They do! It’s controversial in plenty of circles, but the studio’s PR team has worked hard to paint the public’s perception of what life looks like for Henry & the others:
The official stance is that Paul Maxwell has plucked these young people from their terrible stations in life and set them up in a life of privilege, far beyond what anyone in the system should expect for themselves. That they are lucky for Paul to have taken a chance on them, despite whatever crimes or poor circumstances led them to the system to begin with.
Henry could be cleaning houses or doing manual labor in some flyover state, but instead he is flying on private jets, waving to adoring fans on red carpets, and living the dream he always had as a kid. He is a star.
Real talk: would Henry go for a little hair down there or would he prefer completely bare?
I am sure he’ll be fine with whatever makes you comfortable. It’s your body, he is respectful.
And seriously, I laser shaved my puss ages ago, so I’m all smooth, it was my choice. But if I had hair down there and a man would complain about it I’d kick his ass to mars.
They walk this earth all hair and then complain about us?! Pfft.
I really really love your page and writing and I’m in love with the personalised imagines and I was hoping it wasn’t to late to send one in? If not my name is Eleisha and I was wondering if you could do fluffy domestic one maybe about when Henry realises that he is truly in love?
I have so much fun with these omg! I hope you enjoy it bby! Love you vvvv much 💕
—
Its the way you move, the way you talk about your passions, everything you do on a day to day makes Henry’s heart swell with love.
You both had been dating for a short time but more and more everyday he realizes he’s truly in love with you.
“Eleisha?” Henry asked you, he stood behind you while you washed the dishes in the sink.
Moments like these, where you have your music playing on your phone and dance to it and just simply enjoy life makes him lose his breath.
You turned to him with a hum, your lips in a line with your eyes wide. He looked concerned for a short moment before giving you a small smile. Henry opened his mouth to speak but closed it in a snap as he fiddled with his fingers against the counter, drumming them in small taps.
“You okay babe?” You asked, quickly putting the plate in the soapy water. You came to his side while you dried your hands with a towel, he looked upset and confused about something and it made you a tad nervous.
He gave a soft chuckle as he pulled his hand away to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t know why I feel so nervous but I’m just gonna spit it out, I really love you. Like real love and I guess I’ve just never felt this way and—“
You cut him off from his rambling with a quick touch of his other hand, a wide smile on your face.
“I love you too Hen, real love.” You repeated him, giving his hand a firm squeeze to comfort him.
You had to bite your lip from smiling too hard, but you couldn’t help the feeling of a swarm of butterflies erupting in your stomach. You felt flattered in a way that he had gotten himself so worked up over you, it calmed you deeply from your nerves when he first spoke to you.
Henry gave you a gentle squeeze back and pulled you to him, your head below his neck, just enough room for his to rest on yours. He deeply breathed in your scent and relaxed his shoulders.
“I’m happy with you Henry, and you can’t shake me. You’re stuck with me.” You laughed lightly into his chest as you trailed your hands up into his hair.
“I wouldn’t call it stuck if I’m willing to stay, love.” Henry matched your laugh as he squeezed you tight around him with a deep exhale.
“I love you Eleisha.” He repeated again in a whisper as he came down to your forehead to give you a soft kiss, refusing to leave his spot until you did.
And you didn’t have a reason to, so you stayed in the kitchen in his arms whispering sweet words into the air.
⭐️ Write what your character wishes they could say to another character. Caleb to Henry and Henry to Caleb (is it clear yet i'm obsessed with their dynamic i love it so much)
omg hey there! I've been running errands all day and finally get to sit down and answer this. Also, I'm 100% with you and in love with their dynamic too -- here's hoping I get to write more of it really soon. But, for now, enjoy this little scene, friend!
⭐️ Write what your character wishes they could say to another character
"Hey, kid?" Caleb nudged Henry in the shoulder. "You doing okay?"
Henry nodded, worrying the edge of his stand-in diploma. He'd taken of every bit of regalia save for the standard issue robe, unzipped but still around his shoulders. "Yeah, fine. Just feels weird."
"Weird how?" Caleb asked quietly. He looked odd all dressed up for graduation -- neat navy blue slacks, a crisp white button down, and a simple pale purple tie. The only parts of him that felt normal, felt right, in Henry's estimation were the sunglasses on his nose and the sleeves rolled up to show off his intricate tattoos.
The whole family had turned out for his graduation -- everyone from Suzana and Angél, June and Caleb and Carter, to Kieran and Elisheva, even Felix and Harry, Dr. Uma and her husband. Even June's mother turned up. All for him, all to celebrate him making it through four years for a degree.
As he stood there on Hallford's green, Henry couldn't help but feel it was time ill-spent. Certainly they had better places to be and things to be doing. He knew that was the crux of his discomfort, his reluctance and nervousness -- not the significance of the day, but that he wouldn't live up to it.
"Do we have time before they start taking photos?" Henry asked quietly.
"I know for a fact we aren't taking any photos until you say so," Caleb replied breezily, hands in his pocket. "So we have all the time you like."
"Okay. In that case..." Henry took a deep breath and cast a glance around. No one was paying attention to them for the moment -- no students or family or anyone. They had somehow achieved a small bubble right on the edge of chaos. "Alright, here's the rub. I earned it, I'm smart and I earned it, I get it... But I feel like I'm wasting everyone's time. It would make sense for you all to be here..."
"Do you not want all the fanfare?" Caleb asked, tone serious and considering. "Because I can say something to Junie and mom. We can keep the heat off you through dinner and keep the weekend slow, if you'd rather."
"No, no, it's fine. It's nice that they care, but..." Henry rolled his tongue around in his mouth, thinking through his next words. "Caleb, I. I didn't think I'd ever have this."
"A future?"
"A family."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Caleb went quiet for a few long minutes, then pushed his sunglasses up into his hair. He crossed his arms over his chest and fixed Henry with his usual, piercing green eyes. "Then it's probably time I told you something."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What?"
"That you are family." Caleb took a breath, nodding over his shoulder to the cluster of Garcias and Cochrans and Radcliffes and Cochran-Parks and Garcia-Fitgeralds. "If you're on the fence about it, I get it. You have a real family out there, waiting for you, and I hope you get the chance to see them again some day. But, for whatever you need and as long as you like, you have us. You've got the name Fitzgerald for a reason, okay kid? You're stuck with us for the time, especially me and June, so I hope you know we love you. And how much."
Henry stared at him, awe-struck and startled. A lump was forming in his throat, cutting off some of his air and some of his ability to swallow. He hadn't been expecting that. He had felt it himself for a long time -- had regarded Suzana as his grandmother, June as something like a mother, Elisheva as a sister, and Kieran as truly his half-brother for some time -- but acknowledging it aloud was a totally different beast.
As if separated from his own skin, Henry found himself stepping forward and hugging Caleb hard around the middle. The man met him immediately, holding him close as they had become accustomed to over the last several years.
Henry pressed his head to Caleb's shoulder. "I love you too. All of you."
"So I didn't freak you out right now?"
Henry shook his head, keeping down tears.
"Well there's the good news."
"I didn't think... After every thing, I didn't think you'd want me to be." Henry let out a watery exhale, squeezed harder. "Like, having Carter around is still kind of shocking but--."
"I'm going to stop you there," Caleb cut him off, a hand settling softly on his hair. Gentle, grounding him before his emotions threw him into a spiral. "We thought this long before you were taken from us. That's how we think of it -- you were taken from us, and we got you back. Nothing that's happened before or after now will change that. You're one of us, as far as we're concerned. Got it?"
"Got it."
Caleb pulled him away, holding him steady by the shoulders. "I don't think you do. Listen to me okay. You listening, kid?"
Henry nodded, suddenly feeling eyes on him. He found he didn't care. All his attention was on Caleb.
"You are family. You are. If no one has ever told you before now, let me be the first. You don't have to earn family." Caleb's voice cracked a little, something that seemed to startle him as much as it startled Henry. Caleb never cracked, never broke. Anger would get the better of him before sadness, before sentimentality. "You don't have to earn us, Henry. Come what may, we're here. So I'll ask again -- got it?"
Henry swallowed down the lump, offering Caleb only a watery smile. For the first time in a long time, he felt whole. Something had clicked into place inside his chest. Not the cracking and collapsing he was so used to, but something putting itself back together. Something mending itself, building back up, holding strong and steady. It was unusual, but no unpleasant.
"Yeah, I think I got it."
"Good. So, before we go," Caleb said, clearly his throat slightly. Pulling himself together. Henry nearly laughed. "Two questions."
"Hit me."
"What are we drinking and what are we watching?"
"The Cadíz-Seville match and whatever you want to give me."
Caleb grinned and ruffled his hair. "I knew I liked you."
I love this prompt. it gives me the most perfect runway to touch on something I've never been able to put into a full chapter. So thank you and I hope you enjoy :)
cw: creepy/intimate whumper, escaped whumpee, stalking behaviors (Alexander is not willing to let go so easy... yikes).
~*~*~
Felix huffed as he slammed the front door behind him. The day's mail was clutched in his arms and a look of annoyance plastered across his face. "Looks like you'll be staying at least another day, Henry."
"Oh?" Henry glanced up from where he sat on the couch, already in sweatpants and a loose tee shirt. "The reporters still out there?"
"They're staking out the parking lot across the street..." Felix groused. He walked into the family room and crouched down in front of the coffee table. The mail scattered across it and he started picking through it. "We'll keep the blinds shut, but we might have to call someone again if you're ever going to get back to Connecticut without a fuss."
"I'm sorr--."
"Don't apologize," Felix cut him off swiftly. "You're a human-fucking-being and you've just gotten yourself out of hell. I won't have you apologizing for other people being shitty."
"But--."
"My house, my rules, Fitzgerald."
Henry was caught off guard by that last. He blinked at Felix, still shuffling through the mail, then smiled. "Hey... You remembered?"
"Of course I remembered," Felix smirked at him. "It's your name... And it looks like it's on something in here." He leaned forward, holding out a small padded envelope to him. "I remembered without seeing that, I swear."
"I know, I know." Henry uncrossed his legs, leaning all the way forward to take it from Felix's hand. He slouched back against the cushions and inspected it. His name was printed in clear, thick marker, Felix and Harry's brand new address right underneath him. There wasn't a return address, but that didn't mean anything. His heart bounced happily in his chest, hoping it was something from June or Caleb, maybe even Uma, who he had called from the court house once he knew he was going to win.
A little gift. Something for him.
He tore it open and upturned it over his lap. Out fell a folded piece of paper and a plastic bag of something heavy, metallic. Henry picked that up first, picking open the bag and pouring the metal out into his palm. It was a silver ring, thick and unblemished, hanging from a matching silver chain. He pinched the ring between his finger, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he turned it over.
As he watched it catch and glint in the late afternoon sunlight, he caught a slim line. Then another, and another. All clustered on the inside of the band, where it would be held close and warm to the skin. An engraving, Henry supposed. He shifted the thing in his fingers to take a better look.
"Who's that from?" Felix asked, still cross-legged on the floor.
"I don't know..." Henry mumbled, trying to make out the engraving. The high polish made it difficult but he eventually got it.
325079 in thin, neat script.
The bottom dropped out of his heart.
"Henry?"
"Y-yeah?"
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, um," Henry swallowed and collected himself. He dropped the ring and chain back into his lap. Felix was watching him, unconvinced. "I'm fine. It's just... It's a mean joke, I think."
Felix squinted. "A joke..? Is it just the ring or--."
"There's a note."
"Do you want to read it or should I?"
Henry shook his head. "I can do it."
"Okay, but tell me which one of them I get to yell at later," Felix murmured, a dark edge to his tone. "Playing sick jokes on a rape victim... the mother-fuckers."
Henry unfolded the paper, hoping for something else. A stupid prank, meant to scare him after his victory. Nothing more. Still, as the paper undid itself, he was sure he would end up wrong.
Dear Henry,
I hope this finds you just where I left you. Restraining order or no, sweetheart, I'll know exactly where to find you. Exactly how to call you. How to find your class schedule for that school you're going to try to go to. I'll always have you, and you'll always be mine, Henry.
So, take this as a token. I'll never forget who you really are... and neither should you, sweetheart.
Cheers,
A
Henry threw the note, then the ring across the room, shrinking back against the cushions. Felix hardly reacted. The older man stood, then collected the items, looking over them. His expression darkened further as he read the note and inspected the ring. He looked up at Henry, taking in his terrified expression.
"Want to go throw this in the ocean?"
Henry nodded, voice evaporating from his throat.
Felix nodded towards the stairs. "Go put some shoes on. Sick fuck..."
ooooohh scintila and whoever you like for the prompts!
Hey there friend! Thank you so much for the prompt! I’m going to do this one for Henry during his final recovery because I’ve been brainstorming and I gave myself feelings. Enjoy!
scintila (n); a tiny, brilliant flash; a small thing; a barely visible trait
Noah Hawkins was a patient man -- patient in life and patient as a doctor -- and he had seen plenty of people worse off than Henry Fitzgerald. Even as the twenty year old curled in an armchair snarled and sneered at him, Dr. Hawkins could see the cracks. He could see the fissures in the hard, well-used mask the young man used as a shield.
Henry had gone silent for the first fifteen minutes of their session. It was his first in over five months and Caleb Garcia had booked a double session as a just in case. He had a feeling Henry would clam up or fight him, would curl up furious and stubborn and refuse to give an inch.
In short, Noah Hawkins was not surprised.
“How much time is left?” Henry muttered bitterly.
“An hour and a half,” Noah replied easily. He gave the young man an easy smile, halfway between comforting and encouraging. His notebook and pen sat willfully forgotten on the coffee table between them.
Henry rolled his eyes and slouched, cursing lightly under his breath. He looked worse for wear, worse than when Noah had been him itching and chaffing while working a bartending shift. Caleb had driven him, mentioned quietly that Henry was hungover. He’d been sneaking drinks again since agreeing to restarting therapy a little under a week earlier.
“What was that, Henry?” Noah asked, crossing and recrossing his legs.
“Nothing,” Henry spat.
“How have you been?”
“You already asked that.”
Noah shrugged. “I’m asking again. I might be overstepping here, but you look like you’ve been sick.”
“Sick. Sure,” Henry said. He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “I’m not sick. But Caleb ratted me out again, didn’t he?”
Noah nodded. “He’s worried about you, same as June.”
“If you’re trying to guilt me, it’s not working.”
“I’m not trying to make you feel anything, Henry,” Noah said calmly. “I’m just curious what has changed in you since we last spoke. You were standoffish but seemed interested in talking, but you seem more closed off. Did something happen to change your perspective?”
Henry stared at him. His blue eyes were sad and lonely looking -- a child lost in a store long after their parents had walked out. Noah went quiet, settling in to wait again. He could see the cracks widening, the faintest glimmer of wanting and trust underneath the stiff, stubborn irritation. Henry needed to talk, very clearly wanted to, but still could not. Noah had seen it before, many times before. All it took was patience, letting the patient come to their own conclusion.
Henry’s lower lip quivered. He turned away, tightening his arms defensively over his chest. “Carter and I had a fight... two nights ago.”
“What about?”
“The drinking...” Henry muttered. “I think... I think I broke up with him.” If possible, he curled in further on himself, the sadness in him cresting. He wiped away any trace with the back of his sweatshirt sleeve. “I told him I was coming back to see you and he said he was glad, but that he still was upset about me ... using him. And I snapped. And it fell apart. And I told him he should just leave because he shouldn’t want me anymore, and...”
Noah nodded, making sure Henry knew he was listening. “And then?”
“He walked out...” Henry whispered, despondent. He blinked hard a few times. “He didn’t say anything. He just. He just left. I didn’t want him to, but... he won’t talk to me now. Or he isn’t. I don’t know.”
“What did you do?”
“I found a bottle.”
“What kind?”
“Something orangey and warm... Caleb missed it when he cleaned out my room.” Henry huffed. He wiped his nose again. “I think I have to destroy everything I touch, even if its good for me. Even if its the best thing I’ve had ever. I have to tear it apart. Just to prove I’m the piece of shit I know I am.”
Noah Hawkins nodded and told him to talk more on that. He didn’t reach for his notebook or his pen. Henry started talking, slowly but surely; each sentence grudging but sliding out eventually.
