Chapter Text
Alex's memories of the night Ellen Claremont was re-elected as the 45th President of the United States of America for a second term were mostly hazy. In retrospect, a wide variety of events were strung together so rapidly that Alex had trouble reconstructing the entire evening in detail chronologically. But even if he couldn't remember exactly how he had spent the nerve-wracking hours leading up to the announcement of the official election results, a few iconic moments stood out. The first cries of jubilation still echoed in his ears today. His mother whispering a mere "thank you" to him because it was his campaign that secured the Democrats the majority of votes in Texas. A rare hug from Zahra, who had a tear blackened by mascara running down her cheek. Surely Alex had shaken many more hands that night. But whose - he couldn't say.
But when Alex thought back to the night Ellen Claremont was re-elected as the 45th President of the United States of America for her second term, there was only one feeling he remembered that still regularly threw him off course. A strange mixture of pure pride, almost naïve confidence and irrepressible happiness. Alex was sure that there was no word yet found for what he felt. It was like a balloon sitting in his chest. One look into Henry's eyes was enough to make the thing swell to the size of a soccer ball and set his wild heart on fire in such a way that for a moment he almost had to catch his breath.
That night, standing on a huge stage with his family in front of thousands of people, cheering them on, Alex took Henry's hand. He watched as their fingers intertwined and squeezed it lightly, as if to reassure himself that Henry would remain standing beside him. His mother's voice, beaming with joy as she gave her victory speech, as well as the thunderous applause of the crowd, faded into a muffled background noise in Alex's mind. Then he raised his head, only to meet Henry's gaze, which carried so much warmth and affection that Alex couldn't help but gasp quietly. All the fear and insecurity that had defined their life just a few weeks ago during the time of the involuntary outing now seemed light years away. Like a different life. Somehow that wasn´t too far from the truth. They had been trapped in social customs, historical constructs, and fear of consequences. Both Alex and Henry had struggled so hard. They had fought with themselves, with each other, and most importantly for each other against the rest of the world. And it had paid off to be brave. Because now they were free.
They had won.
They had long since left the big stage. Ellen gave another unofficial victory speech, addressed to all the people who had managed to bring the campaign to a success. This time Alex enjoyed every word. There was more than a Madam President-elect message in the words Ellen found. They were also the words of a strong woman, a lioness who fearlessly fought for the values, principles and progress of her country. They were the words of his mother. Alex felt pride pulsing through his veins. He had to literally tear himself away from the sight of her radiant laughter. Henry stood next to him and gently put his hand on his shoulder. Alex looked at him and immediately felt the balloon in his chest fill with that familiar warmth. "What do you want to do now?" Henry's eyes looked at him expectantly and his breathless voice revealed that he, too, was deeply touched by the events of the evening.
Alex didn't have to think twice. "Do you still have my key on you?" he asked. After Henry just nodded, Alex took his hand and led him away from all the commotion. On rickety wheels, they rode through the quiet streets of Austin. On the big stage they presented as Alexander Claremont-Diaz, First Son of the United States and His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales. Now, as they drove through the black night, each cone of light from the yellow street lamps rising over them like a new sun, they were just Alex and Henry. Two souls that had somehow found each other at just the right time. Alex's destination had been the old family home. The only home he had ever known before his mother was appointed to the White House four years ago. As Alex turned the key in the lock and heard the familiar creak of the door, he involuntarily paused. For a moment, with his eyes closed, he perceived the house's own smell, which he had thought forgotten. Astonished, he realized how good it felt to come home. He smiled, then he was the first to step over the threshold into the dark hallway. Henry followed him. A family friend kept checking up on the property, and Alex's father Oscar had hired a company to make sure the exterior of the house looked neat and tidy. Only the white covers covering the furniture gave a hint that the family home was currently unoccupied.
Henry tiptoed quietly and deliberately through the spacious hallway, his eyes only slowly becoming accustomed to the darkness. He ran his fingertips along the wall until he reached the doorway that apparently led into the living room. He felt small scars carved into the wood at irregular intervals. At about the level of his chest, they stopped. "That's how tall I was at 11." Alex leaned his shoulder against the wall opposite to him, had his arms crossed, and watched Henry examine the markings. Henry turned to him, an amused smile playing around his lips at the hint of pride in Alex's voice. He, too, folded his arms and thrust his chin forward a little. "Is that so? What a shame there wasn't much more to come." His heart began to beat faster as Alex pushed himself off the wall. Although it was dark, Henry saw Alex raise an eyebrow in mocked indignation and open his mouth to let out a laugh. It barely took two quick steps, then Alex had covered the distance between them and navigated them with his hands on Henry's hips in such a way that they found themselves pressed against the door frame. A heartbeat later, Alex leaned against him with his entire body length. "Careful, Your Majesty. This is my kingdom!" he whispered softly into Henry's ear, who immediately felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine. With his eyes closed, he leaned his head back, giving Alex the space he needed to plant three feather-light kisses on the soft skin at his neck. As if of their own accord, Henry's hands traveled up Alex's sides. Even through the thick fabric of the sweater Alex had quickly thrown on before cycling, he could feel the powerful muscles of his upper arms. Soon he let his fingertips slide through Alex's thick dark hair and put his other hand to his neck. Then, with his eyes closed, Henry slowly turned his head, felt Alex's cheek against his, and almost surrendered to his unstoppable fate.
Almost.
"Still taller than you." He whispered back just as softly and couldn't help laughing out loud when Alex's head jerked back and he fixated on him from narrowed eyes. Still laughing, Henry leaned forward, into Alex's arms, and now in turn nuzzled his nose into the warm crook of his partner's neck. Alex shifted his weight to hold Henry and muttered something about tough romance and the mother of all lies. However, not without placing an affectionate kiss on Henry's temple.
"Follow me, I want to show you something." Alex grabbed Henry's hand, smiled, and then pulled him toward the stairs leading to the top floor. Henry gasped for air. "Can we please take a look at your room? I can't leave here without knowing what posters cover your walls."
"Later," Alex promised. "I've got something better. You'll like it." The stairs ended in a wide corridor from which four more rooms led off. All the doors were closed and Alex wandered purposefully toward the large rectangular window that opened on the wall at the far end of the hallway. Alex opened it wide. With his hands he propped himself up on the windowsill and leaned out into the darkness. Then he turned his head and with a nod he motioned Henry to come closer. The view led out to the garden and as he closed his eyes and took in the cold night air with a deep breath, the only sound he heard was the rustling of branches in the wind of the surrounding trees. Henry opened his eyes when he heard Alex starting to climb out of the window, apparently. "What in the name of god are you doing?" he asked, watching Alex brace himself with well-practiced hands on the small canopy that ran along just beside the window. In answer, Alex just reached out his hand to allow Henry to climb up after him. The prince, however, visibly hesitated and looked at the narrow roof on which Alex knelt. "It's safe, don't worry. Trust me, I've climbed up here hundreds of times." As if to prove it, Alex rose and jumped from one foot to the other. Henry didn't necessarily look reassured. Quite the opposite, in fact. Still, he nodded. "Good Lord, it's all right! Move over and hold still. I'm coming." After Henry settled beside him, Alex continued to climb forward until the roof flattened out beside him. It was the roofing of the window from which they had just climbed out. The space was too narrow to sit side by side, but stretched out in length. Alex slid all the way to the back and patted the empty seat in front of him. Henry still looked skeptical, but followed him, carefully probing each of his steps. As soon as he had finally settled carefully in front of Alex and in between his legs, his boyfriend put his arms around him, pulling him closer until he could rest his back comfortably against Alex's shoulder. Alex angled one leg so Henry could rest an arm on it. A few heartbeats later, he slowly began to relax in the safety of Alex's embrace.
For a while, they watched the cloudless sky in silence. Above them, the stars guarded the firmament in their cosmic constellation, and if he looked closely, Alex thought he could see a little twinkle in each of them. "The light from the stars takes such an incredibly long time to reach Earth. What we see as mere sparkle is the light they reflected so many years ago. Means when we see stars shining, we're actually taking a peek into their past," Alex hadn't taken his eyes off the night sky above him as he spoke. "And into ours, too." He felt Henry slowly tipping his head to his chest. "I used to climb up here a lot at night. It's so peaceful." Then he turned to his friend. "I feel like this is the first time in.... forever that it's just the two of us." They remained silent for a moment. Then Henry whispered, "I can hear your heartbeat." and enjoyed the slight vibration that ran through his body when Alex leaned forward and hummed softly into his hair. Henry turned his head to be able to see his face and was a little surprised by the tenderness that laid in the look of his partner. With his hand still on Alex's leg, he gently pushed upwards and closed the few inches that still separated Alex's lips from his own. He rested his free hand on Alex's neck, inviting him to deepen the kiss. No further gestures needed. Alex put one hand around Henry's thigh to pull him closer. Then he guided Henry's free arm around his shoulder as well and leaned into the contact. They enjoyed this moment of intimacy, both knowing how rare these moments were in the past of their relationship and, despite their outing, would probably be in the future to come. They both remained public figures and the cameras would probably follow them to the last corners of the world, if only they could. Although Alex was sure they had survived the most difficult times, he was sometimes overcome with overwhelming fear that it was all just a dream, too good to be true. And although Henry would trust Alex with his life without hesitation, every now and then he still worried that tomorrow he might be on his own again. So the kiss was more than just two lips touching. It was a silent promise. This is real and I'm yours. With one hand, Henry reached into Alex's soft hair and gasped slightly as Alex moaned softly without releasing the kiss. His hand moved to Alex's cheek to cup his face. Goosebumps covered Henry's entire body and he suppressed a hiss as Alex's cold fingertips slipped under his shirt and touched his bare skin. Minutes or hours could have passed when Henry finally broke the kiss, turning his head slightly to the side to catch his breath with a pounding heart. Alex ran his thumb along his cheek one last time, then leaned back to give him space. Out of words, the two looked into each other's eyes. Lips red from kissing, pupils dilated and a slight color on their cheeks that couldn't entirely be blamed on the cool night air. Alex smiled gently and nodded. Henry imitaded. Somehow they had understood. This is real and I'm yours.
They remained silent for quite a while. Alex had maneuvered them back into their original position and he enjoyed every second of feeling Henry's every breath against his chest and smelling his familiar scent so godddamn close. Light as a feather, he ran a hand along Henry's upper arm. As he realized that his boyfriend was fascinated by the course of his touch, he felt a warm feeling growing inside of his heart. He slowly stroked the back of Henry's hand and felt him stretch his fingers. For a moment they intertwined their hands, but soon Alex disconnected again to turn Henry's hand around. By now they were both watching the soundless interaction in the pale moonlight in awe. Alex ran his fingertips along Henry's hand, brushing over the wrist, the palm and fingertips. At some point, Henry joined in. Just when Alex caressed his hand along his index finger, he turned his hand and began to touch Alex in the same way. So their hands roamed around each other, into each other, fingers almost intertwined, but not quite.
"Would you go out with me tomorrow?" Henry paused in his movement and looked up at Alex, who was apparently a little surprised himself that he had mumbled the sentence into the silence. He cleared his throat and then turned his head slightly to meet Henry's gaze. His mouth slightly opened, as if he could hardly believe what he had just heard. When Henry's response was delayed, Alex shook his head slightly. "I just thought... I know you have to go back to England soon. But... I'd like to..." he took Henry's hand. "We could go out for dinner. I'll pick out a nice restaurant for us. We dress up and then I'd insult your tie. I'd hold the door open for you and we'd order just one dessert but two spoons. And in the middle of it, I'd take your hand, much like this. And it would be okay." A smile curled Alex's lips as he pictured the evening in his mind. Henry exhaled a sigh of joy. He had been only partially aware of the freedom they had now gained after the world learned of their relationship. Still the right words wouldn't come to him. "Baby, are you okay?" Concern blead into Alex's voice and his eyes darted quickly back and forth between Henry's, trying to interpret his thoughts from his gaze. In the moonlight, Alex saw his boyfriends eyes gleam suspiciously. Henry closed his mouth and swallowed hard before he began to nod cautiously. Then more fiercely.
And then he threw his arms around Alex and buried his face in the warm curve of his friend's neck. "Yes. Oh my god, yes. Let's go out together." The words finally came out muffled. Alex smiled and pressed a kiss into Henry's hair. And there it was again, that balloon in his chest. Which grew bigger and bigger, sending a pleasant tingle through his body and making his whole heart glow with anticipation.