Chapter Summary: Henry confides in his friends.

Chapter Ten: That's What Friends Are For

"So then what happened?"

A few days later, Henry looked into the curious faces of his three best friends and shrugged, "Then I went into my room."

They looked at each other now after the intense conversation they had just shared. The teenagers were at the park sitting at a picnic table. They were the only ones there. Nick was actually sitting on his skateboard, hugging his knees. Henry was sitting on top of the picnic table, high above everyone else with Paige and Ava sitting on either side of him on the bench. Ava sat back with her elbows resting on the table and Paige was drawing on her Converses with a ball point pen. The drawing looked quite artistic as the young teen was good at arts and crafts.

"Wow, Henry," Ava started in shock. "You were a real asshole."

"What?" Henry looked at Ava and then at Paige, who turned away at first but when she looked back at him it was with sympathetic eyes.

"It's just… this can't be news to you, right?" Paige implored with her gaze and Henry thought about what she was saying. "We've even joked about your moms checking each other out before."

Henry chewed the inside of his lower lip near the corner pensively. Nick did like to talk about how hot his moms were and how much hotter they would be together, usually earning him a punch in the arm from Henry and a giggle from the girls.

He thought about how his mothers looked when he walked in on them. Briefly, they looked… happy, really happy. Infused with guilt he slouched his shoulders.

"You want to know what I think," asked Nick and answered not waiting for confirmation. "I think when that asshat, Drew Lautner, started fucking with you yesterday and calling your moms 'dykes' you let him get to you. And then when he told you that his sister overheard your moms talking about marriage and pregnancy at the diner, you got jealous."

"Did not."

Paige put her hand on his leg supportively. "It's understandable Henry. I mean things were going so well. You had both your moms finally to yourself and maybe thinking of sharing them with another baby was a little bumming?"

Ava threw over her shoulder, not changing her lounging position, "Plus, sharing either one of them with the other must have really put your boxers in a twist. Apart, they're both yours. If they're together, you have to share them with one another."

Henry looked off into the distance and he inhaled slowly to try and slow his thoughts down so he could actually think and analyze things more clearly and he did not like what came to mind. He was a selfish prick.

"I've always had my mom to myself," Henry found himself confiding. He looked at his hands. "I was always her biggest and only concern."

"Uh, which mom are we talking about?" Nick frowned absently swatting his hack sack up in the air between his hands.

"Regina, Nick. Obviously. Focus," said his sister to whom he just made a face at.

"Then I had Emma, you know? My rea… I mean my biological mom. And she wanted to get to know me and she just wanted to be with me, you know?"

"Until she met that dickwad pirate," Ava insulted. Neither one of the girls thought much of Killian Jones.

"Yeah but even with him… she wasn't thinking about making his favorite food or thinking about what he'd like all the time. I was still, you know…"

"Her little man?"

Henry snorted at Nick's remark and the girls smiled. Ava nudged her brother's foot as if to say "Good one".

"Fine, yeah. I was the main person in Emma's life."

"And then you saw the way she looks at Mayor Mills." They all looked at Paige and the girl shrugged and her ponytail swung a little as she shook her head. "It feels weird to call her Regina."

"At least we don't have to call her Your Majesty anymore," Ava answered with a head tilt.

Nick smirked, "Though I do miss the clothes. The Evil Queen was smokin'!" The teen on the skateboard threw the hacky sack in the air, but his sister kicked it up and Henry caught it and threw it back, hard, at him. "Hey!"

Ava frowned in the silence that followed and she looked at the others and then carefully looked at Henry. "And then there's the part about them being lesbians."

Henry sighed, but said quickly and truthfully. "I don't really care about that."

"You don't?" Three pairs of eyes studied him.

"No. I thought about it last night in bed and if Emma or Mom had told me they were in love with other women, I wouldn't have minded. I mean I was surprised at first, but… I dunno. I guess it's like you all said. Those looks they used to give each other make a lot more sense now." He looked at all his friends and smiled, "Besides, you guys know I am all for equality. I mean you guys are too, right?"

"Totally," Paige piped in, grinning and nodding.

"I'm good with it all," Nick said. "Live and let live. Love wins, and all that."

The only one who remained silent was Ava, who looked at her brother squinting in scrutiny at him. "Are you serious? You really think so."

"Yeah," Nick said and then his eyes widened. "You're not a giant homophobe are you?"

Ava looked away quickly and sighed.

"Oh crap! No way. Aves, you're usually sticking up for people and fighting for people's rights and shit."

Ava's jaw clenched. Paige and Henry bent to get a better look at her and they waited for her to respond. When she mumbled something, they asked her to say it again louder.

"I'm gay."

She had said it as Nick sent the hacky sack flying high into the air and it came down and bopped him on the top of his head as he stared at her. "What?"

The young teen with the unruly curly hair repeated herself. "I'm gay."

The only sounds that were heard were ones of birds chirping and the breeze blowing through the trees.

Nick glanced at her sideways, "Like how gay?"

Ava pinned him with a derogatory look, "Like SO gay! What the hell kind of question is that?"

Her brother had the good sense to flush and look flustered. He seemed to stammer and then he said. "Okay."

"Okay what?"

"Oookaaay, you're still my sister and I love you and even if you're gay you're still a great big pain in the ass."

Ava looked down and smiled then and Nick nudged her with his foot showing his full support of her.

Henry squeezed her shoulder with a genuine spread of his lips. He admired Ava for being strong and coming out and felt the shame at his behavior again feeling bad that his moms might have misinterpreted his upset and think he had a problem with their sexuality. That really was not the case. He just did not want to be stuck in the middle again.

Paige, who had a sentimental streak, got up from her seat a little misty eyed and came over to Ava, who was normally emotionally withdrawn. When she saw Paige open her arms Ava donned a terrified look. "What is she doing?"

"I am so proud of you, Aves. Come here."

"Christ." Ava reluctantly stood up, knowing this was the only way she was going to get this over with, and she allowed herself to be enveloped in a bear hug with her best friend. She snickered and smiled, patting the other girl on the back. "Thanks, Paige."

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? Have you had any crushes on my exes?" Nick guffawed loudly and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"No, Nick. Unlike you, I have standards. You and I have a very different taste when it comes to girls. And… I can say this because she allowed me if I was ever going to come out, but Taylor Danner?"

"Your friend? The chick with the rack?"

Ava shook her head at her brother. "She's my girlfriend, Nick, which now makes it even MORE inappropriate for you to address her as 'the chick with the rack'."

Nick blushed and nodded in agreement. "Riiiiiiight." But he beamed at his sister and complimentarily held out his fist which she knuckle-punched, "Nice!"

"Long live Tava!" Paige pumped her fist.

Henry stood and jumped off the picnic table. "Where are you going, Henry?"

Henry looked at the horizon and then at his friends. "I need to do something. I messed up. I need to fix it."