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1.
See, Henry loves skin care products, has done all those tests and stuff that determine what products he should use. As the seasons change, and the air gets colder, he becomes kind of a fanatic about his skin.
It’s getting cooler now, and Henry hates the cold air drying out his face. He also hates his lips getting chapped. So, his solution was to just buy a 50-pack of chapstick with different flavors. He used to strictly just use the mint one, never varied because why would he? But maybe he wanted to get a little wild. Sue him.
Henry doesn’t even realize that half of these chapsticks are tinted until his roommate, Alex, points it out to him.
“Dude, are you wearing lipstick?” Alex asks, squinting at Henry’s lips. “Your lips are super pink. Like more pink than usual. Not that there’s anything wrong with wearing lipstick but-”
“It’s chapstick, Alex,” he interrupts Alex swiftly, “I hadn’t realized they were tinted.”
Alex, still looking at Henry’s lips, steps closer. “What flavor?”
Alex is the bane of Henry’s existence. They had met through June. Henry needed a roommate, and so did her little brother. His life has been a hell storm from that point forward as Alex has no concept of personal space. Or boundaries. And say everything that was on his mind. And Henry is bloody obsessed with him.
“Wait!” Alex yells, “Let me guess.”
Henry flushes and shuffles a bit. “And how would you manage to guess the flavor of my chapstick?”
“Well I was gonna just ask to see it and put it on myself, but you thought something different,”
“I did not-”
“Oh, you totally did. I don’t blame you, I’d think about kissing me too-”
Henry groans and flushes deeper. Alex never knows when to stop . Maybe Henry doesn’t want him to. Is it that big of a crime to be gay and want to kiss your hot straight roommate who you may be a little in love with? Maybe it should be a crime and Henry could be put out of his misery if he was in a jail cell and no longer had to share a living space with Alex.
Henry’s thoughts are cut short by a body pressed against his and a hand grasping the side of his neck.
“Let me?”
Terrible idea. Bloody awful idea. What is Alex even doing? What is Henry even doing?
“Yes.” Henry’s mouth says. Traitor .
It’s barely a peck, so quick Henry almost doesn’t notice it. He didn’t know what he was expecting—as if Alex would put his tongue into Henry’s mouth and—oh, he needs to stop thinking about that immediately.
Alex’s tongue flicks out to lick briefly across his own lips. Henry tracks the movement. “Strawberry?”
Henry nods. He doesn’t really have words right this second.
Alex hums in consideration. “Never was a fan of artificial strawberry. You should wear a different one,” he says, as if Henry is wearing chapstick for him. And if he puts the strawberry chapstick in the rubbish bin later that night, that’s nobody's business but his own.
-
2 .
It doesn’t happen again for another week or so. Henry isn’t sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. He hasn’t stopped thinking about it, though. He thinks Alex’s hand on his neck is imprinted in his skin forever.
He was watching the Pride and Prejudice miniseries on their sofa when Alex flops down on the couch, placing his head in Henry’s lap. This isn’t unusual for them, Alex has always been rather… touchy. It’s never bothered Henry. Two friends can cuddle. It doesn’t have to be a thing. It is a thing for him because he’s gay and has a thing for mouthy American boys but in general, it wasn’t a thing.
“You should play with my hair,” Alex says, looking up at him.
“And why should I do that?” Henry pops another piece of popcorn in his mouth. If Alex is one thing, it’s demanding. He’s never afraid to say when he wants something.
“Uh, because I like it when my hair is played with? And you love me? And you’re not doing anything else with your hands and I deserve to be pampered?”
Henry very pointedly does not look down at what he knows is a pouting face staring back up at him.
“If I can guess what chapstick you’re wearing will you play with my hair?”
Henry very slowly chews the popcorn in his mouth so he doesn’t choke on it.
Alex moves his head from Henry’s lap and props himself up on his elbows. “C’mon, lay it on me.”
“You’re persistent. If this were a workplace environment this could be labeled as harassment.” Henry wants nothing more than to let Alex lay him down across this couch, but Alex shouldn't know how badly Henry wants him.
Alex grins. “Nah,” he says, scrunching his face, “Kissing is fun, and it’s even more fun when it tastes better. And I love a challenge. So lay it on me, Fantastic Mr. Fox.”
Henry never knows how Alex can be so calm about everything all the time. Yes, he’s chaotic, but he has this way about him, this nonchalant aura that Henry is endlessly drawn and attracted to. Because to Alex, kissing can be something fun he does with friends and not an admission of anything. Maybe that’s just the hopeless romantic in Henry.
He leans forward and presses a peck to Alex’s lip.
Alex scoffs, “You’re gonna have to kiss me harder than that if you want me to taste-”
He ignores the urge to tell Alex that is exactly how he kissed him the other week, and bends down to kiss him roughly.
Alex hums in surprise and, without breaking apart from Henry, sits up and grabs the side of Henry’s neck again.
Henry doesn’t touch Alex; he makes sure not to.
Alex runs his tongue along Henry’s bottom lip and then pulls away after a second.
Henry knows what he looks like right now, pupils blown and lips red. Having his world flipped on its fucking axis while Alex smacks his lips annoyingly, trying to savor the flavor of Henry’s chapstick.
“Pineapple?” he guesses.
Henry shakes his head.
“Am I close?”
Henry nods and Alex presses another gentle kiss to Henry’s top lip. He licks his lips again.
He hums, “Wait—piña colada.”
Henry nods again, not trusting himself to speak, and Alex whoops and throws his hands in the air. “Let's fucking go! I’m a fucking genius!” He flings his head back into Henry’s lap, grabs Henry’s hand, and places it into his hair. “Now give me my reward.”
Henry spends the end of the episode blushing while brushing his fingers through Alex’s curls.
-
3.
If there is one thing Pez loves to do, it’s make impromptu plans and force Henry, Alex, Nora, and June into attendance. Which is how Henry ends up at a bar on a Thursday night. He thought maybe he’d have a drink, but Nora, June, and Pez got absolutely hammered and he felt he had to be responsible and remain the sober one. He hasn’t seen Alex drink anything tonight, but Henry’s sure he’s just as drunk.
As if on cue, “Henry!”
Henry turns around to find Alex patting a spot in his lap, despite there being room next to him. He sits in his lap anyways. “What is it?” Henry asks.
“What chapstick are you wearing?” His voice is low in Henry’s ear and Henry squirms in his lap. Alex squeezes his waist to hold him in place. Henry has completely normal, non-sexual feelings about it.
“I don’t think we should do that here, Alex.”
Alex frowns at him, rubs his hand along Henry’s stomach through his t-shirt. “Why not?”
“People might get the wrong idea,” he mutters, and it’s a wonder that Alex can even hear him.
Alex throws his head back and groans, “Who cares about any of that? It’s a fucking bar and people are drunk and you’re my Henry.”
Something shifts in Henry’s stomach and he’s suddenly very aware of Alex’s hand on his stomach, and Alex’s thigh beneath him. “You’re also drunk.”
“I’ve had two beers and they were bitter. I just wanna taste something sweet, princess.” He drawls directly into Henry’s ear. Fuck. Jesus Christ.
Henry twists himself in Alex’s lap and brings their faces together, not quite kissing, but close enough so their lips brush. “Then go get a drink, love.”
“Nothing’s as sweet as you, sugar.” Alex always has to one-up him. Bloody always. He brings their lips together anyways.
Alex is rubbing smooth circles on his sides as they kiss and Henry can taste the beer on Alex’s tongue and maybe Alex isn’t as straight as Henry thought and maybe Henry is about to say to hell with it and ride Alex’s thigh in front of God and everyone in this bar to see. He doesn’t know why he’s so riled up, except he does because Alex just does this to him.
He is now very aware, as he pulls his lips from Alex’s, that they have other company here with them.
Alex doesn’t seem to care. “Vanilla,” he says against the mole on the corner of Henry's mouth.
Henry blushes more than he already has been from just looking at Alex all night and pokes at his side, drawing Alex’s attention to June, Nora, and Pez who are staring at them wide eyed.
Nora and Pez look like Christmas came early, and June looks like she’s about to throw up. How do they even bloody explain this?
Oh, by the way, Alex has an obsession with tasting my chapstick and I have an obsession with letting Alex do whatever he wants.
“Totally called it,” Nora grins, and much to Henry’s disdain, Alex grins too.
“Hazza and Sasha!” Pez yells, “Who would've guessed besides everyone else who has had the unfortunate opportunity of being in the same room as the two of them.”
Henry gives a weak smile, doesn’t quite know how to explain what's happening. He slides off of Alex’s lap and lets Nora, Pez, and even June have their little celebration. He’s almost sure they won’t remember this even happened tomorrow.
4.
Henry has had so much to do today. All he’s wanted to do is come home, watch something with Alex, and go the hell to sleep. He met with Philip and with his mum and he was mentally and physically exhausted .
“How’d it go?” Alex asks immediately when he walks into the door.
Henry scoffs, “As well as you’d expect. And frankly, I don’t have the energy to talk about it. I’ve learned to let everything Philip says go in one ear and out the other. I just want us to sit on the couch and eat Jaffa cakes and watch a movie. You can fucking pick it. I don’t care.”
“Sweetheart, you should-”
“If you tell me to calm down, I'm kicking you out and you can go live with June and Nora.”
“I would never tell you to calm down. I was just going to calm you down myself.”
Henry looks at him in confusion, watching as Alex reaches into his bag and pulls out a chapstick.
“Come here.”
“What are you-”
“ Come here, Henry.” And okay, Christ. He steps towards Alex.
Alex uncaps it, and Henry thinks Alex deserves some sort of an award for being able to make uncapping chapstick look so sexy.
He grabs Henry’s jaw and applies the chapstick himself. Henry is about to die. He wants Alex’s hands everywhere . And they haven't even established what they are, just that they like to kiss each other.
Henry’s tongue darts out, and he pulls a face. “What flavor is this?”
“ Dr. Pepper . I hate the feeling of chapstick, you know. I bought these for myself. It feels better on you.”
Henry shivers, and Alex caps the chapstick. “You don’t need it anyways,” he mumbles, and Alex grins. “It’s cheating to guess the flavor if you already know what it is.”
“Haven't tried it though. Taste test?”
Henry hums and Alex kisses him, and as always, it's so good.
Alex grabs at Henry’s waist and guides him towards the couch, lays him down on his back and climbs on top of him. It all happens so quickly and Henry wants. “ Alex -”
“Look at you, calming down already,” he breathes against his lips before biting at him. Alex slides a warm hand up Henry’s shirt, rubbing at his stomach.
Henry squirms and bucks up, Alex licks a stripe across Henry’s lips. It’s almost gross, it should be gross, but Henry whines.
“You do taste really good, baby,” Alex laughs breathily. Henry squeezes at his biceps in response.
“The- the-” Henry whimpers, much to his own embarrassment.
Alex laughs teasingly. “‘The’ what, sweet boy?” He kisses down Henry’s neck, biting down again. Henry can’t fucking think.
“The night, i-in the bar.”
“Mhm,” Alex bites his top lip. Henry thrashes beneath him.
“Stay still, you’re gonna push me off the couch, baby,” Alex pushes down on his hips, ripping a moan from Henry. “So needy. Anyways, what were you saying?” He goes back to kissing Henry's jaw. As if this isn't bloody killing him right now. As if he can even speak.
“ Alex,” Henry breathes out, grasping at Alex’s biceps so hard they’re surely going to bruise, “When you said you didn’t care if people thought we were.. together. You meant that?”
“Yeah.” Kiss. “Why wouldn't I?” Another kiss. “Grab my hair, Henry.”
Henry does as he’s told, because of course he does, and lazily kisses Alex back. “What if we were to—erm. Always do that.” He cringes at himself. “Kiss, I mean. In front of other people.”
“Are you asking me out?” Alex breaks their kiss and looks down at Henry, his hand still in Alex’s hair.
“O-only if you’d like? If you’re uncomfortable and don’t want-”
“Baby, my spit is all over your mouth and neck. What makes you think I don’t want people to know you’re mine?”
“Okay. Very well then.”
“ Very well then,” Alex mocks his accent and presses a kiss to Henry’s lips. “Hey, my plan worked.”
Henry furrows his eyebrows at him. “What do you mean?”
“I got you to calm down. Well, kind of calm down. Your dick is against my thigh.”
Henry groans in embarrassment and pushes Alex off of him. “Get off, you menace. And get me a Jaffa Cake.”
“Anything else, my princess?” Alex bows.
Henry rolls his eyes, “I’m breaking up with you.”
A Jaffa Cake hits his face a minute later.
-
5.
“Oh, Henry! Heart of mine!” a loud voice booms through the apartment.
Henry sighs and places his copy of Sense and Sensibility on the coffee table. “Yes?”
Alex plops himself in Henry’s lap. “Would you like to play a game?” he asks, holding up the grocery bag in his hand.
“Am I suddenly roommates with Jigsaw?”
“First of all,” Alex gestures between the two of them, “Our tongues have been in each other's mouths, don't call me your roommate.”
“Sorry, dear.”
“Much better, though, ‘my super sexy hot beautiful’-”
“All of those words are synonymous, it’s insulting that you would think-”
“Anyways!” Alex cuts him off. “I have a game.”
Henry’s hand fidgets with the hem of Alex’s shirt. “Go on.”
“I got you a new chapstick-”
“That was very kind of you-”
“Shut up. Stop talking.” He cuts Henry off again , waving his hand through the air. “And I want you to guess the flavor.”
“Alright, why?”
“Because I want to make out? Obviously?” Alex stares at him as if it was obvious and honestly, knowing Alex, it should've been more obvious.
“Okay.” Henry blinks.
“You don’t sound very excited.”
“I’m getting impatient and want your mouth on me, so the less lengthy responses seem best suited.”
“ Ugh , talk dirty to me, baby,” Alex reaches into the bag as Henry flushes, shifting where Alex is still in his lap. He shouldn't be as charmed by this whole thing as he is.
Alex covers the label, grabbing at Henry’s jaw, “Open.”
Henry opens, and Alex applies the chapstick gently. He’s always so gentle . “How does kissing come into this?”
“I’m going to kiss you, obviously.”
“Couldn’t I tell what the flavor is simply by licking my lips?”
“So you don’t want to make out—”
“Simply pointing out the logical fallacies in your little game, dear,”
“Oh my fucking God, shut up,” And Alex shuts Henry up himself. A hand goes up Henry’s shirt and he hums contently. He loves it when Alex touches him like this. Kisses him like this.
They kiss for so long Henry almost forgets what the point of this is until Alex pulls away. “What’s the verdict, your honor?”
“Uhm, cherry?”
“Are you dumb? Not even close.”
“Kiss me again.”
Alex does, and Henry licks at his bottom lip. “Plum?”
“You suck at this game.”
“I'm a little distracted, I have a lap full of Alex and your hand on my stomach.”
“Tell your tongue to pay better attention.”
“ My tongue is perfectly adequate.” Henry surges forward, grabs Alex’s face and guides the kiss himself. All he can taste now is the inside of Alex’s mouth. “Okay I give up.”
“Birthday cake.”
“That was nowhere near a birthday cake flavor.”
“Well, it was. So cry about it.”
“How about you kiss me more instead?”
Alex does.
+1.
“Which one are you wearing today, sweetheart?” Alex asks as he plops himself down next to Henry.
“It’s actually a little too oily. I’m not exactly fond of it.”
Alex leans over and wipes his thumb across Henry’s lips then sucks on it. Henry wants to kill himself.
“Vanilla,” he smiles.
“Will you let me put some on you? Not the one I’m wearing, but a different one?” Henry asks, moving so he's straddling Alex’s lap. Alex runs his hands through Henry’s hair.
“I don’t like chapstick.”
“I know, I know. But I think you’ll like this one, love. If you don’t, you can always wipe it off.” Henry laces their fingers and Alex leans his head back against the couch before nodding.
Henry, pulling the chapstick from his pocket, adjusts himself in Alex’s lap. “Pucker your lips.”
Alex does, and Henry focuses on applying a liberal amount.
“This is kinda hot, y’know.”
Henry flushes, because of course he bloody does, and gives Alex a peck for good measure. “How’s the texture?”
“Not bad, actually. Why aren’t you wearing this one if it’s better than the one you have on?”
Henry blushes and moves off of Alex’s lap onto the other side of the couch.
“What?” Alex laughs.
“You said you liked it.” Henry muttered.
Alex laughs again, “What was that? I can’t hear you, darlin'.”
“You said you liked the way it tastes! Jeez, Alex.” Henry buried his face into the couch cushion.
Alex’s pokes at his side. “You’re really fucking cute, y’know that?”
Henry ignores him and after that they fall into a comfortable silence, both getting too wrapped up into bakeoff. He is slightly distracted because he can see and hear Alex licking the chapstick off his lips. It truly is a sight, and Henry wonders if Texas is one of the states that offer euthanasia.
“You’re staring so hard, baby,”
“Are you going to do something about it?”
And Alex, well. Alex kisses him senseless.