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“You’re stupidly pretty.”
Henry laughs quietly, running his hands along Alex’s spine. “And you’re very, very drunk, love.”
The way Alex firmly shakes his head is so enthusiastic Henry has to fight the urge to laugh again. “Am not,” he insists stubbornly, and it would have been somewhat believable if he wasn’t slurring his words so much.
There’s music and loud voices all around them – not that they’re paying much attention. They’re in a quiet, more discreet corner of their favorite bar, Henry with his back against the wall and Alex pressed close in front of him. He’d had his last exam and had wanted to celebrate with a night out, so here they are. They’d gone out for dinner beforehand, and later entering the bar, Alex pulling him to the dance floor and giggling at Henry’s hesitancy before grabbing his hips and moving to the rhythm of the music.
Henry stays mostly sober tonight and is thoroughly enjoying Alex’s drunken state as he poked Henry’s cheek for what feels like the millionth time.
One of Alex’s hands is currently resting loosely on Henry’s neck – which he suspects is more for balance than anything else – and the other pokes his cheek again with soft fingertips.
“You’re just, really pretty,” he murmurs in awe. It looks like he’s talking more to himself than to Henry, but it’s hard to tell. “No one should be allowed to be that pretty.”
“I think you’re rather handsome as well, darling,” Henry says with a smile, pushing one of Alex’s curls away from his eyes. His other arm has been holding Alex’s waist for over fifteen minutes now, just in case he can’t hold himself upright.
Alex, unsurprisingly, blushes. It’s adorable. “Now you’re just trying to seduce me,” he says while looking up at Henry through thick eyelashes, and Henry can’t stop the inelegant snort that leaves his lips.
“Well,” he says quietly, tucking another curl behind Alex’s ear, “is it working?”
Alex swallows. “Maybe. You can’t prove it.”
The way Alex’s gaze immediately flickers down to stare at Henry’s lips is proof enough. It makes Henry’s smirk soften.
Then Alex looks up at him with big brown eyes that slip shut as Henry leans in. Their lips meet in an easy kiss, merely a brush of lips and soft exhales, and Henry smiles into it. He can’t help it; he’s so horribly in love it makes his heart ache, and it’s in moments like these that he can’t believe his fucking luck.
He’s almost certain Alex is standing on his tiptoes right now. It makes his smile widen.
All of a sudden, Alex is abruptly pulling away from him. He almost loses his footing, but Henry steadies him and keeps him upright, pulling him close by the waist. “Hey. Alright, love?”
“You—” Alex sputters, eyes wide and staring into Henry’s. “You kissed me.”
Henry suppresses a grin. “That I did.”
“You can’t do that!”
Henry frowns. “Why not?”
“Because,” Alex says firmly as if it explains everything. “I have a boyfriend. Who I love very much, by the way.”
He pauses as his gaze travels from Henry’s face to his own hand on the side of Henry's neck. He holds it up between them, the ring on his finger shining under the dimmed lights of the bar. “And we’re engaged!” he cries out again, looking at Henry with horrified eyes. “I can’t believe— I just cheated on my fiancé! Look, you’re really hot, really, but I love my fiancé. I’m sure of that. Oh my god, I feel awful.”
Henry only half feels terrible for not putting a stop to this instantly. It’s just that Alex looks adorable, rambling to himself about what has gotten into him and staring at the ring on his finger with a kind of fascination in his eyes.
Henry supposes he should be expecting this when Alex decided not to wear his glasses or contacts tonight – plus, through the haze of top shelf whiskey in his brain, he probably doesn’t even recognize Henry.
For all his conflict, Alex doesn’t try to put some distance between them at all.
“Alex,” Henry calls out softly when he feels like his chest might explode from – happiness? Giddiness? Being helplessly, irretrievably in love? He’s not quite sure.
Alex’s mumbling immediately comes to a halt. “Yeah?”
“I’m gonna tell you something.”
“Okay,” Alex agrees without an ounce of hesitation.
Henry lets a soft smile creep up on his face, stretch his mouth until he’s sure his muscles will be sore. His hand reaches up to drag his fingertips and the back of his knuckles against Alex’s cheek, his heart melting in his chest when Alex leans into his touch.
Then Henry leans a little close, until their noses almost touch. He thinks Alex might be holding his breath. “I’m your fiancé, love,” he whispers conspiratorially, like it’s a secret just for them. “I picked that ring for you.”
Alex gasps at the words and pulls back to look him in the eye. “You’re joking.”
“I can assure you I’m not.”
“You— You’re not?”
“Nope.”
“You’re my fiancé? You’re gonna marry me?”
“Yep.”
“Really? You?”
If Henry wasn’t already familiar with his fiancé’s incredulous tone, he’d consider being a little offended. “I bloody well hope so,” he says softly. “After all, you said yes. To me.”
“Fuck yeah, I did,” Alex agrees with a lopsided grin, poking Henry’s cheek one more time. “I think you’re underestimating just how pretty you really are, sweetheart." He pauses again, searching Henry’s face. “Wow. I must be really fucking lucky if I’m marrying you.”
Henry smiles and leans in to press a kiss on Alex’s forehead. “Not any luckier than I am. Shall we go home now? You can barely stand on your feet.”
“We live together too?” Alex asks in disbelief, ignoring the last part and gaping at Henry when he laughs and nods. “Fuck off. Am I dreaming?”
“Not quite, love,” Henry admits. “Just a little drunk.”
This time, Alex doesn’t bother denying it. He nods slowly, a dazed look in his eyes. “That sounds right,” he says with a drawl, though if it’s because he’s getting sleepy or the drinks, Henry doesn’t know. “Okay, let’s go home, baby.”
Henry kisses the curls at the top of his head and searches the room for Cash, who’s standing just a few feet away. He nods slightly; Cash nods back professionally and they make their way out of the bar a couple minutes later, entering the SUV waiting for them outside.
“Hey Cash,” Alex says when they’re in the backseat of the car, leaning forward to the passenger seat as much as he can without losing his balance. “Did you know Henry and I are getting married? He proposed.”
“I know,” the agent says, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “You quite literally couldn’t shut up about it for weeks.”
“Damn right I didn’t,” Alex says firmly as he snuggles against Henry’s side again, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Henry has an arm around his waist and uses it to pull him closer, drawing small circles on his hip bones with deft fingers.
“Baby?” Alex asks a few minutes later, sounding half asleep already.
Henry hums softly. “Yes?”
“Did we promise forever to each other?”
Henry’s heart melts inside his ribcage. He turns his head to press a lingering kiss on Alex’s curls. “We did, darling.”
“Good, good,” Alex slurs, voice heavy with sleep and he melts further into Henry. “That's good, baby.”
He falls asleep on Henry’s shoulder before they’ve reached the brownstone. Henry kisses his forehead again; he doesn’t have the heart to wake him up.