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“Alright, Hazza. Your turn. Truth… or dare?”
Henry groans, rolling his eyes and gripping his glass of vodka and… whatever the fuck Pez handed him a little tighter. “Christ, can’t we skip me this time? I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one evening.”
“Not so fast, Prince Charming,” Alex grins from across the coffee table, his brown eyes doing nothing to ease the warmth flooding through Henry’s chest. “It’s game night in the Claremont-Diaz-Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor-Okonjo-Holleran household, and everyone must participate.”
A collective groan fills the room as the four roommates turned best friends - Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor-, Percy (“Pez, like the sweets”) Okonjo, and Nora Holleran - shake their heads. Nora’s the first to speak up. “Alex, babes, there’s too many fucking last names in this room for that to be the title.”
“Fine, we’ll call it… cdfmwoh.” Alex snorts and then shrugs. “It’s a work in progress! Now, no more distractions. It’s your turn, H!”
Their eyes meet once more and Henry, ever the responsible one of the group, sighs before murmuring, “Truth.”
The other three boo, causing Henry to laugh and shrug his shoulders. He already knows what would happen if he said dare - he’s not an idiot.
He knows that Pez and Nora are itching for a chance to dare Henry to kiss Alex.
Here’s the thing - it’s not that he doesn’t want to kiss Alex. In fact, it’s all he’s wanted to do since the day they were introduced as roommates, when Alex had turned around in a sweat-soaked tank top and turned Henry’s entire world upside down with a smile.
So, yeah. Alex is beautiful. But he’s also brilliant, funny, sweet, and caring; he’s the exact kind of man Henry would have pictured himself falling in love with.
He’s also one of Henry’s closest friends, and the thought of ruining that if Alex doesn’t return his feelings terrifies him more than anything else.
“You suuuck,” Nora groans as she shoves his knee playfully.
“Now now, Nora. Our dear Hazza just knows us too well.” Pez grins at the crimson flush that covers his ears and cheeks. “It’s fine, he knows the rules. If you don’t want to answer, drink.”
Pez and Henry meet each other’s gaze now. Henry tries to pretend like he doesn’t feel Alex watching him intently.
“Do you want to kiss Alex?”
Bloody hell.
Henry can feel his stomach drop as his surroundings seemingly fade into the distance. He’s now acutely aware that Alex is still looking at him with a smirk on his lips, eager for Henry’s answer.
Henry, however, isn’t going down that easy. And he’s not giving Alex the satisfaction of knowing a gay man is attracted to him.
“Hmm,” he says, turning to look at Alex now. He purses his lips, opening his mouth like he’s going to answer… and then, at the last second, brings the cup to his mouth and finishes off the rest of his drink.
Nora and Pez say something on either side of him, but Henry doesn’t hear them. He’s not aware of anything except for his heartbeat pounding in his ears… and Alex.
Alex, whose smirk wipes clean off of his face as he deflates a little. It’s a reaction Henry hadn’t anticipated.
He hates it.
“Alex-”
“I’m gonna get another drink. I think I’m good with games for the night.” Alex stands abruptly and makes a small joke Henry doesn’t hear before heading into the kitchen.
Reluctance floods Henry’s veins at Alex’s reaction, and there’s a brief pause before Henry finally speaks. “I think I’m going to grab a glass of water. I’d prefer not to have a hangover tomorrow.”
“Haz, if you’re able to speak like an English teacher when you’re drunk, you’re clearly not drunk enough.”
“Hush. Let’s find a movie to watch or something, yes?”
His mind is focused on one thing as he stands up, managing to stay upright (somehow) while making his way into the kitchen. There, he finds Alex, hands propped on the edge of the counter as he stares at his empty glass, causing Henry’s eyebrows to furrow. “Alex?”
“Why don’t you want to kiss me?”
The question is asked so abruptly that Henry almost falls over. “What?”
“I said,” Alex turns now, looking hurt and confused as he meets Henry’s gaze, “Why don’t you want to kiss me? Like, I know you probably have a type, but I didn’t think I was ugly or anything. Yet again, you’ve never really shown interest in Pez, so-”
“Alex.”
“But like. Did I do something wrong? Or am I just that annoying?”
“Alex, it’s nothing like that-”
“But it’s me, right? It has to be! Because why else would you drink instead of saying yes or no? Like at least be fucking honest with me.”
“Alex! Bloody hell, I - It’s not that I don’t want to kiss you, it’s just-”
“Just what?”
“Just not like this!!”
Alex closes his mouth, blinking at Henry with a look of pure confusion. “What?”
“I mean -- Christ. Like, you know when the moment just isn’t right? We were in front of our friends and it was a dare and… Shit.” Henry groans and runs a hand over his face. “Not like this, Alex.”
They stay like that momentarily before Pez and Nora poke their heads in, laughing a little at whatever they were discussing beforehand. “Come on, let’s watch this fuckin’ movie! You guys good?”
Alex and Henry exchange a glance and a nod before following them out into the living room. Henry, tired and drunk, doesn’t pay attention to the movie as a single thought flickers through his mind.
Alex wants to kiss me.
By the time the group goes to bed, it's after 1:30 a.m. By 3 a.m., Henry is back in the kitchen, hands wrapped around a cup of Earl Gray tea. Insomnia isn’t new to him, unfortunately.
It’s also nothing new to Alex, who walks in about 10 minutes later, nudging Henry gently on the way to the fridge. “You’d think alcohol would help us sleep.”
Henry chuckles at that. “You’d think,” he murmurs as his gaze travels over Alex’s bare arms, hunger churning in his groin. “Our brains have a different idea, it would seem.”
Alex snorts and sits down next to Henry, his smile turning a touch softer. “Sorry if you felt pressured or anything earlier. I didn’t mean to be an ass.”
“Alex, please.” Henry’s hand moves to cover Alex’s on reflex. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sorry if I made you feel like you’re not -”
“No, shuttie. You’re great, sweetheart. You have your boundaries and you set them.”
Henry smiles softly at that, taking in Alex’s features in the soft light, his heart squeezing in his chest. He’s so in love with this man he could die.
“And you didn’t break them, alright? None of you did.” Alex’s hand turns in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. Henry focuses on his tea to keep his breathing steady. “I’ve never been as happy as I have in the years living with you, Pez, and Nora. You three and our sisters, of course - are my favorite people in the world, alright? Nothing is going to change that.”
When Alex nods, there’s an almost imperceptible glimmer in his eyes. Henry only notices it because he knows Alex better than anyone else. “Thank you, H. I’m sorry. I just get worried sometimes that… I don’t know. I know I can overreact sometimes, and it’s a lot for people. I just don’t want to be too much for you.”
Henry’s hand squeezes Alex’s now, his smile warm and bright as he says, “I think you’re the perfect amount. I like how much you are. If you took that away, then you wouldn’t be you.”
They stay there for a few more minutes, Alex looking soft and sleepy, Henry feeling the tea slowly working its magic. Once they’ve cleaned up they head back to the hallway together; Henry to his room, Alex to his own across the hall.
When Alex turns to look at him, all soft smiles and flushed cheeks, murmuring a soft “Goodnight, Henry,” Henry realizes it’s the moment.
Not like this, he’d said to Alex in the kitchen. Alex hadn’t known what he’d meant.
“Alex.”
His hand grips Alex’s bicep as he tugs back, turning Alex to face him. Without hesitation, he cups his face with his free hand and pulls him in, feeling his entire world tilt on its axis as their lips finally, finally meet.
Henry had dreamt about this moment for years now. He’d imagined all of the different ways he could confess his feelings to Alex; all of the ways he could show him how he felt and how deeply he loved this beautiful, hilarious, boisterous, incredible man.
Yet, here they are, standing in he hallway of their shared apartment, Alex in his arms as he pours all of his love and emotion into that single kiss.
Alex, for his part, gives as good as he gets. He melts under Henry’s touch, pulling him as close as possible as his lips part for his tongue. Their bodies align perfectly, like two puzzle pieces making their way home to each other.
Henry doesn’t know how long they kiss, just that they’re both panting when they break. He leans in and kisses him again, then again, murmuring his following words into the air between them.
“I meant something like that.”
A breathless laugh escapes Alex as he pulls Henry even closer, pecking his lips and murmuring, “It’s about fucking time, baby.”
They kiss once more, soft and sweet. When Henry asks Alex to be his boyfriend, Alex all but pounces on him, the kisses growing hungry as he opens the door behind him without parting from Henry’s lips.
And, well. Henry is a weak man, so when Alex - his boyfriend - tugs Henry into his bedroom… who is Henry to say no?