Title: Catching the Stars

Pairing: Pike and Henry (from the movie Big Eden)

Rating: NC-17

Word Count: ~ 2400

Summary: The courtship and evolving relationship between Pike and Henry is told in flashbacks after a horrible incident rocks shakes the foundation of everyone who loves them both. (i.e.: The entire town of Big Eden!) (In my universe the last scene of the movie - the dance and kiss - happened a year later at the annual summer picnic.)

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Friendship

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me - I just play with them a little.

Warnings: Injection of harsh reality into the idyllic world of Big Eden.

FLASHBACK

Not a word was spoken since the moment they walked through the side door into the house. Henry was brooding and Pike wasn't sure he wanted to know why.

It had been such a strange day.

Henry was fine until right after lunch. He'd been shooting dagger-eyes at everyone he ran across ever since.

Pike had tried to ask him what was wrong, but Henry just snapped at him before closing the door of his studio in his face. Pike wouldn't admit it to his boyfriend, but that stung a little.

Mostly because he had absolutely no idea what he had done wrong.

Later, as he was passing through the living room to change for dinner, Henry grabbed him by two belt loops from behind and toppled him onto the couch. "Not so fast."

"Henry, what is mmphh…" Pike was silenced with a deep kiss. It was forceful and just shy of angry.

And arousing as hell.

Henry pulled back just long enough to say, "You're mine. I'm your man and you're mine."

Of course Pike already knew that, but if Henry wanted to reinforce the obvious with urgent kisses and grinding hips – who was Pike to argue.

Henry didn't need to tell him that something upsetting had happened at some point during the day. The way Henry was tugging at zippers and pushing Pike around until he was leaning over the back of the couch with his hind-end in the air told Pike everything he needed to know.

Henry had a bruised ego.

And when Henry had a bruised ego the only thing that seemed to make him feel better was assertive, slightly aggressive, dominating sex - where he was the one assertively, slightly aggressively dominating.

Pike loved it despite the fact hat he wasn't too thrilled with the way Henry usually felt preceding these rare occasions - Pike hated seeing Henry upset in any way.

Even though it was never something they talked about out loud, they had both agreed at some point along the way that Henry preferred bottoming and Pike preferred whatever made Henry happy - and so their roles were established without much fanfare.

No big deal. They had pretty great sex.

But Pike would by lying if he said he didn't like to feel Henry moving inside of him every once in a while. And it wasn't that Pike felt as if his prostate was being neglected due to his rare opportunity to bottom, because Henry never neglected that magical gland and often stimulated Pike with his fingers while he sucked him off.

Pike loved that too.

But there was something about feeling Henry coming inside of him that made Pike feel so possessed...cherished...connected. And knowing that he was also making Henry feel powerful and manly upped the wattage of every single emotion.

And he was feeling the full range of emotion as he held tight onto the back of the couch and enjoyed Henry's fast, hard penetration. The only words he seemed capable of uttering were so good, ohgod, and don't stop - mixed with Henry's name and moans that came from deep within his soul.

It was fast, but it was good - as it usually was. Pike felt as if he no longer had a skeletal structure as he lay sprawled across the back of the couch gasping for breath. Henry was draped across his back, panting and kissing damp, dark skin. "What was that all about?" Pike asked between gasps.

"Nothing." Henry huffed and pushed himself off of Pike enough to speak without being muffled by Pike's back. "Is it so hard to believe that I'm capable of..."

"Henry." Pike interrupted.

"What?" Henry snapped.

Pike tried to look at his offended lover, but it was impossible from their current positions. "You know I didn't mean it that way. But I know you and I know something happened today that upset you and I want to know what it was."

Henry rolled himself to the side and plopped into a sitting position next to Pike and leaned his sweaty head against Pike's sweaty hip. "Today I heard Lloyd tell Leon that I was your He-Wife."

"He-Wife?" Pike turned his head in the other direction so he could look at his insecure lover. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it. I'm no one's wife." Henry tugged his shirt from his sweaty body. He got frustrated when it got stuck and the pout on his face was adorable.

Pike knew better than to say anything though.

He slid and twisted himself off of the back of the couch until he was sitting next to Henry. He helped get the damp garment over Henry's head before taking his own shirt off and placing it underneath him so he wouldn't get anything messy on the couch cover. "I'm sure no one thinks you're the wife…"

Henry just shrugged. He kicked his pants and underwear off of his feet with a huff of frustration and leaned himself against Pike. "I'm gay. That means I love men – that doesn't mean I'm a woman."

"I know that, Henry." Pike said while suppressing his urge to laugh.

Henry moved his head enough to look at Pike. "I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked in all seriousness.

Uh oh. Pike wanted to make sure he said exactly what his overly sensitive lover needed to hear. He took a gamble and hoped he guessed right. "Just a little bit – but it felt so good it didn't matter."

That seemed to be the right mixture of you're-such-a-manly-brut and you're-such-an–outstanding-lover because Henry smiled fondly and rubbed Pike's hip gently. "I'm sorry I got a little carried away."

"I love it when you get carried away." Pike leaned into Henry and kissed him. He grabbed Henry's hand and slid it from his hip to his painfully hard erection. "See how much I loved it?" He saw a flash of I-can't-even-make-my-lover-come in Henry's eyes and immediately went into damage control mode. "I was hoping if I held off I would be rewarded with some of the magic you can do with this mouth." He kissed Henry deeply so there was no doubt which mouth he was talking about.

That was exactly what Henry needed to puff up again because the next thing Pike felt was the hard suction of Henry's hot, wet mouth.

It felt so good.

"Henry..." Pike knew that this was one of those occasions when he needed to make lots of noise. He placed a hand on the back of Henry's head to make sure he stayed right where he was and groaned a little louder than he usually would to express his pleasure. "...that feels so good."

Yeah - they had pretty great sex.

PRESENT

When it started, Pike felt it from the fog of sleep. He had tried to stay awake until Henry got home - they needed to talk - but Pike was exhausted from the day-long roller coaster of emotion and only realized he had drifted off when he felt Henry's simple, sweet kiss. It was just brush of lips to skin, right between Pike's shoulder blades.

It was intensely comforting.

"You awake?" Henry spoke into Pike's skin before he skimmed his lips across the widest part of his back.

"Been waiting for you." Pike started to roll over - after such a tense day between himself and his lover, Pike craved the flavor of Henry's kiss. Before he could get himself fully onto his back, Henry stopped him.

"Let me..." Henry's voice cracked with emotion. "...I just need...let me." Henry struggled to express his need.

Let me have you, all of you. Let me control you. Let me fill myself up with your scent and taste and heat. Let me...

Let me feel how alive you are.

Pike understood without any further explanation. He sprawled out - face down, legs and arms splayed - and let Henry take whatever he needed. He felt wet heat from Henry's tongue and tears leave a trail along the plain of his back. He felt the sharp sting of teeth as Henry bit both cheeks hard, the only thing keeping the sting on the right side of painful was the fact that Henry hadn't yet removed Pike's underwear.

He felt the hot gush of Henry's breath through the cotton fabric, "You're my everything."

"Henry..."

"No..." Henry nipped at his hip as he slowly slipped Pike's briefs down his thighs. "...don't want to talk about it."

He knew they needed to talk about it, work it out, hear each other and reach a middle ground...but Pike relented after Henry's tongue breached his most private of places. After that he couldn't seem to put two words together. He was lost between concern for his lover and exquisite, blissful pleasure. It was sloppy and wet and so desperate in nature that Pike felt an ache in his chest despite the pulsing desire he felt everywhere else.

As Henry's tongue plunged deeper, the pressure from his stubbled cheeks and chin added to the overwhelming mixture of pleasure and emotion raging through Pike's body and soul. Pike understood that Henry was speaking without words - expressing his pain and fear through hungry, fiery intimacy.

And despite the fact that Henry stopped before anything really started, Pike knew that he had just experienced one of the most intense and intimate moments he and Henry had ever shared.

"I'm sorry." Henry's voice was low and rough and Pike felt it on the back of his neck more than he actually heard it. Henry had stretched himself along Pike's back and had his face buried in Pike's neck. He was crying. "I'm not getting hard. I'm sorry. I can finish you off with..."

"Henry, stop."

"I can't..."

"Henry..." Pike just wanted to make it better. He hated seeing Henry hurting. He clumsily rolled himself over, trying not to dislodge Henry too much in the process. Once he had himself settled again he wrapped his arms around Henry and adjusted his lover's smaller body so Henry was once again draped completely over the top of him. It was only then that Pike realized that Henry was still fully dressed. He even still had on his shoes. "I'm sorry, Henry."

He wasn't sure what he was sorry for - not entirely. He was sorry Henry was sad - he was sorry Henry was scared - he was sorry Henry was so angry about something that Pike had to do. But mostly he was sorry that Henry had been carrying the weight of it all on his own for so long.

He felt Henry nuzzle into the space underneath his chin. Pike gently stroked his lover's back while Henry cried for a while, Pike wasn't really sure how long. When Henry started to calm down a bit, Pike felt exhausted, staccato-huffs of breath against his neck as Henry tried to get enough air into his lungs.

After a few minutes of silence interrupted only by the sounds of their breathing, Henry grumbled into Pike's shoulder. His tone was both defeated and resigned. "I guess we'll just wait to hear what the judge says."

Pike tightened his embrace. "Yeah."

And there was really nothing else left to say. It was just their way. They never needed a lot of words. Pike knew that Henry understood and that even though it scared Henry to tears - literally - he was going to support it because he always supported Pike.

Pike exhaled lung full of air as relief washed over him. "It's late." He kissed the top of Henry's head - right on the bald spot, which had become a simple gesture they had both grown to love. "We should get you out of these clothes and get some sleep."

"Okay." Henry sighed and wriggled himself into a more comfortable position against Pike's side.

Pike decided to just pull Henry as close as possible and worry about proper sleeping attire later.

They had both done a good job of avoiding the subject without avoiding each other for the rest of the week. It was something that Henry was starting to get used to and almost trust. He and Pike had some strange connection that Henry never thought he would find in his lifetime. It was about more than attraction and love - though those two things were definitely a significant part of the bigger picture. It was also about a lifetime of longing. For Pike it was a lifetime of longing for the unrequited love of a boy who never understood his own beauty. For Henry it was a lifetime of longing to be loved without risk of feeling any more of the pain he still carried with him from the day his parents died.

Neither thought they would ever have it - which meant both of them cherished and appreciated what they had found in each other - which meant there was no room for extended periods of tension between them.

It's just the way it was.

Henry had almost forgotten that there was a giant black cloud looming over them. Especially after a few nights of lively, loud sex. He and Pike had been unusually amorous considering the unresolved, anxiety-filled dispute simmering beneath the surface. But they made a silent pact to deal with it when and if they needed to deal with it. Until then they would appreciate what they have because they both knew how close they had come to losing it.

Denial worked just fine for Henry.

Until the phone rang while he was refilling his cappuccino. Jim answered and the words Jim spoke to Pike as he handed him the phone chilled Henry to the bone.

"It's for you Pike. It's the Eureka magistrate."

Pike slowly reached for the phone while looking apprehensively into Henry's frightened eyes. Right before he gripped the receiver, he changed his mind and headed to the back of the store. "I'll pick it up in the kitchen, Jim."

On his way through the door, Pike grabbed Henry by the hand and pulled him through the door with him. Before he picked up the receiver from the old wall phone hanging on the kitchen wall, he pulled Henry into a nervous kiss.

He took a deep breath once the phone was next to his ear. "I got it Jim, you can hang up."

Henry watched Pike's face as he listened to one side of the conversation. He didn't need to hear the other side of it to know what was happening. Pike face said it all.

The judge agreed.

Flashback

He didn't know how long he had been here - just sitting and watching. Watching Pike breathe. Counting each rise and fall of his chest. Touching the only patch of skin left unmarred by some yet to be named attackers. Pike had opened his eyes for only a few seconds right after Henry had finally been allowed to see him, but that seemed like so long ago. Henry needed to see those brown eyes again. He needed to hear Pike's voice.

"Henry."

Dean's voice was barely above a whisper but it sounded like screaming to Henry's ears. Henry couldn't tear his eyes away from Pike's chest. He was afraid that if he stopped watching, Pike would stop breathing.

Dean cleared his throat and tried again. "Henry."

Henry kept his vigil while he spoke - never taking his eyes off of the rhythm of Pike's breaths. "He won't wake up."

Dean stepped closer. "He will, Henry."

"Do you think he was scared?" Henry wasn't sure where the question came from, but he suddenly felt the need to ask.

Dean reached out to his friend, giving Henry's slumped shoulder a supportive squeeze. "Anyone would be scared, Henry."

"Do you think he wondered where I was?" The grief and guilt - and complete and utter terror - poured from Henry with each word. "Do you think he wondered why I wasn't there to help him? Do you think he wondered why I left him there to..."

"Hey, hey, hey..." Dean pulled at Henry. "Stop that."

"I should have..."

"Henry, stop." Dean shook Henry's shoulder. "Come here. You don't want Pike to hear this nonsense."

Henry finally turned his eyes away from his battered love to look at his best friend with something close to pleading. "He won't look at me."

"Come here, Henry." This time Dean puled Henry by the hand until he had no choice but to stand. Dean pulled Henry into his arms and held him close and tight. "You're not to blame. You did everything you could as soon as you knew something was wrong."

"I should have been there. I should have stopped it. I should have..." Henry finally broke and allowed himself to sob. "Oh god, Dean."

"That's it, Henry. You let it out. I've got you." And Dean meant it. He had no intention of letting go until Henry got it all out.

"He was late. It's me-time-Wednesday so I didn't think much of it until...so I figured that old truck of his broke down again so I...but he was..." Henry was whispering his confession into Dean's shoulder. "..he looked dead."

"But he's not."

"But he could have been..."

Dean pushed Henry away enough to grab his face between both hands. "But. He's. Not."

"Dean! You're not listening to me." Henry's face was twisted with anguished pain. "Pike could have died!"

"But he didn't. Henry, he's right here. He's here! Now pull yourself together."

Henry gripped both of Dean's wrists, trying to pull free so he didn't have to look at him. "Dean..."

"No. Henry. Listen to me. Pike's going to be okay. Something horrible happened and he didn't deserve it but it happened anyway. You weren't there to help him. But damn it Henry - you're here now. So pull it together so you can help him."

Henry just looked through shimmering eyes, taking in everything he had just heard. Finally he nodded the tiniest bit and whispered. "Yeah. Okay." His nodding became more vigorous right before he sucked in a deep, cleansing breath. "Yeah. You're right. I'm...you're right."

"Good man." Dean kissed his friend on the forehead before letting go. "Now go clean yourself up. "

"I don't want to leave him. What if he wakes up?"

"I'll be right here." Dean reassured. "He'll need you - and you know Pike - If he sees you like this he'll just feel guilty and try to take care of you. So go clean up that mess of a mug."

Henry turned to look at Pike. He was still out, still breathing, still so beautiful Henry could scream. "Don't you dare leave."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Dean pointed to the bathroom on the other side of Pike's bed. "You can even leave the door open."

Dean watched Henry disappear into the bathroom and he let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He hated seeing his most cherished friend so devastated. Pike brought love into Henry's life - real, romantic love - the kind of love that Dean himself could never offer - not that he didn't try.

Dean stepped up to Pike's bedside and leaned a little to speak without risk of Henry hearing from the bathroom. "Come on, Big Guy. Let him see your peepers."

TBC