His Translator

His Translater 14

*Hey y'all! Guess who's still alive? I know it's been awhile since I've updated this book. I've been doing other projects, then life decided to kick my ass for a while. I've also just been doing more Friday Night Funkin stuff. But I'm still here! Anyway, here's the chapter:

     Burt walked through the halls of the space station, he felt a little nervous, but that was okay. He knew Henry. He knew that even if Henry rejected him he would let him down gently at least, so it wouldn't be too bad. He just had to find him, and tell him how he felt. Burt recited his confession in his head, trying to figure out the best phrasing to go with. 

Eventually he found Henry in the conference room of the station, he was sitting at the large round table by himself. He appeared to be marking important places on the world map. Henry noticed Burt's presence and waved at him, smiling. Then he rested his hands on the table, pausing whatever work he was doing. "Hi Henry uh… can I… talk to you for a bit?" Henry nodded and gestured towards the chair across from him at the table. Burt quietly moved to his seat, still uneasy at the thought of confessing his feelings for Henry. But he wanted to take that chance. "Henry. There's something I want to tell you. It's um, a little personal." Henry nodded. "Okay uh.." Burt trailed off a bit, then cleared his throat and continued. "Henry I… I'm not good at these things but I just wanted to tell you that I-" Burt froze slightly, he wanted to continue but he wasn't sure how. What was he supposed to say? His hands fidgeted. Burt thought about his previous conversation with Sven.

 "There's no better confession than an earnest one."

Burt took a deep breath.

"I just want to say that I really like spending time with you and I appreciate you." Burt decided to be a little bold, he reached out in front of him and gently held Henry's hand. He avoided eye contact as his cheeks turned pink, then continued to speak. "I feel so… safe around you. You're so fun and gentle. I like spending time with you. I love it when you visit me during work. I love your determination, you're always up to something and you're so motivated. You make me feel happy whenever you're around. I feel like I can trust you Henry, I just want to say that I… I love you. I really love you."

Burt avoided looking Henry in the eyes. "I'd really like to get to know you more in a… romantic setting? If you uh, you want to try that too."

 Burt began to pull his hand away, fearing he had made Henry uncomfortable. Before Burt could fully break the contact between the two of them however, Henry's grip on Burt's hand tightened. Burt jolted in surprise, then looked Henry in the eyes. Henry was smiling at him…

Henry gave a nod and thumbs up and let go of Burt's hand so he could sign more clearly. "I had no idea you felt that way. Though maybe I should have." The both of them chuckled. "So… What do you say Henry? Wanna go on a date sometime?" Burt asked, having a bit more confidence. Henry gave Burt a nod. "What do you want to do for our date?" Henry asked. 

"I uh… shit. I didn't think this far ahead." Burt admitted, slightly embarrassed. Henry chuckled. "How about a movie in the station theater?" He signed, figuring it was a good place to start. "Uh, yeah! That sounds good." Burt agreed, still a little bit flustered. "What time works best for you?"  "7 okay with you?" Henry asked. "Yeah! Sounds good Henry." Burt replied sheepishly. Henry beamed "Great! I will see you then!" Then he took off, some other Toppat was yelling for him. Honestly Burt was grateful that someone interrupted their conversation, because that meant no one would see the excitement and panic taking over him. For once it was hard for him to keep his signature blank face. 

Burt pulled out his phone and texted Sven.

"I did it."

…

Burt wished he could focus on the movie, he really did. But he was too tense. He knew he shouldn't be, but he couldn't help it. His nerves were getting the better of him. Henry, on the other hand, appeared totally relaxed. Burt wondered how Henry felt about all of this. Burt's grip on the armrests was tight, a failed attempt to help himself relax. It was kind of ironic, if you'd ask Burt a year ago how he felt around Henry, he probably wouldn't have said much. He would've reacted the same way he did with every other boss he's had, complete indifference. But now, he felt like a teenager in a romcom, practically having a heart attack over the smallest ounce of romance. Burt's wrists started to ache from the constant tension in his body. Why was he freaking out!? He was on a date with Henry! This is what he wanted! 

Burt jolted when he felt a sudden but gentle touch on his hand. He realized Henry was caressing Burt's hand with his thumb. Henry entwined their fingers together, he gave Burt a sympathetic look before leaning closer to him. "Hey Burt." Henry's forever raspy voice whispered into Burt's non-existent ear. "You alright?" Burt was glad the theater was mostly dark, that meant Henry couldn't see how red his face was for once. "Yeah, I'm fine." Burt whispered back quickly. "You sure? You seem tense. Why don't we head out and get some dinner instead?" Henry whispered caringly. Burt felt bad that he was ruining the moment, but maybe some food would do him some good. "You know what? Sure. Let's do that… Thank you, Henry." Henry nodded, and the two left, doing their best not to bump into anyone else in the theater. 

…

The two men sat across from each other at a small table, next to them was a large window that gave them a perfect view of Earth and the vast sea of stars that surrounded it. They began eating a nice dinner. Burt felt much more relaxed in this environment, though he wasn't sure why. 

Looking at Henry in this moment, awestruck with the stars and smiling slightly with every bite he took. Burt noticed that whenever Henry ate the food on the Toppat station, he closed his eyes and savored the flavor. Like it was his own little slice of paradise. Through the subtlety of Henry's movements and facial expressions, Burt could see how much Henry just… genuinely enjoyed this. It was yet another thing Burt liked about Henry. 

Henry waved to get Burt's attention. "Yeah Henry? What's up?" Henry raised his hands, tilting his head to the side as he signed. "Are you feeling better?" Burt smiled and nodded. "Much. Thank you for this, I'm sorry for making you leave the movie with me. I didn't mean to spoil the fun." Burt apologized, feeling a bit guilty. Henry waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I prefer this anyway. It feels…" Henry pauses for a moment, seeming to think what to sign next. "... Natural." Burt let out a breath of relief. Glad he was on the same page. "I like just eating and talking with you, Henry." Burt rubbed the back of his head, slightly nervous still. "I… I'm not really accustomed to this sort of thing. Dating, you know? I rarely ever feel this way about someone. I'm glad that I feel this way, but I'm still adjusting, I guess." Burt admitted, once again pouring his heart out to Henry. Henry nodded, seeming to sympathize with Burt's problems. 

"Well, I still appreciate you coming to dinner with me, it's nice spending time with you." Henry signed to Burt with a smile. "You're great company and I like having you around." Henry reached across the table, gently gripping Burt's hand. Burt smiled back. "Thanks, Henry. I… I enjoy spending time with you too." This was nice, just having a calm moment between the two of them. After all the craziness that transpired, it was a relief to have this night. The two of them paused for a bit, seeming to run out of things to say. Henry gently lifted Burt's hand, and leaned forward to get closer, closing his eyes. Henry gave it a kiss, Burt's face turned pink at the action, he could feel Henry's lips on his knuckles. Henry's eyes fluttered open, locking with Burt's. "Let's make sure to do this again, yeah?" Henry said out loud, as gently as his scratch voice would allow. "Y-Yeah." Burt agreed with a flustered tone. 

"I'd like that."