Chapter Text
“Is it over yet?” Alex asked Henry underneath his breath, leaning towards him so they could whisper before the next person stepped up to congratulate them.
Henry chuckled, nudging Alex’s shoulder with his. “I know,” he sighed. “Why did we have to invite so many people again?”
“Because you’re a fucking Prince,” Alex grumbled, polite smile still spread across his lips. “I would have been fine eloping.”
“You couldn’t have somehow forgotten to send half of these invitations out?” Henry joked. “What were you so involved in the planning for?”
“I’m not causing another international incident,” Alex scoffed. “Not at my wedding.”
“Just at my brother’s, then,” Henry quipped and Alex grinned.
They straightened to accept the congratulations of more people Alex had never met in his life - lower nobility, as it turned out, and how strange was it that he outranked all these people now when he had been nothing but an outsider until a couple of hours ago - but his smile became more earnest when he caught the eyes of Liam and Spencer next in the queue.
“Well, look at you, Your Royal Highness,” Liam teased, and the words sounded plainly wrong in his Texas drawl.
“Please, don’t,” Alex made a face, and Liam cackled.
“Congratulations, you two!” Spencer gushed. “Honestly, the wedding was like something out of a dream! I never thought I’d get to see anything like it - a gay royal wedding!”
“Wait until Disney buys the rights,” Liam winked, making Alex laugh.
“Oh, they should!” Spencer said earnestly.
“Please, no,” Henry sighed. “I think a couple of movie makers have already been knocking down our gates for permission from Clarence House. We’ve been resistant so far but I’m sure one will come through eventually.”
“Might as well be Disney,” Alex smirked at him. “You’d make a handsome animated Prince.”
“Just stop,” Henry sighed, but he was smiling. Then, Trish gently signalled for them to mind the time, and Henry bit his lip, saying: “I’m sorry to rush you along, but -”
“It’s fine, we wouldn’t want to hold up the line,” Liam nodded, clasping Alex’s shoulder. “Talk to you later?”
“Definitely,” Alex promised, and then, they went back to accepting pleasantries from people they barely knew.
When they were finally released, the tables were mostly filled. Some people were still lingering, chatting with friends or acquaintances, and Henry and Alex lingered in the doorway, taking in the view.
“Is it too late to sneak out and have our wedding dinner at McDonald's?” Alex asked, making Henry laugh.
“I’m afraid so,” he grinned, reaching out to entwine their fingers. “But you’ve come this far, you can surely make it through the rest of the evening.”
“You have a lot of faith in me,” Alex raised his eyebrows, but when he met Henry’s eyes, his features softened into a smile. “Well, at least there’ll be good food,” he shrugged.
“There’d better be, since you chose it,” Henry laughed.
Aimee popped up behind them at that moment, a bright smile on her face. “Ready to join your crowd of adoring guests?” she asked. “If so, we need to properly announce your entrance.”
“More protocol,” Alex sighed, but he straightened his tux and looked up at Henry, who just nodded. “Well, let’s do it, then, before our adoring guests starve to death.”
They stepped back from the doorway again and the designated host of the evening asked everyone to take their seats. Then, they were officially called inside, under polite applause, and Alex held his head up high and focused on not stumbling once more.
They were seated on a large, central table with Alex’s parents, June, Nora, Catherine, Bea and Pez. Queen Mother Mary, Philip, Martha and Jamie were sat at another table, not far from theirs, with cousins of the Fox-Mountchristen-Windsors. They had thought about that particular decision long and hard - technically, they could have put up a larger table to include them - but after what had happened with Alex and his grandmother last year, Henry had put his foot down and had insisted there was no need for her at the table, no matter which message that sent to the public. Now, as Alex took his seat and looked into the faces of their closest friends and family, he was grateful for Henry’s firm stance. It was calming to be able to let his guard down at least here.
Once they had reached their seats, they had to give a short address - welcome, thanks for coming, please enjoy the food, yadda yadda - and then, they were finally free to sit and take a breather. Catherine reached out to take Henry’s hand with a fond smile, squeezing it.
“That was a wonderful ceremony,” she told him before catching Alex’s gaze. “You did a marvellous job there.”
“Most of the credit goes to Aimee,” he shrugged, reaching out for his glass of champagne and taking a sip.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Henry frowned. “I know how hard you worked on this, and it showed.”
“It’s much nicer than Pip’s wedding,” Bea noted.
“Beatrice,” Catherine scolded.
“What? It’s true,” she pursed her lips, making Alex laugh.
“Also, thanks for these,” June noted, lifting her left arm to show off the corsage that Alex had commissioned from his bouquet before the reception started. Alex had decided to defy the gender normative tradition of throwing the bouquet, instead assigning the florist to work the flowers into female and male corsages for each and every member of their close circles of family and friends to wear tonight; as a token of thanks for supporting them throughout the last couple of months. He’d had the corsages placed on their assigned seats, with a handwritten note from him and Henry, and looking around the table, where he could see everyone wearing them, he was glad to see that his plan seemed to have been successful.
“Thank you ,” Alex grinned at her, “for suffering through my most groomzilla-ish moments.”
“Is this the part where we reminisce on embarrassing making-of stories?” Nora asked. “Because I’m in!”
“I think this is the part where we get the food,” Pez announced, eyes lighting up. “Damn, thank God, I’m starving!”
Alex very much agreed with the sentiment; he hadn’t had much to eat throughout the day, though he had been running on too much adrenaline to care or notice. Now, though, his stomach decided to twist and grumble at the sight of food, and he gave a little sigh of relief. Henry smiled at him and reached out to squeeze his knee affectionately.
In an attempt to make everyone happy while still preserving tradition and not outright going for a buffet (as much as he would have liked to), he had offered various choices on the menu that had been sent to the guests with the invitations, and they had been asked for their preferred meal with the RSVP. Like that, the British nobility could have their British food that Alex wouldn’t have touched for the world, and Alex could put steak or Mexican food on the menu that others could politely ignore. He was very amused to note that Henry had matched him with every order. He wondered if that would end up in the tabloids eventually.
As dinner came to a close, it was time to mingle with the crowd; most of the guests were jumping at the opportunity to have a word with Henry, but Alex, too, was a hot commodity, and he soon found himself surrounded by people, making small talk about his charity and life at Kensington. Bea turned up at his side at one point, a private smile on her lips and a drink in her hand, which she promptly delivered to him.
“You are the best sister-in-law,” Alex sighed, taking a long sip. In a lower voice, he muttered: “So, this is it. I’m one of y’all now.”
“That you are,” she chuckled. “You’re doing beautifully, though. You’re a pro already.”
Alex snorted and she laughed. He glanced around the room, trying to spot Henry - it was an instinct, at this point - and when their eyes met across the room, Alex had to hide his smile behind the rim of his glass.
“Just go over to him already,” Bea laughed under her breath. “You two are so smitten, it almost hurts to watch.”
“Well, we’re newlyweds,” Alex reminded her. “I think we’re allowed.”
“True,” she conceded. “So go and be disgustingly in love over there. Make a show of it.”
Alex grinned and saluted her before making is way over to where Henry was talking to a couple of their age. He smiled brightly when he saw Alex approaching them and held out his arm so Alex could sidle up against him.
“Alex, this is Ben and his wife Hannah,” he introduced. “I went to Eton with Ben. He was one of the few people who didn’t drive me up the walls there.”
“Only because I was a horrible rule-breaker and didn’t bother with our posh classmates,” Ben winked at him before holding his hand out to shake Alex’s. “So nice to meet you, Alex.”
“Likewise,” Alex chuckled. “I had no idea Henry hung out with troublemakers at school. Do tell.”
“You have met Pez, haven’t you?” Henry said pointedly, making Alex laugh.
“Right,” he nodded.
“Pez is around here somewhere, too, right?” Ben smirked, craning his head before grinning at Hannah. “You have to meet that guy, he’s something else!”
“A legend for sure,” Henry grinned fondly.
“I still remember that time he pranked the Asheton brothers,” Ben shook his head. “Did they ever find out it was him?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Henry shrugged.
“Okay, now I’m curious,” Alex smirked, leaning in. “Tell me what this one was like, at Eton.”
“Oh, you’re sure?” Ben cooed, his eyebrows dancing. “If I remember correctly, I have an NDA stored away somewhere, do I get sued if I tell your husband what we got up to?”
“You’re still an arse,” Henry laughed, but he did not stop Ben when he launched into a series of stories that had Alex in stitches by the time Aimee waved them away.
“I like him,” Alex announced as they made their way back to their table, “we should go out to dinner with them soon.”
“You just want more embarrassing stories about me,” Henry accused, though he, too, was smiling.
“You used your title to smuggle the three of you into a whiskey distillery overnight, while still underage,” Alex laughed, hooking his arms through Henry’s. “Those are the quality stories I need in my life. I can just imagine your teenage arses getting drunk and running from security before you get busted in the morning.”
“It wasn’t quite as dramatic,” Henry grinned, though he looked proud of his trespasses. “We got out unnoticed and sneaked back into the dorm with a couple of bottles we’d nicked. No one was ever the wiser.”
“So badass,” Alex praised as they took their seats, Aimee waiting for them with her schedule in hand.
“Enjoying yourselves?” she smiled.
“Could be worse,” Alex winked at her and she laughed.
“It’s time for speeches,” she explained, nodding to where June, Nora, Pez and Bea were huddled together, clearly conferring. “Remember, both of you get to say your part, then your best man and women, and your parents. We’ll start with Henry, and you’re up next, Alex. Try to stick to your five-minute limit or this section will become too long.”
“We’ll be fine, I won’t talk that long,” Henry assured her, making Alex laugh.
He didn’t, indeed. His speech was short, but heartfelt. He thanked his family for their support and for being willing to bend traditions so that he’d be able to pursue his happiness. He thanked Alex for staying at his side throughout the difficult times and for never losing faith in him, even when Henry himself had done so.
“I wasn’t always sure we’d get here,” Henry smiled softly at Alex, squeezing his hand, “but I’m so glad we did, and that you gave me the courage to fight for what I want.”
Alex felt already emotional when it was his turn to speak. His words blurred together in his mind - he was aware of throwing in a couple of jokes because the crowd was laughing (with him, not at him, as far as he could tell), and he knew that he was borrowing from the speech he had prepared as well as improvising, addressing both his family and Henry’s in turn, but his brain didn’t really catch up with the words that left his mouth. He felt a bit on autopilot. Maybe the day had been too long already, or maybe it had been one too many glasses of champagne.
Only when he turned to Henry did his mind clear a little. There was something about his clear blue eyes that tethered him to the present, and Alex was grateful for it. He looked at him for a long moment, before shaking his head and saying, completely unscripted: “Sometimes I look at you and still can’t believe you’re real , you know, much less that I get to spend my life with you.” Some laughed at that. Others let out soft sounds of delight. Henry just smiled at him gently and Alex took his hand, entwining their fingers. “Our relationship has never been easy,” he said, “and I don’t think anyone but us understands just how much we’ve been through. But it’s because of all of this that I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that our love for each other will never fade. It’s stronger than anything that could ever come between us.”
“It is,” Henry replied, voice soft but sure, and Alex smiled at him.
When it was time for their friends and sisters to speak, the tone changed considerably, and Alex was not surprised; if he had known one thing, it was that the four of them would take that opportunity to tease the hell out of them. Naturally, they did not disappoint.
“So,” Pez began, a mischievous glint in his eyes, “the four of us have been talking about how today came to be, and in the end we came to the conclusion that this whole wedding is a whole bloody miracle - not because it’s the first homosexual union in the history of the royal family, but because these two were complete useless morons before they started dating.”
The crowd laughed and Alex and Henry exchanged a knowing look of suffering.
“I love my dear brother more than I can ever express,” Bea sighed, shaking her head. “And God knows his position wasn’t easy, but if he thought any of us were fooled by his act of freezing out Alex when really, all he wanted to do was shag him all the way to Sunday, he was deadly wrong.”
“Well, I know one person who was fooled,” Nora said pointedly, her eyes on Alex.
Alex cleared his throat, making the crowd laugh even harder.
“I remember the big talk I had with Alex after he’d first kissed Henry,” Nora shook her head. “‘He’s gay? What do you mean, I’m bi? Am I? I mean, yeah, I enjoyed kissing him, and I can’t stop thinking about him, but am I really?’”
Alex buried his face in his palm and Henry patted his shoulder.
“It’s okay,” June said consolingly. “I know, feelings are hard. You got better at it eventually.”
“It’s not that Henry was much better,” Pez injected. “His pained expression when he got a message from Alex is still fresh in my mind. ‘He sent me a selfie from bed. Again.’”
“Hey, those were hilarious!” Alex called, while Henry only grumbled, sinking back into his chair with a flushed face. “Or, well -”
There was more laughter as the four of them continued mercilessly listing off their more embarrassing antics throughout their pining days until finally, they found some mercy by coming to a conclusion.
“So, now that we’ve established that the road here has been long,” June began.
“Long, long, long, ” Pez stressed.
“And hard,” Nora rolled her eyes, grinning. “Pun not intended.”
“We’d just like to stress how happy we are that those days are over and we can watch you make each other happy,” June said fondly, raising her glass. “Because you might have been morons, once upon a time, but you are two married morons now, and you’re utterly adorable when you are together.”
“Making history and all that,” Nora quipped, and the crowd laughed again. Alex shook his head, grinning.
It was Catherine’s turn to speak next, and her approach was far more emotional. She was regarding Henry when said: “I think you were five when we were all attending a military event together. Philip was already a teenager and he was fully engaged, being shown around by officers, and Bea was at least playing the part, feigning polite interest. But you,” Catherine’s lips curled and she shook her head fondly, “you clearly couldn’t be bothered. You were moody and whiny and had no interest at all. In the end, Arthur gave in and left early with you. I was going to stop him because you were a Prince of this country and you had to learn what that entailed. After all, like Philip, you were one day expected to serve. But you know what Arthur told me?” She took a deep breath, her eyes glazed over slightly as she recited, her tone soft: “ ‘Henry isn’t Philip. He needs different things. Let’s not refuse to give them just because protocol might dictate otherwise.’ ”
Alex glanced up at Henry and saw that his husband had tears in his eyes. He reached out for his hand and Henry clung to it like a lifeline, not looking away from his mother.
“Your father was right,” Catherine continued, with her own watery smile, “as he so often was. Even back then, he saw something in you that we couldn’t see. I often wished that he’d been around. He might have been able to guide you much better than I did. But please know, Henry, that I am proud of the man you have become, and so is he. If he were here, he’d smile the brightest out of all of us, I know it.”
A tear rolled down Henry’s cheek and Alex covered both their hands with his other free hand, the desperate need to comfort overwhelming him, even though he knew that there was nothing he could say.
When Catherine turned to address him, her smile widened.
“I would ask you to look out for him,” she said, “but I know that he’s in good hands. You’ll tear down everyone who dares to hurt him, as will he for you. That’s just the way you two are.” Alex chuckled, shrugging sheepishly. “So all I’ll say is, once again, welcome to the family, Alex,” she concluded, raising her glass. “I couldn’t have asked for a better son-in-law.”
When, at last, it was his parents turn to speak, his Mom sighed dramatically. “That is a hard act to follow,” she muttered, meeting Catherine’s eyes with a warm smile, who was still dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. She laughed, her voice a little choked. “And y’all say the British are cold and emotionally stilted.”
“Must be our influence,” Alex’s Dad grinned, and the crowd laughed.
“Maybe,” Ellen Claremont allowed, smiling at him before her eyes landed on Alex and Henry. “Well,” she shook her head. “When I used to imagine this moment, I certainly didn’t imagine this.”
“Which part?” Oscar asked, grinning. “Him marrying a man, or him marrying a prince?”
That earned him another round of laughter as Ellen considered. “Maybe both,” she admitted. “Though the second is certainly a bit more surprising.” She shook her head, glancing at Alex, before continuing: “I keep thinking back of the day when Alex first mentioned his relationship with Henry. The revelation that he was bisexual? Well, that wasn’t such a huge deal, though he certainly seemed to think so. The fact that he had been seeing the Prince of England behind my back for the past seven month? Kind of a shock, if I’m honest. I saw my Presidency going down the drain that very moment.” There was more laughter, but when Alex’s mother continued, she was a bit soberer. “I asked him back then whether he felt ‘forever’ about Henry,” she revealed. “And he had no straight answer for me, not back then, but only a short while after, his behaviour revealed it for him: Chasing after Henry across the Atlantic, the look in his eyes when their relationship got leaked. He didn’t need to say the words. I knew it was ‘forever’ for him, anyway.”
“I knew that from the first time I saw them together,” Oscar smirked, making Alex’s mother look at him with raised eyebrows. “Alex had invited Henry over to our Lake House, and he hadn’t even introduced him as his boyfriend, but I could still tell from the way they looked at each other. Alex has never looked at anyone the way he’s looked at Henry.”
“Well, he must have got his obliviousness from me, then,” Ellen sighed, and Oscar nudged her with an elbow. “Anyway,” she continued. “What we meant to say is that we are thrilled that this commitment and dedication we recognised in Alex’s eyes back then was mirrored in Henry’s. There’s nothing more parents could wish for their child.”
The speeches came to a conclusion with a round of toasts to their happy marriage and a call for them to kiss (which Pez started, to absolutely no one’s surprise), and then, the buzz finally died down again. Alex was grateful for the break. He slid his chair closer to Henry’s and leaned in to whisper into his ear.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” Henry nodded. “A bit wrung out after Mum’s speech? But I’ll be fine.”
“You want to get out of here for a moment?” Alex asked. “Get some fresh air?”
Henry looked around sceptically. “Will they let us?” he frowned.
“This is our wedding, they’d better,” Alex grumbled.
He got to his feet and pulled Henry up by the hand, making his way to the exit. He caught Trish’s eyes and held up his palm, fingers outstretched - 5 minutes. She nodded, understanding instantly. He knew she’d cover for them.
Some people were out in the gardens. They looked up when they appeared but Alex did not make eye contact. He kept walking until he found a quiet spot farther down, in the shadows of some trees. He was pretty sure they weren’t supposed to go that far, but he could see Danilo in the distance, watching them, so he figured it would be fine. He knew Shaan was inside with Zahra, Cash and Amy. They'd talked earlier.
“Better?” Alex asked, turning to face Henry.
Henry nodded, not speaking. He just reached out to pull Alex against him, and Alex relaxed into the embrace, resting his face against Henry’s shoulder. He could feel Henry breath him in, his nose buried in his curls.
They stayed like this for a few long minutes, and it was the most peaceful Alex had felt all day.
When they returned, Aimee was waiting for them, schedule in hand. “Are you okay?” she asked, her face worried.
“We’re fine,” Henry smiled at her. “Sorry for disappearing. Did we mess up the timeline?”
“Don’t worry about that,” she waved him off. “There’s always room for adjustments. We are due for the cake cutting, though.”
“Let’s do that, then,” Alex nodded. “I could use something sweet.”
“Good,” Aimee smiled, leading them towards where their cake was perched across the room.
Seeing it, Alex had very vivid memories of crashing into a similar cake in this very room. He glanced at Henry, who was biting his lip, trying not to grin. Obviously, his thought process had gone in a similar direction.
The host announced the proceedings, turning everyone’s attention on them. Alex and Henry, though, didn’t go for the knife, as they were supposed to - they had privately come up with a different plan. Instead, Henry asked the host for the microphone, and Alex looked around for Aimee, who was just coming out with a second, slightly smaller cake.
“As most of you know -”
“All of them know, sweetheart,” Alex interrupted, his tone long-suffering, making Henry grin.
“Fine, as all of you know,” he corrected, “Alex and I have a bit of a history with cakes. We accidentally destroyed my brother's wedding cake in this very room. It’s a bit of a funny anecdote now because it ended up bringing us together, but the fact of the matter is that cakes were harmed and we still haven’t made amends. We wanted to change that tonight.”
“Philip, Martha,” Alex said, taking the cart from Aimee and rolling it towards the table where Henry’s brother was sitting with his little family, Henry on his heels. The cake on the cart was a miniature version of the cake they had destroyed the night of their wedding - the only difference was that a small chocolate plate stuck out on top of it, declaring: “We’re sorry.” “We are very sorry for causing an incident on your big day and robbing you of your cake," Alex continued, once he'd safely parked the cart in front of them. "Please forgive us.”
Martha blinked, staring at the cake. Alex could see the wheels in her head turning. She could hardly stay angry in good conscience after such a public apology.
Philip was the one who took the word. “There’s nothing to forgive,” he said cordially. “If this incident is what brought us here tonight, I’d gladly sacrifice ten cakes.”
“Thank you, Philip,” Henry replied, and there was polite applause from the rest of the crowd.
Jamie reached out to grasp for the Philip figurine on the cake, smearing the icing and making Alex laugh. There. At least, it wasn’t them tonight.
They then proceeded with the real cake cutting. Alex was half-convinced they’d destroy the thing in the process but somehow, they made it through, and then, they ended up at their table again, both enjoying a large piece of their Vanilla sponge with Lemon Buttercream cake.
“Okay,” Alex mumbled, mouth still half-full. “No catastrophes. This is good. We’re getting better.”
“We just have better supervision,” Henry chuckled. “Otherwise, this would be a disaster and you know it.”
“The lack of trust!” Alex called, mock-offended. He picked up a piece of cake with his fork and delicately shoved it towards his mouth when Henry wasn’t prepared, making sure to smear the cream all across his lips.
“Hey!” Henry grumbled, mouth still full.
“Serves you right,” Alex grinned, leaning back in satisfaction.
Henry retaliated by picking up the rest of his cake with his hand and shoving it straight into his face. Alex squealed (in a very manly way, thank you very much), and reciprocated in kind, until they were both in hysterics, faces smeared with cream.
“Honestly, what is it with you and cake,” June commented, a smile in her voice. “We’ll have to ban it.”
“No!” Alex called as he dapped his face with his kerchief. “Don’t take away our sweets!”
“You’re not eating them, anyway,” Nora raised her eyebrows before dropping a bit of her own cake into her mouth. “Such a waste,” she muttered, closing her eyes in bliss.
They ended up getting another piece each, which they did eat without incident. And after they had washed up and looked presentable once more, Aimee informed them it was time for their first dance.
Bea had insisted on playing for them, and as they swayed to the gentle notes of her acoustic guitar and her soft singing, Alex was glad that she had. This felt perfect. ‘Your Song’ performed like this, slow and unhurried, without much ado, allowed Alex, if only for a couple of moments, to ignore all the eyes on them and focus only on Henry and the way he smiled tenderly at him.
They could as well be back in the Victoria & Albert Museum, dancing at night in the chapel of Santa Chiara.
(Only with some more moves, because Clarence House had made him take formal ballroom lessons. They still kept it simple for this, though. No need to ruin a perfectly good moment by waltzing.)
The song came to an end far too early, in Alex’s humble opinion, bursting Alex’s bubble as a different one started, the band taking over from Bea, allowing the other guests to join them on the dancefloor. Henry pulled Alex close into a long, lingering kiss.
People demanded their attention again soon after. Their mothers and sisters cut in, demanding dances. Once he’d danced with everyone from his and Henry’s mother to June, Nora, Bea and Pez, who had insisted, he and Henry were waved towards the table with the Queen Mother Mary and Philip, Martha and Jamie by Trish to bid their goodbyes.
“I’ll leave you young folks to your festivities,” Henry’s grandmother said with a stiff smile. “Congratulations again, Henry.”
“Thank you,” Henry nodded. “Have a good night.”
“We’ll be accompanying her,” Philip told him. “Jamie is becoming moody, it’s better if he gets some sleep.”
“Of course,” Alex nodded.
“It was a lovely ceremony and reception,” Martha told Alex. “You did a fantastic job. I know how hard it is.”
“Thank you,” Alex smiled at her, though he couldn’t quite tell if she was being honest or merely polite. “I’m just glad there were no international incidents this time around.”
She laughed, though it sounded a little forced. Ah. Well. Some wounds would never heal, he guessed.
“Well, keep on celebrating, and have a lovely honeymoon,” Philip smiled at them.
“Thank you, we will,” Henry nodded, and with that, the four of them bade their goodbyes, leaving Henry and Alex to their own devices. The two of them stood there for a moment, grinning at each other, and then, Pez came up behind them, pressing glasses of champagne into their hands and whooping.
“Time for party, gents!” he grinned, and Alex laughed.
***
“Oh my God,” Alex moaned when they stumbled up into their room, view swimming. “I’m never drinking champagne again. I’ve had enough for a lifetime.”
“Two lifetimes, possibly,” Henry agreed, loosening his tie with a sigh as he sat down on their king-sized bed. “Wow, I’m exhausted. And drunk.”
“This is our wedding night!” Alex complained, though he didn’t feel much better, to be quite honest. “You’re supposed to put out, old man!”
“Can I just lie here while you do the work?” Henry muttered, batting his eyelashes. Alex tried to look indignant, but he just burst out laughing.
“You’re impossible,” he shook his head, throwing himself onto the bed next to him. His head was spinning from the alcohol and he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep. “We’re barely married and the romance is dead. I want a divorce.”
“We can just sleep and have sex tomorrow?” Henry suggested hopefully.
“This is our wedding night,” Alex grumbled, though he sounded half-hearted at best.
“And neither of us are untouched in any sense, so who cares,” Henry shrugged, pulling his blazer off and poking Alex in the side. He groaned but didn’t move. “We have a whole honeymoon ahead to catch up on sex.”
“Sounds about right,” Alex nodded, finally stirring to get out of his clothes. “But just for the record, I’m not doing all the work!”
“Duly noted,” Henry smiled.
When they had stripped down to their underwear, they slipped underneath the covers, Henry’s chest against Alex’s back, his arm wrapped around his waist. Alex sighed, reaching out to entwine their fingers and closing his eyes.
“We’re married,” Henry murmured, into his hair, and Alex smiled.
“That we are,” he agreed. “You’ll never get rid of me now, Wales.”
“Good,” Henry breathed, kissing his neck. “That’s what I was aiming for.”
***
PRINCE HENRY AND ALEX ON SECRET HONEYMOON
IN THE CARIBBEANS
“ ‘Secret Honeymoon’,” Alex quoted, rolling his eyes as he put his phone down. “Oh, the drama…”
“Why do you even read this rubbish?” Henry chuckled, coming back out onto the terrace with their drinks. Alex sat up to take one from his hands and Henry leaned in to kiss his forehead.
“Because I can laugh about it later?” Alex smirked, leaning back into his lounge chair.
Henry snorted but took the chair next to him. Alex took a sip of his drink, humming in approval at the fruity taste mingling with the alcohol. “You’re getting better at this,” he commented.
“I have a good teacher,” Henry chuckled.
Alex smiled, looking out over the beach of Saint Vincent. They’d been here for the third day now, after an initial stay at Saint Lucia. Henry had been the one choosing their destination, and while he had been surprised that he’d gone for a Caribbean tour, he had to say he was very pleased with the result. Sun, privacy and exposure to foreign cultures? Count him in.
Though, admittedly, they did not make it out of their private resorts all that much. Most of their time was spent wrapped up in each other, enjoying their time as newlyweds.
Alex looked over to where Henry was sitting next to him, smiling. His husband was wearing an open shirt over his shoulders - trying to protect himself from too much sun - and his eyes were closed as he was reclining in the chair, completely relaxed. It was such a rare expression that Alex was tempted to snatch a picture of it. Instead, he put down his drink and got up from his own chair.
Henry looked up when Alex climbed into his lap, a slow smile spreading over his lips.
“Well, hello,” he said, his voice slightly husky as he set down his own glass, arms slinging around Alex’s waist. “This morning not enough?”
Alex chuckled, leaning in to press a few nibbling kisses along his jaw and up his neck to his ear, before whispering: “Never.”
Henry’s fingers traced the waistband of Alex’s trunks in apparent agreement, and Alex pulled him in for a proper kiss.
It was true. He’d never get enough of his husband.
***
A Year Later
PRINCE HENRY AND ALEX MOVING BACK TO NYC -
ARE ALEX’S POLITICAL AMBITIONS RUINING HENRY’S
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ROYAL FAMILY?
“I told you,” Alex sighed, showing Henry the headline. Henry just rolled his eyes as he read over his shoulder before going back to unpacking his box of books.
“ I told you to stop reading that rubbish,” Henry pointed out. “I’ve read better things on toilet paper.”
“It’s important to be informed,” Alex argued, but he did put his phone down to help Henry unpacking, snatching a doughnut from the kitchen counter. “You know,” Alex noted, mouth still half-full, “once I start working with Luna, they’ll be all over us. Like a bee-hive.”
“Let them,” Henry shrugged. “Mum has our backs, that’s what’s important. They can write whatever they want.”
“True,” Alex agreed, pulling a framed photo from the box he was unloading. He smiled when he realised that it was their wedding portrait. “Where do we put this?” he asked, waving it at Henry.
Henry looked up, smiling. “Over there?” he suggested, pointing at one of the shelves.
Alex nodded, walked over to place it. A few pictured were already there - mostly family: a family portrait from when Ellen Claremont first became president and one from when June and he were still kids and they all lived together back in Texas; an old photo with Catherine, Arthur, Philip, Bea and Henry as well as one of Arthur and Henry alone, and a later photo of only Henry with his mother and sister; a photo of Alex, Henry, Bea, June, Nora and Pez out together. Alex placed the wedding portrait in the middle, shifting the pictures to create room for more. He knew there were other pictures in those boxes - the family portrait from the wedding, for example - and they needed space, too.
Alex startled when Henry’s arms wrapped around his waist, but he quickly relaxed into him, smiling.
“So, we’re back,” Henry muttered, pressing a lingering kiss against his cheek. “Ready to start living happily ever after?”
Alex laughed, shaking his head. “You bet,” he grinned, turning in his arms to kiss him properly.