#also henry definitely finds out later lmaoooo

[cha-melodius]

sara hug prompts is wonderful!! so here goes 💚💚

southern philanthropy maybe? (or firstprince if that vibes for ya better) for:

15. The hug where they’re standing between your legs while you’re sitting on an elevated platform of sorts, their front pressed against yours, their arms around your waist; face buried on your neck.

(Ok, I did do Southern Philanthropy for the hug part, though it's from an outsider perspective and, er, less about them than you might have expected. 😅 I hope you enjoy anyway! hug ficlet prompts; read all the hug ficlets)

15. The hug where they’re standing between your legs while you’re sitting on an elevated platform

It had been a rough game. Too many mistakes on their part, too many dirty plays by the other team that went uncalled by the refs, too many moments where they just weren’t clicking. It happens, they’ll move on, but the mood as they file into the locker room afterward is decidedly sombre.

Then there’s Liam, just visible through the open door to the training room, sitting on an exam table with his head bent dejectedly toward the floor. He’d taken a bad fall late in the game and hadn’t returned before the end, even to the bench. Now, there’s a massive bundle of ice strapped to his left shoulder. A few of the other guys call out to him and he tells them it’s nothing in an extremely unconvincing tone of voice.

No one ventures into the training room, unwilling to face Zahra’s wrath for intruding on her domain without permission. No one but Pez, who practically sprints through the door the moment he spots Liam sitting there. He inserts himself between Liam’s knees and rests his hands on Liam’s hips, staring up into Liam’s eyes with worry etched on his face. As Henry watches, they exchange a few words and Liam tugs him into a hug with his good arm, and Pez’s arms wind around his waist as he buries his face in Liam’s neck. They practically melt into each other, tension unspooling from both their bodies.

Henry’s happy for them, truly, happy that they found this in each other, but it makes his heart ache, just a little. He’s even happier that the team environment is such that they don’t have to hide. Not that they’re usually this affectionate with each other when they’re here, but still, everyone knows.

Or, he thought everyone knew.

“Uh,” a familiar voice says as someone takes a seat on the bench beside him. “Is that—”

Henry cocks an eyebrow as he looks over at Alex, who’s staring at Liam and Pez like he’s just seen a ghost. He waits for a conclusion to that question, but it never comes. “Hm?” he prompts eventually.

Alex licks his lips and tears his gaze away from the couple, something frantic in his eyes. If Henry didn’t know better, he’d say Alex was being homophobic, but his sister’s got a girlfriend. Hell, he fought for the team to be allowed to wear Pride gear this year.

“Just— Are they—?” Alex stammers out.

“They are,” Henry answers the fragmented question. Then, because he can’t help it, he adds, “Problem?”

“What? No,” Alex says vehemently, his eyes skittering from Henry to the training room and back again. “It’s just— Liam is gay?”

Oh, Henry thinks, fuck. Does Alex have a crush on him? Is that what this is? Alex calls himself an Ally, loudly, but he also vocally thirsts over hot guys, even more than Henry does. Henry’s never allowed himself to seriously contemplate that Alex might not be straight, for his own mental health. Finding out he might not be because he likes one of their teammates would be fairly devastating.

“Yes, he is,” Henry answers slowly. He frowns. “Did you really not know?”

Alex gulps. “No. He never—” He cuts off with a shake of his head. “Fuck. I— I gotta go. Later, H.”

With that, he takes off like a shot, leaving Henry more than a little confused and wondering if he’ll ever find out what caused that reaction.