As soon as they reached home, Henry already fallen asleep in the car ride and Alex couldn't have a heart to wake him up. Seeing him leaning against the window with his pale and weak face made Alex wonder the first time he felt love for this man. The way Henry smiles, his eyes brightens when he's looking at Alex and his lips curves when Alex kisses him.

His eyes travels down on Henry's shirt and the way it moves when he breathes, there's always pleasure seeing it knowing he is there breathing and alive. But when Alex eyes landed on his bandage wrist up to his forearm, his heart sunken deep into his stomach. His heart ache for him every time Henry is hurt or in pain or even in sadness.

He didn't realized he was staring at him for a while when his father tapped on the window next to him and startled him from his mind. It woke Henry up to when he saw him move next to him rubbing his eyelid with his finger.

"Why didn't you wake me? How long have we arrived?" He asks and Alex could hear the pain in his throat. "We just did, I was about to wake you." He said softly and Henry smiled weakly at him. He opened the car door the same time as Alex and Alex went to Henry's side immediately after he grabbed his bag from the hood.

Henry took the step on the stairs into Alex's home followed by Alex behind him two feet away from him when he noticed Henry stops and his body swayed back and forth. "Hen?" He asks and noticed Henry barely could take another step forward.

"Hey, hey I got you." Alex went to his side and grabbed Henry's arm to place them around Alex's shoulder and he looked to his side with his face pale like a ghost. "I'm sorry, I got dizzy all of sudden." He said and Alex could hear him slurred when he speaks. "It's okay, come on." Alex helped him inside and the moment Ellen and Oscar saw Alex holding Henry by his side with his other hand carrying Henry's bag, they got worried.

"Here let me help you with that." Oscar took the bag away from Alex's hand and Alex grabbed Henry by his waist and helped him towards the couch. He laid Henry on his back and saw how tired he got by just getting inside the house. "Is he gonna be alright?" Ellen asks sitting by Henry's leg and Alex nodded. "Can you get him some water mum?" Ellen rushed to the kitchen to get Henry some water and Alex sat by his side, brushing Henry's hair from his forehead.

"What happened?" Henry turned to his side and felt Alex stroke his hand with his finger, "My guess you lost too much blood and haven't replaced it just yet." He says and Henry gulped his throat in dryness, "I'm sorry." Henry said gripping Alex's hand tight in his. "Stop saying that baby. It's not your fault." Ellen came by Henry side behind the couch and handed him the glass of water.

Henry sat up with the help of Alex and he took a sip before he laid down back on the couch. "You're telling me that the hospital did nothing for him for the past 24 hours?" Ellen asks but Alex didn't exactly answered her but they both saw Henry fell asleep immediately after and Alex pulled his parents to talk in the kitchen far from him.

"Jesus, all of that for nothing?" Oscar cursed and Alex sighed, "The only thing they did was give him fluids but I doubt they wasted their precious resources for Henry. Especially when they knew that Henry tried to kill himself." Alex continued and he could hear both of his parents sighed in disbelief. "We could sue them for this." Oscar suggested but Alex shook his head instead, "Henry won't want it."

He knows for the fact that after all the months he knows Henry, he would never let anyone else got hurt because of him only himself. If only people could see him for how kind his heart is and how brave he tried to be for the world. He wished Henry would be able to see it himself that he is better than anyone else in this world for Alex and he deserves more.

It was almost five in the evening when Henry finally woke up and he was clueless on where he was at the moment. He remembers coming home with Alex and his parents but he didn't exactly remember laid here on the couch. He raised himself rubbing his eyelid trying to find any single soul in this house.

He looked around but no one is there and he tried to raise himself up. As soon as his body was upright, he felt this sudden wave of dizziness overcome him and he immediately sat back on the couch feeling the tightness of his throat grew. He blinks his eyes few times trying to get the room to stop spinning. He leaned forward grabbing his head in his palm and he released a long exhaled.

"Henry?" Ellen voice came from the kitchen and he turned around to meet her worried gaze. "Are you feeling okay? You should be resting." She tried to push Henry back on the couch but Henry shook his head stopping her. "Where's Alex?" He asks and she smiled next to him. "I'll show you." She said handing out her palm for him and Henry eyed her confused but he took it gladly.

Took him a while for Henry to finally walk again but with help of Ellen, he managed to get to the door located at their back kitchen and it was a whole another world out there. The trees are beyond what Henry could see with a wide field grass and there was a lake behind Alex's home. How can he not realized this before, it was an Eden just few feet away from him.

His face is too stunned to speak when he saw Alex climbed out from the lake with his naked top and his bottom half only had his swimming trunks on and he was smiling his usual half smile when he saw Henry walked out of the house with his mother next to him. "You're finally awake!"

He walked to close their gap and crashed into his face to kiss him on his lips when Henry pushed him back, "You're gonna get the floor wet." He said and Alex didn't care, instead he grabbed Henry by his waist and he carried him in his arm as he walked further into the backyard and sat him down on the love chairs with a fire place in the middle. Henry was still giggling when Alex finally set him down.

"I miss that laugh." Alex leaned and kissed him properly now and took a seat next to him with his wet body pressing against Henry's shirt. Henry pressed his lips together with their forehead collides and Alex stroke his cheek with his long fingers seeing the colors mixed from his tanned skin to Henry's pale one. "Did I told you not to fall in love with me?" Henry asks and Alex furrowed his eyebrow with a smirk, "Then don't make yourself lovable my prince." Henry smiled before Alex crashed into his lips again. 

"Dad's making a barbecue. You're gonna love it." He said and waved at his father from the bench they sat on behind him. Henry turned his head around finding Oscar flipping through the grills and smiled. Ellen was next to him handing him the glass of champagne and he thanked her by kissing her cheek. He loves how Oscar showed her the loves that she always deserved.

"Hey." Alex nudged his nose towards Henry's cheek and he turned his face towards him. Their lips barely touches and Henry could feel Alex's warm breaths on Henry's lips. "Hey," he replied and Alex smiled. He pulled Henry to rest his body against him and wrapped his arm closer to Henry's broad chest feeling his lungs made his chest raised up and down every time he draws a breath.

"This place is so beautiful Alex. Thank you for bringing me here." He said turning his head over his side and Alex leaned to kiss him on his lips. "You're welcome."

"Boys!" Oscar yelled at them and Alex raised his head to his side with his arm straight to acknowledge his call. "Let's go baby, I'm hungry." He pushed Henry from his chest and Henry nods letting himself up and with help of Alex they both walked towards Oscar by the grill. Henry sat by the table and saw the marvelous food that Ellen had prepared aside from what Oscar had cook inside the grill. They ate laughing at what Alex had told them about his experienced and Henry smiled widely at his gesture in telling the story.

He never fails to surprise Henry whenever Alex opened his mouth and sometimes he wonders if Alex ever going to stop being Alex because of him. It always haunts Henry when he thought of his depression and his suicidal would make Alex turned into someone like him one day. He hates them and he surely fears that it might does it one day.

But Alex could see the concerned in Henry's eyes when he could see him stares at the plate before him for a while now. He gripped Henry's hands from under the table and it shook him to the core and his gasps made Oscar and Ellen turned to his attention. 

"Right here, not anywhere else." Alex whispered and Henry stares into his eyes trying to hold his tears before he nods at him with a smile. They continued to eat and enjoyed by the fire during nightfall and slowly Alex could see Henry had gained back his strength. 

That night Alex slept in Henry's guest room and he was glad not having to sleep in the room alone. They both laid facing each other on the bed with Henry on Alex's right side and his bandaged wrist over Alex's chest with Alex's finger fiddling with Henry's fingers. They both stares at each other trying to memorize everything they both could because they both feel it was too important not to remember this moment.

"Alex?" Henry finally asks him and he hummed letting his gaze back to Henry's hazel eyes. "Will you ever stop loving me if I choose to hate myself in every way?" Henry's eyes glistened with tears that were begging to fall and Alex sighed before he answered. "I will always love everything that you think you hate about yourself." He whispered and Henry pressed his cheek deeper into the pillow.

"I love how your eyes always see the good in people. I know you hate to see yourself in the mirror but what you see Henry is not what I saw." Alex says and Henry stayed silent next to him lowering his gaze towards Alex's hands tangled with his. "That hate you had in you is not your fault. I would hate myself too if I was treated that way. But what I hate the most is that those people who hurt you got to live happily and not having to know what it feels like to suffer the way you did." Henry let his tears falls on his nose and it trickled down to his cheek and on the bed.

"I hate that I don't get to know the Henry before he lost himself, before he lost his parents and his family. I would never- get to meet that Henry." Henry could hear Alex's voice choked towards the end and he finally let his eyes meet his again. "I don't think you'd ever will." Henry breaks and Alex clenched his jaw hiding his own feeling. "I don't care." He said and Henry let him continued.

"I don't care I don't get to meet the Henry that was loved or cared for. I don't care how messed up your life was before we met. But Henry, all I care about is you and your life right here right now with me. I don't want you to dwell in your past knowing there is a whole bright future ahead of you. Your father gave you a new beginning and I want you to embrace it. I want you to face your fear and grabbed the opportunity to start a new life, with or without me."

Henry looked up to meet Alex's gaze in fear, "There will always be you Alex. I could never repay you for what you did and I know if I were to start a new life, I want you beside me doing it. Not because I owe you, but because I can't do it without you. I can't imagine a life without you in it. There is no future in me without you Alex." Alex leaned his lips over Henry's forehead before they both sighed in relieve. "Then promise me you'll fight, and I will be there to hold you when you needed me too." Henry nodded before he leaned against Alex's lips. They both slept holding each other close hoping for better tomorrow.

Few days passed and Henry and Alex left Austin in promise of returned probably next year. Ellen and Oscar promised them a visit in New York soon but Alex had made that into something in a very distant future. Something about him not wanting his parents barging in his apartment with Henry especially unannounced.

Henry promised Alex to see Nora after they got back in New York and he did. Today Nora took a day off and went to their home to meet with Alex and Henry for lunch as they promised. Alex had finished his night duty yesterday and after four days of working, he finally got few days off and he was glad he could be there for Henry's therapy. Henry didn't mind when Alex says he wanted to be there every steps he took although it did scared him a little knowing Alex might know what exactly happened to him in the past.

"I know how difficult this might goes Henry and you feel free to stop me if you feel uncomfortable." Nora starts and Henry turned his head to his side, looking for Alex's comforting one and he nodded. "I need to do this." He says and Alex sighed fear for what it might affects him. Henry laid on the couch with Nora besides him right on the coffee table with her hand crossed before her right above her knees. Alex by his head letting Henry laid his head on his lap with his finger running through his blonde hair.

"Close your eyes Henry." Nora instructed and Henry took a sharp breath before he exhaled letting his eyes closed. The last thing he saw was Alex looking down on him with a worried look and he smiled to reassure him. Alex let Henry grabbed his hand over his chest and every time Nora told him something, he squeezed Alex's hand tighter and he could feel him tense.

"Henry there's three things we will see today, your past, your present and your future." Nora begins and Henry nodded. "Where are you now?" She asks and Henry cleared his throat before he answered her. "Present." He said softly and Nora smiled. "Good."

"Tell me what happened when your father died?" Nora begins and Alex could feel the tense in him. "Bea." Henry begins and both Nora and Alex looked at each other. "Bea called me when I was at school, she was frantic, dad was in an accident. His car flipped and totaled. They couldn't save him. Bea couldn't stop crying. I wasn't able to be see him, his body is hidden from us." Henry says in low voice and Nora sighed.

"What did you do after the night of your father funeral?" She asks and Henry was quiet for a while. "Everyone in their room. No one talks to anyone. No one knows what to say exactly. Then it goes on. Days became weeks then it became months. No one checks up on anyone. Everyone is - busy." Henry continued and Alex gripped his hand tighter.

"Henry what happened to your mother?" She asks and Alex could feel him gripped tighter, "She hates it." He starts and they both silenced. "She hates how I look. Just like her husband." He says almost a whisper. "Bea hates how I get to live and he dies, so does she." A single tear fell on his temple and Alex holds his. "What did you do after?" She asks and Henry took another breath. "I was hurting. I needed to feel less hurt so I let her hit me."

Alex pressed his lips together holding on his tears. "I let her hit me so she could feel better. So that she knows how much I love her even though she hurts me. But then she dies, no one was hurting me to make me feel better, so I hurt myself." Henry voice breaks and Nora squeezed his shoulder. "Tell me about her, your mother." She asks and Alex wanted her to stop only he could feel Henry is doing so good at this, he can't stop him.

"She was beautiful. Dad says he stole a princess for his bride. She was kind and she loves her kids so much. It wasn't her fault." Henry voice breaks further and more tears fell on his temple. "It wasn't her fault, it was the drugs and the alcohol that made her turned into a monster that hurt me until I passed out." Alex raised his chin up trying to hold his tears and he wiped it immediately not wanting it fell on Henry's face.

It hurts Alex to see how wrong they have treated Henry, that even in death, Henry speaks highly of her and not on her bad terms. "I miss her." He whispered and Alex stroked his hair back. "Tell me about Phillip." Nora asks and Henry tense at the name.

"Why he treats you that way?" She asks and Henry silenced. "Because dad loves me more than him. He loves taking me sailing, horse back riding, took me to Paris. He said I reminded him of father too much that it would be a disgraced if father knew what I had become." Henry tightened his gripped over Alex's hand feeling the disappointment in himself about being gay.

"I never asks to be like this Phillip, I can't change who I am." Henry starts to say words almost as if he was spoken to Phillip and Nora grabbed her phone to record his voice.

"I knew dad would punished me if he knew but he is dead and none of this matter. You are my brother! You are supposed to look after me, take care of me when I needed you!" Henry screamed and Alex could feel how fast his breathing is under his palm.

"I needed you when Jack touched me! You deny that cause you said I was the one who begs him to do so! You didn't even believe me when your friend touched me. I was twelve." Henry cried and Alex holds him tighter in his grip and plead Nora to stop. He never knows Henry was actually sexually molested when he was a child and none of them believes him.

Henry cries in Alex's arm and he hushed soft words and kisses his forehead to assure him, "Henry where are you now?" Nora asks and Henry could feel Alex's soft touches comforting him, "I'm here, present." He said and Nora told him to breathe slowly and he immediately opened his eyes and sat up with horror look on his face.

"I c-can't." He said before he ran into his room and both Alex and Nora couldn't stop him before he slammed the door of his bedroom. "Now you know." Nora said and her voice breaks before setting her phone down on the table and joined Alex next to his side on the couch.

Alex breaks into more tears pressing his face into his palm as he cried further. "Oh God." He mutters feeling the sick truth of Henry past had made him breaks into pieces. Nora pulls him to her embrace and he cried further.