It's the barely audible clicking sound of the bathroom door that wakes him up. Alex blinks a few times, registering a few things as he fights the last remnants of sleep.

1/It's 11: 38 pm and he fell asleep on the couch.

2/The TV has been turned off and there is a muffled sound coming from the bathroom, meaning Henry is back from his date.

Alex stands up, brings his empty beer bottle in the kitchen and takes the direction of his bedroom, when something stops him in his tracks.

There is a weird fluttering feeling in his stomach, and, as a rule, he never ignores those.

He walks up to the bathroom door, gives a soft knock. "Hey, Hen. I'm going to bed. How was your date ?"

"Fine"

"Ok. See you tomorrow morning."

"Allright."

It's not as if Henry is the most chatty person in the world - except when he talks about one of his favorite subjects - but something in these monosyllabic answers doesn't sit well with Alex.

He hesitates, not wanting to intrude, but Henry is his best friend - has been for the past 3 years - and the absolute best, kindest person Alex has ever met. He's also a very handsome guy who can take care of himself, but that does not mean Alex is not allowed to feel protective of him. Especially since it goes both ways.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yes, it is. Goodnight, Alex."

So, something is not ok, then. There is a watery sound to the soft curves of his British accent that makes that very clear.

"Can I come in?" Alex insists, softly. There's no way he's going to bed without knowing Henry is ok.

There is silence, and, "The door's not locked."

Alex steps into the bathroom. Henry is sitting on the toilet's lid, still wearing pants, but his shirt is unbuttoned and his tie is on the floor. That's the first thing Alex notices, because Henry is an extremely tidy person.

He's looking down, not acknowledging Alex, who leans against the sink. "So…I take it the date didn't go well."

"Something like that." The tone is flat and Alex frowns, worry growing in his stomach.

"The guy was a jerk?"

Henry sighs, raises his hand and looks directly at Alex. "Something like that."

"Hen, what the actual fu-" with a string of colorful words, Alex falls on his knees beside Henry. His first instinct is to bring a hand to his face, but he thinks better of it, because where would he put it ? Henry's right eye is swollen and half-shut, the skin a vicious purple. His upper lip is busted but the bloodied tissue in his hand indicates that he has started to take care of it - although not very efficiently.

"Fuck, Henry, did that guy do this to you? What happened?"

A deep anger swelled up in his stomach.

Henry nods, taking Alex's hand and squeezing it. "It looks worse than it is."

Alex rolls his eyes at that, because seriously ? "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I didn't want to bother you. You had a rough week with that essay and you needed sleep."

"You didn't want…." Alex is torn between fondness and exasperation. "You stupid… nincompoop."

"Hey, I taught you that word. You're not allowed to use it against me"

"Come on, let's make you comfortable." He divests Henry of his shirt, grabbing a tshirt hanging on the door. He's not sure if it is his or Henry's but it doesn't really matter right now.

He sits Henry on the couch and goes to put the kettle on. Henry often states that a cup of tea is the cure to every problem, and while Alex knows it is wildly exaggerated, especially in this situation, anything to bring back some colors on Henry's dull, pale face (aside of the black eye, of course) is good in his book.

He brings him the cup and sits on the coffee table in front of him, minding his personal space. He waits patiently as Henry blows on his tea and takes a few sips. Alex lets him take his time.

"It wasn't a real date," Henry finally says. "The guy is part of an anti-LGBTQ group. They lure unsuspecting people into a date, before getting them alone and beating them up. The worst part is that I read about it some time ago, but I never thought…" He let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "I'm such a naive cretin."

"Hey, enough of that, ok?" Alex takes Henry's hand and squeezes it, trying to remain calm despite the absolute rage building in his throat. It's not what Henry needs right now.

"Thankfully," Henry continues, and there's a shadow of a smile playing on his lips, "He didn't know about the four years of karate I took in high school. So he took me by surprise, but I was able to get away. Although not totally unscathed."

"Please tell me you escaped by giving him a gigantic kick in the balls."

The smile grows. "As a matter of fact, that's exactly what happened."

"Ok, listen, I know it's probably the last thing you want right now, but we should go to the ER, and also talk to a cop and press charges against that scumbag."

Henry shrugged. "No, you're right. But I'm afraid it won't be of much use. Barely anyone saw us together, so it's his word against mine."

"Who was it?"

"Spencer Miller. He's in my French Lit class. His father is a congressman, so…I won't hold my breath."

Alex files this information for later. His parents are both politicians, his father a congressman and his mother a Senator, well on her way to the White House. He has never used that, or his name, to his advantage before, but he's not above doing it for Henry's sake.

"Well, let justice run its course, ok? Let's move."

He doesn't let go of Henry's hand all the way to the hospital.

It is a quiet night in the ER, and they don't have to wait long to be seen. There is not much to be done for his black eye, but his busted lip is taken care of and he is given some ibuprofen. Henry tells the nurse he had anxiety meds at home, but she insists on giving him another prescription.

Most importantly, he is able to talk to a police officer. The man takes his deposition, but does not hide the fact that it is unlikely to go very far.

"I told you," Henry tells Alex a bit dejectedly.

Alex sits on the hospital bed next to him and nudges his shoulder with his.

"Yeah well, it was either that or me going after the guy and killing him with my bare hands. And then I would go to jail and what would you do without me, huh?"

Henry smiles, putting his forehead against his friend's shoulder and letting out a sigh.

"I honestly don't know, Alex".

Alex's heart does a somersault at the seriousness in his tone. Hopefully you won't have to find out.

Alex presses a kiss to his head. "Ready to go home?

"God, yes."

It's been 3 days since the incident and it's time for Alex to ask himself the right questions.

It's not about what he did for Henry over the last few days. That was normal best friend behavior. He would have done the same for June or Nora. Let's be honest, if it had been his sister the guy would be dead and buried somewhere deep in the woods.

It's about how the whole ordeal made him feel.

Henry and he have always been close. Alex is the touchy-feely kind, and if Henry, in all his britishness, was a bit awkward about it at first, he came around to it fairly quickly. They hugged frequently, and watched Star Wars and Bake Off snuggled under the same blanket on the couch.

But this is different. And the maelstrom of emotions invading his heart and mind has to make him pause and think..

This is, yes, I want to protect him at all costs, and I want to keep him in my arms and never let go. And also, kiss him into oblivion, have sex on every flat surface of their apartment ("our flat" Henry would correct him with a teasing smile) and have his babies.

Quite the epiphany.

And when Henry, in the grip of a panic attack last night, had called out to him, Alex hadn't even thought twice about climbing in bed next to him and wrapping him in his arms. He had listened as Henry's breathing slowed down to match his own, as his contracted muscles relaxed and his whole body leaned into Alex's embrace.

Alex had closed his eyes, letting a deep contentment wash over him, lulling him to sleep. His world had been off its axis, and now it was back in its place.

Now there is that tiny little detail of figuring out if Henry feels the same.

He finds him in the kitchen. Henry welcomes him with his usual smile. Alex has been on the receiving end of that smile a million times, but now it feels like his stomach has become an olympic gold medalist expert in triple salchow.

"Hey. I was about to make lunch. You want a sandwich?"

Alex comes to sit on the stool next to the kitchen counter. "Sure, thanks," he smiles, observing his best friend.

Henry looks good. His eye has a barely there yellowish color, and the cut on his lip is almost completely healed. His hair is mussed, as if he didn't even bother to comb them, and he's wearing a pair of black jeans and a blue henley that brings out his eyes, and Alex wonders, in awe, how he could have been so stupidly blind to Henry's hotness.

Henry opens the fridge, takes out a mayonnaise jar and puts it on the counter. "You know what's funny?"

"About what?"

"About the assault."

Alex's eyebrows meet his hairline. "I don't really see anything funny about the whole thing, but please enlighten me, sweetheart."

Henry smiles softly at him, taking a few loaves of bread and opening the jar. "I didn't even want to go on this date."

"Then why did you?"

"I thought it would help me move on."

Alex frowns. "Move on from what ?

"From the real person I wanted to be with."

"The real-what? What person?" Alex asks, confused and a little bit worried, because wait, is Henry in love with someone else ?

Henry exhales a sigh and "Here goes nothing." The words are muttered and Alex is lost.

"Henry-"

"It's you, Alex. You're the real person. It's always been you."

Alex has never been struck by lightning, but he's pretty sure what he's experiencing right now is very close. A sudden jolt of electricity courses through his vein, leaving him momentarily stunned.

Henry abandons his sandwich preparation to come stand in front of Alex.

"I was sure you didn't feel the same way, but your behavior over the last few days made me hope that maybe I was wrong. But most of all I don't want to risk anything between us, so if I was mistaken, please just-"

He never finishes his sentence as Alex grips one of the loops of his jeans, pulling him between his knees and catching his lips in a searing kiss. Henry lets out a surprise squeak but his hands immediately grips Alex's hair and he smoothly insinuates himself closer between Alex's legs so their chests are pressed together. Alex closes his arms around Henry's waist at the same time their tongues meet. They kiss slowly and deeply, taking their time, reveling in every breath and every touch.

As they both come up for air, Henry smiles against his lips. "I take it my feelings are not completely unrequited?"

Alex wiggles a bit on his stool, pressing a hand on Henry's lower back so their pelvis meet.

"Does this feel unrequited to you?" he murmurs in his ears, and Henry hums in appreciation, and their lips connect again, this time for a kiss that would have knocked Alex off his feet had he been standing up.

Henry pulls away, although barely, framing Alex's face with his hands. "I would love to take you on a date. Get a chance to properly woo you."

Alex grins. "Is that British to say you want to romance the shit out of me?"

Henry chuckles and rolls his eyes. "Not sure it's exclusively British, but yes, that is the idea."

"Can the wooing start now in your bedroom?"

"That can be arranged."

Lunch is forgotten, as well as the opened mayonnaise jar on the counter.

Alex squeezes Henry's hand as they approach his next class - one of the two he shares with Spencer.

"I'll be alright, love," he tries to reassure Alex, but the tension is visible in his shoulder and there's that simmering anger again, boiling in Alex's guts. He wishes he could just walk in that auditorium and punch that scumbag right in the face.

Multiple times.

"It's just an hour," Henry continues," Then I'll meet you back home. You don't have any classes this morning, right?"

Alex lets go of his hand to put his on the back of Henry's neck, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I don't. I can come and get you when you're done."

"No, that's fine. I know you-"

"Hey, Henry!"

They are interrupted by one of Henry's classmates. Alex has seen him once or twice at parties.

"Hey Matt. This is Alex, my boyfriend."

Alex tries very hard to keep his composure at that, but can't help the goofy grin illuminating his face.

"Nice to meet you, man," Matt shakes his hand before turning to Henry. "Have you heard about Spencer?"

Henry becomes rigid, his fingers on Alex's waist tightening almost painfully in his skin. Alex's every protective instincts flare up, and his thumb caresses Henry's nape in a soothing manner.

"What about him?"

"He got expelled. Apparently he was part of some hate, homophobic group. Guess you never really know people, huh?"

"Indeed you don't," Henry responds, and Alex is the only one to catch the slight bitterness in his tone.

"Anyway, see you in class," Matt says before walking away."See you around, Alex."

Henry turns to Alex "What happened to 'let justice run its course?'

Alex shrugs. "Nothing wrong with a little divine intervention."

"I take it you're the divine intervention."

Alex waggles his eyebrow. "Divine being the key word here, baby."

Henry laughs. "Why didn't you tell me ?"

"I wasn't sure it would work, I called my dad 2 nights ago. He works fast. Not that I'm surprised, but still."

Henry pushes back the black curls on Alex's forehead with a tenderness matching the one on his face. "I love you. I know it's only been 24 hours since you and I…but I love you."

Alex brings him back into his arms. The boyfriend mention and those words are making his heart burst in his chest.

"I love you too."

They kiss in front of the building entrance, mindless of the people coming and going around them.

They are both a little breathless when they pull away.

"What about playing hooky just this once?" Alex suggests with a smirk.

Henry pushes him away with a fond look."No. This is an important class. But I'll see you home in an hour."

Alex gives him his best pout and puppy eyes combination ; not fair, he knows- and Henry laughs.

"You're a menace," he states fondly, and presses a last kiss to his lips before walking away.

Alex watches him go. It's going to be a long hour, but then again they have their whole life in front of them.

He can be patient.

Well…he can try.