Chapter Text
“Hey baby, I am boarding the plane.
I can't wait to see you in a few hours, love you.”
Delivered 11:27 am
“Have a safe flight darling, I love you too.”
Delivered 11:30 am
“Have you landed?”
Not Delivered 7:45 pm
“Alex, I am getting worried.”
Not Delivered 9:05 pm
“Alex, the news says the plane is missing, please answer me.”
Not Delivered 9:45 pm
“Please don’t let this be true for god's sake please answer me”
Not Delivered 10:05 pm
“I love you so much forever”
Not Delivered 10:15 pm
“We’re forever remember please”
Not Delivered 10:32 pm
“i love you i love you i love you we’re going to find you i love u”
Not Delivered 11:27 pm
That was 8 months, 4 days, and 5 hours ago. The last time Henry had heard from Alex.
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“Henryyyyyy, we are having a friend 's dinner, okay? it is important,” Nora exclaimed all but shoving Henry into his kitchen.
“Finding Alex is all that matters to me,” he replied, exhaustion, fear, and stress clear on his nearly perfect features.
“Hen obviously we are all worried about Alex and we are going to find him. We will find him. But there’s nothing more we can do today and eating is also important,” Bea piped in as they walked into the kitchen.
“Plus we all need the support especially now,” June chimed.
“And drinks,” Pez added lazily from his spot at Henry’s dining room table.
“And also I have an announcement, so sit your asses down,” Nora cried. They all grabbed a plate of food and sat around the table expectantly. “Okay Henry I know it has been a hectic month but remember a little while back when I went to the doctors to get the embryo transfer?” After such a stressful month he had forgotten that they started their journey to becoming parents. They wanted two children, one biologically Alex’s and one biologically Henry’s, but in any way that truly counts both children would be fully and completely theirs. For the first child they had decided Alex would be the biological parent and Bea happily donated her eggs, the embryo transfer had taken place just under a week and a half before Alex got on the plane. Henry nodded slowly and uneasily through his muddled thoughts. “Well we were all distracted and so I didn't get the chance to take the test until a few days ago and well, I’m pregnant! It worked. You and Alex are going to be dads, the best dads ever.” Nora proclaimed happily. The others cheered, congratulating Henry, but he sat in paralyzed shock. “I- I- I can’t do this without him, he was so excited, I had forgotten- oh god i’m gonna be sick,” He finally gasped running to the bathroom and ejecting what little food and water he had that day into the toilet.
It was all of five minutes later when Bea found him cheek resting on the cold toilet seat, tears silently streaming down his face. She sat down and gently rubbed his back. “Oh Hen, I love you so much. I can’t imagine all that you must be feeling but I am always, always going to be here for you. Always. We are gonna look until we find Alex, you aren’t going to do this alone.” she said kindly. Henry leaned into his older sister's shoulder. She had always been a safe haven, a home for him, his whole life before Alex, that is, but even now when everything seems so dark he still finds comfort in her arms. “What if we don’t find him, you don’t- he may not even be, not even be, even-,” he broke off, unable to voice the thought that had plagued him for the past month.
“Listen I am and have always been a realest Henry, so I am not gonna promise you that we will find him, because I don’t know but I promise we will never give up. Even if we don’t find him I promise you will never be alone. We will help you with this baby and with getting through this nightmare, because we love you and we love Alex.”
Henry had just nodded and sobbed even harder onto her shoulder.
That was 7 months, 3 weeks, and 1 hour ago. The day Henry’s life changed forever.
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MISSING PLANE FOUND, DAMAGE SUGGESTS NO SURVIVORS, 7 MONTH SEARCH CALLED OFF
Henry read the headline over 100 times until his vision was too blurry to see anything. He had been reading at home with the news on in the background, just as it had been since the day the plane went missing. He stood up when the chime of the breaking news rang through the TV’s speakers. At the headline his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. That is how June and Nora found him hours later; staring at a blank TV where the headline had once been.
That was 1 month, two days, and 3 hours ago. The day Henry’s world ended, because that’s what Alex was his world.
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Henry’s phone had been ringing for an hour; he rarely bothered checking it anymore, why would he need to when he knew it would never again be his favorite person, his whole heart calling? So he let it ring, he didn’t know exactly how long it had been before Bea burst through his front door. “Henry, get your arse off that couch now.” She screamed, Bea never screams. Henry slowly stood up. “Bea what-”
“No Henry don’t say ‘what’ in that manner you haven’t answered your phone June and I have been blowing it up for an hour. In case you forgot Nora is 9 months pregnant with your child and when your phone is blowing up you bloody answer it,” Bea continued raging. “Damn, I’m sorry, is she- are they ok?” Henry asked roughly. Bea gave him a bewildered look, “No you idiot she’s in bloody labor get up we are going to the hospital.” Henry stared at her, his expressions changing in a whiplash of guilt, fear, panic, and sorrow. Bea noticed and took a deep breath to calm herself a bit. “Listen Hen, I know this month, and the past 8 months have been absolute hell but your daughter is coming and she’s Alex’s too. You are so strong love, and I am so proud of you. You are ready for this, you are prepared. I know this isn’t what you planned and I know you are mourning and of course you are. I'd be worried if you weren’t, but you need to pull it together at least today because your baby girl is coming. You are going to be a fantastic dad and we are all going to be there for you every step, like I've said since the beginning because we love you and we already have so much love for your daughter too. So pull it together and let's go meet her and be there for Nora, the woman who has gone through a long and painful pregnancy for you and Alex.” Henry took a breath, stuck his chin out in the way that Alex always said made him seem so brave, and followed Bea to the car.
That was 10 hours ago. The day Henry found a way to move forward.
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When Henry found out Alex died it was like his own heart had been ripped out and died with him, because his heart had always belonged to Alex since the day he kissed him in the gardens on New Years. These past few months, he had been walking around cold and heartless without him. But now as he held a warm bundle close to his chest and looked into big soft, brown eyes– just the same as Alex’s eyes– he felt his heart slowly start to work again.
That was today, February 2nd, 2024. The day Henry found a reason to live again.