Work Text:
Alex's pov
Alex is still laughing when he walks into the brownstone he shares with his boyfriend.
He'd been studying in the library with Nora when an older lady started scolding her.
Now normally Alex would defend his best friends if a stranger randomly started yelling at them. But he was too busy choking on his coffee trying to stop himself from snorting black coffee with cinnamon all over his law papers and Nora's statistics.
So here is what happened; Alex made some sarcastic joke that had Nora roll her eyes so hard he genuinely feared she might get a migraine.
She had sighed dramatically and said something among the lines of "Hey asshole, instead of making fun of my plant lady habits maybe you should study. They don't hand law degrees out for free."
The old lady who had been peacefully reading a newspaper next to them looked up in shock.
"Young lady that is no way to talk to your beautiful boyfriend", she'd said.
Alex had cackled and Nora kicked his shin when the lady wasn't looking.
"You're just jealous that she thinks I'm the pretty one in this relationship", Alex had teased.
"What relationship? Last time I checked I was dating the hotter Claremont-Diaz", Nora had hissed back.
Then she'd turned to the old lady and apologized.
Later when the lady left Alex and Nora had discussed banter, boundaries, and teasing in relationships and with other people you're very close with.
They had both agreed that every relationship is different and has different boundaries.
Personally, they both tend to banter with their lover and close friends.
They both believe that respect, boundaries, and intuition are key to being able to have a healthy relationship with a banter/teasing nature.
It's not a secret that Alex and Henry love to banter together.
But it's also not a secret that they care deeply for each other and have nothing but respect for each other.
Even when they were (one-sided) enemies their sarcasm and banter were never meant to hurt the other. Neither of them ever aimed to hurt.
They'd always understood some topics and words were off limits even before they started dating or even became friends their jokes were never truly disrespectful.
For example even before Henry had seen firsthand how hard Alex sometimes struggled with his ADHD he'd never made a rude remark over either his adhd or his masking and coping mechanisms.
The old lady obviously doesn't know Alex and Nora's dynamics but it's kind of the same thing; Nora can say pretty much anything to Alex (just like Henry and June can) and he won't take offense both because he trusts them enough to know they didn't mean anything by whatever rude joke they made and because he trusts them enough to know they would never make a joke that might actually hurt his feelings.
Then there is also the fact that Alex knows he'd only have to say the word and they'd apologize and never make the joke again if he admitted it really hurt his feelings.
So yeah, it was nice of the lady to stand up for him, but not necessary.
He's obviously not dating Nora but he knows that if it had been Henry who made the asshole comment he wouldn't have been hurt either.
The whole thing has left him a little giddy to test his theory on Henry.
Even if it's only to prove a point to himself.
As he walks into the brownstone he makes a mental list of reactions Henry might have to his joke.
1: He's going to match his energy and make a sassy, slightly rude joke and they jump straight into their banter until one of them caves and kisses the other hello (sounds fun)
2: Henry bites back, defends himself, and tells Alex not to call him names out of nowhere (sounds fair and hot).
3: Henry is a little surprised because sure Alex used to call him prince dickhead early on in their relationship, and let's be honest; he never changed the contact name, but he always greets him with something fond and excited like baby or sweetheart. After Henry's initial surprise wears off he goes to either option 1 or 2 or option 4; he rolls his eyes fondly and asks "What's with the attitude?"
When Alex pokes his head into the living room he realizes Henry is cooking dinner for them. They don't have their own chores, they just share tasks, so Henry is not obligated to cook for them and Alex wasn't necessarily expecting it.
But he's grateful for it, obviously.
At first, he decides not to go through with his silly little prank (if you can even call it that).
He greets Henry with an "I'm home, baby." And gets back an "in the kitchen, love."
But when he realizes Henry is in a good mood he decides it won't hurt.
He'd never forgive himself for adding extra stress onto Henry's plate if he were in a shitty mood or struggling with a dark day. But he sounds happy, so Alex assumes his little prank won't do any harm.
He throws his book bag on the couch and excitedly walks towards Henry.
"Hey asshole, what's for dinner?" He yells loudly.
The tone he uses isn't angry or frustrated by any means, but Henry just happens to turn his back toward Alex to open the fridge and thereby misses his shit-eating grin and the fond way his eyes always light up when he sees Henry.
Alex grins patiently waiting for Henry's come back.
He's expecting it to be funny as hell because Henry isn't in a pissy mood.
But if Henry ends up scolding him for the way Alex just talked to him that would be fair too, self-confidence and standing up for yourself are sexy, especially when Alex still remembers the version of Henry who let his brother walk all over him.
Now every time Henry stands up for himself Alex has the urge to wolf whistle.
Alex takes a second to debate what funny thing he would say back if Henry ever asked him "Hey asshole, what is for dinner?"
He'd probably say something like; "You, if you don't get that attitude checked", with a seductive little wink.
Or "grilled, rich white boy apparently", if he was feeling especially confident and sarcastic.
He's expecting Henry to say something funny like that.
The last way he expects Henry to respond is the way he actually responds. Hell, his reaction didn't even make it onto Alex's list.
Henry goes quiet, his face falls, well at least Alex assumes it does, because when he turns around he's no longer smiling and he clears his throat like he's searching for the courage to speak up.
"Uhm, I made a salad with falafel, cottage cheese, rice, fresh fruit, and avocado. I hope that is okay."
Alex stares at Henry in horror.
What the fuck?
Where is the fond eye roll? Or the sassy remark? The attitude? The confidence?
Why is Henry just accepting Alex's comment?
Why isn't he biting at him or joking back?
Why is he acting like how Alex just talked to him is Okay or normal? Like Alex always talks to him like this; spoiler alert, he doesn't, obviously.
Henry is his partner, not his personal assistant and even if he were Alex still wouldn't talk to him like that.
Henry looks up at him awkwardly, his beautiful smile from earlier nowhere to be found.
Well, this sucks.
This joke wasn't funny at all.
Alex feels disgusting.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Alex never talks down on Henry.
Henry wasn't supposed to let him.
He was supposed to either defend himself or banter with Alex.
Not act like he's totally fine with verbal abuse.
Not act like he's Alex's servant and like it's expected, or even worse demanded, from him to have dinner ready when Alex comes home.
Alex sees it as a luxury to get to come home to Henry.
Period.
Dinner made or not.
Coming home to a cooked meal is something he's grateful for not something he expects from Henry.
And even if he did expect it from Henry because they agreed he'd do that task for them (like how they used to agree Alex cooked and Henry did the dishes before Henry learned how to cook) he would never talk to him so degrading.
Alex shakes himself out of the trance he'd been stuck in and rushes over to Henry to hug him.
"Baby, I'm sorry. I was joking", he rushes to explain while hugging Henry and showering him with kisses.
Henry clears his throat. "Oh alright", he says awkwardly.
Alex cups his face gently. "H, if I ever talk to you like that you better smack the shit out of me. I mean it. Even if it's 10 or 20 years from now. I don't care how old I am, you better grab a pan and hit me in the head if I talk to you like that. Jesus... don't just accept it."
Henry smiles softly and relief washes over Alex.
"I'm so-"
Alex glares at him. "If you apologize for getting triggered by a stupid joke that I shouldn't have made I am... Fuck I don't know.. going to fly to London and put blue dye in Philips toothpaste or something."
Henry actually laughs this time.
Alex rests his forehead against Henry's. "You deserve so much better than that, H. Don't ever let anyone talk to you like you're not worthy of basic human decency and respect. That is like the bare minimum."
Henry smiles at him, pinching his hips lightly. "Got it. So was this like a test?"
Alex shakes his head furiously. "No, that sounds fucked up. It was supposed to be a joke. Nora jokingly called me an asshole and got lectured by an 80-year-old. I expected you to banter with me, like you usually do. Or at the very least defend yourself. I didn't think you'd just take it. I'm sorry, that made me feel like shit. I'm really sorry, it was a dumb joke. I take it back."
Henry kisses him and then turns back to their dinner. "It is alright love, how was your day?"
Alex sighs dramatically as he sets their table. "Ew, would you have been all cute and supportive if I'd actually come marching in and talked down on you like that?"
Henry shrugs. "I assume so, it's not like you usually talk to me like that. So if you did it once I'd probably just let it slide."
Alex walks up to him from behind to hug him. "I know we banter a lot, we can both be sarcastic assholes and teasing each other is kind of our love language in a way. But I don't ever want us to become a couple that talks to each other like that, okay? I love you so much and it would break my heart if we ended up talking to each other without respect. I want this to always stay a safe household. The only degradation accepted here is the sexy kind in the bedroom and only if previously established, consensual, and if we use safewords and the traffic light system."
Henry who had been nodding along bursts out in laughter. "Is this your way of telling me you want to explore if you have a degradation kink, darling?"
Alex rolls his eyes at his fiance fondly. "No, this is my way of telling you I want this relationship to be based on mutual respect.'
Henry smiles at him, "Me too."
He kisses him and then lightly pushes him toward their kitchen table. "Sit down darling, our dinner is ready."
Alex fills two glasses of water and then sits down as Henry brings two bowls to the table. "It smells amazing, babe. Thank you for this, seriously.'
Henry kisses him briefly. "It was my pleasure."
Alex is about to take a bite when he realizes something. "Hey babe?" He asks.
Henry hums.
"When you said I hope that is okay? What did you mean by that? You know that I always appreciate your cooking, right? I know I used to tease you over burning food and stuff but I never meant to make you feel like I'm like... ungrateful or something. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings with those jokes."
Henry smiles. "You didn't. We're okay Alex. I just didn't want to disappoint you."
"You couldn't. You never have", Alex promises.
Henry places a kiss on his cheek. "I'm glad. Eat your dinner, love, I worked hard on it."
Alex grins. "I can see that, it looks so fancy. Did you go to the farmer's market to get the avocado, lettuce, and the fresh fruit?"
Henry nods. "I did, do you like this salad? I know it's a salad but it's supposed to be pretty filling and enough calories because I put whole grain rice in it too."
Alex hums. "Yes, it tastes great babe. You didn't have to do all that, you know? I know you had a long day at work too. I would have been just as happy with a grilled cheese or ordering take out together."
Henry smiles. "Alex, my beautiful overthinker, I know your adhd sometimes makes it difficult to stop repeating certain thoughts and you end up thinking in circles a lot, but you can let it go now. You don't have to justify everything you say. We're okay. I'm not mad nor am I hurt or upset. I promise. Everything is alright, you can stop beating yourself up mentally, I don't feel disrespected or taken for granted. You always treat me wonderfully, dear. Take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of our evening."
Alex squeezes Henry's leg under the table. "You always know the perfect thing to say to ease my mind."
Henry smiles fondly. "That is because I know you, love. Please stop being so hard on yourself, making a joke that I took the wrong way doesn't make you evil. Mean people don't worry about whether what they say is mean or not. And for what it's worth; do you remember that quote of my dad that I told you?"
Alex hums.
He's memorized the quote by now because Henry has repeated it so many times.
"How someone reacts to hurting you is usually more important than what they did to hurt you."
Henry nods. "Exactly. Now where did you want to take David on our little family evening walk?"
Alex grins at those words. "Let's go to the beach."
"In the dark?" Henry asks amused.
Alex smirks. "Yes! What? Are you scared, wales?"
Henry's pov
Henry smiles, happy that Alex is not afraid to tease him now, he wouldn't want him to walk on eggshells because of one misunderstanding.
***
During their walk with David, Henry notices that Alex is quieter than usual.
"What is on your mind, love?" He asks gently.
Alex sighs. "Can I bring up something from earlier that is still bothering me? I don't want to ruin the moment-"
Henry places a kiss on their laced hands. "Absolutely love. If it's bothering you, it's worth mentioning. I can't read your mind, but I want you to be able to bring up anything that is upsetting you. Suppression isn't healthy and communication is key to a healthy relationship. So talk to me, love."
Alex takes a deep breath. "Okay, so we obviously immediately talked about what happened because I immediately wanted to set the record straight. And I think we've pretty much covered everything that needed to be said. But what bothers me though was your reaction. I mean we already talked about how you shouldn't let people talk to you like that and you should have defended yourself etc. But we didn't really talk about boundaries yet. So let me just remind you that regardless of if I was joking or not you clearly didn't enjoy being called an asshole out of nowhere which means I broke a boundary and when that happens I want you to speak up. Now I know from experience that you're not bothered by name-calling if we're bantering... but I just came home so we weren't joking around yet and it was clear that you didn't enjoy the random name-calling with no context and no warning and no prior teasing building up to the moment. So what I'm trying to say is that is that I clearly crossed a boundary of yours. And I hate that you didn't mention that. Forget not teasing me back and not defending yourself for a second; I never want you to just brush it off if I do something that makes you uncomfortable. Whether it's a physical or a verbal thing, if something makes you uncomfortable you tell me and I make sure it won't happen again. Like you said I can't read your mind, I like to think I know you pretty well, but if I cross a boundary you haven't set yet It's entirely possible I don't notice it unless you speak up. So please promise me that if I ever cross any boundary of yours, no matter how small it might seem, you tell me. I know your brother and grandmother never cared about your boundaries but I do care. I really really do. Jokes are supposed to be funny, if you don't find them funny then it's not fun to me either. Intimacy is supposed to be nice, there is nothing nice about anything that makes you uncomfortable. I'm rambling but do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Henry squeezes his hand. "Yes, loud and clear. If I don't like something; I tell you. No matter how silly or small the thing might feel. I can't expect you to respect a boundary I never set that's on me but if you break a boundary I did set then it's on you."
Alex grins. "Exactly. Communication is sexy. You should be honest about how you expect to be treated: standards only scare off people not meant for you. And you're not responsible for negative reactions people might have to boundaries you set. Not to slander Philip or anything, but people who are guilty of mistreating you are always going to be offended or annoyed by everything you say. I know this is new for you but a conversation about how you feel isn't supposed to end in an argument. I'm mature enough to understand that when you set a boundary it's not an attack against me, it's simply an act of self-love. And I fully support that; slay king. Now let's go home and watch that shitty dating show and bitch about how toxic everyone is while we get wine drunk."
Henry laughs and kisses Alex. He still can't believe he gets to have this now.
He went from always being told to shut up to always being told to speak up.
From not being allowed to show emotion to having a partner who encourages him to be intact with his emotions.
From being disrespected and degraded on a daily to being respected and praised on a daily.
From barely being accepted to being loved as a whole.
From admiring Alex Claremont-Diaz from afar to admiring him from close up.
From being encouraged to show no emotion or weakness to being encouraged to feel all his feelings and to talk about them frequently.
From suppressing emotion to expressing it.
From staying silent when someone hurts his feelings or makes him uncomfortable to speaking up because he loves himself enough to know he doesn't have to accept it.