To Boldly Go [Henry]

[Estelle Flores]

[ooc: takes place after In Need of Direction]

After her conversation with Dr. Neville, Estelle was starting to feel better. Much better. She still sort of felt a little fragile, as though she was waiting for the proverbial straw to break the camel's back, but she was getting by. And she realized that the one person she really wanted to hang out with--not for advice or to cry on, but truly to spend time with--was Henry. So, she called him and invited him over to watch Star Trek: the Original Series. He'd never seen it before, so she'd rustled up two episodes that he simply had to watch.

First was Trouble with the Tribbles, which was a classic as far as Estelle was concerned. And funny! Which was the best option. The other was Naked Time, which involved less nakedness and far more insanity and George Takei taking off his shirt and flinging around a fencing sword.

At the sound of a knock on the door, Estelle leapt up and skipped over to the door, glancing at herself in the little mirror. Eugh. She still looked pale and worn, but that was to be expected. She'd had a rough couple of weeks. She sighed, scrubbed her face with her hands and opened the door.

"Hey!" She beamed at him, "How's it going? Sorry I've kinda disappeared lately. Stuff... You know." She smiled, throwing open the door wider, "C'mon in!"

[Henry Ballo]

Henry had been worried about Estelle. Not that he was good at expressing that with words. But he knew the general story of what had happened. He’d been at the Talk, after all. He knew why Robbie had been in trouble with the whole student body. And when rumors had gone around that Estelle had punched Robbie, he’d known she must have been pretty upset indeed. But he’d tried to stay out of it. Whenever he’d passed her in the hall, he’d offered her a smile and had tried making jokes (tried being the key word there. Henry wasn’t known for his sense of humor) to try to cheer her up. But he hadn’t pushed.

Still, he’d been happy when she’d invited him over. And even though he knew nothing about Star Trek at all, he’d agreed to come for two reasons. One, because he wanted to make sure she really was okay (because there really was a heart in that broad chest of his), and secondly…because he liked spending time with her.

That was kind of scary. Henry could count on one hand the people he liked spending time with. But he decided to just go with it. Why not?

When Estelle opened the door, he smiled down at her, eyes scanning her to check and see if she was all right. She looked tired and worn. But that was all right—he had the cure for that in his hand: bags of popcorn and candy, his little brother’s latest care package. He hoped Estelle would appreciate them.

“I understand,” he agreed gravely as he stepped in, turning around once inside to look at her. “Thank you for inviting me to this, ah, enlightening experience. I brought snacks…?” He held the large bag up suggestively. “I did not know what you would like, so I brought it all. Please, do not feel you need to eat it. I will find someone to sell it to.” He eyed the contents. “Eventually.”

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle had really appreciated Henry’s attempts to make her feel better without asking too many questions she probably wouldn’t have been able to answer coherently. She knew he knew about Robbie, and fortunately nobody knew about her awful meeting with Zac. Henry’s company was soothing because it didn’t require any expectations and it definitely didn’t involve any questions like “are you okay”. That, and he was funny. His awkward sense of humor always managed to make her smile.

“Oh, yay! Snacks!” She smiled, “Thank you! I will most definitely eat it. I love food.” Understatement? Probably. “So, go sit down anywhere and I’ll get out my DVDs.” Although honestly, there wasn’t anywhere for Henry to sit besides the bed; her chairs were covered in books and homework and some Lord of the Rings action figures.

“So, okay, I haaave…” She trailed off, pulling out her DVDs, “We’re gonna watch an episode called “Trouble with the Tribbles” first. It’s not the beginning of the season. And I don’t think it’s even in Season One…” She checked the back of the DVD case, “Anyways! Don’t worry though, Star Trek is nice because you can just jump in anywhere; there’s not much of an overarching plot or anything like that.” She opened her laptop and gently pushed the DVD into the slot before scurrying back to the bed and hopping over to sit next to Henry.

“If you have any questions, definitely ask,” Estelle assured him, “I won’t mind and I looove talking about it. This is my favorite show.”

[Henry Ballo]

Henry knew better than to ask “are you okay.” When you weren’t okay, that was the last thing you wanted to hear. You already knew you weren’t feeling well. You didn’t want to be asked about it. And Henry would guess that she’d invited him to be distracted, and not necessarily to talk.

Not that he’d mind if she wanted to talk, either. But mostly? He just would have been very pleased if he’d known she thought he was funny. Surprised, but pleased. No one had thought he was ever…amusing.

“All right. I am glad someone will be eating it.” He smiled at her and turned to look about for a place to sit, eyeing the Lord of the Rings action figures.

“I heard they took Tom Bombadil out of the movies,” he said as he eventually came to sit on the bed, a little awkwardly. “But I never saw them, so I would not know. Were they good?” Pop culture illiterate? Yes, yes he was.

He leaned back against the wall and let his feet dangle a little over the edge of the bed as he watched her go through her DVDs. He moved over when she sat next to him and looked down at her.

“When did you start enjoying Star Trek?” he asked. “I admit, I did not think you were the type.” He’d thought that she’d be interested in…something else. He didn't know what. But all he knew of Star Trek was that his father ranted about the dull special effects. He certainly hadn't seen it.

[Estelle Flores]

“Yes, I will most definitely eat it.” She sat crosslegged on the bed, rooting about happily in the bag, “But you have to help me,” Estelle grinned, “It’s no fun if I’m the only one nomming away at some food.” She was, of course, already munching on some popcorn. Naturally.

“Mff.” Estelle mumbled through her mouthful of food, “They are so good oh man. If we had more time, I would totally insist we watch Lord of the Rings. But I don’t think you have nine hours you wanna spare.” She laughed, “Maybe some other time. But yeah, they took out Tom Bombadil. Which is kind of a bummer. I always thought he was cute. They also took out the scouring of the Shire, which totally took out huge themes and stuff.” She made a face of disappointment.

“I watched Star Trek when I was little. I was home by myself with my brother and I was watching the Sci-Fi channel. And there was a marathon,” She grinned broadly, “The rest, as they say, is history.”

[Henry Ballo]

“Good.” He nodded in satisfaction, then blinked at the suggestion that he had to eat it too. He wasn’t a big fan of candy. It tended to give him headaches. But the popcorn….well, he guessed he could manage that. If she insisted. Because Henry needs help with taking things less literally.

“Yes, okay,” he said slowly, then smiled, just a little. “But then you cannot be hogging the bag as you are right now.”

“On a rainy day, maybe?” He stretched out his legs so they extended far out past the bed, then looked back at her. “Perhaps…Christmas break? Or Thanksgiving? I know I will be here, at least. It could be, ah, fun.” Awkward. That was so, incredibly awkward. Had he not known that it would just make the situation worse, he would have hit his head against the wall. God…

“That is a very nice story,” he admitted. “I never watched TV. I helped my mother with chores. My brother tells me I ‘missed the good stuff,’” his smile turned fond, but then he changed the subject. “So what are…Tribbles?” 

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle laughed, clutching the bag to her chest for a moment before releasing it with a mock-exasperated sigh, “Ugh, fine. You ask so much of me, sharing your candy and popcorn.” She pushed the bag in Henry’s direction before turning her attention to the laptop again.

“That would be awesome!” Estelle exclaimed excitedly, before remembering that Henry (1) wasn’t a total dweeb like she was and (2) sometimes got overwhelmed, “Um. If you want to. Don’t feel like you have to or anything.” She gave him a sheepish, sweet smile.

Estelle smiled at Henry’s own fond smile. “Oh! Tribbles are little, fluffy aliens that are born pregnant! It’s funnier than it sounds, I promise.” With that, she pushed the DVD into the laptop and selected the episode. She scurried back to the bed and hopped up to sit next to Henry. The mattress, being old, dipped far more on Henry’s side than Estelle’s causing her to slide closer to him. Estelle didn’t notice this, however, as she was already too engrossed in the show.

“Okay, how much of Star Trek do you know?” She asked as the opening credits rolled, “Like, should I give you a brief run-down of all the characters?”

[Henry Ballo]

“If it had been chocolate,” Henry said, deadpan, “I would have never asked it. But I did not think this would serve as too much of a sacrifice.” Or so he’d hoped. Did she even like chocolate? What if she didn’t? What if everything Jared had told him earlier was true and all of this sort of awkward—

Stop it. Like running in circles is going to help. He took in a steadying breath and offered her his usual thin smile.

“I am just teasing,” he added. There. Problem…relatively solved. Right? God, this was hard.

His smile turned to a grin at her exclamation, and he shrugged, relieved. “I offered, yes? Then why would I not want to? I think it would be fun. Not a bad way to spend the holidays, right?”

It was a good thing that Estelle turned away, because Henry was moving his lips in a silent repetition of what Estelle had said. Little fluffy aliens that are born pregnant. And this had been a show in the sixties? Hm. He was distracted, however, by realizing that Estelle was sitting much closer than she’d probably intended, and cleared his throat to cover up the way his whole body tensed.

“Ah, not much.” He latched onto the distraction gratefully. “I, ah, know Kirk likes blondes, and that people call me Spock.” He rolled his eyes. “Ah, and that McCoy says….” He hesitated, then said, in a passible imitation of McCoy’s voice, “’Damn it, Jim, I’m a doctor not a physicist!’ Or something like that. And that is it.”

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle giggled, “Excellent. Chocolate is my favorite.” And, as if to prove her point, she pulled out a mini-Snickers bar and unwrapped it eagerly, popping it in her mouth. She eyed Henry sideways, noting his slightly pained expression. She stared at her knees awkwardly. She hoped he was enjoying himself, and that he didn’t just come out of some weird sense of obligation or anything like that. Estelle didn’t have many friends at Hammel, and so perhaps Henry knew that, and felt as though someone ought to check on poor Estelle who had nobody else to check up on her.

She really hoped he didn’t feel like that.

When he offered up his explanation, Estelle flashed a smile at him. “I know,” She said simply, comfortable with the sometimes abrupt way Henry chose to conduct his conversations.

“Hey, um.” Estelle kicked her feet slightly as the wailing theme song played, running the opening credit titles, “Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it, particularly if you, um. Had other things you’d rather do.” She figured that absolved Henry if he was feeling bad that he wanted to be elsewhere. Estelle definitely understood that.

But he still expressed interest in spending the holidays with her. So she smiled widely, “It sounds like the best way to spend the holidays.” Impulsively, she leaned against him and briefly pressed the side of her face against his shoulder, a strange cross between a hug and a snuggle. She pulled away before he got too uncomfortable, feeling oddly thrilled.

She laughed at Henry’s description of the series, “Really though? That’s basically it. And don’t worry, Spock is my favorite. He usually saves everyone. But that is a very good imitation of Dr. McCoy. He’s so cranky; it’s awesome. But if you have any questions, I will totally answer them.” She wiggled slightly, always thrilled to talk about her favorite shows.

[ooc: sorry this took so long D: I loove yoou]

[Henry Ballo]

((I am SOO sorry for the wait, love.>>))

Henry’s momentarily blank expression turned into a grin as she said she loved chocolate. Good! So he hadn’t messed up things too badly (and he always thought he did badly. If you had his history of human interaction, you probably would too). So best to leave that topic alone, before he made it worse. But he noticed the awkward way she stared down, and wondered if perhaps he hadn’t gotten it wrong after all…

…as a result, he was not surprised when she brought up something that seemed to be making her uncomfortable. His lips turned down into a frown as she spoke, and he reviewed what he’d said, trying to figure out what had made her think that way. He knew he could be abrupt and he definitely knew he was rude, but he’d been really trying…

“Estelle,” he said after a moment, voice surprisingly gentle, “this is me. If I had other things I wanted to do, I would have said so.” Was that the wrong thing to say? Damn it, why did he have to be so awkward… Especially in English. He just didn’t know how to express how he felt in this language. “I want to be here. I thought it sounded…” He shrugged. “Fun? But if you would like me to go…”

Two awkward teenagers in a room together. This is going to go well.

He tensed again when she leaned against him and…and…snuggled him. But it wasn’t bad. He looked surprised, but…he was smiling down at her when she moved away.

“I think it does too,” he admitted. Showing that yes, he does have a heart. He just can’t talk about it.

He’d made her laugh! It was stupid to want to strut about because of that. Very stupid. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t want to anyways. “Thank you. I like imitations. But I think this is best—I will probably have a lot of questions.” He smiled down at her “Well, we have snacks, and we are sitting comfortably. Shall we start one of these shows?”

And maybe, if he got the nerve—no. Not yet. Cowardly? Yes. Yes he was. 

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle glanced up at him with slightly nervous eyes when Henry began speaking, worrying a chocolate wrapper between her fingers. However, then he reassured her, her mouth curved into a sheepish smile, “I know, I know. I just like to fret.” She laughed slightly, blushing a little, “I’m glad you want to.” She blinked confusedly, “Oh! No, of course I want you here! I didn’t want to invite anyone else.” She blushed a little deeper, realizing that had probably been more than Henry was expecting, so she glanced down at her fingers and bit into a mini chocolate bar, shutting herself up.

Yeah, this was going great.

Estelle was glad Henry didn’t take offense to the slight personal space breach, because she rather liked leaning up against him. Henry was sturdy and tall and comfortable, although she would never tell him that because it really made him sound like an armchair. And she liked his smile. She wished he would smile more.

“Yes!” She exclaimed, leaning over to press play on the computer and start the show from where she paused it before the show began, “And be sure to speak up at any time to ask me questions.” She wiggled in her seat, grinning like a gleeful child.

] “Deep Space Station K-7 now within sensor range, Captain,” Mr. Spock intoned over the iconic music streaming through Estelle’s computer speakers.

“Good.” Captain Kirk said approvingly, “Mr. Chekov, this flight is supposed to provide both experience and knowledge. How close will we come to the Klingon outpost if we continue on course?”

“One parsec, sir” A brown haired young man replied with an impish grin, “Close enough to smell them.”

“That is illogical,” Mr. Spock spoke up, “Odors cannot travel through the vacuum of space.”

“…I was making a little joke sir.”

“Extremely little, Ensign.”

Estelle laughed gleefully, “I love them.” She rested her chin on her hand and smiled contentedly, leaning against Henry slightly without realizing it.

[Henry Ballo]

If Estelle thought she was blushing, it was nothing compared to the fire that Henry was sure had just scorched his face. She hadn’t wanted to invite anyone else. She really meant that. She wanted him here. Not a lot of people had felt that way before. It made him want to laugh and catch her hand and hug her and…and…

Get a grip on yourself, he told himself firmly. What are you, five?

The problem was that he probably was. At least when it came to girls. So it was for the best when Estelle didn’t say that she liked his smile, because it probably would have sent the boy into shock.

He smiled again as she wiggled in her seat and nodded. “I will do so,” he said, and turned his attention to the screen. The boy’s accent sounded…Russian? Surprising, for the time period. Then again, he’d heard that was why the series was popular. Of course, when she leaned against him, he realized that he’d completely stopped paying attention to the show, and a lump had formed in his throat. Well….if he was going to try it, he might as well do it now, right? The worst thing she could do was…

…never mind. He shoved down his nerves and, as the ship arrived at the station, slowly eased his arm gently around her shoulders. He didn’t pull her closer to him. Not yet. He just wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to punch him for the liberty, that’s all.

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle idly kicked her feet slightly, a slightly dorky, gleeful face on while watching the episode. So entranced was she that she didn’t notice the internal conflict Henry was clearly grappling with. So she certainly wasn’t expecting the arm about her shoulders. She froze a moment while her brain processed Henry is taking initiative and so I’m not the only one and yes, this is definitely happening. A goofy, slightly shy smile spread wide across her face and she edged ever so slightly closer. She wanted to snuggle into his shoulder but she figured that might overwhelm the balance they’ve struck.

However, she felt that she should say…something. She didn’t know what, but she was brimming with excitement and something a little thrilling and she felt like she had to say something or she would explode.

“I’m glad you’re here and stuff,” Estelle mumbled shyly, giving Henry a slight smile before slowly resting her head on his shoulder. She actually couldn’t really believe this was happening.

…She wasn’t overthinking this, right?

The horrible thought that perhaps Henry was just trying to be friendly and not actually… now she didn’t know what to think, and somehow she figured asking “do you like me” would simultaneously be painfully childish and quite terrifying. So she kept her mouth shut and pretended everything was okay.

[Henry Ballo]

She hadn’t moved away from him. Glee combatted terror and narrowly won. She wasn’t moving away. She hadn’t slapped him, she hadn’t yelled at him, she hadn’t even politely nudged away. He was too terrified to see if she was actually thinking of doing any of those things, which could have been solved by looking down at her or even just asking, “Is this okay?” But he was petrified that she would think about it, realize what kind of man he was (and more importantly wasn’t), and push him out the door without even giving him back his brother’s candy.

So when she spoke, he was surprised enough as to look down at her. And his lips turned into a smile of his own as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He didn’t know that she wasn’t sure what he meant by it. He thought it was blatantly obvious. He, who was so sparing in personal contact…well, how could there be any doubt? But then, he was just happy she seemed to LIKE him being there.

“I am glad I am here too,” he agreed. “To watch Star Trek with you. And experience, ah…” He motioned to the TV. “Tribbles.”

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle couldn’t see, so she didn’t realize that they were both smiling kind of giddily. She also didn’t notice Henry’s relieved face. Both of these things would have keyed her into the notion that they were feeling similar things. Both these things would have also prompted her to actually talk about how she was feeling and would have had positive results. However, she was feeling too giddy herself to really think clearly about these things, so she settled for being cozy where she was and trying to figure out if this was just What Friends Did.

She only had friends who were either girls or Robbie. And Robbie may as well have been a girl himself, for all the cuddling he liked to do. Henry wasn’t a very cuddly person, true, but…what if she asked and then he was awkward about it and didn’t want to hang out with her anymore? That would just be awful. So, lacking that point of reference or anyone to actually talk to about it, Estelle contented herself with watching the show.

Estelle giggled, “Tribbles are awesome. Wait til you get to the end.”

[ooc: wrapped!]