Work Text:
1.
Alex is late. Nora’s gonna kill him after she told him three times yesterday to not be late to their group breakfast.
亚历克斯迟到了诺拉会杀了他的 诺拉昨天跟他说了三次集体早餐不要迟到
But he really needed to make a stop before going.
但他真的需要在走之前停一下。
Two days ago, June had invited the whole friendship circle to a group breakfast this morning to this breakfast diner called Sunrise. Alex did some research on the place, being the curious, investigative person he is, and their menu did not serve any Earl Grey tea. And Henry is never in a good mood without his morning tea.
两天前，茱恩邀请整个朋友圈的人今天早上一起去一家叫 "日出 "的早餐店吃早餐。亚历克斯是个好奇心很强的人，他对这家店做了一些调查，发现他们的菜单上没有伯爵茶。而不喝早茶，亨利的心情永远不会好。
And so Alex decided to become his knight-in-shining-armor as per usual and stopped by their usual place, Chen’s Cafe, where they serve Henry’s favorite tea.
于是，亚历克斯决定像往常一样成为他的闪亮盔甲骑士，来到他们的老地方--陈氏咖啡馆，那里有亨利最喜欢的茶。
“Earl Grey with a splash of milk for Henry?” the barista calls, and Alex raises his hand. Yes, he asked her to put Henry’s name instead of his own. It’s his drink, anyway.
"给亨利来杯加奶的伯爵茶？"咖啡师叫道，亚历克斯举起了手。是的，他让她写上亨利的名字，而不是他自己的。反正这是他的饮料。
He bids thanks and goodbye to the barista, places a $5 tip in the tip jar, and walks back to his car. He carefully places the hot cup into the cup holder, and drives away.
他向咖啡师道谢并道别，在小费罐里放了 5 美元小费，然后走回自己的汽车。他小心翼翼地把热杯放进杯架，然后开车离开。
“I thought I told you not to be late,” Nora says in lieu of greeting him when he arrives at Sunrise 30 minutes later. The whole gang is present—Nora and June sitting across each other by the window, Pez and Henry sitting across each other by the edge, and Bea sitting in front of everyone on a solo chair like a king’s seat.
诺拉说："我不是告诉过你不要迟到吗？"当他 30 分钟后到达 "日出之城 "时，诺拉没有跟他打招呼。所有的人都到齐了--诺拉和琼隔窗相对而坐，佩兹和亨利隔窗相对而坐，碧坐在大家前面一张像国王座位一样的单人椅上。
The space beside Henry is always left available for Alex, and that’s where he slides into with a sheepish grin on his face.
亨利身边的空位总是留给亚历克斯，他就坐在那里，脸上带着腼腆的笑容。
“Sorry I’m late. Didn’t expect traffic to be this bad at 8 fuckin’ o’clock,” Alex shrugs. “Anyway, I just made a little detour. For this.”
"对不起，我迟到了。没想到 8 点钟的时候交通这么堵。"亚历克斯耸耸肩。"总之，我只是绕了点路。为了这个"。
He places the cup of Earl Grey, still fortunately warm, in front of Henry on the table. He hears June and Bea chuckle in understanding, he’s pretty sure he hears Pez grinning, and he hears Nora snort. But he’s not paying attention to any of them right now.
他把那杯幸好还是热的伯爵茶放在亨利面前的桌子上。他听到琼和碧笑着表示理解，他很确定自己听到了佩兹的笑声，还听到了诺拉的鼻息声。但他现在一个也没注意到。
He’s staring at Henry’s stupidly beautiful face, and his heart flutters when Henry’s facial expression morphs into a fond surprise.
他盯着亨利那张傻乎乎的漂亮脸蛋，当亨利的面部表情变成深情的惊喜时，他的心怦怦直跳。
“You went to Chen’s? That’s like, 30—”
"你去了陈家？好像是30 -"
“30 minutes away, yeah. I know,” Alex smiles. “It’s just—I did some research on this place—”
"30分钟车程，是的。我知道，"亚历克斯笑道。"只是我对这个地方做了些调查"
“Of course you did,” Nora mutters, to which Alex only flips her the bird for it, making the whole table laugh.
诺拉嘀咕道："当然是你干的。"艾利克斯只是撇了她一眼，惹得全桌哄堂大笑。
“—and they don’t serve your stupid Earl Grey, and I know how cranky you get when you don’t have your daily tea fix.” Henry smiles at him.
"他们不提供你那愚蠢的格雷伯爵茶 我知道你每天喝不到茶会有多烦躁"亨利冲他笑了笑。
“You say my coffee addiction is bad, but you’re just the same as I am with your fucking tea, sweetheart,” Alex adds as a distraction, and he is so tempted to lean in and kiss Henry’s cheek that’s painted a beautiful faint blush of pink.
"你说我的咖啡瘾不好，但你也和我一样，喜欢喝该死的茶，亲爱的，"亚历克斯转移注意力地补充道，他很想凑过去亲吻亨利那涂着美丽的淡淡粉红的脸颊。
“It’s not an addiction, you imbecile. I do not take more than a cup every morning unlike you who is probably a half step closer to injecting caffeine into your bloody bloodstream.”
"这不是上瘾，你这个低能儿。我每天早上都不会喝超过一杯，不像你，你可能只差半步就把咖啡因注射进你该死的血液里了。"
Alex only leans in and makes a playful, mocking face that makes Henry laugh while pushing him slightly away.
亚历克斯只是凑过来，做了一个嬉皮笑脸的嘲弄表情，逗得亨利哈哈大笑，同时把他轻轻推开。
The group falls into a small chat after that. June had already ordered, which is good because she knows what Alex’s taste in food is.
之后，大家陷入了闲聊。琼已经点了菜，这很好，因为她知道亚历克斯对食物的口味。
Pez is still talking animatedly about some disastrous date he went on the previous night when their food is served.
当他们的饭菜端上来时，Pez 还在兴致勃勃地谈论他前一晚参加的某个灾难性约会。
“Speaking of dates, are you still going to that one with Charles, Hazza?” he asks while slicing up his waffle.
"说到约会，你还会和查尔斯去吗，哈扎？"他一边切华夫饼一边问。
“Charles? Who’s Charles?” Alex asks, frowning as he looks back and forth at Pez and Henry.
"查尔斯？查尔斯是谁？亚历克斯皱着眉头问，一边来回看着佩兹和亨利。
“Oh it’s this lad he shares a class with,” Bea says, Alex whipping his head to her direction. “Philosophy, was it, Hen?”
"哦，是那个和他同班的小伙子，"碧说，亚历克斯扭头看向她的方向。"是哲学课吧，亨？"
When Alex’s gaze falls on Henry, the blush on his cheeks are brighter than earlier. “Yeah. Erm, he DMed me on Instagram a few weeks ago. Asking if I could have drinks with him sometime.”
当亚历克斯的目光落在亨利身上时，他脸颊上的红晕比刚才更鲜艳了。"是啊。几周前，他在 Instagram 上给我发了一条信息。问我能不能找个时间和他喝一杯。"
“And?” Alex can’t help but press. “What did you say?”
"然后呢？"亚历克斯忍不住追问。"你说什么？"
“I said I’ll think about it,” Henry answers casually, jutting his chin forward a bit while munching on some pancakes.
"我说我会考虑的，"亨利随口答道，一边嚼着薄煎饼，一边向前微微颔首。
“And?” "然后呢？"
“And I’m thinking of… saying yes,” Henry looks away for a few seconds before returning to eat and sip on his tea.
"我想......答应你。"亨利转头看了几秒钟，然后又继续吃东西、喝茶。
And Alex, well. He may no longer be hungry.
还有亚历克斯他可能已经不饿了
He opens his mouth to say something back when—
他张了张嘴，想说点什么，但--
“I think it’s a great idea.” Alex glares at June. “What? Henry has been single for quite some time now, and I think it’s time for him to get back in the game.”
"我觉得这是个好主意"亚历克斯瞪着琼"怎么了 亨利已经单身很久了 我觉得他是时候重新开始了"
Alex only rolls his eyes and decides to murder the pancakes on his plate instead.
亚历克斯只是翻了翻白眼，决定把盘子里的煎饼干掉。
“Speaking of relationship statuses,” Nora chips in, making the rest of the group look up at her. “There’s actually a real reason why we asked y’all to meet us this early.”
"说到关系状况，"诺拉插了一句，让大家都抬起头看她。"我们这么早约你们见面，其实是有真正原因的。"
She and June look at each other and share a smile. Alex squints his eyes. They widen as he watches Nora place her palm on the table down side up, and June slides her hand onto it and intertwines their fingers.
她和琼相视一笑。亚历克斯眯起眼睛。当他看到诺拉把手掌朝下放在桌子上，琼把她的手放在上面，两人的手指交织在一起时，他的眼睛睁得更大了。
“We’re together now,” June announces happily, albeit a little shy from the blush on her cheek.
"我们现在在一起了，"琼高兴地宣布，尽管脸颊上的红晕让她有些害羞。
The rest of the group erupts in cheers and laughs while Alex keeps staring at them, a surprised smile frozen on his face.
其他人爆发出欢呼声和笑声，而亚历克斯一直盯着他们，脸上凝固着惊讶的笑容。
“Alex?” June calls out to him, making him snap back to the present. He can sense the nervousness in his sister’s voice. Oh, we can’t have that now, can we?
"亚历克斯？"茱恩的呼唤让他回过神来。他能感觉到妹妹声音里的紧张。哦，我们现在不能这样，不是吗？
“Fucking finally,” he breathes out while chuckling, and both June and Nora sigh in relief.
"他妈的终于来了，"他一边笑着一边呼出一口气，琼和诺拉都松了一口气。
“I mean, y’all are going to be more gross now that you’re out and I’m gonna have to fucking deal with it because I visit you during my study days so I could focus in your orbit and you know I love you two but seriously, may you have mercy on my poor s—”
"我的意思是，你们都会更恶心 现在你出来了，我要去他妈的处理它 因为我参观你在我学习的日子 这样我就可以集中精力在你的轨道 你知道我爱你们两个 但严重的是，愿你有怜悯我可怜的S -"
“Alex,” Henry cuts him off with a short chuckle. “Breathe, love.”
"亚历克斯，"亨利轻笑着打断了他。"深呼吸，亲爱的"
The rest of the table chuckles as well and moves along the topic, but Alex is stuck at the way Henry called him love.
餐桌上的其他人也都笑了起来，顺着话题聊了下去，但亚历克斯却对亨利称他为 "爱 "的方式耿耿于怀。
He wants to fucking lock it in his brain and play it on loop forever.
他想把它锁在脑子里，永远循环播放。
The rest of the breakfast runs smoothly until they all part ways. Alex offers to take Henry home, so they’re currently both in Alex’s car, celebrating June and Nora’s announcement.
早餐的其他部分进行得很顺利，直到他们分道扬镳。亚历克斯提议送亨利回家，所以他们现在都在亚历克斯的车里，庆祝琼和诺拉宣布婚讯。
“I really am happy for them, you know?” Alex says with a smile as he makes a turn. “I know I give them both shit most of the time, but I really love them. I’m glad they found each other.”
"我真的为他们感到高兴，你知道吗？"亚历克斯转过身笑着说"我知道大多数时候我都在说他们的坏话，但我真的很爱他们。我很高兴他们找到了彼此。"
“You don’t think it’s weird for your sister to date your one-week fling?” Henry teases gently, making Alex laugh.
"你不觉得你妹妹和你一周的艳遇约会很奇怪吗？"亨利温柔地调侃道，逗得亚历克斯哈哈大笑。
“Hey, fuck off! Nora and I were so high school sophomore year. I don’t even remember how the fuck that happened anymore, but I sure as hell don’t like reminiscing it.” He adds a playful shudder at the end that gets Henry laughing.
"嘿，滚开！诺拉和我大二的时候是高中同学我都不记得那是怎么发生的了，但我肯定不喜欢回忆。"他最后还俏皮地颤抖了一下，引得亨利哈哈大笑。
“So. Charles.” Alex breaks the silence after a few minutes. He sees Henry turn to him with a raised eyebrow through his peripheral view. “What’s he like?” he tries asking casually, hoping Henry doesn’t notice the waver in his voice.
"查尔斯几分钟后，亚历克斯打破了沉默。他通过余光看到亨利转过身来，眉毛一挑。"他是个什么样的人？"他试着随口问了一句，希望亨利不要注意到他声音里的波动。
“He’s… nice,” Henry answers.
"他......很好，"亨利回答。
“Just nice?” This time, it’s Alex who raises his brow.
"只是好看吗？"这次，亚历克斯挑了挑眉。
Henry chuckles while shaking his head. “I only sat with him in class like twice, and you know I don’t mingle much with classmates. But he seems fine,” he says, probably thinking well on how he should answer the question. “I really don’t know much about him, but that’s the purpose of this date, isn’t it?”
亨利一边笑一边摇头。"我只在课堂上和他坐过两次，你知道我不太和同学打交道。不过他看起来还不错，"他说，可能是在考虑该如何回答这个问题。"我真的不太了解他，但这不正是这次约会的目的吗？"
Alex only hums, not knowing what to say to that.
亚历克斯只是哼了一声，不知道该怎么回答。
“I mean, I guess I could say he’s cute?” Henry chuckles as he hesitates, and Alex fights the urge to roll his eyes. “I just hope it all turns out well,” he finishes before looking out the window.
"我是说，我想我可以说他很可爱？"亨利笑着说，他犹豫了一下，亚历克斯忍住了翻白眼的冲动。"我只希望一切顺利。"他说完后看向窗外。
Alex stays silent. 亚历克斯保持沉默。
From: Sweetheart <3 :
来自亲爱的 <3 ：
Are you busy? 你忙吗？
Alex is most certainly not busy. Well, at least not anymore.
亚历克斯肯定不忙。至少现在不忙了。
It’s almost two in the fucking morning, and he’s been working on several case studies since like… 7. His back and nape fucking hurt from being strained, his eyes burning and his head pounding. A good late-night chat with Henry would definitely make him feel better.
现在都他妈快凌晨两点了，而他从大概......7 点开始就一直在做几个案例研究。他的后背和后颈因为劳累而疼痛难忍，眼睛火辣辣地疼，脑袋嗡嗡作响。和亨利好好聊个深夜绝对会让他感觉好些。
He shoves all his readings to the other side of the bed and lays on his stomach as he video-calls Henry.
他把所有读物都推到床的另一侧，趴在床上与亨利视频通话。
“Hey, sweetheart,” he immediately says when Henry picks up. He also instantly notices the slight frown on his best friend’s facial expression. “What’s wrong?”
"嘿，亲爱的，"当亨利接起电话时，他立刻说道。他也立刻注意到好友微微皱起的眉头。"怎么了？"
Henry blinks for a few seconds before shaking his head slowly. “Nothing. It’s stupid, I’m sorry.”
亨利眨了几秒钟眼睛，然后慢慢地摇了摇头。"没什么。这很愚蠢，我很抱歉。"
“Hey, none of that now,” Alex chides, pulling himself up in a sitting position on the bed. “You can tell me anything, Hen.”
"嘿，现在别说这些了，"亚历克斯斥责道，拉起自己在床上坐了起来。"你可以告诉我任何事，轩。"
Henry sighs, and Alex watches on the screen as he shuffles around, probably to get comfy on the bed.
亨利叹了口气，艾利克斯看着屏幕上的他走来走去，可能是想在床上坐舒服点。
“It sucked.” "糟透了"
Alex doesn’t need to ask what he means. “What did he do to you?”
亚历克斯不需要问他的意思。"他对你做了什么？"
Henry runs a tired hand across his pretty face. “We may have a minor irreconcilable difference.”
亨利疲惫地用手抚摸着自己漂亮的脸庞。"我们可能有一点不可调和的分歧"
Alex raises a brow. “Care to explain?” he asks, his voice lacking its usual teasing tone.
亚历克斯挑了挑眉。"愿意解释一下吗？"他问道，声音里没有了往日的戏谑。
Henry sighs, leaning his head back against his pillow, a few strands of blonde hair sprawled on it. Alex wants to feel them on his fingers.
亨利叹了口气，把头靠在枕头上，几缕金发散落在枕头上。亚历克斯想用手指摸摸它们。
“We didn’t even get past the bloody getting to know you stage. He snorted when I told him about my English Literature degree. I asked him What’s so funny? and he said Oh nothing, it’s just… isn’t that boring?”
"我们甚至都还没过血腥的了解你的阶段。当我告诉他我的英国文学学位时，他嗤之以鼻。我问他有什么好笑的，他说没什么，只是......那不是很无聊吗？
“What the fuck?” "搞什么鬼？"
Henry nods solemnly. “My thoughts exactly. I stared at him blankly—”
亨利郑重地点点头。"我也是这么想的。我茫然地看着他--"
Now that makes Alex snort. He knows exactly what Henry looks like when he’s not impressed with something or someone. Lord knows Alex himself has been on its receiving end multiple times.
这让亚历克斯嗤之以鼻。他很清楚亨利对某件事或某个人印象不好时是什么样子。天知道亚历克斯自己也曾多次受到过他的影响。
“—before I told him in extensive detail how essential it is to know the history of literature as we know it today and its contributions to almost all languages and how life-changing it is to explore the very depths of our minds to come up with beautiful, magical worlds that can be treated as an escape from reality or—or how fulfilling it is to play with so many beautiful words instead of using the same old common ones that only peasants like him could probably fathom.”
"--在我详细地告诉他，了解我们今天所知的文学史及其对几乎所有语言的贡献是多么重要，以及探索我们的思想深处，创造出美丽而神奇的世界是多么改变命运，这些世界可以被当作对现实的逃避，或者说，玩弄这么多美丽的词语，而不是使用只有像他这样的农民才可能理解的老一套普通词语，是多么有成就感"。
Alex stares at his screen, his lips slightly parted in awe, his mind blank of anything else except HenryHenryHenryHenry.
亚历克斯盯着屏幕，嘴唇微微张开，满脸敬畏，脑子里除了亨利-亨利-亨利-亨利（HenryHenryHenry）之外什么都没有。
How the fuck can Henry make intelligent rebuttals look so fucking sexy?
亨利怎么能把聪明的反驳说得这么性感？
“—Alex? Love, are you okay? Did I lose you?” Henry’s voice laced with concern snaps him back to the present.
"亚历克斯？亲爱的，你还好吗？我把你弄丢了吗？"亨利带着关切的声音把他拉回了现实。
“No!” Alex shakes his head, chuckling. “I’m just amazed, I think my mind blanked out for a sec there.”
"不！"亚历克斯摇摇头，笑着说"我只是很惊讶，我想我的大脑有一瞬间空白了"
Henry chuckles while wearing a confused look on his pretty face. “I mean—you fucking had him there, sweetheart. I hope the asshole shut his fucking mouth after that,” Alex adds, trying to act as nonchalant as he can.
亨利一边笑着，一边在漂亮的脸上露出困惑的表情。"我的意思是，你他妈把他打倒在地了，亲爱的。我希望那个混蛋在那之后闭上他的臭嘴，"亚历克斯补充道，尽量表现得不慌不忙。
“Well..” Henry clears his throat, purses his lips and looks away for a few seconds before looking back at Alex. “He may have rolled his eyes and left me alone at our table to flirt with some poor girl on the dance floor.”
"嗯......"亨利清了清嗓子，抿了抿嘴唇，别过头去看了几秒钟，然后又回过头来看着亚历克斯。"他可能翻了个白眼，把我一个人丢在我们的桌子上，去舞池里和某个可怜的女孩调情了。"
“What the fuck?” Alex can feel the anger rising in his throat, foul words threatening to leave his lips. How dare the motherfucker leave Henry alone at a table at a fucking bar?
"搞什么鬼？"亚历克斯能感觉到喉咙里的怒火在升腾，粗话就要脱口而出。这个混蛋怎么敢把亨利一个人留在酒吧的桌子上？
“How did you get home? Were you safe? Did you call Pez? Where’s that son of a bitch? I swear to fucking—”
"你是怎么回家的？安全吗？你给Pez打电话了吗？那个狗娘养的在哪儿？我发誓
“Alex!” Henry cuts him off with a laugh. “Down, boy. I’m fine. I didn’t call Pez because he was feeling slightly under the weather, so I booked an Uber instead. It’s all good.”
"亚历克斯！"亨利笑着打断了他的话"趴下，孩子。I'm fine.我没给佩兹打电话是因为他有点不舒服，所以我叫了辆出租车。没事的
“You sure?” Alex squints his eyes. Henry nods as if to assure him, but Alex has another idea.
"你确定？"亚历克斯眯起眼睛。亨利点点头，似乎在向他保证，但亚历克斯另有主意。
He doesn’t want Henry to go to sleep with a sad heart.
他不想让亨利带着悲伤的心情入睡。
“How about I bring over some Chinese takeout and you can tell me all about whatever your favorite book is at the moment and maybe read it to me to sleep and we’ll only wake when the sun is up late?”
"要不我带点中式外卖过来 你可以给我讲讲你现在最喜欢的书" "也许还可以读给我听" "然后我们在太阳升起很晚的时候才醒来"
Henry sighs. “Alex, you don’t have to do that. It’s two in the morning.”
亨利叹了口气。"亚历克斯，你没必要这么做。现在是凌晨两点。"
“I’m aware,” Alex rebuts with a raised brow. “I’m still going to.”
"我知道，"亚历克斯挑眉反驳道。"我还是要去。"
Henry sighs again, this time with a small, fond smile. “Oh, bloody well then. Do hurry. My stomach may have just woken up at the mention of Chinese takeout.”
亨利又叹了口气，这次他微微一笑。"哦，那好吧。快点吧。一提到中式外卖，我的胃可能就醒了。"
Alex chuckles and breathes out, “Give me 25 minutes, sweetheart.” Henry smiles at him one last time before hanging up.
亚历克斯笑着呼出一口气："给我25分钟，亲爱的。"挂断电话前，亨利最后一次对他微笑。
He jumps out of bed and throws in a hoodie and some sweatpants before running out of his dorm, car keys in hand.
他跳下床，穿上连帽衫和运动裤，然后拿着车钥匙跑出宿舍。
“You really didn’t have to do all this, you know,” Henry says with a small smile as they both clean up the empty Chinese takeout boxes in the kitchen.
亨利微微一笑说："你真的没必要做这些，知道吗？"这时，他们都在收拾厨房里的中餐外卖空盒子。
“I told you, I wanted to,” Alex winks, making Henry huff out a soft laugh while blushing. “I didn’t want you to sleep after having such a bad night.”
"我告诉过你，我想这么做。"亚历克斯眨了眨眼睛，逗得亨利一边脸红一边轻笑出声。"我不想让你在度过了一个如此糟糕的夜晚后还睡不着。"
Alex’s boyish grin falters a bit when he feels Henry’s hand gently covering his own. “Thank you, Alex. I really appreciate it.”
当亚历克斯感觉到亨利的手轻轻地握住自己的手时，他那孩子气的笑容有点僵硬。"谢谢你，亚历克斯。我真的很感激。"
Alex’s palm itches to turn over and intertwine their fingers. “Of course, sweetheart.” They share eye contact for a few seconds and Alex can’t breathe, so he changes the subject.
亚历克斯的手掌痒痒的，想翻过身来，将两人的手指交织在一起。"当然，亲爱的。"两人眼神交流了几秒钟，亚历克斯喘不过气来，于是他换了个话题。
“Why don’t you get ready for bed while I finish cleaning up here, and you can read me that book?”
"你为什么不准备上床睡觉 我收拾完这里 你可以给我读那本书"
Henry starts to protest. “Alex, I—”
亨利开始抗议"亚历克斯，我..."
“No buts, sweetheart. Shoo!” He waves his hand to shoo Henry away playfully, making Henry roll his eyes playfully.
"没有但是，亲爱的。走开！"他嬉皮笑脸地挥手赶亨利走，惹得亨利俏皮地翻了个白眼。
“Fine. Have it your way then.” Alex chuckles as he watches his best friend march off to his room before finishing cleaning up the mess.
"好吧，随你便"亚历克斯一边笑着，一边看着他最好的朋友在收拾完残局之前向自己的房间走去。
When he gets to Henry’s room, Henry is already in his striped blue PJs, and Alex’s matching red ones are folded neatly at the edge of the bed. Alex bought them those PJs last year at a thrift store they passed by one time.
当他来到亨利的房间时，亨利已经穿上了他的条纹蓝色睡衣，而亚历克斯的配套红色睡衣则整齐地叠放在床边。这些睡衣是亚历克斯去年在他们路过的一家旧货店给他们买的。
“We’d slay matching jammies, don’t you think?” Alex had suggested at the time, making Henry roll his eyes fondly.
"我们可以穿情侣睡衣，你觉得呢？"亚历克斯当时提议道，让亨利忍不住翻了个白眼。
“What are we, 5?” Henry chuckled. “I think those are meant for children.”
"我们是什么，5号？"亨利笑着说"我觉得这些是给孩子们准备的"
“I’m sure they have sizes. Come on!”
"我肯定他们有尺寸。来吧！"
“Alex, what in the world—” Alex cut him off by dragging him inside the thrift store, and 15 minutes and a couple of fittings later, they went out of it with the purchased PJs in hand.
"艾利克斯，这到底是...... "艾利克斯打断了他的话，把他拖进了旧货店，15 分钟和几次试衣后，他们拿着买来的睡衣走出了店门。
Alex had thought back then that Henry would just store them away somewhere, so imagine his surprise when they did a sleepover at Henry’s place time when Henry came out of his room wearing his PJs, and Alex almost about cried because he stuffed his own pair in his bag just for hopes.
艾利克斯当时以为亨利会把睡衣收起来，所以当他们在亨利家过夜时，亨利穿着睡衣从房间里走出来，艾利克斯几乎要哭了，因为他把自己的睡衣塞进了包里，以备不时之需。
“Lookin’ comfy there, Hen,” Alex grins while bending down to grab his PJs. “Wanna tell me about your book for tonight?”
"看起来很舒服啊，母鸡。"亚历克斯一边笑着，一边弯下腰去拿他的睡衣。"想跟我说说你今晚的书吗？"
“Actually, I went back to Jane Austen,” Henry blushes shyly. “I needed some familiarity and a bit of a reminder, I guess, of why I chose to take up English Lit in the first place.”
"事实上，我又回到了简-奥斯汀，"亨利害羞地脸红了。"我想，我需要一些熟悉的东西，也需要一点提醒，提醒我当初为什么选择学习英语文学。"
Alex stays silent, his heart hurting for Henry. He’s always been so happy with his college degree, and he doesn’t deserve to have his dreams dampened by some stupid motherfucker.
亚历克斯保持沉默，他为亨利感到心痛。他的大学文凭让他一直很开心，他不应该因为某个愚蠢的混蛋而梦想破灭。
“Hey,” Alex calls out softly, sitting beside Henry and holding his hand. “That’s totally fine. But I have to say, don’t listen to that asshole, sweetheart. I think you taking up English Lit is the most Henry thing you’ve ever done in your life, honestly.”
"嘿，"亚历克斯坐在亨利身边，握着他的手轻声叫道。"没关系。但我得说，别听那个混蛋的，亲爱的。老实说，我觉得你学英语文学是你这辈子做的最亨利的事了。"
Henry grins in relief. “Most Henry thing?” He chuckles.
亨利欣慰地笑了。"最亨利的事？"他笑着说
“Yeah! The most you that you’ve done. You’re so passionate and dedicated and inspired with working on your future, and I think that’s fucking amazing. I’m in awe of you, Hen. Your mind is just fucking fascinating to know and explore.”
"是啊这是你做得最多的一次。你是如此的热情和奉献精神 和鼓舞人心的工作 你的未来， 我认为这是他妈的惊人。我很敬畏你，亨。你的思想让人着迷"
Henry blushes and whispers a thank you that makes Alex smile. “I’ll go get changed, and you can read that little book of yours to me to sleep. How’s that sound?”
亨利脸红了，低声说了句谢谢，这让亚历克斯笑了。"我去换衣服，你可以读你的小书给我听，让我睡觉。怎么样？
When Henry nods, Alex drops a soft kiss on his forehead before heading to the bathroom. He quickly changes and brushes his teeth before plopping himself onto Henry’s bed.
亨利点点头，亚历克斯在他额头上轻轻一吻，然后走向浴室。他迅速换了衣服，刷了牙，然后一屁股坐到亨利的床上。
He always loves staying over here. It’s so cozy, so Henry that gives Alex a sense of home.
他总是喜欢住在这里这里很温馨，亨利给了亚历克斯家的感觉。
“Give it to me, sweetheart,” he grins at Henry, who shakes his head while chuckling fondly before turning a bit to face Alex. He opens his copy of Sense & Sensibility and starts reading a random chapter that Alex frankly has no idea about.
"给我吧，亲爱的，"他对亨利咧嘴一笑，亨利摇摇头，同时深情地笑了笑，然后转过身来面对亚历克斯。他打开自己的《理智与情感》，开始随便读了一章，坦率地说，亚历克斯对这一章一无所知。
Alex stares at Henry the whole time he’s reading. He really can’t imagine Henry feeling sad when approaching books or words or anything English Lit-related, in general. No one understands. No one understands how fulfilling it is to see the way Henry’s eyes would light up while being engrossed in a book. No one understands how beautiful Henry’s smile is while talking about said book.
亚历克斯一直盯着亨利看书。他真的无法想象亨利在接触书籍、文字或任何与英语文学有关的东西时会感到悲伤。没人能理解。没有人理解，当亨利全神贯注地读一本书时，看到他眼睛发亮的样子是多么令人满足。没有人理解亨利在谈论书时的笑容是多么美丽。
No one understands. Except Alex. And Alex makes it his life mission to always make Henry feel heard and valued for his passion, his thoughts, his opinions, his interests, everything.
没人能理解。除了亚历克斯。亚历克斯把让亨利感受到他的热情、他的想法、他的观点、他的兴趣以及他的一切都被倾听和重视作为自己的人生使命。
“Thank you for staying with me,” Alex hears Henry whisper by the time they’re both laying in bed, the lights already off.
"谢谢你陪着我，"亚历克斯听到亨利低声说，那时他们都躺在床上，灯已经关了。
And— fuck it. Alex gently places his arm under Henry’s head, and Henry instantly scooches into his arms.
去他妈的亚历克斯轻轻地把胳膊放在亨利的头下，亨利立刻扑进他的怀里。
“I’ll always stay with you,” Alex breathes out, placing a gentle kiss at the top of Henry’s head.
"我会永远和你在一起，"亚历克斯呼出一口气，轻轻地吻了一下亨利的头顶。
They fall asleep in the same position, indeed, until the sun is up late.
他们以同样的姿势入睡，直到太阳升起很晚。
*
2.
“Henryyyy,” Alex sing-songs as he enters Henry’s dorm. “I got these tickets to this awesome ice skating show or whatever, and I think we should come check it out!”
"Henryyyy，"艾利克斯走进亨利的宿舍时唱道。"我买到了滑冰表演的门票 我想我们应该去看看！"
“Since when did you have an interest in ice skating?” Alex hears Henry ask from his room, so that’s where he heads to.
"你什么时候开始对溜冰感兴趣了？"艾利克斯听到亨利在房间里问，于是就去了房间。
“Since today,” Alex points out. “Someone offered them to me at Anthro class today at 50% off because they weren’t gonna make it for whatever reason, and I know you don’t have any classes tomorrow and so do I so I thought we’d ch—Are you going somewhere?”
"从今天开始，"亚历克斯指出。"今天在人类学课上，有人以五折的价格把它们给了我，因为不管什么原因，他们来不了了，我知道你明天没有课，我也是，所以我想我们应该......你要去什么地方吗？"
He suddenly frowns when he reaches Henry’s room, where Henry is just finishing fixing his hair.
当他走到亨利的房间时，突然皱起了眉头，亨利正在整理自己的头发。
Henry grins sheepishly. “Yes,” he admits while blushing. “I bumped into an old classmate of mine back in London a few weeks ago, and he, er.. he asked for my number and we got to talking and he finally asked me out yesterday. We’re going to this arts and cafe thing down at 23rd Street, I believe.”
亨利腼腆地笑了笑。"是的，"他红着脸承认。"几周前，我在伦敦碰到了我的一个老同学，他要了我的电话号码，我们聊了起来，昨天他终于约我出去了。昨天他终于约我出去了，我们要去 23 街的艺术咖啡馆。
Finally. Meaning Henry has been waiting for this…dude to ask him out.
终于也就是说，亨利一直在等这个......花花公子约他出去。
Alex’s heart clenches tightly in his chest, and he hopes his face doesn’t show how fucking painful it is as he smiles. “I see.”
亚历克斯的心紧紧地揪在胸口，他希望自己的表情不会显示出他笑起来有多痛苦。"我明白了"
He casually plops himself onto Henry’s bed, ignoring his best friend’s sputtering. “Too bad, we would’ve seen…” How the fuck does he describe ice skating moves?
他随手把自己塞到亨利的床上，无视好友的吐槽。"太可惜了，我们本来可以看到......"他是怎么描述溜冰动作的？
“For the record, I didn’t know you’d get tickets to this… show,” Henry chuckles. “If I did, I would’ve rescheduled and indulged your new interest.”
"郑重声明，我不知道你会买到这场......演出的票，"亨利笑着说。"如果我知道，我会重新安排时间，满足你的新兴趣"
“Shut up.” Alex rolls his eyes. “Shoo. I shall sulk by myself in peace,” he grumbles, pressing his face into one of Henry’s pillows.
"闭嘴"亚历克斯翻了个白眼。"咻。我要一个人安静地生闷气。"他抱怨着，把脸贴在亨利的一个枕头上。
God, it smells like Henry. Alex wants to scream and kick his feet and smush his face on it forever.
天哪，闻起来像亨利。亚历克斯想尖叫，想踢脚，想永远把脸贴在上面。
“If you want, you can come with us?” Henry offers so kindly, Alex hates it.
"如果你愿意，可以和我们一起走吗？"亨利的提议很友好，艾丽克丝讨厌这样。
He sighs and lifts his head up to look at Henry, who is sitting beside him with a hand gently clasping his shoulder.
他叹了口气，抬起头看着亨利，亨利正坐在他身边，一只手轻轻地搭在他的肩膀上。
“Are you kidding? I’ll be fine here, asshole.” He nudges Henry slightly, teasingly. “You deserve to have a good night.”
"你在开玩笑吗？我在这里很好，混蛋。"他戏谑地轻轻推了亨利一下。"你应该有个美好的夜晚"
“Are you sure?” Henry smiles. Alex nods. “All right then. You can stay as long as you want. Just don’t forget to lock up when you leave.”
"你确定吗？"亨利微笑着说。亚历克斯点点头。"那好吧。你想待多久就待多久。走的时候别忘了锁门。"
Alex’s cheek warms when Henry places his hand on it. Jesus Christ. He hides his face in the pillow once again and mumbles his acknowledgment.
当亨利把手放在亚历克斯的脸颊上时，他的脸颊暖暖的。天哪！他再次把脸埋进枕头里，喃喃地说着感谢的话。
When he hears the front door close as a sign of Henry leaving, he groans out loudly, fishing his phone out of his pocket and dials the third number he’s got memorized. (First is Henry’s, of course. Next is June’s, last is Nora’s.)
当他听到前门关上，表示亨利离开时，他大声呻吟了一声，从口袋里掏出手机，拨通了他记住的第三个号码。(第一个号码当然是亨利的，第二个是琼的，最后一个是诺拉的）。
“I’m busy, Alejandro. What do you want?” Nora asks from the other line. Oh.. Alex can hear her typing away.
"我很忙，亚历杭德罗。你有什么事？"诺拉在电话那头问道。亚历克斯能听到她打字的声音。
Alex snorts. “Please, I know you’re just fighting Republicans on Reddit.”
亚历克斯嗤之以鼻。"拜托，我知道你只是在 Reddit 上和共和党人吵架"。
“...Well,” Nora sputters. “Shut up. What do you want?”
"......好吧，"诺拉吐了吐舌头。闭嘴你想要什么？"
“Wanna watch an ice skating rink show?”
"想看溜冰场表演吗？"
That’s how they end up sharing popcorn and a big-ass drink with two straws in an indoor ice skating rink, absolutely bored for their lives.
就这样，他们在室内溜冰场里分享爆米花和一杯用两根吸管的大屁股饮料，绝对是无聊透顶。
“Tell me,” Nora starts, noisily slurping on her straw. Alex laughs at her action. “Why the fuck are we watching this shitshow when I could be comfy at home while cuddling and making out with your sister?”
"告诉我，"诺拉开始啜饮吸管，发出嘈杂的声音。亚历克斯被她的举动逗笑了。"我本可以在家里舒舒服服地和你妹妹搂搂抱抱、亲亲热热，为什么要看这种狗屁节目？"
Alex grimaces. “Please do not talk about making out with my sister with me, thank you very much.” He pretends to gag, making Nora smile smugly. “I got these tickets from a classmate, okay? And I was supposed to bring Henry here so I could annoy him while I’m bored out of my ass and he pretends to be interested in the show when in fact he wants to fucking flee the scene.”
亚历克斯面无表情。"请不要和我谈论和我妹妹亲热的事，非常感谢。"他假装插科打诨，让诺拉露出了得意的笑容。"这些票是我从同学那里弄来的，好吗？我本来是要带亨利来这里的，这样我就可以在无聊的时候惹恼他，而他却假装对演出很感兴趣，其实他想他妈的逃离现场。"
“And why isn’t Henry here then?” Nora raises a brow. Alex pouts.
"那为什么亨利不在这里？"诺拉挑了挑眉。亚历克斯撅起了嘴。
“He’s on a date.” He slouches in his seat, stuffing his mouth with several popcorn pieces.
"他在约会"他懒洋洋地坐在座位上，往嘴里塞了几块爆米花。
Nora only pats his back comfortingly, and Alex rolls his eyes while begrudgingly pushing her hand away.
诺拉只是安慰性地拍了拍他的背，亚历克斯翻了翻白眼，勉强推开了她的手。
He ignores Nora’s giggles and tries to focus on the show in front of him, trying not to think of Henry going out on a date with another guy who isn’t him.
他无视诺拉的咯咯笑声，努力把注意力集中在眼前的表演上，尽量不去想亨利要和另一个不是他的男人约会的事。
Alex just finished changing his clothes for bed when his phone rings from the nightstand. He frowns a bit and steps out of his room a bit to glance at the clock by the dining area. It’s already past 10PM. Nobody usually calls him this late.
亚历克斯刚换完衣服准备睡觉，床头柜上的手机响了。他皱了皱眉头，走出房间，看了一眼餐厅旁的时钟。已经过了 10 点。通常没人会这么晚给他打电话。
He picks up his phone, and his frown deepens when he sees who’s calling. He immediately presses answer.
他拿起手机，一看来电人，眉头皱得更深了。他立即按下了接听键。
“Hen? Are you okay?” he says. His heart skips a beat when he hears Henry breathe shakily on the other line.
"母鸡？你还好吗？"他说。当他听到亨利在电话那头颤抖地呼吸时，他的心跳了一下。
“Can you come over?” Henry asks in a soft, small voice. “Please,” he adds, his voice wavering.
"你能过来吗？"亨利小声地问。"求你了，"他补充道，声音有些颤抖。
“On my way. Do you want me to stay on the line while I’m on my way?” he asks while rushing for his car keys and running out of his dorm.
"我在路上。我在路上的时候，你要我一直在线吗？"他一边问，一边匆忙拿了车钥匙，跑出了宿舍。
“N-No, it’s fine. I can wait. Drive safely,” Henry says.
"不，没关系。我可以等。安全驾驶，"亨利说。
“Okay, baby.” The nickname slips out before he can even think about it, and it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed to Henry, with the way his gasp shakes on the other line. “Can you drink some water for me, at least? I’ll be there in 10.”
"好的，宝贝"他还来不及多想，昵称就脱口而出，而亨利肯定不会没注意到，他的喘息声在电话那头颤抖着。"至少帮我喝点水吧？我 10 分钟后到。"
Alex hears Henry whisper out a Yes, and he smiles. “Hang on tight, sweetheart. See you soon,” he bids before hanging up and rushing to his car.
亚历克斯听到亨利低声说 "是"，他笑了。"抓紧了，亲爱的。再见，"他叮嘱道，然后挂断电话，冲向自己的汽车。
“Hen?” Alex softly calls out upon entering Henry’s dorm. “Sweetheart?”
"亨利？"亚历克斯一进亨利的宿舍就轻轻地叫了一声。"亲爱的？"
“In here,” Henry answers, and is that a sniffle Alex hears? He frowns and jogs to the living room where Henry is curled up on the loveseat, covered in his comfort blanket. Alex sees a couple of Jaffa Cake wrappers on the floor.
"在这里，"亨利回答道，亚历克斯听到的是吸鼻子的声音吗？他皱起眉头，小跑着来到客厅，亨利正蜷缩在沙发上，身上盖着舒适的毯子。亚历克斯看到地板上有几张雅法蛋糕的包装纸。
“Hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” He kneels in front of Henry and holds both of his hands. “Are you hurt?”
"嘿，怎么了？出什么事了？"他跪在亨利面前，握住他的双手。"你受伤了吗？"
Henry sniffles and hugs his knees tighter. “I…” Alex can see the struggle in Henry’s eyes, so he decides not to push.
亨利抽了抽鼻子，把膝盖抱得更紧了。"I..."亚历克斯从亨利的眼神中看到了挣扎，所以他决定不再催促。
“How about I make you some tea, and I’ll put on Bake-Off and we can cuddle while watching, hmm? Would you like that, sweetheart?” Alex asks while gently caressing Henry’s face, his hand moving upward to comb through his hair lightly as well. God, it’s so soft.
"要不我给你泡点茶 我给你放点《烘焙大赛》 我们可以边看边拥抱，怎么样？你喜欢这样吗，亲爱的？亚历克斯一边问，一边轻轻抚摸着亨利的脸，手还向上轻轻梳理着他的头发。天哪，这头发太柔软了。
Henry nods, and Alex can’t help but kiss his forehead softly. He feels Henry breathe shakily, and he pats his cheek comfortingly. “Just sit back and relax, okay? I’ll be back.” He smiles at Henry’s nod before heading off to the kitchen.
亨利点点头，亚历克斯忍不住轻轻地吻了吻他的额头。他感觉到亨利的呼吸有些颤抖，便安慰地拍了拍他的脸颊。"坐好，放松，好吗？我会回来的。"他微笑着看着亨利点头，然后走向厨房。
He makes Henry some lavender tea—something he knows Henry loves having when he’s having a bad day.
他给亨利泡了一些薰衣草茶--他知道亨利在心情不好的时候最喜欢喝这种茶。
He goes back to the living room, places the cup of tea on the coffee table and turns the TV on to play a couple of old episodes of Bake-Off.
他回到客厅，把茶杯放在茶几上，打开电视播放几集老的《烘焙大赛》。
“Wanna move to the bigger couch, darlin’? So we could cuddle properly?” Alex smiles. Henry nods, and Alex helps him stand and move to the couch. Henry immediately sits himself on his side, Alex following through on the other. “Here you go.” He hands Henry the cup of tea, to which the latter accepts with a grateful smile.
"想换个大点的沙发吗，亲爱的？这样我们就能好好拥抱了？"亚历克斯微笑着说。亨利点点头，亚历克斯帮他站起来，挪到沙发上。亨利立刻坐到了自己这边，亚历克斯也跟着坐到了另一边。"给你。"他递给亨利一杯茶，后者感激地笑着接过。
Alex stretches and offers his arm, which Henry instantly melts into. He quietly sips on his tea and Alex quietly watches the TV for a few minutes.
亚历克斯伸了伸懒腰，伸出手臂，亨利立刻就被他的手臂融化了。他安静地喝着茶，亚历克斯则静静地看了几分钟电视。
“We were hanging out here after dinner,” Henry starts in a whisper, and if Alex wasn’t so alert when it comes to Henry, he would’ve missed it.
"晚饭后，我们在这里闲逛，"亨利小声说，如果不是亚历克斯对亨利很警觉，他还真没听清。
He fixes his gaze on Henry, even while reaching for the remote to turn the TV off. He stays silent, though, as he waits for him to continue.
他紧盯着亨利，甚至在伸手拿遥控器关掉电视的时候也是如此。但他保持沉默，等待亨利继续说下去。
“We were in a similar position to this,” Henry sniffles. “Probably not as close as we are right now…” He chuckles lightly, and it makes Alex smile as the possessive part of him says Good.
"我们以前的情况也差不多，"亨利抽了抽鼻子。"可能没有我们现在这么亲密......"他轻轻地笑了笑，这让亚历克斯笑了，因为他的占有欲在说 "好"。
“Trent is a gym rat. I should’ve known, considering he was my classmate in gym class back in the day.” Henry scrunches his nose. “He’s bloody built and everything, so I understood where he came from, but still…” He bites on his lower lip, and Alex starts to worry.
"特伦特是个健身狂我早该知道，因为他是我当年体育课的同学。"亨利皱了皱鼻子。"他的身材什么的都很血腥，所以我理解他的出身，但还是......"他咬着下唇，亚历克斯开始担心起来。
“What did he do? What did he say to you?” he asks as softly as he can, slightly pulling Henry closer to him.
"他做了什么？他对你说了什么？"他尽量轻声问道，稍微把亨利拉近一些。
“I don’t even remember what we were watching anymore, but we were having a small chat while I was eating a few Jaffa Cakes, hence—” He gestures to their surroundings, and Alex glances quickly at the wrappers he saw earlier.
"我都不记得我们当时在看什么了，不过我们一边吃着几块雅法蛋糕，一边聊了会儿天，所以--"他指了指周围的环境，亚历克斯迅速瞥了一眼他之前看到的包装纸。
“Then he said, albeit jokingly, I guess, You’ve eaten quite a few already, haven’t you? And of course, clueless, stupid me asked what he meant then he shrugged and said Nothing, I just hope you cut it down a bit so you won’t get… you know,” Henry retells with a bad imitation of that asshole’s voice.
"然后他开玩笑地说，你已经吃了不少了吧？当然，没头没脑的我问他什么意思，他耸耸肩说，没什么，我只是希望你少吃一点，这样你就不会......你知道的，"亨利模仿着那个混蛋的声音复述道。
“So you won’t get, what? Fat?” Alex frowns, feeling his blood start to boil.
"那你不会变得，什么？变胖？"亚历克斯皱起眉头，感觉自己的血液开始沸腾。
Henry huffs out a self-deprecating laugh. “I guess?” He shrugs, failing to hide the sadness in his voice. “I just… you know how happy I am whenever Bea sends me some every month.” Alex nods empathetically. “It’s one of the only things from back home that still brings me comfort, and for him to try and shame and restrict me from it, I—”
亨利自嘲地笑了笑。"我想是吧。"他耸了耸肩，声音里难掩悲伤。"我只是......你知道，只要碧每个月给我寄一些，我就会很开心。"亚历克斯感同身受地点点头。"这是家乡唯一能给我带来慰藉的东西之一，而他却试图羞辱和限制我，我......"
Henry starts choking on his tears, and Alex’s heart breaks as he pulls him in for a hug. “Shh, I’m sorry, baby,” Alex whispers, gently placing Henry’s head in the crook of his neck. “I’m sorry he said those horrible things to you.”
亨利开始哽咽流泪，亚历克斯心碎地拉过他抱在怀里。"嘘，对不起，宝贝，"亚历克斯低声说，轻轻地把亨利的头放在他的颈窝里。"对不起，他对你说了那些可怕的话。"
He’s going to fucking kill that Trent fucker. He doesn’t have the right to say that shit to Henry nor to anyone.
他要杀了那个混蛋特伦特他无权对亨利说这种话 也无权对任何人说这种话
“I kicked him out right away after telling him he hurt me, and he just shook his head and muttered a Whatever before leaving,” Henry finishes with a sigh, then he closes his eyes and rests his forehead on Alex’s shoulder.
"在告诉他他伤害了我之后，我立刻把他赶了出去，他只是摇摇头，嘟囔了一句什么什么之后就走了，"亨利叹了口气说完，然后闭上眼睛，把额头靠在亚历克斯的肩膀上。
“Good to know. Listen to me.” Alex cradles Henry’s face gently in his hands, and Henry stares at him with sad yet still beautiful eyes.
"知道就好听我说。"亚历克斯用双手轻轻地捧起亨利的脸，亨利用悲伤但依然美丽的眼睛凝视着他。
“You are beautiful. Just the way you are. No matter what your body size is, I don’t fucking care. We, the people who truly love and accept you for you, don’t fucking care. So you shouldn’t, too. Let’s not give a fuck about what that asshole thinks and continue doing what makes you happy, hmm?”
"你是美丽的。就像你现在这样无论你的体型如何，我他妈都不在乎。我们，真正爱你并接受你的人，也他妈的不在乎。所以你也不应该在乎。别管那混蛋怎么想，继续做让你开心的事，好吗？"
A smile starts forming on Henry’s lips. “Even when it means Jaffa Cakes forever?”
亨利的嘴角露出了一丝微笑。"即使这意味着永远都要吃雅法蛋糕？"
Alex grins while nodding. “Especially then,” he assures before kissing Henry’s forehead and hugging him again. “If that’s what gives you comfort, why does anyone else have to have a say about it? You do you, sweetheart. Fuck anyone else who tries to put you down.”
亚历克斯咧嘴一笑，同时点了点头。"尤其是到那时，"他保证道，然后吻了吻亨利的额头，再次拥抱了他。"如果这能让你感到安慰，其他人又何必说三道四呢？你做你自己，亲爱的。去他的任何试图贬低你的人"。
Henry’s eyes fill with tears once again, and Alex can’t help but lean forward and kiss both of his eyelids gently. Then he hugs him again.
亨利的眼里再次噙满泪水，亚历克斯情不自禁地走上前去，轻轻地吻了吻他的双眼皮。然后再次拥抱他。
“It’s gonna be okay, he won’t bother you anymore,” he promises while tightening his arms around Henry.
"不会有事的，他不会再烦你了。"他一边承诺，一边紧紧搂住亨利。
They spend the rest of the night watching more Bake-Off reruns, Henry back to happily eating his Jaffa Cakes. Alex takes it as a win.
剩下的时间里，他们看了更多的烘焙大赛重播，亨利又开始开心地吃他的雅法蛋糕了。亚历克斯认为这是一场胜利。
*
3.
Radio silence. 无线电静默。
That’s what Alex has been dealing with for a whole fucking week now with Henry.
这就是亚历克斯和亨利整整一周来一直在处理的问题。
Henry hasn’t been responding to his texts, answering his calls, and he’s never in his dorm whenever Alex visits.
亨利不回他的短信，也不接他的电话，每次亚历克斯来访，他都不在宿舍。
Pez hasn’t heard from him as well, and that’s fucking strange. When Henry got mad at Alex once because he wasn’t eating well during finals week which led him to be hospitalized, Henry didn’t talk to him for two days, but he did get updates from Pez on whether he’d eaten and everything.
佩兹也没有他的消息，真他妈奇怪。有一次，亨利因为亚历克斯在期末考试周期间吃得不好而对他发火，导致他住院，亨利两天都没和他说话，但他确实从佩兹那里得到了他是否吃过饭之类的最新消息。
And that was just for two days. This is a whole-ass week.
这还只是两天。这可是整整一周啊
“Alex, quit your pacing. I’m getting dizzy,” Nora complains, shutting her mouth instantly when June elbows her and gives her the look.
"亚历克斯，别踱步了。我都快晕了。"诺拉抱怨道，但当琼用手肘碰了她一下并向她使眼色时，她立刻闭上了嘴。
“I just can’t imagine where he’d go without telling me!” Alex groans, tugging his hair a bit in frustration.
"我简直无法想象，他瞒着我去了哪里！"亚历克斯呻吟着，有些沮丧地拽着自己的头发。
“Maybe he went… I don’t know, soul-searching? And there’s no reception?” June guesses.
"也许他去了......我不知道，反省？然后就没信号了？"茱恩猜的
Alex shakes his head. “Henry’s bad with directions, and he’s usually scared to travel so far alone. He can’t possibly do that.”
亚历克斯摇摇头。"亨利不善于辨别方向，而且他通常害怕一个人走那么远的路。他不可能做到这一点。"
June and Nora keep giving him guesses afterwards, and although all of them sound impossible, knowing Henry, he still appreciates that they’re both here for him.
之后，琼和诺拉一直在给他提供猜测，虽然这些猜测听起来都不可能，但了解亨利的他还是很感激她们俩能为他出谋划策。
Alex lets the two girls chat while he sits in silence, his mind reeling back and forth on where Henry might possibly be.
亚历克斯让两个女孩聊天，自己则坐在一旁沉默不语，脑子里来回思索着亨利可能在哪里。
He’s looked in the library, in MoMA, in Chen’s Cafe, and there has been no sight of Henry anywhere.
他找遍了图书馆、现代艺术博物馆、陈氏咖啡馆，都没有亨利的踪影。
“I can’t do this,” he mutters while shaking his head. He stands up and grabs his keys. “Y’all lock up if you’re gonna leave. I need some air.”
"我做不到，"他一边摇头一边喃喃自语。他站起来，拿起钥匙。"如果你们要走，都把门锁上。我需要透透气。"
He doesn’t wait for them to reply; he rushes out instantly and heads to his car. He sends Henry a text after starting the engine.
他没等对方回复，就立刻冲出家门，奔向自己的汽车。发动引擎后，他给亨利发了一条短信。
To: Sweetheart <3 致亲爱的 <3
Hen, if you see this, pls call me
轩，如果你看到这个，请给我打电话
I’m so worried about you
我很担心你
Whatever happens, I’m here okay?
无论发生什么，我都在这里，好吗？
Please don’t shut me out, sweetheart
请别把我拒之门外，亲爱的
He sighs and double-checks that his phone isn’t on silent before starting to drive. He drives with the windows rolled down so he could actually get some air while driving around.
他叹了口气，仔细检查了一下手机是否处于静音状态，然后才开始开车。他开车时摇下车窗，这样就能在开车时呼吸到新鲜空气。
Even while driving, Alex’s mind doesn’t stop reeling. He tries to scramble his memories from the past week to see if he missed any details.
即使在开车的时候，亚历克斯的思绪也在不停地翻滚。他试图拼凑过去一周的记忆，看看是否遗漏了任何细节。
“Any plans for the weekend?” Alex asked while eating a bowl of cereal. He’s not too hungry, anyway.
"周末有什么计划吗？"亚历克斯一边吃着麦片一边问。反正他也不太饿。
He watched Henry smile while blushing on the screen. “Actually, I’m going on a date on Saturday.”
他看着屏幕上的亨利一边笑一边脸红。"事实上，我周六要去约会。"
“Oh?” Alex raised a brow, his hand with the spoon hanging mid-air. “With who?”
"哦？"亚历克斯挑了挑眉，拿着勺子的手悬在半空中。"和谁？"
“Benedict,” Henry answered while averting his gaze. Alex dropped the spoon noisily into the bowl, sending some milk splatters on the kitchen counter.
"本尼迪克特，"亨利一边回答，一边把目光移开。亚历克斯悄无声息地把勺子扔进了碗里，一些牛奶溅到了厨房的台子上。
“That guy who’s been making eyes at you in the library for two years?” Alex frowned. He got his confirmation when Henry’s blush deepened.
"那个两年来一直在图书馆对你抛媚眼的家伙？"亚历克斯皱起了眉头。当亨利的脸更红时，他得到了证实。
“He sat by my table yesterday and we finally got to talking, and turns out we have quite a lot in common.” Henry grinned, and Alex thought he might be sick.
"昨天他坐在我桌边，我们终于聊了起来，原来我们有很多共同点。"亨利咧嘴一笑，亚历克斯觉得他可能生病了。
“Did he say where you guys are going?” He asked casually, playing with the cereal in his bowl, his appetite no longer present.
"他说你们要去哪儿了吗？"他随口问道，一边把玩着碗里的麦片，食欲已然全无。
Henry shook his head. “Said he wanted to keep it a surprise,” he finished off with a chuckle. “He did mention he’s a good cook and I’ll get to have a taste, though.”
亨利摇了摇头。"他说要给我一个惊喜，"他笑着说完。"不过他说他厨艺很好，我会尝尝的。"
Alex choked a bit. “Have a taste?” He snorted. Way to sound innocent on that.
亚历克斯有点哽咽。"尝尝？"他哼了一声。听起来还真是无辜。
“I know, it sounds presumptuous.” Henry laughed. “Maybe it’s a picnic?”
"我知道，这听起来很冒昧。"亨利笑了"也许是野餐？"
Picnic. Huh. Alex didn’t remember that right away.
野餐咦？艾利克斯没有马上想起来。
He starts driving to the parks he’s aware of around the whole damn city, starting with the closest one.
他开始开车前往他所知道的整个城市的公园，从最近的一个开始。
The closest park, the one he’s most familiar with, is only twenty minutes away from Alex’s dorm. He parks the car just in front of it and goes out right away, jogging around, scoping the area for a blonde guy, preferably alive.
最近的公园，也是他最熟悉的公园，离亚历克斯的宿舍只有二十分钟的路程。他把车停在公园门口，然后马上出门，四处慢跑，寻找金发男子，最好是活的。
Henry isn’t there, though, so Alex walks back to his car with his shoulders slumped. He turns Maps on on his phone and starts searching for other parks within the area.
但亨利不在，亚历克斯只好耷拉着肩膀走回车内。他打开手机地图，开始搜索附近的其他公园。
Alex does the same thing for the next few parks he sees—jogging around, scoping the area, also asking some people from time to time if they’ve seen Henry. No such luck every time.
在接下来看到的几个公园里，亚历克斯都采取了同样的做法--慢跑、四处巡视，还不时询问一些人是否看到了亨利。但每次都不走运。
It’s when he arrives at the fifth park in his list when things finally take a turn.
当他来到清单上的第五个公园时，事情终于有了转机。
It takes Alex only around five minutes this time before he finds Henry, lying on the grass, right arm under his head and left hand on top of his stomach.
这次亚历克斯只花了大约五分钟就找到了亨利，他躺在草地上，右臂放在头下，左手放在肚子上。
Alex bites his lip and tucks his hands into his pockets while slowly walking towards him. He stops just behind Henry, and from his position, he can see a smile forming across his lips without glancing back.
亚历克斯咬着嘴唇，双手插在口袋里，慢慢向他走去。他就停在亨利身后，从他的位置，不用回头看，就能看到亨利嘴角噙着一丝微笑。
“I knew it was just a matter of time before you’d come to find me,” Henry softly says, and Alex caves in.
"我知道你迟早会来找我的，"亨利轻声说，艾利克斯屈服了。
He slowly lays beside Henry, copying his position on the grass.
他慢慢地躺在亨利身边，模仿他在草地上的姿势。
Before he can say anything, though, Henry already beats him to it. “I know I’ve not reached out, and I’m truly sorry. I just…” He huffs out a soft breath. “I just needed time to reconnect with myself, I guess.”
还没等他开口，亨利已经抢先说了。"我知道我没有主动联系你，真的很抱歉。我只是......"他轻轻地呼出一口气。"我想，我只是需要时间重新认识自己。"
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Alex whispers.
"你想谈谈吗？"亚历克斯低声说
On the way here, all Alex could think about was confronting Henry for ghosting him and their friends for a whole week and maybe scolding him a little bit from how worried we got.
在来这里的路上，亚历克斯满脑子想的都是和亨利当面对质，因为他整整一个星期都在躲着他和他们的朋友，也许还会因为我们的担心而骂他几句。
But seeing Henry here, now, calm with a little mixture of sadness that Alex isn’t sure of, it’s melted all of his frustrations away, and all Alex wants is to fucking take every bit of negativity away from Henry.
但现在看到亨利在这里，平静中夹杂着一点亚历克斯也不确定的悲伤，这让他所有的沮丧都化为乌有，亚历克斯只想他妈的把亨利身上所有的负面情绪都带走。
He stares at Henry for the next few minutes, just silently listening to him breathe. “I was eight years old when my father first took me out on a late night to look at the stars. He was the one who introduced me to my love for constellations and celestial beings.”
接下来的几分钟里，他一直盯着亨利，只是静静地听他呼吸。"我八岁那年，父亲第一次在深夜带我出去看星星。是他让我爱上了星座和天体。"
Alex’s breath hitches when Henry gently reaches for his hand and points up to the sky, and when Alex looks up, he immediately recognizes Orion’s Belt.
亨利轻轻地伸手指着天空，亚历克斯的呼吸顿时急促起来，抬头一看，他立刻认出了猎户座腰带。
“The three stars of Orion’s Belt—Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka,” Henry whispers. “They’re the brightest stars among the whole constellation. They were my favorite to look at simply because of how bright they are once you spot them in the sky.”
"猎户座腰带上的三颗星--阿尔尼塔克、阿尔尼拉姆和明塔卡，"亨利低声说道。"它们是整个星座中最亮的星星。我最喜欢看它们，因为一旦你在天空中发现它们，它们就会变得非常明亮。"
Henry gently puts their joint hands down, but he doesn’t let go, so Alex doesn’t either. “Ever since Dad died, those three stars have earned a new meaning for me. I treated it as if…” He sniffles, and Alex starts to worry. “As if he is one of those brightest stars, looking down on me. Watching over me. It’s helped me convince myself sometimes that he’s never actually left me.”
亨利轻轻放下他们的手，但他没有松开，所以亚历克斯也没有松开。"自从爸爸去世后，这三颗星对我来说就有了新的意义。我把它当作......"他抽了抽鼻子，亚历克斯开始担心起来。"就好像他是其中一颗最亮的星星，俯视着我。守护着我。这让我有时说服自己 他从未真正离开过我"
“Baby…” Alex breathes, and he wants to pull him close, but moreso, he wants to keep listening to what Henry has to say.
"宝贝......"亚历克斯呼吸着，他想把他拉近，但更想继续听亨利说什么。
Henry’s grip on his hand tightens as he continues. “Benedict, he…” He sniffles. Alex remembers who the guy is. “I told him how much I loved stars, though I didn’t necessarily state the exact reason except that it reminds me of my dad and our bond that should’ve lasted years and years. But I went a little deeper into how much I love its beauty and he…” He glances up at the sky before looking down again with a sigh. “He thought it was childish.”
亨利握着他的手越来越紧，继续说道。"本尼迪克特，他......"他吸了吸鼻子。亚历克斯想起了那个人是谁。"我告诉他我有多爱星星，虽然我并不一定说出确切的原因，只是说星星让我想起了我的父亲，想起了我们本该持续多年的亲情。但我更深入地告诉他我有多爱它的美，而他......"他抬头看了一眼天空，然后又低头叹了口气。"他觉得这很幼稚"
Alex hears the pain in Henry’s laugh. “He thought my love for stars mainly because of my deceased father was childish. Never thought I’d live to see the day,” he says sardonically, shaking his head while tears continue streaming down his face.
亚历克斯从亨利的笑声中听出了痛苦。"他认为我对星星的热爱主要是因为我过世的父亲，这太幼稚了。没想到我还能活到今天。"他不好意思地说，一边摇着头，眼泪一边不停地往下流。
“Fuck, Henry, I’m so sorry,” Alex says before pulling him into a hug, to which Henry immediately cries into.
"操，亨利，我很抱歉，"艾利克斯说，然后拉着他抱在一起，亨利立刻哭了起来。
“I’m so sorry, baby.. You don’t deserve people like that.” Alex closes his eyes while caressing Henry’s hair, trying to stop his own tears from falling.
"我很抱歉 宝贝你配不上这样的人。"亚历克斯闭上眼睛，抚摸着亨利的头发，试图阻止自己的眼泪流下来。
If there’s anyone else in the world apart from Bea and Pez who gets Henry’s love for the stars, it’s Alex. He’s listened to several anecdotes of Arthur Fox from the son himself so many times over the years, it’s as if Alex has actually met the man.
如果说除了碧和佩斯之外，世界上还有谁能理解亨利对明星的热爱，那就是亚历克斯了。这些年来，他多次听儿子讲述亚瑟-福克斯的轶事，就好像亚历克斯真的见过他一样。
He may not literally have met him, but from the stories Henry and Bea have shared with them, he knew Arthur loved Henry so much. He adored the relationship the two had despite the short years they spent together.
他可能并没有真正见过他，但从亨利和碧与他们分享的故事中，他知道亚瑟非常爱亨利。尽管两人在一起的时间很短，但他非常喜欢两人的关系。
And for someone who doesn’t understand a fucking thing about that to easily invalidate Henry’s only connection to his father like that is fucking disrespectful and will never sit right with Alex.
一个根本不懂这些的人，就这样轻而易举地否定亨利和他父亲之间唯一的联系，实在是太不尊重人了，艾丽克丝永远都不会接受。
Henry deserves to be heard. To be loved. To be cared for. In more ways than he’s sure Arthur would’ve wanted him to be.
亨利应该被倾听。被爱被关心他相信亚瑟会希望他在更多方面得到关怀
What happened this night flips a switch in Alex’s head.
今夜发生的事让亚历克斯的大脑打开了一个开关。
This will be the last time Henry’s going to cry over stupid guy who clearly doesn’t know how to actually make him happy. Henry deserves to get what he actually wants, and Alex will make sure that he does.
这将是亨利最后一次为愚蠢的家伙哭泣，而这个家伙显然不知道如何让他真正快乐。亨利应该得到他真正想要的东西，亚历克斯会确保他得到。
*
+1.
Alex doesn’t leave Henry’s side after that night.
那晚之后，亚历克斯就再也没有离开过亨利。
He’s there when Henry walks David in the morning. He’s there while Henry is studying. He’s there when Henry practices presenting his thesis to him. He’s there when clouds start to shroud his sunny days. He’s there when Henry wakes up some mornings, warm cup of Earl Grey in hand and pancakes freshly cooked on a plate.
亨利早上送戴维散步时，他就在那里。亨利学习时，他在那里。亨利练习向他提交论文时，他在那里。当乌云开始笼罩他的阳光灿烂的日子时，他就在那里。当亨利早上醒来，手捧一杯暖暖的伯爵茶，盘子里放着刚出锅的煎饼时，他就在那里。
Thankfully, Henry doesn’t mind it all, as well. In fact, if Alex’s eyes aren’t deceiving him, Henry brightens up whenever they’re together compared to when they’re apart. It makes Alex feel so special and honored to know he contributes to Henry’s happiness.
值得庆幸的是，亨利也不介意这一切。事实上，如果亚历克斯的眼睛没有欺骗他的话，每当他们在一起的时候，亨利都会比分开的时候更有活力。知道自己为亨利的幸福做出了贡献，这让亚历克斯感到非常特别和荣幸。
The whole gang is currently at their favorite bar; it’s the last day of finals, and everyone has finished taking their exams and now, they’re celebrating freedom.
今天是期末考试的最后一天，大家都考完了试，现在正在庆祝自由。
“I’m going to the loo real quick. Anyone want a refill on their drinks?” Henry kindly asks, still annoyingly sober, while Alex is only slightly tipsy.
"我去趟厕所，很快就好。有人要续杯吗？亨利亲切地问道，他依然清醒得让人讨厌，而亚历克斯只是微微有些醉意。
While everyone else is saying no, Alex says something else. “Want me to come with you, sweetheart?” he drawls, and he grins upon seeing Henry’s blush.
当其他人都说不的时候，亚历克斯却说了别的话。"要我和你一起去吗，亲爱的？"他说，看到亨利的脸红了，他咧嘴笑了起来。
“I think I can manage going to the loo on my own, but thanks, love.” He chuckles, patting Alex’s knee before standing up and walking away. Alex knows he’s got the dreamy eyes while watching him.
"我想我可以自己去厕所，不过还是谢谢你，亲爱的"他笑着拍了拍亚历克斯的膝盖，然后站起来走开了。艾利克斯知道，他看着自己的时候，有一双梦幻般的眼睛。
“God, you’re so fucking into him it’s giving me goosebumps.”
"天啊，你对他太着迷了，我都起鸡皮疙瘩了"
Alex rolls his eyes and playfully kicks Nora on the leg. “Shut up. As if you and June aren’t the same.”
亚历克斯翻了翻白眼，嬉皮笑脸地踢了踢诺拉的腿。"闭嘴！好像你和琼不一样似的。"
“Yeah, but we’re actually dating,” Nora points out, making Alex pout. “Unlike you who just keeps stupidly pining over him instead of actually making a move.”
"是啊，但我们真的在约会，"诺拉指出，让亚历克斯撅起了嘴。"不像你，只是傻傻地为他憔悴，而不是真的采取行动。"
“Fuck off,” he grumbles before downing the rest of his drink. “You know he’s been in several failed relationships in the past. I don’t want to seem too forward.”
"滚开，"他咕哝道，然后把剩下的酒一饮而尽。"你知道他过去有过几次失败的恋爱经历。我不想显得太前卫。"
“I doubt Hazza would ever think of you that way,” Pez sweetly says.
"我怀疑哈扎会那样想你。"佩兹甜甜地说。
“True! “Plus they aren’t relationships, darling. He never went steady with any of them,” Bea adds in while munching on some chips.
"没错"另外，亲爱的，她们并不是恋人关系。他从没和她们中的任何一个稳定交往过。"碧一边嚼着薯片，一边补充道。
“Where am I even gonna start?” Alex groans, slamming his glass onto the table. “I don’t want it to look like I’m rushing him or anything. That’s the last thing I want him to feel with me.”
"我该从何说起呢？"亚历克斯呻吟着，把杯子摔到桌子上。"我不想让他觉得我在催他什么的。这是我最不想让他感觉到的。"
June is about to say something when Nora speaks up. “Talk about too forward and making a move,” while nodding towards the dance floor. Alex frowns and follows her gaze, and his jaw clenches as he spots Henry on it, talking with a guy who is clearly flirting with him, with the way he’s smiling and caressing his fucking arm.
茱恩刚想说什么，诺拉开口了。"说得太前卫了，要有所行动。"诺拉一边说，一边朝舞池点点头。亚历克斯皱了皱眉头，顺着她的目光看去，发现亨利正在舞池里和一个明显是在和他调情的人聊天，他的下巴都要咬碎了，因为亨利正微笑着抚摸着他的手臂。
He tunes out the rest of the table while he focuses on Henry and the guy. Henry’s wearing his sorry I’m not interested in you smile, so that’s a little win at least. Few seconds later, he’s pulling back from the conversation and rushing back towards their booth, where he goes back to his seat with a breath of relief.
他把注意力都集中在亨利和那个家伙身上，把桌子上的其他人都忽略了。亨利露出了 "对不起，我对你没兴趣 "的微笑，这至少是个小小的胜利。几秒钟后，他从谈话中回过神来，急忙跑回他们的包间，如释重负地回到自己的座位上。
“What did he want?” Alex asks right away, startling Henry a bit, though he masks it off with a chuckle.
"他想要什么？"亚历克斯立刻问道，让亨利有点愕然，不过他还是用笑声掩饰了过去。
“Well. Long story short, he was propositioning me,” he says tightly while sipping on his drink. “Had to tell him five times that I wasn’t interested.”
"好吧长话短说，他向我求婚，"他一边喝着酒一边紧张地说。"我跟他说了五次我没兴趣"
“In the proposition or in general?” Pez queries cryptically. Alex watches Henry’s face scrunch up in confusion at what his friend meant, though he still answers.
"在命题中还是在一般情况下？"佩兹神秘地问道。亚历克斯看到亨利的脸因不明白朋友的意思而皱了起来，但他还是回答了。
“In general, I guess. You know I haven’t been… lucky with the past men I’ve tried to date,” he casually says while playing with his drink in his glass.
"一般来说吧。你知道，我和过去约会过的男人都不......幸运。"他一边把玩着杯中的酒，一边随口说道。
“Besides,” he adds, and Alex’s heart races when Henry looks up at him from his lashes with a little smile. “I’ve got all I want and need here with me.”
"此外，"他补充道，当亨利从睫毛中抬起头来看着他微微一笑时，亚历克斯的心怦怦直跳。"这里有我想要的和需要的一切"。
“If that’s not a sign for you to move your ass, I don’t know what is.”
"如果这还不是让你挪挪屁股的信号 我就不知道什么才是了"
Alex sighs, leaning his head back on the couch. “You’re really not gonna let this go, are you?” He closes his eyes as June massages his head gently to relieve him of some of the hangover he has from last night.
亚历克斯叹了口气，把头靠在沙发上。"你真的不会就这么算了吧？"他闭上了眼睛，茱恩轻轻地按摩他的头，缓解他昨晚的宿醉。
“Nope!” Nora says, too cheerily. “I’m telling you, Fox has the hots for you, you just refuse to see it.”
"没有！"诺拉高兴地说"我告诉你，福克斯对你有好感，只是你拒绝承认"
Alex snorts. “I’ve been in love with the man almost my whole life—”
亚历克斯嗤之以鼻。"我几乎一辈子都爱着他"
“Just eight years. Dramatic much?”
"仅仅八年。很戏剧化吗？"
“—you think I don’t want him to have the hots for me?” he speaks a little louder to ignore Nora’s comment. “I’m just saying, I don’t think it’s the right time, he’s probably still enjoying his time for himself and I—”
"--你以为我不想让他对我有好感吗？"他说话的声音大了一点，忽略了诺拉的评论。"我只是说，我觉得现在还不是时候，他可能还在享受他自己的时光，而我--"
“I think Nora’s right,” June chimes in, making Alex look at her with exasperation. She’s got this look on her face that says she knows more than what she’s saying but she won’t tell. Alex has always hated that look. Ugh.
"我觉得诺拉说得没错，"琼插话道，这让亚历克斯气恼地看了她一眼。她脸上的表情表明，她知道的比她说的要多，但她不会说出来。亚历克斯一直很讨厌这种表情。唉
“What if Henry’s just waiting for you to make the first move? Don’t you want to take that chance and see what happens?”
"如果亨利只是在等你主动呢？难道你不想抓住机会，看看会发生什么吗？"
Alex stays silent for a beat, then sighs in defeat. “What do you want me to do?”
亚历克斯沉默了一会儿，然后叹了口气，败下阵来。"你想让我做什么？"
June smiles. “It’s simple, really…”
琼微笑着说"很简单，真的......"
And that’s how Alex finds himself in the middle of Henry’s dorm three days later, a bouquet of pink and white roses in his hand.
就这样，三天后，亚历克斯发现自己出现在亨利的宿舍里，手里捧着一束粉白相间的玫瑰。
June, Nora, Pez, and Bea—they all helped in preparing Henry’s dorm for Alex’s arrival while Henry was away on a grocery shopping errand. They’re both so lucky to have such a wonderful and supportive friendship circle for real.
琼、诺拉、佩孜和碧--当亨利去买菜时，她们都在帮忙准备亨利的宿舍，迎接亚历克斯的到来。他们俩都很幸运，能有这样一个美好的、真正相互支持的友谊圈。
Alex hears a soft clinking from below, and he glances down at David who’s sitting beside him. He smiles and pets his head.
亚历克斯听到下面传来轻轻的叮当声，他瞥了一眼坐在他身边的戴维。他微笑着摸了摸大卫的头。
“You can probably feel my nerves from here, huh, Davey?” He chuckles slightly when David tilts his head to meet Alex’s hand. Their short moment is interrupted, however, by the sound of a keycard beeping by the front door.
"你大概能从这里感受到我的紧张，是吧，戴维？"当戴维歪着头握住亚历克斯的手时，他微微一笑。然而，前门传来的门卡提示音打断了他们短暂的谈话。
Both Alex and David look up at the sound, signaling Henry’s arrival. Alex stands up straight right away, his eyes following David’s happy jumps towards the door to meet Henry.
亚历克斯和戴维听到声音都抬起头来，这预示着亨利的到来。亚历克斯立刻站直了身体，目光追随着戴维高兴地跳向门口，迎接亨利的到来。
“Hello, darling,” Alex hears Henry coo over David. He can’t help but smile at the fondness in his voice.
"你好，亲爱的，"亚历克斯听到亨利对着大卫咕哝道。他不禁为他声音中的喜爱而微笑。
“What are you so excited abo— Alex?” Henry gasps out when he sees Alex standing stupidly between his kitchen and the dining area.
"你在激动什么，艾丽克丝？"亨利看到亚历克斯傻傻地站在厨房和餐厅之间，不禁惊呼出声。
Alex takes a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
亚历克斯深吸一口气。什么都没有。
“Hi, sweetheart,” he breathes out with a shy smile. The wrapper of the bouquet crinkles softly in his grasp, which seems to get Henry’s attention.
"嗨，亲爱的，"他羞涩地笑着说。花束的包装纸在他的手中轻轻皱起，这似乎引起了亨利的注意。
“What… What?” Henry sputters out, and Alex can’t help but laugh. He’s so fucking adorable.
"什么......什么？亨利语无伦次，艾丽克丝忍不住笑了出来。他真他妈可爱。
Alex sighs and steps forward, handing out the bouquet. “For you. It’s called Gentle Love, if I’m not mistaken? Bea arranged this for us since my knowledge on flowers is kinda rusty.”
亚历克斯叹了口气，上前递出花束。"送给你的。如果我没记错的话，这叫温柔的爱？这是碧为我们安排的，因为我对花的知识有点生疏。"
“Bea?” Henry furrows his brows, a disbelieving smile starting to form on his face. “Alex, what the hell is happening?”
"碧？"亨利皱起了眉头，脸上开始露出不相信的笑容。"亚历克斯，这到底是怎么回事？
Alex shrugs while smiling. “Can’t a guy spoil his favorite guy just because?”
亚历克斯一边笑着一边耸耸肩。"难道男人就不能宠爱自己喜欢的男人吗？"
That seems to work based on Henry’s blush. Henry slowly takes the bouquet, smells them with his eyes closed. Alex is rendered speechless; Henry looks so fucking beautiful it hurts him inside.
从亨利的脸红程度来看，这招似乎很管用。亨利慢慢接过花束，闭着眼睛闻了闻。亚历克斯无言以对；亨利看起来太他妈美了，让他内心很受伤。
He clears his throat to re-focus himself and gestures to the dining table, where some food is served with a cover so they don’t get cold and some candles are lit. “Do you wanna eat first? Courtesy of Nora and Pez.”
他清了清嗓子，重新集中精力，指了指餐桌，餐桌上摆放着一些食物，上面盖着盖子，以免食物变凉，还点了一些蜡烛。"你想先吃点东西吗？诺拉和佩兹请客。"
Henry places the bouquet on the kitchen counter and approaches the table, taking off the covers of the food, revealing shrimp aglio olio pasta and roast chicken. “I love it,” he grins up at Alex. “These look delicious.”
亨利把花束放在厨房柜台上，走近餐桌，揭开食物的盖子，露出虾仁橄榄意面和烤鸡。"我喜欢。"他抬头对亚历克斯咧嘴一笑。"这些看起来很美味。"
Alex pulls out a chair for him, to which Henry sits on gratefully. He sits in front of him and pours both of their glasses with some wine. “Cheers?” He grins, raising his wine glass, offering a toast. Henry does the same, and they gently clink their glasses together before drinking.
亚历克斯为他拉开椅子，亨利感激地坐了上去。他坐在亨利面前，给两人的杯子都倒上了酒。"干杯？"他咧嘴一笑，举起酒杯，敬了一杯。亨利也举起酒杯，两人轻轻碰杯，然后一饮而尽。
“So how was your day?” Alex asks, and their conversation flows from there.
"今天过得怎么样？"亚历克斯问道，两人的对话由此展开。
Henry listens and laughs when Alex tells him about how everything was prepared.
当亚历克斯告诉亨利一切准备就绪时，亨利听了哈哈大笑。
“Pez wanted to take David for the day, but I figured you’d panic if you didn’t see him when you got home.”
"佩兹想带戴维去玩一天" "但我想如果你回家后没见到他 你会惊慌失措的"
“Truly,” Henry chuckles. “Thank you for saving my child from potential dognapping, even if it was planned by my best friend.”
"真的" 亨利笑着说"谢谢你把我的孩子从潜在的绑架狗事件中解救出来 尽管这是我最好的朋友策划的"
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” Alex winks, and he revels in the way Henry’s cheeks blush.
"不客气 亲爱的"亚历克斯眨了眨眼睛，他陶醉于亨利脸颊泛红的样子。
Alex listens to Henry’s story of helping an elderly woman bring her bags to her car and her giving him a big fat tip and a kiss on the cheek.
亚历克斯听亨利讲述了他帮一位老妇人把行李搬上车，老妇人给了他一大笔小费，还亲吻了他的脸颊。
“Seems like a good enough reward for a good deed, baby,” Alex smirks. Henry’s answering grin is fucking breathtaking.
"看来这已经是对你做的好事的回报了，宝贝。"亚历克斯笑着说。亨利咧嘴一笑，令人叹为观止。
Alex hands the last dish he’s washed over to Henry, who happily accepts and dries it. Alex’s dishwasher broke recently that’s why they had to do it manually.
亚历克斯把洗好的最后一个盘子递给亨利，亨利高兴地接过来擦干。亚历克斯家的洗碗机最近坏了，所以他们不得不手动清洗。
“Thanks for helping out.” Henry smiles and waves a dismissive hand at him.
"谢谢你帮忙"亨利笑了笑，不屑地朝他挥了挥手。
“A simple deed to pay for this lovely dinner.” Henry walks over to him and shyly takes Alex’s hand in his own. “This really has been lovely, Alex. I can’t tell you how much I needed… this. You know, to unwind and just relax. With you.”
"一个简单的契约，来支付这顿美味的晚餐。"亨利走过去，羞涩地握住亚历克斯的手。"这真是太好了，亚历克斯。我无法告诉你我有多需要......这样。你知道，我需要放松放松。和你在一起
“Yeah?” Alex grins bashfully. Henry nods, and Alex braves enough to turn his hand over and lock their fingers together. “I’m glad, but there’s one more thing I wanna do for you, sweetheart. If you’ll let me.”
"是吗？"亚历克斯腼腆地笑了笑。亨利点点头，亚历克斯勇敢地转过他的手，把他们的手指锁在一起。"我很高兴，但我还想为你做一件事，亲爱的。如果你愿意的话。"
“Oh yeah? What is that?” He carefully pulls Henry towards the middle of the living room.
"哦，是吗？那是什么？"他小心翼翼地把亨利拉到客厅中间。
As they stand in front of the couch, Alex can’t help but kiss Henry softly on the cheek, mentally noting the way his breath hitches. “Dance with me?” he whispers, looking Henry in the eyes.
当他们站在沙发前时，亚历克斯情不自禁地轻轻吻了一下亨利的脸颊，并注意到他呼吸急促的样子。"和我跳舞吗？"他看着亨利的眼睛，低声问道。
Henry grins. “You know I can’t dance..”
亨利咧嘴一笑"你知道我不会跳舞......"
“I don’t care,” Alex whispers. He securely wraps an arm around Henry’s waist and slightly tugs him closer, their foreheads so close to touching. “I just want to sway and stay like this with you. Even for a little while.”
"我不在乎，"亚历克斯低声说道。他牢牢地搂住亨利的腰，轻轻地把他拽近，两人的额头就差一点就碰在一起了。"我只想和你一起摇摆，就这样待着。哪怕一小会儿也好。"
The way Henry stares at Alex is making him want to combust. He feels the intensity and so many emotions he can’t name while their eyes lock gazes with each other. Fuck, it’s taking everything in Alex to not just lean forward and kiss those pretty lips.
亨利盯着亚历克斯的眼神让他想燃烧。当他们的目光对视在一起时，他感受到了强烈的情感和许多他无法名状的情绪。妈的，亚历克斯使出浑身解数，才没有俯身亲吻那漂亮的嘴唇。
Henry’s smile is a little more intimate, something Alex notices is just reserved for him. “We can stay like this as long as we want to.”
亨利的笑容更亲切了，亚历克斯注意到这是他的专属笑容。"我们可以一直这样下去"
Alex sighs shakily, and as much as he can with his arms around Henry, he fishes out his phone from his pocket, opens his Spotify app, and plays a song.
亚历克斯颤抖地叹了口气，搂着亨利，从口袋里掏出手机，打开 Spotify 应用程序，播放了一首歌。
Henry’s face breaks into a pretty grin when the first note plays. “I love this song..”
当第一个音符响起时，亨利的脸上绽放出美丽的笑容。"我喜欢这首歌......"
Alex smiles, a little more reserved. “It’s for you. The song, I mean.” Then, he leans forward and gently presses their foreheads together, closing his eyes as he softly sings along.
亚历克斯笑了，笑得有些拘谨。"这是给你的。我是说这首歌。"然后，他向前倾身，轻轻地将两人的额头贴在一起，闭上眼睛，轻轻地唱了起来。
Don’t go changing to try and please me, you’ve never let me down before, mmm
不要为了取悦我而改变，你从未让我失望过，嗯
Don’t imagine you’re too familiar and I don’t see you anymore
别以为你太熟悉，我就再也见不到你了
Alex feels Henry’s hold on him tighten a little bit as they continue swaying gently to the song. Alex opens his eyes, and Henry’s watching him with an unreadable expression. He doesn’t sing along this time.
亚历克斯感觉亨利抱着他的手紧了一下，他们继续随着歌声轻轻摇摆。亚历克斯睁开眼睛，亨利正用一种看不懂的表情看着他。这次他没有跟着唱。
Don’t go trying some new fashion, don’t change the color of your hair, mmm, Billy Joel sings, and Alex starts caressing Henry’s hair gently. “Your hair’s so fucking soft, have I told you that? I’ve always loved feeling it on my fingertips.” He rakes his fingers through Henry’s blonde strands softly.
不要去尝试新的时尚，不要改变你头发的颜色，嗯，比利-乔尔唱道，亚历克斯开始轻轻抚摸亨利的头发。"你的头发真他妈的柔软，我跟你说过吗？我一直很喜欢用指尖感受它。"他用手指轻柔地划过亨利的金发。
“Sometimes, I imagine just…” He slightly tugs on Henry’s hair, making the blonde’s breath hitch shakily, his eyes darkening just a little bit. “Yeah,” Alex grins. “That’s the reaction I’ve always imagined getting from you.”
"有时候，我想象着......"他微微拽了拽亨利的头发，让这个金发男子的呼吸不禁颤抖了一下，眼神也暗淡了几分。"是啊，"亚历克斯咧嘴一笑。"这就是我一直想象的你的反应。"
You always have my unspoken passion, although I might not seem to care
你总是拥有我难以言表的热情，尽管我似乎并不在意
“Now that’s slightly wrong,” Alex retorts, making Henry’s brows raise in question. “I will always care about your passion. I will never get tired of seeing the way your eyes shine whenever you talk about the things you love, baby. You’re so fucking beautiful when you’re in your zone.”
"现在看来，这稍微有点不对。"亚历克斯的反驳让亨利眉头一挑，表示质疑。"我会一直关心你的热情。每当你谈起自己喜欢的事情时，你的眼睛会闪闪发光，我永远都看不腻，宝贝。当你进入状态时，你真他妈太美了。"
Henry’s smile is steady and wide, but his eyes are starting to tear up. If Alex is being honest, he can feel his own doing the same, too.
亨利的笑容稳定而灿烂，但他的眼睛开始流泪。老实说，亚历克斯能感觉到自己也在流泪。
“Alex…” Henry breathes out, like a soft prayer. Alex wants to hear him say his name like that every fucking day.
"亚历克斯......"亨利呼出一口气，像在轻声祈祷。亚历克斯希望每天都能听到他这样叫自己的名字。
He gently places Henry’s head into his neck as they continue swaying. When Alex closes his eyes, his mind plays a brief fantasy—them, in this exact same position, in tailored suits, dancing as husbands in front of everyone they love.
当他们继续摇摆时，他轻轻地把亨利的头靠在自己的脖子上。当亚历克斯闭上眼睛时，他的脑海中浮现出一个短暂的幻想--他们以完全相同的姿势，穿着剪裁合体的西装，在他们所爱的每个人面前像丈夫一样翩翩起舞。
Soon, Alex promises. For now..
很快 艾丽克丝保证现在
When Alex lifts Henry’s face to look at him, he’s not surprised to see that his best friend is already crying. He smiles, wiping Henry’s tears away with his thumbs as both hands cradle his face gently.
当亚历克斯抬起亨利的脸看着他时，他毫不惊讶地发现他最好的朋友已经哭了。他微笑着用大拇指拭去亨利的眼泪，双手轻轻地捧起他的脸。
I need to know that you will always be the same old someone that I knew, Alex sings along. Oh what will take till you believe in me the way that I believe in you?
我需要知道，你永远是我认识的那个人，亚历克斯唱道。要怎样才能让你像我相信你一样相信我？
When Alex sings the words I said I love you, and that’s forever, Henry starts sobbing. Alex huffs out a soft chuckle while pressing their foreheads together, unable to stop his own tears.
当亚历克斯唱到 "我说我爱你，那就是永远 "时，亨利开始抽泣。亚历克斯轻笑一声，将两人的额头紧紧贴在一起，自己的眼泪也止不住地流了下来。
“I love you, Henry. God help me, I really fucking do,” he whispers as he closes his eyes. Somehow, it makes Henry sob even more. “Seeing all those assholes not treat you and appreciate you the way you deserve made me furious. They don’t know how fucking easy and fulfilling it is to love someone like you.”
"我爱你，亨利。上帝保佑我，我真的他妈的爱你。"他闭上眼睛低声说道。不知为何，这让亨利更加泣不成声。"看到那些混蛋没有像你应得的那样对待你、欣赏你，我很生气，他们不知道爱一个像你这样的人是多么他妈的容易和充实。"
He slightly pulls back so they could look at each other. “You don’t have to change a thing about yourself just for others, Hen. Especially for people who don’t know how to appreciate beauty when it’s in their hands. You should want to change for yourself. I’ll support you every step of the way, you know that. But I also want you to know that I love you. Just the way you are. Forever, sweetheart. I—”
他微微后退，让两人可以对视。"你不必为了别人而改变自己的任何东西，轩。尤其是那些不懂得欣赏美的人。你应该为自己而改变。我会支持你的每一步 你知道的但我也想让你知道，我爱你。就爱现在的你永远爱你，亲爱的I-"
Alex is cut off by soft, plush lips crashing against his, and he stops breathing for a full second before visibly melting in Henry’s arms and kissing him back.
艾利克斯被柔软而毛绒绒的嘴唇紧紧咬住，他的呼吸停止了整整一秒钟，然后明显地融化在亨利的怀里，回吻着他。
It’s a bit wet and salty from their tears, and they couldn’t stop grinning, and it’s fucking perfect. Kissing Henry feels like home. From the second Henry’s lips touched his, Alex has known: he could do this for the rest of his life and he won’t ever get tired.
他们的泪水有点湿，有点咸，他们不住地咧嘴笑着，简直太完美了。从亨利的嘴唇接触到他的嘴唇的那一秒开始，亚历克斯就知道：他可以一辈子这样做，而且永远不会厌倦。
“Christ, I love you too,” Henry chuckles as he breaks the kiss and pulls Alex in for a hug. “I… I only went on those dates because I was bloody afraid of losing you if I ever so uttered even a single word about how you’ve absolutely ruined me for anyone else the moment I first laid my eyes on you. I was scared of letting you in and you realizing that I’m too much and you’d leave and I—”
"天哪，我也爱你，"亨利笑着说，他打破了这个吻，拉过亚历克斯抱在怀里。"我......我之所以参加那些约会，是因为我害怕失去你，如果我在第一眼看到你的时候，哪怕只说一个字，你就会把我彻底毁掉。我害怕让你进入我的生活 然后你发现我太过分了 你就会离开，而我..."
“Oh, baby,” Alex cuts him off softly, burying his face in Henry’s neck. God, he fucking smells good. “You could never be too much for me. I did just tell you I love you for you literally a few seconds ago, didn’t I? Also. No more going on those stupid dates. We’ll be each other’s dates from now on. And forever, if possibly.”
"哦，宝贝，"亚历克斯轻声打断他，把脸埋在亨利的脖子里。天哪，他闻起来真香。"你对我来说永远都不过分。几秒钟前，我刚刚告诉你我爱你，不是吗？还有别再去那些愚蠢的约会了从现在起我们就是彼此的约会对象了如果可能的话，永远都是"
Henry pulls back from the hug and cups both of Alex’s cheeks, and he’s smiling that pretty gummy smile that Alex has fallen in love with all those years ago.
亨利从拥抱中抽回手，捧起亚历克斯的双颊，露出了亚历克斯多年前爱上的那种漂亮的软糖微笑。
“Forever, you say?” Henry pretends to think for a second before grinning. “I think we can work on that.”
"你说永远？"亨利假装思考了一会儿，然后咧嘴笑了起来。"我想我们能做到"
“Fuckin’ great, baby,” Alex grins back, his heart finally settling in his chest now that Henry has come to take it and hold it. “Now c’mere, I’ve been holding back from doing this for years.”
"好极了，宝贝，"亚历克斯咧嘴笑道，他的心终于在亨利的拥抱下平静下来。"拜托，我已经忍了好几年没这么做了"
Henry’s laugh while being pulled into a slow, passionate kiss is the last thing Alex remembers before fully drowning himself in the taste and feel of Henry’s lips against his, which fits like a fucking perfect puzzle.
在完全沉浸在亨利嘴唇的味道和触感中之前，亚历克斯只记得亨利的笑声，他被亨利拉进一个缓慢而热烈的吻中，这就像一个完美的拼图。
Just like Henry. Henry’s fit like a missing puzzle piece in Alex’s life ever since they first met, filling in all the empty spaces inside him that Alex doesn’t want to and will never want to let go of.
就像亨利。自从他们第一次见面，亨利就像亚历克斯生命中缺失的一块拼图，填补了他内心所有的空虚，而亚历克斯不想也永远不会想放手。
The song stops, but the night doesn’t. They share the remaining wine from dinner and a couple of Jaffa Cakes for dessert, cuddle on Henry’s couch while watching TV, and just chat and kiss and laugh until late.
歌声停止了，但夜晚没有停止。他们分享晚餐剩下的葡萄酒和几块雅法蛋糕作为甜点，在亨利的沙发上依偎着看电视，聊天、亲吻、欢笑直到深夜。
Yeah, Alex thinks while he stares at Henry who is laughing beautifully at whatever stupid joke Alex said.
是啊，艾利克斯一边想着，一边盯着亨利，后者正因为艾利克斯说的那个愚蠢笑话而笑得很开心。
He could get used to this life forever.
他可以永远习惯这种生活。