Chapter 1
“You can’t legally kick me out of my own house.”
“Watch me.”
“Alex-”
“I don’t want to see your face until dinner. Go outside, get some sunshine, act like a normal person! Heck, go out with August, when was the last time you actually saw your boyfriend, huh?”
Julian sighed, as Alexander shoved him outside of their apartment, throwing him his jacket, before closing the door. And locking it. Great. Julian had been working tirelessly for the past month, and had only been outside to leave the house so he could go to work. Alexander, his elder roommate, best friend, and honorary big brother had finally had enough of this, and had kicked him outside. It was 11:00 am, at the moment. He now had at least six hours to kill. Thanks, Alexander… He made his way down the stairs, exiting the apartment.
“Buh-bye!” Henry, his other roommate, and honorary brother jeered from the open window of Julian, Henry, and Alexander’s apartment, Alexander tugging him backward. Julian huffed, sitting down in the grass outside of the apartment building, his jacket in his lap. What one was actually supposed to do with spare time, he hadn’t the slightest clue. He shuddered as he thought of everything he could be getting done at the moment, if Alexander hadn’t freaking locked him out. Julian stretched out across the grass, closing his eyes. He would just lay here for six hours. Hah, that would show Alexander. He only got around to laying there for about thirty minutes, and he was even half-asleep, when somebody shook him. Julian’s eyes shot open, and he lashed out at whomever it was who had touched him.
“Ey, easy there, tiger,” Came a familiar, comforting, rough voice. Julian blinked, August, Julian’s boyfriend, who had suddenly appeared, smirking.
“Some people are giving you strange looks. A twenty-year-old laying in the grass in front of a building isn’t socially acceptable nowadays, apparently,” August remarked, Julian frowning, before yawning, and pushing himself to a sitting position, August kneeling down in front of him.
“What’re you doing here?” Julian asked, leaning his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder, people giving them even weirder looks now.
“Alexander texted me, said you were free, for once,” August explained, running his fingers through Julian’s golden locks, “C’mon, let’s go get a drink or something,” August urged, Julian raising an eyebrow.
“Not that kind of drink! Jesus, and they say I’m the one who jumps to conclusions,” August ribbed, Julian rolling his eyes.
“I was planning to stay here for six hours,” Julian replied.
“Ah, sulking, how manly,” August said, Julian socking him in the shoulder.
“You know, theoretically speaking, whenever you tease a man about their supposed masculinity, or a woman about their supposed femininity, you’re being sexist, and adhering to toxic and harmful gender norms-” Julian started, August cutting him off by kissing him. Julian pressed the rest of his body against August’s, content. Out of the corner of his vision, Julian saw a mother cover her son, who couldn’t have been more than 7’s, eyes. Julian tensed. He was used to the stares, of course. The pointed fingers. The eye-coverings. It still hurt, though. August scowled, wrapping an arm around Julian’s shoulders, apparently having noticed the woman too.
“People have been particularly homophobic lately,” August murmured, “Esperanza said they and Henry were kicked out of a restaurant, the other day.” Julian eyes widened.
“Well, they’re going to do something about it, aren’t they?!” He enquired, August sighing.
“Juli, there’s nothing they can do. Esperanza’s nonbinary and Hispanic, and Henry’s Indian. Not to mention they’re both pansexual. Do you honestly think anyone will support them?” August asked. Heat crept up Julian’ face, coloring it red. August just sighed once more, taking Julian’s hand, and standing up, pulling Julian to his feet as well, before releasing his hand.
“So, the offer on that drink still stand?” Julian asked, August grinning.
“Always, angel,” He replied, taking Julian's hand in his once more. They began walking down the sidewalk still hand-in-hand. They were headed towards Johnson’s, a small coffee house located in the middle of town. Their friend Rose Johnson's father, Jacob Johnson, owned the place, and the Students For Justice Organization, which was run by Julian, held their meetings there.
“One point to us for every person who stares or jeers,” Julian muttered, as he and August continued walking down the sidewalk, a few people already giving them strange looks, “Betcha we’ll have ten by the time we reach Johnson’s.” August sighed, but definitely agreed with Julian’s statement. They continued walking for some time, until Johnson’s was finally in sight.
“15,” Julian yelled, “15, on a ten minute walk!” He looked close to ranting, and his face and ears had gone red. August just shrugged. He expected to be stared at, or jeered at. It didn’t bother him anymore. He knew there was nothing they could do. Julian, on the other hand, was always livid at any display of homophobia. He honestly thought he could change the world, one protest at a time...
“Ah!” August suddenly shouted, as a rock was chucked at him, hitting the side of his face. The man who had done it stood on the other side of the road, a black hoodie on, with sunglasses, that unfortunately masked his face, otherwise Julian and August may have recognized him. August pressed his hand to where the rock had hit, and winced. That would definitely bruise over. He separated his hand from it, and stared at it, finding it stained red. The girl who had been walking in front of them, who couldn’t be much older than 17, whipped around, and ran at the man, having seen what had happened. The man simply stayed where he was, as she punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.
“There’s a girl attacking a man!” Somebody shouted, the other five or so people who were on the street watching the attack play out.
“Someone call the police on her!” A woman yelled. The girl ceased her attack, and turned her eyes toward Julian and August, both of whom were frozen. There was a pride sticker, placed proudly on her chest. Julian couldn’t help but wonder if that made the other people even more distrustful of her. No, he knew it did. The fact that she wasn’t white didn’t help either. There was no justice. Fear shone brightly in her wide, brown eyes, and she gestured at August and Julian to leave.
“Honey, let’s go,” August whispered to Julian, trying to stem the bleeding on the side of his head with his hand. Julian removed his jacket, pressing it against the wound, for the moment.
“No! What about the police… Without someone to say what happened, she could get-” Julian started, August stopping him.
“They won’t listen. Julian, they won’t listen to us. If we stay, we’ll also be in danger,” He whispered. It was true. Julian, despite being blonde-haired and blue-eyed, was gay, and the police officers knew that. Yay, small town. He also had a habit of ticking them off. And August was both bisexual and Brazilian. Those weren’t good combinations when you were coming face to face with police officers, especially in a town such as their own. Julian gave the girl a grateful nod, before grabbing August’s arm, and hurrying toward Johnson’s. They tugged open the heavy door, entering the building, smells of spice and cream wafting through the air.
Johnson’s was a small shop, but the inside was cheerful, and cozy. Half of the walls were green, and the other half yellow, and there were numerous windows, illuminating the small space, light pouring out onto the wooden tables. There were three lights, hanging from the ceiling, all of which working together managing to keep the space bright. The floors were tiled and brown, and the air was warm, soft jazz music playing from some sort of speaker.
They made their way over to the front counter, Rose, who was standing behind it at work, greeting them with a shocked expression.
“Why, August, you’re bleeding!” She exclaimed, “What happened?”
“Nothing much-” August started, Julian jumping in.
“A man threw a rock at him!” Julian shouted, August quickly shushing him, not wanting to disturb the other customers with the noise.
“Oh my God,” Rose whispered, “Darest I ask… Why?” She said, though she obviously already knew.
“Because we were holding hands,” Julian murmured, Rose making a hissing noise.
“I can’t believe people,” She growled, Jacob, her father, walking around to the counter.
“Uh, can I take your order?” Jacob asked, August and Julian giving him theirs. They sat down at a small table together, after having obtained two cups of coffee, and a doughnut August had ordered. Julian had taken quite a few napkins from the front, and pressed them to the side of August’s head, the napkins mostly stopping the bleeding.
Julian quite liked their town. It was small, but everyone was acquainted with almost everyone, or at least knew who one another was, even if you never talked to the other person. One of the problems of that, though, is that everyone knew August and Julian were gay. At least half the town didn’t approve of that in the slightest, as it was a conservative town. And they made their opinions obvious.
Julian and August were sitting on the same side of the small table, Julian having moved his chair over. They hated sitting across from each other, as then they couldn’t physically touch each other easily. Julian currently had his head on August’s shoulder, August stroking his fingers through Julian blonde curls, which were still slightly wet from the shower he had taken that morning, as Julian’ curls took a while to completely dry out. A man, who Julian could identify as Caden Smith, gave them an angry look from where he was sitting, and stood up, walking over, and “accidentally” knocking Julian’s coffee cup over. The coffee spilled all over Julian’s favorite red jacket, and pants, and he winced, squinting his eyes, and gritting his teeth. It burned. It really did burn. August surged up in his seat, looking just about ready to nail the Caden Smith in the face, before Rose rushed over.
“What is going on?!” Rose exclaimed, Julian standing up as well, his clothes soaked, and the coffee still burning his skin.
“He knocked over Julian’s coffee on purpose!” August exclaimed, Rose’s eyes widening. She glared at the Caden Smith, putting her hands on her hips, and scowling. Caden Smith simply smirked in response.
“Don’t get your pretty self into a twist,” He drew out, placing his hand on Rose’s side. Rose backed away, Julian responding to this by running over and punching Caden Smith.
“Stop it!” Rose yelled, August jumping up, the two friends separating the fighting men, August firmly holding Caden Smith who had knocked over the coffee, one hand around Caden Smith's throat, while Rose held back Julian.
“What’s going on?!” Jacob ran over.
“I accidentally knocked over the blonde man’s coffee, sir, and then he attacked me,” The Caden Smith lied, Jacob frowning, and giving the boys an understanding look.
“I want you to get out,” he said to Caden Smith.
“If you kick me out, I can report the blonde one for assaulting me!” Caden Smith shouted, Jacob looking torn between decisions. Julian quickly stepped in for him.
“It’s alright… We’ll leave,” Julian said, taking August’s hand. Rose gave them a dismayed look, mouthing an apology to them. Julian gave her a half-smile, mouthing his thanks back, before he and August hurried out of the store. Julian took his phone out of his pocket, which had thankfully not had coffee spilled on it, frowning.
“One hour. That whole freaking experience was one hour,” He growled, August stroking his thumb over Julian's hands, as they continued walking.
“I’m technically not supposed to do this, since Alexander wanted you outside or in public .or something, but y’wanna head back to my my place?” August suggested, “I have a few of your shirts, you can change.” Julian nodded, shivering as a breeze tore into him. Now that the coffee wasn’t scorching his skin, it was actually rather chilling, “Put your jacket on,” August said exasperatedly, Julian not doing as he said, just to be contrary.
“The jacket has blood on it now,” Julian said, “And coffee… Does that come out?” August shrugged.
“You might need Alexander’s help with this one,” August replied, Julian giving him a mournful look. August resisted the urge to laugh, knowing that would be cruel, despite the very childish pout Julian had taken. Julian didn’t usually care about clothes and such, but when he did care about a particular article of clothing, he really cared about it. August had heard horror stories from Alexander about some sort of red blanket that Julian had as a child that had gone missing. Endless hours of screaming... They made their way to August’s apartment, which was roughly 10 minutes away from Johnson’s by foot.
August and Julian entered the apartment building, while August shuffled around through his pockets for the keys, Julian muttering something about supposed “clothing discrimination,” that sounded like it was vaugely related to sexism. August just chuckled as Julian began a full blown rant on literally nothing, unlocking the door to his apartment, and tugging Julian in, locking it behind him.
“In conclusion, men suck and women shall reign supreme,” Julian declared, August facepalming. Julian frowned.
“What?” He asked, August just amusedly shaking his head.
“... You’re a man, Julian,” He replied. Julian scowled, August laughing and kissing him, before pushing him into the bedroom.
“I’ve got your clothing in the bottom drawer,” August said, Julian nodding, and opening said drawer, while August sat on the bed, still wearing his own green hoodie, that had red and orange paint splatters spread all across it, from various incidents, as he was a budding artist. Julian pulled out a red sweater, removing his coffee-stained clothing, and slipping it on.
“I think there’s pants in there too, if you dig deep enough,” August commented, Julian finding a pair, and taking off the one he had on, putting on the new pair.
“Thanks,” Julian said, walking over and sitting next to August on the bed, August taking the red jacket Julian had removed, and the shirt and pants.
“I could run these through the wash. I don’t know if that’ll help, though,” August offered, Julian shaking his head.
“It’s fine, I’ll run it through at home,” He said, August stretching out across the bed, over the blankets and closing his eyes. Julian curled into his side, the two quickly falling asleep, exhausted by what had happened in a mere hour.
____________________
“He’s a grown man, Alex, he can take care of himself,” Henry said, as Alexander paced the kitchen.
“I told him to be back by dinner, he’s not back! And he’s not picking up!” Alexander exclaimed. Henry shrugged.
“Maybe he and August just got… You know… Carried away?” Henry said with a smirk. Alexander smacked him across the face with a dishtowel.
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” Alexander lectured, Henry grinning, and stretching out over the kitchen island, leaning forward in his seat, while Alexander continued to pace, clutching the dish towel rather tightly.
“They’re fine, Alexander. Nothing bad’s going to happen, chill,” Henry attempted, Alexander sighing.
“I know you’re right… But still, I can’t help but worry, Julian is always punctual,” Alexander pointed out.
“Well, I’m going to the grocery store, we need more carrots, if you find him, call me,” Henry said, Alexander giving him a quick hug, before Henry walked over to the front door. The front door suddenly opened, and Julian rushed in.
“I’m late, I know, I’m sorry!” He exclaimed, Alexander letting out a small sigh of relief, taking note of Julian's appearance. Julian’s blonde curls, which had been let loose from their ponytail, for whatever reason, were sticking out everywhere. He had a rather tired look to him, and, Alexander finally looked at the jacket he was holding, at the same time as Henry did.
“Is that… Spare clothes and blood?” Henry asked, giving Julian a gleeful look, “How carried away did you and August get?!” Both Julian and Alexander’s eyes widened. Alexander’s, because he had very specifically told Julian to wait for marriage his entire life.
“You didn’t…” Alexander murmured. He knew, deep down, that Julian was a legal adult, as Henry had earlier stated, but he couldn’t help but look at Julian’s face and see his baby brother, not a grown man.
“NO!” Julian exclaimed, “We didn’t do that!” Henry rolled his eyes.
“Hey, it’s okay to admit it. I do it all the time, nothing to be ashamed of,” Henry said, Julian’ eyes widening even more.
“If you did, you need to know how to use the most safe-” Alexander began, Julian slamming his hands on the island.
“I DIDN’T DO THAT WITH AUGUST!” He yelled, taking a few deep breaths, before continuing, “A homophobe threw a rock at his head, and I tried to stem the bleeding with my jacket. Then Caden Smith spilled coffee over me, because he is also homophobic. Then August and I just went back to his house,” Julian explained, Alexander narrowing his eyes.
“The people who did this… Were they arrested or reprimanded?” Alexander asked, Julian shaking his head with a bitter laugh, sitting up on the island.
“No, of course not,” He muttered, Alexander sighing, and running his fingers through Julian’s hair, Henry looking rather furious.
“This has been happening too much,” Alexander murmured, “This and other incidents like it. Why do people hate so much?” It was a rhetorical question, and silence hung in the air, “Anyways,” Alexander said, pushing a plate towards Julian, “I made dinner. Eat up, before it’s cold.” Julian gave Alexander a grateful nod, Alexander sliding a plate over to Henry as well. Alexander left the kitchen, making his way to his bedroom, and sitting on his bed. Sunlight danced across the blankets, casting the blue fabric in a golden glow. Alexander pressed his hands together, and knelt his head. He never prayed around Julian and Henry. He wasn’t actually sure if Julian and Henry even believed in a God, and he didn’t see that as any of his business either. To Alexander, religion was a private thing.
“Dear God…” He whispered, leaning the back of his head against the bed frame, “Some people say that what Henry and Julian are isn’t natural. That you forbid it. But I refuse to believe that. And even if you did forbid it, I would support them anyways. They’re basically my little brothers, they are everything to me. Please keep them safe… Please. Don’t let any harm come to them. Amen.” Alexander sat still for a few more minutes, before going back out of the room to join Julian and Henry at the kitchen island, giving them both warm smiles. Both of his best friends smiled back at him, and he took his own plate, beginning to eat as well.
“Please keep them safe… Please.”
“Don’t let any harm come to them…”
Chapter 2
“Honestly, Henry, it doesn’t hurt that much,” Esperanza said, though their facial expression said differently. Henry shook his head.
“I just need to be sure,” He argued from the couch he was sitting on. The two partners were sitting on opposite couches, while Alexander, who was a doctor, was leaning over Esperanza, his hands on Esperanza’s stomach, frowning.
“Does that hurt?” Alexander asked, pressing down gently on a part of Esperanza’s stomach. Esperanza winced.
“No?” Esperanza tried, Alexander giving them a warning look. Esperanza sighed.
“Yes,” They replied, Alexander nodding, and straightening his posture, taking his hands off of Esperanza’s stomach.
“Alright,” He said, “I’d say get them to Pine Forest Medical Center’s urgent care. I think it may be appendicitis.” Henry nodded, grabbing his coat from where it was sprawled out across the back of the couch, tossing Esperanza their coat as well, Esperanza giving Henry a half-hearted smile, their brown eyes slightly wide. Alexander stood up, patting Esperanza’s shoulder, and kissing Henry’s cheek, before walking towards his room.
“Keep me posted,” He said, before going into his room to hide from the world. Henry had never understood introverts, and Alexander was one of the biggest introverts Henry had ever met. Sometimes Alexander’s behavior mystified him. Why would someone want to stay home and read a book when they could be at a party?!
“Y’know, we don’t have to go, it’s probably just a stomach bug,” Esperanza said hopefully, Henry shaking his head.
“No, we need to get this checked out, c’mon,” Henry replied, taking Esperanza’s hand. Esperanza sighed.
“Please, no…” They begged, Henry frowning.
“Come on, honey,” He said, rubbing Esperanza’s back gently. Esperanza sighed, Henry tightly clutching their hand. The two of them walked out of Julian, Henry, and Alexander's apartment, then the apartment building, and off to Henry’s car. Henry got into the driver's seat, Esperanza in the passenger, as they set off towards Pine Forest Medical Center. The drive was rather quiet, which was strange for the couple. While Esperanza was normally soft-spoken, Henry would always chatter on and on to them. That was one of the reasons Esperanza and Henry were such a good team. Henry talked, and Esperanza listened. They arrived at the nearest Pine Forest Medical Center, which was about 16 minutes away from the apartment, and got out of the car, heading inside of the building. It was autumn, October, to be exact, and the air was quite chilly. They hadn’t had rain in a while, though, which was both nice, and slightly bad, mainly for the local farmers' crops.
The waiting room of Pine Forest Pine Forest Medical Center wasn’t that crowded, thankfully, and Henry found a seat tucked away in the corner, while Esperanza spoke quietly to the woman at the front desk, before going back to Henry’s side. Esperanza had gone extremely pale from fear. Henry knew that Esperanza wasn’t that fond of doctors, so he tried to lighten the mood.
“Hey, y’know what Julian would say right now?” Henry asked, Esperanza shaking their head.
“No,” They replied, Henry grinning.
“He’d go off on a rant about our current healthcare system, I guarantee you,” Henry said, throwing his hands up in the air in a dramatic, and yet accurate, portrayal of Julian, “One injustice is a threat to all justice!” He exclaimed, “Our healthcare system must change! Rights to the people! And shut up, August, how dare you contradict any of my points! And then Auggie and Juli start kissing two seconds later,” Esperanza giggled.
“Yeah, he would say and do that stuff,” They said, Henry smiling, and kissing Esperanza’s cheek. Esperanza gave a small gasp, gritting their teeth, and curling an arm around their stomach. Henry frowned.
“Is it getting worse?” He asked, Esperanza shrugging, though the pain in their eyes said it all. Henry nodded, standing up.
“I’ll go check the waiting list, see where we are,” Henry walked across the room, glancing at the waiting list. There were three people in front of them. Henry made his way back to Esperanza, who suddenly frowned.
“A lot of the stomach pain’s gone away,” They said, Henry raising an eyebrow.
“Are you just trying to get out of seeing the doctor?” He asked, “Because you’re seeing one, Esperanza.” Esperanza shook their head.
“No, I’m serious-” They started, but they were interrupted by a beep from Henry’s phone. Henry dug his phone out of his pocket, turning it on, and grinning.
“Grant,” He informed, “He managed to get himself into another sticky situation.” Esperanza let out an exasperated sigh.
“What’d he do this time?” They asked, Henry letting out a laugh.
“Got into a fight with the chicken farmer next door. Over whether fried chicken or roasted chicken is better. The chicken farmer had to get stitches.”
“Impossible,” Esperanza said, shaking their head. Henry nodded.
“I know, right? How could anyone think that roasted chicken is better than fried?!” Henry exclaimed. Esperanza thought for a moment.
“Alexander prefers roasted chicken,” They said, Henry letting out a mock gasp, clutching his heart,
“My relationship with him has been based on lies!” He yelped, Esperanza giggling softly into the fabric of their partner’s shirt, of which they were leaning their head on. Twenty minutes later, a nurse called Esperanza’s name.
“Martinez, Esperanza?” Henry and Esperanza quickly got up, heading to the exam room.
“Sit on the exam table,” She ordered Esperanza, who gave Henry a nervous smile, before doing as she said.
“Alright, Mr. Martinez,” The nurse began, Henry bristling, and Esperanza closing their eyes for a moment, and slowly inhaling.
“Uh.. Just Esperanza’s fine, please,” They said, their feet swinging back and forth nervously. The nurse frowned at them, probably taking in their rather feminine attire. Esperanza was wearing a bright green, purple, and blue tie-dye shirt, along with a short skirt, which was yellow with white polka dots. They wore pink boots, the ones that Henry had gotten them for Christmas last year, along with their pink earrings, which were in the shapes of paw prints. They had light blue pearl necklaces hanging from around their neck, and an extraordinary amount of makeup on. For Esperanza, all of that was actually particularly low-key. Henry, in contrast, had on a black shirt, yellow hoodie, and jeans. Though he was wearing a pink pearl necklace as well, to match Esperanza in a way.
“And, what are you here for, sir?” She asked, Henry biting his tongue to keep himself from shouting at her.
“It’s… Them, please,” Esperanza replied softly. The nurse frowned.
“What do you mean?” She asked, Esperanza closing their eyes again, this time not opening them, as they continued to speak.
“I’m not a he. I’m a them,” Esperanza informed, the nurse raising an eyebrow.
“And, what are you here for, sir,” She repeated. Henry lunged to his feet.
“Ry-” Esperanza started, Henry ignoring them, and facing the nurse. He was a good head taller then her, and definitely looked intimidating.
“Excuse me, sir, may I tell you something?” Henry asked, the nurse narrowing her eyes.
“I’m not a sir,” She responded, Henry gesturing towards Esperanza.
“Exactly!” He yelled, the nurse rolling her eyes. Yes, literally rolling her eyes.
“I think that’s different,” She stated, Henry feeling his cheeks go red.
“NO, IT’S NOT!” He shouted, the nurse scowling.
“Get out,” She snarled. Henry’s heart skipped a beat. Where else could he take Esperanza if they were kicked out of Pine Forest Medical Center? Maybe the hospital… But the bill after would be too large… Esperanza could barely manage the Pine Forest Medical Center bill, even with Henry contributing.
“You can’t kick us out,” Henry replied, holding Esperanza’s hand tightly. The nurse raised an eyebrow.
“You were being too loud, and probably disrupting other patients, and you threatened me,” She said. Henry’s eyes widened.
“I didn’t threaten you!” He protested, the nurse raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, but you were up in my face. Now get out.” Henry shook his head vehemently.
“No, we have nowhere else to go!” He begged, “Please!” Esperanza slowly got down from the exam table, placing a hand on Henry’s shoulder.
“It’s fine, Henry. I’ll be… Fine,” They attempted to reassure him.
“No-” Henry desperately started, turning towards the nurse.
“Get. Out,” She said, Henry grabbing Esperanza’s hand, and hurrying out, not saying another word to the nurse, who gave Esperanza a disgusted look as they walked out.
“Where should we go now?” Henry asked, as they stepped out into the chilly air, Esperanza not responding to him. Henry turned his head in Esperanza’s direction, noticing that Esperanza had gone extremely white. Henry leaned forward just in time, catching Esperanza, as their eyes rolled to the back of their head, and they collapsed.
“Esperanza?” Henry placed his hand over Esperanza’s heart, relieved to find that their heart was still beating, as Esperanza’s breathing quickened, “Esperanza?!” Henry yelled, Esperanza not responding. A brunette-haired young woman with brown eyes who had just gotten out of her car, was watching the two with wide eyes.
“Call 911!” Henry exclaimed, holding Esperanza’s body close to his, desperate. He couldn’t lose Esperanza. He just couldn’t.
The person nodded, quickly reaching into her purse, and pulling out a phone, and calling 911, as Henry had demanded. Henry felt a few tears roll down his face, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Esperanza would be fine, or at least in a better condition, if the nurse hadn’t turned them away.
____________________
“Henry?” Henry shot up from the chair in the waiting room, tearfully embracing Alexander, who had come over, Julian behind him, and August in tow.
“We got the call, what happened?!” August exclaimed, Henry releasing himself from Alexander’s warm embrace, and sitting down on the chair.
“Esperanza and I went to Pine Forest Medical Center, and the nurse there kept misgendering them. Then I got angry, and yelled at her, and she kicked us out. Then Esperanza just… Collapsed in the parking lot,” Henry whispered, Alexander frowning, and readjusting his thick black glasses.
“What do you know about what’s happened, so far?” Alexander enquired, Henry glancing out the window of the hospital waiting room.
“Ruptured appendix,” He muttered, Alexander nodding.
“And they’re-” Alexander started, cut off by Henry.
“They’re operating on them right now, yes,” Henry confirmed. Alexander frowned.
“Do they know what caused them to pass out?” Alexander asked, Henry nodding.
“Dehydration, which may, or may not be related to the appendicitis,” He repeated the doctor's words. Alexander settled down in the green chair beside Henry. All of the chairs in the waiting room were green. Henry hated that, why didn’t they add a little splash of color? Would that kill the people who designed the room? August sat down in the other seat next to Henry, Julian sitting on August’s lap. Julian glared at the other people in the room who had given them strange looks, as if daring them to disagree. Nobody did.
“You said a nurse… Kicked you out?” Julian asked, his voice taking a deadly edge. Henry nodded, leaning his head against Alexander’s shoulder.
“Oh… You just wait until I find her… Melvin and I have been reading up on discrimination laws…” Julian muttered, Alexander reaching over Henry, and placing a hand on Julian’s shoulder.
“Patience, my friend,” He replied, Julian scowling, and sinking down farther into August’s lap.
____________________
“You’re an idiot! I would expect this of Julian, I would expect this of August, I would expect this of William, but you?!”
“Henry, calm down.” Alexander said, as Henry lectured a very confused and groggy looking Esperanza.
“Seriously, though! If you had told me about all of this sooner-” Henry started, Alexander placing a hand over Henry’s mouth.
“Henry, why don’t you cease the lecturing, and… I don’t know, comfort them?” Alexander suggested sarcastically. Henry sighed.
“Of course,” He replied, stroking a hand across Esperanza’s face, brushing back a few brown and purple curls, as Esperanza had recently dyed the ends of their hair purple, much to Henry’s delight. Julian and August were still hanging back in the waiting room, while Alexander and Henry had been allowed to see Esperanza, after the operation was over.
“M’sorry,” Esperanza murmured, Henry’s expression softening.
“It’s alright,” He whispered.
“So, about the nurse…” Alexander brought up.
“No, we’re not going to do anything about this,” Henry replied.
“Why?” Alexander asked, as Henry began unbraiding, then re-braiding Esperanza’s hair.
“Because, the last thing we need to be in right now is a mess like that,” Henry explained, Alexander nodding. Esperanza blinked from the bed, their expression relaxed, as they liked it when Henry would play with their hair.
“Besides,” Esperanza murmured, “The nurse has one big advantage to us.” Alexander frowned.
“Which is?” He prompted, Esperanza’s expression darkening.
“She’s straight, and we aren’t.”
