Summary: Henry tries to learn more about his birth parents.

There was no one in the world Roland trusted more than his older brother, Henry.

Sure he teased him a lot about all his nerdy comic books and stuff but the truth was he admired the guy. Henry was smart, and nice and never afraid to be himself, something Roland couldn't exactly say that he was.

He trusted Henry with all his secrets, even the ones about his sexuality. So he couldn't help but be a little hurt when he discovered that his brother didn't trust him with all of his.

It was half an hour after school ended when he saw his older brother waiting for the city bus, which was odd because he'd told everyone that he was working at the comic book store only two blocks from their high school. The only reason Roland had managed to catch him was because his tutor had cancelled their session for the day.

It was weird. He was dressed up in a nice suit, even had his hair combed for once. Sliding into the shadows Roland sent him a quick text, asking if he was still at the library. He watched as his brother texted back yes in an instant.

Clearly, a lie.

Just like that he made the decision to follow him. It wasn't that hard honestly. Henry had his headphones in and was, thus, ignoring everything about the outside world. He didn't even see Roland sneak onto the bus with him.

They weren't on the bus for long, twenty minutes at best but when they got off shivers went down Roland's spine. The neighborhood was sketchy, with liquor stores on every corner, the sound of sirens and shady looking people wandering the street.

He watched, uncomfortably as his brother went into a pawn shop in the middle of the block with two older men standing outside it looking just as dressed up as his brother. Something about them gave him the creeps. The sign said Gold's Pawn Shop.

Shrugging off his instinct to run in the other direction, he swallowed hard before crossing the street and walking up to the store. The two men by the door stared him down fiercely as he walked inside, sending goosebumps over his skin. Something about this place wasn't right he could tell.

Two men at the counter stopped talking as soon as he walked in. One of them, a man with a shoulder length haircut and brown eyes, passed the other a small brown package while keeping his eyes trained on Roland.

"Lost your way son?"

Roland struggled to find words under his gaze. "I was just looking for…"

"He was looking for nothing."

Henry appeared, a wild, frightened look in his eyes as he stood next to his brother. "This is my friend he just came to borrow some cash, ."

Mr. Gold nodded at him. "Fine. Give him what he needs and get back to work. I don't pay you to socialize."

His words were strict but his tone was playful as he affectionately stared at Henry, who nodded in assurance.

Gripping his shoulder tight, he pushed his younger brother toward the door and out into the street. "What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed.

"What are you doing here?" Roland said, his fear bubbling up as they walked to the end of the block. "What is this place? It's sketchy as fuck!"

"It's not your business!" Henry shot back. "Or mom and dad's so keep your mouth shut and go home!"

Roland's eyes widened in surprised at Henry's hostile attitude. Their father had always told him to trust his gut and his gut told him that something wasn't right about that place. There was something dangerous about it. Something… illegal.

"I'm telling mom and dad," he threatened. "I'll call them right now if you go back in there."

"Don't!" Henry begged.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't!"

"Because that is my grandfather!" Henry revealed, going breathless. "He's my… biological grandfather."

Roland paused in surprise. His grandfather?

"Look… just go home Roland," he said. "Don't tell mom and dad and I'll tell you everything when I get back, okay?"

Roland searched his brother's face and his own gut. "Okay."

—-

It was hard going home and pretending like everything was okay. He felt like he was on pins and needles until Henry came into his room later and told him the whole story.

"I wanted to find my birth parents," he explained, sitting next to his brother at the foot of his bed.

"Your birth parents?" Roland raised his eyebrows. "Henry…"

"Yeah I know they're dead," he said, rolling his eyes. "I just… wanted to see where they were buried. To see them, I guess."

Roland nodded his head understandingly. He took a trip to see his Mama's grave every once in a while. It was the only place where he really felt close to her now.

"When I got there I saw . He didn't see me but I followed him."

"Why would you follow him?"

"Because he was at their graves. I didn't know who he was but he knew them and if I was ever gonna learn anything about them he was my only chance. So I followed him to the pawn shop and asked for a job there."

Roland shook his head. "Henry that place is dangerous."

"I know."

"You know?" Roland stressed. "Man, I looked it up online people have been shot there. Some people it's a drug den…"

Henry shook his head. "That's not true."

"How the hell would you know?"

"Because I do," he said. "I've worked there for three weeks. I haven't seen any drugs around."

"Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they're not there!"

"Look it's not forever," said Henry. "I just wanted to learn about my birth parent and he talks about my birth father a lot." Henry's eyes lit up. "You know he went on a road trip to follow his favorite band when he was sixteen. He liked superheroes like I did."

"Cool," mumbled Roland, still unconvinced this whole thing was worth it.

"Come on, Ro," said Henry. "Haven't you ever wondered about your birth father?"

Roland scoffed. "You mean the guy who jacked off into a cup for money? Oddly enough, no."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine but what about your mom. Don't you wanna know about her?"

"I do," Roland replied. "Dad tells me stories about her all the time. So does Mom."

"And that's what I mean," stressed Henry. "You get to hear about your mom all the time, and Lizzy's gonna have her birth mom back in her life now. The only one who doesn't know where they come from is me and it's… it's making me feel like I don't know who I am."

Roland's eyes turned sympathetic. "Damn… I didn't know you felt like that."

"I didn't used to but now…"

"Okay fine," sighed Roland. "I get it but does this Gold guy even know that you're his grandkid?"

"No I haven't told him," said Henry, shaking his head.

"You need to tell Mom and Dad."

"No!"

"Then quit," demanded Roland. "I get wanting to know where you come from but that place isn't safe. And… I don't want to keep your secret if it means there's a chance that you get hurt."

Henry groaned throwing his head back. "Fine… if I quit will you keep quiet?" Roland nodded. "Fine, I'll call Mr. Gold tomorrow and let him know."

"Thank you," sighed Roland, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. He looked at his older brother sympathetically. "I still think you should tell mom and dad how you feel."

Henry shook his head. "No, they wouldn't take it well and you know it."

"Maybe not at first but they'd deal with it," said Roland. "They're letting Lizzy get to know Alice. Maybe they'll help you find out stuff about your birth parents."

Henry shrugged his shoulders. "It'd just be facts and numbers, like a background check. It wouldn't be real."

"It'd be a start," he replied. "At least give them a chance."

"Maybe…" mumbled Henry, standing to his feet. "We'll see."

Roland watched his brother head back to his room, a sinking feeling in his gut. Somehow he knew that Henry's secret was only just beginning to fester.

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