"What a romantic choice. It's a date," Henry nodded before joining Adrian down in the gutter, dusting off his hands after he'd done so. For a man so often in the nude, for the most part against his will, he hated being dirty. Now that he was in close vicinity to his friend, it was obvious he'd recently been smoking, the scent rolling off him. He found himself jealous, suddenly itching for a taste now that he'd been reminded of it, though his growing headache probably had something to do with that, desperate to calm the resulting anxiety. Still, Henry held his tongue despite the urge, knowing Amy wouldn't like it. They were still very much figuring out what worsened his frequency of travel, and alcohol and drugs were the top suspects thus far. Unfortunately, he'd just have to ride out the day sober.
He became more grateful for the sobriety once Adrian confirmed his upset was regarding Eddie, Henry convinced he wouldn't have been able to hold his tongue otherwise. Plus, it was easier for him to read Adrian's emotions this way, understand his perspective instead of just inserting his own opinion and bias. Henry and Eddie certainly weren't on great terms, but he could admit things had changed on his end since his visit to their near future. He'd learnt something bad was going to happen to the dhampir, that at some point soon, he'd be taken, but frustratingly, Henry had no idea what the outcome would be. Without meaning to, it'd made him far more lenient of Eddie in the present, suddenly showing the man more grace and understanding than he ever had before. In a truly shocking turn of events, Henry had realised he'd mourn Eddie if something were to happen to him. Besides, exercising some patience was the least he could do when he had no way to warn any of them about the future.
Not being able to share events with the people they specifically affected was one of the most torturous things about his condition; although, Henry had been playing the travel game for long enough to know there were still small things he could do, advice he could give, subtle enough to make a difference, and hopefully not a negative one. He wasn't above making his own luck, if he could. Now was one of those times, quite taken aback by the helpless tone in Adrian's voice. Even in the future, when the outcome seemed hopeless, it had been overwhelmingly clear Adrian hadn't given up. The least Henry could do was remind his friend those traits, that nature, was already in him.
"Look, man," he started, raising a hand to squeeze the Moroi's shoulder in an attempt at comfort. "Falling in love is no fucking joke. Like you said, it goes from fun and games to suddenly questioning everything you've ever believed in or known, what you actually stand for, how much you can possibly take. But what might surprise you is, everybody will take on so much more than they think they would because love is the great conqueror. In love, there are no limitations, and you, my friend, are not immune to that, no matter where you were born or what makes up your blood. Trust me, when it comes to Eddie, nobody's gonna tell you what you are and aren't allowed to do." Henry looked away from his friend for a moment, knowing it was the same for him and Amy even when he hadn't known she'd existed. It would always be that way. "Besides, 'protecting and saving' isn't always physical, you know. There'll come a time when Eddie needs more than that, and you'll be the only one who can give it to him. That's love," he finished with a shrug, unable to help the wave of sadness that hit him when he pictured Adrian's room in Alicante again, the way his fractured paintings had papered the walls.
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