Work Text:
Normally, Henry would be tucked away in his office by now, listening to (or really, ignoring) Charlie ramble about his cat or growing up on the farm. However, today he was running extremely late. He had been up late last night attempting to rebrand another one of Kinderkare's forsaken products and in his exhaustion, he had forgotten to set his usual five alarm clocks, which is why he was currently rushing around every corner of the building in an attempt to make up for lost time. Although, this was not the only reason Henry was exhausted. No, he was also exhausted because he had found himself laying awake thinking of the red-headed tornado that blew into his life who went by the name of Eliza Dooley.
He hadn't remembered the exact day he walked into his office to find Eliza sitting there, but what he can remember is that he has not been the same ever since. If it was in a good way or bad way, he wasn't quite sure of yet. All he knew was that he couldn't stop thinking about her and her bright smile and her red hair and- Ugh, get it together, Higgs. How does she always manage to get into my head at the worst times? He thought to himself. He whizzed around the corner to Charmonique's desk.
This was the most disorganized Charmonique had ever seen Henry. His hair was thoroughly mussed and his suit was half on his body. She would have thought he was hungover if she hadn't known that he wasn't a heavy drinker.
"Henry Potter, are you doing okay? You look a little... well, not like yourself," Charmonique asked, her voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine," Henry stated bitterly, "I just overslept."
"Maybe you should consider taking some time off. It might do you a little good," she offered.
"Time off? That's ridiculous! Besides, what would you all do without me here, making sure Eliza behaves?" Henry practically spit. I did not mean to say that, he mentally scolded.
"What does Eliza have to do with this?" She motioned to his half on outfit.
"Absolutely nothing!" He shouted as he walked away, placing his arm into his suit sleeve.
"Eliza was right. Someone really does need to get laid," Charmonique mumbled under her breath.
Henry practically sprinted into the breakroom to grab coffee in an attempt to wake himself up. He had quietly acknowledged to himself that Freddy had been talking on the phone while leaning against the doorframe of the next room over. He honestly didn't understand what Eliza saw in him. Sure, he was an attractive guy with chiseled features, but he had no real personality. She didn't even really know the guy! What did Charmonique call him? A tool. That sounded about right, he thought. Henry poured a bit of sugar into his cup and was preparing to leave when he overheard Freddy's conversation.
"What time do you want to catch up, you sexy beast? We could go out for lunch or something. I miss you."
That had almost seemed sweet, Henry thought. Minus the sexy beast part. It seemed like Freddy was finally beginning to take his relationship with Eliza seriously. He should be happy for Eliza, but something inside of him was stopping him from doing so. He then realized he had been eavesdropping and mentally scolded himself. No matter how much he disliked the guy, he had no right to eavesdrop. However, his curiosity got the better of him and he continued listening anyways.
"No, Lucy. We can go out for dinner tonight and be banging by eight," Freddy said seductively.
Wait, who is Lucy? I thought he was talking to Eliza?
"I love you, too. I'll see you at six. Goodbye."
He's cheating on Eliza! I knew I disliked him for something and now I found my reason!
In that moment, something sparked inside of Henry, whether it had been his lack of sleep or lack of coffee was unknown. He had always had great control over his emotions, that's what got him where he was today, but this ignited a fire inside of him that could not be quenched. In his rage, he quickly dropped his coffee mug, grabbed Freddy by the front of his shirt and slammed him up against the wall full force.
"Ow! What the hell was that about?" Freddy complained as he tried to wiggle out of his grip.
Henry tightened his grip on Freddy's shirt and held him in place.
"Are you cheating on Eliza?" He said, seething with rage.
"What are you even talking about?" Freddy asked, attempting to sound innocent.
This caused Henry to get right in his face and lower his voice.
"I'm going to ask you one more time, Freddy. Are you cheating on Eliza Dooley?"
A small whimper escaped from Freddy's mouth before he replied, "N-no." He had no idea that Henry could be so intimidating.
Henry resisted smirking at the sound of Freddy's whimper.
"That's what I thought," Henry chuckled sarcastically.
"I get it now," Freddy scowled. "You're in love with Eliza."
"You know, that is possible, but what does it matter to you? You were cheating on her. It doesn't seem like you cared."
"You're right, I didn't. It was just casual sex. Well, to me, anyways. Dooley might have had other ideas about us," Freddy breathed.
"Did she really mean nothing to you?" Henry inquired angrily.
"Nothing at all."
That's when everything went red. When Henry came to, he found Freddy lying on the floor, clutching his face while blood steadily streamed out of his nose. He felt a throbbing pain in his hand and realized his knuckles were swelling. He'd have to ice that later. Henry had felt satisfied with himself. Now, it was time to give Freddy a piece of his mind.
"Sure, Eliza Dooley may have her flaws, like preferring the company of her phone over human interaction, or she may not be the best with manners sometimes! She may be obsessed with social medias and takes one too many selfies! Some days, she knows exactly how to push all of your buttons and annoy you to no end, but that's besides the point! She is also one of the most beautiful, loving, and caring human beings I have ever had the pleasure of knowing! She is strong and wise and courageous! Her smile lights up the room when she enters and she continuously steals my breath away! She has a huge heart that she keeps hidden because of men like you! Or were you too busy staring at her breasts to notice? You, my friend, are an absolute idiot! Eliza deserves so much better than you! In fact, she deserves the world!" Henry shouted at the top of his lungs.
Freddy hadn't moved at all from his spot on the ground as Henry turned away. He began storming off, seething with anger. I can not believe the nerve of that man! How could he take Eliza Dooley for granted? Does he not understand that he had one of the most beautiful people in the wor-
And that's when he saw Eliza standing at the end of the hallway, tears streaming down her face.
Eliza did nothing to stop the tears streaming down her face. She had heard every word, including Henry's (speech? love confession?). She wasn't sure what to call it, but she knew she had to get out of there immediately. So she did what she always had in a emotionally uncomfortable situation.
Eliza ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
If she had heard Henry calling out her name in desperation, then she didn't acknowledged it. She had desperately wanted to out of the office, where she may or may not have heard Henry practically pour out his heart in front of her boy- No, Freddy is no longer my boyfriend, she thought. I don't think he ever was. It was just casual sex, Dooley. He never saw you as anything more than a booty call. #rejected
The sound of heavy footsteps were quickly approaching behind her. She wiped away the continuous stream of tears and attempted to jump on to the elevator, but was stopped suddenly by a warm, familiar hand grabbing her wrist.
"Eliza, please don't go," Henry said softly. "Please."
Ever since Henry had formed (and promptly ended) his relationship with Julia, Eliza had realized her feelings for her only friend. The mere thought of this terrified her because Henry was not her usual type. He was button ups and bowties. She was Gucci and Prada. He was a thoroughly old-fashioned man who preferred the comforts of home. Eliza was promiscuous and had a strong sense of adventure. They were polar opposites, and yet, here she was, wanting to run away, but finding herself completely incapable of doing so.
She quickly turned around and sunk into Henry's arms. He seemed startled by the sudden movement, but eventually Eliza felt the tension leave his body and his arms wrap around her frame. She quietly sobbed into the crook of his neck as Henry rubbed her back soothingly, patiently waiting until she calmed down.
"It's okay. I'm here, Eliza. It's okay. I've got you now," he quietly mumbled into her hair.
Oddly enough, his words had only made her cry more. She knew his words were meant to be comforting, but the meaning behind them hit her hard. No one had ever cared about her as much as Henry had. He had always been there for her, no matter the circumstances. He always supported her and that was something she had never had a lot of in her life, that is, until Henry showed up. She hadn't really realized until now that Henry had become somewhat of an object that her life revolved around, just like the sun and the earth. In a way, they completed each other.
Before she had really noticed, her breaths had evened out and she had stopped crying.
"Hey Eliza?" Henry asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah?" She whispered into his neck.
"Let's get you home."
The drive to her home was mostly silent, aside from exchanged sighs and Eliza's attempt to stifle her sniffling. The air was filled with unspoken words that they had been dying to tell one another, yet never found the courage to say.
Once they arrived at her home, Henry placed his hand on the small of her back and carefully guided her inside. It was a small gesture, but it had been rightfully placed because she melted into his touch. He made sure she was comfortable and stable enough to leave alone.
"Well, I believe it is time for me to be going now," he said, rising off the couch. "I'll see you tomorrow at work. Goodnight, Eliza."
He began walking out of her flat towards the elevator.
"Wait! Henry!" Eliza shouted, much louder than she intended.
Henry looked up expectantly and she continued.
"Would you mind... staying here with me tonight? I... I need you," she admitted quietly.
She had looked like a small child coming into their parents' room after having a nightmare, scared and vulnerable.
The honesty in her eyes made him believe that she had meant every word. Some days, Henry was convinced that she only ever showed this vulnerability to him, but this was yet another thing he would never voice aloud. Perhaps some things are better left unspoken, he thought.
"Of course I will, Eliza," he said softly, a small smile appearing on his face.
He cautiously reentered her flat and shut the door. Then he silently crossed the room and sat on the couch directly next to Eliza.
"Thank you for today, Henry... for everything," Eliza said after sitting in silence for a few moments.
"You're most welcome," Henry smiled sincerely.
"No, I mean it," she continued quietly. "No one has ever stood up like that for me before... even after I stopped being butt. I really appreciate it. I'm just really mad at myself. I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for a tool like Freddy," she huffed.
"We can't choose who we fall for," Henry offered lightly.
He hadn't realized the implications of his words.
"Yeah, about that.. I have one question, Henry," she paused. "All that stuff you said about me earlier... did you mean it?"
Henry felt his breath catch in his throat. Of course I meant it, he thought. Every word.
The look on Eliza's face indicated that he had accidentally spoken this aloud. She had looked as if he had just given her the key to the universe. Her eyes were brimming with tears and she was glowing. She had scooted closer to Henry as he had been lost in his thoughts of the beautiful woman that was Eliza Dooley. His body had acted on its own accord and leaned in closer until his forehead had met hers. Their breaths intermingled with each other's until Eliza slowly moved and connected their lips. It had felt like electricity had been sent straight through Henry's body, from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.
It had started out slow and sensual, but rapidly became heated and intense. They soon had to pull away in order to catch their breaths, though neither party had wanted to. They slowly came together and rested their foreheads against one another once more.
"Henry?" Eliza asked, breathing heavily.
"Hmm?" Henry mumbled, eyes still shut.
"I had no idea you were such a good kisser."
This caused Henry to giggle. Yes, the Henry Higgs giggled. He then lightly pecked her on the lips.
"I'd like to think I have a few tricks up my sleeve," he smiled.
Eliza laughed and laid the two of them down. She had no sexual intentions, she was just drowsy and Henry's chest seemed like a comfortable place to lie down. Henry fell into a natural rhythm and began running his fingers through her hair.
"Eliza, I don't know what I did to deserve someone as kind and beautiful as you, but I knew from the moment you walked into my office that my life would change. I have found that it is most definitely for the better. I think I finally understand why Terrence's wife wrote those vows. She feels complete with him, and that's exactly how I feel when I'm with you. I feel complete. I've been unknowingly searching for that my entire life and now that I've found it, I'll be sure to never let it go."
Eliza hadn't been listening because she was already fast asleep on his chest, lightly snoring. Henry gently kissed the top of her head and laid back to get some sleep himself.
Henry had decided from that moment on, with the small redhead resting peacefully on his chest, that maybe some things should be spoken aloud.