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“Xie xie!!” James exclaimed in Joy. He had just received his Oscar, best director of the year in fact, and he definitely couldn’t have done it without Ed, most importantly, his best buddy, Henry.
Throughout the years, James never truly found someone he could express his interests with. Everyone around him always seemed to be focused on one specific goal: “We need to find evil boss!” Well, he certainly didn’t mind, but deep down, he always wanted to pursue his love of story-making. Thinking about various scenes to sketch, somehow, always made his day shine.
He often tried sharing his sketchbook of wacky tales with his fellow minions, but they couldn’t really understand the craft, or him in general. After all the commotion he had caused with their previous bosses, none had the heart to stop and pay him any mind. No one bothered to listen. In the end, he felt isolated. Alone.
That was until he met Henry.
—
Henry was everything.
From the moment they met, James and Henry decided to become the bestest of friends in the entire world. They spent countless of night’s sharing various stories beneath the moonlight, sometimes funny, spooky, or even romantic. Whenever they were together, James felt as though nothing else in the world mattered. Each conversation made days slip far too quickly.
James would always show Henry his sketches, and the adorable little fellow would beam so brightly with the sweetest smile. Henry was always proud of his dearest friend’s work. It wasn’t just his smile that made James happy, it was knowing that after all these years of loneliness, he was grateful to have found someone who genuinely believed in him.
James and Henry knew they would always stick to one another, no matter what the circumstances were. Even if terrifying monsters were to be unleashed upon the world, they would find a way to stop it together.
Psssh… Like that would happen.
It happened.
James still remembered the overwhelming relief he felt after rescuing Henry. Could you really blame him? Henry had always been his top priority; he couldn’t imagine a world without him in it.
He felt guilty that he hadn’t believed Henry when he tried to warn him several times that the monsters they willingly summoned were dangerous. I mean… They were monsters, for christ sakes. It was his dream to win an Oscar, but if it had to succumb to this moment, maybe it wasn’t worth it.
Even so, none of that mattered anymore.
Henry was safe.
“James?”
James’ thoughts were cut short. He glanced up to see Henry smiling at him happily. He suddenly remembered that they were at the after-party, celebrating James’ Oscar, and the success of their recent movie.
“What’s wrong?” Henry looked over worryingly.
“Mm—nothing really.” James flushed, shaking his head frantically as if Henry had found him in a hoax.
James knew that what he felt for Henry wasn’t just admiration—or something even platonic. There was a deeper connection, but he couldn’t find the right words to describe that said emotion. Maybe it was what people said in movies called—
“Banana!”
Wait. Was that it?
Henry + 🍌 = ❤️
James was in love with Henry.
The sudden realization made James quite flustered. His mind drifted to the countless memories they shared together. While the rest of the minions were dozing off into their distant dreams, the two of them would lie side by side, beneath the moonlight, telling stories like there was no tomorrow. Even during their far long travels, they would always slip away from the group to have a moment to themselves. Just the two of them. Giggling. He and Henry would sleep together. They would—
“¡OYE! JAMES!! You’re doing it again!” Henry shook him frantically.
“Hmgh… oh—huh what?” James stammered, as his cheeks started to redden from embarrassment.
—
Henry knew he loved James from the first day they met. The instant connection between them made his heart flutter in a way no other minion could.
James’s imagination was genuinely beautifully creative, and somehow inspiring. He had plenty of stories of his own, but listening to James was somehow one of his greatest joys. They were always together, inseparable, like two birds of a feather.
Henry was glad he had met James, and he was even happier knowing James felt the same way.
Right now, though, he knew something was bothering him. He seemed more jumpy than ever. They were currently sharing a table—well, with Ed too. After a while, Ed decided to have a chat with Max, giving Henry a signature wink before heading off into the crowd.
Huh… he wondered what that was about.
His attention drifted to another table, where a couple named Dort and Debbie sat together seemingly giddy with one another. The two shared a few scenes together, yet it seemed they hit it off quite quickly. Henry observed them closely. He noticed that there was something undeniably romantic between the two pairing.
Don’t get him wrong—he had his few share of ideas when it came to romance.
…Okay, scratch that.
He didn’t know anything about romance.
Most of what he knew came from the countless of tales James had told him. Honestly, he probably knew more about it than him.
Dort and Debbie laughed together. Henry could see the way Debbie’s eyes glistened as she spoke to Dort. Even though Dort was made out of metal and steel, He could still tell the way he shyly tried to reciprocate Debbie’s movements.
He glanced back at James, who had once again seemed stuck to his daydreaming habits again.
An idea suddenly popped into his head.
Henry decided to come up with a plan to make James realize his affections towards him.
“Dude. Earth to James!” Henry called out.
This was the third time it happened today. Was he that boring? Or perhaps James was simply distracted, planning another movie?
Either way, Henry decided to “subtlety” reveal his affections to his beloved James.
That would be through singing!
He had seen a live musical with James before. He vividly remembered the guy pouring out his heart and soul he had written for the person he loved. It was a grand confession filled with—just pure heartfelt emotion carried through the somber of classical music.
Henry never had written a song, nor sang before.
But… it didn’t hurt to try.
—
James was still panicking internally.
He never thought he could find love—or even a soulmate at that. He had always considered Henry as his “platonic” soulmate, alongside Ed! Being in love was something entirely new to him.
Snapping from his thoughts, James looked up and noticed Henry was already staring back at him. The moment their eyes met across the table, a faint blush crept up to his cheeks.
Henry suddenly stood, pulling a ukulele out of his bag.
He then walked over to James, knelt beside him, took a deep breath, and began strumming a familiar tune.
Stars shining bright above you
Night whispers seem to whisper “I love you”
The sudden performance caught everyone’s attention. Conversations faded in the background as people started to turn watching the two minions seemingly in their own world.
Henry missed a few notes here and there, his hands were trembling from nervousness, but he stopped smiling. He was determined to show his love towards James no matter what.
James simply stared, completely bewildering.
He knew the song. He’s heard of it in a few movies he directed with Max. It was undeniably romantic.
But… why was Henry singing it to him?
As the final note faded, the restaurant applauded for Henry’s performance.
“Woa!! Henry! I didn’t know you knew how to play that thing!” James exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically.
Without thinking, James threw his arms around Henry giving him a warm hug.
Henry’s cheeks turned bright red.
“D-Do you want to get out of here?” He asked quietly.
“Sure! Let’s head home. Just let me go get Ed.”
James had barely taken a step when Henry gently caught his hand.
“Oh—uh… I mean-“ Henry nervously rubbed his fingers. “Just… the two of us.”
His face reddened as he quickly looked away.
“I just- wanted some fresh air… that’s all!”
James smiled, completely oblivious to Henry’s real intentions.
“I see. Let’s head out then.”
The two slipped out of the restaurant together. They wandered through the quiet streets of night until they found an empty bench just a few blocks away.
The city settled into the night. The streetlights casted a warm glow across the pavement, while distant conversations could be heard, and passing cars became soft like background noise.
Above them, the moon hung up in the sky, shined, bathing everything in silver.
Henry stole another glance at James.
The moonlight cause his eye, making it shimmer like stars. A gentle breeze brushed against his hair, sending him a shiver from the cold night.
He looked breathtaking.
The same James who laughed loudly at his jokes, who stayed up with him beneath the stars to tell him his stories until they both fell asleep.
Henry felt his heart race.
He began, his voice barely forming a whisper.
“You know James… I’m really proud of you”
James turned towards him. His eyes widened as his gaze locked at Henry’s.
Henry had told him countless of times how proud he was of him for achieving his dreams.
But, right now, it seemed more than that.
Soft.
Warmer.
It was intimate.
James smiled, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks as he looked down for a moment before meeting Henry’s gaze once more.
“You do know, I couldn’t have done it without you right?”
“You’ve always been there for me.”
He smiled even wider, almost smitten.
“So— if you’re proud of me…”
“…Then I’m proud of you too.”
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
The breeze danced between them, carrying the scent of the cool midnight air. The city lights flickered in the distance, while the moon watched silently over them.
A safe space was formed around the two minions as they shared a gentle kiss beneath the moonlit sky.