Work Text:
2025
Alex feels like he’s drowning. His arms are reaching out above the surface, hands scrambling for something to hold onto, but he just continues to come up empty. Every breath he tries to take just fills his lungs up even more with water. He can’t breathe. Something wraps around his ankle, trying to pull him down further. It’s—
“Alex,” the ER doctor, Zahra, says while stomping into the empty exam room he’s currently hiding out in. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, head buried in his hands. He just needs a moment.
The ER has been a nonstop shit-show all night. Apparently the audience wanted an encore, because the shit-show continued on all the way into the early hours of the morning. In only the first two hours of his shift, Alex has mopped up four piles of vomit, taken dozens of blood samples, helped deliver a set of twins, and bandaged up a nasty wound from an air fryer incident.
It was all minor injuries throughout the night, until about seven a.m. this morning. A couple were hit by a drunk driver on their way to work. Both were teachers at the local high school. The driver was killed on impact, but the man and woman were rushed to the ER in critical condition.
They were escorted into emergency surgery, which Alex was summoned to assist with. Dr. Shaan Shrivistava performed the man’s surgery while Dr. Zahra Bankston preformed the woman’s. They did all they could to save them, but both doctors just couldn’t save them, declaring both of them dead within less than an hour of each other.
This was at seven a.m. Now, it’s ten a.m., and things have finally started to calm down, except Alex’s heart. His shift also ended two hours ago. He’s been in the ER since six p.m. yesterday.
It’s just. Alex has seen his fair share of cases where they couldn’t save the patient, but for some reason, this one is hitting him extra hard. Maybe because it happened at the end of an already long shift, but he knows that’s not why.
The couple apparently just recently got engaged and were ready to start the process of wedding planning, according to their families. They were also in the process of adopting a dog, the first step of building a new family together. The family the two of them will never start. And, oh god, how do they tell the dog he’s not going home to his new family?
Alex looks down at the gold band on his finger, tracing his right thumb over it. He can’t help but compare the couple to him and Henry, who also just recently got engaged. They also just adopted a cat, Mr. Wobbles. Henry had insisted David was lonely and needed a buddy for when both of them were at work.
After all this, he can't help but think: What makes him and Henry so lucky that they get to build their own family, while this couple’s lives were taken away in an instant? All because of one person’s reckless decision?
Dr. Bankston’s voice snaps Alex out of his reverie before he can spiral any further.
“Alex,” Zahra says, softer this time. “I know it’s hard, but you have to go home. Your shifted ended four hours ago.”
Alex nods, a bit dazed. “Okay. Sorry.”
Alex goes to stand, but Zahra puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “I don’t want you to be alone right now, though. Can you ask Henry come to get you?”
“He’s at work right now. I can’t ask him to do that.”
“He would do anything for you, Alex,” Zahra says, rolling her eyes fondly. “Now go home. If I still see you here in say, twenty minutes, I’m writing you up.” Then she turns on one heel and strolls out the door.
Alex pulls his phone out of the pocket of his scrubs, then fires off a text to Henry.
henry❤️🤠
hey baby
are u busy right now
nvm you probably are
ignore me
I always have time for you, love.
What is it? Is everything okay? x
not really, no
it was just a really bad one this morning
a couple killed by a drunk driver on their way to work
and it’s really hitting me hard for some reason
That’s terrible, Alex. I’m so sorry.
Do you need anything? I’m here.
i know ur at work
and it’s not fair to ask this
but i just really don’t want to be alone right now
Sit tight, darling. I’m on my way.
hurry pls
I would stop time for you.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Henry asks, shutting the door to their brownstone behind him.
“You should go back to work,” Alex says, avoiding the question. “I’m fine.”
“Alex. I took the rest of the day off. Please talk to me.”
They spent the fifteen minute walk back from the hospital in silence with Henry’s arm was wound tight around Alex’s waist the whole way. It wasn’t an awkward silence, more of a comfortable one. A needed one. It's the first time Alex has been allowed to sit in silence for the first time in sixteen hours.
Now, Henry thinks it’s a good time to break that comfortable silence.
Alex crouches down to the floor to pet David and Mr. Wobbles, both of them circling happily around Alex’s legs.
Alex sighs. “What’s really there to talk about? A couple was killed by a drunk driver. They just recently got engaged and it made me think of us for some reason. And how we’re lucky.” Alex does nothing to hide the disgust in his voice on the last word. “They were in the process of adopting a fucking dog, H. Their own David.”
Henry stays silent. “Alex,” he says, sadly. Then: “Do you think… just because you couldn’t save that couple, that suddenly makes you undeserving of us?”
“I don’t know!” Alex blurts. He huffs a sigh, then stands to his feet. “I don’t know. I’m just gonna,” Alex says as he begins to climb the steps. “Take a shower and then take a fucking nap. I need to clear my head.”
Henry nods. “Okay,” he says. “I’ll bring you up some tea when you’re out.”
“Thanks,” Alex grumbles back as he reaches the second floor hallway.
“I love you, darling,” Henry calls up the steps.
Alex shuts the door to the bathroom behind him. He turns the water on as hot as it will go, then steps into the scalding hot shower. He still feels a bit like he's drowning, and the burn is the only thing that’s buoying him.
He stands under the shower head and just... thinks. Mostly about what Henry said.
Because he does have a point, doesn’t he? Alex has struggled with imposter syndrome in the past, and Henry knows this. Hell, Henry was the one who was always there to talk him out of his own head.
That’s all he was trying to do when they were downstairs, but Alex shut him down and shut him out. All because Alex was scared to have Henry see him drowning.
But the truth is, Henry has seen Alex drown before. And instead of leaving him out to struggle in the water, he’s been the one to pull him out and back to shore with strong arms and a dry towel.
Fuck. He needs to apologize to Henry. He also really needs a fucking nap.
Alex quickly finishes the rest of his shower, dries off, then heads into his and Henry’s shared bedroom. He throws on a pair of black joggers and a worn-out Oxford sweatshirt that is definitely Henry’s, then crawls into bed.
“Alex?” Henry calls up the steps. “You ready for tea?”
“Yea, baby,” Alex calls back. He hears Henry start to climb up the stairs, and his apology can't wait another minute more. “Hen, I’m really—“
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“—sorry,” Alex wakes up mumbling under his breath. He chuckles to himself. He must have fallen asleep before he could apologize properly to Henry.
He adjusts a little in their bed and feels something digging into his lower back. What the fuck? When did their king size bed start to feel so uncomfortable?
Alex opens his eyes and immediately shoots up out of his bed at what he sees. Because he's not in their king-sized bed. Hell, it’s not even king sized.
It’s a twin-sized blue race car bed that Alex is definitely too big for. The duvet and pillow cover is patterned with Bluey. In the corner sits a stuffed Minecraft creeper toy.
He looks around the room, not recognizing any of their furniture. The bookcase Henry so meticulously organized has been replaced with a shelf on the wall displaying Star Wars lego sets. Next to that is a small bookcase with Dog Man books. On the other wall, is a framed photo of Mr. Beast, staring directly into Alex's soul.
What throws Alex off the most about the bedroom though, is that it still is their bedroom. Same carpet, same window shade, even the same fucking door.
“What the fuck?” Alex asks Mr. Beast. There’s no answer.
In that moment, a little boy with red hair, who looks to be around five years old, comes padding into their bedroom (or is it his bedroom now? What the fuck?) dragging a sock monkey behind him. The boy freezes in the doorway when he sees Alex, then screams.
“No!” Alex shouts, jumping out of bed. “Shh, it’s alright. Please don’t scream—“
“Mommy!” he wails.
Alex hears someone come running up the steps, then a moment later, a woman with the same red hair as the little boy appears in the doorway beside him. Her eyes narrow as she lands on Alex. She also has a rolling pin clutched tightly in her left hand, which is pointed directly at Alex.
Alex throws his hands up above his head. “I—"
“Who are you?” she asks as she hands the rolling pin to her son. Then, she begins tying her long red hair back into a ponytail, as if gearing for a fight. “And what are you doing in here?”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Alex knows how this looks, okay? And it looks bad. Very bad. A brown man showing up in a white family’s house, in the young son’s room, no less? Yeah, that's pretty bad.
“What am I doing here?” Alex retorts. “I live here!”
“Were you trying to kidnap my son?” the woman asks incredulously.
“Kidnap your son? No! I fu—“ the woman covers the boy’s ears with her hands, giving Alex a look. He pauses, then recovers. “—dging live here!”
“That’s impossible. Unless…” The woman’s eyes widen in horror. She snatches the rolling pin back from her son. “Have you been squatting here for the last five years?”
“What? No!” Alex huffs in frustration. “Look, lady—“
“Liz,” the woman, Liz, interjects.
Alex blinks. “Okay, Liz. I’m Alex. I live here with my fiancé, Henry.” Something flashes in Liz's eyes at the name, but it’s gone as quickly as it comes. “Have lived here for three years now. I just know I took a nap in my own bed, woke up, and now I’m here.”
Liz sets the rolling pin down slowly, eyes slightly wide. “Henry, you said? As in Henry Fox?”
How the fuck does she know Henry? Where the fuck is Henry?
He nods eagerly. “Yes, he's my fiancé. Do you know him?”
“He was the last tenant…” Liz says dazedly.
Alex’s stomach sinks. What the fuck? Henry moved out? When? He left Alex the same way his own father did? Also, where the fuck is he?
“Liz, excuse my language,” Alex begins. “But what the fuck is going on?”
“Lizzy!” A voice calls from downstairs. “Quick! Come see this!”
Liz gives Alex a look, before turning on her heel with her son and going down the stairs. Alex, not sure what else to do with himself, follows after them.
When he gets downstairs into their living room (or is it not their living room anymore?), he finds a woman with gorgeous brown skin and a straight black bob sitting on their sofa in front of the TV. It’s not their sofa, though. Their sofa was a chestnut leather sofa Henry had inherited from his father’s study. This sofa is a navy blue polyester sectional, made to fit at least six people. Made to fit a family.
Other than the sofa, it’s not the furniture that catches Alex’s attention, though. It’s what’s on the TV.
It’s Anderson Cooper’s face on CNN (has he always looked that old?), and the news headline on the bottom makes Alex’s stomach sink.
BLIPPED ARE BROUGHT BACK AFTER SEVEN YEARS
“What the fuck…?” Alex mutters. He turns to look at the three other people in the room, but their eyes are already on Alex and their jaws are on the floor.
“He blipped…” Liz trails off, still staring at Alex. “Thats the only explanation for this, right, Kelly? I mean, he thinks he lives here.”
“I do live here,” Alex huffs.
The other woman, Kelly, stands up from the sofa and walks closer to Alex.
"What's your name, sweetie?" Kelly asks.
The pet name makes Alex feel like he’s seven years old. It also makes him want to crawl out of his own skin.
"Alex."
“And what year is it, Alex?” she asks him.
Alex scoffs, rolling his eyes. “It’s 2025.”
Alex’s stomach drops when he sees the worried look Kelly aims at Liz. Even their son looks a little worried. Kelly turns her attention back to Alex, shaking her head sadly.
“No, it’s not. The year is 2032.”
What the fuck?
“What the fuck?” He blurts.
“Look at the TV,” Kelly says, gesturing with the remote.
Alex turns his head, and Anderson Cooper (who Alex now knows is seven years older) is still on the screen, but the headline is different.
NEW YORK MAYOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AFTER BLIPPED ARE BROUGHT BACK
Alex moves his eyes to the left of the headline, where the time and date are always displayed. What he sees almost makes his knees give out from under him.
9:37 a.m.
04/27/2032.
2032
What. The. Fuck?
“Listen, I don’t know what kind of sick fucking joke y'all think this is, but it’s not fucking funny.”
“Alex,” Liz says, coming closer to stand next to Kelly. “It’s not a joke. You blipped.”
“What the fuck is a blip?” Alex asks. “Like Blippy? The child’s YouTuber? Did he have something to do with this?”
“He got cancelled,” the little boy pipes up.
“Aidan, go to your room and shut the door,” Kelly says. The little boy, Aidan, sighs, then obediently trots up the steps. Kelly waits until she hears a door closing, then continues.
“Alex, seven years ago, exactly half of the population of living things was wiped from existence. People, animals, plants, gone.” Kelly snaps her fingers for emphasis. “Just like that.”
Alex shakes his head vehemently. “That’s just not possible.”
“It’s possible, Alex, and it happened to you.”
“How did it happen?” He asks.
Kelly sighs. “The government is keeping it under wraps apparently. They’re opening a federal investigation into the Avengers and all that.”
“The fucking Avengers were involved with this?” Alex spits. “The same people that destroyed my apartment building four years ago?”
“It was eleven years ago, now. And they've all been properly charged,” Liz chimes in. Alex shoots her a death glare.
Kelly rests a hand on his shoulder. “Look. I know this is a lot to process, you lost seven years of your life. I’m a therapist, so I can give you my number if you ever want to talk.”
Alex shakes his head. “No, thanks. I need to call my sister.” Alex digs a hand in the pocket of the black joggers he’s still wearing, but comes up empty. He tries his other pocket. Empty. The hoodie pocket is also empty.
Then Alex remembers, he left his phone on the nightstand when he laid down to take a nap yesterday. Or, seven years ago? Fuck.
“Uh,” Alex begins. “Can I borrow one of your phones?”
Liz takes her phone out of her jean pocket and hands it to Alex. Alex takes it from her, blinks, then looks up at them.
“What model is this?” he asks weakly.
“It’s the iPhone 20,” Liz answers.
Alex coughs. “Right.” He then turns his back to the women, then punches in June’s number. It rings. And rings. And rings.
Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system.
“Fuck!” Alex yells, then records a message. “Bug. It’s me. I don’t know what’s going on, and apparently I’ve been gone seven years? I don’t know. I’m scared. Please call me back.”
He hangs up, then tries Henry’s number next.
It rings for what feels like forever, until Alex gets sent to voicemail, which Alex can’t even leave one because Henry’s mailbox is full.
Some things stay the same after seven years, apparently.
He groans, trying Nora’s number next.
She answers on the first ring.
“Alex?! What the fuck—“
“Nora, yes, hi, it’s me,” he rushes out. “Wait. How’d you know it was me?”
“We just listened to June’s message!”
“June… is she with you now?”
“Alex!” June sobs. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.”
Alex feels a lump forming in his throat. “Hi, Bug.”
“Where the fuck are you?” Nora asks.
“Well, I woke up in our brownstone. Except apparently it’s not ours anymore.” He turns around, finding Kelly and Liz staring at him. “Where are you guys?” he asks June.
Then, to Kelly and Liz: “Can I borrow a pair of shoes?”
Apparently, June and Nora were out to breakfast together at some cafe when the blipped were brought back. They had just put their food order in, when a man in his fifties suddenly appeared out of thin air and landed on Nora’s lap.
The cafe is only three blocks away from the brownstone, so after quickly saying goodbye to Liz and Kelly, he headed out the door adorned with a pair of women’s Birkenstocks on his feet.
The streets of New York were a nightmare, to say the least. People running up and down calling out loved ones names, people fighting to hail a taxi, and people who were lost to time trying to get in touch with friends and family.
Alex’s stomach sinks, and he suddenly feels really grateful he was at home when the blip happened, even if it’s not considered his home anymore. He couldn’t imagine disappearing at work and suddenly showing back up in the middle of a dire surgery.
And, oh fuck. His work. Is he still employed there? Did he get fired? How much of the hospital staff did they lose?
He practically sprints the rest of the way to the cafe, trying to outrun his own thoughts. He’s still thinking about his job when he spots them. They’re sitting at a table outside, not speaking. June has her mug, probably filled with English breakfast tea (thanks Henry), clutched in one hand, while her other hand is covered by Nora’s on top of the table.
“Bug! Nora!” Alex shouts, running to close the distance between him and the two of them.
“Alex!” June wails, standing up to throw herself into Alex’s arms. “Oh my god. You’re here. You’re alive. You—“ June pulls away, shaking her head.
Then she punches Alex in the arm. Hard.
“Ow! What the fuck?” he hisses.
“Just had to make sure you’re real,” she smiles sadly before sniffling.
“Alejandro!” Nora shouts, flinging her arms around Alex’s neck. “Oh my god. I’ve never been so happy to see you.”
Alex smiles, hugging her back. “I just saw you guys yesterday.”
At least, to him, he did. Before his shift at the hospital, Alex and Henry had June, Nora, Bea, and Pez over for brunch. Henry had made them a broccoli cheddar quiche, and they had all pretended they didn’t find any shells in it, for Henry’s sake.
Nora punches him hard in the other arm. “Well, it’s been seven years for us. So shut the fuck up.”
Once all the hugging and tears were out of the way, June pulled up a chair so Alex could sit with them, while Nora ran back inside the cafe to get Alex a coffee and a pastry.
“So, Bug,” Alex begins. “What’d I miss?”
June fondly rolls her eyes, which are still red and glassy. “It’s been seven years Lil' Bit. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“Can you start by telling me why the fuck I disappeared?”
June sighs. “I don’t know, honestly. The top theories are aliens, we entered a new timeline, or the Avengers. Who the fuck knows.”
Nora returns with Alex’s mug of coffee, placing it on the table in front of him before taking a seat next to June. “Babe. Those scummy politicians know. How dare they keep this hidden behind their wrinkly ballsacks from the general public? People who lost families, partners, pets… they want answers. We want answers. It’s not fucking fair.”
“Speaking of partners…” Alex begins, raising his eyebrows. “Y’all get married yet?”
Nora chokes on her latte. June shoots Alex a weighted look. “No, we postponed it.”
“What the fuck? What happened to Italy 2028?” he asks.
“We were waiting for you, dumbass,” June snaps. “There was no way we were having that wedding without you.”
“But…” Alex splutters. “You didn’t even know if I was coming back.”
“We just had to keep hoping,” Nora answers simply. “You’re stubborn as hell, Alex. Trust me, I knew you’d fight your way back.”
Alex coughs, trying to fight the tears threatening to build up in his eyes. “Well. Thanks for waiting, I guess.”
“I’m not gonna say ‘our pleasure’ because it was literally hell,” Nora says. June nods.
“What, waiting for your wedding?”
“No. Waiting for you,” June answers.
Alex doesn’t know what to say to that, so he pivots. “Um, speaking of weddings.” He fidgets with the gold band on his left hand. “Where is Henry?”
June and Nora sigh in unison, as if they knew it was only a matter of time before Alex asked about the elephant in the room.
June reaches out to rest her hand atop of Alex’s.
“Alex, you need to understand that even though it’s felt like less than a day to you, it’s been seven years for him. Seven. Years," she emphasizes.
Alex suddenly feels sick. “Did he leave me?”
“Alex, technically you left him,” Nora interjects. “The way he tells it, he went upstairs to bring you tea after you laid down for a nap and then you're gone. He didn't know where you went, or if and when you’d be coming back. Imagine if the roles were reversed, how would you have felt?”
It’s only felt like a few hours for Alex, but to Henry, he hasn’t seen Alex in seven years. Alex could not even imagine going that long without seeing him.
Losing Henry would be like losing a limb. Having something you’ve depended on for so long ripped away from you, and then you suddenly have to adapt and figure out a way to live without it? Yeah, that sounds like Alex’s personal hell.
Seven long years of going to bed alone. Seven long years of wedding planning put on hold.
And fuck, their wedding. The wedding was scheduled for summer of 2029, so as not to interfere with June and Nora’s. Did Henry still have some kind a gathering? Did he postpone it? Did he cancel the whole thing?
(If he did, he better have gotten a full fucking refund.)
“Where is he now?” Alex asks. “He’s not living in the brownstone anymore.”
“He moved out a year after you blipped,” June explains. “You know how he gets his cocoon phases? Now imagine that, multiplied by a thousand. It was bad, Alex. For months.”
Alex nods. He’s more than familiar with Henry’s cocoon phases. Days where the bruises under his eyes are more prominent, days where Henry is too tired to even speak, days where all Henry needs to be is in bed, wrapped up in a literal cocoon of blankets.
But what Henry needs most of all those days, is Alex.
And Alex wasn’t there for him through it. For seven fucking years. Alex may actually be sick.
“So, he moved out after a year and moved back into his old apartment,” June continues. “Pez didn’t think it was a good idea for Henry to be by himself, even though he had David. So Pez took it upon himself to move in, too.”
“Wait,” Alex interrupts. “He shared his old apartment with Bea, who was still living there before I blipped. Why would he be alone?”
Nora looks at him sadly. “Alex. Bea blipped, too.”
And, fuck. Not only did Henry lose his life partner, but he lost Bea. His rock, his confidant, his anchor. Two of the most important people in his life, gone in the same instant.
“Fuck,” Alex breathes.
“When the blip happened, she was on tour with her band in—“
“Prague,” Alex finishes for Nora. “Yeah. I remember.” He shakes his head. “Anyone else we know blip?” Alex asks.
June shakes her head. “On our side, no. A few distant cousins. We thought we lost Leo, but turns out he was just hiding in an underground bunker.”
Alex barks out a humorless laugh. “Sounds right.”
“As for Henry, he lost Bea and Martha, Philip’s wife.”
It’s not much, but Alex feels a little bit of relief knowing Henry didn’t lose his mother or his best friend. Knowing he wasn’t completely alone, even though he was close to it.
“I want to see him,” Alex blurts suddenly.
June and Nora exchange a worried glance.
“Alex…” June warns.
“You two know where he is right?” he asks. They both nod. “Then I want to see him. I want to see my fiancé.”
“Maybe we should call him first? Let him know we’re coming?” Nora asks. June nods, pulling her phone out of her purse.
Alex can’t help but notice she also has the new iPhone 20.
She taps a few buttons on her screen, then brings the phone to her ear. It doesn’t ring for long before she starts speaking.
“Henry? Hi! Have you uh… seen the news lately?” she asks. Her eyes slide over to Alex. “Yeah,” she breathes into the phone. “Yeah. He’s here.”
It apparently took a little more convincing than Alex would’ve liked for Henry to agree to see him. At one point in the conversation, June had stood up to walk farther down the block to have a more private conversation with Henry. After about fifteen minutes, she came back to the table with a tight smile and said: “I’ll call the Uber.”
Now, they’re squished in the backseat of some new fucking Tesla abomination that came out within the last seven years. Alex is just surprised the fucker who makes them is still alive.
“Just remember, Alex,” June begins. The tone of her voice makes it sound like she’s trying to calm down a rabid possum. And going off of the way Alex feels like he’s crawling out of his own skin, maybe she is. “It’s been seven years for him. For us. Things have changed.”
Alex furrows his brows in confusion. “What, did he join a biker gang? Or get a fucking Mohawk or something? Because I can look past that.”
June shakes her head. “No… just. Keep an open mind. And be patient with him.”
Alex sighs. She’s right. If Henry waited seven years for Alex, Alex can wait however long it takes for Henry.
The Uber pulls up in front of Henry’s old, and now current, apartment building. It’s one of those brick warehouses that’s been converted into units. It was the place Henry brought Alex to after their first date. The place where Alex proposed while they were in the middle of watching Moulin Rouge. The place where Alex met Pez and Bea for the first time.
The first place they started building a life together in.
June turns to Alex as the Uber comes to a stop. “You ready, Lil’ Bit?”
Alex nods. “I guess? I just saw him yesterday, but it was actually seven years ago?”
“It’s math,” Nora says, simply.
Alex wishes it were that simple.
The elevator ride up is tense, to say the least. You could probably cut the tension with a knife, roll it out with Liz’s rolling pin, then put it in the oven at 360 degrees for twenty minutes and voila, you have a nice tension pie.
“What if doesn’t want to see me?” Alex asks, fracturing the fragile silence.
June turns her head to look at him. “Then he wouldn’t have answered my call.”
“What if it’s not the same as before?” his voice is barely above a whisper.
June sighs. “It’s been seven years, Alex. It probably won’t be the same as before.” June squeezes his right hand with her left. “But I know his love for you hasn’t changed.”
Alex squeezes her hand back in response, hoping she's right.
The elevator doors open, and the whole walk down the hallway, Alex tries to give himself a pep talk.
Remember, it may have been seven years, but this is still Henry, Alex thinks. Your fiancé, love of your life, and graveyard buddy. There is nothing on this earth that could change what you two have, no matter what you see on the other side of that door.
“What was that?” June asks.
Alex whips his head around at her. “Huh?”
“You were muttering something to yourself.”
“Oh. I was?”
“Something about Henry being his graveyard buddy,” Nora chimes in unhelpfully.
“Thank you so much Nora,” Alex says sarcastically.
“Welcome.”
Only a few steps later, they’ve made it to Henry’s door. Alex stops in front of it, steeling himself for whatever is on the other side.
“Remember, it’s Henry,” June says before kissing the top of his head.
Nora pats his back. “We’re here for you, Alejandro. No matter what happens.”
Alex sighs. “Here goes nothing.”
Then he knocks on the door.
Remember all that bullshit Alex was saying earlier about how nothing on this Earth could change him and Henry’s relationship?
Well, apparently there is something. Or, more specifically, someone.
Because the person standing on the other side of the door is not Henry. It’s a man, slightly shorter than Alex, who has the same dusty blond hair as Henry, but his is longer and tied in a bun on the top of his head. His eyes are a dark green, which compliments the emerald bead on his nose ring. He’s in a form fitting black t-shirt and jeans, and tied around his waist is a hot pink apron covered in flour. Through the flour, Alex can still make out the orange HF embroidered on the front pocket.
Alex got Henry that same apron off of Etsy for Christmas after Henry started to seriously get into baking. He suddenly wants to throw up on it.
“Hey, man,” mystery guy says. “You must be Alex?”
Alex nods.
“I’m Hunter,” he says, holding his hand out to shake.
Alex just stares at it, unmoving.
“Right,” Hunter says, slowly pulling his hand back. His eyes flick down to the Oxford sweatshirt he’s wearing, no doubt clocking it to be one of Henry's. His eyes then snap back up to his face and over Alex's shoulder. His smile widens. “June! Nora! Nice to see you both again.”
Alex’s neck whips around so fast to look at her, he’s surprised he doesn’t give himself whiplash.
They've fucking met this guy already?
June looks steadily down at her feet. Nora offers an awkward smile. “Likewise,” she mumbles.
“Where’s Henry?” Alex blurts, a little rudely. He starts nervously fidgeting with his engagement ring.
“Alex,” June scolds. “Please be nice.”
Hunter nods. “Right. He’s just in there, preparing the tea if—“
Alex doesn’t even let Hunter finish his sentence before he’s shoving past him into Henry’s apartment. He thinks he hears June yelling his name again, but he doesn’t care.
Because in front of him, standing in the middle of his living room, looking like a lost puppy, is Henry.
He looks everything and nothing like the man Alex left behind seven years ago. He’s wearing a gray t-shirt with a cream colored cardigan layered on top, along with a pair of gray corduroy pants. He has the same thick blond hair Alex wants to run his fingers through, though he’s let it grow out a few more inches. His bright blue eyes are the same, although it seems the light in them has dimmed a little after these seven years. He's fidgeting with his signet ring, the one that sits side by side with—
His engagement ring. Which Henry isn’t wearing.
The ring that previously belonged to Henry’s father. The ring he messaged Catherine relentlessly about. The ring he thought got lost in the mail on the way to New York. The ring Alex slipped onto Henry's finger (with the help of pizza grease) the night they watched Moulin Rouge.
Henry clocks the exact moment Alex notices his bare finger. He hastily shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Alex,” Henry says. His voice sounds hoarse. Alex wants to reach out and touch him, but he doesn’t know if he’s allowed.
“Hi, Henry,” Alex says, voice hard. “Been a while, hasn’t it?”
Henry stares resolutely down at his shoes, not meeting his gaze.
Why the fuck won't he look at him?
Alex feels his blood boiling so hot, he could probably cook pasta in it.
He's about to open his mouth to fire at Henry before he's interrupt but Hunter clearing his throat.
“Who wants pie?” he asks, awkwardly.
The dining table is set up with plates and mugs for everyone. In the middle of the table sits a fresh baked apple pie, still steaming.
It reminds Alex of those old stereotypical cartoons where the housewife makes a pie for her husband after his long day at work.
“Do you like apple pie, Alex? I made this one myself,” Hunter says proudly as Alex takes a seat at the table.
Alex wants to die.
“Sure,” he grumbles instead of killing himself in front of everyone at this table.
“We also have coffee brewed in the coffee maker and a full kettle of earl grey on the stove. Would you like tea or coffee?”
“Uh, coffee,” Alex says,
“Sure, man. How do you take it?”
Alex looks up, and his eyes land directly on Henry out of pure instinct.
He's already looking at Alex.
Henry clears his throat. “I’ve got it, dear,” he says to Hunter.
Alex scoff-snorts. “Dear,” he says mockingly in Henry's accent, shaking his head.
June smacks his arm.
Hunter is looking at Alex with a pitying look on his face. Henry is very pointedly not looking at Alex.
June takes a seat next to Alex, while Nora takes a seat at the end of the table. Hunter sits across from Nora, which leaves Henry sitting across from Alex.
Great.
They all eat their pie in silence. The sound of cutlery scraping against porcelain are the only sounds that fill the room. Alex guesses no one really knows what to say to the guy that’s still living seven years in the past.
At one point, Henry compliments Hunter on the pie with a hand on his thigh, and Alex loses his appetite right there.
But throughout the whole meal, Henry continues to avoid Alex’s gaze.
It stings.
Once everyone is finished with their pie and the plates are cleared, Alex blurts out:
“So. Are y’all like a thing now?”
June chokes on her tea as Henry chokes on air. Hunter nods politely, throwing an arm across the back of Henry’s chair.
“Yeah, about two months now. Still pretty new.”
Alex hums, taking a sip of coffee. “Henry and I said our ‘I love yous’ after two months. Did y’all say that yet?”
Under the table, Nora stomps her foot on top of Alex’s, hard.
“Um…” Hunter begins awkwardly, which basically answers Alex’s question.
But he’s not looking for an answer to that question. He’s just looking for any kind of reaction from Henry. Anything that gets Henry to look up from his tea. Anything to get Henry to just look at him.
Alex continues. "People said it was too soon, but when you know you know, right? And we definitely knew." Alex takes a sip of coffee. "What about you, Hunter? Do you know, yet?"
Henry, whose face is now crimson, is still fucking staring at his mug of tea. Alex can practically hear the whistling of steam shooting out of his ears, though, so he counts that as a win.
“Tell me, Henry. What did you do with the engagement ring? The one I proposed to you with?”
“Alex!” June practically shouts. Nora gasps.
“Oh bloody Christ, Alex.” Henry slams his mug down onto the table, sloshing tea onto his shaking hands. If it burns, he makes no indication of it as he rises to his feet. “Are we really doing this?”
“Doing what, Henry?” Alex fires back, rising to his feet as well. “I’m not doing anything!”
“Yes, you bloody are! What did you come here hoping to achieve?”
“You!” Alex shouts. “For my fiancé.” Alex holds up his left hand adorned with the ring for emphasis. “But it seems you’ve forgotten about me.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything! If anything, it seems you’re the one that’s forgotten it’s been seven bloody years since you blipped!”
They're both shouting now. Henry's neighbors can definitely hear them through the wall, but Alex doesn't fucking care.
“How can I forget, when it’s all everyone keeps telling me?”
“Maybe you need the reminder,” Henry spits.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means it’s not fair for you to come into my home, disrespect me and my partner, just because things didn’t stay the same as they were seven years ago! Because life went on without you! Well, guess what Alex, it had to. I had to!”
“You could’ve waited for me! But you didn’t! Instead, you gave up!”
“Alex, I gave up everything waiting for you! Until I had nothing left to give to anyone! You remember my Dark Days? After you blipped, they went on for weeks, sometimes months at a time. I didn’t shower for eight days. Pez came over everyday to make sure the animals and I ate. I was killing myself waiting for you! I had to at least try to move on!”
“But we're engaged, Henry!"
"Were engaged," he corrects.
"We're in love! How can you just throw that all away?”
“I didn’t throw anything away!” Henry practically roars.
“It sure as fuck looks like it!” he points to Hunter, who is sitting there, dumbly.
“Um,” Hunter says.
“Why did you agree to see me, Henry?” Alex continues on. “If you hate me so much, why did you want to see me? After all this time?”
Henry doesn’t have an answer for that, it seems. He looks down at where his hands are gripping the edge of the hardwood table.
“I don’t want to do this,” Henry says, voice barely above a whisper, sounding absolutely wrecked.
And all of a sudden, the fight drains out of Alex like a dam breaking. He wanted a reaction from Henry so bad, but now that he got it, it doesn’t feel good, seeing him like this. Because what was he hoping to achieve by making Henry hate him? What was he hoping to achieve by even showing up here?
Because everyone is right. It has been seven years for everyone at this table.
And in those seven years, everyone at this table left Alex behind.
Alex reaches for his left hand with his right.
June’s eyes widen in understanding. “Alex…”
Henry’s eyes lift to Alex at June’s warning, but it’s Alex’s turn to keep his head down. Slowly, he removes the gold band from his ring finger, then sets it gently on the table with a soft clink.
“I’m sorry,” Alex breathes, then he turns on one heel and gets the fuck out of Henry’s apartment.
Alex makes it as far as a bench a block away from Henry’s building before he realizes he has nowhere to go. His home has been sold to a nice, albeit scary, pair of lesbians. He can’t call anyone, because who the fuck knows where his fucking phone is, which means he also doesn’t have his wallet, so he has no money for a cab.
He leans forward, putting his head in his hands.
Coming to Henry’s today was a mistake. Henry did have a point, it wasn’t fair for Alex to show up after seven years (even if it didn’t feel that long for Alex), expecting that things would have stayed exactly as they were.
Because the truth is, everyone moved on. They left Alex behind, believing he wasn’t coming back. And sure, they could argue Alex left them, but it was against his own will.
Henry made the choice to leave him behind. The same way his own father left Alex and June behind when he was twelve years old.
“Fuck!” Alex shouts suddenly, as a fresh set of tears roll down his cheeks.
He hears footsteps approaching from behind him, no doubt either June or Nora chased after him down the block. He’s really not in the fucking mood to be berated right now. He knows he acted like a child, okay? He’s embarrassed. He doesn’t need them to rub salt in his wounds.
But they’re not here to rub salt in his wounds. Someone else is here to rub fucking bleach in his wounds.
“Alex,” Henry says from behind him, sounding breathless.
“What, Henry?” Alex snaps, still cradling his head in his hands. “Are you here to yell at me some more?”
“No, Alex, I—“ Henry huffs in frustration. “Can I sit?”
“Whatever,” Alex mumbles, lifting his head to look at Henry.
Henry takes a seat next to Alex, leaving a few inches of space between them, like the seven years that separate them. He’s nervously fidgeting with his signet ring.
“I’m sorry,” Henry blurts.
“Christ, ba— Henry,” Alex recovers. He hopes Henry doesn’t notice, but by the redness creeping up his neck, he definitely did. “I should be apologizing—“
“Alex, no—“
“—to you—“
“Please, Alex, let me get this out.” Henry reaches a hand out, as if he’s going to place it on Alex’s thigh. He quickly pulls it away. “Do you remember the day you blipped?” he asks.
Alex scoffs. “‘Course, remember it like it was yesterday.”
Henry’s mouth twitches like he’s fighting back a smile. “Right. Well, you remember we didn’t exactly leave off on the best of terms. Then, when I went upstairs to bring you tea, you were gone.”
“Wait, sorry, hold” Alex says, jumping in. “You remember the day I blipped? Even though it was seven years ago for you?"
Henry does smile this time, albeit sadly. “I remember everything about that day, Alex.”
Alex’s stomach drops. “So you remember me not saying I lo—“
“Don’t,” Henry says sharply. He takes a deep breath, composing himself. “Anyway. I spent the whole time you were in the shower spiraling. Wondering if you purposely didn’t say it back, if it was something I did…” Henry shakes his head. “So I made tea. And when I went to bring it up to you…”
“I was gone,” Alex finishes for him.
“Precisely.”
“And you thought I didn’t love you anymore? Because I didn’t say it back?”
“Alex,” Henry sighs. “It wasn’t just that. The days leading up to the blip, I remember you being cold, distant.”
“Because I was drowning at work, Henry. But you wouldn’t know that because you never asked.”
“I tried, Alex. But you wouldn’t talk to me.”
“Well, maybe you should’ve tried harder,” Alex grumbles, though he knows deep down Henry's right.
Henry sighs, leaning back on the bench, crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe I should've.”
Alex stays silent for a moment, before asking, “So you didn't wait for me because you thought I didn’t love you anymore?”
“I did wait for you, Alex. For years. I was destroying myself waiting for you. You heard what I said back there. I didn’t shower for eight days. I didn’t get out of bed, didn’t eat, didn’t drink water.” Henry takes a deep breath. “I lost my job at the library because I couldn’t take care of myself. I couldn't even take care of our pets. It’s a miracle Pez was there."
Alex thinks of Henry, curled up in bed alone, too suffocated by his own grief to even move. Withering himself away because Alex wasn’t there.
And that’s just it. Alex wasn’t there.
“Where is David?” Alex asks tentatively. “I didn’t see him inside.”
Henry looks up at Alex with glassy eyes. “He passed away three years ago.”
Alex’s stomach drops. Because not only did Henry lose his father, Bea, and Alex, but he also lost David. His loyal companion. His son. Their son.
“Fuck, Henry. I’m so sorry,” he says.
Henry offers a pinched expression. “Thank you. I wish you were there.”
Me too, baby, Alex thinks. Me fucking too.
“So,” Henry continues on. “After the fog in my head started clearing away and I was able to get out of bed at a decent hour, Pez convinced me to move out of the brownstone. Every time I walked in that house, I felt suffocated. The emptiness I felt from you being gone would wrap its tight hands around my neck and choke me until I was gasping for air. It wasn’t healthy to keep living there. So, I moved back into my old apartment with Pez.
“I held onto the brownstone for two years, like I held onto the hope I had for you coming back. I used the savings I inherited from my father to keep paying the lease. Pez didn’t know I was doing it, until a letter came in with an offer from a couple who wanted to buy it from me. Apparently, their real estate agent let it slip that no one was living in it.”
“Can they even do that?” Alex asks.
Henry sighs. “I don’t know. But it felt like a sign to… give it up. It felt like the first step of trying to move on. It had been two years since you blipped, and there was no indication that you’d come back. There were stories people made up online, saying they blipped and came back, but eventually they were proven false. It had been two years, and half of the population was still gone. You were still gone.
“Now Alex, please don’t get upset at what I’m about to say next.” Henry takes a shuddering breath. “But as the years ticked on, the more and more I started to believe you weren’t coming back. Because in my head, it was better for me to believe that you were gone for good, instead of constantly living with the waiting. And I wanted you to come back, Alex. I wanted you so bad I couldn’t see straight. But you know how it was with my father. When he was in the hospital, the worst part was just waiting for him to get better. Waiting for a miracle to show itself in that hospital room. But it never did, and it destroyed me. I couldn’t put myself through that waiting again, Alex. Not with you.”
Henry hastily wipes a stray tear running down his cheek before continuing. “I went to support groups for people who lost their loved ones with the blip. ‘Where Do We Go, Now That They’re Gone?’ it was called. My therapist had blipped, and Pez thought it was a good idea for me to talk to someone other than him and the animals. So, I gave it a try. People shared their stories, told us who they lost, and talked about how they were dealing with their new normal.”
Henry sighs. “It helped a little, I think. But it didn’t give me the closure I really needed.”
“Did you ever get that closure?” Alex asks, although he thinks he already knows the answer.
Henry gives Alex a meaningful look. “Not until today.”
Alex gives Henry a small smile. “Is it my turn now to apologize?”
Henry nods. Alex takes a breath.
“I’m sorry I shut you out yester— that day. The day I blipped. I was taking the deaths of that couple really hard, and instead of talking to you, I shut you out. I’m also sorry for not saying It back. I’m not going to say it, because you probably don’t want to hear it. I literally woke up today with my apology tumbling out from between my lips.”
“Alex…”
“Shush,” Alex says to Henry, though it lacks heat. “I’m also sorry for all that.” Alex waves a hand in the direction of Henry’s building. “You’re right. It wasn’t fair of me to show up here and expect you to jump in my arms. Because even though it only felt like a day to me, it’s been seven years for you. You spent so long waiting for me, you forgot to find something that makes you happy. And if Hunter makes you happy, then I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you, Alex,” Henry says with a small smile.
They sit in a comfortable silence for a little after that, both happy to let their apologies marinate a little between them. Alex is just happy Henry is still sat next to him. That he didn’t run away. The silence stretches on a little longer, until Henry breaks it.
“Hunter doesn’t want a relationship,” he blurts out.
Alex whips his head to the side so fast, his neck cracks. “What?”
Henry looks back at him. “Hunter doesn’t want anything real. He says that he just wants something casual and that commitment scares him.”
“Is that what you want?” Alex asks.
Henry stays silent, then: "No. I want something real."
Alex's heart flutters.
“Why do you stay with him then?”
“Because,” Henry huffs, shaking his head. “This is stupid. But… the thought of committing to something, to someone… made it more real that… maybe you weren’t coming back? And I had to accept it and move on… for good.”
Alex stays silent, processing this.
Henry chokes out a scoff. “It’s stupid, I know. It’s—“
And in that moment, Alex just has to reach out and touch him. He puts a hand on Henry’s thigh.
“Baby, stop,” he interrupts, not caring about the slip of the pet name. “It’s not stupid. Do I completely understand? No, but I can sort of see where you were coming from. You lost most of the people you were closest to, and you needed someone.”
“I needed you,” Henry whispers. “I don’t need Hunter, Alex. Honestly, fuck him. I need something real. I need you.”
“Sweetheart, you've always fucking had me.”
And Alex doesn’t know who moves first, but in the next moment, Henry is basically in Alex’s lap, his arms thrown around Alex's neck. Alex wraps his arms tight around Henry's waist.
“Alex,” Henry sobs into his neck.
“Shh. I’m here, baby. I’m here,” Alex soothes, rubbing a hand up and down Henry’s back.
And Alex hopes that him being here is enough right now to make Henry stay.
After minutes, hours, years, of embracing, Henry pulls away with a sniffle, but he still stays pressed up close next to Alex.
“You left something back there,” Henry says, reaching a hand into his cardigan pocket.
He pulls out a thin, gold band. Alex’s engagement ring. The one Alex left on the table.
“Henry…” Alex trails off.
“Alex. Take it. It’s yours,” he says, grabbing Alex’s shaking hand to slide the ring back onto his ring finger, the same way he did all those years ago. “It’s always been yours.”
Alex would cry again right now if he thought he had any more tears left to give. Instead, he shakes his head with a disbelievingly smile.
“Henry, I… I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he says as he reaches down to squeeze Alex’s knee.
“What about the ring I gave you?” Alex asks sheepishly. “You didn’t…” he trails off, unable to even finish asking that question.
Henry raises an eyebrow at him. “What on earth makes you think I would give it away?”
Henry then reaches underneath his t-shirt and cardigan, pulling out a silver chain from around his neck.
And looped around the chain is Henry’s engagement ring. The one Alex gave him. That one that belonged to his father.
“Henry,” Alex gasps, in shock.
Henry smiles timidly. “Pez thought it was a good idea for me to take the ring off of my finger, but I couldn’t find it in myself to take it off my person completely,” he explains. “Someone I know once had the great idea to wear his old key on a chain around his neck, so I kinda have to thank him for the idea.”
Alex reaches his hand up to his own neck on instinct to touch the key sitting on his chest through his (Henry’s) sweatshirt.
“And you’re wrong,” Henry continues.
“Huh?” Alex asks.
Henry’s smile grows. “Earlier, you said you weren’t going to say something because you thought I didn’t want to hear it. But, I do. I’m ready.”
Alex’s pathetic little heart feels like it’s going to burst. Either from Henry, or because he hasn’t used it in seven years, he doesn’t know. He thinks it’s the former.
“Henry,” Alex begins, reaching out to grab Henry’s hands in his. “I love you. I love you today, I love you tomorrow, I’ll love you fifty years from now. I’m sorry I didn’t say it then. I’m sorry I’m seven years late. I know I wasn’t there, but I hope you know my love for you still was. And if you’ll still have me, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” Alex grins. “And that’s partly because I’m technically homeless.”
Henry laughs, squeezing Alex’s hands. “Yes, Alex. I would love to have you, because I love you. Quite frankly, I never stopped. Even if I am seven years older now.”
Alex chuckles, then squeezes Henry’s hands back. “So, what do we do now?” he asks.
“Hm…” Henry muses playfully as he pretends to think. “Well, we do have seven years to catch up on, don’t we, darling? I have a few ideas.”