I entered the Man Cave with Piper, both staring at our phones.
"Hey everybody!" I announced, but got no reply. I look up only to find no one around besides Piper and myself. The only evidence that someone was here is the glass of water on the table. "Where is everybody?"
Piper finally tore her gaze away from her phone. "Uh, I don't know."
"Here, let me call Jasper." I say.
After a couple rings, Jasper picked up.
"Hey Jasp, where are you?" I asked Jasper, staring at him on the screen.
"Oh, yeah I meant to text you, but Charlotte and I are getting coffee before we come in to work. We were going to surprise everybody but since I have you on the phone, what do you want?" Jasper asked Piper and I.
"A venti ice coffee for me, with extra base, and with soy milk instead of regular, and caramel syrup mixed in." Piper replies. "Thanks Jasper."
"Ok, and what about Henry? Wait no, let me guess, it's the same every time, a venti caffe latte with extra steamed milk, with nutmeg syrup mixed in, and cinnamon powder on top. Did I get that right? " He asked. I grin sheepishly. He really knows me.
"Yes, Jasper, you got it right." I chuckle.
"Alright, see you in ten."
"Wait Jasper, where's Rai?" I ask.
"Never mind that Jasper." Piper calls from over at the desk.
"Ok, bye." Jasper says before hanging up.
"Why? Did you find something?" I ask my sister.
"Yeah, Rai left a note. He says that he and Schwoz had to pick up some Captain Man merchandise that just came in, and that if there's an emergency just go yourself. Classic Rai."
"Yeah, whatever, but you were leading his fan club for 4 years, so you can't really say much." I sniggered.
"Whatever, that was before I knew the guy." Piper said, defending herself.
"Yeah, whatever you say, but you were obsessed with Rai for years, and you had a crush on me." I say, gagging at the thought.
"I did not!" Piper snapped.
"Uh huh." I laugh.
Piper stomps over, which was kind of funny considering she's not even 5 foot, and knees me in the stomach.
I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me.
"Now who's laughing." She jokes as I try to catch my breath.
"Whatever, can you get me some water?" I heave.
She rolls her eyes before grabbing the glass of water that had been left on the table. In normal times, I wouldn't drink someone else's stuff, but I was kind of desperate, so I drank it.
It tasted ok, albeit a little bit sour, which was kind of odd but I figured it had been left out a while. After I cleared the glass of it's contents, I sat down at the couch with my sister, placing the glass on the table.
After a few minutes, I kind of felt weird, Piper must have noticed because she quickly asked if I was ok.
"Yeah, no, I'm fine, I just feel a little funny." I reply shakily.
Piper eyed me suspiciously before turning her attention back to the online magazine she was reading on her phone.
But after another minute my stomach started to hurt, as did my head. I gripped my head, pressing my palms against my temples, and bringing my knees to my chest to get more comfortable, but nothing seemed to work.
"Henry, you're not ok." Piper stated, seeing my distress.
"Yeah, no kidding." I mutter.
She rubs circles on my back, but it only made me weirdly uncomfortable.
After a couple minutes, the feeling disappeared.
"Ok, I'm good now." I reply.
"Are you sure?" Piper asked me.
"I'm positive."
"If you're sure." Piper replies calmly.
"I am sure." I tell her again.
- time skip -
"Wassup!" Jasper yelled, coming out of the elevator.
"Wassup!" Piper and I yelled back.
Charlotte just stood there, rolling her eyes.
"You do realize that Wassup is now a 21 year old beer commercial for Budweiser, right?" Charlotte asked.
"Yes." I reply, almost forcefully.
Charlotte and Piper look at me a little weirdly, while Jasper remained oblivious.
"Come on Char, just do it."
Charlotte groaned, took a long sip of what I knew was cinnamon chai latte, it's always a cinnamon chai latte. "Wassup!" She yelled have heartedly
I grinned at my friend.
Charlotte smirks before heading over to Piper and I, handing us each our respective drinks.
I take my latte from Charlotte and take a sip only to find it cold.
"Thanks Jasper, Charlotte, my coffee's great." Said Piper, thanking our friends.
"How about yours?" Jasper asked me, "All good?"
His bluish grey eyes gleaming at me. No Jasp, everything's fine, just a little cold. Don't worry about it. Is what I meant to say.
"It's cold." I say bluntly.
"Oh, uh sorry." Jasper replied a little awkwardly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean that. It's just a little chilly. Probably from being put next to Piper's ice coffee." I look over to my sister who was calmly sipping her coffee, looking at me with a smug expression her face. "I'll just get the Auto Snack to heat it."
Jasper nods.
As I'm heating my drink, Schwoz and Rai come down the tubes.
"Happy Saturday morning!" Schwoz exclaimed.
"Happy Saturday."
"Technically it is Saturday afternoon, but happy Saturday." I correct.
Piper looks at me a little suspiciously but continued to drink her coffee.
"Any who, I'm gonna go work on my latest invention."
"Any who?" Jasper whispered confusedly.
"What's your latest invention?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh, remember when Henry was forced to tell the truth for the a few days?"
A chorus of yeses rang out from everyone except Piper, and of course, Schwoz.
"Wait, wait, wait, you were under truth serum? And you never told me?" Piper asked, setting down her drink.
"Yeah, it's a bit of a long story, it's how the we all found out Henry is gay." Charlotte replied.
"Oh, ok cool." Piper sighed, taking her drink back up and going back to reading her online magazine.
"Anyways, I was trying to recreate it so we could get confessions from criminals faster."
"So where is it?"Jasper asked.
"Oh, I left it over there, Henry can you get me a nacho tower? You're over at the Auto Snack, so I just thought you could."
"Yeah, sure. Nacho tower." I command as I remove my drink from the Auto Snack.
"Nacho tower." The Auto Snack repeated.
"Ok, where did you say your truth ray was?" Rai asked Schwoz.
"On the table, but it's not a truth ray, it's a truth serum, I haven't been able to perfect a ray yet."
"But Schwoz, there's nothing on the table." Piper pointed out, silvery blue eyes briefly flicking up to scan the table.
"Yes there is," Schwoz insisted, taking a huge chunk of chips, cheese, peppers and meat, "in the glass. It kind of looks like water, so no one drink it."
Piper and I freeze in sync.
"I beg your pardon?" Piper asks.
"In the blue glass on the table." Schwoz sighs. "I just told you."
Piper jumps up from her seat on the couch and held up the glass she had given me only 20 minutes ago.
"This one?" Piper asks nervously, though she already knew the answer.
"Yeah that one." Said Schwoz, it took him a few seconds before he truly realized what had happened.
"What the-" He then went on to swear in what I believe to be Yiddish, but with Schwoz you'll never know. "Who drank my פאַרשילטן truth serum?"
"So, this is a funny story, I swear-" Piper started.
"No it's not." I grind out.
"You're right, it's not." Piper sighed. "When we got here, no one was around so we were just talking and messing around, but uh, we kind of took it a bit far, and I kneed Henry in the stomach. I kind of felt bad so when he asked for some water, I took what I thought was water off the table and gave it too him." Piper explained. "But then he started acting weird and suspicious, and he had a headache and stuff, but then it went away so I thought things were fine, but obviously it wasn't."
Schwoz grumbled something about inconsiderate teenagers.
"Alright!" Rai shouts excitedly. "Henry's secrets revealed take two!"
Charlotte glared at Rai as if to say don't even think about it.
"I'm not revealing anymore secrets." I grumble.
Charlotte quickly turns 180° and stares at me.
"I am so sorry, but did you just say more secrets?" Charlotte asks.
"N- Yes." I'm forced into saying.
"Like what kind of secrets." Rai asks, a sly grin etched across his face.
Piper slaps a hand over my mouth, surprising me a little.
"Guys, knock it off, as annoying as my brother is, he deserves to be allowed secrets." Piper argued, stopping me from revealing things I'd rather keep secrets.
"Oh yeah?" Charlotte asks. "Henry, what actually happened to Piper's phone charger?"
I glare at my friend as I'm forced to tell the truth.
"You thought you lost it, but I actually borrowed it and ripped it."
Piper's steely eyes seemed to bear into my soul. "You did what? " She fumed.
"I didn't mean to break it, I swear. I legit can't lie right now."
"I don't care, alright guys, ask away. I already know everything about him." Piper growled, smoke seemed to radiate off of her. "I know everything." She said in such a tone that enforced
"What? No, guys, please don't, having secrets should be a right. I'm almost positive it is a right, no I'm not, ugh!" I growl.
"Yeah yeah, morals and whatever, I'm pretty sure I lost those a while ago. Now, on to the secrets!"
"First let make sure this works. What is your favourite colour? Either purple or yellow. I don't have a preference of the two." I force out.
"Interesting, Piper, this is right?" Schwoz asked. I find it a little funny that he knows my exact Starbucks™ order but not my favourite colour.
"Lilac purple and honey yellow to be exact." Piper clarified without looking up.
"How do you know this?" Rai asks her.
She looks up at Rai mutely before flicking her gaze back to her phone without answering her.
"How do you not know this?" Jasper asked, Rai ignored him.
"Ok, so it's definitely working." Schwoz said giddily, ignoring the interaction with Piper and Rai.
I gave him a look which prompted his reply; "It took a while to get this right."
I roll my eyes at him but I guess I get where he's coming from.
"Ok, ok, so I've had a list of questions I've so wanted to ask since last time. Number one, do you like being Kid Danger?" Rai asked.
"Of course." I reply.
"Good, just what I wanted to hear. Two, if you could have any superpower in the world, what would you choose?"
"Reality warping." I say.
"Ooh, classy." Charlotte agrees.
"Three-" Rai starts but is quickly cut off.
"Come on Rai, let someone else ask the questions." Charlotte says.
"Ugh, fine." Rai sighs.
"Ok, when did you know you liked guys?" Charlotte asks.
"Year eight, Axel Nimbus, red hair, green eyes, lots of freckles. He was a Scottish exchange student, had an adorable accent, but of course, he was straight." I sigh.
"Oof." Jasper deadpans.
"You said it." I mutter.
"Coffee or tea?" Schwoz asks.
"Tea of course."
"Earl Grey, lots of milk and a splash of honey." Said Piper, still not looking up from her phone.
"Seriously how do you know this?" Rai asks her.
"I'm observant." Piper replies calmly, still not looking up from her phone.
"Ok..." Rai trailed off.
"Ooh, I got one, who's actually taller? Rai or you?" Jasper asked.
"I am, I'm 5'11. Rai is 5'10, one inch shorter than me. He claims to be 6 foot but he's not. He wears two inch lifts in his shoes." I explain smirking. "He hates to be shorter than me because he was always taller than me."
"That- that's not true, I am 6 foot, you can't prove anything."
"Rai, he is literally under truth serum right now, it's definitely the truth."
"It's- It's- You know wha- whatever!" I grinned while my friends chuckled lightly. "Ok, fine, Mr. Five Eleven, who do you have a crush on?" Rai asked triumphantly.
I could feel the colour leave my face as a paled, I see Piper whip her gaze to Rai and then to me.
"I don't want to talk about this." I say quietly.
"What? After all this, you still won't tell us something so simple?" Rai asked.
"Guys drop it." Piper demanded.
"No, I want to know who Henry has a crush on." Rai persisted.
"Rai this had a not so great ending last time, no offence Hen." Charlotte said, trying to get Rai to stop.
"None taken." I mutter.
"Who do you have a crush on?" Rai asked, carefully pronouncing every word.
I bite back the force that was trying to get me to tell the truth, but it was quickly giving me a hell of a headache.
"Henry, every time you try to stop it, the headache, I know you have right now, will only get worse." Schwoz warned. "Just get it over with so I can get you an aspirin."
"Rai, I really don't want to talk about this. Who I like is my business." I say, but quickly rub my right temple, attempting to relieve the headache that was jabbing the inside of my skull with what felt like a fork.
"Raimond Manchester, leave Henry alone or I will rip you apart via web content, personal information and those tiny little secrets you like to keep hidden. The Captain Man Fans will fall apart from the inside out." Piper threatened.
Rai swiftly backed away from my little sister, though her efforts were in vain, my stabbing headache felt like it was killing me.
"Who is you crush?" Rai persisted.
"RAI!" Piper snapped.
My head hurt so much that it felt like it was being ripped apart.
"Jasper." I breathe.
Silence washes over the room. Piper whips he gaze in my direction.
"Henry, I'm sorry, I-" Piper started.
I grab my coffee and head to the tubes without a second though.
"Up the tubes." I command, not looking up.
- time skip -
Jasper's Point Of View
Did Henry just say my name?
My name?
As I watched him cross the room, head down, grimacing from the headache, or maybe from embarrassment, I wanted to say something, anything, but I didn't. And when he muttered 'Up the tubes.', I could have, should have, said something, but I didn't.
"Jasper?" Charlotte whispered.
Quickly Piper turned around to face Rai before marching up to him. She stopped in front of him for a moment, not saying anything for second, before a slap echoed across the room, causing everyone to flinch.
"How dare you! He told you he didn't want to talk about it! You didn't care! You didn't care!" Piper yelled dangerously. "Do you know how hard it was for him to come out to you? Do you know how hard it would have been to tell Jasper he liked him?"
"I-" Rai starts.
"No, you don't get to talk right now!" Piper snapped, slamming her fist onto his chest, forcing Rai back.
"Piper I'm sorry." Rai murmured.
"I don't give two shits! Do you know why I know everything?" Piper fumed. "From his favourite colours, to his tea in the morning? Because we tell each other everything! He told me he was bisexual when he was in year eight, and then gay in year ten! When he had a crush on Axel, he told me first! When he had a crush on Jasper, I was the one who talked with him for hours into the night! How long did it take for him to tell you? 5-6 years? Oh wait he didn't even do it on his own free will!"
"Piper-"
"Shut the fu-" Piper started but quickly calmed down. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to find my brother."
"I'm coming too." I insist.
"Jasper-" Piper starts.
"I'm coming." Piper sighs but nods.
"I will to, he's my best friend." Charlotte added, Piper nods at her, like she did me.
"Me too." Rai said.
Piper whips around to face him.
"Like hell! You will stay here where you can think about what you've done, or I will destroy you!" Piper threatened.
Rai took a step back, lowering his head.
Piper took a sip of her coffee before spitting in Rai's face, Rai flinched but did not dare wipe it off.
"Let's go." Piper ordered.
Charlotte and I take our drinks and follow Piper into the elevator, watching Rai look so guilty and Schwoz not able to look his oldest friend in the eyes.
- time skip -
We jump into Piper's car, which she insisted her parents buy for her when they bought Henry's truck. His was a rather nice, black truck, but of course, Piper manipulated her parents into buying her a baby blue Corvette.
Henry and Piper had come in her car this morning because Henry had left his truck at work last night after a mission because Rai had dropped him home after the mission.
"He can't have gone far." I state.
"Where would he go?" Charlotte asks.
Piper looks at us with a confused expression.
"Do you really not know Henry's go to spot? The one he goes to when he's mad, sad or in the aftermath of a mental breakdown from a PTSD episode?" Piper asked incredulously.
Realization hit me like a ton of bricks. "The Elephant Tea Room."
"There you go." Piper said as she pulled to a stop in front of a stop sign. "It's quiet, in the day time, always buzzing in the night. It's more of an evening, night place, but they know him. They leave him be unless he wants someone to talk to."
"Of course, I always see the take out cup sleeves around his room." Charlotte sighs.
"Piper-"
"He tells me everything, though I made that very clear. He's liked you for a year now, and I need to make this very clear, if you don't like him back, if you are 100 percent straight or you like guys and you just don't like him, do not lead him on. Don't do that to him." Piper said.
"I-" I start but I don't finish.
"Just don't hurt him." She sighs. "He's my big brother."
We drive in silence for the rest of the journey.
We finally arrive in front of a cute coffee shop that seemed to be quiet, but if you look, you could see Henry's midnight black truck tucked away.
"He's in there." Charlotte murmured.
Piper went to unbuckle her seatbelt and head in, but I stopped her.
"No, let me."
Piper stops and looks at me.
"Don't hurt him." Piper repeated cooly.
I nod before heading into the café.
The overwhelming scent of tea leaves hit me as I walked into the shop. I look around before seeing Henry curled up in the corner reading one of the shop's books, I could see his drained coffee I had bought him only an hour ago, sitting next to a big mug of tea. He had red ringed eyes, that seemed a little too puffy. I quickly drop my empty coffee cup in the garbage.
I push my head in my hands for a second and rub my eyes. Henry was the only one besides the barista in the coffee shop. Though the barista hadn't noticed me yet. She was busy pulling her dark auburn brown hair into boxer braids. I go over to the counter where I could see her name tag, Ella.
"Hi." I say quietly.
"Oh, hello, sorry. We don't usually have customers at this time." Ella apologized. "Except that bloke over there. Anyways, what can I get you today?"
I thought for a second as she tied off her long braid, "Can I just get a caramel latté?"
"Of course, that will be 1.70$." Ella replied.
I look over to Henry, who still hadn't noticed me, or maybe he had and just didn't want to talk to me. I hand her over the money.
"So are you going to the Pride Parade?" She asks me.
"I'm not sure yet. What about you?" I ask her as she makes my drink.
"Yeah, I'm going with my boyfriend." She says nonchalantly, I look over to Henry as she says that latter. I know what I'm here to do, I'm just stalling.
"Nice, so are you just an ally?" I ask her.
"Pansexual, just because I date guys as well as girls, doesn't make me any less part of the LGBTQ+ community."
"Of course not." I smile at her.
She smiles back me as she hands me my drink. "I'm guessing you're here for him, Henry. We're friends, him and I. He always seems to come in when he's sad. I was going to go talk with him on my lunch break, but he might need you more. I'm not psychic." She says seeing my look. "It's just, you haven't taken your eyes off him sense you came in."
I sigh as I drop my head. "Yeah Ella, I have some stuff to clear up with him."
Ella smiles sympathetically. "Just don't hurt him, he's a nice guy."
I give Ella one last smile before heading over to my friend.
I sit down across from him. He looks up tiredly, but when he sees it's me, he looks back down to his book, clearly expecting the barista with braids and not the guy who he just confessed his love to.
"What do you want Jasper."
"Henry-"
"Just get it over with Jasp." Henry sighs.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I didn't know how you'd react." He admits.
"What do you mean, you 'didn't know how I'd react'?" I ask.
"I mean you're so clearly straight, just like every other guy I've ever liked." He sighed.
"Are you still-"
"No. I'm not under truth serum anymore. It wore off five minutes ago."
"Henry, I don't want you to have to be under truth serum for you to tell me how you feel."
He looks up at me, sad, doe brown eyes looking back at me.
"Jasper, just forget about it. I'm fine."
"You're not fine."
"No, I'm fine, this is fine, I'm fine." He lies.
"Henry, why do you think I'm straight?" I ask him.
He looks at me. "What?"
"Why do you think I'm straight?" I ask again.
"If you think that-"
"Henry, why do you think I'm straight?"
"You've always been with girls." He states.
"And Ella is dating a guy, does that make her straight?" I ask him.
"Well no, she's still pansexual."
"Exactly. Just because I've dated girls in the past, doesn't mean I can't like guys."
"Jasper if your messing-" He starts, but I cut him off.
I place my lips against his, shocking him into silence.
He pulls away in surprise, before crashing back to me.
"Ooh, didn't see that coming." Ella called from behind counter.
I pull away from Henry. "So, we going to Pride tomorrow?" I ask.
"Yeah." He smiled. "Ella, you in?"
"Hell yeah, we can't drink here, but expresso shots on me." Ella jokes. "Get your sister and your friend who have been watching you and your friend from that blue car out front."
I jump up and stick my head out the door.
"Piper, Charlotte, get in here."
They jumped out of the car,
"5 expresso shots on me." Ella cheered. "To Henry and, I am so sorry, what's your name?"
"Jasper."
"To Henry and Jasper!" She said excitedly.
"To Henry and Jasper!" The rest of them repeat, we knock back the coffee.
I grip Henry's hand.
Ok! This is finished! This was a request from someone but for the life of me I can't remember who. I searched my book to see if I could find them, but I couldn't, sorry about that. Anyways, I hoped you guys liked it, and I hope whoever requested it, it lived up to the hope. Happy Pride Month! Stay safe!