WHO: Joey van der Berg, Henry Claus, open to Iestyn Ceredig or Tinsel Claus but can stand alone WHEN: Sunday afternoon WHERE: Starbucks (then the Claus apartment for the last bit WHAT: Just Henry getting freaked out on accident WARNINGS: Talking about Lucifer but light on the details
Maybe if Henry hadn't been on his break, it never would have happened. He wouldn't have had time to chat, and thus, the conversation would not have occurred. He had been on break, however, and when he looked up from his latte, he spotted Joey van der Berg, who was grinning at him.
"Hey, you're Iestyn's boyfriend, right?" Joey asked. They had met very briefly at one of Iestyn's shows, but the lights had been wacky and it had been very loud. Henry knew who Joey was, however. Joey was the person who had taken the twins under his wings and told them how to survive Lucifer. He had told them bluntly what to expect and how to keep their souls, and both twins were so grateful to him. Joey had also given Iestyn his first dresses, which Iestyn wore occasionally, proclaiming it to be a 'Joey dress' every time.
Henry was a little in awe of Joey van der Berg. "That's me!" he smiled brightly, extending a hand to shake. "Would you like to sit?" Joey gave off the nicest feeling, and Henry kind of wanted to sit there, basking in it. That Claus Tingle made him so sensitive to other people, but it was rare someone gave off the kind of pure 'NICE' aura Joey had. Like there wasn't a single bit of darkness in him. The fact that he managed that after surviving Lucifer made Henry want to ask him a million questions so he could grow up to be just like him, but he refrained.
"Sure!" Joey said, his hands wrapped around his venti mocha frappe. "I didn't know you worked here! I would have made it my local far sooner," Joey laughed. "I usually go to the Starbucks around the corner but it was slammed today. It's nice to see you! Have you seen the baby yet!?" Joey had been sent photos, but he hadn't seen Evelyn in person.
"Yes!" Henry squeaked. "She is so cute! I sat with Iestyn while he held her too. She makes the most adorable little sounds," Henry said, his expression clearly giving away just how much he adored both twins and Evelyn.
Joey laughed and he pulled out his phone, "I can't wait until Evelyn can meet my daughter, Olivia. Olivia will love her! Here she is," he showed Henry a photo of his 3 year old, happily 'reading a book' albeit upside down. "They would be the cutest friends!"
"Oh my god her hair!" Henry squealed over Olivia's adorable ringlets.
"I don't even know how that happened, they just formed by themselves," Joey laughed, stowing his phone again. "It's good, you know," he said, sobering a little, "good that Iestyn has someone like you. From all he's told me, you are wonderfully supportive. If not we would have to have A Talk."
Henry grinned and he took a sip of his latte. "Hey, fair enough. I would accept the talk, they have been through enough. Surely. I just- I know I'm with Iestyn, but I want to make both their lives better in any way I can." There weren't many people Henry could talk to about what Iestyn and Addy had been through. Everyone else who knew was their family, or...well the Merry Men, but Henry was intimidated by them. Except Friar Tuck, but he had his own shit. It was nice to talk to someone else who understood.
Joey gave him an approving smile. "Hey, same. You sound like my friend, Lena," Joey said with a smile. "Both Lena and my partner Nikkie...and then Patrick once I let him back into my life...they were the only reasons I got through it. You have to have good people around you, to catch you when you fall. And I fell a lot. I would be doing really well for months and then something would trigger- I needed those people."
Henry had been there when Iestyn had been triggered, and he nodded. He understood, too, that Joey was telling him to expect more. "Why was Patrick not allowed in your life?" Henry asked, and then he blushed furiously. "Oh my god, I am so sorry. That's probably personal! I just- He's Iestyn's uncle and I wanted to make sure he was safe-"
Joey held up a hand, chuckling, "it's okay, Henry. Don't worry, you're not going to upset me by asking questions. Patrick's more than safe! It was- I was angry with Patrick for something that wasn't even his fault. Lucifer came after me to get to Patrick. That's what he does. He goes after the people you love. He couldn't get to Patrick, but he could get to me. Hell. A year after he had me, he took Lena just to fuck with me more, because by then I was too well protected for him to fuck with me again."
Joey hadn't meant to at all, but horror curled in Henry's stomach at Joey's words, cold and awful. A year after Joey had been taken, Lucifer had taken someone in Joey's life? Well a year was coming up from the time the twins had been taken. It was next month. And who was in the twins' lives who wasn't as well protected as they were?
Henry.
Henry was in the twins' lives, and Lucifer had spoken to him. Lucifer, who had subjected poor Iestyn to conversion therapy to punish him for being gay, knew that Iestyn had defied him and now had a boyfriend.
Fuck fuck fuck.
Henry realised he had been silent for too long, so he gave Joey a wavery smile. "That sucks," he said, awkwardly. "Shit, my break's over. Hey- We should hang out for real sometime," he said, and even though it sounded like he meant it, he would likely be far too afraid to do so now-
Because Lucifer was clearly after him. He was biding his time.
"Sounds great!" Joey replied, unaware Henry was now losing his shit, because Henry was really good at covering it up. He offered his hand again, and they shook, and then Henry beat a hasty retreat to the break room in the back of the coffee shop. Once there, he lied about feeling sick and rushed home as quickly as he could.
He was supposed to see Iestyn tonight, and now he wasn't sure that was a great idea. He didn't want to lie to his boyfriend, however. He loved Iestyn, and lying about being sick...while he could do it to his boss, it didn't sit right with him to do it to Iestyn. Instead, he told a half truth. He sent Iestyn a frantic message that he was having an off-day and was too scared to leave his apartment. True, while leaving out the reason. Then he turned every single light in the apartment on, and went to hide in his room.