Just another man in the field [1/15]

[jeongbro]

It had been a little over a week since Henry had heard from Goodnight, and he had to admit, he was a little bit worried about that. They didn't need to talk every day; it was nothing like that. But he knew that holidays could be stressful for people--they were stressful for him--and New Years had been an event. He'd heard from Goodnight after that, but his last substantial conversation had been about a week ago, and Henry was worried he might have drunk himself into a stupor.

Or worse.

So he was trying not to think of worst case scenarios on his way over to Goodnight's apartment. Worst case scenarios didn't help anyone, and especially not someone with high stress levels like Goodnight Robicheaux.

Henry reached the apartment and knocked a couple time, knuckles sharp on the door. "Mr Goodnight? You alive in there?"

He heard nothing. He waited. He knocked again. "Mr Goodnight?" Maybe if he called him by surname Goodnight would come to the door faster. Henry knew what it was like to cringe every time someone mangled your name, and Goodnight's was even more complicated than Henry's was. He was preparing to knock a third time when he heard rustling inside the apartment, and the scuttle of dog nails on the flooring. Henry put on a bright smile in anticipation of the door opening.

And open it did, but that wasn't Goodnight Robicheaux. The man standing in the door was the same height as Henry--and Goodnight--wide in the shoulders and slim in the waist, with short, wispy facial hair and ink-black hair falling to his chin. He was colored, almost to a T, in ways that Henry was familiar with, because he had the exact same coloration. Henry's smile didn't falter.

This was Billy.

Henry was just opening his mouth to say something in greeting when Billy's face transformed from vague confusion to what could only be described as the picture-definition of pissed off. Henry had never seen someone's face change so quickly. And then Billy slammed the door in his face.

Inside the apartment, Billy left his hand on the door for a moment, then turned to shout toward the bedroom. "Lucien Eugene--why is there a young Korean boy at your door?!"

Comments

[assassinwithahairpin]

"Good, you can fill us both in on what we've missed," Billy said, quiet, toward his coffee cup more than it was specifically out loud.

Henry seemed to think this little statement was particularly amusing; it was probably the delivery more than anything else. But he laughed, just a momentary outburst of joy, before he meekly lowered his head. But Billy could see he was still smiling.

Easily slipping into Korean, Billy teased Henry for finding the joke funny. Henry teased him back for making a dad joke. It got a chuckle out of Billy at least.

[goodnight_robicheaux]

Goodnight rolled his eyes and nudged against Billy. He heard that.

"Oh I don't like this at all," he declared once the two of them were going at it in Korean. "Gonna need to start taking lessons so I'll know when the pair of you are talking about me."

[jeongbro]

Henry smiled, bright but apologetic. Billy didn't look apologetic at all. Between the two of them, Goodnight was at least smiling, and Henry supposed that made it alright to tease and joke. So he gestured at Billy a little, and said, "His accent's different than mine. I don't know if you'd be able to follow the both of us."

[goodnight_robicheaux]

"Mm, I should learn his, then, so I know what you're grumbling about me." Goodnight looked at Billy fondly, certain that their love was no secret to Henry. If Billy answering the door nearly naked hadn't been enough to suggest it, the way they'd been behaving was enough. It felt good not to hide it.

Henry was a well-educated young man. A well-educated young man that had gone to schools in Canada and Virginia. He wondered...

Goodnight kept his eyes on Billy when he said, in proper European French, "Mon cher, il est impoli de me taquiner quand je suis debout ici."

[assassinwithahairpin]

Billy was, for a moment, frustrated with the very act of pulling out a language that, even after all this time, he only knew a word or two in, concretely. Even if he'd just done the same.

Henry seemed to understand what Goodnight had said, though. He sputtered into his coffee a little.

[goodnight_robicheaux]

Goodnight just grinned and he couldn't help it; he couldn't stop himself. He kissed Billy then, full on the mouth (or as much as he could while he was smiling). "Mon cher," he repeated softly, warmly. "I won't gossip about you with Henry."

But it was entirely evident Henry had understood him. That was good to know. "Besides, you'd both be entirely lost if I went off in whatever version of French we learned at home." That was the one Billy heard the most out of him when they were on the road together.

[jeongbro]

They kissed. Henry sat, and watched them, just for a moment, before he looked away. There was no scandal here, no upset or distress or distaste for it. But it was a private moment, and Henry felt he was intruding. He didn't like that.

He got up from the kitchen stool he was sitting on, and polished off his coffee. "I believe, now that I have assure you have not drunk yourself into a ditch, that I ought to leave you two to your own devices."

[goodnight_robicheaux]

Goodnight smiled. "Thank you for checking on me. It's nice knowing you would should anything actually happen." He didn't insist that Henry stay because he didn't think he would, and he was more than happy to disappear into the back of the apartment with Billy again, if he was honest with himself.

So instead he walked Henry to the door. "I'll call you this week," he promised. "I think I owe you some outing or another." Coffee, a drink, whatever Henry wanted. "I've missed enough gossip as it is."