i'm not leaving

1.8 scared of my guitar

"You coming or what" Alex retorts, causing Henry to slow jog right behind him into the bathroom.

After brushing their teeth , showering, doing skin care together (regardless of Henry's initial skepticism), Alex fell into a heap on their unmade bed. He stared to the ceiling for a while. They were inscribed with fine paintings that almost seemed to delicate to even look at. He got up, taking in the room that held his partner for a time he would never get to know. A lifetime before him. Even the thought felt quite damning. Lost in his tracks, Henry, perched in front of the mirror, interrupts

"It's alot right"

Alex turns to him and slowly blinks in meagre confirmation.

He shakes his head

"No...im sorry, just never taken the time to appreciate" He follows with fingers pointed all around

Henry chuckles. They catch eyes on the mirror glaze and hold it.

"Fair. Ready to go?" He pats away the residual droplets in his hair, knowing it wouldn't do much to its very damp appearance. Seems as though he wasn't the only one who didn't mind it. Henry may have long distracted his glance, but Alex stayed there.

He thought of their life in New York. Where Henry didn't have to be perfect, although Alex would say it was an unrelenting given.

"Yeah" placing his palm into his, they walked downstairs to eat, to find they would be met with an audience

--

In front of them sat June, Nora & Pez at the head of the table, feasting on their breakfast. The pair stood by the door, amazed by the sight.

"What did I say" Pez starts, reaching over to the grapes June was hoarding the in the bowl before her.

Nora swatted Pez away. He responds with a gaping mouth

"What are you guys doing here?" Alex says, following Henry to be seated. He hesitates, wondering if he should sit next to him around these scavenging savages.

Henry squeezes his hand, whispering they know

"Know..." Pez interrupts "Yes, we do." Gobbling on a grape he bypasses from Nora's fierce defense

Alex scorns, lowering himself beside him

"You came for some confirmation or"

"Well, Alex" Pez winks at him, as June and Nora hand him over 2x $10 bills "as you asked"

Henry coughs "When I plotted this, might I add heavily discouraged plan, I knew you both were oddly still down bad for one another and neither would take the first step out of consideration of the other"

Henry smiles at Alex

"While that was 'cute' for the first week" Henry rolls his eyes. Noticing, Pez persists, "the reasoning of this distance didn't really make sense to me nor June or Nora. Bea kept out of it..."

Percy continues, while mockingly checking the validity of the notes in the light shining

"Sadly so but anyways" Alex looks to Henry, but he doesn't seem notice "Long story short, first step was getting Alex to sit next to Hen at the funeral, but you all did that, somehow, so. Go team."

He meagerly lifts his fists up, met with the dismay of all those around him.

"Next, I planned to talk to Henry, to motivate him to say the first words. Which couldn't have been that hard after the SHOW y'all put up in those pews"

Alex leans on Henry's shoulder now, cupping his hands in his, like at the service. June smirks at the sight

"The next step was to find Alex before we went back to my place but, he pulled through on his own"