Henry hated watching Joey be in a sour mood. The tall man was usually much more invigorated, much sweeter, and very much gayer.

Er, he meant happier. Totally not ogling his pride pin at the moment….

Happier. Yes.

So seeing him upset also lowered Henry's mood, and animators should be working hard and happy. So he needed to fix the situation so he could continue working properly.

He got up, walking over to Joey, who sat beside a projector, staring at a blank wall.

Joey did not notice him. For some reason, that fact greatly bothered him.

He scowled and tapped him on the shoulder, making him look up with a mixture of surprise and vexation, the vexation shifting to annoyance as he realized who he was.

He could not even ask; "What?" when Henry cut him off.

"Let's talk." he stated darkly, leaning in his face, his own unreadable, a shadow cast over it through golden hair streaked with strawberry, the way the light hit it making it appear a ruddy maroon. His demand was non negotiable, and there was no escape. Joey swallowed roughly and got up, following Henry to his office. Henry waited for him to go in, entering behind and locking the door. Joey sat against his desk, waiting for Henry to berate him or yell at him. Henry narrowed his eyes, taking in his defensive posture. Joey stared back sullenly, his heart twanging. Henry grimaced, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What's gotten into you?"

"You haven't," Joey almost snarled, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he even thought them, much less about them. Henry processed it with the same speed he did, and Joey's eyes widened as Henry's jaw dropped. "Uh… I… I didn't mea-"

"Can you repeat that?" Henry requested, raising an eyebrow. Joey stared at him with a faraway fear in his eyes and shook his head slowly. "Seriously? Are you going to say something like that and just leave me on the edge?"

A pause. They both cringed at the same time.

"Henry, stop," Joey almost whined, embarrassed. "Look, I'll get on my knees and apologize."

Henry inhaled for a long moment, and Joey, realizing his error, flushed rapidly.

"Let me get this straight," Henry exhaled, and then froze, eye twitching at his wording. Joey blazed before him, touching his rainbow pin. Henry stamped his foot. "Why are you so hard!?"

"I-I'm not!" Joey protested, burning up. Henry, his own cheeks now a blaze, slapped his forehead. "Was… was that another slip up?"

"I meant to say hard to deal with!" Henry replied through gritted teeth. "But this appears to not be working so well. Do you have any other position ideas for us?"

"Oh, hell," Joey hissed, tugged on his collar, and watched Henry drop his head into his hands and scream. "Look, let's ignore this for now. Something else might pop up, you know."

"You're not making this any better," Henry growled, Joey covering his face with a hand. "We're talking about this now, stop blowing me off."

"I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose," Joey groaned. Henry looked like he was about to murder someone. "About this… I don't want to thrust me onto you."

He paused, closed his eyes, and cried a moment.

"Okay, Joey," Henry steepled his fingers, holding them to his lips. "if the next thing that comes out of your mouth sounds sexual, I'm pounding you into the ground."

"Henry!"

Henry covered his eyes with his arm, and Joey attempted to bolt.

"Oh, no you don't!" Henry caught him around the waist before he made it to the door, pulling their hips flush, shoving him to the wall. "I've not finished with you!"

A sobbing laugh ripped out of Joey. Henry stepped back sharply, blushing madly.

"This situation…" Joey struggled to find the right word. "Sucks."

"You suck more," Henry grumbled, and felt his shoulders slump as he let part of him die. Joey felt the gates of hell open beneath him. "Sorry. Look, yes, we can talk about this some other time. Are you free tonight?"

"God damn it," Henry added not two seconds later, rubbing his face under his glasses. Joey rolled his eyes, and Henry grimaced. "You don't need to get cocky about it!"

"Henry, stop being such a jerk!" Joey retorted, both realizing each other's statements and than their own. Joey punched the wall, letting his hand slide down it. He was mildly surprised it did not leave a burn mark. He exhaled, leaning his head back. "Henry, as much as I-"

He cut himself off, feeling all his body on fire from embarrassment and desire. The desire for dignity, to be precise.

"Ugh," Henry pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing up his glasses. "Just spit it out! Actually, don't! Keep that in your mouth!"

Joey sank to the floor, rocking himself as he whimpered. Henry looked like he wanted to smack himself into the ocean.

"Are we done digging our own graves now?" Joey questioned, pulling himself off the floor, staggering to his feet. Henry made gestures, Johan reading them aloud. "I want… to… something… you. What? What is that suppo- oh. Oh! OH! Are you serious?"

"Yeah, apparently non verbal is better than spoken," Henry said bluntly. Joey stared at him. "Yes, I want to! Not now, of course, but… yes."

"Where is this coming from?" Joey asked plainly, skeptical. He shuddered. "Okay. This is not an ideal time or place or situation to admit this, but… I love you. A whole lot. And if you'll have me… it would be a dream come true."

"Oh, yes," Henry muttered, making his way over to him, shoving him gently into his chair, getting over him and straddling him. Joey felt fire burst in his chest, spreading to the whole of him. Henry rose an eyebrow. "May I?"

Joey kissed him first, pulling him to his lips.

"Just don't say anything," Henry murmured.

"Love you."