Alex waited for almost two hours feeling his legs getting numb for sitting on the floor with Henry in his lap. He tried to adjust himself and finally saw Henry slowly flutters his eyes opened and the moment he did, his eyes landed at Alex staring down at him. "Hey, you're awake." Alex says and Henry tried to get up from his lap but felt dizzy as soon as he did. Alex helped him to sit up and he leaned against the bed feeling his head heavier than usual.

Alex grabbed the water bottle from Henry's side of the bed and handed to him. He eyed his gestured before he shakily grabbed the bottle from Alex's hand and tried to open the cap. Alex can see the way his hand flexed painfully like every single joints muscle in his hand hurts him as he moves, so he grabbed the bottle from his grip and helped to uncap the lid off and held it over Henry's lips. "The way you breathing earlier, I bet your throat is as dry as sand right now. Drink."

Henry stares at him weakly before he took a sip and Alex eyed as his throat bobbed up and down before Henry nods at him. "Call your brother. He's worried." He says and Henry shook his head at him before he shut his eyes and his tear run down on his cheek. "Henry, don't worry, there is nothing to be ashamed off. I'm not gonna tell anyone about this. But your brother is worried, don't leave it at that." He says but Henry still wouldn't dare to look at him. He had his head turned to his side and Alex knew he tried to hide his shame from him.

"Call him." Alex handed Henry his phone and he eyed his hand before he grabbed it and pressed on the call button waiting to be yelled at by Phillip.

"Henry?! Are you alright?! What happened?" Phillip yelled over the speaker and Henry inhaled sharply before he exhaled. "I'm sorry Pip." He apologized before he broke into tears. "Oh Hen. I'm so sorry. Please tell me you alright. I was this close to board the plane now." Phillip sounded serious although Henry knows that he might have done it if Henry didn't call him for the next hours.

"I'm okay- for now." He says and his eyes darted towards Alex across from him. He eyed Henry cautiously letting him know that he is here as a friend. "Didn't you take your medication?" He asks him and Henry contemplated whether or not he should say anything seeing Alex is few feet away from him hearing his conversation. "Henry?" Phillip ask again and it brought Henry attention back to him.

"I'm all out." He says and he can hear Phillip sighed longly at him. "Hen it was supposed to last you for the next four months. You barely got into three and now it's finished?" Phillip told him and Henry sighed feeling the heaviness in his heart grew for disappointing Phillip. "Why didn't you tell me it got worst?" Phillip asks after Henry didn't reply him. "I'm sorry, I just don't want you to worry." Henry says but it made Phillip furious at his words, "Well I'm worried now damn it! What if you got hurt?" Phillip yelled over the phone and Alex couldn't help to hear his voice even when he is not on speaker.

"You can't protect me forever Pip." Henry whispered his last words that made Phillip silenced and Alex can see a single tear fell on Henry cheek. "Bye." Henry cut off the call and tossed his phone to the side as Alex stares at him. He had his arms crossed over his stomach and his knees bended. He leaned his forehead against his knees as Alex stayed there staring at him trying to figure out how to talk to him after what happened.

"Henry, if you didn't want to talk to anyone, at least talk to me." Alex starts and Henry finally looked up from his knees. "Thanks but no." Henry replies shortly and Alex sighed before he sat up and crawled to his side leaning his body against the bed. Henry shifted a little to the side parting him and Alex in between. "If you don't want to talk about it at least tell me who hurt you?"

Henry finally turned to his side and he felt for the first time in months, they finally locked eyes at each other. "You know who." Henry whispered and Alex clenched his jaw tight at the thought of the one person he had in his mind. "Fucking James." Henry nods before turning his gaze back forward. "Is that why you wake up so early? To avoid James?" Alex asks and Henry nods weakly and somehow it made Alex smiled.

"What?" Henry asks seeing Alex smiled widely next to him . "I thought you were avoiding me." Henry hides his gaze from Alex and pressed his lips together. "I uhm- I was." Henry simply replies and it made Alex smirked. "Why?" He asks knowing well Henry is uncomfortable with his questions right now. "You're- different." Henry could feel the embarrassment rising up on his ear and he can feel Alex smirked wider besides him.

He wanted to tease him further but seeing he just suffers from a dreadful panic attack, he decides to leave it at this. For months they had been avoiding each other but now, Alex felt they'd finally made a connection in starting their friendship.

...

Henry was interrupted from middle of his class when he was handed a note to go into the nurse office after class and he wonders why he is needed there. As he walked through the hallways of the sports building that afternoon he can't help but to stop and watched the trophies hall along side the corridor. He smiled seeing all the men and women achievement wearing their medals around their necks, carrying their trophy above their heads with smiles over their face.

He heard yelling coming from one of the door and only when he looked he saw it was a swimming arena for training and competition that they held. He entered the area seeing all the men and women cheering over the two people right at the bottom. His eyes caught at the familiar person stood on the small platform over the edge of the pool with his swimming cap on readied himself to take the challenge.

His mouth gaped at the sight of the guy's torso dripping with water and the way it runs through the curve of his abs makes Henry's heart beats abnormally. It was not like when he is getting his panic attack, it was much like butterflies flying in his stomach. It didn't help until Henry eyes caught at the lower half of his v-line. He had a skinny black speedo on that Henry assumed it was used for this kind of sports but the sight of his curved bulge right at the centre sending his own mind to madness.

"Hi!" A sudden cheer came by his side and he saw the dark skinned girl stood next to him with her sheepish smiles and her dark curly hair is no longer tied into a bun, she let it free and Henry smiled seeing her. "Hi. Nora right?" Henry asks and she nods frantic at him. "What are you doing here? Did you come to see Alex?" She asks and Henry's gaze returned towards Alex standing by the edge of the pool with a wide smile on his face when he saw Henry by the stairs talking with Nora. "You and Alex are friends?" He asks and Nora nods, "Best friend." She added.

Alex raised his arm up for them but only Nora waved him back. Henry knows Alex was openly bisexual about himself seeing how many boys and girls he brought back to their dorm. He had countless night when Alex thought he was asleep but he wasn't. The sound of him making love next to him is torture enough for him to sleep and it's not enough when he had to endure such sight of him kissing another person.

"Do you want to stay and watch?" Nora asks and Henry turned his gaze back to her. "Uhm...  I uh- I'm supposed to meet someone." Henry stutters holding on to the note in his hand but soon his eyes caught at Alex's opponent and his heart beating rapidly again. James.

Henry couldn't tear his eyes away from that man. He was the sole reason why he is so miserable right now while he should enjoy his life at this new place. James saw Henry by the stairs and smirked at his way. He kissed his palm before he blew a kiss over Henry that made everyone there turned their gaze and starts whistling at him. He hated the attention and not too mention the fact that James just outed him to the entire university made him want to kill himself right there and then. "Hen, ignore him. He's an asshole." Nora says seeing Henry is starting to get upset by his gesture. Henry breaths starts to quicken before he excuse himself from the pool area and ran back towards the exit. Little did he knew is that Nora was running behind him following him.

.

Alex saw what James just did to Henry and his heart broke seeing Henry ran upstairs towards the exit and he hinted Nora to go with him. His eyes burning gaze towards James next to him and he can't help but to smack him by shoulder sending him off the edge. "Why the hell did you do that for?" He asks and James was stunt at his words. "Why did you care? Jealous much?" James teased pushing Alex back by his shoulder and Alex clenched his jaw tight at James attempt.

"Fuck you!" Alex says before he threw a punch over James face and he stumbled back but his coach got in between them both before James could returned the punch. "Fellas, fellas enough! You wanna beat each other, beat in the race. Come on!" He pushed James towards the other side separating them both and James eyed Alex in anger. "You're gonna regret this." He pointed at Alex but Alex is not someone scared easily so he challenged him further.

As they both stepped on the platform waiting for the gun to fire Alex can't help recalling the look on Henry's face leaving the pool. He hoped he is alright and Nora is there with him in case he suffers another attack. Few days ago he had managed to comfort Henry but right now, he had to beat the ego on this guy that won't stop hurting Henry for his own pleasure.

As the gun fired, Alex dipped into the cold chlorine water and swam to the surface feeling all of his strength pushing him towards the end. Each breaths he took, Henry's face came to his mind. Alex wished he was here to see him win. He wished Henry was there to see him fight this guy so he would feel little about himself more rather than making others. But Henry isn't here, Henry is hurting some place else and Alex wants to run and made sure he is alright.

By the time Alex whipped back to the starting point, he knew James is catching up on him but when his palm reaches over the edge of the pool, the whistle blew and the crowd cheered. He emerged into the water pulling his goggles out so he can finally see who won. His coach claps above him helping him out from the water before raising his arm up in victory. He smiled widely at the sight of the crowd cheering and clapping at him with James still in the water burning holes in his stares. He knew James will get back at him for losing but he couldn't care less. He needed to make sure Henry is alright so he immediately strap on his casual three quarter gym pants and grabbed his hoodie after wiping himself dry before he removed his swimming cap off and ran towards the exit.

.

Henry remember running towards the door and pushed his way through before his breath catches him. He palmed his chest that starts tightened at each breaths before his body leaned against the wall next to him. He tried his best to slowed his breath down but seeing James made him regretted why he was there in the first place. If he wasn't distracted to see Alex, he won't risk himself in front of everyone at the university and definitely not risking himself getting another panic attack.

He felt an assuring arms over his elbow when he turned to look to this side. Nora stands by his side handing her palm out for him to take and slowly he did. Their palms tangled with each other before Nora saw the note crumpled in Henry's hand and she took it. She read the note seeing the nurse office called Henry and she thought it was a good idea for him to see a nurse right now seeing Henry is at verge of his panic attack.

"Come on, I'll take you." She says and she grabbed Henry's arm above her shoulder guiding him towards the office.

Henry felt his legs couldn't stepped further without his breaths catching up on him. He can feel every single breath that he took, it was purely toxic and it was pointless to him. "Breathe Mr Fox." The nurse voice came to his attention and he didn't even realized he was sitting in the nurses office with Nora besides her biting her nails in worry.

The nurse had a grey scrubs on with a stethoscope around her neck, she might look older than Henry expected but something about her made him felt familiar. Henry can see the grey hair sticking out from her buns that she tried to tame when it fell over her forehead. She gave Henry a bag for him to breathe into but Henry couldn't even hold it with his shaking hands. "Mr Fox listen to me. You need to slow down your breath before you passed out." She says and Henry still feel like she is not real.

"I - c-can't." He says but the nurse won't take no for an answer. She turned to her drawer and Nora sat by Henry side stroking his back softly trying to help him. "Breath Hen, remember? Find your safe place and hold on to that." She whispered but Henry shook his head with his eyes flooded with tears.

Seconds later someone stumbling into the office with his wet body dripping water on the floor making the nurse yelled at him. Henry didn't even realized when they moved him towards the stretcher and Alex had his arms wrapped around Henry hushing him to slow his breaths. "I'm here Hen, I'm right here. Follow my breaths." He says pressing Henry's head towards his chest and Henry followed. With a single inhaled he took, Henry followed him and they both exhaled but somehow Henry still fell unconscious in Alex's embraced few seconds later. Alex felt him limped in his arm as he caught his body from falling down on the floor. He let Henry rest on the bed and waited patiently for him to wake up. 

.

Henry can hear whispers as he flutters his eyes to wake. His head felt heavier as he tried to lift himself but someone held him by his shoulder stopping him. "Easy, just rest." The voice whispered and Henry sighed longly at the command drifting himself back to sleep.

It was hours later when Henry finally woke up and more alert but his eyes caught at Alex sitting next to him with his eyes focused on his phone and Nora by the corner sipping into a cup talking to a nurse besides her. He cleared his throat returning their gaze back at him and Alex was the happiest to see him finally awake. "Hey, you're okay?" He asks and Henry nods before lifted himself up and the nurse handed him a water with a pill in a medication cup. He eyed the pill seeing it was something he used to take. "Take it, it'll help." She says and Henry didn't think twice before he gulped the pill down with the water she gave him. "Thanks." He mumbled seeing her returned to her desk and took a seat without a word and felt rather awkward seeing them staring at him like he is a freak show with Alex sitting close to his sides on the rotating stool. 

"Hen I'm sorry about James, he shouldn't have done that to you." Alex starts and Henry shook his head at him, "Why are you apologizing?" He asks and Alex lowered his gaze at him, "Because he was my friend and I brought him into your life." Henry eyes widen at Alex blaming himself for what happened.

"Alex, it's not your fault that he is a sadistic, creepy bastard. I couldn't deal with my own problem and now I dragged you into this mess." He says and Alex silenced staring at his shaky hands. Henry returns his gaze towards the nurse by her desk with Nora sat across from her, "Why did you call me here?" He asks and she stares at him before she raised and grabbed something over her desk and gave it to Henry. "Your brother had me running errand now? Just tell him I don't work for him." She says and Henry eyed her silently. Something about her feeling rather familiar to Henry.

"Do I know you?" He asks earning both Alex and Nora gaze towards them both. She smiles at Henry before she crossed her arms around her chest leaning against her desk facing Henry. "I doubt you do, you were just a wee boy when we met." She says and it clicked something in Henry's mind. She was a lot younger then when they met. It has been years since she and him see each other, especially since after his father died. "Mary?" He called feeling the trembling in his lips with tears flooded his visions. "Hi love." She replied and Henry can see her eyes reddened to finally sees Henry again after so many years. 

Henry couldn't hold his tears and Mary barely could stand seeing the boy she watched grew up into something so broken right before her. She didn't waste time when she walked towards him and engulfed him into a tight hug with him sobbing over her neck. "I miss you." He says and Mary stroked his blonde hair back with her thin fingers. "You look a lot like Arthur. I see him in you." She says and Henry sobs further. It wasn't the reunion he had hoped in years but it was worth seeing her again.