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Henry is having some kind of deja vu, looking at the pompous wedding decorations around him, all the red and gold that seems to be a theme for expensive weddings amongst upper class Englishmen. The cake is standing tall on a table in the corner of the room and he is making sure to stand near the wall furthest away from it, maybe getting just a few flashbacks to what had happened just over a year ago.
But then there is something different. Because this time he isn’t the in the spotlight all by himself, he has someone next to him to ground him.
When they first got invited to the wedding of an Earl with close ties to the Palace and his third wife, Henry was a bit wary about the way Alex would react to it. It was going to be one of their first public appearances at an event in the UK after officially announcing their relationship to the public and after the elections. Henry himself wasn’t particularly keen on going but not even being involved in an international sex scandal could get him out of his royal party duties.
He can see Alex eyeing the cake sceptically and has to suppress a laugh. “Don’t worry, darling,” Henry says, motioning towards the dessert with his glass of champagne in hand. “That one only cost £25.000.”
That actually gets a laugh out of Alex and Henry can see him relax visibly. Henry smiles at his boyfriend and puts down his glass of champagne to pretend to straighten Alex’s tie. It doesn’t need straightening.
“I am so glad you are here with me tonight,” Henry whispers between the two of them.
Alex puts hands over Henry’s and squeezes. It is still such a fresh feeling, being able to do this in public without being scared, and Henry is loving every moment of it. “If I ever say to ‘no’ to the opportunity of seeing you in a tux, then please take me to the doctor because I must have a fever or something.”
Now it is Henry’s turn to laugh. “Noted.”
Even though Henry would love nothing more than to spend the entire evening this way, secluded in a corner with the man he loves, the whole point of him coming tonight was to mingle and to interact. And so, he takes Alex’s hand and decides to introduce him to every single person at that party, because hell, now that he can say the words ‘This is Alex Claremont-Diaz, my boyfriend’ he wants to repeat them over and over again.
They spend the evening like that, walking around and greeting guests while indulging in a lot of the finger food they get offered. That’s probably Alex’s favourite part of the whole evening if Henry judges by the way his face lights up when he tries one of the cheese pasties.
“Careful, Alex, next thing you know you will actually be complimenting the food this country has to offer.” Alex smirks at that, looking him up in down and Henry stops him before he can say whatever is on his mind. “God, not here. Let’s keep our clothes on for just two more hours,” he says, going red around the top of ears.
They are just on their third glass of champagne of the night each when Henry hears a voice behind him. “Your Royal Highness,” said with just a slight accent.
He spins around and startles when he sees the man in front of him. He probably should have checked the guest list, because then he could have prepared himself to see one of his old one night stands standing right in front of him. It is not that Henry still feels attracted to Ernstjan of Orange, last in line for the Dutch crown, but he wishes he knew what the protocol is for being around royals that you have seen naked was. Oh, the things two closeted royals would do just to blow off some steam. It was years ago and it is not like Henry ever thinks about it, so he just feels awkward about it now.
“Oh, hello,” Henry forces his brain into working and he reaches out a hand for Ernstjan to shake. He is wearing a tux just like one would expect and his brown hair is longer than it was last time Henry saw him. “Good to see you,” he then turns to Alex, motioning towards him. “This is-“
Ernstjan interrupts him. “Your boyfriend. I have heard,” he says, but not in a mean or condescending way. He reaches out a hand and Alex shakes it and that is when Henry looks at Alex’s expression and he can tell Alex knows something. Of course he does.
“I am Ernstjan of Orange, though I do not bother with titles. Nice to meet you, Alex,”
“Same,” Alex says in a rather wary way. He puts his hand on the small of Henry’s back protectively.
Then Ernstjan looks over their shoulders as if he noticed someone else and gives them an apologetic smile. “I am so sorry. If I don’t talk to the Duke of Leeds my mom will murder me. But I am genuinely happy for the two of you.” And then he is off and Henry and Alex are alone again.
They stand in silence for a few moments, looking out at the crowd. Henry can feel that Alex wants to say something but he doesn’t know how to say it so he gives him time to speak up. It is not like he is going to hide anything from his boyfriend.
Finally, after a long moment, Alex speaks up. “So…he seemed nice,” he says, matter-of-factly. He still isn’t looking directly at Henry.
“He is. Not like we talk a lot. I haven’t seen him in years,” Henry admits, turning fully towards Alex to show him he has his full attention for this conversation.
Alex takes a gulp of his champagne before turning towards Henry as well. “And what happened all those years ago?”
Henry shrugs nonchalantly. Now that he had time to let the surprise sink in, he doesn’t feel as awkward about it anymore. “We had a fling. A one time thing and then we didn’t see each other for years. I am pretty sure Ernstjan is out now too.” He vaguely remembers reading something about him on the news about an year ago and feeling jealous. The Dutch royal family has a less prominent role in international relations and so no one blinked an eye when one of them came out as gay. Henry remembers wishing he had been born in the Netherlands.
Alex nods, clearly not surprised by this information. “Why are you so tense around him?” he asks, voice levelled.
Henry needs to think about that for a moment because Alex has a point there. Just because you slept with someone things don’t necessarily need to be so awkward. However… “I am not sure, but I guess it is the fact that we were never friends before hooking up. He was only that one experience and because of that it is weird to talk to him after that, especially since that one experience was tense because neither of us wanted to be found out. You and Nora can still be best friends after having been together because you were friends before and you have good memories together. I wish I could say the same.”
The words seem to finally do the trick and Henry can visibly see the tension leaving Alex’s body. Henry smiles at his boyfriend gently and takes Alex’s hand in his, which makes the other smile.
“What’s the matter, love?” Henry asks, feeling like there is something else there.
At first, Alex hesitates but then he just shakes his head. “Because you were so awkward around him, I thought he had hurt you. Like he obviously seems nice enough and all, but I couldn’t tell if he was making you uncomfortable,” he says, looking up at Henry with a sincere look in his eyes. “I was ready to take that son of a bitch down, baby.”
That forces an involuntary laugh out of Henry’s mouth that sounds more like a snort, and he tries his best to hide it because that is most definitely against royal etiquette. The way Alex says some things sometimes just fill up his heart with joy for several reasons and this is one of those things. Alex’s protectiveness is making him feel giddy and Alex’s total lack of filter is reminding him of the million jokes he’s made that have contributed to Henry falling even deeper in love with him.
“You are terrible,” Henry speaks finally, once he manages to gather his senses.
“Hey, I am not past causing another international incident.”
“You are insane.”
“You love it,” Alex replies with a smirk.
“I do,” Henry replies, leaning in for a kiss. This is something he is thrilled they can do in public as well. Kissing Alex. He could kiss Alex for the rest of eternity and that would be enough to keep him alive.
One thing that Henry has learned about Alex in the year they have been seeing each other is the tell-tale signs of when Alex is nervous or lying. One of them is him running his hand through his hair or having the urge to do so constantly. Another one is avoiding eye contact as much as possible. And the last one is that he is very aware of his own tell-tale signs that give him away and he tries to keep them under control. So, unless you really know him, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between nervous Alex and normal Alex.
But Henry knows him.
He can tell Alex is not anxious or anything per se, but he can also tell that his boyfriend’s mind is somewhere else throughout the rest of the night. He still smiles and chats with everyone at the party and he takes any opportunity to hold Henry’s hand or to wrap a hand around his waist. He seems, for all means and purposes, to have a good time.
But Henry can tell that his smile sometimes doesn’t reach his eyes and he can tell the way Alex is sometimes nervously scanning the ballroom, looking for God knows what.
And Henry absolutely hates seeing him like that.
So, as soon as the party if over, they get into the car that will take them back to Kensington and Henry lets Alex rest his head on his shoulder. Alex has this habit of showing Henry what he needs, and it feels like right now, what he needs is to have that physical touch between the two of them, to sit in silence and enjoy each other’s warmth. So that is what they do.
Once they get to Kensington, they bid the driver goodbye and head up to Henry’s quarters silently as to not wake up any of the staff. A soon as the door closes behind then, Alex’s hands are on Henry, and he is kissing him like his life depends on it. Henry kisses him back hungrily, getting lost in the feeling of Alex’s soft lips against his own, in the way he can taste the expensive champagne on Alex’s tongue as he slides it in his mouth. Alex’s hands sneak underneath Henry’s blazer and Henry lets him take it off and throw it on the floor. Henry’s hands are on Alex’s face, on his neck, on his waist, trying to touch him everywhere all at once.
But then an alarm bell goes off in Henry’s head, telling him that they need to talk about something before they both take this too far and forget how to think. “Wait,” he says softly, reluctantly pulling away from the kiss.
Alex immediately stops, his hands still on Henry’s hips but his face now inches away, focused on Henry’s face. He is looking at him with those big brown eyes as if he made a mistake and Henry has to use all his strength to not kiss him again right then. “Are you okay, baby?” Alex asks breathlessly.
Henry looks at Alex and nods. “Yeah, I am but… are you okay?” he asks, searching Alex’s face.
Something flashes in Alex’s eyes and then it is gone again and Alex is smiling, trying to dismiss whatever crossed his mind. “Yeah, don’t worry about it,” he says, still smiling and running his hands up and down Henry’s sides. That isn’t helping him focus.
“Alex,” Henry says sternly, now stepping out of Alex’s embrace, feeling like this is not a conversation they should have as a fleeting thing between kisses. He takes Alex’s hand and walks towards the bed, sitting down with him. “I know you. You have been off ever since the thing with Ernstjan tonight. I know that you told me about one thing that bothered you, but I feel like there is something else.”
Alex chews nervously at his bottom lip and then groans as he throws his head back in frustration. Henry notices the top few buttons of his shirt are undone and the chain around his neck with the key to Alex’s house in Austin and Henry’s signet ring is peaking through. Henry doesn’t remember undoing the buttons on Alex’s shirt. God, the things he does instinctively as soon as Alex is in his vicinity would be embarrassing if Alex wasn’t his boyfriend who is right in the same boat.
“Fuck, why do you have to know me so well? I don’t know, it is just so stupid,” Alex exclaims, letting out a bitter laugh.
“Hey,” Henry says, putting a hand on Alex’s cheek. Alex melts into the touch. “We’ve talked about this, darling. If it affects you emotionally, then it isn’t at all stupid and you shouldn’t just ignore it, alright?”
Alex takes a deep breath. “I just...I still think ‘why me?’ There are probably so many other guys you have been with who are better suited for a prince than me, who speak more eloquently and who know what a fucking viscount is,” he mutters, fidgeting with the chain around his neck which is now showing.
Henry stops for a moment, just coming to the realisation that Alex feels this way. It is not like he still falls for Alex’s pretend of being nonchalant about everything. He knows his boyfriend worries almost just as much as himself, it’s just...he thought it was obvious to everyone that loving Alex comes as naturally to him as breathing.
He can feel Alex tense up next to him because of the silence and he takes his hand, giving it a light squeeze. “My love, there will always be something more adequate for Prince Henry, something less unseemly, something my grandmother would pester me less about... But there will never, ever be anyone better for Henry Fox Mountchristen-Windsor than you. You are my heart, Alex.”
That seems to leave Alex speechless for a moment. So Henry takes the chance to go on because he feels like there is so much more that needs to be said about tonight. “Listen, I know tonight didn’t go the way we expected it too and I am sorry if meeting one of the guys I have been with before made you feel uncomfortable. I just want you to know that all those past people are just that: my past. But you, Alex, Claremont-Diaz, you are my present and my future and you are the one I will always choose. With all due respect to my past sexual partners, the memories that all those stories carry with them are memories of shame and of hiding. But with you, I have never once felt ashamed. I have felt scared my own feelings for you and of how strong they are, but I was never ashamed to love you or to want you. And that is what I choose. I choose you because you are that person for me.”
Alex is looking at Henry as if he is the most perfect thing he has ever seen in his life and Henry feels like that gaze alone is going to make him faint because of how intense it is. Then Alex’s arms are wrapped around his shoulders and his face is buried in the crook of Henry’s neck. “How do you always know what to say? Oh my god, I love you so fucking much.”
Henry smiles, running his hands up and down Alex’s back. “I love you too.” He pauses and smirks. “Also, the fourth rank in the system of noblemen.”
At that, Alex pulls back, looking at Henry with a blank face. “What?”
“A viscount. It is the fourth rank of British noblemen. Ranked above barons and below earls. Just in case you wanted to know,” Henry says with a teasing smile.
His boyfriend takes a moment to react and then he picks up a pillow from the bed to hit Henry’s shoulder with it. “You are the absolute worst. Why did you have to ruin the moment? I am so disappointed they have nothing to do with vampires,” he says, frowning.
“If you want vampires, Romanian viscounts is where it is at.”
A pause. “…there are no viscounts in Romania, are there?” Alex asks, raising an eyebrow. When Henry starts giggling, that seems to be enough of an answer to him. The next moment he is tackling Henry and pinning him down on the bed with nowhere to go.
Henry believes this has worked out fairly well for him.
“You are so infuriating,” Alex says, his face hovering just inches over Henry’s. Henry can see the way his eyelashes flutter like butterfly wings when he blinks this up close. It is very distracting.
“I thought that is what made you fall for me,” he says teasingly.
Alex smiles as he starts kissing down Henry’s neck. “Amongst other things.”
Then Henry flips them over in one quick motion and Alex lets out a surprised gasp, but he lets Henry move him onto him back on the bed. Henry is now straddling him and all he knows is that after what they just talked about, his main mission is to make Alex feel special and loved. He starts undoing the rest of the buttons on Alex’s shirt.
“You are mine and I am yours, Alex,” he whispers as he places a kiss just under Alex’s jaw. “You are the only one I want to do this to,” he whispers, moving down to his neck and placing soft kisses there. “And this,” he adds as he moves on to Alex’s chest, kissing him right where his heart is. “And this,” he says, leaving a trail of kisses down to his abdomen.
He spends the night showing Alex all the things he wants to do with him and all the ways in which they are each other’s and no one else’s.
The next morning they are supposed to go right back to the airport and to fly to the US. They luckily still have a couple of days in their respective schedules to do what they want and Henry insisted that they go to visit Alex’s family. Maybe it is something about how Henry wants to make a really good impression because it matters to him that Alex’s family likes him. Or maybe deep down he knows that Alex’s family likes him more than his own family (except Bea and his dad) ever did. Sure his mom and Philip are slowly getting better, but it will take a long time for Henry to feel like his family is truly back together again.
So he is surprised when he wakes, tangled in the golden duvet, and he reaches out to put his arm around Alex just to find his side of the bed empty.
He blinks open one eye and realises that indeed, Alex is nowhere to be seen. His duffel bag he had travelled with for the day is still on the armchair, meaning he didn’t just leave and go back home, which is a relief, but Henry wonders where else he could possibly be at this hour.
He gets up, has a quick shower and gets dressed in a comfortable jumper and jeans, deeming that that is good enough considering he will be spending the next hours on a plane hopefully making up for the fact that he barely got any sleep last night. Not that he is complaining.
After quickly checking his appearance and brushing his teeth, he heads down to the kitchens to check for Alex there. It wouldn’t be the first time Alex had surprised him with making breakfast, though it would be the first time in the Kensington kitchen, where he would have to shoo away the personal chefs whose literal job is cooking breakfast. Henry wouldn’t put that past him though, Alex can be very persuasive.
Once he gets there, he is met with a hug, not by Alex, but by his sister, Beatrice. “Oh,” he says, smiling when he sees her. “I thought you were at a charity event in Scotland.” He wraps his arms around Bea and holds her close.
“I was. I travelled back overnight because I didn’t want to miss Alex before you two go back to America,” Bea says, letting go of him and going back to nurturing her coffee. “Speaking of Alex, is he still asleep?”
That reminds Henry of the actual reason why he came downstairs, and he shakes his head. “No, I was hoping you had seen him. I woke up and he wasn’t there.”
He can feel a little bit of anxiety building inside his gut at not knowing where Alex is. He hates that feeling and he hates the way his brain is working overtime trying to make him overthink everything that had happened the night before. What if Alex doesn’t want to be with him anymore now because of how many guys Henry has hooked up with in the past? The logical part of his brain is telling him that Alex isn’t that kind of person but there is a small voice at the back of his mind telling him otherwise.
“Hen, are you alright?” Bea asks, looking worried and breaking Henry out of his trance.
He looks up anxiously. “You don’t think he left, do you?” he asks, voice slightly shaky.
Behind him, he hears footsteps approaching and then a voice saying. “You don’t think you can get rid of me that easily, do you?” And Henry would recognize that voice in a million, so he spins on his heel and is faced with Alex wearing a hoodie and jeans and holding a carrier bag. Henry barely registers it before he takes big strides towards him and engulfs him in a warm hug, holding him close.
Alex holds him back and kisses his cheek. “Sorry, I didn’t expect to be gone for so long,” Alex says softly.
Then someone coughs behind them. “Oh, it’s not like you two had all the time to do this and I drove all the way back here overnight to see Alex. I am just chopped liver then, am I?”
Henry has the decency to blush and Alex lets go off him with a laugh in order to walk over and hug Bea as well. Henry looks over at them and he cannot even begin to describe the feeling that blooms in his chest when he sees two of his favourite people in the world so happy to see each other. He doesn’t know what his life would be like right now if either of them was missing from it.
Alex and Bea chat for a little bit and Henry is happy to just stand back and watch them and then Alex seems to look at the clock. “Oh, shit. I should get ready, shouldn’t I?” he asks Henry with wide eyes. Henry responds that he should indeed since their flight is scheduled in a couple of hours. They are flying business class on a public flight this time, so it is not like Henry can do anything to bend the schedule. He doesn’t mind it. He welcomes every bit of normality in his life.
“Okay, Bea, amazing to talk to you as always,” Alex says, giving Bea a kiss on the cheek and then turning towards Henry. “Sorry for not leaving a note this morning, babe, I really didn’t think I would need this long. I will be right back,” he says, kissing Henry softly on the lips before leaving the kitchen.
“Where even were-“ Henry starts asking but Alex is already gone from his sight before he can finish the question.
He can’t wait for the day when they won’t have to do all this back-and-forth rushing, when they will both be able to officially move to New York and live together and not have to worry about flights and schedules as much. Of course, they will still have their duties to take care of that are not in New York, but at the end of the day, Henry will get to come back to Alex and Alex will get to come back to him and they will be able to call that home.
Yes, maybe Henry is doing everything in his power to speed up the whole process and to organise everything. Call him eager.
Bea bids him goodbye after a while too, explaining that she is going to bed to get back some of the sleep she missed last night. Henry also thinks about how much he is going to miss her once he moves and he worries about her. He knows she worries about him too, it is just how they’ve always been. Bit he knows deep down in his heart that everything will be okay.
Henry is just finishing his cup of tea when Alex comes back down the stairs. He smiles fondly at the fact that he can tell it is Alex coming down the stairs due to the sound and rhythm of his footsteps.
When his boyfriend walks into the kitchen, Henry almost chokes on his tea.
Alex is wearing a dark blue hoodie that has a picture of Alex and Henry printed on it. It is the picture of the two of them smiling at each other that as taken for the official courting photoshoot. Henry knows that souvenir shops all around London have been selling them ever since the photoshoot, but he has never seen one of them up close.
“What in God’s name are you doing wearing that?” he exclaims, stepping closer to take a look at the piece of clothing. It looks, surprisingly, like good quality.
Alex just smiles like a fool and shrugs. “Okay, so maybe I did get a little bit jealous last night and I just wanted to make sure that anyone who may see us on the street or at that airport or in that plane will know just how much I love you. So, I thought, what other way to show it than by getting merch with our faces on it?”
Henry stares at the man in front of him, at the proud smile and the little pirouette he does to show off his new acquisition to Henry. He really looks at Alex and he quickly notices how easily he can picture forever with him. He can imagine holding Alex forever, hearing his laugh forever, listening to his stupid jokes forever, seeing him surprise him like this forever and ever and ever.
Henry wants to marry this man one day. Learning that right now feels as natural as learning that the sky is blue. Henry knows that one day, telling people ‘This is Alex Claremont-Diaz, my boyfriend,’ won’t be enough anymore and he will want to introduce him as his husband instead.
“You are such an idiot. I love you so much,” is all he says for now as he puts his mug down and puts his hands on Alex’s face, going in for a kiss.
“I am your idiot. I love you too,” Alex responds, holding Henry like he is the most precious thing in the world and kissing him as if he can understand everything going on in Henry’s head without him having to say it.
This is forever.