Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first time Henry wakes up in the unfamiliar bed, he begins to panic. His head is throbbing as he forces his eyes open. He’s wearing clothes that don’t belong to him. He’s never seen this room before. His body doesn’t feel sore like it normally does after a hookup. After a quick scan of the room, he notices a sign on the nightstand beside his phone.

DON’T PANIC!

Tylenol is in the top drawer, and the bottle of water is still sealed.

Where am I?

You’re in the spare room of the bartender who served you last night, in the apartment above the bar. You were too drunk to leave on your own and you could barely walk. Your emergency contact in your phone was texted and your location shared.

Your phone is either on the nightstand, or plugged in on the dresser, depending on what your battery percentage was.

If you’re not in your own clothes, that means you puked on them and they’re currently in the dryer. I made sure they were clean for you. Feel free to change back into them, or go home in the spares you’re wearing.

What now?

Whatever you want. You can leave through the front door and go down the hall, the elevator on your left will take you down to the street level. We never have to speak of this again.

There is food in the kitchen, help yourself if you’re hungry. There’s clean towels and toiletries in the bathroom if you’d like to shower or brush your teeth before you leave.

The WiFi password is on the fridge. TV remote is on the coffee table. 

You’re not required to rush. Take care of yourself, make sure your head is in a good place, and get home safe. If you need anything, my number is at the bottom.

-Alex

Surprisingly enough, Henry feels his anxiety begin to dissipate. He doesn’t remember much from last night, but he remembers the bartender. The extremely attractive bartender, who definitely kept a close eye on him all night- kept an eye on all of the single people at the bar. Alex, along with the other female bartender, easily pushed away creeps from drunk patrons all night. Henry momentarily wonders how many of these drunk patrons have been in this apartment.

Henry feels comfortable in the clothes he’s been put in. The t-shirt reaches his mid-thighs, and he’s wearing his own briefs. He decides against a shower and just brushes his teeth instead, going to rummage through the kitchen to see what kind of tea he can find. He’s surprised to find Earl Grey tucked into the tea box. The flat is nice- the couch is comfortable, and the blankets are warm. He doesn’t really want to leave. He does eventually, though, keeping the bartender’s shirt on as he makes his way home. He’s already texted Bea and Percy to let them know he’s alive.

“Did you get laid?” Percy asks when he comes over for dinner. “You said the bartender was hot, right?”

“He wasn’t even there when I woke up,” Henry murmurs. “I don’t remember much, but I definitely didn’t get fucked, I’d feel it. There was a whole sign he had explaining the situation. Here, I took a picture of it,” he chuckles, sliding his phone over to Percy. “It just seems like he really cares. I remember him and the female bartender keeping an eye on everybody.”

“I vote you go back to that bar,” Percy grins. “You need to see that man again. I’ll go with you this time.”

“If you’re with me, then I likely won’t end up in his flat again since I’ll have a friend,” Henry chuckles.

“Then we’ll both get wasted!”

-

The second time Henry wakes up in that bed, his hangover is significantly worse, and Percy is snoring next to him. Henry barely makes it to the bathroom before leaning over the toilet. He decides to take advantage of the shower this time. He loves the smell of the shampoo,  and the robe he puts on afterwards feels amazing. Percy is still asleep, so Henry makes his way to the kitchen for tea. He’s not expecting the attractive bartender to be standing at the counter.

“Oh-”

“Oh, hey, good morning,” the man smiles softly. “Didn’t realize you were still here. I think Nora brought you up last night, right?”

“Uh- I genuinely have no idea,” Henry chuckles softly. “I was hammered.”

“I saw. You and your partner seemed to be having a good time. I’m Alex,” he holds his hand out.

Henry gently places his hand in Alex’s. His hand feels small in comparison. “I’m Henry,” he murmurs. “And Percy isn’t my partner- well, maybe my partner in crime,” he giggles. “He’s my best mate, who happens to think Nora is the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen in his life.”

“Don’t let Nora know, her ego can’t get any bigger or I won’t be able to work with her anymore.” Alex smirks at the small giggle Henry lets out. “Gotta say, most people don’t come back after they wake up in a strange bed.”

“The note put me at ease. Plus, the bar itself is pretty great. Lots of attractive guys to dance with.” Henry pours the water into his mug once the kettle is done. 

“You ever go home with any of them?”

Henry smirks a bit. “Not recently,” he murmurs, sipping his tea. “Percy has been trying to help me find someone fun though. Speaking of, I’ll go get him up and we’ll get out of your hair.”

“Like the sign says, no need to rush,” Alex shrugs. “I was just out of coffee so I came to sneak some from here.” At Henry’s furrowed brow, Alex continues, “Nora and I own the bar, and there’s a few places up here. Nora and I each have our own place, and then we have two small apartments for people. Sometimes, people are just too drunk for us to feel comfortable letting them leave, so we bring them up here and give them a safe place to crash.”

“Why this and not just getting them into an uber or taxi?”

Alex’s smile turns a bit sad. “My sister had a driver try to take advantage of her when she was drunk on her way home. Thankfully she was being dropped off at my place. I got the Life 360 alert that she had arrived, but she didn’t come in. I went outside to check on her and found them. I almost got arrested that night,” he chuckles, shaking his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to dump all that on you.”

“No, it’s alright,” Henry promises. “I can’t even imagine how that must’ve felt for you to see that, Alex. I’m so sorry. I get why you’d want to do this.”

“Yeah. It helps me know that people are safe.” Alex hums quietly. “I’m gonna head back to my place now. It’s nice to meet you, Henry. Hopefully I’ll see you around soon.”

“I’m sure you will, Alex.”

-

The next time Henry finds himself in Alex’s bar, he’s not drinking as much. As much as he’d love to wake up in Alex’s flat again, he’s a bit on edge tonight. There’s a man watching him. It’s busy, and Henry hasn’t been able to get much of Alex’s attention. No matter what Henry does, he can’t seem to get away from the man’s attention. Henry tries to sneak away to the bathroom.

“You’re a slippery one, sweetheart,” the man smirks, cornering Henry against the wall. “I’ve seen you watching me.”

Henry gasps, eyes wide. “I-I wasn’t- let me go!”

He grips Henry’s wrist tighter. “Now, now-” he steps back when someone else steps into the bathroom.

Henry slips out of the bathroom and practically runs up to the bar. It only takes a minute before Henry sees the guy out of the corner of his eye again. “Uh, Alex?”

“Hey, Henry,” Alex smiles as he walks up, throwing a towel over his shoulder. “How are- is everything alright?” he frowns. 

“Um. I’ve never- I don’t even know-” Henry exhales slowly. “Do you do angel shots?”

Alex’s face turns serious. “Who is it? Did someone hurt you?”

“Th-the guy in the jeans and purple button down, the one standing near the bathroom door,” Henry whispers. He holds his hand out across the bar. There’s a red mark around his wrist from the man’s hand. “He’s been watching me all night, and he followed me into the bathroom.”

“I’ll get someone to take care of him,” Alex murmurs. He calls over a man named Liam, whispering the situation to him. As soon as Liam has the man distracted, Alex motions for Henry to follow him. “Come on, you can stay up here tonight,” he says softly, leading Henry up the backstairs to the apartments.

“Thank you,” Henry whispers. He’s still slightly shaking once they arrive in the living room. “I didn’t know if the angel shot thing was real, I saw it online and just hoped for the best. I didn’t want him to hear.”

“Not all bars do it, but Nora and I always make sure we take those seriously,” Alex smiles softly. He gives Henry a blanket to cover up with. “I need to get back downstairs to help Nora and make sure Liam has everything taken care of. Will you be okay up here? You can lock the door.”

“I’ll be okay. I’ll text Percy and my sister.”

“My number is on the sign in the bedroom if you need me,” Alex murmurs. “If someone is going to come get you, just have them come to the bar and I’ll send them up.”

“Thank you.” Henry forces a small smile as he watches Alex leave.

Henry isn’t a stranger to bad interactions in the bar. He’s dealt with his fair share of creeps- guys who don’t know how to take no for an answer, guys who grind on him on the dancefloor, guys who spike his drink. He tries his best to not let it get to him. It’s hard, obviously, but he pushes through. It makes him think sometimes. Maybe he shouldn’t be so promiscuous, or he shouldn’t get so drunk, maybe he wouldn’t get hurt-

“Henry? Are you okay?” Henry’s head snaps up. Alex is standing in the doorway. His eyebrows are furrowed. “You’re crying. What’s wrong?”

Henry reaches up, touching his cheek. He’s shocked that it’s wet. “Oh. I just- I’m fine. What are you doing back up here?”

“It’s the end of my shift. You’ve been up here for a while,” Alex says softly. “I figured you’d be gone, nobody ever showed up and asked for you.”

“Oh,” Henry says again. “Sorry, I guess I just lost track of time. I can head out-”

“You’re crying.” Alex sits down on the couch next to Henry. “What happened?”

Henry shrugs slightly, wiping his face. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

“About how this kind of shit happens to me a lot,” Henry gives a sad smile. “I’m thinking I must be doing something wrong.”

Alex’s face falls. “Oh, Henry-”

“Maybe if I was just a little less slutty, these things wouldn’t happen to me.” Henry leans back against the couch. “I’ve been groped, assaulted, followed. I flirt a lot. I drink. I dance with a bunch of guys. It’s not a shocker that some guys think they deserve more.”

“Henry, listen to me.” Alex waits until Henry finally looks up at him again. “None of that is your fault. Nothing you did means you deserve to be treated like that. You didn’t do anything wrong. What happened tonight- it’s not your fault, do you understand me? You barely drank at all tonight. That man was just being creepy for no reason.”

“Kind of hard to believe when it happens time and time again,” Henry chuckles. “I think I’ll head back downstairs.”

“I don’t know how I feel about you leaving right now,” Alex says honestly. “Do you have someone who can come get you, and I’ll walk you down?”

Henry hums quietly. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll text Pez.”

It takes half an hour for Pez to arrive. Alex stays true to his word and walks Henry down to the Uber that Pez is waiting in. They say their goodnights, and Henry doesn’t say a word the entire ride home.

-

Henry continues going to Alex’s bar. He gets to know Alex in between customers, learning about his life- why he’s here in New York, growing up in Texas, what made him drop out of law school. Henry still drinks, but not as often. On this particular night, he’s been nursing the same drink for half an hour. He dances with a couple of cute guys as the night goes on. The last thing he remembers is making his way to the bathroom.

The third time Henry wakes up in the bed above the bar, Alex is sleeping in a chair next to it. When Henry starts to shift, Alex jumps up.

“Hen? Are you okay?” Alex mumbles, rubbing his eyes gently. 

Henry furrows his eyebrows a bit. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he murmurs. “What happened last night? Why are you here?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Alex rubs his face gently as he sits up. “Do you not remember what happened?”

“Not really, I remember dancing with a few guys but nothing after that.” Henry chews his bottom lip gently. “Alex, what happened?”

“Someone roofied you,” Alex says quietly, “and I think you figured it out. You locked yourself in a bathroom stall. Someone came to get me because they were worried about you. I found you curled up on the floor. I think you passed out after you made yourself throw up.”

“Oh. I mean- I do recognize the feeling now, so that sounds right,” Henry breathes. “You stayed with me all night?”

“Of course I did. I feel awful that you were drugged in my bar, Hen. I should’ve kept a better eye on you-”

“Alex, this isn’t your fault,” Henry frowns, reaching out to grab Alex’s hand. “You were busy. Some creep taking advantage of me isn’t your fault. Please don’t beat yourself up for this. You did nothing wrong.”

“I just feel like I should’ve noticed something was happening,” Alex whispers. “I’m still so sorry, Hen. You should feel safe in my bar.”

Henry carefully cups Alex’s cheek. “Alexander, look at me. You did not do a single thing wrong. This was not the first time it happened to me. Honestly? It probably won’t be the last. I don’t blame you.”

“Okay,” Alex smiles softly. “I understand if you don’t want to come back.”

“You think being roofied will stop me from coming back?” Henry teases gently. “You’re worth it. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know that was probably supposed to sound cute, but it’s still questionable,” Alex chuckles. “I’m not worth getting roofied, but I’m also not expecting it to happen enough that it becomes an issue.”

“I appreciate you taking care of me,” Henry says gently. “Thank you, Alex.”

“Always. You go shower and I’ll make you some breakfast, okay? I want to make sure you’re fully okay before you leave.”

“I will be.” Henry carefully climbs out of bed, making his way to the shower.

-

They start texting after that. Henry starts by sending Alex snippets from whatever book he’s reading. Alex replies back with new drinks he’s trying to create. Eventually, Henry starts showing up at the bar during the day to help Alex taste test drinks. It takes two weeks before Alex finally makes a move.

“I want to take you out for dinner tomorrow night,” Alex says, leaning against the bar. “I’ve got the night off, and I want to go out on a date.”

“A d-date?” Henry stammers, eyes a bit wide as he looks up at Alex. “Oh. Yes, yeah- I’d love that, Alex.”

Alex’s smile falters a little. “You don’t have to say yes if you don’t actually want to,” he says softly.

“Oh, love, it’s not that,” Henry promises. “I was just shocked is all. I didn’t think you were into me like that. I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“Yeah?” Alex grins. “Yeah, okay. If you text me your address, I’ll pick you up at six?”

“I’ll see you at six, love.”

Henry makes his way back to his own flat and promptly screams into his pillow. 

“Darling, what has you panicking this evening?” Pez hums, raising his eyebrow as he leans against the doorframe.

“Alex asked me out on a date tomorrow evening, and I have no idea what I’m going to wear,” Henry whines. “What do I wear? He’s so respectful. Do I dress slutty? Do I dress modestly?”

“Slutty, always,” Pez says simply. “Even if you’re not expecting to do anything, show him what you’ve got.”

“He definitely doesn’t seem like the ‘sex on the first date’ kind of guy,” Henry murmurs. “So should I just wear some nice pants, and a button up with some buttons undone?”

“Of course, darling, always show a bit of cleavage.”

-

Henry doesn’t know what he was worried about, honestly. Alex had shown up at six on the dot, a bouquet of daisies in his hand. He waits patiently as Henry places the flowers in a vase on the kitchen counter. Dinner goes perfectly, of course it does, and Alex is a perfect gentleman all night. Alex takes him to a nice Italian restaurant near the bar. They almost forget to actually eat their food because they’re talking too much.

Once Alex pays for their meal, he holds his hand out and leads Henry out of the restaurant. “I had a really nice time tonight,” he says softly. “Thank you for coming out with me.”

“Of course, Alex, I had a really nice time, too,” Henry smiles softly. “I haven’t had a date this nice in a really long time.”

Alex squeezes Henry’s hand gently. “I’m going to treat you right,” he murmurs. “I’m going to show you how you deserve to be treated.” 

“Thank you.” Henry follows Alex up the steps to his front door. “I don’t remember the last time I had a first date that didn’t end with me in his bed,” he says quietly. “They always expect it.”

“I don’t expect it- I’ll never expect it,” Alex promises. “But, if you’re up for it, I’d like to give you a goodnight kiss.”

Henry giggles quietly. “I’d be quite alright with that.” 

Alex cups Henry’s cheek gently, leaning down to press their lips together gently. He keeps the kiss soft and innocent, pulling away after a few seconds. “I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”

“Okay, darling. I’ll speak to you in the morning.” He gives Alex a small smile before he makes his way inside. He leans back against the door once it’s closed.

“Seems that you’ve got a good one, Hen,” Pez calls out from the couch. “Better keep him.”

Henry lets out a quiet laugh. “I know, Pez. I know.”

-

“C’mon, love, you’re gonna be okay,” Henry murmurs, holding onto the girl’s waist as he tries to help her up the stairs. “Let’s get you somewhere you can sleep this off.”

“Mhmm, I can go home,” she mumbles, rubbing her eyes. “I took a cab.”

“Darling, you are too wasted to get into a cab.” Henry goes through the motions he’s learned from Alex and Nora, helping the girl get settled in the bed. He texts her emergency contacts and sets up a bottle of water on the nightstand. When he makes his way back downstairs, Alex is waiting for him at the door.

“You’re getting good at this,” Alex smirks slightly, pressing their lips together.

Henry chuckles softly. “Well, I would hope so after a year,” he murmurs. “Think you’ll be done soon?”

“I’m sure I could get Nora to close up for me.” Alex wraps his arms around Henry’s waist. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart.”