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“Teach me a little more,” Henry whispers.
His head is resting on Alex’s chest, turned at the perfect angle so that he can hear Alex’s heartbeat in his ear. Despite being bigger and taller than Alex he doesn’t mind being the smaller one at times. In fact, he loves the moments like this: where Alex makes him feel tiny and precious and cherished.
“Really?” Alex sounds surprised in the best possible way. “Because you’re already very good at this.”
“Thank you,” Henry shifts so he can give Alex a quick kiss. “I have a wonderful teacher.”
They’ve been at this for a while now, and not only does Henry feel more confident with each lesson, but he’s loving every moment of it. He hopes they’ll be able to do it again after tonight.
“But I want to get even better.”
“Okay then,” Alex nods firmly. “Anoche?”
Alex had picked such a weird assortment of words for Henry’s first foray into Spanish that it made him do a double take. But this is part of who Alex is; his past, his present, his future. Henry can’t wait to spend the rest of his life learning new things about the boy in bed with him. And if that starts with the most bizarre collection of words Henry can think of, he’ll do it gladly.
Calor is Spanish for heat. Snuggled in Alex’s arms Henry is anything but cold.
Azul means blue. Well, colours are often one of the first things you learn when studying a foreign language.
Dolor is the word for pain. He really is clueless as to Alex’s thought process here.
Bombilla is used when you talk about a lightbulb. That one was amusing simply because of how bizarre it was.
Henry’s favourite so far is Pestañas: eyelashes. He loves Alex’s eyelashes the way Alex loves his shoulder-to-waist ratio. (He started his own Incomplete List of the things he loves about Alex. He can’t believe he hasn’t noted this down yet.)
“Last night,” he answers Alex.
Henry really hadn’t expected what happened last night. It was lonely and more than a little unsettling in this monstrously pink room. But then Alex slipped inside the room and into the bed beside him.
He’d kissed him, undressed him and – not unlike the night he’d stormed the castle – had taken him apart so lovingly that all Henry could think about was that moment; lips and hands and those fucking eyelashes. Pushing all his negative thoughts into a corner so that all that was left was happiness.
And afterwards, when Alex whispered “Te adoro, te quiero,” in his ear, Henry knew he needed to learn Spanish. It wasn’t hard to figure out what Alex was saying; but Henry wanted know what Alex had said.
French has been the main foreign language he’d been forced to learn growing up. But despite being so universally adored – the language of love from the City of Lights – it has never meant anything to him. Maybe he wants to learn Spanish so he can stick it to his grandmother and his brother and the rest of the Crown.
Or maybe it’s because of Alex.
“What will they say if they see me around you?” he muses.
“You?” Alex laughs. “This is your room. I’m the one who would get in trouble if we’re caught. And my mother is vicious.”
“Of course she’s vicious, love; she’s the President.”
“You know, after Cakegate, she suggested having the CIA fake my death,” Alex continues. “And I’m not sure she was entirely joking.”
He sighs. “For a moment there, I considered it preferable to spending time with you.”
Henry reaches out and gently touches Alex's arm. He doesn’t want Alex to get in his head about this; after everything that’s happened, he doesn’t want Alex blaming himself for thinking this about him.
Henry needs him to know that’s not true. He cups Alex’s face in his hands and kisses him slowly.
“And now?”
“And now, it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Alex whispers. “Now, there’s nothing I love more than being with you.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Henry replies. “Unfortunately, we can’t keep going at this forever,”
“What do you mean?”
Alex looks, not concerned exactly – he trusts Henry enough to know that he’s talking about something temporary – but Henry does have to admit his comment was worded a touch ominously.
“Merely an observation dear,” he said, rubbing circles on Alex’s hand. “Soon, it’ll be sunrise.”
“Amanecer,” Alex looks down at their joined hands resting on the mattress. He’s almost talking to himself, but Henry catches it and files the word away for future use.
Sunrise.
Sunrise means a new start and another day with Alex.
It’s a long road, and it’s going to take a long time. But now that he’s living for himself he has that time. And maybe the next step doesn’t need to be as long as one day. Maybe an hour at a time is long enough.
He has to fly back to England in the morning.
But right now, it’s still the night, and they’re here with each other. And anything at all can happen just before the sunrise.
Convincing Alex to spend the night teaching him Spanish was easier than Henry expected.
But really, he shouldn’t have worried.
When Henry thinks about best parts of the past year, they all involve Alex; but not necessarily sex.
Dancing at the museum. Alex holding his hand in the backseat of the Secret Service van and promising him their relationship would make it. Standing by his side as Alex told the world how much he loved him…
Their relationship is so much deeper than sex.
“Are you ready to try again?” Alex asks. He pulls away slightly so he can look into Henry’s eyes.
Henry nods. “I think I’m ready.”
He knows he’s ready. He’s ready for anything that includes Alex.
“Okay, here we go,” Alex pauses dramatically before giving him the next word:
“Llámame?”
“Call me,” Henry answers.
“I will,” Alex assures.
They do that every day. No matter where they are; Henry knows as soon as he lands in England later today, he’ll call Alex. If Alex doesn’t beat him to the phone, that is.
Henry hopes that the day where they don’t have to call each other as often comes soon. Because it would mean they’d be living together and there’s nothing he wants more.
He hasn’t told Alex about the shelters yet. He wants to wait until after the election. They’ve won his half of their happy ending; they still have Alex’s left.
“Bésame?”
This is something they do every possible opportunity they have. Now that all the secrets are out they don’t worry if someone will catch them. Henry respects Alex’s mother enough that he agreed to this sleeping arrangement – even if Alex didn’t – but he’s not going to abandon all affection just because she asked and just because she’s the President.
He knows she has seen them at least a couple times and he doesn’t care.
“Kiss me.”
“Well since you asked so nicely…” Alex laughs.
Henry wraps his arms around Alex and beats him to it, their lips meeting a moment before Alex is ready. But all Alex does is pull him closer, so there’s no space between their bodies at all.
“Amame?” he whispers against Henry’s lips.
“Love me.”
Alex smiles. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Three out of three,” he pulls back just enough for them to meet each other’s gazes. “You did alright.”
“Why you…” Henry laughs in mock outrage. “Last I checked ‘alright’ was not used to describe one hundred percent.”
“Who’s the teacher here?” Alex asks teasingly.
“You are an absolute menace, you know that?” Henry teases back.
“I know,” he once again pulls Henry into another kiss.
It’s long and slow and deep, and makes Henry wonder how he could possibly refer to Alex as a menace – even if only jokingly.
“And I do,” Alex adds when they break apart. “Love you, that is.”
“I love you too.”
They keep going. Time feels like it’s passing in a blink and at a crawl simultaneously. Now he’s lying on his back while Alex lazily traces a pattern up his arm and presses his lips to Henry’s shoulder. Henry shivers at the touch.
“Hold me?”
“Abrázame,” Alex answers.
Henry’s not really asking about a translation this time. He just wants to be in Alex’s arms. Alex seems to understand, because he doesn’t say anything else; just wordlessly pulls Henry closer; their arms around the other’s shoulder, foreheads pressed together.
“Prométeme…” Henry whispers.
It’s the first time tonight he’s spoken Spanish unprompted and Alex beams.
“Si, carino?”
“Promise me,” Henry says a little louder. “You’ll be here in the morning.”
He does want to get some sleep before he has to leave and he’s feeling his eyes getting heavy.
Alex stayed throughout last night, but a voice in the back of Henry’s head tells him he doesn’t deserve to ask that question. Not once, but twice, he’s been gone when Alex woke up. Now he’s begging Alex to stay until morning.
Maybe the fact that he knows Alex will stay is why he feels comfortable asking. Because he really can’t help it. He needs Alex to stay beyond the sunrise.
He’s working on trying to rid himself of that voice, but he’s not there yet. And as Alex holds him, Henry remembers that it is okay for him to ask things like that.
He has to learn to live his life as his own. Maybe without his family; but not without Alex. Never without Alex.
“Al amanecer,” Alex nods and presses another kiss to his forehead. “Para siempre.”
Always.