Here comes your man

Time was fleeting, and yet Henry felt more alive than ever, thanks to Al.

Audrey was being a real bitch at work. Henry hated to see her. She wouldn't get off his back. So what, if he were late a time or two. She said he was late all the time. It couldn't possibly be true. It couldn't.

But everything seemed so out of whack, lately. School was a bummer. His grades were just not there. And he thought it kind of funny because, it was not where he wanted to be. Because all the fun stuff was with Al and those little pills.

Even Shan was quite boring. And it was the same question all the time. "Where have you been?"

Why did everybody have to know? Why did his business have to be everybody else's? He was just so tired of it. He wanted to go away. Maybe with Al. That was the ticket. They were such good friends. Weren't they?

When Shan showed up, talking about his stupid term paper, Henry just about lost it.

"Is that all I'm good for?" He started. "Is that all I am to you? You're tutor? I thought you knew how to write?" He snapped.

"I do. I just don't type." Shan confessed. He had it written down in a leather bound journal. He didn't believe in research on the Internet. Just how old school was he?

"You came over here... for me to type up your precious paper?" Henry laughed in his face. If Shan had showed him the journal he would have ripped it to shreds.

"Our printer is broken." Shan shrugged. "I feel bad..I haven't been here ..for you..more..but..but all I've been doing lately is work and working on this paper."

Henry swelled a frown. It sounded so pathetic to him, but he guessed Shan showing up was better than nothing. He could quickly slide into the protocol of their usual booty call. Yet, the dance felt a little clumsy when he fell into Shan, expecting a kiss. Instead, he got pushed away.

"I didn't come over here for that." Shan looked annoyed.

"Yeah, right." Henry grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled him in. What were they waiting for?

"Henry!" Shan gave him a disgusted frown. "You're Dad's here. No!"

"Don't say no to me!" Henry hit Shan on the shoulder.

"Ow. What was that for?" Shan stared at him as if he didn't think it funny. It couldn't have possibly hurt?

"Because I felt like it." Henry informed him that Shan wasn't exactly fun anymore. Not even for a good laugh. So he hit him again. Harder.

"Oh. So now were fighting?" Shan looked at him as if Henry wasn't all that strong, but Shan didn't lift a finger.

Henry only laughed. Shan wasn't doing anything. So he decided he'd rip that coat off Shan. He hated the old thing. Supposedly, it was an airloom of his grandfather's Army coat. Really, it just had to go. And he almost got it off of him, but not quite.

"What are you doing?" Shan straightened the jacket back on as if he would never be uncool in his very sullen glare. So Henry messed with his hair. He could see Shan growing more annoyed.

"Henry, I don't like this." Shan wasn't smiling.

"You're just a tease, you know that?" Henry's crooked smile held on, as if they'd get to the fun part eventually.

"Yeah, right." Shan was firm on keeping his arms crossed.

"You know I'm the boyfriend." Henry glared at Shan, ever so serious. "And you'll always be the girlfriend." Henry informed him.

"Yeah, well, that doesn't quite do it for me." Shan squinted hard. "NOT A TURN ON." A slip of an uncrossed arm only meant a way for Henry to keep Shan with him. It wasn't quite a headlock, but at least Henry grabbed Shan's arm and wrestled Shan to the floor.

However, it wasn't one of those matches Henry was going to win. Shan might as well have been a snake recoiling. He kicked Henry off of him before Henry had a chance to do anything. By then, Henry knew someone was out of his comfort zone. Shan slipped away with his messenger bag.

There was a certain joy panting through Henry's lungs, watching Shan leave.