Who: Henry Fox and Charlie Spring When: January 2nd Where: Their house than pizza joint What: Catching up from New Years Status/Rating: Ongoing/PG-13ish Warnings: Triggers of bringing up self-harm/EDs
Henry: Henry had spent the majority of the New Years Day just relaxing, he did not have any classes to teach so when Alex had left, he decided that he was going to do some cleaning and organizing some things. He even fit in going and swimming some laps in the pool just to get in some exercise before he was going to have a lazy day the rest of the day.
So the next day, he wanted to do something productive. He knew that he needed to get assignments set up for his classes and the next set of readings. Henry went into his office and got on his laptop as he began to prepare for when classes would resume. They would be doing a poetry lesson where they would be studying different poems and then in the end, the students will have to write their own poem to share with the class. He would drink his coffee as he was typing out hsi lessons.
When he was finished, he didn’t know if Charlie wanted to go and grab some lunch with him. Closing down his laptop, he got up and closed his office door and headed to the direction of Charlie’s bedroom. He knocked before he even opened the door. “Hey, are you hungry or anything?” He asked him.
Charlie was sleeping later in the day than before. New Years with Nick was good, but it’d brought back some things to his head that were not so good. He’d wanted Nick to spend the night, even said so. Nick didn’t think it was such a good idea. Mentally he understood it mostly, but then he got to looking at himself in the mirror when that knock came. He was just starting to put on his shirt. He’d yet to put on a jumper or anything, and pulled open the door.
“Er, yeah I could do that.” His arms had scars from obvious past cuts. None of them were fresh, but all of them were visible as he reached for a jumper nearby that he’d stolen from Nick already. He wasn’t feeling the most confident in himself anymore. The kissing had been nice though.
He pulled that jacket on as quickly as he could.
As Henry saw that the door was opening, he gave a slight smile. “Great, well, you get to pick the place. Since I can pretty much eat anything.” He said with a chuckle. He didn’t enter the room and just stood there crossing his arms. He didn’t want to intrude or anything on Charle. Henry figured that today they could just spend the day together, since things would be getting busier and he rather enjoyed Charlie’s company. He thought that they were getting along rather well together. So maybe after they had gone out for lunch, they could do a little bit of shopping. “Hey, thanks by the way for all your help with the house. I really appreciate it.”
Standing there in the doorway, he leaned against it. “So did you have a fun time out with Nick for New Years?” He asked, trying to start a conversation, hoping that it was good for Nick. He was glad that his boyfriend was here. “By the way, Alex will not be moving in, but he does have a key. So if you hear rustling around or anything and it’s not me, it’s probably him.” He said with a smile.
“So what are you hungry for? We could go for pizza? Chinese? Burgers?” He said, trying to have a little bit of variety.
“I haven’t done that much…just not caught it on fire.” He gave a lopsided sort of smile and a bit of a laugh. Though he was pretty clean for a teenage boy. “Mum always had me do stuff like dishes and trash though so it’s fine.” He didn’t mind doing that kind of thing. “She used to give me allowance for that sort of thing.” He shrugged. Henry had given him money as it was, so he didn’t expect more. Didn’t really need more. There wasn’t much he wanted.
Charlie finished pulling on that jumper and looked over with a bit of concern. “Why not? Is everything okay?” Maybe it was too soon? Just like with Nick and spending the night? “It was…interesting. With Nick.” They had no parents to draw boundaries, so they were trying to figure that part out on their own.
“Um…I duno really..maybe you should decide?” Food often was a stressor for him, he didn’t know how to manage it, The choosing things, so he usually just defaulted to pizza. But he was pretty sure they had pizza the last three nights of the week. “Just maybe not pizza.”
“Hey that is still something.” He said with a smile on his face. “It’s nice that I don’t have to hire a maid for this place or anything. Just keep it up, and perhaps, I’ll double your allowance. Since this place is way bigger than the apartment.” He chuckled. He enjoyed having Charlie around and he was a good kid. It made him think about his and Alex’s future and when that time came. He was already thinking about kids running around here.
Henry looked at him, “Oh, everything is fine. He just thinks that it is too soon. That’s all, and he might be right. I mean we are just still in the dating phase, but maybe in the next 6-8 months he will want to move in. But, I’m sure he will be over all the time anyway.” He smiled at Charlie, “It happens when you are taking things slow. The last time, I think things just happened a little too fast and we were in different places at the time as well.” He looked down at the ground.
“We could go to that place called Hinkles? They have burgers, fries, shakes. At least it will be different than pizza. I could use a juicy burger.” He said with a smile on his face. “I know that you are very picky with food and that is fine, but I heard they have really good food and I haven’t been there yet.” Shrugging his shoulders.
“Yeah…Nick said something similar about spending the night. We used to have sleepovers often though.” He was a bit confused there, but based on how all the kissing happened it was probably him worrying about sex. “He’s never been with a guy before me.” He was bisexual sure, but they were both young. The last one he was with was probably a girl and it was something like holding hands.
“That sounds so bloody American.” Charlie couldn’t help but shake his head with a bit of a laugh. They didn’t really have that sort of diner vibe “But yeah, okay.” He frowned a little at the being picky comment and shrugged. “If I can get a salad or something I’ll be fine.” He was picky, in fact he really didn’t enjoy eating much at all if he was entirely honest. “Haven’t either.” He grabbed his phone and his wallet and finished putting on his hoodie.
“I mean, I think it is the best decision. We only just got back together when I arrived here after hurting him back home. I think that in the next 6 months or so though I can get him to officially move in.” He said looking over at Charlie. “I’m sure that he’s wanting to take things slow with you. I’ve learned that taking things slow can be very beneficial. So my advice would be is just stay in the present and work your way up to sleepovers again. And he is welcome here whenever you would like to have him over.”
He then laughed. “It does doesn’t it? But I’m guessing it is what to expect here.” He nodded his head, “Great.” Noticing the frown he shook it off. If it was something that he said, it was already said and no backing away now. “Well, we can go and experience it together then.” He said as he left the hallway to head to the door to wait for Charlie.
Charlie was quiet for a moment as they walked. He thought about telling Henry something, but he hadn’t really told anyone before. Not even Nick. “I had a boyfriend before Nick.” He’d been the young, spry age of fourteen when Ben happened They were walking towards the door of that huge mansion. Charlie could take his time, and he needed to.
Ben was a sensitive subject. “He was always making comments about me being skinny. Made comments on how many calories were in everything I tried to eat That he was jealous of how skinny I was.” Ben was an asshole. A controlling one, that had lead to that conversation about consent. “Sometimes he gets in my head when I try to eat anything at all.” He gave a small smile. Trying to explain why he was so picky. Though he didn’t entirely understand it either. All the same he was trying to be normal, trying to eat out at new places and have things that weren’t just pizza.
As they were walking, Henry heard Charlie talking about a boyfriend before Nick. So did this mean that Charlie was opening up more to Henry? Or at least trying? Either way, he would listen and try and understand him more. Henry thought he was a good kid anyway. Opening up the front door, he let Charlie go ahead of him.
It wasn’t a far walk to get to Hinkles and he continued to listen to Charlie. When he was finished, he looked over at him. “That guy sounds like a real arsehole.” He sighed, he was so terrible at this but he was going to at least try. “So is this why you don’t really eat anything? Because you’re self conscious?” He asked him, “I’m sorry that he treated you this way. You don’t deserve to have someone in your life that is jealous or even comments on calories” He sighed, “You know, I’ve learned a valuable lesson from being here and it is that, we get a second chance at doing what we want. So maybe you can take this as a way for you to enjoy life. Nobody is going to care what you look like or what you put in your body. Don’t let him win by getting inside of your head.”
“Not so much self conscious as…a lot of it makes me feel ill now.” He didn’t know why, or what that meant. Pizza was a safe food, but he didn’t know that term yet either. He just knew he could eat it without wanting to gag most of the time. “He was a twat.” His new favorite word for Ben that he’d picked up from some sitcom or another.
“Thought he loved me. Turns out he didn’t even like me.” There were things he wasn’t ready to admit when it came to Ben. Like the fact that Ben had convinced him he wanted sex at fourteen. “I’d been outted as the gay kid at an all boys school. He convinced me I really didn’t deserve anyone at all….I’m still working on that part.” Convincing himself he deserved Nick was a hard to do. Nick was so fucking wonderful and he loved him to death. Charlie put his hands in his pockets uncomfortably. “I’ve probably been an arse a lot here.” He wasn’t sure what anyone’s motive was when it came to him and being happy or not happy.
“Well, that does make sense. Your body probably got used to not eating or eating very little that when you do try foods now they make you sick to your stomach.” He was now understanding everything and was glad that Charlie was opening up to him. Even though he still felt like almost the worst guardian because he didn’t know how to be a good guardian. He laughed, “He most certainly sounds like it. You know before Alex came along, I would have flings here and there, but I always had to make appearances with women. I wasn’t allowed to be who I wanted to be.”
“Some people, they know that they can get to you by manipulation. Making you think things and then bam, they destroy you. Seems like this Ben guy didn’t have the greatest self-esteem so he needed someone to tear down so it would make him feel better about himself and I just think that is just an awful thing.” As they got to the door of Hinkles, he looked at him, “I just want you to know that you deserve love Charlie….I know that it is going to take sometime because your mind is all screwed up because of Ben, but I think that Nick is good for you. All you have to do is follow your heart. And you are not an arse….sometimes I feel like I don’t know what I am doing as a guardian but you are a good kid.” He said as he opened up the restaurant door so they both could go in.
“Pizza doesn’t do it. I don’t know why…” He responded with a half shrug. There were safe foods. “I don’t want to eat it all the time but it’s one of the few things that doesn’t make me feel ill.” He was trying to give Henry a chance, this was a small but also kind of major step, it wasn’t a thing he often talked about. Eating made him feel squeamish in general and he hated it. “Do you like any of them? Nick says he’s bi. I;ve never been interested in women that way.” He was only fifteen though. Hadn’t had much chance. But Nick still knew he liked them.
“Ben never wanted to be seen with me. This is all new…Being able to be seen in public with Nick,...and him wanting to be seen in public with me.” He looked up with a small smile at that comment. “I think you’re doing fine…sorry if I can be a little shite though.” He smirked and stepped into the place, looking around. There was a strong smell of diner food. “Maybe I can get chips.” Something new, not pizza. “Think Americans call them fries?”
“I understand that. Certain foods go so far in your stomach. How about we experiment with food? See what your body can handle and what it can’t. Maybe you’ll find something that you like.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Henry gave a sigh and shook his head, “Not really. I mean it was complicated. Because I knew I was gay but with being a royal, that was frowned upon. So I would date women but it was for my family and not myself. I did have a couple of flings where I saw a guy for a few months until they didn’t want to wait anymore. I then met Alex and I have never felt anything for anyone like I do for Alex. He understands me and when I ran away from him because to me things got too real for me, he chased after me and fought for us. That to me is love.” He looked at Charlie, “Alex is Bi too, but as long as you know that you two are good for each other, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.”
As they went inside the restaurant and found a table, Henry went and sat down. “I know that feeling, but it wasn’t that I had a choice. I didn’t want my family to find out so I did a lot of sneaking around. But, there’s a difference between me and this Ben. It seemed like Ben was ashamed of being his true self and used you to get what he wants. Nick seems like a great guy. Alex got me to realize that I would rather abdicate myself from the crown then hide my true self. I came out to the king and I followed my heart. So what is going to make you happy?” He asked. He then nodded, “Chips it is. And yeah, I find it quite weird they call them French fries.” He laughed as he ordered Charlie’s fries and himself a burger, fries and a strawberry shake. “And I appreciate you saying that. Hey, how about once a week you and I go shopping and grab a bite to eat? And if you ever need anything, you know you can come to me. I’ll try my best to answer any questions and I’ll always listen.”
This was stuff he hadn't even told Nick yet. Not because he wanted to hide but because it was hard to explain. He nodded to the words the other man said though. “Yeah. Dark sodas and heavy things are almost always something I can't eat. “ Nick ate everything. Charlie barely ate anything.
As they sat down and the subject of Ben washed over him, he shuddered like a bucket of ice water was thrown at him. “Dunno, but Nick being here is a start… And Ben not being here is a bonus. “ He gave a small shrug and tucked into the seat. “Yeah. The once a week thing sounds good. “He was starting to feel a little more comfortable there at least. Enough to do this. It was progress.
Henry nodded, “Okay, dark soda and heavy meals. I will write that down so if I’m cooking I can make it light meals for you. And if you still think that you can’t eat something that I make, please let me know. I can always prepare something else for you as well.” He said as he sat in the booth and gave Charlie a smile. “I just want to keep the lines of communication open.”
Noticing that it didn’t sit well with Charlie, he changed the subject. “Well, that is certainly a good thing and I hope that Ben doesn’t show up here. For your sake anyway. I want you to be happy and hopefully Nick can do just that. And he is welcome over anytime.” He said. As their food came, both Charlie and Henry sat there and continued their conversation with one another. It was a great time and Henry felt better about being a better guardian to Charlie. At least they were making progress with each other which was something. As they finished, they then headed on home. Where Henry put away some to go food and then both relaxed for the rest of the night.