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Given everything that’s happened in Alex’s life lately, that’s so fucking unfair , is not a statement that he should be making. He’s living his best life as an out and proud bisexual man, his Texas campaign strategy helped flip Texas Democrat for the first time in decades and helped his mom win the presidency, he’s starting at NYU Law once the summer ends, and oh yeah, his boyfriend is a gorgeous super fucking hot prince.
It's said prince who is the cause of his current woe is me inner monologue. They’re enjoying a Super Six getaway at the lakehouse, and Alex is in the kitchen with Pez, the two of them prepping lunch, Fox siblings banished from the kitchen to prevent a wildfire and Nora and June accompanying them as they have been swapping cooking shifts for the week. The foursome outside are playing a little pick-up game of soccer/football/fútbol (depending on who’s asking and answering the question), and Alex has been distracted from prepping the guacamole and pico de gallo for their tacos. Pez, who’s over by the stove reheating the various leftover meats from last night’s barbeque and narrating a probably-true story involving him, a hot skydiving instructor, and a night of painting the town glitter (in both a literal and figurative sense), trails off mid-sentence when he realises Alex is no longer teasingly replying.
“Strumpet, while I do know people often tell you to quiet down and shut up, I for one, am fond of your commentary and would like to know what it is about my incredibly salacious evening with Rahul that has you tongue-tied, surely you remember that thanks to Hazza after a few vodka sodas, I do know a fair bit of your exploits with him?”
“Hmm? Oh sorry Pez, yeah that sounds fun.”
“Darling, what on earth has you so distracted… Oh , I see”
Through the opened kitchen window, Alex has the perfect view of Henry in a pair of Alex's board shorts which are just this side of too tight and short on him, thick polo player thighs stretching the fabric and long legs on display, and an open light linen shirt left unbuttoned, sweat turning the already pale fabric translucent and leaving a bare expanse of skin marred only by the last vestiges of a few lovebites Alex left, pale skin turned flush with the warmth of a Texas sun on display, complemented with tousled blond hair that just screams James Bond offspring.
Henry looks like a summer dream, all wide smiles and eye-crinkling laughter, shoulders relaxed and jaw soft, just another young man on holiday; no crown or title or obligations weighing him down. His eyes are bluer than the glittering lake, and sparkle more than the sun as he runs and playfully tackles Nora for the ball, not putting too much force that his tall, broad frame would knock her over, but certainly not light enough that Nora would get on his case about taking it easy on her. The banter and trash talking is warm and unserious, Ugh Henry I can’t believe you did that! Aren’t you supposed to be a nerdy fucking English major? and I’m an English Lit major darling, there's a difference! And what kind of Englishman would I be if I couldn't hold my own in footy? filling the air.
…and there goes my competency kink Alex thinks as Henry scores a goal and celebrates with a high-five with Bea.
“You know, you are allowed to blink, Alex, he won’t disappear into the ether if you take your eyes off him.”
“And risk missing all of that? Pfft yeah, I rather claw my eyeballs out.”
“Gory. But! An accurate and relatable feeling. Mind you, while our Hazza is a fine specimen, my attention seems split between your sister and–“
“Ugh Pez I beg you please do not talk about your relationship with my sister and my ex-girlfriend-slash-current best friend to me while I’m trying to thirst over my smokeshow of a boyfriend”
“Well if you want said smokeshow boyfriend to starve and wither away with no lunch then continue thirsting! But do not come crying to me when his poor coloniser body finally gives in to the heat.”
“Alright alright, I got your point, I'll finish up here and come over to make the tortillas. You still good to prep the cheese and salsa? Oh and make the lemonade?”
“Aye aye captain, now finish up your task and then you can go claim your booty!”
“Pez!”
Alex returns to the cutting board with a laugh, speeding through prepping the onions, tomatoes, and serrano peppers (carefully deseeded and the usual amount reduced a little to account for the royals’ spice tolerance) before grabbing the avocados. He glances up through the window as his and Pez’s cooking playlist switches over to a new song, the familiarity of a song from a childhood summer washing over him as he basks in the summer sunshine. His gaze falls, unsurprisingly on Henry, who looks up from the game briefly to smile at him, imperfect and crooked and stunning, cheekily blowing a kiss that Alex smiles as he catches and presses to his cheek, laughing as Henry’s already rosy cheeks flush deep as the tomato juice staining Alex’s fingers as June teases him about being a sappy lovesick fool. Alex watches as Henry shoots back a flirty wink, mouthing only for you, love , at Alex as he turns back to steal the ball June stole from him. And just that brief moment has Alex blushing and thankful his complexion does not give him away so easily as he focuses on the cutting board once more, murmuring along to a line about living in the summer forever as he scoops out the avocado and mixes it with the rest of the ingredients, adjusting for salt, pepper, and lime for the guac before double checking his pico.
Satisfied with the flavours, he covers the bowls and sets them aside, sparing a last glance at Henry through the window as he moves towards the stove, Pez having finished prepping the meat and moving on to his other tasks. He continues singing along to the music over the speakers as he cooks the tortillas, not quite at the abuela-level of fearlessly using his hands and just a little tentative as he flips the tortillas and gets them perfect for a leftover taco lunch. The opening chords to Here You Come Again fill the air and Alex unselfconsciously joins in as he cooks off tortillas and sways his hips to the beat.
As he cries out you waltz right in the door, just like you've done before and wrap my heart 'round your little finger , he doesn’t notice a certain blond come into the kitchen as he continues to sing passionately, ushered in by a meddling Pez who has propped up his phone to film the impromptu-karaoke performance and continues to studiously focus on his assigned prep lest he invoke the wrath of known kitchen dictator Alex Claremont-Diaz.
Granted, said kitchen dictator is not as intimidating when he’s flipping tortillas and singing all you got to do is smile that smile, and there go all my defenses, just leave it up to you and in a little while, you're messin' up my mind and fillin' up my senses , with the sappiest smile on his face, uncaring of anyone who could hear his voice strain to hit Dolly’s high notes while a lovestruck Henry watches on, trying to suppress the helpless giggles at his boyfriend’s unabashed singing.
As Alex moves on the chorus, the girls have joined in, and are quietly giggling and teasing Henry about how shamelessly in love with him Alex is, especially as his Texas twang which always get pronounced after a few days back in Austin dirt and makes Henry’s heart flip, declares that Henry is lookin' better than a body has a right to, and shakin' me up so, that all I really know is here you come again, and here I go , and Pez retorts to Nora that yeah, here I go is right, remember when the rest of us got here not three days after them and both of them looked like they’d been mauled by vampires? Which makes Henry splutter and flush but thankfully Alex is currently hyperfocused on tortilla-making, letting the stimulation of the music and singing and dancing along carry him through the task.
The song concludes just as Alex finishes up his first batch of tortillas and he sings along to the outro, settling for a lower harmony to complement Dolly Parton’s higher register (and also because he does not want to wreck his voice attempting those notes), and the voice sounds to Henry like the smoothest of whiskeys, like the smell of a crackling fire, like the sound of a thousand Texas summers past and a million more in their future. And Henry, helpless always when faced with every iota of the fucking lethal Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz, leans on the kitchen island counter, resting his chin in his hands and uncaring of how ridiculous he looks in his unbuttoned shirt and borrowed board shorts as he admires his boyfriend being happy and in love and fucking proud of it.
Alex stacks his perfectly round tortillas together as he covers them up and turns to place them on the island, only just then noticing the audience he unintentionally gained with his little performance.
“Oh shit um, I didn’t realise you guys were all here.”
“Oh, don’t stop on our account, babes, dear Hazza was just getting cosy listening to your dulcet tones!”
At that, Alex focuses on Henry, who’s still looking at him lovingly, contentedly, with that imperfectly gorgeous smile that’s just for Alex gracing his features. And like it does every time, the frantic buzzing and sparking Alex usually feels under his skin settles for a moment, not disappearing entirely, but quieting enough he can hear the way his heart stutters at the sight of Henry's beautiful everything turned solely to him.
“Yeah? You enjoy the show, baby?”
He meant to sound more flippant and playful, but it has ended up more earnest, slightly more vulnerable than one would expect for a casual summer afternoon.
“It was wonderful, love, I think you should consider a career in being a professional Dolly Parton impersonator,” Henry laughs, his voice more genuine than his teasing words would imply.
“Unfortunately I think I don't quite have the pipes to offer the due respect her work deserves, and I don’t think NYU would appreciate it if I pulled out now after all the security briefings with the Secret Service but thank you anyway,” Alex sighs and Henry rises from his perch at the counter, moving to tug Alex into his arms, his boyfriend burying his face into the crook of his neck in his favourite way he’ll never admit to in public, sun-warmed skin pressed together through thin layers of linen and cotton.
“Is it true cariad ? All I have to do is smile and your defences go out the window? If that’s the case then I must tell you that you are the one who’s always looking better than anyone has a right to,” Henry murmurs into Alex’s temple, lips brushing against his forehead, aquiline nose buried in riotous dark brown curls, inhaling the scent of warm spices and the underlying coconut scent of Alex’s curl cream.
“ Mi amor , you of all people should know that I’ll always be weak for you, I remember I wrote you a list of all the reasons why, surely I mentioned your beautiful smile at some point over my numerous additions to it over the months?” Alex says against Henry's neck, inhaling the clean grass and linen scent he adores mixed in with clean sweat and summer blooms. The warm breath from Alex's lips makes Henry tighten his arms around Alex, leaving absolutely no room for anything between them.
“Ugh I wish I could be mad about how disgustingly in love they are but it’s so damn cute I can't find it in me to be upset.”
“You’ve got that right–I'm not even really looking for a relationship right now and I feel lonely.”
“I wish I could run the numbers on when they’ll stop being so nauseatingly in love and ruining it for everyone else but I don't think I can find those odds.”
“Do you reckon they realise they have an audience, or should we say something?”
“We can hear you, you know?” Henry deadpans, dry tone losing its effect a little with the way he’s cuddled close with Alex, the couple the very picture of romanticism.
“We know, now if we want to make sure Alex and Pez’s hard work doesn’t go to waste, at least move out of the middle of the kitchen so we can get shit sorted,” June gently nudges AlexHenry to the side with a soft hand to Alex’s back, briefly ruffling his curls as she passes, fondly smiling at Henry who acknowledges her with the tiniest of smiles, bashful as he leads Alex to a corner to presumably continue exchanging sweet nothing before joining the rest for lunch.
Food and dishes and cutlery are quickly brought out to the dining table outside, the noise and laughter and music trailing into the kitchen from the open doors as the rest of the Super Six who are not currently entangled in an attempt to become one human being head out into the sunshine.
“Love, are you really okay with what just happened? If it really bothers you that we caught you in an embarrassing moment then let me know and I’ll tell the rest to drop it and we don’t need to bring it up ever again.”
Alex scoffs, "Am I okay with the people we are closest to witnessing me being stupidly in love with you to the point you got me singing love songs about you even when you’re not there? Hell fucking yeah Hen. We’ve been through too much for me to want to hide my love for you.”
“Even though Pez recorded it?” Henry draws back and reluctantly pulls Alex away from his comfortable spot to look him in the eyes.
“Look, I may not want every single aspect of our lives broadcasted on the Internet for the whole world to see and pick apart, but shit like that is just for us, and I trust Pez to not post stuff without our say-so. The same way I trust June or Nora or Bea to do the same.”
“So you don’t want to share things like that anymore? At least publicly?”
“Maybe just for now? I don’t feel fully safe sharing such personal things with the whole world. But someday, I’m going to feel confident enough to choose to share our relationship and how happy and in love I am. How happy and loved you make me feel,” Alex quirks a crooked smile, leaning up to press a quick peck to Henry’s lips but missing and landing on his chin instead, prompting Henry to shift his hand and hold Alex’s face in his hands, and tug him closer for a proper kiss.
“Even if you never feel okay with sharing anything, I do like that we still have these records of these memories to fall back on. Even just being able to take photos of us together, to record videos of us and our family just having fun and living life and for it to not need to be posted anywhere. To know that if that’s what we wanted, they’d never see the light of day ever again.”
“Not to mention Nora’s insane fucking encryption and firewalls on our accounts and devices.”
“Mmm yes, there’s that.”
“Now, I’m super excited for you to experience the joy that is leftover barbeque tacos, a patented Claremont-Diaz family tradition! And I even adjusted the pico do gallo to not have so many peppers just for you and Bea! Though we really need to train y’all's coloniser tastebuds if you’re going to stick around,” Alex teases as he leads Henry over to the familiar sound of their friends’ laughter, fingers intertwined.
“Even if it’s forever?”
“Especially if it’s forever, baby. You’re stuck with me, bad Dolly Parton kitchen karaoke and everything.”
“Looking forward to it, love.”
[A series of photos and videos on an Instagram carousel, posted by @pezokonjo ]
[Post 1: A waist-up picture of Alex and Henry, standing shirtless on the dock of Oscar Diaz’s lakehouse. Henry’s arm is wrapped around Alex’s waist and he seems to be mid-laugh while Alex presses a kiss to his cheek. Given the length of Henry’s hair and Alex’s facial hair, the photo seems to be taken very recently.]
[Post 2: A previously unreleased selfie from the first Young America New Year’s Eve Gala attended by the entirety of the Super Six following Ellen Claremont’s re-election. All members of the Super Six are dressed up for the party and seem to be squeezing in together to try and get in the shot, Pez is pressing a sloppy kiss to Henry’s cheek as he laughs, and Alex looks on at his boyfriend mid-laugh, while Bea pulls a faux-shocked face at their antics, Nora winks at the camera, and June rolls her eyes in fond exasperation.]
[Post 3: A video of Alex playing with David, presumably in the living room of their Brooklyn brownstone, while wearing a navy blue Oxford jumper. Alex can be heard cooing and baby-talking to David in a mixture of English and Spanish as the camera pans over to Henry, perched on an armchair in a purple NYU hoodie as he looks on quietly with fondness in his eyes. Pez can be heard telling Henry behind the camera, “You’re so hopelessly smitten it’s ridiculous!” as Henry laughs and throws a cushion at the camera.]
[Post 4: A mirror selfie in what is clearly an extravagant bathroom, presumably Kensington Palace, of Henry and Pez in bathrobes with green face masks slathered on, Henry’s robe is pink to match the cloth headband keeping his hair out of his face while Pez’s turquoise robe matches his durag. The two of them are throwing up peace signs at their reflection.]
[Post 5: A candid of Henry at his office in the Brooklyn branch of the Fox-Okonjo Foundation’s shelters for queer youth. He’s showing his mother, Princess Catherine, around, gesturing to a display of artwork by some of the youth at the shelter on display in his office. Catherine looks on fondly at Henry, taking in the beautiful art as well as the walls decorated with Pride flags, photos from both the shelter, as well as personal ones, and a collage that’s pride of place on the wall of quotes and images of queer activists and artists, photos from protests and Pride parades, as well as queer liberation slogans and more mini pride flags. Henry seems to be incredibly comfortable and at ease in the picture.]
[Post 6: A video of what appears to be a graduation ceremony. The camera focuses on one of the recent graduates, who walks over to where the videographer is and happens to be Alex, in his law school graduation robes and serape stole with a scroll in hand, as he beams as the group of friends and family cheers for him. As he approaches the group, Henry presents him with a bouquet, which Alex accepts with a kiss and a smile to the sound of the cheers of their group. As they draw back from the kiss, tears are visible on both of their faces for a brief moment before Alex is surrounded by cheers and congratulations once more before the video cuts out.]
[Post 7: A photo of Henry in his polo uniform next to a horse, hair tousled from his helmet which he holds in one hand while the other runs his hand through his hair, Alex can be seen waiting at the fence around the field in a pale purple blazer and trousers with a white shirt underneath, openly gaping at Henry, expression full of love and wanting, which Henry is yet to notice as he walks away from the camera and Alex. Bea and June look on at the tableau in front of them, Bea rolling her eyes and June face-palming at Alex’s inability to be subtle around Henry.]
[Post 8: A photo from Henry’s first London Pride as an out gay prince, Pez and Henry embracing outside Buckingham Palace, Pez in a bright rainbow glitter shirt-dress with fishnets and platform boots and hair dyed lavender, Henry wrapped in a Pride flag covering his tie-dyed The First Pride Was A Riot t-shirt and jeans with a six-stripe rainbow flag lining on the sides, as Alex looks on with a proud and besotted smile on his face, bisexual Pride flag painted on his cheeks and clad in a bright pink History, huh? crop top and purple jean shorts paired with dark blue Converse. Around them, the crowd cheers.]
[Post 9: A video of Alex at a stove flipping tortillas while singing along to Dolly Parton’s Here You Come Again , he seems oblivious to the camera as he sings, and the camera pans over to Henry who is perched on a stool at a kitchen island, face in his hands as he unashamedly admires Alex, flush darkening his face, ears, and beginning to travel down to his neck and partially-exposed chest, smile soft and fond as the camera pans back to Alex, still singing and dancing while he cooks, oblivious to his audience. The video ends when Alex finally turns around as the song ends, his expression akin to a deer in headlights, mouth agape as it dawns on him that he was being watched.]
[Post 10: A photo of Alex and Henry at the lakehouse, clearly taken around the same time as the first photo in the carousel. In this photo, Alex’s left hand faces the camera, a worn gold ring on his ring finger as his and Henry’s kiss is blocked by his hand, his other arm wrapped around Henry’s body. Henry has his right arm holding Alex’s left hip, his left hand coming to rest over Alex’s shoulders, the worn gold ring on his finger not matching Alex’s, but complementary to it.]
[Caption: @pezokonjo : I’m so happy to finally share some of my favourite moments of @hrhprincehenry over the years, especially when and where @theagcd was present! I’m so proud of you Hazza, if anyone deserves the immeasurable happiness and joy of living their truth, it’s you. It’s been an honour to watch you grow and also fall in love with the man of your dreams (and alcohol-fuelled rambles on my sofa). And of course all my love to my dearest Alexander, who loves my Henry so loudly and unconditionally in a way I feared he would never be able to experience. Congratulations on finally getting engaged you two, hopefully my dear prince and his strumpet never get any less nauseatingly in love! If I’m not allowed to plan the bachelor parties I will object at the wedding while wearing a full bridal outfit. <3]