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Henley Whispers was starting to become all too familiar with the roof of the tent he lay in. He had spent an ungodly amount of time staring at it by now, even shrouded in darkness. He was only vaguely aware of Eric and Ghoul sleeping soundly near him. He knew Ghoul dozed peacefully in a corner, and he remembered the little mushroom shoved lazily into one of Paul’s socks for warmth, muttering curses in his sleep. He could hear Eric snoring off to the side, surely bundled tight in his cape, chest rising and falling to a slow and steady rhythm. As for Paul, he assumed the man had set up his own tent a distance away. You could never guess with that man. Nonetheless, Henley could somewhat confidently place where most of the Happy Boys (and Paul) lay sleeping, aside from the one exception. Gluebrick.
Henley had no clue where Gluebrick was. He had been lying on the ground wrapped up in yeti skins for what felt like hours, and there had been no sign of him in or out of the tent. He honestly couldn’t recall if the goliath had ever entered the tent with them to begin with. It was a strange sensation, how imbalanced it felt with Gluebrick gone. “Everything’s fine. I’m fine.” His mind seemed to shout. He was lying to himself, obviously, and if he were to be honest his more pressing concern was really if Gluebrick was fine. He didn’t want to admit it, but the stress and worry of not knowing where Gluebrick was had been starting to edge on him. It was strange to Henley, not to hear the grounding weight of his breathing or feel his soft red hair brush against the sole of his foot. Or even to just not feel Gluebrick’s eyes gazing at him on the occasions neither managed to sleep.
It kind of took him aback just how uncomfortable he felt, with all these precious constants robbed of him. Ones he hadn’t even registered or noticed previously. To not have Gluebrick there, curled up beneath him at the foot of a bed or a sleeping bag, made unease settle at the pit of his stomach. It strangely reminded him of his early days after the divorce with Sylvie. He remembered longing for her soft breathing against his skin and the way her long hair draped itself over his limbs. He even missed the way she would stare at him, with love or disdain (Henley never cared), right before they drifted off into slumber. After she left him he would lay awake at night, remembering those things he never appreciated until they were gone. It was unnerving how he recognised the situations as somewhat similar.
Yeah alright, it was very weird of him to be comparing not knowing where Gluebrick was to his mournful yearning of his ex-wife, but Henley didn’t dwell on it. He was probably just not yet recovered from the events of the afternoon. He finally pulled his gaze away from the roof to stare, brows slightly furrowed, at his newly re-attached hand. As he examined the seams of where Gluebrick’s divine power had sewn the hand and the stump together, he felt his vision flood with memories of the pools of oil like blood spilling from his arm. It was a surreal experience. He had felt Ice Tyson’s previously kind eyes, now manic and wild, looking down on him. He would never admit aloud the pure terror he felt in that moment. “Everything’s fine, everything’s fine, everything’s fine…” His mind had desperately chanted, despite his heart sinking to his stomach as he helplessly watched Ice Tyson choke his limp arm in his grip.
The memories of his panic when the knife had been drawn were all somewhat hazy, he realised. Instead what he remembered vividly was what happened after. He had watched Gluebrick diving in front of the knife as it swung down toward his hand, the goliath’s chest being clawed open as he barricaded to the ground. Henley felt himself open his mouth to call out for him, maybe even curse Ice Tyson and- if he regained his strength soon enough- kill the man in cold blood. But none of that happened, what instead came out was a strangled cry, choked off by the blood that threatened to spill from his lips. He had stared helplessly at the dead body in front of him, feeling his heart and mind slowly shut down.
Then he was blinded. From Gluebrick’s frozen body came a magnificent white light, and Henley almost didn’t close his eyes. As the light faded he felt himself blink his eyes open, gaze shakily travelling upwards to basque in the view before him. The Gluebrick that had emerged from that light was different from the one he’d seen mere seconds ago. His eyes looked calmer, their emerald green no longer darkened with a looming red. He held himself more firmly, but his shoulders looked more relaxed. Henley was entranced, and had watched in awe as the Goliath almost pummelled Ice Tyson into the ground.
Henley found his mind continued to travel back to that moment, even now in the tranquil night. It had struck him in a way, when his heart had hammered against his chest as Gluebrick arose like an astounding Phoenix. ‘Kindheart’ was his elder name, now. Henley couldn’t help softly chuckling into the cold air of the night. It was such a perfect name for Gluebrick it made Henley smile when only thinking about it. ‘Gluebrick Kindheart Bumbledung’, he replayed it over and over in his mind, carving it into the crevices of his brain. He even whispered it quietly under his breath, fondness cloaking his voice in a way that took him off guard. He drew his gloved hands up to his chest, one then automatically rising to coil itself in the locks of his hair. Alright, Henley was- to the shock of many- self aware enough to know when things have gotten weird.
He made it his private mental mission to block off thinking of Gluebrick for the foreseeable future. Though this was much harder a task than Henley had originally anticipated. Trying to steer his mind away from Gluebrick’s paladin transformation was hard enough, but once he wasn’t distracted by those strings of thought he lapsed back into longing for the goliath’s lost presence. Shifting in his sleep, there was a moment Henley instinctively pushed his foot down, expecting to be met with soft subtle curls cushioning his sole, but brushed with empty space instead. This was kind of pathetic and Henley knew it, but he was aware of all his own faults, so what else was new?
Henley’s mind travelled hastily back to Sylvie again, or more accurately- his yearning for her as the years had gone by. He still couldn’t help but notice that the pain in his chest was familiar but still horribly different. It wasn’t an aching want for something he once had and was now far out of reach, instead it was for something just within reach that he couldn’t find it in himself to grasp. The sensation was similar yet entirely different at the same time. Henley wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what that meant. Besides, he was probably over complicating it. It was entirely possible he was simply unfamiliar with the nuances of having a friend as good as Gluebrick.
Tired of the whole scenario, and his own thoughts, Henley pulled himself out from under the covers. He instinctually double checked if his towel was secure around his waist, but he quickly remembered the kilt he had acquired from Ice Tyson’s territory. He made new use of the towel by draping it around his hunched shoulders, hoping it would ease the cold slowly crawling up his neck. The blonde heaved a deep, prolonged sigh that was drowned out by Eric’s snoring. He cautiously stepped over any tangled limbs or strewn out items, before ducking down and stumbling out of the tent’s entrance. The lack of body heat outside made the low temperature feel more extreme and Henley pulled the towel tighter over his shoulders, the fabric encasing his neck. The frosty air pricked at his bare legs and he grimaced as he realised he hadn’t thought to slide his shoes on, now standing barefoot in the ice and snow. If anyone had been out here with him, he would have most likely started obnoxiously complaining right about now, but instead he stood alone, silent as freezing winds whistled in his ears.
Henley shuddered, a chill running up through his body. He really would have to go inside soon to avoid exhaustion, but at least for now his freezing state distracted him from all the thoughts threatening to break loose and run rampant through his mind. He exhaled a sigh, the cold revealing the mist that puffed into the air as he breathed. He ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair, he was already growing numb to the cold, and he didn’t need to glance down to know his toes were turning a concerning shade of red. He fidgeted with the blonde hair that had fallen in front of his face, as he stared up at the pure darkness of the sky above him. “Get it together, Whispers.” He muttered, his voice hoarse and his teeth chattering. Henley continued to endure the freezing wind as he silently scrutinising the blankness of the sky above.
He was pulled out of his pity party when a familiar voice shouted out for him, just loud enough to not be drowned out by the howling wind. “Henley!” The man in question snapped to attention at his name being called, startling at the sudden interruption. He turned to the direction Gluebrick’s voice was coming from, and pushed down the relief that swelled through his body as the goliath came into view. Gluebrick’s voice rang out again. “What are you doing out here in the cold, mate?”
“I think I could be asking you the same thing.”
“Well I just wanted to go on a little stroll. You know, see the sights. Uh, maybe talk to the yetis?”
Henley huffed out a laugh and tilted his head up to take in the taller man, who had now come to stand in front of him.
Gluebrick didn’t look particularly cold, despite the climate. His mountain Goliath heritage certainly helped with that prospect, but Henley noticed his ears were starting to turn a rosy pink. “The yetis, huh?”
“Yeah! Ya’ know, I have these cool new Paladin powers, I might as well test them out.” Ah, so that was the catch. Gluebrick was still adjusting to the whole Paladin ordeal. Henley decided it would be best to humour him. “So did you find any yetis then?”
“Um, well no.” Gluebrick paused and brought his hand up to awkwardly scratch his neck, sheepishly gazing out into the frozen landscape. “I think we may have killed all the ones ‘round here. For our blankets, that is. And all those fancy ones from earlier, too.” He hesitated before adding “I actually feel a bit bad about that now.”
Henley gently placed his gloved hand on the other man’s forearm, feeling his own bundled shoulders relax at the warmth of contact, despite his body continuing to shudder in the freezing cold. Gluebrick’s ear twitched. “Oh, it’s alright Gluebrick. After all, best not to dwell on past mistakes! We Happy Boys haven’t regretted any previous murders, have we?” Gluebrick stared at him with an air of quiet skepticism, brows furrowed. He let out an awkward laugh. “Wow. You’re ruthless, aren’t ya’ Henley?” Henley felt his heart sink a little. He hadn’t quite figured out when or how Gluebrick had gained the ability to make him feel guilt concerning all his self-assuring statements- or lies, as Sylvie called them. It seemed each time he so much as glanced at Henley with a dissapointed look in those perfect green eyes Henley’s mask slipped further and further from his reach. Hastily pushing those thoughts aside, Henley laughed and shuffled closer to Gluebrick. “Right I am, buddy.” He cheerfully remarked, taking in as much of the goliath’s’ warmth as possible.
The pair stood comfortably in the snow for a while after that, listening to the icy wind blow. Henley couldn’t feel his feet at all now, and he felt his body shiver violently. He tried to tug the towel tighter around his shoulders, attempting to ease the freezing sensation. Gluebrick clearly felt Henley shake against his arm because the next thing Henley heard against the wind was him speaking. “Are you feeling alright, Henley?” He asked, and the blonde’s heart melted a little at the concern clearly apparent in his voice. Henley felt his face flush, nose tinting a light pink. Oh Celestia, he didn’t want to get frostbite or anything. “I’m fine, Gluebrick. I just think this damned weather is starting to get to me. My nose is going to freeze off.” Henley promptly ignored the fact his nose was actually rather warm, his whole face was, in fact. He was probably just tired. Feeling things wrong.
Gluebrick’s expression contorted into one of worry. Henley silently mused to himself how he’d gone so long without having this good of a friend. He couldn’t help the smile that quietly stretched across his face, which still felt vaguely warm. He was then hastily startled from his thoughts as he felt one of Gluebrick’s hands plant itself on his back, the other hooking under his knees. Henley yelped, flailing as Gluebrick scooped him up from where he stood planted in the snow, all fond inclinations vanishing in an instant. “Gluebrick! What are you doing, you bastard?”
“Oh calm down, Henley. Your poor toes are going to fall straight off! Look at ‘em, they’re bright red!” Gluebrick turned to look Henley in the eyes, and his ear twitched again. Henley really couldn’t help but notice that their faces were awfully close. “Your- uh, your face is too. Red, that is.” An increasingly desperate panic settled on Gluebrick’s expression. “Oh gods Henley, will your nose fall off? Will your face fall off?” Ah yes, Henley’s face, which felt like it was burning back in the pits of Avernus. Gods, he really needed to sleep, didn’t he.
Not bothered to answer Gluebrick’s question, Henley had given up on wiggling around in favour of processing the situation he’d just found himself in. He still could not feel his feet in the icy cold, but his face felt like it was about to catch on fire. His pounding heart threatened to shatter his rib cage to pieces as he fully realised that he was being- for lack of a better term- bridal carried by Gluebrick. Henley choked out an “Oh” sound, and he frankly sounded like a bit of a dying cat. Friendship really did things to a man, he realised.
Gluebrick had apparently not taken notice of Henley’s flustered state, as he only quickly glanced down at the blonde before resuming speaking. “We need to get you out of the cold now, mate. Why did you not put on your boots before you left the tent? C’mon Henley, I know you’re smarter than this.” Henley grumbled in response. Gluebrick marched over to the tent and ducked down to the entrance. The goliath stepped cautiously over the items tossed about the floor of the tent, and clumsily dodged stepping directly onto Eric’s hand. He came to kneel on the ground, gently placing Henley down next to him. “Gluebrick…” Henley softly whispered, entranced by the man kneeling above him. “Not now Henley,” Gluebrick cut in, tucking the other man carefully into the blankets “I have to make sure your toes don’t freeze right off.” Henley laughed under his breath, eyes crinkling shut as he did so.
By the time he blinked them open again, laughter subsiding, he saw Gluebrick staring down at him with a tentative look on his face. Gluebrick tilted his head, saying “Uh, could I please have the towel?”
“Of course, Gluebrick.” Henley carefully pulled the towel out from beneath his shoulders and held it out for Gluebrick to take into his hands. He smiled as he took it, and awkwardly shuffled out of Henley’s sight. Henley exhaled slowly as he re familiarised himself with the roof of the tent. He heard Gluebrick roaming about the enclosed space, quietly muttering little words or sentences Henley couldn’t quite make out. It was comforting, knowing he was simply there. It made the sight of the tent’s roof far more bearable.
It was a short while later Gluebrick came back to sit down next to Henley. He grinned, sharp teeth and all, at the man lying on the floor beside him. Henley exhaustedly smiled back. “Hey, buddy.” He said, and he found he couldn’t even flinch at how ridiculously fond his voice sounded. Gluebrick opened his mouth excitedly to speak, before clamping it shut and glancing at the sleeping figures of Ghoul and Eric. He leant down close to Henley’s face and said “I have good news, Henley! I think I’ve successfully saved your toes from being frozen off!”
“Well that’s good then.”
“Yep! The poor things should properly thaw out soon, with everything I’ve stacked on them.” Henley craned his neck to get a good glance at what Gluebrick had done to ease the numbness in his feet. He observed that they were bundled up in the towel and yeti skins, as well as that Eric’s cape had been yanked far enough to cover them. Classic.
Henley’s head fell back onto the ground, and shifted to meet Gluebrick’s gaze. He stared up at the goliath’s face, which hovered in the air just above him. The goofy smile remained stretched across his cheeks, his Goliath patterns creasing with them. His wild red hair had fallen in front of his emerald eyes, and Henley didn’t have time to think before he lifted his gloved hand to brush the stray locks of hair behind his ear, which twitched involuntarily at the contact. Gluebrick’s green eyes seemed to widen, and his expression morphed into one of flustered confusion. “Henley?” He asked, voice barely above a whisper. Henley was too distracted to respond, as his eyes remained glued to the beautiful ones in front of him. The swirling shades of green reminded him of the forests he used to retreat to when he needed to not be fine for a little while. The forests he ran away to when his life fell apart at the seams. The forests he sought comfort in when there was nothing else to offer it. They reminded him of home.
Henley kept his hand cupped against Gluebrick’s face as he tentatively spoke, “Thank you, Gluebrick. For saving me back at the arena. And for, even when I lie and tell you to piss off… for always being here.” The last sentence was especially quiet, and whispered softly like a precious secret, belonging only to them and the winter winds. Gluebrick continued to stare at him, wide eyed and ears flushed red. He stuttered out a hesitant response, cheeks heating despite the cold weather. “Yeah, it’s not a problem at all, mate. You’re… you’re my friend.” Henley suppressed the strange disappointment that festered within him at the words. What did he even have to be disappointed about? That’s what he and Gluebrick were: friends.
Gluebrick continued, pensiveness no longer apparent in his voice. “I mean, I’m not even always here, anyway. So I’m not quite sure what you mean, exactly-“ He was interrupted by Henley chuckling fondly and dragging his hand away from the other man’s face. “Go to sleep, Gluebrick.” Henley said, smiling in spite of himself. Gluebrick laughed sheepishly, and rose to stand hunched above Henley. “Goodnight, Henley.”
“Goodnight, Gluebrick.” Henley watched in silence as the other man shuffled from his vision, before closing his eyes and turning over on his side. “Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” Gluebrick suddenly whisper-shouted in Henley’s direction. The blonde rolled his eyes, unable to stop the smile stuck on his face. “I said ‘goodnight’, Gluebrick.” The goliath let out a small laugh before lapsing into peaceful silence.
It wasn’t long before Henley noticed he could feel his feet again, the numbing cold having dissipated sometime after his conversation with Gluebrick. He flexed them slightly , a relieved sensation settling in his gut. He was glad his toes weren’t going freeze off after all. Henley kicked the blankets, towel and Eric’s cape off, stretching out to reach a comfortable position. At some point, the sole of his left foot brushed against a soft, tangling surface. Henley’s breath hitched as he felt Gluebrick’s hair gently caress his skin, it was… calming. It made him feel oddly safe, as if there was something grounding him to this existence. He listened close to the sound of Gluebrick’s breathing. It was steady, soft and drawn out, and Henley would never admit how well he knew its intricacies. All things considered, Henley felt deeply comfortable and strangely at home. The roof of the tent was beggining to fade out of his vision, as he teetered in and out of slumber. “Everything’s fine. He’s fine.” He thought hazily to himself, and in this moment, with red locks of hair brushing his skin and the sound of steady breathing beneath him… he was telling the truth.