it seems like it's been forever since you've been home

[somatophylax]

Making plans for Greece had been taking up a lot of Henry's time--deciding exactly what places they'd revisit, anticipating the way the world had changed in their absence, trying not to succumb to vertigo at the idea--and maybe that was a reasonable excuse for forgetting that there was somewhere else he might want to at least call during the

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[megosalksandros]

Alex is jaded about Greece, having been back so many times in this life - holidays, usually, or semi-pointless drunken week-long parties disguised as family reunions (or, hell, when he turned thirty there was that stretch of depression in which he just laid around on the beach for a goddamned month). But he's never been back with Hephaestion and that in itself is both terrifying and exhilarating. His family is enormous and insane and it's all a little much sometimes.

Still.

He can't fucking believe they forgot Henry's parents.

"You are such a liar," he admonishes, despite squeezing his boyfriend's hand a little tighter than necessary. It's just affection, okay, Alexander the Great is not nervous about meeting what amounts to his in-laws. At all. Shut up.

[somatophylax]

"If anything happens, I tried to warn you, you can't say that I didn't." Henry shakes his head, giving him a look caught between affection and exasperation, and knocks on the door. Knowing his parents' schedule (he can't forget that, apparently) at five thirty his mother is just starting to make dinner, and this is the perfect time to show up: she can adjust whatever she's doing to feed them too and she'll be too busy cooking to guilt trip him.

These normal little concerns, his memories of his most recent life: he doesn't expect them to affect him, but they do.

They wait longer than feels right.

"Maybe they're not in-"

His mother opens the door, gasps, and immediately hugs him--almost hard enough to knock him slightly off-balance, and he responds with an exaggerated 'oof'.

"Henry Fabron, what on Earth are you doing here

[megosalksandros]

Surely it hasn't been more than a month! Alex's eyes widen comically at the way Kate launches herself at her son, and has an awkward moment of 'oh god do I keep holding his hand or what, here' and ultimately decides to let go so that Henry can hug her. (Also, he tries really hard not to laugh.)

(Really hard.)

"--Hello! Mrs. Fabron, I've heard everything wonderful about you, I see you have been stalking your son, I like that in a mother."

... Alexander.

[somatophylax]

Kate beams, patting her (dyed) brown hair as she approaches Alex to...hug him, as well, because after all he's practically family. Henry is already mortified.

They should have just gone to Greece, none of this would be happening in Greece.

"But does he appreciate it? Of course not," she says, stepping back. "Please, come in, even if I don't have any idea what I'm going to feed you--the place is a mess, but you can thank Henry for that, if he wanted us to give you a good impression he should have--"

"--called, mom, I know." Henry ushers her into the house with a hand on her back, giving Alex a deeply apologetic look. "Where's dad?"

"He's in the garden, I'll get him. You two sit down on the couch and don't go anywhere."

"We won't."

Greece, he thinks, again, wistfully.