Title: Catching the Stars

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

Rating: NC-17

Word Count: ~3800

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.

PRESENT

The ride home had been quiet, as usual. Pike never had much to say after spending a few hours working on the repairs. He still tired easily and that was just one more insult that he found impossible to accept. Pike had become more and more broody as each day passed. He hadn't smiled in weeks. He wasn't eating much and he slept more than anything else.

Henry was starting to worry.

"How does your arm feel?" Henry tried to break the silent tension as he drove.

Pike held his paler, thinner wrist up and seemed to ponder the question. He shrugged and returned his gaze to the passing scenery outside of his window.

Henry nervously gripped the steering wheel. "I bet it feels great to finally have that cast off."

Pike sighed.

"It looks like the store's almost back to working order." Henry tried a different approach. "The cappuccino tasted good this morning. I'd say that's a good sign."

Pike just stared out the window.

"Pike." Henry was getting desperate to hear Pike's voice. "By next week you'll be back to your old routine. I promise."

By the time he had made his failed attempt to pull his lover out of his funk, they had arrived home and parked in front of their little piece of paradise. Henry turned to face his sullen boyfriend. "Pike..."

"I'm tired." Pike finally spoke before he opened his door and walked away.

Henry took two deep breaths with his eyes closed before he exited the truck himself to follow Pike inside. He caught up with him in the kitchen and stopped him by grabbing onto a couple of belt loops. "Please talk to me."

Pike stopped. He slumped a little before he turned around to look at Henry. "I just want everything to be back to normal."

"I know. A few more days of work and it'll be good as new." Henry tried to soothe.

"That's not what I mean." Pike was almost whining. "Well…it's not everything. It's part of it…I mean…" Pike was obviously frustrated with his inability to say what was on his mind. "Just….never mind."

Henry watched as Pike turned to head toward their bedroom. "Pike." He just wanted the man to talk to him. Why couldn't Pike just talk? He followed behind, determined to get more information from his sullen lover. "Tell me what I can do. How can I help you feel better?"

Pike spun around so quickly Henry almost lost his balance. He felt himself being pulled flush with the warm body he craved and he immediately felt the familiar tingle growing in his belly. "Pike..."

"I want everything to be back to the way it was. Everything." Pike's eyes were set in a determined glare. "That's how you can help me."

Henry was a little confused and overwhelmed by the sudden closeness. "What?"

Pike answered with a hard press of lips.

"Oh." Henry whispered with closed eyes after what felt like hours of kissing. "You want…"

"You." Pike said in a beseeching way. "I want you, Henry. Just like before. I want us to be back to the way we were before any of this happened."

Henry took a deep breath before he opened his eyes. "We will. I promise. As soon as you're better…"

"I am better, Henry!"

Pike's tone was surprising. He never yelled. "Pike…"

"No. " Pike pushed Henry away. "No."

Henry wasn't sure what caused it, but seeing Pike push past him caused a bit of fear to creep up his spine. He reached for Pike's hand to stop him from walking away. When Pike hissed from the pain of having his recently un-casted wrist yanked, Henry immediately remembered why they hadn't been engaging in sex. He felt sudden guilt for hurting his lover. "God, I'm sorry."

Pike pulled away. "I'm fine, Henry. It's just a little sore – but fine. Not broken, not damaged…FINE!"

"I know." Henry struggled to find a middle ground. "I know it is. I know you are, too. I just want to make sure you don't – we don't – do anything to get in the way of your healing."

"I need to feel normal again, Henry." Pike tried his best to make Henry understand. He pulled Henry close again and nuzzled into the space between chin and shoulder to nip at Henry's neck. "And I miss you."

And god did it feel good.

So.

Good.

Henry wanted to feel Pike's mouth touching, nibbling, licking... tasting...every inch of his body.

Right after Henry got his fill of Pike flavor on his own tongue.

"Okay..." Henry pushed Pike toward their bedroom while he unbuttoned Pike's old sweater. "...but I'm doing all the work. Got it?"

The twinkle in Pike's eyes almost took Henry's breath away. He hadn't seen it in so long. It was perplexing to him that having sex with someone like Henry Hart would make a person so happy.

By the time Henry had backed Pike up all the way to the edge of their comfortable old bed, he had successfully removed most of his lover's clothing. "Make yourself comfortable and I'll be right with you."

Pike grinned - almost beamed - before he lowered himself to the bed and scooted back until he was leaning against the headboard. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back." Henry said from behind the bathroom door as he quickly undressed. He was relieved to find an old bottle of lube still stashed away in the drawer containing dental floss and various half-used tubes of toothpaste. He could hear the impatient shifting of his lover in their bed as he quickly prepared himself. He intended to ride Pike into a frenzy before leaving him to sleep it off while he prepared their dinner.

That was the plan, anyway.

Once he walked back into the bedroom, lube bottle hidden behind his back - he completely lost track of the plan the minute he saw Pike's naked, flushed, aroused body waiting for him.

He felt himself getting harder. Henry loved that just looking at Pike still had that effect on him. "I see you've been busy."

Pike chuckled quietly. "So have you."

Henry hurried across the room and crawled into the bed until he was straddling Pike's thighs. "Let me do all the work." He almost warned.

"How's that supposed to work, exactly." Pike's hands were already roaming over every inch of Henry's skin within reach. "Come here." Pike demanded before he pulled Henry by his hips until he was fully on his knees. "Want you." He grabbed Henry's ass cheeks and held him firmly in place.

It wasn't until Henry felt wet, hot suction that he realized what Pike was up to. "Oh..." And as usual, Pike's mouth on his erection rendered him speechless. He leaned forward enough to hold himself up with extended arms pushing against the wall above Pike's head. "Pike.."

The only response was more suction and a very satisfied groan.

Both of which brought Henry to an all-too-soon-orgasm, which was greedily swallowed by his obviously come-hungry lover. "Well, that's a little embarrassing." He leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

"Don't be embarrased." Pike's hands were gliding up and down the back of Henry's thighs and ass. "I'm flattered."

"Flattered?" Henry finally fell back into his straddling position. "How is my premature ejaculation flattering?"

"Wasn't premature." Pike insisted. "Come here." He said in that quietly demanding tone that Henry loved, while pulling Henry by the neck into a deep kiss that tasted like Pike and his own orgasm.

Henry had almost forgotten how much he loved that particular flavor combination.

"In my own defense..." Henry mumbled into the kiss. "...I was a little pent up. It's been too long."

"That's what I've been telling you!" Pike again grabbed Henry by both cheeks and pulled him closer to get more friction on his own aching need.

"You've been..."

"Shhh." Pike interrupted. "Doesn't matter now. I'm fine."

Henry pushed himself away with both palms on Pike's chest. "Okay. I'm going to take care of you now. Let me do all the work. I don't want you to over do it."

"Henry..."

"Pike." It was Henry's turn to be demanding. "Promise."

Pike looked at Henry for a minute with a scowl before he pulled him back in for a forceful kiss. "So how are we gonna do this?"

Henry smiled into Pike's lips before he once again pushed himself away. "Like this." He growled before taking Pike's hot, hard, pulsing - yes, definitely pulsing - manhood into his hand. He watched as Pike's eyes closed while he stroked him slowly - very, very slowly. He fumbled around blindly until he found the bottle of lube with his other hand. After flipping open the lid with his thumb, he poured some of the cool liquid onto his other hand without looking - the one still stroking Pike into eye-rolling bliss.

It was all so sloppy - erotic and sloppy. "You wanna help me out with this?" Henry squeezed before releasing Pike from his tight grip so he could hold onto strong shoulders as he positioned himself.

Pike didn't need further instruction. He took control of his hard, leaking need just long enough to line it up with Henry's prepared hole before guiding it into the tight heat of his lover.

Once Henry had himself full of Pike and seated firmly in place they both needed a few minutes to catch their breath.

"GodImissedthis..." Henry murmured in a tight, gaspy breath.

"Henry..." Pike groaned as he tossed his head back until it thunked loudly against the solid wooden headboard.

Henry immediately went into mothering-mode. "Oh my god - are you okay."

"Ffffffffffuck..." Pike hissed.

Oh.

Henry knew that his lover's foul mouth wasn't a result of a little banging of his head. Pike never cursed - especially a word with such vulgar intensity - fuck was just not a Pike thing to say. Except of course on occasions like the one they currently found themselves, when Pike was completely lost in a haze of testosterone fueled lust. Sometimes Pike was so full of desire and need that he lost himself to the feeling - including his usual contained and measured use of colorful language.

Henry loved it when Pike let go. "So it's gonna be like that, huh?" He said after leaning into Pike's body enough to gush words against his sweaty neck.

Pike groaned - the noise he made sounded like a long, drawn-out "F" and it was a noise that brought Henry's spent dick right back into full rigor. When Pike had finally found his ability to speak again, the words that came out of his mouth were stimulating beyond belief.

"You're so...tight. Hot and tight." Pike's fingers gripped Henry's hips to the point of pain. "Want...gonna..."

Henry was losing a little of his usual restraint too. "What, Pike? You want what? What to you wanna do to me?" He slowly pulled himself off, dragging his tight heat across his lover's sensitive shaft in an achingly slow move. "You want it slow and soft?" Once Henry had nearly separated himself from Pike's length, he suddenly slammed himself back down, eliciting a shocked gasp from his boyfriend. "Or you want it hard and fast?"

When Pike pulled their bodies flush and flipped them until Henry was beneath him, Henry only thought about Pike's recent injuries for a split second before he gave into the sensation of his lover thrusting himself with powerful, deep, hard and fast penetration. He felt his legs being hiked higher to change the angle and deepen the thrusting which was also speeding up into a pace that left Henry gasping for air. "Harder." He heard himself gushing between the pounding rhythm Pike was setting. "Faster...Pike...please..."

Henry was too far gone to wonder when it was, exactly, that Pike took control of the game. Not that he would have been complaining had his brain been capable of coherent thought. Because Pike was working his body perfectly.

As usual.

And damn if his body wasn't under Pike's spell. He could feel his hardness pressed between their bellies. He wasn't sure how it was possible for a man his age to recover so quickly from having his brain sucked out through his dick, but Pike managed to stimulate him in all the right places.

Pike always made him feel this way. Young. Hot.

Beautiful.

He was so lost in the moment that he didn't realize they were kissing until Pike pulled away to bury his face into Henry's neck as he made a sexy, strangled sound that was always accompanied by the pulsing, wet heat of Pike coming.

It was the best sound in the world as far as Henry was concerned.

Pike's body tensed and stilled for what seemed like forever before he collapsed on top of the smaller man beneath him. His fingers found their way to Henry's hair and he gently and carefully slid his fingers into the thinning mane. Henry loved how much Pike paid attention to every little detail - even when passion blurred his usual coherency.

I love this man. So. Much.

"That normal enough for ya." Henry felt boneless beneath his spent lover and his voice was deep and rough from the loud, pounding sex. When he heard the deep rumble of Pike's chuckle followed by the feel of his lover's smile ghosting across the pebbled flesh of his neck, Henry felt sultry heat pooling low in his belly all over again. God.

"Almost."

But it wasn't until he felt the heat of Pike's breath in his ear as he whispered his one word answer in the sexiest voice Henry had ever heard in his life that he felt himself become so hard - so fast - again - that he groaned out loud.

Which caused his sweaty, come covered lover to chuckle all over again.

That second sexy, deep, rumble of a chuckle only made Henry's need so much more palpable. "We can do better than almost, don't ya think?"

And just like that they were tangled up all over again.

Henry woke first. He indulged in quietly watching as Pike slept, taking in every detail of the mess they decided to leave for later as Pike's chest rose and fell in a slow, steady song of life. There were very faint remnants of the beating that nearly ended Henry's everything and he felt himself swallowing a sob right before it escaped into the still morning air - air that smelled of their sweat and sex.

Henry took note that smell was a powerful sense. He smiled a crooked smile as he suddenly felt a new appreciation for his big nose.

He carefully untangled himself from a web of long arms and legs mixed all together with sheets and blankets. Once he was assured that Pike was not disturbed, he grabbed a robe off the the hook on the back of the bedroom door and padded his way into the kitchen to fix his gorgeous lover some breakfast.

Just as he started moving some beaten eggs around in a skillet loaded with melted butter, he felt familiar arms snake around his middle from behind. He leaned into the warm body he loved so much and sighed happily.

"You better let me take over if you actually want to eat that." Pike grinned into the top of Henry's head.

Henry spun around and skimmed his eyes down and then back up. "You're naked."

"You're wearing my robe." Pike smirked playfully.

Henry decided Pike was right. It was time for them to get back to normal - as hard and as scary as that was for Henry to do. He handed Pike the wooden spoon before leaning up for a small kiss. "I wouldn't fry up any bacon if I were you." Henry teased before walking away from his naked boyfriend after dramatically tightening the tie of his borrowed robe.

FLASHBACK

Pike walked into a kitchen full of smoke and a frazzled, frustrated boyfriend.

"Damn it!" Henry swore as he dropped the smoking skillet into the sink.

Pike managed to stifle a burst of laughter before speaking. "Didn't you learn the first time?"

Henry startled and spun around at the sound of Pike's voice. "What?" He snipped. The tuft of hair that normally rested flat against Henry's skull in a passionately-denied comb-over was now sticking straight up - an obvious victim to Henry's frustrated fingers. Pike thought his lover looked adorable.

But he wisely kept that to himself. He pointed to the sink behind Henry and clarified his previous statement. "Cooking."

Henry's shoulders sank. "I wanted to...you know...take care of you for a change."

Henry looked so sad when he said it. Pike crossed the kitchen in two Pike-sized steps and wrapped his arms around the pitiful man he had fallen in love with before either of them even graduated high school. "You do." He reassured before kissing Henry deeply. "You take care of me every day."

"How do you figure?" Henry said in his gloomy way that was a cross between a childish pout and Eyore, the self-deprecating donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh.

"You're so cute." He couldn't contain it this time and was rewarded with a crimson blush from his adorable lover.

"I'm serious, Pike." Henry said in a defeated tone. "I guess...today is special and I wanted to do something special for you. You've been feeding my soul for a while now, Pike. I guess I wanted to feed yours for a change...make sure you're not going to float away in the stars. Especially after you went through all the trouble to crash me down to Earth with all of your divine cooking."

"You keep me earthbound with other divine talents." Pike pulled Henry into a solid kiss. "I'm not going anywhere, Henry. If I go off to dance in the stars I'll make sure you're with me."

Henry just looked into Pike's eyes as if he were searching for the truth. It was a little heartbreaking and Pike wanted to take the doubt from those eyes. "I know where we can get a good meal."

And it was a good meal. Bar-b-qued ribs, grilled chicken, and smoked brisket with every variety of side dish ever known to a summer picnic. Then there were the pies and cakes and fruit salad floating inside of green jello-ish stuff that Henry didn't want to think about.

But it was perfect and he felt better. Once again his tall, dark, and exotically handsome lover had taken care of his soul. Henry straddled a picnic bench, leaning his weight into the solid body behind him. Pike's arms were loosely wrapped around him. Ben was sitting between Henry's legs, his small hand gripped Henry's shirt sleeve unconsciously. Andrew was sitting on the table top. His chin rested on Pike's shoulder as they all watched the modest display of fireworks. Henry could resist glancing at Dean and Anna. They looked so happy dancing together to music only they could hear.

Once the fireworks had popped their last pop, Dean left Anna to her fiddle and joined his clan of men, who were still huddled together on the small picnic table near the makeshift dance floor. "You gonna take this guy for a spin, Henry?"

"I don't know..." Henry turned his head to look up at Pike. "...you feel like spinning?"

As of on cue, the lively Bluegrass mellowed into a sweet, slow ballad. Pike nudged Henry and nodded.

"Excuse us boys." Henry stood and held his hand out with a slight bow. "May I have this dance, Handsome?"

They looked like quite a pair spinning around among the strings of lights and floating between an odd assortment of couples. And they couldn't take their eyes off of each other.

It wasn't like they planned it - the way their clothes matched perfectly - but they looked like they did. Pike picked his red shirt with the pearly snaps because it was Henry's favorite.

Henry said it reminded him of the night he finally saw Pike - really saw him - for the first time. It was the night he started his decent from the sky - aiming for Pike.

And Pike waited to catch him.

Henry picked an old black and red flannel - it had once belonged to Sampa and he thought it only fitting that Sam be part of the celebration.

Pike watched as Henry's expression slowly morphed into something that looked almost doubtful. It was as if Henry were puzzling over his own worth - as of he didn't deserve to be spinning around a constellation of twinkling strands of lights with his lover.

That just wouldn't do.

Pike stopped. As they stood together - still and speechless - a town-full of coupled friends orbiting around them - Pike made his statement.

In a kiss that lasted several minutes and no less than two adjustments of angles and mouths - Pike made it perfectly clear that Henry was not only worthy - but absolutely necessary. Without Henry, Pike was nothing but a daily routine without meaning.

Henry was the palate of flavor and color that sprinkled from the heavens.

They only pulled apart because the music had once again picked up to a more lively rhythm and they were getting in the way of the festive dancing. Henry looked into Pike's dark eyes and smiled. "Happy Anniversary, Pike Dexter."

"Happy Anniversary." Pike pulled Henry toward the side of the park where they left the truck earlier. "Let's go home and dance some more."

TBC