Chapter Text
“Henry. You’re Alex’s best friend, right? Do you know who he’s asking to prom?”
Oh, of course, this again. Regularly scheduled Monday programming. Henry holds back his sigh and smiles as kindly as he can at 10 AM.
“I’m not sure. We haven’t discussed it yet.” he answers honestly.
The girl grins and hands Henry a simple white envelope.
“Great! Can you give this to him? Thanks!” Then she’s gone.
Henry waits until she’s turned her back to fully sigh, shoulders sagging. It’s true they had not talked about prom yet, but he sort of figured they’d be going together with Pez, Nora, and maybe Liam. Make the best out of their last high school experience with friends. He was probably being too precious about it.
He was used to this by now—four years of being the personal carrier pigeon for the school’s Golden Boy, Alex Claremont-Diaz.
To Henry, he was just… Alex. Goofy, bright, kind Alex.
You see, Henry was 10 years old when his family decided to relocate from London to Austin for a work opportunity that was far too good to pass up, according to his dad. He was devastated to be leaving his life behind, what little close friends he had and the home he’d grown up in. Henry mostly spent his days sitting in the backyard with his dog and a book, unable to make friends until school started. It would have been lonely if it wasn’t for the 9 year old living next door, who apparently did not know the concept of trespassing.
A small boy with scraped knees and untamed curls had somehow climbed over the fence separating their backyards and landed on the grass next to where Henry had sat—in a Spider-man pose, Henry loved to point out—spooking the life out of David and causing him to run away, barking up a storm.
The two boys had stared at each other in shock before bursting into tears-inducing laughter. The situation was just too unexpected.
“I heard a dog!” the curly haired boy offered as an explanation, “I didn’t expect to see anyone else.”
“You have a habit of breaking and entering then, do you?” Henry had asked with an incredulous look.
“Um… Please don’t tell my mom! My sister is away with my dad and I was just really bored but I heard a dog and I promise I was just going to play for a little bit, I don’t steal!”
Alex had looked at Henry with big, sad eyes, his bottom lip trembling as he bit back tears. So Henry did the only reasonable thing to do: he called David over and showed Alex all of his favorite dog toys.
Alex spent the rest of the afternoon playing fetch while Henry continued to read his book. When David tired out, Alex sat down next to Henry and asked him to read out loud so they could experience the story together. Henry wouldn’t have the words to describe the tingling feeling in his limbs at that age, but later he would know that’s when he had fallen for Alex.
This was how Arthur Fox eventually found them: sitting cross legged on the grass, Henry reading out loud, and Alex listening intently with stars in his eyes. Alex was invited to dinner that night, successfully charming the whole of the Fox family.
When asked if his parents would worry about him being gone for so long, he nonchalantly replied, “Nah. My dad lives in California and my mom works all the time. Usually it’s just me and my sister, but she is visiting with dad this summer.” He’d made a face so stormy that no one had the heart to ask further questions.
Arthur offered him a kind smile and said, “Well, you are welcome in our home any time. We are happy to have you,” to a chorus of consenting hums.
The rest was history, as they say.
Alex attached himself to Henry like a remora to a shark. Everyday at 12 PM he would climb the fence and join Henry in the backyard. Arthur Fox built them a treehouse that became their sacred place, no adults allowed. Fence climbing evolved to sneaking into Henry’s room through his window as teenagers, until eventually Catherine Fox gave Alex a key to their home on their first day of high school.
“Sneaking in is our thing, though,” Alex had said as he looked at the key with furrowed eyebrows.
Catherine laughed and nodded sympathetically.
“Call it a backup, then. If ever Henry shuts his window, he won’t be able to shut you out.”
To outsiders, the sight of Alex and Henry didn’t make sense. On paper, they were polar opposites in a cliche Disney teen movie kind of way.
Where Henry was introverted and kept to a very small, almost exclusive, group of friends, Alex was seemingly the entire school body’s communal best friend. Alex attracted people like flowers attract bees and butterflies—it was impossible to not be drawn in by his Southern hospitality and that trouble-maker smile.
It didn’t help that Alex was student body president and lacrosse captain, obviously. He was also the school’s only regional 500 meter Butterfly champion, a sport he only played for one season after Henry became obsessed with Tom Daley and stopped when he found out the Olympian was a diver.
Meanwhile, Henry was in bookclub and was the quintessential Theater nerd. The student body could thank him for bringing back fun, enjoyable shows and increasing the budget dedicated to the Theater. (Maybe they could thank Alex, too, who quickly spread news of their Midnight Summer’s Dream production and helped it sell out both nights.)
Even the way they spoke was very different, accents aside. Alex always joked that Henry had the dictionary memorized because of how he spoke, always so formal and posh.
“What does that even mean? No one talks like that!” Alex would complain whenever Henry used a new word around him.
Henry would roll his eyes and reply with a dismissive, “Pick up a book once in a while, dear. You might learn a thing or two.”
Despite his dry tone, Alex knew it was in jest because he was an avid reader. He always completed his summer reading lists before Henry. If part of that was just to impress the boy, that was between him, God, and the Librarian that gave him a knowing look every time.
Their friendship has become something precious to protect in the 9 years they have known each other.
Yes, they were quite different when it came to participating in sports and activities, but they shared the same interests. Henry didn’t care to play lacrosse, but he never missed a single practice or match, wearing a jersey with big, bold CLAREMONT-DIAZ written across his shoulders. Alex would never act on stage, but he was heavily involved as a stagehand whenever a production was in the works and always had a bouquet to hand Henry at the end of a show.
They both loved movies and puzzles, they liked camping, hiking, stargazing and there simply was not another person on earth that Alex trusted more than Henry. Even June did not know some of the things Henry knew.
June joked that they were a buy one, get one deal; Nora called them parakeets, as surely one would die without the other.
Puberty had skyrocketed Alex to pseudo-celebrity status in their high school. He was smart, athletic, handsome, and had a heart of gold. No one stood a chance, really. Despite it, he never strayed from Henry and Nora’s side. Invitations had to be extended to them, too, or Alex would not be there. Alex spent every lunch with Henry and most afternoons on Henry’s bedroom floor, working on assignments side by side. His loyalty only made him more lovable.
Henry wasn’t unpopular by any stretch of the mind, he simply preferred to keep to himself and keep a low profile. He was polite, the dictionary definition of a teacher’s pet, and very handsome with his ocean blue eyes and golden hair Alex swore was threaded by actual fairies. Occasionally, he would find love letters in his locker and he would blush madly every time, caught off guard as if he didn’t know people adored him.
The strange part was that they were never handwritten and never signed. Henry had the suspicion that they were from the same person, but hadn’t the faintest idea of who it could be.
He didn’t think he stood out much and he was honestly okay with that. Pez, a fellow English boy he’d met at the start of middle school, and Alex acted like shields of sorts. They soaked up all the attention and allowed Henry to peacefully exist, nose buried in a new book every week.
Henry doesn’t date, anyway. He is always gently rejecting boys and the rare girl that didn’t know he was deeply gay, saying there was someone else he was interested in. Their eyes would light up with recognition and they would nod in understanding, walking away without their feelings too hurt. To Alex, he would say it’s because he wanted to focus on his college essays and his SATs.
It did not compare to the line of admirers trailing behind Alex, like some pied piper. Girls would often pull Henry to the side to ask if Alex was single and if they could get his number. Henry would smile tightly and say he couldn’t give out Alex’s number, but he would be happy to pass the message along.
Although it caused an ache in his chest, Henry kept his word. He would wordlessly hand Alex letters and whatever other gift he was asked to pass along, plastering on his best fake smile. Alex’s eyes lit up every time, until he read the name on the letter. His smile would falter a bit and he would gaze at Henry curiously before muttering a soft, “Thanks, Hen.”
Now in their senior year, the queue of girls—and a few brave boys—fighting for Alex’s attention had grown exponentially. Everyone wanted to be Alex’s prom date, expecting him to win Prom King and desiring that coronation dance with him. The race for Prom Queen was far more competitive.
Henry understood. He was one of the many who had fallen for Alex’s wit and sharp tongue, his dry humor, and his big heart. Those brown eyes didn’t help much, either. He didn’t love Alex because he was popular. He loved Alex because of how deeply he cared about everything.
He could only watch as more and more people flocked to Alex and pushed him aside, tried to keep the chasm in his chest from swallowing him whole. He continued to smile tightly at all the letters he was asked to pass along, relying on morals alone to keep him from binning them like the rubbish he thought they were.
(He had maybe peeked into one once, a moment of total weakness, and gagged at the lackluster content. These people did not know Alex at all. AI generating a love poem would have been better than the bland confessions he assumed were on every note. Henry could do better, at least.)
Anyways.
It wasn’t any one girl’s fault that Alex didn’t love him back. Not the way Henry wished upon every star for.
He did eventually pass off the letter on their way to Alex’s car that afternoon. Alex took one good look at it then wordlessly put it in his bag. It felt..off.
He’d been acting out of sorts all day, actually.
It had been a mostly routine Monday, the only abnormality was finding one of his AP Lit classmates, Julian or something, leaning against Henry’s locker that morning. The smile on Alex’s face had dropped and Henry looked on in confusion. Julian was nice but they weren’t exactly friends.
As Julian spotted them, he grinned charmingly at Henry and offered a small wave. Alex felt his hackles rise, shifting closer to Henry and placing a subtle hand on his lower back.
“Hey! Good morning, Henry! Alex.”
“Um, hello. How can I help you?” Henry had asks tentatively, keeping a safe distance away from Julian—and, subsequently, his locker—which forced him to stay in Alex’s space.
“I was just wondering if you’d want to grab coffee with me sometime. I think you’re cute.”
“Oh, I—“ before Henry could finish his response, Alex had quickly cut in with a, “He doesn’t drink coffee.”
Henry shot him a funny look but didn’t allow himself to dwell on the frown tugging at the corner of Alex’s mouth, lest he get lost in daydreams of kissing that spot. He had forced his attention back on Julian, whose smile was less Prince Charming and more murderous as he lightly bared his teeth at Alex.
“I think I was asking Henry.” Julian bit back snidely, his gaze flicking to Alex for a nanosecond before they trained back on Henry, like the sight of Alex was an offensive one.
Henry felt a bit unnerved, then, only mildly comforted by the firm press of Alex’s hand on his back.
He’d cleared his throat before answering, “As Alex said, I don’t really like coffee, but thank you. It was lovely of you to offer.”
Then he’d turned to face Alex, sending a silent rescue plea with just his eyes. Alex still didn’t smile, face twisted up in an annoyed scowl, but he did step around Henry to open his locker for him, effectively using the door as a barrier between them and Julian.
“Sorry, man. We’ve got chem to go to.” He offered in a level voice, evidently not sorry at all.
He waited until Henry had all his desired belongings before closing the locker a bit more harshly than necessary and offering Julian a fake smile.
“See ya.” Alex said dismissively while placing his hand on Henry’s hip this time and steering him towards the science hall, not even waiting for a response.
Henry vaguely wonders if Julian is responsible for the love letters, noting he didn’t find one in his locker that morning. His stomach churned uncomfortably at that. The truth was he had a delusion that it was Alex leaving those notes commenting on his smile and wanting to drown in the blues of his eyes.
Alex had sat quietly beside Henry in class, not once making snarky commentary or attempting to crack a joke. He looked very deep in thought whenever Henry had glanced at him.
He wasn’t able to comment on it at the end of class because a girl he didn’t even recognize had taken him by the arm and dragged him away, much to his verbal protesting. The same girl whose letter sat ignored in Alex’s bag now.
Henry is taken out of his thoughts when Alex suddenly stops and turns to him.
“Hey, next Wednesday after school, wanna go to that bookstore that just opened? Jessie said they have a coffee shop set up similar to Barnes & Nobles but it’s a locally owned brand. They have tea, too. Maybe they’ll have something that appeals to your royal English taste buds,” he jokes with a light shoulder bump, smiling for the first time since that morning.
Henry had stopped listening after bookstore, to be honest. “Yes! I’ve been begging Pip to go, but I think he’s getting pretty serious about Martha. They spend all their time together these days.”
“Never thought I’d see the day stuffy Philip attempts rizz,” Alex replies with a laugh.
What Henry had failed to notice then is that the Wednesday in question is Valentine’s day. He realizes when he goes to add it to his calendar and freezes. He debates mentioning it to Alex, to double check if he’d meant that Wednesday or a different one. With prom season fast approaching, he was sure that Alex would want to spend it with whoever he had as a date in mind, if anyone. An early courting, of sorts.
It wasn’t like they usually spent Valentine’s with anyone else—aside from that time in sophomore year when Alex hadn’t realized Liam had asked him out on a date, until he’d tried to give Alex a goodnight kiss. The two laugh about it now, so it must not have been a big deal—so, Henry writes out “bookstore with Alex ❤️” on the date and moves onto calc homework.
—
On Valentine’s Day, Alex surprises Henry with a London fog from his favorite coffee shop, despite it being so out of the way, and a small container of—chocolates?
“Truffles, actually. I made them myself. My mom said they were very good, sooo.. Go on, try one.” He encourages, bouncing lightly on his toes with excess nervousness and excitement.
Alex had spent the whole weekend perfecting this recipe. It had taken four cartoons of heavy cream, $38 dollars worth of fancy dark chocolate, and an amalgamation of three separate online recipes to get the taste and texture just right, but he refused to gift Henry store bought shit. He had a plan, here.
He was currently on step 3 of his Make Henry Fall in Love With Me in 10 Easy Steps plan:
- Ask him out for Valentine’s
- Make homemade chocolate
- London fog from Annie’s Bakery & Refreshments
- Ask pez to personally deliver the 9 roses from key club’s rose & candy gram
- Surprise him with a shopping spree at the bookstore (4 book limit, you’re BROKE!!!! Thank you june)
- Picnic date after bookstore
- Stroll through the park and HOLD HIS HAND
- Personally deliver the love letter
- PROMPOSAL
- Ask him to be official boyfriends the night of the dance
It may not be the smoothest of plans but he was startled into action by a rival (Julian) appearing out of nowhere. He had to act quickly before Henry was stolen by someone undeserving of him.
It was too bad that he wasn’t there when Henry received his small bouquet of roses, but the brilliant smile he receives when they meet up for lunch is well worth it.
“Why’d you do this?” Henry asks shyly, holding the roses to his chest like they are his most prized possessions.
Alex isn’t ready to reveal his plan yet, so he shrugs as nonchalantly as possible and says, “It’s our last high school Valentine’s event. Had to make the best of it, duh.”
Henry’s eyes turn a little sad at that but his smile never falters. Even if Alex meant it in a friendship-way, the gesture was still very sweet and undeniably romantic. It was high time he accepted this was all he would get.
“Thank you, Alex. I wonder if they’ll survive in my locker..”
—
Alex wasn’t able to stay their entire lunch period, apparently he needed to catch up with his coach about potential scouts at the next game. Henry watches him go with mild trepidation in his chest. He could feel all the eyes on him, like a gazelle being stalked as prey. He knew it was a matter of time before someone approached him to ask about Alex.
The girl who slid across from him was familiar, though he couldn’t name her. He recognized her from student council, she always stood just a bit too close to Alex and touched him more than was probably necessary.
She slaps down a pink envelope with a red kiss mark over the messy script of Alex’s name. Something truly terrible and dark bubbles in his stomach at the sight.
“Hey Henry, do you know if Alex is busy tonight? It’s Valentine’s, so I was thinking—“
“Yes. He’s got plans.” He doesn’t know what possesses him to answer so authoritatively. It’s not like they can’t go to the bookstore some other day. Maybe Alex would want to go on a real Valentine’s date with a pretty, kind girl that he does actually know well. But then he thinks back to the tea and truffles from this morning, and the roses sitting in his locker. He really doesn’t want to give up the opportunity to have a real Valentine’s with Alex.
The girl immediately perks up but looks at him suspiciously, “Oh… Does he have a date, or something?”
“Yes.”
His response seems to draw more attention. Another girl slides in next to him and now he really feels like prey.
“What? ACD has a date on Valentine’s?? That’s huge.”
“Who is it?” Someone else asks.
“Um. Me? We are.. We have plans.”
“Oh,” the first girl says, disappointment evident in her voice. “That doesn’t count. It’s not really a date, so maybe I can still ask him..”
That angers Henry. Why doesn’t he count? Because they’re best friends? Because he’s not good enough for the school’s golden boy? These people don’t even know him, they barely know Alex! He squares his shoulders and sits up a little straighter, schooling his face into a neutral expression.
“He made homemade chocolates for me and gifted me a bouquet of roses. It’s a date.” He insists, mustering up as much confidence as he can so he doesn’t sound pathetic. It shouldn’t matter what they think. He knows Alex would choose him over them any time. Their bond is so much stronger than a flimsy high school crush.
“It might be a Valentine’s date but it’s not like you’re dating dating. Alex will still be single for prom.” the second girl adds with a shrug.
“No. Alex is my boyfriend.”
The color drains from his face immediately after the words escape the tightly secured enclosure they’ve been forced to live in since he was twelve. Those words were only supposed to live in his mind and as perfect script scrawled on the margins of his diary.
Henry was surely experiencing a stroke.
Only a neuron glitch could cause him to make up such a blatant lie, to the school’s biggest gossips.
What had he done? Oh, God.
He—well, he has to commit to the bit now, he thinks while gripping his shirt tightly under the lunch table and keeping his shoulders squared. Those words were said confidently, with his whole chest. Taking them back now would be far too humiliating. Henry silently thanks that awful grandmother of his for putting them through etiquette classes as his back stays rim rod straight.
The gaggle of girls around him gasp and whisper amongst each other, saying things like, “No way?” and, “That makes sense, yeah.”
The first girl grimaces. “Oh, shit. I’m such an asshole. Sorry, Henry. I really didn’t know you two were together.”
“We didn’t mean—You two are a cute couple! Really!” the second girl says, both hands on Henry’s arm like she’s trying to convince both of them that she really means her words. Henry tries to smile until she mutters, “didn’t even know he was into guys..” effectively freezing the blood in his veins.
Henry messed up.
Not only did he imply Alex’s sexuality for him, he’s fake outed him, too. News travels fast around here, gossip even faster. He panics as he tries to damage control.
“Please don’t say anything! It’s really new! And um, we are trying to keep it on the down low. We’ve been friends for so long, it’s a delicate transition.” He explains, gesturing wildly and sweating profusely.
Thankfully the girls all nod in understanding, giving him words of encouragement. It would be sweet if Henry didn’t feel so ill. He is saved from digging himself into a deeper hole when the lunch bell rings.
Henry doesn’t know how to face Alex, after this. He is hoping the girls truly won’t say anything.
—
Alex is used to the attention he gets as he walks down the halls. People wave and smile at him, but they also seem to be staring at him a little more closely and whispering behind his back. It’s so fucking strange. He self-consciously touches his hair, wondering if his curls are out of place. Maybe it’s something on his face? He thought his outfit was pretty good today, just a basic denim jacket over hoodie action. Maybe purple wasn’t his color, despite the compliment Henry had paid him that morning.
He is saved from spiraling further when Liam appears at his side, arm thrown over his shoulder, and cryptically says, “Congrats, man! I thought it would take you longer.”
“What?”
“With Henry,” Liam explains simply.
Oh, he guesses he shouldn’t be so shocked that news of the roses got around quickly. He smiles sheepishly.
“Oh, that, yeah. Well.”
“I’m kinda mad you didn’t tell me, though. After all we’ve been through, I was sure I’d be the first to know when you two became official.”
The way he says it has Alex squinting. It almost sounds like it’s a done deal, him and Henry. Yet, he’s only on step 4 of his plan, that’s not even halfway yet!
Before he can ask clarifying questions, Liam continues, “You don’t have to hide the relationship either, man. It’s 2024, you should be proud to say Henry is your boyfriend. He’s a bit nerdy but he’s catch.”
“I’m—I would be proud. If he was my boyfriend, all of Texas would know.” Alex has never been subtle in his life. His therapist thinks that being a child of divorce expresses itself in his visceral need to take up all the attention in the room. He grew up without his parent’s praises, they were always too busy fighting and being overly critical of him to get to each other, so now he seeks approval from everywhere else. All the time.
That is to say, he would talk about Henry even more, bragging about how smart and kind he is, and finally getting to say out loud how cute he is. He’d find a way to insert the word “boyfriend” whenever he could.
Liam looks at him a bit funny, “Well, cats outta the bag. Carlos from APUSH told me that Henry told Julie and Maddie that you two are dating.” He pauses here and has the audacity to look ashamed. “Henry did say it was new and to keep it on the DL… but hey! You don’t have to. If it’s coming out you’re worried about, everyone here will support you. Being gay or bi or however you identify doesn’t change the fact that you’re ACD, boy extraordinaire.”
Alex is a bit touched by the sentiment. He actually hadn’t thought about labels or anything yet. This was him acting incredibly hastily again. He’d seen Julian shooting his shot and realized that he didn’t want to share Henry. He wanted to gatekeep Henry’s soft eyes and bright smiles. He wanted to kiss him.
He should have known all of that when he started slipping the letters into Henry’s locker. It started because of the wistful look he had given the letter Alex found in his own locker, like he wished he’d be so lucky. So Alex typed up a quick letter in the school library to remind Henry he was the kindest, most thoughtful person he’d ever met, and the responding blush combined with how tightly he’d hugged the letter to his chest just encouraged Alex to keep going.
Alex knew that no matter what, he didn’t want to leave high school without Henry knowing how he felt. They had been discussing universities, and while most were the same because miraculously those schools had programs for both of them, the few that were different and located across the country from each other made him so nervous. Henry might find better, well-mannered, more interesting people in uni and forget all about his little high school best friend.
He’d seen it with June and Cassie, after June left for UCLA and Cassie took a soccer full-ride to Notre Dame. They didn’t even talk anymore. June had new friends she posted on her insta all the time. No sign of Cassie even in the comments.
So, Alex would rather say something and accept rejection with grace than watch their friendship fade away and regret not taking a leap.
But apparently… Henry was calling him his boyfriend to others? What did that mean? He really didn’t want to get his hopes up about his feelings being mutual. Henry keeps handing him love letters from other people, for crying out loud. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. The girls could have misconstrued something Henry said, he speaks funny with all those big words so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
In any case, he masks his shock and confusion by bumping Liam’s shoulder and giving his most boyish smile. “Thanks, Li. It is new. We didn’t want to invite outside skepticism while we transition from friends to more, you know?” Diplomatic and succinct. He knows he shouldn’t comment more on it until he speaks to Henry about this. Alex doesn’t know how to lie. He really shouldn’t encourage rumors either.
But.. If Carlos knows, and Liam knows, then Julian will know, and he’ll back right off. Yeah. A little white lie never killed anyone.
“Yeah man, I get it. Plus, I think most of us saw it coming.” Liam continues and Alex can’t help physically tripping over himself then. He whips his head so fast to stare at his friend with big, wide eyes, pitifully squeaking out a, “Huh?”
Liam just laughs, slapping Alex’s arm repeatedly.
“Bro. You can’t be serious. It was obvious.” is all he offers by way of explanation, and look. Alex knows he’s not subtle, but he didn’t know he had feelings for Henry until literally last month. There was nothing to hide because the feelings were hidden from even himself! What!
“That—I—How?” Alex sputters and he can feel his face warm up. If Liam thought he was obvious even before his consciousness caught up, then for Henry, who reads for sport and is elite at reading between the lines, Alex must look like a walking neon sign that says, “I LIKE LIKE HENRY FOX.” How embarrassing.
“Dude.. The way Henry looks at you? Your jersey he wears to our games? The way he glared at me for weeks after Valentine’s sophomore year? The picture you have of him in your locker?”
“Hey, it’s a good picture—“
“Alex. Fuck toxic masculinity and all that, but no straight man has a polaroid of their male best friend with heart stickers on it, in a sleeve cover like a kpop idol photocard.”
“I got those stickers from Karla. They’re cute.”
“All I’m saying is, it’s not a big deal. Actually, it’s really cool. Cool jock in a queer relationship with a theater kid? That’s a Disney movie.” He jokes with another cackle, then he sobers up a bit. He looks at Alex with something akin to admiration, which makes him feel incredibly icky because they’re friends. Liam isn’t some random guy who thinks of Alex as a popular kid. He’s just Alex.
“Be loud about it, man. Stick it to the homophobes. You could make a difference, y’know? If ACD is proudly queer, it’ll be trendy and less miserable for the less popular kids.”
It feels like a lot. Too much. That kind of responsibility feels immense on his shoulders. He gets what Liam is saying, though. Alex knows he’s the It Boy(tm) of the school, so if he endorses something then everyone gets behind it. Plus, as student body president he still has some ability to do something to permanently protect other queer kids. Plus plus, Alex loves being loud.
He draws Liam into a tight hug and says a sincere, “Thank you, Li.”
His new plan B, in case his confession to Henry doesn’t turn out well, is to convince him to play pretend just until the year ends. For the bigger picture. Totally not to fulfill his silly little fantasy of Henry somehow adoring him back.
——
The end of the day bell fills Henry’s stomach with dread. The looks he has been getting since lunch can only mean one thing. He almost felt relief when another pretty brunette approached him, surely about Alex, except she asked how long they’d been together for. He should have known the girls would spread the word like fire, Alex being in a relationship was newsworthy.
Now he sits in his AP French class, unable to pack up his belongings because stepping outside means meeting Alex for their bookstore not-date date. He had to have heard the news himself by now. What was he supposed to say? That he got possessive over his best friend and a silly Valentine’s hang out? That he stood in the way of Alex getting to choose which of their classmates he actually wanted to spend a romantic night with?
He groans and presses his forehead against his desk. If he pretends to be sick, Alex might drop him off at home and call it a day.
“Hey, Hen! I thought you got kidnapped.” He hears Alex say from the doorway. Henry goes ridgid. He’s actually scared to look at Alex, to see whatever expression is written on his face.
He’s so deep in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice Alex moving until he feels soft fingers running through his hair and gently applying pressure to the back of his head. He almost moans at that.
“You okay?” Alex asks more softly this time, sounding far too tender for someone who surely knows by now that his best friend claimed they’re boyfriends. Maybe he doesn’t know. Alex is so smart but so oblivious sometimes. He doesn’t spend enough time really taking in his surroundings, too busy stuck spiraling in his own head, leading him to miss things even when they’re right under his nose. Like Henry’s crush.
Henry sighs heavily and turns his head so his cheek is the one pressed against the desk to look up at Alex. He looks normal, if a bit concerned.
“My head hurts a bit, is all. I don’t think I slept well enough last night.” It’s not exactly a lie. They both know Henry’s anxiety can keep him up deep into the night sometimes. Alex looks at him sadly but empathetically, continuing his ministrations on Henry’s scalp.
“Do you wanna get food? Or go home to nap it off?”
He really does want to go home and hide, but instead says, “What about the bookstore?” because despite everything he has worried about, he really doesn’t want to give up the opportunity to know what it’s like to go on a date with Alex. He knows it’s not like that between them at all but he’s allowed to pretend it’s romantic, with the chocolates and the flowers, and maybe Alex will kiss him goodbye, too, like with Liam. If he knows it’s not real, it won’t hurt as much. Probably.
“We can go whenever. I just want you to feel better.” Henry can tell Alex is being very genuine but the dejected slump of his shoulders and the way his smile doesn’t really reach his eyes paints a different picture.
Could Alex want this as much as he does?
Henry reaches out for Alex’s free hand, just barely intertwining the tips of their fingers, and shakes his head.
“No, let’s go today. I’m okay, I think eating will definitely help. It was sloppy joe day in the cafeteria.” He explains and doesn’t need to elaborate further as both of them make a face. School lunch is bad at best, radioactive at worst. Sloppy joe is definitely on the radioactive list.
“C’mon then, your highness. Your chariot awaits.”
Alex silently packs up all of Henry’s belongings with good, detailed care, then throws the bag over his own shoulder. He gestures in front of himself Henry can step out of the desk and keep going. He uncharacteristically reaches out for Henry’s hand, holding it loosely enough that Henry could shake it off if he wanted to. He doesn’t. Henry holds on a bit more firmly and doesn’t think about it at all.
—
This day really feels like something out of a fairytale. Alex had mumbled something about the sanctity of lists as he’d set up a large blanket and a picnic basket down on the park lawn near the bookstore.
“We eat first, then we browse. Capiche?”
He’d pulled out all sorts of things from that basket, like a culinary Mary Poppins. Sandwiches, an array of fruits, a cheese platter that looked suspiciously homemade, jaffa cakes, and two thermoses. One apparently had more tea, “because you’ll need the energy to browse, duh.” and the other with coffee.
After eating a good amount of the food—“Were you going to invite the whole of the park to join us, dear? This is too much for two.” “Shut up, I wanted to give you enough options.”—they went to the bookstore as promised. Henry mostly stuck to looking and admiring, until Alex encouraged him to pick up a few books.
After what felt like hours, Henry had built a sizable stack in Alex’s arms and he’d attempted to put most of them back with embarrassment painting his cheeks. Alex told him to pick four out of the lot to “come back for later,” then surprised him by running to the register with the chosen books and purchasing them.
“Why would you do that?” Henry had asked in wonder, feeling a bit emotional. Book gifting was secretly his love language, he thought.
Alex only grinned in that handsome way and shrugged nonchalantly. “You said you ran out of new books to read so.. Here is some new material. That’s all.”
No, sir, that isn’t all. I’m falling irreversibly in love with you, Henry thought desperately but chose to express that by giving Alex a hug and a whispered ‘thank you, love.’ He swore there was a blush on Alex’s ears that he couldn’t admire without staring him down.
This is it, Henry thought sadly as they left the bookstore hand in hand, back towards the car. The end of the most perfect date he had ever been on, with the most perfect boy he had ever met. He would bottle this day up in that music box his mother had gifted him, set it on the highest shelf of his closet to protect and keep hidden until he needed a shot of happiness.
He almost regrets agreeing to this. Instead of scratching an itch for some relief, he felt like he’d gotten poison ivy. He wanted more. He always knew that would be the case but he stupidly thought just once would be enough.
Now he’ll have to watch Alex fall in love with someone and know how wonderfully that person is being treated because if Alex is this charming and sweet to his best friend, then his partner will be treated like royalty. Henry is pathetically envious of a person that doesn’t even exist yet, it startles an incredulous chuckle out of him.
Alex looks over with an eyebrow raised and a soft smile, like he’s happy to see Henry smiling even if he doesn’t know why. Oh, if he knew.
Henry sighs deeply and drops his shoulders as they reach the car, turning to face Alex. He allows himself to fully take him in. The thing is, Henry fell for Alex when he was nine, with his chubby cheeks and his dark hair that was more bird's nest than artful curls. Now he’s all high cheekbones, sharp jawline, and dimples. Henry never realized how truly handsome Alex is until now, it makes his heart ache more.
He never stood a chance. Those girls were probably right to think him way below Alex’s league.
“This has been really lovely and wonderful, Alex. Thank you for all of it.”
Alex looks at him with wide, nervous eyes. He shuffles his feet a bit as he asks, “Oh, uh. Did you want to go home now?” He tries for a smile, lightly nudging Henry’s shoe with his own but he still looks nervous. Scared. What’s that about?
“Am I boring you, sweetheart?”
Something about the way he says it causes Henry’s heart rate to pick up speed. “Not at all,” Henry rushes to answer. “We came, we saw, we conquered the bookstore. Is there more?”
Alex brightens up a bit, yet his shoulders are still scrunched up by his ear like he’s bracing for impact. “I thought we could go for a walk in the park. It’s surprisingly nice weather out and we don’t have homework. If you’d like that.”
“That sounds very lovely, actually. Lead the way, darling.”
His books are tossed into the front seat of the car, then they’re on their way. They’re quite intimately familiar with this area—David spends quite a bit of time around here, as it is the only proper dog park for miles. Usually, they bring their chem or calc homework to work on while David makes new friends and zooms to his heart’s content. it’s quite lovely to just walk around and enjoy each other’s company. It’s romantic, Henry’s traitorous brain supplies. Hopefully. Pathetically.
Henry is a bit distracted by the lack of Alex’s hand in his own. They had spent most of the day connected in some way, be it full-on hand holding or just pinkies linked, but now it’s nothing. He glances over at Alex as he shares a funny story about a lacrosse teammate and an angry squirrel, and notices his arms stiffly at his side. It looks uncomfortable.
He decides to be bold for once and reaches for Alex’s hand this time, holding on firmly. Alex’s mouth snaps shut and his eyes shoot down to their hands. He gives Henry’s hand a gentle squeeze and grins, lightly swinging their hands as he continues his story. What a strange kid.
During a peaceful lull in their conversation, Alex says, “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“It must be serious. You've never needed my permission to talk my ear off, dear.” Henry jokes.
“Can’t pull my chain, sweetheart. I know you like listening.”
“You won’t be able to prove that in court.”
“Okay, whatever. So… Liam told me that Carlos told him that some of the girls said that you called me your boyfriend. D’you, um. Is that something you want? Because I—”
Henry immediately stops and feels his heart free fall to the ground like one of his mum’s finest tea cups, leaving fragile, shattered pieces at their feet. He drops Alex’s hand like it burns, pressing his own hand firmly over his chest. A flimsy attempt at protecting what he has already lost.
This can’t be happening.
He thought he’d at least have a few days to rangle the gossip mill before it made it to Alex. This is far too soon to face the consequences of his transgressions.
Alex turns to fully face him now, head tilted to the side as he eyes Henry curiously. He probably thinks Henry is so pathetic, falling in love with his best friend who will never return those feelings. He can easily read the concern in Alex’s eyes.
“No—I—They misunderstood—I didn’t mean—” Henry flounders, feeling his lungs squeeze uncomfortably in his chest. His breathing becomes a bit heavy and his limbs feel like ants are crawling all over them.
Alex immediately notes the signs of an oncoming panic attack and steps closer to lightly touch Henry’s arms, “Hen? It’s okay, it’s okay—“
Henry can’t hear anything, he can only shake his head repeatedly and feel his breathing pick up. It hurts, it all hurts so much. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
He wills his leg muscles to work and then he’s off, hauling ass like he’s being chased by bears. He doesn’t even know where he’s going, he just needs a second to figure out how to fix this mess. How to convince Alex to stay. How to explain his feelings away, stuff them down a nearby sewage drain where they can’t burden Alex.
He keeps running until he somehow ends up at Philip’s off-campus apartment. His brother is probably with Martha right now, he does not have time to babysit his legally-adult brother. Henry knocks on the door anyway, having nowhere else to go. If he goes home now, Alex will find him. He can’t. He just needs a moment.
To his surprise, Philip answers the door quickly and wastes no time in welcoming Henry in as he takes in his sorry state. Martha is also there and he’d be more mortified about ruining their Valentine’s if she did not immediately get up from the couch and draw him into a hug, inquiring, “What’s wrong, dear?”
Henry clings to her and feels incredibly pathetic as he cries onto her shoulder. He’s only spoken to Martha a handful of times, as university keeps Pip quite busy and he rarely ventures home. Every time they have interacted, she has been nothing short of sweet to him, so he thinks it’s okay to find some comfort in her right now. He feels a soothing hand on his back that must be Pip’s, then he’s being maneuvered to the couch.
He can feel his phone vibrating incessantly in his pocket but he doesn’t dare to look. He can’t, not yet.
“I’m so sorry,” he manages through some hiccups. He takes a few steady breaths and forces himself to calm down, to clear his mind and think of a solution.
“What’s happened, then?” Pip asks as he hands Henry a mug of hot tea, likely chamomile if the color is to be trusted. He sips it gratefully.
“I messed up. At school today, I told some girls that Alex is my boyfriend and he found out. He must hate me now. I don’t know what to do to fix it.”
Pip stares at Henry like he’s grown a second head, his arms crossed over his chest. He only responds when he realizes Henry is done speaking.
“Sorry, what is the problem?”
“I called him my boyfriend.”
“Okay… I mean, isn’t he?” Pip asks, looking increasingly bewildered.
Henry whimpers like he’s been hit and angrily whispers, “No, of course he’s not. He doesn’t.. I’m not.. We’re just friends.”
“You could’ve fooled me.”
“Pip, what are you on about? Alex isn’t even..”
“Henry, you can’t be serious.”
“I am serious. What are you saying?”
“Oh. This is quite tragic, actually. I didn’t think you this daft, dear brother.”
“Pip,” Henry says in a warning tone, feeling far too irritated at whatever implication Pip is making that he can’t quite understand. It distracts him from feeling he full force of his anxiety and utter doom, at least.
“I can’t say how Alex identifies but I know for certain he is mad about you. I really thought you were dating for ages now. Isn’t that why mum gave him a key?” Pip asks very seriously, no sign of teasing anywhere in his tone nor his eyes.
“No—Wait, why do you think that? About Alex.”
“Henry,” Pip says exasperatedly.
“Pip,” Henry responds, even more irritated with an ache prickling along his temples.
“For starters, he calls you pet names all the time.”
“That’s just his thing.”
“He’s certainly never called Bea nor me anything other than our government names. There’s also the jumpers he always leaves in your room for you to wear.”
“He forgets those.”
“Henry, no one’s that forgetful. Then there’s the way he looks at you. It’s sickening, really.”
“He looks at me normal.”
“He looks at you the way dad looks at mum.”
Henry’s heart trips in his chest on its way up his throat.
That’s not possible. There’s no way that’s true. His parents look at each other like the other is single-handedly responsible for crafting the very universe they live in, placing each star in the night sky with detailed care. Henry has never seen love so pure, not even in romance movies.
“No..”
“He does, it’s quite adorable,” Martha pipes up.
“You should talk to him.” Pip suggests, as if that’s easy for Henry to do. He feels sick just thinking about it, facing Alex and seeing disgust in his eyes. He can’t. He starts shaking his head, so Pip interjects again.
“Well, how did he respond when he found out you called him your boyfriend?”
Henry shamefully admits, “He didn’t. I-I ran away. I panicked, I couldn’t face him.”
“Go face him now. At the very least, he deserves a chance to respond. Maybe he rejects you, maybe he likes you back.” Pip attempts to smile kindly at his brother but a thought causes him to wince instead. He deals an ending blow by pointing out, “If you ran away, I can’t imagine he’s taking it too well.”
Oh, how could Henry be so stupid. He left Alex there, alone. Worse than that, he ran away without offering an explanation. Henry had unwittingly torn open a wound that hadn’t fully healed yet, no matter how much Alex pretended his father’s disappearance no longer bothered him. Henry could see it in their strained relationship, in the way Alex had closed off when June moved away for college, and how tightly he’d held Henry the year the Fox clan flew back to England to visit family.
Henry was no different than every person who’d walked out of Alex’s life like he wasn’t worth staying for.
He could handle Alex rejecting him, taking one look at his heart and discarding it like rotting meat. He could not handle Alex not knowing Henry thought the world of him and would never, ever, leave him. If they were to go their separate ways, it would have to be because Alex became sick of him and not the other way around.
“Oh, god,” Henry gasps as a new wave of anxiety claws up his chest and grips his throat tightly. “Pip, Pip, I need.. I have to go to him. I’m, oh my god, I need to—“
“Hey, take a deep breath with me. In, one, two, three, out. In, one, two, three, out,” Martha repeats quietly next to him with a gentle hand on his back. Henry followed along, even though his lungs burned with shame and guilt and the desire to be with Alex.
What had he done?
“Finish your tea and we’ll take you to him, alright?” Martha said, once Henry’s breathing was no longer on manual mode. His tea had gone cold at this point, so he quickly chugged it and stood up, rushing to the door. Pip and Martha silently followed after him.
“Where are we taking you?” Pip asked in the car.
There was only one place Alex would go to.
—
Henry was sure he was going to vomit all over his mother’s cucumber garden as he approaches the treehouse in his backyard. His legs felt like lead, every step heavier than the last.
He didn’t have a plan.
He didn’t even know where to begin.
Does he grovel first? Beg for forgiveness for being the world’s worst friend? Does he explain why he’d claimed Alex as his boyfriend? Does he rip the plaster right off and confess his feelings to provide context for his truly appalling actions?
Henry takes a deep breath before knocking on the door twice, once, then twice again. It was their secret signal, a way to identify each other. He pushes open the door and scrambles inside ungracefully. He’s pretty sure they’re both outgrowing the treehouse, it’s a bit heartbreaking.
Not as heartbreaking as the big, sad eyes that regard him with clear apprehension when he finally settles in. Alex sits up and presses his back flush against the wall of the treehouse, quickly wiping at his face to hide the evidence of his hurt. Henry notes the four books stacked next to him, feeling his heart break anew.
This sweet, beautiful boy had taken Henry on the Valentine’s outing of his dreams and Henry had repaid him by running away. What a numpty.
Henry opens his mouth to beg for forgiveness, but Alex beats him to it.
“Hey.. I, uh, brought your books. You left them in my car,” Alex says tentatively after too many seconds of uncomfortable silence go by. Henry is his home, the place he feels most comfortable and sure of himself. This sudden awkwardness makes Alex’s chest ache.
“Alex…” Henry breathes out in response. He crawls his way over to Alex, settling down between his parted knees so they’re face to face. They maintain eye contact except for the briefest second where Alex’s gaze flicks down to Henry’s lips, then quickly back up as a blush bursts all over his cheeks. It’d be hard to see it against his golden skin, if Henry hadn’t spent countless hours studying every detail of Alex’s face.
Henry reaches out to gently cup Alex’s cheek, who melts into the touch and tilts his head to nuzzle the warm palm. He closes his eyes, causing a stray tear to slip down his cheek. Henry wipes it off with his thumb.
Alex chuckles then, but it sounds all wrong. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying when I hurt you. I’m so fucking sorry, Hen. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
Henry draws his head back to properly look at Alex, brows furrowed in confusion. “Hurt me?”
“Yeah, I.. ugh, I wanted to take you out on an unforgettable date to show you I can be a great boyfriend, but I gave you a panic attack instead. I totally misread the signs—you were literally trying to end the date, and I didn’t let it go. That’s so fucked up. I’m so sorry, Hen.”
Henry’s mind reels at the word boyfriend coming from Alex’s mouth again, he almost physically retreats, too. That lingering panic buzzes in his fingertips and it takes him much longer than necessary to realize that Alex hadn’t used the word mockingly. Alex wanted to.. He called it a date.
“This was a date? A real date?” Henry asks urgently, sitting up on his knees and leaning closer to Alex. He hears the soft intake of breath and notes the way the flush seems to spread down Alex’s neck. Henry has never seen him so flustered.
“Oh, fuck. You didn’t know—I’m so stupid,” Alex says with another painful chuckle, allowing his head to tip back against the treehouse with a discernible thud. It forces Henry’s hand off his cheek.
“I just, like. Fuck. I really like you. Romantically. So. I had this whole plan to—you agreed to spend the day with me but you didn’t know I meant it in a date way...When Liam told me what he’d heard, I thought maybe you liked me, too… Jesus, it should have been obvious that you don’t. I leave all those notes in your locker and all I get in return is letters written by everyone else. I’m so embarrassed,” Alex shakes his head suddenly, like that will dispel the lingering hope and wistful thoughts.
Alex sits up a bit straighter and holds Henry’s eyes, his own glittering with unshed tears and blazing determination. He has to fix this. He said even a rejection was okay and, sure, he hadn’t accounted for the deep ache in his chest like his heart muscles were being pulled apart one fiber at a time, but. Henry knows about his feelings, that’s enough. He just needs to salvage their friendship.
“I’m sorry about this, but I get it. Really! I’m… and you’re…” he makes an incomprehensible gesture between them, then continues, “You’re so important to me, so I’ll back off and.. and I’ll even help you get with Julian if you’d like? I just don’t want to stop being friends. Please, don’t stop being my friend.” He whispers the last part, immediately biting down on his lip.
Alex feels pretty pitiful, begging to not be left behind. Except, Henry is his best friend, no matter what. Losing him would be like losing a limb or a vital organ. Alex could probably live without a lung, but he’d never survive without Henry at his side.
Henry looks on in stunned silence.
Alex likes him?
Alex has been leaving those notes in his locker?
“Or, I mean, we don’t have to stay friends because I guess that’s pretty weird, sorry, I’ll go,” Alex continues after an uncomfortably prolonged silence, making to leave their treehouse.
Henry snaps into action, then, practically tackling Alex onto the floor, hands carefully tucked under his head to decrease the impact. He can’t even help himself, he presses his lips firmly against Alex’s before he continues to get the wrong idea.
It’s only when he feels Alex relax against the kiss and hands resting on his lower back that Henry pulls away. He needs to meet Alex’s eyes when he says, “I love you.” with all of the confidence he can muster.
The glimmer in Alex’s eyes and his shiny, kiss-swollen lips that part in a gasp encourage Henry to admit, “I’m so in love with you that I told some girls you were my boyfriend because I didn’t want you to go on a Valentine’s date with any of them. I wanted you all to myself, just for one day. Even if it wasn’t real. I just wanted.. I want to be loved by you, Alex,” all in one breath. It’s a surprise the words are tangible. He almost can’t hear himself over the rapid thudding of his heart, a song he’s come to associate with being the center of Alex’s attention.
He’s sure his face is visibly red from all the blood that has rushed to it and he thinks he’s shaking like a leaf, yet he can’t look away from Alex. Henry’s so mesmerized by the way his pupils dilate with every word that spills from his mouth.
“You love me?” Alex asks in awe, like he truly can’t believe his luck.
“For so long, darling. I ran away because I was embarrassed and wasn’t ready to face rejection. I hurt you, I should be apologizing.” And he does, by leaning in to steal a much sweeter kiss off Alex’s lips.
Alex chases his lips, tangling a hand in Henry’s hair to pull him back down. He feels emboldened and ready to redeem every possible kiss Henry has to offer. Alex licks into Henry’s mouth with practiced ease, confident in his skills up to this point.
“Idiot. How could I reject you? God, I want to be the gatekeeper of all your smiles and I think about kissing you all the time.” He emphasizes this with a big, exaggerated kiss. Maybe he’ll gatekeep Henry’s lips, too.
In a softer voice, he confesses, “I got jealous when Julian asked you out so I had a plan to, I don’t know, woo you. Did it work?”
Henry drops his head onto Alex’s shoulder and laughs brightly. He makes himself comfortable on top of Alex, curling up on his chest like a cat. “Yes, you absolute muppet. I almost passed out when Pez handed me those roses and said they were from you.”
“Heh, I knew that’d be a good one. I still have more items on my Make Henry Fall In Love With Me list, though.”
Henry tilts his head up just to nip at Alex’s jaw, then pepper kisses all over it and down his neck. He can’t be held back now that he can freely do this. “Cease the list. I’m yours, Alex. I already am in love with you, no master plan necessary.” He smirks a bit, then, with a playful glint in his eyes. “Anyway, didn’t you hear? We’re boyfriends. Everyone at school knows, so..”
“That’s right, I confirmed it with Liam, so, must be true.” Alex states solemnly, before breaking out into a fit of giggles. “Oh, god, I’m gonna throw up, I’m so excited. You’re my boyfriend? We’re really boyfriends now?” Alex asks giddily, squeezing Henry in his arms.
“Yes, darling. I love you and you like me.”
“No, wait, I love you, baby. Christ, I love you and it took me so long to notice. I almost lost you.”
“You’re missing several screws if you think I’d ever date Julian.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. I only have eyes for one loudmouth Mexican-American with brown eyes and messy curls that can talk my ear off about PACs and lobbying.”
“Oh, talk dirty to me, baby.”
“On second thought—“ Henry tries to roll off Alex but is startled by being pushed onto his back with a lapful of Alex. His head is bracketed by Alex’s hands, who leans down to steal every atom of oxygen from Henry’s lungs through a kiss. He might have moaned if he wasn’t absolutely breathless.
“Don’t even joke like that. I’ll lock you up and keep you to myself, if I have to.”
“Ohh.. Kinky. Now you’re the one talking dirty.”
They stare at each other for a second before laughing, overcome with joy and relief that their feelings are mutual. Thank God.
They spend the rest of the night exchanging kisses and whispered conversations, all cuddled up on the floor of their most sacred place. Henry can’t remember a time in which he felt happier.
Their peace is interrupted by Henry’s phone going off, calls from a concerned Bea and texts from Philip demanding a follow-up. He decides to send both of them a blurry selfie of himself kissing Alex’s cheek and a simple, “:)” text.
They do eventually disentangle themselves and move to Henry’s bed, instead, just holding and kissing each other gently without any intention to take it further. It’s too new and precious. There’s no rush for more, when they’ve got their whole lives up ahead. He’s certain of that.
Arthur catches them kissing from Henry’s doorway and just laughs, startling the boys apart. Alex ends up on the ground and begs to not be kicked out.
“Don’t be silly, Alex. This is your home, too.” He says with a dismissing hand wave.
“I trust you two will make safe choices, which should include locking the door for some privacy, if I may suggest. We can pick up condoms, dental dams, and the like over the weekend. I need to go tell Catherine, she will be so delighted,” then he’s gone.
Henry faceplants onto the bed and yells with feeling.
“I do not want my dad knowing anything about our sex life, oh my god.”
Alex climbs back into bed and drapes himself over Henry, cheek pressed against his shoulder. “Free condoms, though. And, clear permission for naughty sleepovers when we get there.”
“Please stop talking.”
—
Henry said to put the list to rest, but Alex had spent too much time planning his big promposal and he simply had to commit. He had recruited the whole of the theater department for it, had even taken vocal lessons with the choir instructor for three weeks—that’s where he had been running off to when he couldn’t spend the entire lunch period with Henry.
Pez drags Henry to the auditorium with an excuse about a damaged backdrop for their upcoming performance of Cabaret. Henry is in quite a frenzy until Alex steps out into the middle of the stage, dressed to the nines in a stunning suit, bouncy curls looking more tamed than normal.
A spotlight draws Henry’s attention to his cast mates surrounding Alex, one of them counting off and then—
Alex is singing. Serenading him, really, with an acapella rendition of The Longest Time by Billy Joel.
There’s movement behind Alex, surely a whole planned out scene and choreography to match the song, but Henry only has eyes for Alex who never looks away from him either.
As he nears the end of the song, the curtain is lifted to show a backdrop that spells out “PROM?” with fairy lights and fake flowers. It’s quite beautiful, though incomparable to the monstrosity of a bouquet that Alex brandishes towards Henry.
I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you for the longest time
The song ends and Alex clears his throat. “Henry, baby, will you go to prom with me?”
Henry will later argue it was entirely unnecessary to go through these lengths because they’re boyfriends now, of course he was always going to attend prom with Alex and coordinating suits and matching boutonnières. In the moment, it doesn’t stop Henry from making his way onto the stage and kissing the life out of Alex, in front of all those people. He doesn’t even notice their cheering, only the sound of Alex’s laughter.
“So.. prom?” He asks again while nudging his nose to Henry’s cheek.
“Yes, of course. I’m so glad we got the confessions sorted first because if you sprung this on me in just a friend way, I may have passed away,” Henry confesses solemnly. He’s joking but he’s also certain it’s not too far from the truth.
“Baby, nothing I’ve done has ever been in a friend way. You’ve held my heart since we met.”
“Right, silly me. Not pressing charges for trespassing is the pinnacle of romance.”
“And letting me play with your dog.”
—
They do technically go to prom with friends. Pez had asked Nora and Liam admitted he was dating their teammate Spencer, so they all decided to pool their money for a fancy limo. Henry had made it very clear that he preferred to enjoy the dance with all the friends because they could easily do more romantic things any other day of the week.
All six friends piled into the limo and ate at their favorite Italian restaurant, careful to not stain their outfits with pasta sauce and soda. Not before Catherine and Arthur took a million photos of them in front of the garden, ring lights and fancy backdrops along the wall.
At the dance itself, Alex stayed attached to Henry in some way. Sometimes it was with entwined hands, other times it was with an arm wrapped around his waist. Alex would occasionally drop kisses on Henry’s cheeks or jaw, which Henry would happily reciprocate with forehead kisses because they made Alex blush prettily every time and become so shy.
In the weeks between Valentine’s and Prom, Henry had learned lots of new things about Alex, like: He loves seeing Henry wearing his clothes out of some possessive caveman neuron in his brain; Alex loves being physically close to Henry at all times, whether it be his head on his lap, hands on thighs, or full blown cuddling; Alex prefers being the little spoon and absolutely melts when Henry kisses his shoulders or the back of his neck; Alex loves kissing, can’t get enough of it and finds all sorts of excuses to acost Henry. He’s unsurprisingly very into PDA. It took a while for Henry to get used to the eyes whenever Alex would kiss him goodbye between classes. He preferred it over delivering love letters, at least, which promptly stopped after Alex posted a picture he’d taken of Henry laughing during their Valentine’s picnic with the caption, “Baby 💞”
In the end, Cassie and Alex win Prom Queen and King. They are the closest thing to high school royalty with their student council roles. Henry stands next to Nora and Pez as the whole student body gathers around for the coronation dance. He privately acknowledges the dash of jealousy he feels until Cassie is tugging him into the center circle and passing his hand off to Alex.
“This is better,” she says then disappears into the crowd.
Alex grins wide and boyish, placing a gentle hand on Henry’s hip and lifting the other in a proper waltzing stance. Henry laughs softly as he places his free hand on Alex’s shoulder, then complains, “Why do you get to lead?”
“I’m the king, peep the crown. So I decree it.”
They dance quietly for the duration of the song, whatever it is. Henry is focused on the shine of Alex’s eyes that look at him in pure adoration. He’s the love of Henry’s life.
It’s big and scary and far too serious to be feeling at eighteen, but it’s the simple truth.
“You’re my favorite person,” Alex whispers.
“And you’re mine,” Henry replies easily.
Alex’s smile widens and he bats his lashes in that way he does when he’s feeling shy. “Yeah, I am. Yours. I hope you’ll keep me for a long time, Hen.” His voice is too soft, too sincere.
Henry draws him in closer, kissing him softly. “Lost the receipt ages ago, darling.”
“Oh, whoops. Guess you’ll have to keep me forever.”
“Forever,” Henry agrees with another kiss.
It is big and scary, but looking at Alex in this moment, it might just be the easiest feeling in the world.
(In five years, after they have both graduated college and settled into their first apartment together, Alex will repeat his promposal. Except this time, the words “MARRY ME?” twinkle back at Henry and a ring replaces the bouquet.
Forever turns out to be pretty easy for Alex and Henry.)