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When Alex was 7 and Henry was 8
It was quite early in the morning, and Alex had just finished the delicious Huevos Rancheros his dad made. As he lay on the couch, stuffed full of eggs and beans, he also was brainstorming ideas for how he wanted to spend the day. Summer vacation was nearly over and it felt like he hadn’t spent it to its full potential.
His dad barged into the room, grinning at his children in excitement. “We have new neighbours y’all!”
So that’s what all the loud noise was since morning , Alex thought.
“They also seem to have three kids, so I think you and June will have new friends, mijo!” his dad continued, reaching over to ruffle Alex’s curls. He let out a disgruntled noise at his hair being ruined after he’d spent quite a long time fixing it, patting it down as he pouted to himself.
It’s been a few hours since his dad told him about their new neighbours and his parents had busied themselves, making a few baked goods to take to their house later to welcome them. Something about “Southern hospitality,” according to his mom.
He looked outside from his room’s window out of curiosity and saw a boy his age. His hair is so blonde… How will it feel if I touch it? Is it as soft as it looks? Alex kept looking until the boy went inside his house, and at the moment the boy left his vision, he heard his mom calling him and June.
“Come on, kids! It’s time to go see our new neighbours!” called his mom. He immediately ran down, because he really wanted to see that boy again—he could feel it; they would be really good friends!
“What do you think short stack? D’you think they’ll be nice?” June asked him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“I told you not to call me that, Bug! And I don’t know, I saw one boy, and I think we’ll be really good friends.” He giggled slightly, and June looked at him all confused but shook her head as they walked out the door.
The house next door had been empty for so long that Alex started to believe that it might be haunted. But now that they finally had some new neighbours, he couldn’t help but think that a new friend was much cooler than a haunted house. As they walked closer, he could feel his excitement trying to burst out of his chest. He’s gonna have a new friend!
His parents rang the doorbell, and the door was shortly opened by… James Bond?????? A kind-looking lady came to stand next to him, her hand reaching up to rest on James Bond’ s shoulder. They both had kind smiles on their faces as they waved to him and June before turning to his parents and talking about… taxes or something boring like that. All the while, he was frozen as he stared.
June suddenly poked at his ribs and hissed, “Close your mouth, Alex! You’re staring!”
He slowly tried to close his jaw which was practically on the ground and whispered, “James Bond…”
His eyes were still wide open and the man chuckled, ruffling his hair, “I see you’ve watched my movies, son. I’m Arthur Fox and that’s my wife, Catherine. What’s your name?”
Alex was still trying to get his voice working and mumbled, “It's Alex.”
Next to him, June smiled and said, “I’m June! Hi!”
He smiled at them. “I think you guys are really gonna get along with our kids, right hon?” He looked to the side and smiled at his wife who smiled back.
“I’ll call the kids right away!” she said before going inside. His parents gave the baked goods they made to Arthur and chatted for a bit. During their whole conversation, Alex was still in awe of him, sneaking glances up at the blond man in front of him. He never imagined he’d meet his favourite superstar and also have that superstar be his new neighbour! It was Alex’s lucky day.
Soon, three kids walked out the door with Catherine behind them— the boy he saw from his window immediately hid behind his dad, slowly peeking out to look at the Claremont-Diaz family.
The oldest-looking child with dark blonde hair nodded at them politely. “I’m Philip,” he said in the most bland tone Alex had ever heard. He’s definitely not the fun one, then.
“Hi!! I’m Beatrice, but you guys can call me Bea!” the girl next to him with red hair said with a bright grin. June immediately attached herself to her and they started talking like they’d been friends for ages.
“Henry, dear, won’t you introduce yourself to Alex?” Arthur said in a soft voice, trying to coax Henry into coming to the front with a soft caress on his head, but instead, he just ran back inside his house without a word.
Alex could feel his heart drop down to his stomach. That’s not how it was supposed to go… They were supposed to hang out every day, talk about their favourite movies, and become best friends.
“Henry’s our youngest and he’s just a little shy, but he’ll come around!” Arthur just shook his head and smiled a little.
Alex couldn’t help the frown that took over his face; Henry was supposed to be his best friend. Alex wasn’t one to give up though, and he would try again tomorrow!
“It was really nice meeting you, Arthur and Catherine! We’ll let you settle in now. It must be a lot of work shifting countries. Please let us know if y’all need any help! Oscar and I will be here!” Ellen smiled and reached for Alex’s hand. He took it, frowning as he still thought about Henry.
“June, it’s time to go now honey,” Ellen called out to June who was sitting with Bea on the front porch.
“But mooomm , I wanna talk more with Bea! She’s so fun!!” June whined, pouting at her mother.
Ellen just gave her a look before Catherine interjected, “If you don’t mind Ellen, I think the girls have become quite acquainted, and maybe June can spend time with Bea for a bit. We’ll send her home before dinner time!” She smiled at June, who looked up at her mother with a pleading expression.
Ellen’s face softened. When she looked at her daughter and her new friend, she made her decision and turned back to Catherine, “That’s alright with me!” Ellen then turned to address June, who was basically jumping in excitement. “June, darling, don’t create any trouble.”
The rest of the Claremont-Diaz family waved their goodbyes and walked back to their house.
When they reached home, Alex sat on the couch with a pout trying to figure out how to befriend Henry the next day. He should make a list!
- He’ll be really nice and make sure Henry has no reason to be scared of him!
- Talk more to Henry
- Ask Henry of his likes (bonus points if they like the same things)
- Mission success! They’ll be the bestest friends after this
With a mission in mind, Alex gobbled down his dinner with his parents who yelled at him to slow down or else he would choke, but he couldn’t. He needed to sleep, so it became morning faster! Tomorrow was a new day and he was going to make a new friend!
* * *
The next morning, Alex did not need anyone to wake him up because he was already awake earlier than usual. He quickly brushed his teeth, and washed his face, before running down for breakfast. His dad was surprised at him being awake so early on a Saturday, but he was a boy on a mission! He couldn’t be late!
“ Daaddd , can I have breakfast? I need to go fast!” he said from the table.
His dad grinned from where he was flipping some chocolate chip pancakes on the pan. “Where are you going in such a hurry, mijo? It’s only 10 am.”
His dad bought out the pancakes with some syrup, and Alex immediately ate as fast as he could. “I need to go see Henry, Dad. I’m going to be his really good friend,” he said, although his words came out muffled because his mouth was stuffed with pancakes.
“Easy there, Alex. You’re not gonna make any friends if you choke on your pancakes instead.” His dad laughed and walked back into the kitchen. Alex doesn’t care; he just needs to eat quickly so he can see Henry!
He slowly stepped out his door, his excitement suddenly turning into nervousness— what if Henry just didn’t want to be his friend…? No, he couldn’t back down now! He slowly walked towards Henry’s house. Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, he saw a small figure on the porch steps near the garden and slowly walked toward him.
He saw Henry reading a book, looking so peaceful. Alex almost hesitated to approach him and disturb him but walked to him before he could change his mind.
He slowly sat near Henry who looked a little shocked to see him there and just looked at Alex with wide eyes, putting his book aside.
“Why are you wearing a full-sleeved shirt and pants in summer??” Alex asked before he could stop himself.
Henry was silent for a few seconds, but those few seconds felt so long that he thought he’d ruined it all. Henry was never going to be friends with him now. “Oh, I’m fine. I like this…” Henry finally replied.
“Hi! I did not introduce myself first, oopsie, I’m Alex. I also saw you yesterday! I’m your new neighbour, and I know you’re a little shy, but don’t worry. I can wait ‘til you’re comfortable enough!” he rambled with a wide grin on his face.
He saw a slight pink hue dusted on Henry’s freckled cheeks and he looked so cute.
He got a small smile in return from Henry. “I’m Henry.” he said with a shy smile on his face.
Alex’s grin widened even more; he could feel the happiness burst out of his chest. Henry talked! Henry talked to him!
It was so easy to talk to Henry when he got past his shyness. They had so many things in common, and Henry even enrolled in the same school as Alex! Although he’s one year older than him which meant they won’t be in the same class, but they would get to see each other every day when school starts! How cool was that?
“We’re gonna be the bestest friends, Henry!” Alex said with a toothy smile. There was a gap where he had recently lost a tooth and it made him look like he had an extra large gap between his teeth.
They had not realized how long they just spent talking and enjoying each other's company until Philip had come out to call Henry. “Hen, mom is calling for lunch,” he said with a stoic face before walking back in.
Alex leaned over and whispered, “Why does he talk like that?”
Henry giggled. “I don’t know, he’s always like that.” Henry stood up and turned to leave when Alex just hugged him tight catching him off guard.
“See you tomorrow, Henry!” he said when he pulled back, he saw the same pink hue on his cheeks he saw before and this time Henry was smiling wider than before.
“Bye, Alex!” Henry waved and stepped inside his house.
Alex was still feeling the happiness in waves and when he reached home, he excitedly shared every detail with June who was smiling with him and patting his hair. “I’m so happy for you, kiddo, you finally made a new friend.”
Alex spent the rest of the day thinking of how much more fun he was going to have with Henry and told his parents about Henry too. Everyone just smiled at him and let him ramble; they had never seen Alex so happy before and hoped for this smile to stay on forever.
Henry is gonna be my best friend forever!
When Alex was 17 and Henry was 18
“HENRY, OPEN UP!” Alex yelled excitedly as he rang the doorbell. “Heenn— oh, hi Catherine,” he said calmly when the door opened. His eyes darted around her, hoping to see Henry inside.
Catherine smiled at him. “Henry is up in his room, love. He was waiting for you,” she said and let him in. He raced up the stairs and down the familiar path to Henry’s room. Alex had frequented the walls of this hallway enough times that it might as well have been his house.
He burst the door open to find Henry on his bed in the softest-looking cardigan that he knows belongs to Arthur. Henry hadn’t been himself since Arthur’s diagnosis was revealed and had been clinging onto any and all parts of Arthur he could have.
Arthur had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer recently but thankfully, it had been caught in its early stage and the treatment had a good chance of being successful.
Alex knew Henry wasn’t feeling the best and made it his mission to distract Henry and make him feel happy.
After all, he promised Arthur he’d look after his little Hen.
”Alex, you’re here.” Henry looked up from his book with a sad smile.
Alex walked over to his bed and plopped down near him and gave him the tightest hug he could muster. He felt Henry clutch his hands tight on his shirt around his back.
He didn’t know how long they stayed just wrapped in each other's arms until Henry pulled back first and gave him a small smile. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he whispered.
Alex gave him a smile and caressed his soft hair. His hair was definitely as soft as he imagined when he first saw him.
It was the day of Arthur’s first chemotherapy session and he knew Henry would be feeling low. Arthur had called him when his diagnosis was revealed. He explained to Alex all the worries he had about Henry and how it would affect him if things got bad. Alex did not like hearing what he had to say. After all, Arthur had been like a second father to him—especially when his parents were going through their divorce.
He could not imagine how devastated Henry would be. Henry had always been the closest to Arthur. His dad was the one who understood him the most (aside from Alex, of course), and losing him would crush Henry. He’s not going to let that happen and he made it his mission to spend every day with Henry, especially on the days Arthur had his chemotherapy sessions.
“H, come on. I told you we’re going to our place ,” he said tugging on his cardigan.
Henry shook his head. “I don’t feel like going Alex, sorry…” he said looking away from Alex, his voice slightly shaking.
Alex could sense the tears welling up in Henry’s eyes, he reached his hand to Henry’s jaw and slowly turned him until he was looking Alex in the eyes. “Hey, H, I know you’re worried about Arthur, but you haven’t left the house since you found out about the news. Please, sweetheart, for me? Just for a bit. If you don’t want to stay out anymore, we can come back here, get in your blanket, and watch Bake Off together. That sound good?” he asked, cupping Henry’s face with a soft smile.
Henry looked like he was pondering whether or not to agree and slowly nodded. “Ok, we can do that,” he agreed and buried his face in Alex’s neck, mumbling a small “Thank you, love”. Alex let out a small smile placing a kiss on his forehead.
It had become a thing for them—these small touches, kisses, and all the pet names: sweetheart, darling, and love. He had not realized it before, but every time Henry used a term of endearment in his beautiful accent (he thanked every god out there that preserved Henry’s British accent all this time) or placed a quick kiss on his temple, something warm settled in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t know what that feeling was, but what he knew was that he never wanted Henry to touch anyone else like that or call anyone else those pet names.
They’re meant for him only. Realistically, he knew that wasn’t possible. Henry was sought after quite a lot, by both boys and girls alike in their school. Unfortunately for the girls, Henry was gay (Henry had come out to Alex on one of their sleepovers during a movie when he was 14). He paid them no mind—just apologized to them and rejected them kindly.
As for the boys, Henry had dated a few people, much to Alex’s dismay, but they never lasted that long, much to Alex’s delight. All those boys were assholes who did not deserve Henry’s love and affection. Henry only deserved the best and that was not them, and besides, all of those boys tried to steal his time with Henry and that’s not how it works here.
Henry had gone and changed into a loose-fitting shirt and pants. He looked at Alex and said, “Shall we leave?” Alex nodded and both made their way out the house.
As they neared the park, Alex held Henry’s hand in his and started picking up his pace. “Faster, Henry! We need to reach before sunset,” he said.
“I’m not the one with short legs, Alex,” Henry teased with a grin.
Alex gasped and glared at him, “Fuck you, Fox. We are the same height!!” That was a lie, of course. He knew Henry was taller than him by an inch, but no way in hell would he ever admit that.
Henry burst out into a short laugh. “Whatever you say, darling.”
Because Alex was a little shit, he started running. “Wanna see who’s faster now, Fox?” he called out and looked back sticking out his tongue at Henry, who was still rooted in his place in shock.
“Alex, you absolute menace!! ” Henry yelled and started running behind him, laughing louder than he had in the past few days.
Seeing Henry laugh in that carefree way he’d only laughed around Alex and his family, he decided he’d do whatever it took to keep that smile on Henry’s face forever.
* * *
They finally made it to the park, panting hard and headed to a secluded place behind some trees. The view there was perfect. Their place was surrounded by a bunch of trees that created a perfect shade for them to lay under. From under the shade, they had a clear view of the beautiful Texas sunset. The sky turned from a bright blue to beautiful shades of purples, pinks, and shades of oranges as the sun disappeared into the horizon.
Since no one came to that place as much as they did, they had claimed it to be their place . A place they could come to whenever they were sad or happy or just wanted to be in each other's company, and away from everyone else—a place for them only.
Henry gasped looking at a blanket spread on the grass, underneath the tree shade with lots of food and immediately spotted his favorite, Jaffa Cakes, which were practically impossible to get in the States!
“I asked June and Bea to help me set it up for us and I have everything you like. There’s even Earl Grey in the thermos there! I was also thinking of Cornettos, too but like they would have melted by the time we made it here since, y’know you were running extremely slow despite claiming to be—“ He was cut off by Henry hugging the air out of him.
“I take it that you like it then?” he answered muffled on Henry’s shoulder, and when Henry pulled back, he could see the tears welling up in his beautiful blue eyes. He couldn’t let that happen now, could he? He cupped Henry’s face and slowly wiped off the stray tears that fell on his cheeks.
“You’re too good to me, Alex. I truly don't know what I did to deserve this, I—“ He was cut off by Alex shushing him with a finger on his lips.
“Henry, sweetheart, you only deserve the best, and I’ll be damned if I can't give it to you, you understand?” Alex said and noticed that a pink hue spread on Henry’s face shortly after his words.
Henry looked so perfect, especially with that pretty blush spread all over his freckled cheeks, reaching all the way to the tips of his ears, and down his neck. Alex did not realize how close they’d gotten, and with this proximity between them, he could draw many constellations across Henry’s freckles. His eyes flickered down Henry’s lips where his finger was still on it, and it felt so soft and plush. What if he just kissed them?
Whoa, there— where did those thoughts come from?? Then again, it wasn’t the first time these thoughts crossed his mind; he just pushed them to the back of his head until they emerged again.
Alex knew he couldn’t be gay. Even though he hadn’t dated much, he knew he found women attractive—he loved kissing them and flirting with them, and he even enjoyed sex with them. So he couldn’t possibly be gay, he would’ve known if he was. But sometimes when he looked at Henry, he wanted to be the one to kiss him, not some rando from school who couldn’t treat him right.
Alex realized that no straight person spent that much time wondering if they were straight. Maybe his best friend, Nora—who was also his sister's girlfriend—was right about his latent bisexual tendencies, but that was something he could unpack later.
He removed his finger from Henry’s lip before he did something stupid like kiss him or whatever and pushed Henry towards the mat where they sat and enjoyed the many snacks Alex had packed for them.
“I still can’t believe you’re so wrong about that. Empire Strikes Back will always be so much better,” Alex said, rolling his eyes. Their conversations had led back to discussing their favorite movies and Henry would always be wrong about his choice.
“I still can’t see how on earth am I wrong about my own favourite movie, you cretin. I, too, can say you’re wrong about Empire Strikes Back, but you don’t listen to me— you’re staring, Alex, is something on my face?” Henry asked when he noticed that Alex had gone quiet longer than he usually was.
Alex was indeed staring because there was a tiny bit of the chocolate icing from the Jaffa Cakes he was munching on the corner of his lips. He wanted to clean it… with his tongue.
He shook those thoughts out of his head and slowly pointed to the corner of his mouth, a much safer option than doing something stupid like wiping it off with his tongue and ruining their friendship. Henry wiped the chocolate with his thumb and licked it away.
Alex’s eyes widened and he looked away, but he could feel the warmth on his cheeks grow; he secretly thanked God for his darker complexion that could hide his blush. He pretended to cough a little and calmed himself down.
He needed to figure out what this was and fast before he did something stupid and ruined everything he had with Henry. For now, though, he buried the thought at the back of his head, remembering he planned this hangout for Henry and not to have a sexuality crisis seeing Henry lick some chocolate off his thumb.
As they went back home, Alex only had one thought running through his mind.
He doesn’t want Henry to just be his best friend forever.
Alex is 27 and Henry is 28
It’s a Friday night, and one of the only nights everyone remains free for them to catch up. Alex and Henry reached the club first and caught a seat for everyone. Alex gets up and heads to the bar to get him and Henry some drinks.
Nora and June arrive next, hand in hand. Henry gets up and gets tackled in a hug by both June and Nora, causing him to fall back on the seat.
They all laugh out loud. “Oooff— June! Nora! Get off me already!” Henry says, muffled between them.
They finally get off him. “Well, this wouldn’t happen if you guys actually came to our house last week. Your husband has been keeping you away from us.” June says with an eye roll.
“Yes, keeping Henry away, locked in their bedroom, just fuckin—” Nora gets cut off by June, who covers her mouth.
“ ENOUGH , I do not want to hear about my brother’s sex life!!” she yells, a pink blush spreading all the way to the tip of Henry’s ears. That's exactly what happened last week, though he’s not going to admit that.
“Where is your other half, anyways? I thought he’s always stuck to your hips?” Nora asks, looking around.
“He was getting us some drinks, but I don’t know what’s taking him so long,” Henry says looking over to the bar.
“Looks like someone is trying to steal your husband there, Hen,” June says looking over where Alex is.
Alex looks annoyed with two drinks in his hand. A tall man with dark hair crowds him against the bar, and Alex looks pissed off. He says something and tries to push his way out of there but the man puts a hand on his shoulder.
Henry immediately stands up, and before he realizes what he’s doing, he stalks over to the bar.
“I’ve told you five times, man, leave me the fuck alone before I punch you.” Alex sighs, frustratedly pushing off the man’s hand.
“Come on sweetheart— who the fuck are you?” The man was cut off by Henry reaching over Alex’s side and grabbing his waist, pulling him towards his chest and leaving a kiss on his temple.
“I should be asking you that actually. My husband told you no over and over again and yet you stand here bothering him, touching him, ” Henry says with a seething glare.
He towers over the man by several inches, which makes the man cower and back off slowly. “Look man… I didn’t mean any harm… I was just—” The man says with a shaky voice.
“Leaving right?” Henry says with a tight smile and watches the man scramble away fast.
“Thank god you came when you did, baby, or else I would’ve punched that asshole and gotten kicked out of the club. That fucker just walked in all high and mighty saying I aM mIgueL RaMOs aNd I waNt YoUR nUmBer. I told him I was married and even showed him my ring and he still wouldn’t back off,” Alex says, rolling his eyes.
“I think it’s my turn to keep you locked up because people just don’t seem to be getting the hint, do they?” Henry says, pulling him closer with his hand still on Alex’s waist, leaning down to kiss him on his lips. Alex’s hand comes around his neck quickly and leans into the kiss. Before they can get carried away in public, Henry pulls back leaning his forehead against Alex’s.
“By the way, that was the hottest thing I’ve seen, baby. Maybe you should get angry more often, cause I’m actually getting so turned on right now. Should we quickly head to the bathroom stalls?” Alex says with a grin, and Henry gives him an unimpressed look.
“As tempting as your offer is, love, June and Nora are already here waiting for us, and Bea, Pez, Pip, and Martha should be here soon, too,” Henry says, and Alex rolls his eyes. Henry gives him a quick kiss on his forehead, takes one drink from Alex’s hand, and interlocks their free hands together before heading over to their table.
They reach their table and Alex immediately plops himself between June and Nora, giving them hugs and kisses on their cheeks. Henry hugs Bea and Pez and then pulls Alex toward him and pulls Alex onto his lap. Alex rests his head on Henry’s shoulder. He hears giggles from the table but Henry doesn’t care; he has Alex right here with him and that’s all that matters right now.
An hour later, everyone except Martha and Pip arrived at their table. “Are Martha and Pip not coming?” Henry asks.
“No, Lizzy is still not feeling too well and they didn’t want to leave her with anyone else,” Bea says. Elizabeth (or Lizzy to her family) is Philip and Martha’s 3-year-old daughter who had fallen sick a few days back.
Henry nods and takes a sip of his drink, his free hand wrapping itself around Alex’s waist where it stays the whole night as all of them catch up with each other. It was just them and their closest friends and family, smiles emerging from all the faces on their table. The night couldn’t get any better than this.
* * *
The next morning, Henry wakes up and feels a weight on his chest. He looks down and sees Alex’s head nestled on his chest, his arms wrapped around his waist and Henry’s own arm on Alex’s back. He smiles and kisses Alex’s beautiful curls that are sprawled all over his chest and neck and tickling his chin.
He slowly untangles himself from Alex’s grip and heads down to get some meds and water for the hangover he knows Alex will have when he wakes up as he went a tad overboard with the drinks last night.
He puts the meds and water on their nightstand and gets ready to take David out on a walk. He then heads to the kitchen to make Alex his favorite chocolate chip pancakes, using Oscar’s recipe that he knows Alex loves. He also prepares Alex his cup of coffee with one sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, just the way his husband likes it.
As he flips some pancakes, he feels a pair of arms around his waist and smiles. “How are you feeling, love?” he asks stacking the last pancake and switching off the stove.
He turns around in Alex’s arms and wraps his hands around his husband’s neck. Alex puts his head in the crook of Henry’s neck and inhales the addictive scent of fresh grass and clean linen at the same time. All these years later and he still loves the scent as much as he did the first time.
It’s times like these when Henry is grateful for his height—he loves when Alex buries his head in the place where his neck meets his shoulder and he loves how easy it is to leave a kiss on his temple, so he does.
Alex may deny it, but Henry knows he loves Henry having a few inches on him. He loves it when Henry’s shoulder covers his, because as he said once, “ Nothing in the world matters when your shoulders cover mine.”
Henry has tried to make him say it since then, but all in vain. He leaves another quick kiss on his curls and moves his hands to Alex’s back.
“Just a lil’ headache… thank you for the meds, baby,” He mumbles into Henry’s neck.
Henry rubs his hand on his back slowly. “Your coffee along with breakfast is ready. Shall we eat?” He asks.
Alex just mumbles “Five more minutes.” Henry just smiles in his hair, leaving one more kiss and tightening his hands on his back.
They soon untangle from each other and sit at the table to eat their breakfast. When they’re done Alex washes their dishes and Henry just wraps his arms around his waist resting his chin on his shoulder, leaving a small trail of kisses on his neck. Alex lets out a small smile. It’s moments like these Henry craves for, just them in their own bubble— happy, content, and with each other.
Alex wipes his hand and pulls Henry into the empty space in their kitchen. He takes his phone out and plays “Your Song.” It’s their song.
Alex takes Henry’s hand in his. “Care for a dance sweetheart? We didn’t really get a chance last night,” he says as Henry pulls him in by his waist.
“And whose fault was that love? I wasn’t the one downing drinks like no tomorrow,” He says with a teasing grin. Alex playfully punches him in the chest with his free hand and scoffs, before reaching out to grab Henry’s waist.
They move with the rhythm of the music playing, just like they did the first time when Henry was 20 and Alex was 19.
Just like they did the first time Alex took Henry to his father’s lake house when Henry was 21 and Alex was 20
Just like they did the first time Henry took Alex to London in the empty V&A museum when Henry was 23 and Alex was 22.
Just like they did during the first dance of their wedding when Henry was 26 and Alex was 25.
Just like they’ll do forever because they’re married and have promised each other a lifetime together.
Henry kisses his forehead and whispers, “I love you.”
Alex grins widely and stands up on his tiptoes, reaching up to meet Henry eye-to-eye. “I love you more.”
Before Henry could retaliate, Alex seals his lips with an all-consuming kiss, wrapping his arms around Henry’s waist and pulling him even closer like he wants their bodies to merge into one and never separate.
Alex runs his hand over Henry’s soft golden locks and pulls away with his cheeks flushed a dark pink blush spread all over mirroring Henry’s face that’s also covered in a pink hue.
“You know when I first saw you, I really wanted to know how soft your hair would feel under my fingers, and it definitely didn’t disappoint,” Alex says as he continues caressing Henry’s hair.
“Really? I’m pretty sure I hid behind Dad when you first saw me. How on earth did you think of my hair in that situation?” Henry asks with a laugh.
“Well because that wasn’t my first time seeing you, baby,” Alex answers, and Henry raises his brow.
“The first time I saw you was when you guys just arrived. The movers were bringing all your stuff in and you were just standing down looking at them. I had a clear view of you standing there from my window. My first thought was ‘ How would it feel if I touched his hair?’ ” Alex continues.
This is the first time Alex has mentioned this, and Henry can feel his eyes well up with tears. “I didn’t know it at the time, but I’m pretty sure that was little Alex falling in love with you at first sight. It’s a shame it took me so long to realize that.” Alex finishes and immediately notices a few tears on Henry’s cheeks.
“I love you so much, you have no idea,” Henry says and buries his face in Alex’s shoulders after leaving a kiss there.
“I love you too, sweetheart. More than you could ever imagine,” Alex whispers in his hair and leaves a kiss there.
“I’m pretty sure it was love at first sight for me too, darling. But someone was an… what did you call it? An obtuse fucking arsehole for not realizing it sooner.” Henry giggles in Alex’s shoulder and Alex lets out a grumble.
“I'm pretty sure I also made it up to you with a whole bunch of kisses too,” Alex says. “It’s not my fault I didn’t think you could ever love me back. Like, look at you!! Why would someone like you ever go for me??” Alex says and Henry pulls back from his shoulder and frowns.
“You look at yourself in the mirror every day, Alex. I’m sure you know how obnoxiously good you look.” Alex gives him a small smile and kisses him on his lips once, twice, and one more time just because he can.
This gorgeous beautiful man is his and will be his forever, how lucky is he for this to be his reality?
Their sweet moment is interrupted by a barking David who seems to have woken up again and tries to fit himself between Henry and Alex for some cuddles. Alex laughs and bends down. “Hi, my love. Are you finally awake and hungry? You just had to wake up when your dads were having a moment right?” Alex asks, rubbing David’s belly.
Henry prepares David’s bowl of food and places it near his water bowl. David immediately runs over and munches on his food.
“He chose food over me, what a traitor…” Alex says with a sigh. Henry laughs and proceeds to take Alex to the couch where they settle in comfortably—Alex’s head on Henry’s shoulder, his hand interlocked with Henry’s, as Henry switches on the TV to start their Star Wars marathon.
Henry looks at Alex who rests comfortably on his shoulder. Sometimes he still can’t believe his luck, that this gorgeous man is his husband. He smiles to himself and leaves a kiss on his curls, and he sees Alex’s smile widen as he holds on to Henry tighter.
Henry suddenly has flashes of their future together: calming each other on bad days, sharing their good days, Henry forcing Alex to eat and stay hydrated when he works on tough cases late at night, and Alex helping him through a horrible writer’s block—bouncing ideas off of each other. And lastly, when they finally adopt a child of their own and work through all their highs and lows together.
He can’t wait to spend forever with Alex.
(+1) When Alex was 18 and Henry was 19
Alex was pacing in his bedroom—well not his; it was actually Henry’s room— while Henry was changing to go to the club with Pez, June, and Nora. He was not going because when Pez had asked them, he phrased it in a way that had Alex writhing in jealousy, “Henry, love, I’m gonna give you the most scrumptious-looking outfit I can get my hands on, and you’re gonna be positively surrounded by boys who will be dying to grab your attention!”
When Alex heard that, he quickly made a stupid excuse of being busy writing a paper that was due soon. Henry had looked at him in suspicion but didn’t press further.
After their hangout in their spot in the park, Alex had quickly realized that he was, in fact, bisexual (he had come out to Henry shortly after the realization, but was too afraid to say anything else) and it was, indeed, Henry that helped him arrive at the conclusion. Honestly, how did he not realize this before? He used to look at Henry in a way that he’s certain most bros did not look at their bros.
His feelings for Henry had grown at a rapid pace after the realization he only wanted Henry to pay attention to him, not some rando who asked him out in class. He had spoken to June and Nora about his crisis and that he was at a loss not knowing what to do. Nora rolled her eyes and said, “Finally,he realizes.”
Alex pouted. He was a bit offended but let it go, as she was the one offering advice. He hopes she does. He would die if he had to see Henry with someone else.
“Just tell him how you feel Alejandro, be honest,” Nora said with a shrug while June nodded along.
“B—but… what if that ruins our friendship forever because he doesn’t feel the same? I can't lose him,” He said with a shaky voice, tears threatening to spill from his eyes at just the thought of losing Henry.
Nora reached over to where he was sitting, in the corner of his bed, and cupped his cheeks. “Alex, you know that’s never going to happen. Have you seen how Henry looks at you? That man loves you, and would probably be crushed if he lost you. You have nothing to worry about, trust me,” she said and kissed him on the forehead.
“Alex, trust us, he loves you too. We’ve seen it with our own eyes,” June said as she crawled on his other side and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Alex sat up and wiped his tears away, “You’re right, I can do this! I’ll confess next month. I want to make it special for him!” he said and June and Nora burst out in cheers near him and engulfed him in a suffocating hug.
His plans changed when the next month arrived, Arthur had finally finished his last chemotherapy session after 6 months. All his check-ups finally showed that he was cancer-free. He’d never seen Henry this happy before. Both the Fox’s and the Claremont-Diaz’s had come together to his father’s lakehouse to celebrate.
Alex was relieved when the results came in, Arthur was like his second father. It hurt like hell to know such a wonderful, cheery man looking paler as the days passed. Alex knew Henry would want to spend as much time as possible with Arthur now, and decided to find another time to confess.
As he was deciding the right time, Pez had suggested his bar plan, leaving Alex all worried and lost, pacing in Henry’s room waiting to see that so-called “scrumptious-looking outfit” Pez had picked out for him.
Just then, Henry had walked out and stood in front of Alex, his cheeks flushed with a pink blush that spread all the way down his neck. “So, how do I look… this isn’t my usual style, but Pez swore I’d look extremely hot .”
Alex was pretty sure his jaw was on the floor, he could not believe what Henry was wearing. Henry looked stunning dressed in a sheer white lace turtleneck that did absolutely nothing to hide his rounded pecs and gorgeous abs. Paired with the shirt, was a pair of black leather pants that hugged all the right places. He’s pretty sure if Henry turned around right now he’d be attacked by how perfect his already perfect ass looks in those pants. Scrumptious indeed…
Alex could not let Henry out like this, he was gonna die if anyone else other than him saw Henry looking like that. He’d probably go on a jealous crazed rampage if anyone else dared to touch Henry. His Henry .
Before Alex could think straight, he stalked over to Henry and grabbed his cheeks, pulling him in a deep kiss. Henry stood frozen, not returning the kiss, and Alex slowly regretted his reckless decision.
‘Fuck, what have I done…’ he thought and had the sudden urge to run out of the room.
Before he could pull away, Henry grabbed his waist and pulled him closer. Alex’s gasp was swallowed by Henry, who kissed him with equal passion. Alex did not know how long they were just kissing each other—his hands roamed in Henry’s hair, tugging at it, and he knew that he could keep on kissing Henry forever.
They finally had to break apart to breathe again, their foreheads resting against each other’s, arms around each other's waists, and both of them took in deep breaths.
“I’ve been wanting to do that forever. I just didn’t realize it,” Alex finally whispered into the silence.
Henry let out a shy smile, his cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. “Same, but I wasn’t sure if it would ruin our friendship or not.”
“You probably should’ve, because that would’ve solved 99% of my sexuality crisis. I can’t believe it took me this long to figure out that what I was feeling all this time was overwhelming love for you. Man, I was such an obtuse fucking asshole for burying these feelings away… Imagine, we could be doing this the whole damn time.” Alex rambled.
Henry had burst out laughing. “We were such idiots weren't we,” he said with a smile.
“I hope it’s not weirdly soon, but I love you. I have probably, always, loved you.” Alex said with a blush that had slowly spread on his cheeks.
Henry smiled and kissed his forehead. “It’s not weirdly soon, love, if it is, then I’m weird too because I love you as well. I probably have loved you for an embarrassing amount of time.”
“Can I kiss you again?” Alex asked with a smile.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Henry said with a grin and pulled him closer by his waist and kissed him deeper than before.
This time, things were going further; Henry started kissing his jawline, and Alex couldn’t do anything besides let out a loud moan, clutching desperately onto Henry’s golden locks. Henry’s lips trailed all the way down to his neck, sucking at the place where it meets his shoulders, and Alex could only hope that he would leave a mark there.
Before things could go any further, they heard the door open, followed by a loud shriek, and they immediately pulled apart, jumping away from each other in different directions.
He hoped and prayed it wasn’t Arthur and Catherine because that would be hard to explain.
They looked over to the door where they saw June, Nora, and Pez standing. June had covered her eyes while Nora and Pez shared the same knowing smirks on their faces. Alex let out a relieved sigh, grateful it was just them.
Alex knew they looked debauched, both of them panting hard trying to take in deep breaths. He could feel his lips swollen and a slight sting on his neck, where Henry was sucking not too long ago. There’s definitely going to be a mark there tomorrow.
“Were we interrupting something, loves?” Pez asked teasingly.
“Yes, now leave,” Alex said with a huff and pulled Henry closer to him.
Henry widened his eyes, poking Alex’s ribs with his elbows.
“What?? I was telling the truth.” Alex said, rolling his eyes, Henry’s face had gotten impossibly darker and he hid his face in Alex’s shoulder with a groan.
“Alexander, darling, how could you do this to us???” Pez said with a dramatic gasp, putting his hand to his chest.
“Yeah Alejandro, you got your man and suddenly you don’t want us anymore?” Nora said with a smirk.
“Fine then, stay, and watch us kiss the living shits out of each other,” Alex said with a shrug.
He could feel Henry trying to hide himself further in his shoulder, mumbling something along the lines of “ You’re a menace ” into his skin as he tried to escape from this embarrassment.
“Wonderful idea—” Nora tried to say but was cut off by June dragging her and Pez out of Henry’s room yelling what Alex thought was “I don’t want to hear or see my brother making out with someone.”
Henry looked up from Alex’s shoulder, both looking at each other and then at the closed door before suddenly bursting into fits of laughter.
“Well, now we don’t have to worry about telling them anymore,” Alex said, and slowly pushed Henry back to his bed, till they both collapsed on it.
“Now where were we again, sweetheart?” Alex said as he rested his knees on either side of Henry’s hips and leaned down to kiss him senseless. He could get used to this.
He could definitely get used to loving Henry forever.