Chapter Text
“Please don’t tell me you still hate New Year’s.” Alex had said when Henry had come over to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Claremont-Diaz bunch (this time the turkey didn’t end up in Alex’ room but in an empty office).
"Why do you ask?" Henry had wanted to know, a little confused.
“It’s our anniversary and I want to be with you that evening. But I can’t skip the annual New Year’s party and so I want you to be there.”, Alex had said, looking at Henry pleadingly. He had quickly learned that Henry could hardly resist him when he did that.
“I will be.”, Henry had assured him. “But I have two conditions.”
“Okay, what are they?”, Alex had asked cautiously.
“First, we are not going to spend all night partying. I want some time for the two of us together.”, Henry had begun to list his demands.
“Oh, I want that too. Definitely.”, Alex assured him. “So no problem there. What else?”
Henry had stepped closer to Alex and grabbed him by the collar: “Nobody gets to kiss you at midnight except me. Is that clear?”
A broad grin had spread across Alex’ face: “I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
They had sealed their deal with a kiss of course.
And now, about a month later, they were standing in Alex’ bedroom at the White House, preparing for the festivities. Henry usually travelled as lightly as possible when he visited Alex in the US, but this time he had brought several outfits. He was tired of always wearing a stiff and formal suit, even when he went to a party, so he wanted to try something different this time. He had gone shopping with Percy and asked Bea's advice, but he was also interested in Nora's and Alex's opinions. Yesterday he had shown them his selection and together they had decided on an outfit. It had been important for Henry not to overdo it, he still wanted to appear serious enough. The final choice was a pair of dark blue jeans, a light blue T-Shirt (which he had nicked from Alex’ wardrobe, fortunately they were able to swap clothes as they had nearly the same size) and a midnight blue jacket embroidered with various star constellations in silver and white.
"It’s not too much, is it?" he asked as he studied his reflection in the mirror of Alex's walk-in wardrobe. It was going to be the most spectacular outfit he had ever worn in public.
Alex, who was busy tying his shoes, looked up.
"You look adorable, hot and very sexy." he praised his boyfriend. "Trust me, you will turn heads.”
Henry was a bit sceptical. Alex was his boyfriend, so he should say something nice, shouldn't he?
Alex sighed, stood up and walked over to Henry. "Baby, you always look good," he assured him. "I even liked the outfit you wore last year. But I have to admit, this one is a little more... exciting. I'm glad you're daring to step out of your comfort zone. But you don't have to. You can still put on a suit and no one – including me – will say anything. I, for one, would love to see you in that outfit. But it is your choice."
He adjusted the lapels of the jacket before pulling Henry into a hug.
"Okay, I'm persuaded." Henry said. "As long as we don't have to appear in partner look."
"Oh, please no!" Alex looked a little horrified. "I can do without that."
"Relax," Henry grinned. "We will remain individuals when it comes to clothes. I like your choice very much, by the way."
He ran his eyes up and down Alex' frame in approval. His boyfriend had opted for a black suit combined with a deep red open-collared satin button-down. Henry really liked it when Alex wore red, it looked very good on him.
"Thank you." Alex replied, turning to the mirror. "I was hoping you would like it."
"I should have brought my polo mallet," Henry mused. "I'll probably be fighting people off left, right and centre all evening so that they don’t get too close to you.”
"Nah, you won't." Alex shrugged and put an arm around Henry's shoulders. "I'll only have eyes for you, I promise."
They kissed but were immediately interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Are you decent?" they heard Nora call out, as well as Percy's chuckle.
“Would they care if we said ‘no’?”, Alex murmured, then he called out loud: “Yes, come in!”
Nora and Percy entered. They seemed to have opted for the partner look. Nora was wearing a sparkling silver mini dress with batwing sleeves and matching high heels. Her curly hair was covered in glitter. Percy's suit, paired with a black satin button-down, was also shimmering in silver and he had silver streaks in his hair.
After complimenting each other on their outfits and having their first drink of the evening, it was time to go to the party. Alex had abstained from party planning after Nora had bluntly told him that he was of no use for her and that she could work better with Percy. Alex was only too happy to leave the field to him. The only disadvantage was that he and Henry had little idea what to expect. Bea had also been involved in some of the planning. She had been invited, of course, but had decided at the last minute to spend New Year's with 'an old friend'. Alex had been amazed that Henry had been in full 'brotherly protective mode' when he had told him via FaceTime. His boyfriend had still not been able to work out who this mysterious 'old friend' was, and it bothered him. Alex was glad he hadn't stormed off to England yet and had made a mental note not to mention Bea too often tonight.
As in previous years, a huge tent had been erected on the White House lawn. As hosts (and guests of honour) they were the first to arrive. At first glance it did not look much different from last year, with a bar, a DJ, lots of lights and a large dance floor.
"And that's what they were making all the fuss about?" Alex whispered to Henry.
"Darling, you know Nora and Percy!" replied Henry in a hushed voice. "Best be prepared for anything!"
Alex knew that his boyfriend was not wrong, especially since Nora and Percy wouldn’t stop whispering and giggling. He just hoped that it wouldn’t become too embarrassing. Nora and Percy were real forces of nature, and they didn’t exactly calm each other down, quite the opposite. Who knew what they would be up to tonight!
The guests arrived, the music started, but the bar would not be opened until after a welcome speech. But Alex and Nora had to go around greeting people and making small talk. They did this with their respective partners by their side. Henry noticed early on that Alex didn't let go of his hand for too long and put his arm around Henry's shoulders more than once. But he enjoyed it immensely. Alex also introduced him as his boyfriend to everyone they met, although the majority of people knew exactly who he was.
Then it was time to start the party. Nora and Alex had prepared a little speech and climbed onto a podium to deliver it. Henry wanted to let go of Alex' hand so that his boyfriend could do his duty, but Alex wasn't having any of it and just dragged Henry along. He even went so far as to declare the party open on behalf of Nora, himself, Henry and Percy. Henry didn't know whether to roll his eyes or kiss his boyfriend, so he decided to do both.
Henry was still not a big fan of dancing in public, especially outside a ballroom where there were no rules. But for Alex' sake, he joined in when his boyfriend practically stormed the dance floor. But the young prince had to admit that dancing was fun if you concentrated on the person you were dancing with (who happened to be the love of your life) and forgot about all the other people. Unlike last year, Nora and Percy had made sure that there were some slow and romantic tunes, so Henry soon found himself swaying in Alex' arms.
"V & A," Alex said at one point and Henry just nodded. He had had the same thought just a few moments ago. But being close to Alex was always great, no matter where they were. But he really hoped to have his love all to himself before the evening was over.
They danced for quite a while, then landed on the exact same couch as last year (at least one that looked and felt the same) and Alex offered to get them some drinks. Henry didn't even bother to tell him what he wanted, after a year together Alex was familiar with Henry's favourite drinks. After a quick kiss, Alex went over to the bar. But Henry wasn't alone for long. Suddenly a girl with dark hair and a crimson minidress that revealed more than it hid sat down next to him. She looked vaguely familiar, but Henry wasn't sure where to put her.
"Hi," she said. "We have met."
Hearing her voice, Henry suddenly knew who she was. This was Tina ... no, Sara ... no, Rita! The girl who had literally stolen Alex from him last year and kissed him at midnight.
"Hi," he replied rather frostily. Before getting together with Alex, jealousy had been a rather foreign concept for Henry, apart from some rivalry with his siblings. But now he couldn't help but feel very possessive when it came to Alex. He tried not to show it too much as he didn't like that trait in himself. Sometimes that was hard as Alex loved to flirt. Henry knew that Alex didn't do it deliberately to hurt him, it was just second nature to him. And since Alex found both men and women attractive, Henry felt he had more competition to deal with. On the other hand, Henry was 100% sure that Alex was as committed to their relationship as he was, and that all the people he flirted with were forgotten as soon as they were out of his sight.
Henry was rather disturbed by Rita's appearance, but he put on his 'professional face', as Alex used to call it, when she turned to him again.
"You know, I was with him too," she told him.
"Is that so?" Henry answered with a voice that expressed the deepest disinterest, even if it looked quite different inside him at the moment.
"Oh yes. And you may think you are special, Prince Henry, but you are not. You may be the first man he's ever been with, but let me tell you, he'll dump you just as fast as he's dumped everyone else," Rita leaned back and smiled.
Before Henry could reply, a martini was placed in front of him and then Alex sat down next to him, a whisky tumbler in his hand and a quite furious expression on his face, directed at Rita. He bent slightly over Henry to face the girl.
"That's where you're wrong, Rita," he informed her. "I'm sorry if I hurt anyone I was with before I met Henry, but I didn't love them. That only came with Henry. There is no way I will dump him. You could see for yourself at the next New Year's party or the one after that. But I guess you won't, because you won't be invited."
Rita opened and closed her mouth a few times. But she obviously couldn't think of a good answer, so she just huffed and stormed off.
Both boys laughed for a moment, then Alex said: “I am …”
“Don’t apologize.” Henry interrupted him. “The past is the past and we are going to concentrate on the future, aren’t we?” He took one of Alex’ hands.
“And the future.” Alex agreed and kissed him, before he added: “I actually wanted to apologise for intervening, as I know well enough that you could have handled this quite nicely yourself".
"I could have," Henry agreed. "But it's nice to know that you have my back."
"Hey, nobody hurts my baby and gets away with it," Alex announced.
"I think she knows that now. And the punishment is severe," Henry mused.
"What, not being invited to the next New Year's party? I'll go through with it, make no mistake," Alex said, and the anger still lacing his voice gave Henry a warm feeling.
"That too, but I was actually talking about the fact that the chances of her ever being with you again are slim. That's what will hurt the most. I know, because that's how I'd feel if I lost you to someone else," Henry admitted, avoiding Alex' gaze.
"Hey," Alex replied softly, lifting Henry's chin to look him in the eyes. "The chances of me getting back together with Rita aren't even remote, they're non-existent. And you're not going to lose me. I just told her that I love you and that's not going to stop. It's you and me, baby. Forever."
Instead of telling Alex that they couldn't really know because they couldn't see the future, Henry raised his glass and said: "To forever!"
"To forever!" echoed Alex and they kissed again.
This time they were interrupted by Nora and Percy.
"Hey, lovebirds!" Nora called before placing a tray of shot glasses, lemon slices, saltshakers and a bottle of tequila in front of them.
"Let's do some shots for old time's sake."
“Yes, because it’s been ages since the four of us last had tequila shots together.”, Alex scoffed but took a glass.
Nora shrugged.
“It was a nice evening in that bar in Texas and I personally like to remember it.”
“It sure was a nice evening.” Alex agreed and let his gaze wander to Henry. He would never forget that it had been the night where he had realised that he loved Henry – and had so for quite some time.
They took a few shots, joked and laughed together. Alex knew he hadn't reached the level of drunkenness he'd had at this time last year, but that didn't matter. He could have gone the whole night without alcohol. Being drunk on love was enough these days.
When the bottle was half empty, Nora announced:
"We're going to do something else that will remind us of that evening."
Both Alex and Henry had a bad feeling, and they couldn't help but groan when Percy confirmed their deepest fears: "We're going to do karaoke!"
"You didn't." Alex protested. "Damn, where is the Secret Service when you really need them?"
Henry crossed his arms.
"You can't force us," he said in a voice that was steadier than he felt at the moment.
Nora grinned.
"Of course I can. But I would rather persuade you."
She poured more tequila.
"Come on, have some liquid courage and remember how much you liked it last time."
In the end, of course, Nora and Percy won. When the karaoke machine was revealed, most of the guests were very excited and many wanted to perform. A list was handed out for people to sign if they wanted to take part, and it was full in no time. But if Alex and Henry were hoping to get out of it, they were wrong. Nora even made them sing first.
It took them a while to decide on a song as they wanted to do a duet. For reasons unknown, they finally decided on "Something's got hold of my heart" by Gene Pitney, which had actually only become a duet when he re-recorded it with Marc Almond in 1988. Alex was quite surprised that he even knew it. In the end, Henry and he had fun as they gave it their all, screaming more than singing, with big gestures and at the top of their lungs. The crowd applauded enthusiastically, and both were on the verge of tears as they left the stage, laughing so hard. The liquid courage had certainly helped.
They watched the other acts and cheered, whistled and clapped along with the crowd. In the end everyone agreed that Percy’s performance of Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana” was the best number of the evening.
Soon after it was time for the countdown. Alex and Henry held hands and had only eyes for each other and when the “one” was called out, they were already in a tight embrace and kissing like there was no tomorrow. But other people wanted to wish them a "Happy New Year" too, and soon they were hugging and shaking hands (but nobody came close enough for a kiss).
As soon as it was possible, they moved away from the crowd. Without telling anyone, they left the tent. They hadn't talked about it, but it was clear where they were going. Hand in hand they walked through the snowy garden.