it seems like it's been forever since you've been home

[somatophylax]

Making plans for Greece had been taking up a lot of Henry's time--deciding exactly what places they'd revisit, anticipating the way the world had changed in their absence, trying not to succumb to vertigo at the idea--and maybe that was a reasonable excuse for forgetting that there was somewhere else he might want to at least call during the

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[somatophylax]

"If anything happens, I tried to warn you, you can't say that I didn't." Henry shakes his head, giving him a look caught between affection and exasperation, and knocks on the door. Knowing his parents' schedule (he can't forget that, apparently) at five thirty his mother is just starting to make dinner, and this is the perfect time to show up: she can adjust whatever she's doing to feed them too and she'll be too busy cooking to guilt trip him.

These normal little concerns, his memories of his most recent life: he doesn't expect them to affect him, but they do.

They wait longer than feels right.

"Maybe they're not in-"

His mother opens the door, gasps, and immediately hugs him--almost hard enough to knock him slightly off-balance, and he responds with an exaggerated 'oof'.

"Henry Fabron, what on Earth are you doing here-"

"I missed you too, mom," he says, half-laughing- until Kate disentangles herself from him and glares, which leads to him trailing off, and looking for an out. "Uh--mom, this is--"

"Alex--Henry, you brought your boyfriend here and you didn't even call to warn me after ignoring me for months?"

"It was one month!"

"It was at least a month and a half--Alex, I'm so sorry, it's such a pleasure to finally meet you."

[megosalksandros]

Surely it hasn't been more than a month! Alex's eyes widen comically at the way Kate launches herself at her son, and has an awkward moment of 'oh god do I keep holding his hand or what, here' and ultimately decides to let go so that Henry can hug her. (Also, he tries really hard not to laugh.)

(Really hard.)

"--Hello! Mrs. Fabron, I've heard everything wonderful about you, I see you have been stalking your son, I like that in a mother."

... Alexander.

[somatophylax]

Kate beams, patting her (dyed) brown hair as she approaches Alex to...hug him, as well, because after all he's practically family. Henry is already mortified.

They should have just gone to Greece, none of this would be happening in Greece.

"But does he appreciate it? Of course not," she says, stepping back. "Please, come in, even if I don't have any idea what I'm going to feed you--the place is a mess, but you can thank Henry for that, if he wanted us to give you a good impression he should have--"

"--called, mom, I know." Henry ushers her into the house with a hand on her back, giving Alex a deeply apologetic look. "Where's dad?"

"He's in the garden, I'll get him. You two sit down on the couch and don't go anywhere."

"We won't."

Greece, he thinks, again, wistfully.

[megosalksandros]

If Henry had remembered to check his email or, you know, call his mother, they'd still be in Greece with Alex's insane extended family, but no, circumstances have conspired to mercilessly even the field. Alex just nods along with Kate and lets himself be herded, bemused, until they are (briefly) alone in the living room.

"She's a whirlwind," he comments, trying and failing to suppress a smile at the look on Henry's face. "Are we sitting, or--?" Do they continue to stand here somewhat awkwardly? Does Henry need smelling salts?

[somatophylax]

"We're sitting," Henry says, rubbing the bridge of his nose and gesturing with his free hand couchwards - it's floral, with a quilt draped over its back, and it goes perfectly with the rest of the living room decor. Then he sits himself, because why not head by example?

"All right, since we took them by surprise my mother is probably briefing my father on what to say and do while we're here--" as little as possible, he's sure "--so I have a while to tell you I warned you. Again."

[megosalksandros]

Alexander takes his hand again as they sit, close enough to be comforting but not enough to be overly-touchy. He's perfectly capable of behaving, being kind of good at this 'charming people who hate him' thing - he is, of course, going to troll Kate, but he's aware that Henry's father is a horse of a different color. If you will.

"Baby, if I was all serious about this you'd puke from anxiety." His affectionate tone is mildly teasing, but still soft enough to speak plainly to his understanding.

[somatophylax]

"She does already love you by reputation." Henry's not particularly expressive about their relationship to his mother (because in the end, how honest can he be?) but she knows how to read between his lines all too well. He knows, with a certain faintly guilty fondness, that she's not used to hearing about him being happy, and that's why she's giving him such relative latitude about ignoring her. "And--excuse me, I would not."

Being in his second childhood home is clearly having an impact on his maturity.

[megosalksandros]

The idea that Henry's been so clearly unhappy that this is a shocking change makes his heart ache just a bit; it's not that Alex has been living some kind of carefree life, but there'll always be that bit of guilt for not finding him sooner. Still, he's pleased that they're here, underlying nervousness and all. Kate is charming already, and there's a bit of pride, too, at being able to show off his happy boyfriend.

"Well, we'll never know, thankfully," he concedes, still teasing him a little to try and put him more at ease. Alex squeezes his hand again, and he might lean over to kiss his temple or something if comedic law didn't dictate Henry's father appearing behind them the instant he did. Thus, he refrains.

[somatophylax]

Henry has no such compunctions about his father, and so he does kiss Alex lightly and squeezes his hand in reply, pulling back just as Paul (white-haired, weathered, and still sturdy despite his age) enters the room with Kate behind him like the wind filling out a sail. Henry turns and looks at him, evenly and purposefully dignified, and Paul's jaw sets ever so slightly as he takes an armchair directly across the room from them.

"Alex, this is Paul, Henry's father," Kate says, by way of introduction. "Paul, this is Alex, Henry's--boyfriend makes you both sound like teenagers, doesn't it?"

"Boyfriend is fine, mom." Henry laughs, covering his face with his free hand, some of the tension easing. "Or partner. Or just Alex, I'm sure."

"I'm just checking--now you all stay here while I figure out what dinner's going to be, I'll be in and out." Kate leaves, with one warning glance at Paul.

"It's been a while," Paul offers, to Henry.

"Yes, it has."

Paul pauses. "It's good to see you." Apparently he's not...talking to Alex just yet.

[megosalksandros]

Alexander politely sits up a little straighter when Paul enters the room, body language speaking plainly of respect (since nobody's standing on formality) versus nervousness. "It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. Fabron," Alex says, then smiles at Kate, laughing quietly.

... And then there's that awkward exchange, in which Alex waits a beat to see if father or son is going to say anything. He'll start talking to fill the silence soon enough, but might as well give them the opportunity.