"No." Henry mumbles.

"Ha-Ha.."

"No!"

"Pathetic!"

"Leave me alone!"

Henry was shivering, shaking in fears after he was locked in the bedroom by Alex. He begged for a while in hope Alex would opened the doors but none came forward to save him from his misery.

He cried river of tears shakily hugging his bodies as he found his way back towards the large window that was practically blinded with any view due to the heavy snow outside, it's practically white canvass that covers the entire glass window. It was still dark outside when he starts hearing whispers around the bedroom that made his heart thumping loudly in his chest.

"Pathetic! Look at you! Crying like a pathetic child in the corner." The male voice whispered in Henry's ear as he crouched in the corner.

The whispers seems distant but somehow Henry felt it close as if someone whispered it next to his ear. He tried to move away from the voices but no one can escape from their own mind.

From the corner of his eyes he could see the shadow returned right before him. It seems a while since he sees it and now at the scariest point and the darkest place in his life, he saw it again. Standing in the corner, staring at him like a hung figure waiting for him.

"Go away. Please go away." Henry whispered keeping his gaze focused on the shadow that lurks in the dark. He couldn't find a switch to bright up the room and refused to search any longer for the possibility of finding something else he shouldn't find. So he hid, in the corner, hiding his face and cupping his ears to muzzle the noises that began to taunt him endlessly.

Prayers mutters on his lips as he rocked his body back and forth with his eyes closed hoping the next time he opened them, the morning light would guides him into ease.

But Henry didn't even know how long does he stays in that corner of the bedroom when he felt a hand touches his shoulder that made him flinched into a corner. He looked up to see it was Alex towering on his side looking down at him with a furrowed eyebrow and his hair is in a curly mess.

He stood rapidly pressing himself against the wall when he noticed the room is a little bit brighter than before. His eyes are bloodshot and his face is practically wet in tears. Alex's hand hung before him showing he's unarmed.

"Bought you clothes." Alex finally spoke when he noticed Henry is still shaking at the corner like a wounded puppy when he noticed Alex holding few folded items on his forearm. His eyes lurked at the door that finally opened behind Alex when he attempted to escape.

He thought he was fast enough to escape from Alex but he was quicker. His body was slung back in Alex's arms around his waist pulling him back into the room. "Not so fast speed racer." Alex says throwing Henry back to the corner with his arm still balanced the folded clothes right on his palm.

"Let me go!" Henry screamed at his face but Alex only stares down at him before he turned to place the clothes on the unmade bed. He noticed how the bed was exactly as he left it last night and wonders if Henry had been staying on that corner all night.

But his thought was disrupted when Henry tries to make another attempt to run but he was quick to catch him by his waist pulling him back into the room. Henry trashed in his arms with his legs dangled above the ground before Alex threw him on the bed bouncing his body against the soft mattress.

Henry tries to roll away crawling on his knees over the large bed when Alex pulled him by his ankle. Henry was dragged back towards him before Alex strongly flipped him on his back and had his hand pinned Henry's sleeved covered wrist over the mattress. Alex straddled Henry's body underneath him with his thighs pressing against Henry's body.

Memories of being detained and handled back in Broadmoor flooding back into Henry's mind like it was right before him. Images of the orderly wearing white holding him down in his own cell room strapping him to his sides before they did the worst on him. It doesn't end with them shocking his brain to heal him from his diseases, they continued on torturing him in that chambers and worst, in his own bed - which is the reason why he was too terrified to be sleeping on one.

"Get off! Get off me! Let go! Let me go!" Henry plead drowned in his own tears and memories of him being tortured, raped, abused endlessly for years that made Alex stopped pinning him down on the bed but Henry finally got his knees in between them and kneed Alex between his legs.

"Fuck!" Alex cursed loudly holding on to his thigh where Henry had kneed earlier. He was lucky it wasn't his balls that he kneed or he won't be able to stand but the moment he finally free Henry from his grip, he saw him scouring over the corner of his bed hiding from him instead of running out from the bedroom.

"Christ Henry! Calm the fuck down would you! Hear me out!" He yelled rolling over on his side before finally standing on his legs when he noticed Henry had his arms cupping the side of his head to cover his ears. "Henry?" He called again seeing Henry starts mumbling under his breaths with tears flowing down his face. He noticed the familiar look on Henry's face especially when he used to have one of those moments in his life before.

"Hey, hey. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Please listen to me." Alex crouched before him but Henry flinched the moment his hand touches his knees.

"I'm sorry." He whispered again retracting his hand back before he saw Henry's eyes finally lifted towards him. "Leave me alone." Henry plead with his trembling voice. Alex sighed shaking his head before he tries to talk his way again.

"Please, hear me out first." He handed his palm out for him and it took Henry a while in hesitant before he finally took it. He could see Henry's fingers shaking when he raised to grab Alex's palm before Alex raised him from the floor pulling Henry away from the corner.

"Just changed first, then we talked." Alex handed him the folded sweatshirt in his hand when he realized Henry is still wearing the same shirt he has last night. Henry raised his shaking hand accepting his offer holding the sweatshirt close to his chest.

"I wanna go home." Henry plead and Alex took a deep breath before he exhaled to answer him. "Not yet." He says before he turned around to let Henry changed.

"At least leave so I could change." Henry begs him but somehow it made him smirked that send furrowed to his eyebrows. "Don't tell me you're a shy one Henry." Alex says crossing his arm over his chest but Henry continued to stare at him unamused.

"Fine. I'll turn around so you can change." Alex says turning himself around but Henry stood firm on his ground holding the folded sweatshirt closed to his chest.

"Finee." Alex clicked his tongue dragging his word out before heading towards the half opened door. "There's a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. Come out after. I made breakfast." Alex says right before he leaves, glad that Henry nods weakly at him. He saw Henry finally turned his body around facing the bed before pulling his shirt down exposing the scar on his pale back.

Alex was a little surprised by the sight of the fresh scratch marks over Henry's left upper back and right below his ribs despite the rest of the faint scars on his broad back but he didn't want to alert him that he saw it so he closed the door softly and let him changed in peace.

Cash was right when he said Henry was different, there is more stories to tell from his side and Alex has no right to force it out of him. He needed to gain his trust so he could understand him better. Hence why he made the breakfast that morning.

He woke up too early since he couldn't find himself sleeping anyway. The whole night he was thinking about June and Henry altogether trying to find an explanation through all of this. He woke up finding his grey sweats in pairs that he used back in college still in the closet before deciding to gave it to Henry. But the image of him hiding in the corner weeping made him changed his mind entirely about him.

He knows Henry fond of simple toast and eggs in the morning as he took his morning tea. Nora wouldn't stop telling him to eat something else or at least something heavier but Henry is kind of a routine guy which Alex understood.

He never escaped his morning coffee with a dash of cinnamon no matter where he's at. He understood completely how someone can stick to his normal routine everyday much like he does.

Henry walked out later wearing Alex's grey sweatshirt and sweatpants that fits him perfectly like it was made for him only his sleeves are a little too long for him but Alex knows Henry seeks comforts in hiding behind those sleeves. His blonde hair is a mess but he tried to tame it by combing it back with his fingers. His eyes linger around the empty apartment before it found his gaze at Alex standing in the kitchen.

"Sit." He called pouring the hot water into the mug before tossing the tea bag in. Henry walked closer bare footing in the apartment as he climbed the high chair from across the counter facing Alex.

He didn't say anything, he didn't even lifted his gaze to meet Alex's eyes except reaching out for the hot tea mug in front of him and sniffed through the scent. Alex noticed the shakiness still triggering on the edge of his fingers before he sat down the cup carefully almost spilling the tea on the counter.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, but as you know, June has been a sensitive topic in my life. I am the way I am because of her and everyone that I know or knows me knew how much I sacrificed my life to find her." Alex rambles setting a plate down right in front of Henry before handing him a sets of cutleries.

Henry eyed his hand over the counter before carefully taking it in his hand and placed it down next to his plate right on top of the folded napkin Alex handed him earlier.

"So I knew Nora has been talking to you about her and I wanna uhh-" Alex paused scratching the back of his neck while his gaze darted to his coffee mug on the table. "I uhm- I wanna thank you for the gifts. It meant a lot to her." Alex finishes his sentences.

Henry nods keeping his gaze low on the plate of steaming hot scrambled eggs in front of him. "I need to know though. How did you managed that?" He asks and Henry lifted his gaze back at him. Alex was leaning against the table with his arm spread. His curls falls on his forehead as his eyes burning gaze at Henry before him.

"I saw Nora received an email from a publisher once. They asked about June's work that was on hold and she had it in draft. I can see how she contemplates on sending those because of- you. She had the email for weeks, fingers lingering over the send button so I sent it knowing if you're upset about it, you would lashed it on me, instead of her." Henry explained and noticed how Alex's gaze softened at his words.

"I'm sorry for lashing out on you. It was a nice gesture. I'm sure June would be happy to know her work didn't ended the way she did." Alex mutters turning himself around to hide his emotions from Henry.

Henry wanted to say something further when he heard a ringing coming from one of the room and Alex excused himself running towards the sound. He heard his voice from the room answering the phone and immediately knows it was Nora calling him this early.

He smiled when he heard them bantering about last night Christmas dinner and Alex was explaining himself in getting out of trouble.

"I was doing something! You know I hated cleaning up after and I told you to hire someone to do it for you!" His voice stressed over the fact he as supposed to be in a clean up committee but fled and left her all alone to clean her apartment.

Henry smiled at his voice being yelled at Nora like he was some kind of teenagers when his neck felt the sudden chill of air brushing behind him. His palm pressed deeply on the table trying not to react to the presence that starts lingering around him.

He gasped when the cabinet's door flung open all at the same time before him and Henry could feel his heart thumping endlessly in his chest. He couldn't see the presence that was strong enough to do that around him which scares him the most.

"Nora! You're giving me a headache! it's stormed outside and you expect me to do what? Hiked in my gear to you? Don't go and find trouble or you find it! Especially finding Henry in this storm!" Alex's voice became louder when he walked back to the kitchen with his phone gripped tightly in his palm.

"I'm busy! I have plans until New Year's eve party which you know how much I look forward to-" Alex's voice lingered when he walked up behind Henry with all of his kitchen cupboard wide opened. "Gotta go- bye." He ended the call before he walked to his side with his eyes focused on Henry still seating firmly in his seat.

Henry was pale with his eyes focused on the open kitchen cabinet before him. His hand spread over the counter with his untouched food in between. "Looking for something?" Alex asks stepping around the counter to face him when he noticed the glistening tears around his eyes. His breath hitched when he tried to answer him.

"Salt?" Henry ask in his trembling voice furrowing Alex's eyebrow before he circled the island to grab him the small salt shaker and handed it to him. Henry didn't accept it so Alex slides it on the table for him to reach. "Can I go to the bathroom?" Henry asks abruptly surprising Alex in the process. He nods at him before Henry slides away and ran to the room he came out from earlier. Alex noticed the handprint marks that pressed against the countertop leaving traces of Henry's sweaty palms.

Alex was confused by this before he starts closing on the cabinet door one after the other before he decides to check up on Henry.

Alex never bothers to knock on his own door before but seeing how upset Henry was earlier, he contemplates. But he decides to open the door anyway only to meet with the empty bedroom with the bed already made. He thought Henry would scouring in the corner or staring at the window by now but Henry was nowhere in the bedroom.

He heard heaving sound coming from the bathroom when he rushed forgetting how Henry felt about him barging into him. But he didn't regretted it when he saw Henry was crunching over the toilet bowl spilling out practically nothing from his stomach. He figures since he barely had anything from Nora's party last night and he haven't touched anything from his breakfast either.

"Henry?" He called rushing to his side where Henry still dry heaving half deep into the toilet bowl. He pulled Henry by his shoulder when he felt his skin is radiating warmth from his side. "I'm fine." Henry's voice hoarse through his heaving before he crunched over the toilet to spill out his vomit again.

"You're not, you're burning!" Alex pressed his palm over Henry's forehead when he noticed how hot his skin was. Alex pulled a small towel roll over the counter before he runs it over the cold water. Henry was shaking on the floor leaning against the tub behind him when Alex crouched to face him again. He pressed the cold towel against Henry's forehead sending shivers down his body.

"S-stop. It's cold." Henry pushed the towel away from his forehead when Alex clicked his tongue back at him. "Do not fight me in this. Let's get you out of this sweatshirt. It's too thick." Alex says pulling Henry's shirt up but his hand immediately stopping him.

"N-No. Please. Stop." Henry pushed Alex's hand away from taking the shirt off and tries to get away from Alex when his body swayed into Alex's arms. "I never met someone as stubborn as you blondie!" Alex cursed grabbing Henry's arm around his neck before helping him out of the bathroom.

Alex helped Henry lay in bed pulling the comforter off for Henry to lie down. Henry was sweating from his forehead down to his neck with his whole body shakes and shiver.

Alex runs out of the bedroom disappearing for a few minutes before Henry realized he returned with few items in his hand. He placed the item down next to him later helping Henry sat on the bed. "Here take this." Alex poured out couple of pills on his palm before he tried to feed Henry when his hand was slapped away tossing the pills on the ground next to him.

"NO!" Henry yelled frantic when he sees the pills in his hand. Alex's eyebrow furrowed at him before he yelled back at Henry for slapping him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Henry's eyes widen at the sight of the pills when his mind brought back memories of Broadmoor. The orderly that shoved the pills down his throat when he refused taking the antidepressants had made him so terrified at seeing one right now.

But Alex never knew that about him and his sudden aggression made him furious thinking Henry deliberately pissing him off.

"You know what. Fuck you! Go to hell! See if I care!" Alex says tossing the pill bottles against the wall sending it scattering over the floor before he stormed out of the bedroom with Henry flinching at his outburst.

Alex slammed the door close pacing around the kitchen trying to calm himself down but he couldn't stop his mind from the thought of Henry.

"Fuck!" He yelled tossing a plate that he made for Henry against the wall sending it shattering over the counter. His heart is racing by the time he realized what he just did but he was to infuriated to even think about it.

It took him a while, pacing around the kitchen and his living room before he pulled out his phone from his pants pocket and starts tapping on the screen angrily, waiting for the line to connect. "Cash! Come up!" Alex ordered and he could hear the whistling coming out from him.

"Who woke you up on the wrong side of the bed?" He chuckled.

"Shut the fuck up and come up here. NOW!" Alex furiously told him before he ended the call and tossed his phone over the couch. He sighed slumming himself down on the leather chair with his head buried in his hand. His knees bounced over the floor anxiously waiting for Cash to arrive.

.

"What's up?" Cash called as soon as he arrived in the apartment after Alex opened the door for him. "Take him home. Now!" He pointed at the closed bedroom door before he turned to head back at the living area flipping through the channels on his large television.

"What's wrong?" He asks shutting the door closed when he noticed the mess Alex made in the kitchen and Henry is no where around the area. "Where's Henry?" He asks and Alex still focusing on the screen ignoring him.

"Get him out of here before I killed him for real." Alex says still not darting his eyes away from the large screen.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that when there's a storm outside?" Cash questioned taking his steps closer to the couch where Alex sat. "Don't give a shit. Take him back to your apartment or toss him back to the streets. I don't fucking care!" Alex cursed crossing his legs on top of each other with his arms spread wide over the couch.

"Christ Alex. What is it now? You're the one that brought him back here and now you're sending him back in a blizzard like a damn trash?" Cash scolds him thinking how much immature his behavior is. Alex taps on the remote to shut the television off before he stood from the couch to face Cash with his arms over his hips.

"I owned the fucking Cartel and no one, I meant no one literally ever fucking tempt me the way he does. I gave such leeway on him but it ends here. The next time he tries something on me, I won't hesitate to put a fucking bullet in his brain or yours. You hear me? Get him the fuck out of here, NOW!" Alex's words seethed through his teeth when he told Cash but the only reaction he got from him was a long sigh.

"You and your temper Alex. I'm just surprised how Nora haven't kill you yet." Cash sighed before he stepped backwards heading towards Henry's room.

He knocked on the door of the bedroom noticed how Alex still had his gaze at him before he entered the bedroom. He shook his head in disbelief before he turned the doorknob opened for him to enter.

Cash stepped inside the bedroom finding Henry in bed covered with the thick blanket over him. "Henry?" He called when he noticed Henry was shivering under the covers with his hand covered his ears. "Hey, you're okay?" He pulled the blanket off of his body when he realized Henry muttering words under his breath. "P-Please. Please let me go." Henry begged breaking Cash's heart to pieces.

"Jeez, you're burning. Let's get you up alright." Cash tries to pull Henry by his arm when Henry falls back into bed. "Let me go. Let me go." Henry pulled his hand away from Cash's grip.

"Hey, hey. Henry listen to me. You're safe. Look at me. You're not where you think you are. Look around you. Look, look." He pulled Henry back to sitting position pushing his chin to look at the wide window showing the blizzard snow outside.

Henry shakily flustered his eyes opened to see the window when he finally realized he is at Alex's apartment but later his eyes lingers behind Cash's shoulder to the corner of the bedroom. The shadow had disappeared now that Cash's here.

Cash turned around behind him to see nothing but an empty room before his eyes darted back to Henry in front of him. He is still trembling swallowing his throat repeatedly before Cash noticed his eyes rolled back into his head and fell on the pillow behind him.

Cash caught him from falling backwards whiplashing his head from the fall before he letting him sleep. "What's wrong you?" He whispered noticing the pills scattering over the floor before he finally realized how Alex never took care of someone before in his life.

Alex was always the one who had someone took care of him. No matter how he got badly injured, someone will took care of him and mostly is Cash is the one doing the caring.

But seeing Henry like this had opened up to a different perspective. He was never taken care off that the thought of someone touching him, or brushing his hair back would triggered something in him. He flinched at each and every sound he heard or the closeness of someone beside him made him scattered away.

He realizes it when Nora was being her hovering self especially when she care endlessly of someone. She used to care for Alex but at some point having Henry in her life changes her focus. But near Nora, Henry was not triggered away but when being around Alex changes his behavior entirely.

He knows Alex is not a pleasant person to be around especially when he's behaving like a child. Most of the time, he was succumbed to his temper more than his own feelings. Losing June had made him like this, emotionless, and less empathy.

He sighed once again pressing his forefingers over Henry's forehead to feel his temperature and clicked his tongue when he felt the burning hot skin under his flesh.

He stood up, headed to the bathroom taking a small towel folded over the counter before he rinse it over the cold tap water. He wrung the towel a little not wanting to drip all the way back before taking it to Henry in bed. He folds the towel in half before placing it over Henry's forehead.

Henry shudders in coldness but still kept his eyes closed when Cash pressed the cold towel over his neck. He let the towel stay over Henry's forehead before leaving the room only to find Alex cleaning the kitchen after the mess earlier.

"What?" Alex asks seeing Cash taking his step closer to the kitchen before stepping over the high chair and folded his hand together in front of him.

"He's sick. I can't get him out now." Cash mentioned but Alex scoffed scrubbing the mess he made with the hand towel. "I don't fucking care. Get him out or I'll dragged him out myself." Alex says still letting his back facing Cash behind him.

"You sure Nora won't kill you if she finds out?" He asks causing Alex to turned around facing him abruptly.

"It won't if someone here won't have a loose lips Cassius!" Alex warned.

Cash looked up meeting his gaze from across the table when he sighed. "What did you do to triggered this anger in you?" He asks.

"What did I do?! Why don't you asks him? I was being nice to someone for once! Then he go and fucking slapped me for giving him the fucking Tylenol!" Alex yelled tossing the hand towel from his grip into the empty sink.

"Alex, stop yelling and take a beat. Breathe. Then you'll see what the hell is going on." Cash told him and Alex clenched his jaw taking deep breaths before leaning his back against the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest staring back at Cash.

"Why do you have a soft spot for him anyway?" Alex asks but Cash snickered a smile back at him. "He- reminded me of someone." Cash told him darting his gaze towards the closed bedroom door. "Your war buddy?" Alex asks and he sighed nodding his head softly without a glance.

"I'm going home." Cash told him before standing up from the high chair but Alex was not happy by his choice. "Woah, woah. You're not gonna leave me up here with him! Take him with you!" Alex stopped him from leaving but Cash only laughs at Alex's protest.

"I think it's better to leave you sought out your own problem for once. You're not gonna have me forever to protect you Alex. For once, maybe this is good for you. But I'm not gonna say it's gonna be good for his end though." Cash winked at him before he headed to the door.

"Cash! What would I do?" Alex asks him as he was about to leave. "Be human Alex." He says softly before leaving Alex's apartment and Alex still dumbfounded in the middle of the conversation.

He sighed shaking his head in disbelief when Cash left his apartment. His eyes went back towards the closed door that he knows the obvious elephant in the room.

He wanted to peak inside to check on Henry but his heart is stone and he decides to left him alone for now and enjoy his remaining days watching Christmas movies.