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"I'll pick you up at the airport," Alex's voice is distant on the other end of the call. Henry knows it's because he's on speaker—he can hear the dull thunk of heavy books, paper rustling that conjures up an image of Alex flipping through notes, the clicking of keys as Alex types—but it's fitting that Alex sounds like he's half a world away.
Henry pauses in the middle of folding a sweater, his suitcase open on the bed in front of him and David curled up against the pillows. He's been back in England since the beginning of December for the Christmas season, fulfilling royal obligations he wishes he didn't have, while Alex had stayed behind to finish papers and final exams.
"Are you sure?" Henry asks, knowing law school keeps him busy most of the time, even at the start of a term. Alex yawns loudly in his ear. He hears Alex pick the phone up, and when he speaks he no longer sounds half a world away.
"Of course I'm sure," Alex answers. Henry imagines him going to the kitchen for more coffee. Alex's voice goes soft when he adds, "It's been over a month, Hen."
The unspoken I miss you makes his heart clench and his throat tighten. He understands. Henry hasn't had a decent night of sleep since he arrived, his bed too big and too empty. Old anxieties resurface and without Alex he feels unsteady and off center while trying to grasp for his old coping mechanisms. He misses the freedom of life in New York, of not having every minute of his day scheduled down to the second. Nothing in the palace smells like coffee and cinnamon and Alex—at least not since one of the household staff had washed the NYU hoodie Henry had tucked away as a way to have at least part of Alex with him. Everyone is too agreeable, too quick to say yes, always stiff and proper. He's tired of being treated like a prince instead of just Henry, and he sighs heavily.
"Only a few more hours, love." Henry looks at his watch and resumes folding and packing everything up.
"That's still a few hours too long."
Henry chuckles. "Indeed, but your classes should keep you occupied enough that it won't seem as long?"
"Your optimism about that is adorable," Alex teases and Henry feels his cheeks get warm. He supposes Alex is right, that nothing helps speed up time when waiting for something that is so close, but still so far away. Alex clears his throat. "Just don't be too long, okay?"
"I promise."
Henry knows they're both reluctant to end the call, both wanting to hang on to each other in whatever way they possibly can until they're both in the same postal code again, but they do end the call after a string of be safe and I love yous. When he's finished packing, Henry changes into the suit that's been set out for him to travel in, and gets David ready to go. The drive to the air strip is silent and Henry absently pets David as he watches the scenery fly by.
Nothing seems to hold Henry's attention during the flight. He tries to add to his manuscript, pulling out his journal and a pen, absently tapping the pen against a blank page for too long before giving up. He gives reading a decent try, but throws in the towel when he's had to read the same page three or four times without absorbing any of it. He plays with David for a bit before David loses interest and lays down at his feet. After a while he decides to just close his eyes, not with the intention to sleep, but with the hope that when he opens them again, time will have sped up and he'll be that much closer to being home. To being back with Alex.
It's cold and gray when Henry finally steps off the plane, following David down the steps onto the tarmac. David immediately starts to pull against the leash that keeps him at Henry's side, whining and barking, and when Henry finally lays eyes on Alex several feet away from them, he understands David completely. He bends down to release David from the leash and stuffs it in his coat pocket when David instantly takes off toward Alex, then pops the collar against the chill that bites at the back of his neck.
He takes Alex in as he closes the gap between them in long strides, and Christ, he's gorgeous. He leans against the hood of the towncar that normally sits parked in front of the brownstone, a down jacket zipped all the way up, jeans that Henry knows cling to Alex in all the right places, wind sweeping through his curls.
"Hey Davey!" Alex says happily, crouching down as David tries to jump up on him, all of his training be damned. Alex scratches enthusiastically behind David's ears, his face scrunched up against an onslaught of sloppy kisses to his chin and cheeks. Henry can't help the smile that takes over his face or the laugh that rumbles up through his chest.
"Alright David, that's quite enough," he says when Alex is finally within reach.
Alex stands and swipes one of his sleeves over his cheek, and Henry isn't sure if the slight hint of red against his bronze skin is from the sleeve or the cold—not that it matters.
"Hi, sweetheart." Alex reaches for him and draws him into a hug, and Henry wraps his arms around Alex as he melts into it. Alex pulls back just enough to pull him in for a string of slow, soft kisses before murmuring against Henry's lips, "Fuck, I missed you."
"I missed you, too, love." Henry punctuates his words with a kiss that lingers maybe a little longer than it should, but he doesn't care. They have lost time to make up for. "Let's go home, shall we?"
Henry settles David in the backseat of the towncar while his luggage is loaded into the trunk. When he slides into the front seat beside Alex, Henry feels something settle inside him, like he can feel all the anxiety that had built up over their time apart melting away.
"Ready?" Alex asks, reaching over to take Henry's hand, slotting their fingers together.
"Ready, love." Henry gives Alex's hand a gentle squeeze and a soft smile.
He knows the drive back to Brooklyn is at least a half hour in good traffic, longer in rush hour, but as he listens to Alex tell him more about the start of the new semester, spending Christmas in Austin and New Year's Eve with June and Nora, and how he finally understood why Henry had always hated it before—having no one to kiss at midnight is depressing—Henry knows he's finally home.