for that as he rested in the other man's bed alone. He was tired. He felt safe there. He was safe.
“Scoot over.” Patrick demanded as he came out of the bathroom, unable to miss the look he was handed in return. “What?”
“It's not shiny.” Henry remarked as he touched his friend’s hair, hissing slightly in discomfort when he was shoved to the side. “Ow—”
“Don't bitch at me. I said, “Scoot over.” Patrick responded as he crawled into the bed, not missing how his friend shoved him back when he inched too close to him. “Stop squirming.”
“Stop pushing.” Henry complained as he tried to make some room for himself, growing frustrated when pushing shifted to grabbing. “Patrick—”
“Here—” Patrick cut in as he arranged them both in bed, shifting into a spooning position where he took on the role of the big spoon. “Better?”
“This is so fucking gay.” Henry muttered as he tried not to think too much about the arm that snaked its way around his midsection, doing his best to ignore how it made him feel inside and how it was almost a comfort to him. “If I feel something hard against my ass, I'm killing you.”
“Relax.” Patrick encouraged in a casual kind of manner, pulling his friend just a bit closer. “Go to sleep.”
“You make it sound easy.” Henry remarked as he did his best to relax within his friend's arms, unable to miss the almost protective nature of it all. “Just.. Goodnight.”
Henry knew he shouldn't be as comfortable as he was within Patrick's arms, but as seconds turned into minutes, he found himself drifting into unconsciousness. He remained in that state for several hours, but when he awoke, he was still in Patrick's arms, but it seemed sometime during the night he had rolled onto his other side and tossed his arms around the man. Patrick looked at peace with this. It was unusual to see Patrick so calm like this. He still has his arm wrapped loosely around him, but it was the calmness of his heart that Henry latched onto the most. It was human.
“Hen..” Patrick muttered in his still half-asleep state when he felt his friend shove his face into his chest, tightening his grip around him in a protective kind of manner until he calmed down. “Go to sleep.”