Day sixteen/ letters
The little AU: Advent Calendar: Day Sixteen: Letters
slashfairy
G
Henry stops by on his way between Columbia and the house on the bluff. He takes the shuttle from LAX to the hotel, makes his way to Orlando's room, and knocks on the door.
"Come on, Orli, I know you're in there. Grab some clothes and a bandanna, and come on out, let's go eat or surf or something. I've got four hours before I catch the commuter. Come on, man, time's wasting."
A semester away at University's made Henry a little bolder- he's always had some awe of Orlando, his talent, his large heart, and the way he's softened Henry's dad, tamed him a little bit -but he's not as awed as he'd been before going away, and he's not interested in wasting what little time he has here waiting out Orli's withdrawal from the world.
Orlando answers the door, and all Henry's impatience falls away. Orli's eyes are shadowed, his full lips downturned, and he's just standing there, not moving, no hug, no "Hey!", nothing, until he sobs, once, and says, "I want to go home..."
Henry, scared a little, moves to enter the room and close the door behind him. He leans back against it, all 6+ feet of him, and pulls Orlando to him as he's seen his father do time and time again, and lets him weep on his shoulder until the shuddering stops. He holds Orli away from him, arm's length, and says, "Want to come with me? Now? On the commuter?" But Orli just shakes his head.
"I can't. I don't know why I'm not there now, so I can't go there... not until I know."
The words make no sense, but something about the feeling, the absolute confusion, does, so he just accepts Orlando at his word, guides him to the sofa, and after seeing him settled on it, goes to the kitchenette to make tea for them both. "Cures all," Orli'd said one day when letting Henry rant on about something or another, some high school politics that had almost no resonance for Orli, British schooling being so different, but made perfect sense as something that could only be upsetting to the point of disequilibrium for Henry. Now Orlando is unbalanced, knocked off-kilter by something Henry can't see but senses as clearly as he has every earthquake he's ever not-quite-slept through, and Henry brings the tea, PG Tips, as an offering to placate the demons tearing Orlando's confidence apart.
They sit side by side, silently sipping the warm, comforting, aromatic brew, until, finished, they set their cups and saucers down on the coffee table at nearly the same moment. They look at each other, smile, then Henry laughs, gently. "I need to go," he says, catching Orlando's glance, holding it feather-light with his own. "Sure you won't come, see me home?"
But Orlando only shakes his head. "Can't," he says, quietly, softly, but his voice has more life in it...Henry sees in his mind's eye a daffodil bulb, hidden from above but under the earth sending out those first tentative roots, looking for the water that will, eventually, send its leaves into the air, presaging the bright trumpet to come when ice melts and days lengthen. Henry nods in silent agreement, picks up the cap and jacket he'd laid aside earlier, and goes to the door, smiling.
"See you at home for Christmas, though, I hope, Orli." He opens the door, but doesn't leave, not quite yet.
Waiting pays off, not as he'd have wished it to, but enough for now. "Take these," Orli says, handing him an envelope full of something. It's sealed, taped closed. "Open it at the house, ok?"
Henry nods again, seeing that fleeting golden yellow of daffodils reflected in Orlando's brown eyes. "Will do, we'll open it together, me and Dad and Karl. Ok?"
Orlando nods, not trusting his voice, and puts his hand on the doorknob, ready to close it behind Henry when he's stepped through it. Reluctance hangs in the air, not heavily enough to change anything, but enough to make them wish things'd change, and that's enough for now. Henry smiles at Orli, Orli smiles back, Henry steps out into the hall, and Orli closes the door.
Day seventeen
slashfairy
G
Henry stops by on his way between Columbia and the house on the bluff. He takes the shuttle from LAX to the hotel, makes his way to Orlando's room, and knocks on the door.
"Come on, Orli, I know you're in there. Grab some clothes and a bandanna, and come on out, let's go eat or surf or something. I've got four hours before I catch the commuter. Come on, man, time's wasting."
A semester away at University's made Henry a little bolder- he's always had some awe of Orlando, his talent, his large heart, and the way he's softened Henry's dad, tamed him a little bit -but he's not as awed as he'd been before going away, and he's not interested in wasting what little time he has here waiting out Orli's withdrawal from the world.
Orlando answers the door, and all Henry's impatience falls away. Orli's eyes are shadowed, his full lips downturned, and he's just standing there, not moving, no hug, no "Hey!", nothing, until he sobs, once, and says, "I want to go home..."
Henry, scared a little, moves to enter the room and close the door behind him. He leans back against it, all 6+ feet of him, and pulls Orlando to him as he's seen his father do time and time again, and lets him weep on his shoulder until the shuddering stops. He holds Orli away from him, arm's length, and says, "Want to come with me? Now? On the commuter?" But Orli just shakes his head.
"I can't. I don't know why I'm not there now, so I can't go there... not until I know."
The words make no sense, but something about the feeling, the absolute confusion, does, so he just accepts Orlando at his word, guides him to the sofa, and after seeing him settled on it, goes to the kitchenette to make tea for them both. "Cures all," Orli'd said one day when letting Henry rant on about something or another, some high school politics that had almost no resonance for Orli, British schooling being so different, but made perfect sense as something that could only be upsetting to the point of disequilibrium for Henry. Now Orlando is unbalanced, knocked off-kilter by something Henry can't see but senses as clearly as he has every earthquake he's ever not-quite-slept through, and Henry brings the tea, PG Tips, as an offering to placate the demons tearing Orlando's confidence apart.
They sit side by side, silently sipping the warm, comforting, aromatic brew, until, finished, they set their cups and saucers down on the coffee table at nearly the same moment. They look at each other, smile, then Henry laughs, gently. "I need to go," he says, catching Orlando's glance, holding it feather-light with his own. "Sure you won't come, see me home?"
But Orlando only shakes his head. "Can't," he says, quietly, softly, but his voice has more life in it...Henry sees in his mind's eye a daffodil bulb, hidden from above but under the earth sending out those first tentative roots, looking for the water that will, eventually, send its leaves into the air, presaging the bright trumpet to come when ice melts and days lengthen. Henry nods in silent agreement, picks up the cap and jacket he'd laid aside earlier, and goes to the door, smiling.
"See you at home for Christmas, though, I hope, Orli." He opens the door, but doesn't leave, not quite yet.
Waiting pays off, not as he'd have wished it to, but enough for now. "Take these," Orli says, handing him an envelope full of something. It's sealed, taped closed. "Open it at the house, ok?"
Henry nods again, seeing that fleeting golden yellow of daffodils reflected in Orlando's brown eyes. "Will do, we'll open it together, me and Dad and Karl. Ok?"
Orlando nods, not trusting his voice, and puts his hand on the doorknob, ready to close it behind Henry when he's stepped through it. Reluctance hangs in the air, not heavily enough to change anything, but enough to make them wish things'd change, and that's enough for now. Henry smiles at Orli, Orli smiles back, Henry steps out into the hall, and Orli closes the door.
Day seventeen