Work Text:
Henry accidentally swallows some of the cake as it crashes down on him and Alex.
It tastes…boring. Could they have chosen something more unoriginal?
Everyone is staring at them, covered in £75,000 of buttercream and sugar and humiliation and shame.
Henry half expects Alex to whisper an unfunny ‘do you think anyone noticed?’ and just the thought makes him want to smash some cake into Alex’s face.
He knew this wedding would be ruined because of the cake.
It’s not his fault though. Obviously it’s Alex’s.
But the fact that the cake tastes so bland makes Henry even more annoyed.
Alex looks at the Cornetto. If he eats it, is he letting Henry win?
He can’t back out now though. The entire internet knows he’s having a midnight snack with the prince.
He reluctantly takes a bite. It’s not as sweet as he’d hoped.
Of course, he wasn’t expecting it taste good. It’s the middle of the night and he’s here against his will and not even ice cream can taste sweet if you’re with someone you hate.
It can’t be the amount of sugar in everything back home. It has to be Henry.
But it does cure his jetlag.
Henry can taste the champagne in Alex’s mouth as he kisses him. Alex has been drinking all night; probably longer.
Henry’s heart had dropped seeing Alex kiss someone else when everyone cheered at the stroke of midnight.
It doesn’t make sense. Yes, he has wanted Alex since they first met over three years ago. But he hasn’t lost anything. He and Alex aren’t together.
They never will be.
Henry knows this.
But maybe, right now, he can have Alex Claremont-Diaz for a moment. He continues to drink in the champagne in their mouths.
Then he realises…Alex is kissing him back.
Alex opens the bathroom cabinet and starts brushing his teeth.
Since Henry coming back here tonight is an idea as horrible as it is brilliant, Alex wants to make sure it’s worth the risk. And fresh breath is always good when you’re kissing someone.
And he very much hopes there will be lots of kissing.
But he needs to be thinking about something other than the Prince of England coming to his bedroom.
Two minutes later his mouth is full of the minty taste of toothpaste and mouthwash and Henry hasn’t arrived.
So now he needs to find another distraction.
Henry’s too buzzed by now to know what that taste in his mouth is.
It’s alcohol, obviously; but he can’t remember what specifically. Vodka? Tequila? Something else?
How did they end up here anyway; with all their friends, completely pissed and doing karaoke?
He can’t quite remember, but he hasn’t had this much fun for…he doesn’t know how long. And he doesn’t know when he’ll next be able to have this much fun.
Then he locks eyes with Alex and he’s suddenly drunk on something other than alcohol.
He grabs a microphone. He knows exactly what he wants to sing.
Alex looks at the plate of quiches Henry has just set on the table, then grabs the one on the right. It looks less burnt.
Henry scowls at him.
“Don’t I get that one?” he asks. “I’m the one that made them.”
“Hmmm,” Alex considers. “No.”
He giggles and takes a giant bite. It’s a bit brown on top, but it actually isn’t burnt. He finishes it quickly.
“You’re getting better at this baby,” he says, and he’s happy to see nothing but pure, genuine joy on Henry’s face.
“And maybe next time,” he laughs. “You won’t take all afternoon.”
Henry walks into the kitchen to find Alex standing at the stove with a frying pan.
“What’s that smell?” he asks, kissing Alex before taking a seat at the kitchen island.
“Breakfast,” Alex says, adding one last pancake onto the plate, which he pushes in Henry’s direction. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you love,” Henry smiles. He picks up a knife and fork and begins to eat. The pancakes are light and fluffy and sweet. He’ll never get tired of Alex cooking them for him.
Sometimes, he does it’s because it’s Henry’s birthday. But mostly, he does it just because he can.
Alex likes this cake much better than that one.
He’s pretty sure Henry wanted to throw some of it at him that day. He certainly wanted to do that. After all, Henry was the one who shoved him.
But he doesn’t love this cake because it tastes better than Philip and Martha’s.
Everything is different now; that’s what Alex loves the most about this cake. Today if he and Henry cover each other in cake, it will be because they want to.
It’s not Philip’s wedding and they don’t hate each other.
It’s their wedding and they love each other.