#Pez is an Idiot

[rwrb-uncut]

losing grips on sinking ships (you showed up just in time)

Henry thought himself a fool, really, for thinking he could have pulled it off.

For thinking he could have navigated through life today feeling as terrible as he did without Alex noticing. Without Alex worrying.

***

just a lil something about how henry cares for alex and how alex cares for henry

find me on ao3 for more! : https://archiveofourown.org/users/rwrb_uncut/pseuds/rwrb_uncut

***

Henry thought himself a fool, really, for thinking he could have pulled it off.

For thinking he could have navigated through life today feeling as terrible as he did without Alex noticing. Without Alex worrying. 

And the last thing he wanted to do was cause Alex any more stress, with finals next week and his mock trial scheduled for Monday. Henry knew that it was a lot to handle, even for Alex. He had been having trouble remembering to eat lately, remembering to take study breaks, to drink enough water, to wash his hair – and Henry did not mind filling in these gaps. He jumped at the chance to, even. Alex was his whole world, he would do anything to make sure that the love of his life was happy and healthy and sated. Seeing Alex work so hard for something he's wanted for so long, it made Henry proud to even know him, let alone share his bed.

So Henry found himself doting on Alex a little more than usual over the last few weeks – but how could he not? It was Alex . He took care to pack him a balanced lunch with extra snacks every day, topping them with goofy little notes he knew would make him smile. He also tried to have dinner ready and waiting for Alex when he came home – more often than not Henry would end up taking the car to the library and dropping it off to him. He'd give Alex a kiss on the cheek and Alex would give him a bashful apology that Henry would brush off, smiling up at him.

“Probably be a late night again tonight, sorry Hen,” he'd murmur into Henry's ear, hugging him close outside of the library. 

“S'okay, study hard, darling. You're gonna ace this one,” Henry would reply, pulling away but letting their entwined fingers stay linked for a few moments longer. 

And when Alex would come home in the early hours of the morning, his keys jingling in the lock, Henry would perk right up from bed and meet him downstairs. He'd help Alex shrug off his jacket, unlace his shoes, and pepper his face with feather-light kisses as the taller man leaned into his touch. He'd take Alex's wrist and pull him upstairs, into their ridiculously large shower where he would run gentle hands into Alex's hair, over his broad shoulders, around the gentle curve of his hips. Alex would sag against him as he did so, his head bowing so his forehead could fully rest on Henry's shoulder. And when he was fresh and clean, Henry would grab two huge towels from the towel warmer he got as a prank gift from Pez last Christmas. Joke was on Pez,  though, because he used it nearly every chance he got – he was sure there were few worldly pleasures as comforting as a warm towel after a hot shower. 

Starting at Alex's head, he would towel off the excess water dampening his dark curls and lovingly pat his face dry. Working his way down his body, he'd move from his chest to his thighs to his shins, dropping kisses every so often. Just because he could. He made sure every inch of his boy was cradled safely within his hands, from head to toe. Safe in their little brownstone in Brooklyn, where Henry could kiss and caress and cling to Alex's shoulders as much as he wanted. Where he could protect him from the worries of the world and its obligations, if only for a few moments.

Then he'd dress Alex in worn pajamas (he really should buy him a new set, these old ones were beginning to get a little too worn) and let him brush his teeth and wash his face in comfortable silence. 

“Don't have to do all of this for me, baby,” Alex would chide every once in a while, but Henry would shake his head knowingly and ignore him.

“Don't have to, I just want to,” he would whisper back, not wanting to break the little bubble of quiet they had. Not just yet.

And then they'd fall into bed, Henry slotting himself underneath Alex's chin, pressed tightly to his chest with one leg thrown over Alex's hip. Sighing heavily, he’d collapse into Alex’s warm side and feel his eyes finally be pulled close by sleep. Henry never really slept much, not until Alex, and his body had become so acquainted with the feel of warm skin and toned muscle under him that he was most definitely spoiled now. The idea of falling asleep without his boy next to him in bed was almost laughable.

“Goodnight, darling,” Henry would whisper into Alex's collarbone, his lips brushing over the skin there. Inhaling the clean scent of citrus and pine, and something a little muskier, something so inherently Alex that he would never be able to describe properly.

“Love how you care for me, baby. Love you so much,” Alex would mumble into Henry's hair, pressing a kiss there.

“And I love you, Alex.”

For the most part that was Henry's routine, in between meetings with Pez and charity functions and royal duties from abroad. He even managed to find time to do little things for Alex that had slipped from his distracted mind, like reorganizing their closet and deep cleaning their home, one room at a time. He wanted to do these things for Alex, for them , but he knew he couldn't do it all, not for long. He felt himself slowing down over the past week or so, his mind becoming a little fuzzy at the edges. Sleep evaded him now, even when Alex was home, and he knew a bad day was brewing just on the horizon.

And on a dreary, cold Friday in early December, Henry was proven right. 

He woke with a migraine, digging in deep behind his eyelids and pressing at what felt like the very center of his brain. Before he even opened his eyes he knew it was going to be a long day. Feeling around the bedsheets, he was met with cold fabric, the only thing lingering was the smell of his husband. He groaned, rolling over and pressing his face into Alex's pillow. God, he couldn't wait for exams to be over so he could have his husband back, curled up next to him under their duvet in their home.

Just one more week. One more.

Henry was just about to roll back over and dive under the covers when he heard his phone start ringing on the nightstand. Blearily, he made a desperate grab for it, not even looking over at the table and sliding the phone icon to the right to answer.

“Haz! I'm on my way over, should be there in 15! Do you want a cuppa or have you had yours already?” 

Pez. He forgot he had a 9AM meeting with him and the mayor’s team in hopes to convince them to build another shelter. Glancing at the clock, Henry jumped as he registered the time. 8:11 AM. 

“God, sorry Pez I must have overslept, oh God, give me just a moment to – ” Henry nervously babbled as he scrambled out of bed, bumping his shin rather hard on the bedframe. He cringed as the pain made his headache intensify, and soon he was doubled over in the middle of his room, white knuckling his phone with Pez cackling from over the line.

“Well well, Alex keep you up all night? That wanker! Take your time Henry, I'll have breakfast waiting for you!” Pez replied as Henry slowly stood to his full height.

Resigned, Henry mumbled, “Thank you Pez, so sorry. I'll be ready, see you soon.” 

“You better be, H, it's a big day! Wear something nice!” And with that, Pez hung up, leaving the room eerily silent.

Henry sped through his skincare routine, skipping a few steps and working in the dark so as to not agitate his migraine any more than necessary. He threw back a few of his meds and swallowed them dry which was a terrible decision but he didn't have the sense today to think things through. Pulling a dark blue suit out of their closet, he dressed quickly, figuring he would style his hair in the car if need be. He stuffed a jar of his expensive hair pomade into his pocket and brushed his teeth, then finished his look with a tie and his new dress shoes. He had no idea how he looked but he felt a mess -- a sweaty, pale, quivering mess.

As if on cue, he heard a car honk downstairs and staggered dangerously down the stairs, only pausing to put on his coat and grab his keys and wallet. His phone was left forgotten in their bedroom, tangled up somewhere in the bedsheets.

Exiting the brownstone was another feat within itself - even with an overcast morning the sky was too bright, and Henry gasped in pain, pinching the bridge of his nose. He locked up carefully, taking a little too long, and walked to the car at the end of his walkway. 

“You look like shit man, you alright?” Pez asked once he got situated inside the car. Henry grimaced, taking a small sip from his tea. It should have tasted like relief but instead it immediately turned his stomach – he shouldn't have taken his migraine meds without having breakfast first. 

“No, not really. Not feeling… good today,” Henry mumbled, and as he said it he took inventory of what exactly he meant. Sure, he was tired, and sure, he was feeling a bit burned out, but he felt not good down to his very being today. He knew the migraine was from overextending himself for far too long, but the cloud of sadness he can usually keep at bay was hanging over him. Wrapping around his shoulders, enveloping him completely. He felt too heavy.

Pez nodded knowingly. “Anything I can do to help?” 

Henry shook his head softly, feeling his brain rattle around at even the faintest movement. Pez frowned at him, his eyes wide and understanding. “Just this meeting this morning, and then we're bringing you right back home. Sound good, babes?”

At that, Henry's heart stuttered. “No no, I can handle this afternoon's lineup, Pezza. Just had a s;ow start today, is all.”

Pez laughed at that, and the sheer volume of it made Henry wince. “Haz, no bull with me, alright? I know a bad day when I see one.”

Henry deflated, knowing he wasn't going to be able to fool his best friend. “Ok, Pez, ok – you're right. I think I'm just… a little tired. Sleep would be good.”

Pez reached for his hand then, where it lay, cold and clammy, on his right thigh. He squeezed it gently. “Then sleep you shall have. We'll get you through this morning, H.”

And, somehow, they did. Henry was able to pull it together enough to last through their meeting, which went well past lunchtime when it was supposed to end at 11AM. But it was somewhat of a success, as the officials were in favor of their plan sans one, who fought Pez and Henry every step of the way. He was the reason the meeting ran long, questioning every part of the proposal and trying desperately to poke holes in their work. Fortunately his fellow officials were able to convince him to shut his mouth, but it was quite a draining experience for everyone.

By the end of it, Henry was on the verge of tears, his head throbbing and his social battery very much so in the negative. He wanted to go home and sleep and disappear under a mound of blankets – all of a sudden everything was just too much . He felt his hands shaking as they played nervously with his wedding ring on their walk back to the car. Pez was chattering on about something with his driver, but Henry could barely register what the topic even was. He felt very far away, and very lost, and very scared. Somewhere in his rational mind he knew that it was his anxiety settling in, making him feel isolated and afraid, that depression had been clawing at his door for weeks now and had finally managed to slip in under the mat today. 

“ -at, right Haz?” Pez asked, bringing Henry back to himself slightly. He nodded slowly, slightly confused, and Pez pursed his lips slightly at him but said nothing. 

The rest of the ride was a blur, and before he knew it Henry was standing at his front door, opening the lock with shaky hands. And try as he might, he couldn't get the key into the lock, his body suddenly failing him and making him feel even more frustrated. Out of left field a hand reached out and covered his. He heard someone talking, soothing and quiet, and then Pez was standing next to him and opening the door, bringing Henry inside. He felt like he was underwater, only coming up every so often to hear or see something before being pulled right back under.

He was pushed backward, and suddenly he was in his own bed, stripped down to his undershirt but still in his slacks. His shoes were gone, and a warm cup was being pressed into his hands. Tea. It was his cuppa from this morning, still mostly untouched, warmed up again. Pez must have warmed it up for him, but when did he do that?

He took a drink of his tea and shuddered at the warmth. He hadn’t realized he was cold until now. Taking another sip, he resurfaced to hear Pez talking worriedly in the distance.

“ – like this, Alex. I'm worried about him, he said he wasn't feeling good this morning but now he's like a zombie.” 

There was a brief pause, and Henry hurt to hear the panic in Pez's voice. He didn't want to make anyone worry. He didn't want that. He wanted to help.

“Alright, I'll stay with him until then. Try to make him get some sleep, he looks like right shit today.”

And then Henry was closing his eyes again and falling back under the waves. He felt the cup removed from his hands only because the warmth suddenly disappeared, and then he was all wrapped up in their duvet and staring at the ceiling. A hand was in his hair, petting his golden strands softly, and there was a soft rumble in the distance. 

Suddenly, Henry harnessed the strength to say something. With a croaky voice, he started, “Pez, 'm sorry.”

The hand in his hair stopped. “Henry, babes, what for?” 

“This morning. The meeting.”

Pez chuckled at that, which was not what Henry was expecting to happen. That wasn't a joke, why was Pez laughing? “You do too much sometimes, Haz. Just sleep a little, okay babes? Take a rest. You've more than earned it.”

Henry hummed, which only made the dull thudding of his brain more intense. He felt the pain vibrate through his body, reverberating off of his bones and his very being.

Time passed, he was not sure how much, but Pez was talking again, and Henry opened his eyes to a dark room with the shades drawn. His head felt marginally better, just weakly throbbing, but maybe that was also because he hadn't moved in a while. Then, his ears picked up another voice, and his heart swelled instantly because he knew that voice. Alex was home.

“ – upstairs. He might still be asleep, but you can peek in. If you need anything, just give me a ring,” Pez filtered through the white noise filling Henry's ears, the door downstairs opening and closing. Calculated footsteps on the stairs and then Henry was face to face with a very concerned Alex. 

And the thing with Henry was, he wanted to be there for everyone all of the time. He wanted to help, he wanted to do good, he wanted to go above and beyond for everyone. But he still had ingrained in him that he needed to suppress his own needs, that he wasn't allowed to accept help from others. He was working on it, he really was, but things were easier said than done, especially unlearning 26 years of self-suppression. Of putting his own needs last.

So when Alex opened the door and walked into their room, for the first time in possibly forever, Henry was scared. Not of Alex, but of what state he would find Henry in. What he would think. If he would leave.

Breathless, Alex spoke. “Hen, what happened? Meeting not go well?”

Henry frowned, his insides churning. “No, was fine.”

“Just fine? Pez said it was a hell of a fight today, said you were feeling a little down after.”

“Yeah,” Henry agreed quietly, not really sure what he was saying. 

Alex flicked on the overhead light then and Henry audibly whimpered, screwing his eyes shut quickly. He felt ridiculous, a flash of light reducing him to a sniffling mess in the bedsheets. The light went off once more, but Henry kept his eyes closed, the pain behind his eyelids back in full force. “Oh baby, you got a migraine today?” Alex asked, finally getting what was going on. “Why didn't you tell anyone, Hen? 

The blonde man sighed. “Didn't think it'd be this bad,” and he was telling the truth, he really didn't think it'd be this bad. He knew it was going to be a weird day, a hard day even, but he didn't think he wouldn't be able to finish it without Pez assigning him mandatory bed rest and calling Alex on him. He was a grown man, couldn't he handle a little headache every now and then?

Sometimes it was still hard to get the harsh voice of Gran out of his head, chiding him for having needs. For having feelings. For needing a break.

“Henry, baby, come here. Sit up so we can get some comfy clothes on you,” Alex whispered, and then he felt a body crawling up the bed to hover over Henry's. He dared to open his eyes then and was met with two chocolate irises, thick with worry, and it made Henry's stomach flip. Alex grinned, all soft and only for Henry. “There you are, Hen. Missed that face.”

Despite the resurgence of pain, Henry was melting even more. God, he loved this man.

“Wanna get ready for bed, darling? Can I touch you?” 

Henry nodded slowly, and then Alex was maneuvering his undershirt off, slipping instead a grey NYU sweatshirt over his head as Henry worked his arms into the sleeves and pulled it down to completely engulf his abdomen. He reached down to undo his slacks and Alex pulled those off, working his way down the bed. He placed a kiss on the inside of Henry's knee as he did so and Henry suddenly felt tears spring to his eyes. 

In a moment of clarity, Henry remembered the pyjamas that he ordered to replace Alex’s old ones. He looked down from the head of the bed at his husband, still wearing jeans, a tight-fitting black t-shirt and -- his coat, even? Alex hadn’t even put his things down when he came home, just ran right up to Henry. He felt his heart squeeze and blood rush to his cheeks. Alex held his gaze, trying to gauge where Henry’s head was at. He must have looked rather ridiculous, in a sweatshirt and his pants, half-wrapped up in their bed covers with squinted eyes and a red face. 

“What is it, baby?” Alex asked, still holding Henry’s left ankle in his right hand. He smiled down at him, his eyes crinkling at the corners and god Henry wished he felt well enough to get right up and kiss him. 

Henry tried to smile back, but it must have looked more like a grimace. “Got you some new pyjamas, they’re -- in the closet.”

And with that, Alex’s face melted and he climbed back up the bed, his arms on either side of Henry’s face. His lips pressed once to Henry’s, innocently, and then again to Henry’s forehead. He sighed, feeling his husband’s lips on his skin, relishing in it. “Thank you, Hen. So thoughtful of you, princess,” he murmured, before pulling back to get Henry’s pyjamas as well as his new ones.

Once Henry’s pyjama bottoms were properly on, navy blue with cartoon beagles printed all over, Alex found his hands in the sheets and helped pull him to his feet. Wavering slightly, Alex moved one hand to the small of his back, pressing him closer to his own chest. He felt Alex's eyes on his own face and looked down to avoid them, inspecting one of the cartoon beagles wearing a sunhat and glasses. He knew the love he would find in Alex’s eyes would be overwhelming. 

“Bad day today, Henry?” 

And Alex. He just knew. It all clicked into place for him suddenly; Henry overworking himself with the charities and fundraisers, doing the absolute most for Alex to make sure he was handling finals week well, reorganizing and keeping busy at home with little things he didn't need to fuss over. Alex had been busy, hardly home enough to sleep let alone see Henry properly, so it had been difficult to document. He was going and going and going without a second thought, and it finally seemed to catch up with him. Well, not catch up with him as much as stop him entirely, starting with his migraine. 

Henry grimaced. “Yeah, bad day.”

And then Alex was encircling him in his arms, one hand snaking up to hold at the nape of Henry's neck while the other remained on his back. Henry raised his arms up to cling to Alex's shoulders, burying his face into the crook of the other man's neck. He let a few tears fall, and Alex in response scratched at Henry's scalp lightly. “S'alright, Hen, don't have to be big and brave. I'm here.” 

Henry made a strangled noise at that, feeling the tension in his shoulders subsiding as Alex ran his hand up and down his spine. They stood like that for a while until Alex turned his head to kiss Henry's temple, coaxing him toward their bathroom. 

Later, wrapped up in the duvet and also in each other, Alex holding Henry's hand in his own on his chest, pressing kisses to anywhere he can reach, Henry comes back to himself a little. He's exhausted, and still feeling incredibly anxious, but he doesn't have a locked jaw or a blinding pain behind his eyes as much. Alex had forced some water and jaffa cakes into him, and while it wasn’t much, it was more sustenance than he had had all day. They were both in their sleep clothes now even though it was early in the night, barely 7:30 PM. Initially Alex had went to turn on a movie but he took one look at the dark circles under Henry’s eyes and thought better of it -- maybe an early night would be good for both of them. 

Henry clears his throat, breaking the silence, and Alex is already on full alert. “I didn't want you. To worry about me. But it seems as though that happened anyway,” he said, disjointedly, as if he had to force the words out.

Alex knit his eyebrows together in confusion. “Didn’t want me to worry? Henry, you’re my favorite thing to worry about. What do you mean?”

“I. I just know it’s been a lot for you, with exams and school and your studies. I didn’t want to pile on.” 

“You,” Alex started, “could never ‘pile on’. Exams and school, baby, that’s nothing. What matters is you, and if you’re needing something, anything, I will drop anything I’m doing to help you.”

Henry gulped. “What if… I don’t need something, or anything? What if I just. Need you? I can’t ask you to just disregard yo-” Alex cut him off with a kiss, sliding his tongue along Henry’s bottom lip.

“What part of ‘I’d drop anything for you’ do you not understand, princess? I said what I said, and I mean it,” and how Alex said it, so earnestly and so forcefully, well, Henry felt like maybe he could begin to believe him. 

The room was silent for a few moments before Alex spoke again. 

“I love you. Not like anything or anyone I’ve ever loved, Henry. I mean that,” he whispered into Henry’s ear, shifting so he was fully on his side facing his husband. “And when people love you they care for you, and worry about you, and I know that’s difficult to accept sometimes but I’m gonna just keep reminding you. Let me care about you Henry, please.”

“And I love you. But it’s so hard to ask for help,” Henry mumbled, looking at Alex through suddenly wet lashes. “I don’t think I’m wired to work like that, darling.”

“And people rewire things all the time, it’s just a learning curve. It’s gonna take time, but you’ll get there. I’ll help you, I’ll always help you, I promise.”

And there was just something in the way Alex was speaking, how he always spoke, with such finality that he could convince anyone of anything. He was a born leader through and through, which was one of the things Henry loved most about him. Never wavering, always leading Henry out of the dark as if it were the easiest thing in the world. 

Henry pressed his forehead to Alex’s, their noses touching. He took a deep breath in and whispered back, “Okay. I. I will try. For you.”

Alex grinned, all toothy and wild, unlinking their fingers to run his hand up and down Henry’s arm. The gentle motion was making Henry feel incredibly sleepy, and he gave in to it, his body losing all tension as it relaxed into the mattress, into Alex. 

“There we go, Hen. Just get some rest, I’ll be right here.”

“You better be,” Henry chided, “Can’t sleep without you.”

Alex chuckled. “Promise, I’m stuck to you for the foreseeable future. You’ll have to send me away to get some alone time.”

“Don’t want any alone time, just want you,” Henry mumbled, feeling himself drift off. 

Even with his eyes closed, he could feel Alex smile. “Then you’ll have me.”

[cha-melodius]

Can I request firstprince alternative first meeting in Rio for your fandom fest? Thanks! ❤️💙

(Yes, I'm still working on these! I'm guessing this isn't exactly what you had in mind when you sent in this prompt, but it fit in very well with the Olympics, and it IS a (very) alternative first meeting lol. I hope you enjoy!)

Tonight, You're Gold

(M, 6k, read it below or on AO3)

Henry wasn’t expecting the Rio Olympics to be particularly eventful, all things considered. These weren’t his first games, after all, and if he’s honest with himself, he’s not a favourite in the men’s Laser sailing fleet this year. Coming back from a knee injury has been hard, and he’s proud of what he’s achieved this season. If he can make it into the medal race, he’ll be ecstatic. Mostly, he’s been enjoying the experience. Enjoying watching the different sports. Enjoying the city of Rio. Enjoying the other athletes.

As one does.

Normally, he wouldn’t have gone out tonight, but Pez had cajoled him into it, saying even if he wasn’t going to find a hookup he could at least take his mind off his impending first-round race rather than stewing alone in his room. Henry had to admit he had a point. That was before this, though.

One minute Henry’s listening to a ridiculously gorgeous American beach volleyball player with big brown eyes and eyelashes that would be a handicap in many sports complain about how his room was the victim of catastrophic flooding thanks to a burst pipe, and the next, all of his common sense simply deserts him.

“…and Liam ended up finding a place with this diver named Spencer, but I got fucked over because the only extra bed right now is with Hunter,” the American, whose name is Alex, is saying. He pushes a mess of gorgeous dark curls back from his face, only for several of them to flop back and curve just under his ears, framing a jaw that could cut glass. “Who— I mean, you don’t know him, and you should be thankful for that because he’s insufferable. But the real problem is that he snores like a chainsaw, so how the fuck am I supposed to get a decent night’s sleep?”

“You could stay with me,” Henry says before he can properly think it through. Across from him, Alex raises his eyebrows. Christ. In for a penny, in for a pound. “Only, my roommate’s already done competing, and he’s moved out. So I have an extra bed.”

Alex laughs, his curls bouncing as he shakes his head. “I’m not sure I’m allowed to just move into Team Great Britain territory.”

Henry shrugs and takes a sip of his mocktail—he’s not dumb enough to drink with a race tomorrow, even if he is dumb enough to make this suggestion. “Given the revolving doors on some of these rooms, I don’t think you’ll draw much attention.”

Henry should know, after all. He’s had more than a few overnight visitors since Basil finished on the second day of the games. It’s been incredibly convenient having a room to himself—Fabrizio the Italian gymnast had been a highlight, to say nothing of half the Dutch rowing team—and now he’s about to give that up for a mouthy American that he’s pretty sure is straight. Because he’s a bloody idiot, apparently.

“I mean, people would probably assume…” Alex trails off, the darkening of his cheeks obvious even in the low light.

“That we’re fucking?” Henry finishes bluntly, and Alex chokes on his drink. Definitely straight, then. Pity. “It's true, they might. I understand if those kinds of rumours are not something you’re willing to risk.”

For some reason, that makes Alex look slightly stricken. “No, I mean, I don’t care if a bunch of random athletes think I’m queer. That’s not, like, a problem.”

“So it’s just me that’s objectionable, then,” Henry quips.

Alex is stunning when he laughs. It’s becoming a whole problem. “Have you seen yourself?” he scoffs. “Fuck, man. I should be so lucky.”

Henry only narrowly resists suggesting that he could be. Even if he thought Alex would be interested, he’s offering a place to stay. Not a quick shag.

“I should… probably get to bed. Races start early tomorrow,” Henry says, offering a little smile. “The offer stands, if you decide you need a break from the chainsaw.”

Alex draws his full lower lip through his teeth, which is supremely distracting. “Fuck. We do have a match tomorrow. And it’s against the Italians who are fucking good this year.” He squints sceptically at Henry. “Are you sure you don’t mind? You just met me. For all you know, I could fuck up your sleep.”

It’s insane to say he almost wouldn’t mind, so he doesn’t. He thinks it, though. “I doubt you’ll be worse than my roommate at the London games. And if you are, I’ll just kick you out.”

He says the last bit with a teasing smirk, which makes Alex laugh again, and Henry knows already he has no hope of surviving this man. Perfect. Just what he needs while he’s competing on the world’s biggest stage.

~~~~~

Alex is a wonderful roommate, as it turns out, which is lovely but also terrible. He’s considerate about noise and the odd hours they all have to keep between training sessions and competitions. He’s a chaotic whirlwind, but he’s also incredibly organised—“My brain is enough of a mess,” he’d told Henry on the second day—and always knows where everything is at any given time. He always makes sure there’s hot water in the kettle for Henry’s tea whenever he makes himself yet another no-doubt-coach-unapproved coffee. He’s an excellent conversation partner whenever their schedules line up, but he seems to intuitively know when Henry needs some time to himself. Today, he woke up before Henry’s third day of opening series races to hype him up, even though he had no reason to be up that early.

That’s not even considering what he looks like when he comes out of the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and water dripping from his curls onto some of the most well-sculpted shoulders Henry’s ever seen.

Henry is well and truly fucked.

“Hey, do people watch you guys compete?” Alex asks as Henry goes through his pre-race morning routine. “Do you have spectators?”

Henry hums, sipping his tea. “Not really. Most of the courses are barely visible from shore. They’ll put us reasonably close in for the medal race, but it’s still not much to see.”

“That’s the 15th, right?” Alex says, looking to Henry for confirmation even though he’s clearly already pulled the schedule up on his phone. “Maybe I could swing that. Our game should be late. You know, assuming we make the quarterfinals.”

Henry doesn’t quite know what to say to that. No one comes to see him compete, primarily for the aforementioned reasons of it not being the most scintillating or comprehensible sport to watch in person. Bea, at least, watches the televised races where the cameras, graphics, and commentators make it much easier to follow and texts him about a hundred times saying things like I can’t believe that asshole crossed in front of you and that Australian fucker stole your wind, which make him laugh as he reads through them once he’s back on shore.

“You don’t have to do that,” Henry demurs. “It’s really not worth it. Plus, I might not even make the medal race.”

“You will,” Alex says confidently, even though he knows next to nothing about sailing or Henry’s capabilities. Henry’s done pretty well in his first four races, but there are still six to go. “And anyway, it’s not really about watching the race. You guys deserve to have people to support and cheer for you too.”

Henry’s throat is tight. “Right, well, one step at a time,” he mumbles. Best to change the subject. “Tell me about your match today?”

Alex smiles like he knows what Henry is doing, but he lets it go, and Henry spends the rest of the time before has to depart for the race listening to Alex go on about digs and float serves and line shots. It’s a surprisingly effective way of soothing pre-race jitters and getting out of his own head, even if it’s one he knows he shouldn’t get used to.

~~~~~

Henry’s not sure he’s ever watched a beach volleyball match before, which was clearly a significant oversight on his part. He is sweating and not only because the sun is beating relentlessly down on him as he sits in the stands. It’s certainly not helped by the USA’s uniforms, which feature shorts a full hands-breadth shorter than seemingly any other team’s and vests with deeply scooped arm holes. Alex’s teammate, Liam, is wearing a white ball cap, but Alex has eschewed a hat, instead pushing his curls back from his face with a blue elastic hair band, which is more endearing than it has any right to be.

“Christ, would you look at his arse,” Pez says appreciatively from his position at Henry’s side as Alex leans over with his hands on his knees.

“You say that like I’ve been able to look anywhere else,” Henry returns. There’s no shortage of hot people in minimal amounts of spandex at the games, yet the way those shorts cling to Alex’s arse is somehow more tantalising than all of them. “I’m convinced he was specially sculpted by the gods explicitly to torment me.”

Pez tsks and slants a sideways look at him. “Still haven’t gotten him into your bed, then?”

“I’m not his type, Pez.”

On the court, Alex spikes a ball over the net, scoring a point, then runs over to Liam to celebrate. Which involves smacking each other vigorously on the arse. They’ve been doing it all match. Once, after a particularly exceptional point scored, Alex kissed him enthusiastically on the cheek.

“You’re certain about that?” Pez asks sceptically.

“You know straight men and their homoerotic sports rituals,” Henry sighs.

“Mm,” Pez hums. “I wouldn’t mind testing that hypothesis with his partner. Those arms.”

Henry snorts. “Godspeed, my friend.”

“Never underestimate my charm, Hazza,” Pez chirps, watching as Liam dives for the ball and knocks it back over toward Alex. “They really are very good at this.”

It’s not like Alex has been modest when he’s talked about their performance, but it’s very clear that he’s still managed to undersell it. The US men are practically putting on a clinic, dominating every set of the match. Both Alex and Liam are clearly exceptional players, operating like a well-oiled machine, but Henry admittedly can’t take his eyes off Alex. The way his muscles ripple under bronzed skin as he stretches to make a save. The raw power behind his serves. The brilliance of his smiles when he turns away from the net to celebrate after each point. Of course it wasn’t enough that Alex had to be gorgeous and kind and thoughtful and funny—he had to be absurdly skilled, too, even taking into consideration that everyone here is at the top of their game.

Alex is clearly still hopped up on adrenaline when Henry catches up with him after their decisive win, talking animatedly to one of the other Team USA athletes. Henry does his best to feel nothing about the way Alex lights up when he spots Henry lurking by the sidelines, immediately ditching his conversation partner to jog over to him. He’s glistening and flushed and Henry wants to lick him.

Christ, he needs to get a bloody grip.

“Did you see that save in the second set?” Alex chirps excitedly. “When I did a fucking flip and just caught the ball, and then”—he mimes a jump—“Liam slammed it into the corner?”

“It was hard to miss,” Henry tells him indulgently, biting down on his too-wide smile at Alex’s antics. “You were incredible, Alex.”

“So how’d you like your first beach volleyball game?” Alex asks. “Think you’ll come back?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Henry admits. It’s too honest by half, but entirely worth it for the truly brilliant grin he gets from Alex in return.

~~~~~

The thing about sailing is that there are no crowds you can see, no cheering you can hear. There’s just you and the boat and the wind—and nine other guys trying to cut a tighter path on the course to shave off a few seconds.

The wind is gusty during the medal race, and Henry ends up drenched in spray within the first ten seconds of getting out on the water. He loves these conditions, though, the way they push a sailor to their limits, the way it feels like you could take off in flight at any moment. The boat is responsive under his hands, skipping across the water like a stone, and he finds good angles to the wind that send him rocketing forward right off the starting gun. His luck holds, helped by the French competitor nearly capsizing in a gust and the Italian having to do a penalty turn at the second mark, and in the end he crosses the finish line at the front of the fleet in a cluster so tight it’s impossible to tell the final rankings from the water.

It probably won’t be enough to medal, even if he managed to score in the top three—his previous finishes were just a little too far back in the fleet—but frankly, he can’t find it in himself to care. Because when he finally gets back to shore, there’s an extremely excitable American who practically launches himself into Henry’s tired arms before he can even check the scores.

“Second place, you motherfucker!” Alex yelps in his ear.

Henry blinks, pulling away to look at him properly. “Are you serious?”

“They just announced it,” Alex confirms breathlessly. “What does that mean? Do you get silver?”

“No, the final scores are cumulative. It’ll depends on how the leaders finished, can you look—”

But Alex already has his phone out, looking up the scores as Henry’s coach hurries up to them, his eyes wide.

“Burton and Sheldt were both over the line at the start,” Shaan tells him urgently. “They were disqualified. With your second place, that means—”

“Fucking bronze!” Alex shouts, like he’s just won the medal, and abruptly Henry’s knees don’t feel steady enough to hold him up anymore.

It takes several minutes before Henry’s breathing returns to something like it’s normal rate, and he finds Alex sitting next to him, chewing on his thumbnail as he reads something on his phone. A short ways away, Shaan is taking care of putting away Henry’s boat for him, leaving the two of them in their own little bubble.

“This scoring system is bonkers, I hope you know,” Alex tells him. “I can’t believe it’s cumulative over eleven races.”

“I can’t believe I won a medal,” Henry replies, staring off into the distance. He can see the women’s Radial fleet on the course already, the colourful flag-patterned spinnakers cutting across the horizon. Nothing quite seems real yet.

“Yeah you did,” Alex says, grinning as he bumps his shoulder into Henry’s. “You were right, by the way. I couldn’t see jack shit. But I’m glad I was here.”

Henry’s not going to cry. He’s not. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, focusing on the connection between their shoulders like he can draw strength from it. “I am too, Alex.”

~~~~~

“Shouldn’t you be out getting wasted?” Alex asks when Henry eases the door closed behind him.

Henry really thought Alex would be asleep at this point, given that the semifinal games are tomorrow. Instead, Alex is sitting up in bed with his iPad laying on the mattress in front of him showing a paused beach volleyball game and a notebook next to that. They’d been out with a mixed group of Brits and Americans celebrating Henry’s medal and Alex and Liam’s quarterfinal victory, but Alex had begged off early to come back to their room, leaving Henry in Pez’s clutches with too much champagne flowing.

“Maybe I’m going back out,” Henry says, more defensively than is probably warranted. He is, actually. Just not to party. He walks over to his bed and pulls his medal over his head, laying it carefully on the side table where the bronze glints softly in the low light from Alex’s lamp.

“Hm,” Alex hums doubtfully as he looks Henry up and down. “You’re up to something. I can tell.”

“It’s nothing.” Fuck. He probably should have denied that.

“Henry,” Alex says flatly, giving him a Look. “I’m not gonna judge you.”

Henry sighs and leans against the wall, letting his head thunk backward. That might have been a mistake, because everything is spinning now. “I was going to sneak back to the marina and take my boat out,” he confesses.

The room is silent, and when Henry opens his eyes again, he finds Alex frowning at him. “It’s the middle of the night.”

“Best time to see the stars,” Henry says with a weak smile.

“Isn’t that kind of dangerous? And against the rules?”

“Hence the sneaking.”

Alex stares another beat, then he nods, turning off his iPad. “Ok, let’s go.”

“…What?”

“There’s no way I’m letting you go out there by yourself,” Alex says firmly. “What if you slipped and hit your head or something?”

“If we got caught, you could be kicked out of the games,” Henry argues.

“And they could take away your medal,” Alex counters, folding his arms over his chest. “Whatever this is, it must mean a lot to you if you’re risking something like that. So if you’re going, I’m going.”

Christ, but he is stubborn. “My boat isn’t exactly built for two people, Alex.”

Alex shrugs. “We’ll make it work.”

Against the odds and all good sense, they do. Sneaking into the marina is easier than expected, thanks to shockingly lax security, and they find Henry’s boat amongst the other Lasers slumbering by the waterside in their cradles. Henry is well-practised at launching it by himself, so they just have to make sure Alex doesn’t capsize it when he climbs in—a near miss that leaves Alex white-knuckling the edge of the cockpit and Henry trying to hold back his laughter as Alex glares at him. The breeze has slackened now that the sun is down, just strong enough to take them out into the bay, where Henry drops the sail again and they both cram into the tiny cockpit with their knees bent and their legs weaved together.

“So,” Alex says, once they’re settled in and staring up at the stars, “are you gonna tell me what this is really about? Because I’m guessing it’s not just stargazing. Not that they aren’t amazing out here, but still.”

There’s a reason Henry didn’t put up much of a fight about Alex coming along, and it’s not how unspeakably beautiful he is with the pale moonlight in his curls. They might have only met a week ago, but he feels safe with Alex in a way he rarely does around anyone, able to share parts of him that he usually keeps buried. He takes a deep breath, letting every point of connection between them ground him.

“My father taught me how to sail,” Henry finally begins. “When I was small, we used to go out on his boat at night—a much larger one than this, mind you—until you almost couldn’t see the shore, just so we could see the stars better.” He swallows against the lump in his throat. “He died when I was eighteen. All of this—the racing, the Olympics, coming out here after regattas to look at the stars no matter where I am in the world—everything I do. It’s all for him.”

For a long moment, there’s nothing but the soft lap of the water against the hull of the boat, but then Henry feels Alex’s fingers against his, his hand pushing into Henry’s loose grip as he twines their fingers together and squeezes. “He’d be so fucking proud of you, H.”

“I know,” Henry whispers, not trusting his voice.

“Absolutely no pressure, but…” Another squeeze. “Do you want to talk about him?”

For the first time in a long while, Henry does.

~~~~~

“What do you think?” Alex asks as he emerges from the bathroom. He turns in a slow circle, holding his arms out to the side, to show off his outfit—absurdly tiny shorts that are practically painted on and a lacy shirt that he’s seen fit to close with only a single button just above his navel. There’s a gold Olympic rings pendant laying over his collarbones, and his dark curls are shining with whatever product he’s put in them to tame them just so.

Henry narrowly avoids swallowing his tongue. “I think you’ll be very popular,” he manages.

Alex’s nose wrinkles as if that is not entirely the point. He’s been invited to a party at some extremely exclusive club in the city hosted by the Brazilian women’s beach volleyball team, who happen to be two stunningly gorgeous women that seem to particularly enjoy flirting with Alex. Not that Henry can blame them, but that doesn’t make him feel any less grumpy about the whole situation.

“I’m not trying to be popular,” Alex says as he turns again, twisting around to look at his arse in the mirror. He frowns, and mutters, “Only one person’s eye I’m trying to catch.”

Henry isn’t sure if he’s meant to hear that, or respond to it, but he swallows against the disappointment that wells up in his chest. So Alex does have someone in mind. He should have expected it, really—there’s no way someone who looks like Alex could go the whole games and not find company eventually. Not to mention he’s going to be playing in the gold medal match in a day’s time, and is thus guaranteed no lower than a silver medal. There are always plenty of participants at the games who consider bedding an Olympic medalist the next best thing if they’re not going to win one themselves.

“Well,” Henry says, trying to appear as if he’s reading and not surreptitiously ogling his roommate, “whoever it is, they’d have to be an idiot not to notice you.”

“Ok, but I’m asking what you think,” Alex says, a little petulantly.

Henry sighs and closes his book on his thumb. “You look incredible, Alex. Truly.”

That makes Alex beam, and Henry’s stomach flips. Christ, he’s hopeless.

“Why aren’t you dressed?” Alex asks, casting his eyes over Henry’s slightly ragged joggers and Team Great Britain hoodie from 2012. “I’m pretty sure they’re not going to let you into the club like that.”

“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, Alex,” Henry says. “I’m not going to any club.”

“Uh, yeah you are. You’re coming with me,” Alex says, like it’s obvious.

Henry scoffs. “I think my invitation got lost.”

“You’re a medalist,” Alex points out with an unnecessary eye roll. “Medalists have an automatic invite to every party. I thought this wasn’t your first Olympics?”

Henry pointedly looks down at his hoodie then back up again. “I know how these things work, Alex. I’m also certain that none of them are interested in having me there.”

“Well, I want you there, so.” He cocks an eyebrow, like he’s challenging Henry to deny him.

Like he knows Henry won’t.

Henry refuses to bring his medal with him because he’s absolutely not going to risk getting mugged for it, but in the end he doesn’t need the proof; apparently, he’s somehow on the list already along with Alex. And also, perhaps unsurprisingly, Pez, who’s already inside and practically shrieks when he sees Henry.

“Hazza! It’s a miracle!” he shouts as he looks appraisingly at Henry’s sedate trousers and the button-down shirt, which Alex had insisted he leave open down to the middle of his sternum. “I thought we had big plans to sulk in our room tonight.”

Henry glares at him and ignores Alex’s curious gaze. “I wasn’t aware having a quiet night in was a crime.”

“It’s the Olympics, H!” Alex puts in, clapping his shoulder with enough force to make Henry nearly stumble. “You can have all the quiet nights you want after the games.”

“See, this man knows how it’s done,” Pez agrees, then turns his attention to Alex. “I don’t suppose your dashing court partner is going to be here tonight…?”

Alex shrugs. “He said he was coming.”

Pez claps delightedly. “Wonderful!”

Alex says he isn’t drinking tonight, given his ongoing competition, which is understandable. Henry, on the other hand, is fairly certain he’s not going to survive the night watching Alex dance with scantily-clad women without significant assistance. He starts with a gin and tonic, but Pez keeps on appearing in a whirlwind with a myriad of brightly-coloured shots, so it’s not long before he’s very much feeling the loosening effects of the alcohol thrumming through his veins. When Alex reappears some time later with a sheen of sweat on his skin and an ipê-amarelo in his hair, Henry even lets himself be dragged out onto the dance floor, pretending his heart isn’t hammering in his chest when Alex pulls their bodies close with his hands on Henry’s hips.

“Hey, that first party we met,” Alex asks, his voice low and husky in Henry’s ear, just audible over the thumping bass, “were you trying to hit on me?”

Henry can’t help it; he laughs. “Well, yes, at the start,” he admits despite himself, his lips thoroughly loosened by all those shots. “I wanted to talk to you, so I did. I figured out you weren’t interested, but…” He shakes his head. “It didn’t matter. I was happy just getting to know you. Then I heard about your room situation, so it was kind of moot.”

Alex’s hands tighten on his waist. “Right.” There’s an odd note in his voice as he pulls back to stare up at Henry with those big brown eyes, the lights of the club painting multicoloured patterns on his face. “And if I wasn’t not interested…?”

There are far too many negatives in that sentence for Henry to be able to parse in his current state. He blinks at Alex, frowning deeply. He might also be slightly cross-eyed. “What?”

“Fuck, you’re really drunk, aren’t you?” Alex says with a huff of laughter. He pushes a lock of hair back from Henry’s forehead. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Let’s get you back to the room, yeah?”

“Sensible,” Henry says through a yawn, and contentedly leans against Alex’s side as he steers them toward the exit.

~~~~~

The American women take bronze in beach volleyball, and Henry sweats out the rest of the alcohol in his blood as he sits in the unrelenting tropical sun at the match. Next to him, Alex is in high spirits and seemingly all too happy to add to Henry’s torment.

“Did I tell you about the time we protested the beach volleyball uniforms rule at a tournament match?

Henry squints at him behind his sunglasses. He doesn’t remember much about the  previous night, which he suspects is probably for the best. “No, I don’t believe so.”

“You know the women have these rules that they have to wear these skimpy bathing suits while the men get shorts and tank tops, right?” Alex explains. “Well, Liam and I made a deal with the women’s team to trade uniforms.”

It is frankly in Henry’s best interests not to picture such a thing, and he tries valiantly, but Alex already has his phone out and is shoving a photo in his face. In it, Alex and Liam are posing next to each other, arms slung over each other’s shoulders, wearing nothing but huge grins and matching tiny red bikinis. It’s actually absurd how well Alex’s pecs fill out the top, but the bottoms are another matter entirely. A women’s bikini contains decidedly less fabric than a men’s suit would, and the tiny scrap of fabric is stretched to its absolute limits, leaving precisely nothing to the imagination.

“The officials made us go change before we could play the match, of course,” Alex continues, oblivious to Henry’s suffering. “But it was worth it.”

“Quite,” Henry nearly whimpers.

“We still have the suits, actually. Said we’d wear them again at the medal ceremony if we won gold this year. Guess we’ll see tomorrow, huh?”

Henry has to close his eyes and breathe through his nose, and hopes desperately that Alex doesn’t notice.

~~~~~

Somehow, Alex manages to finagle Henry a seat in the front row for the final match. It’s a little awkward, sitting with Alex’s family, all of whom eye Henry with confused suspicion when he tries to explain how a British sailor ended up as a special guest of their son and brother. Apparently, Alex hadn’t bothered telling them about his altered living arrangements, a fact that has his mother—who Henry understands is some sort of American politician—pulling out her phone to have words with the US Olympic Committee and possibly the IOC as well, before her daughter tells her to cut it out and watch the match.

Alex is spectacular, of course, even when the Brazilians give them a run for their money, forcing the match into a nail-biting third set. Henry ends up with each of his hands crushed in the matching grips of Alex’s sister and her girlfriend (also Alex’s best friend), a statistician who has apparently run all the stats on this game and keeps rattling off numbers and percentages that Henry admittedly doesn’t quite follow.

It comes down to the final match point. Liam serves the ball, and they end up in a spectacular volley that seems to go on and on—the Brazilians make an incredible save that keeps it in play, somehow blocking a spike that Alex sends rocketing over the net, and Liam dives to prevent a ball from going out of bounds that Alex already touched. Finally, the Americans set up a shot, winding up like they’re going to drive it to the back of the court, but once the Brazilians have moved backwards to counter it, Alex softens his strike and the ball falls weakly into the Brazilian zone on the other side of the net.

The resulting cheers are deafening as Alex and Liam crash together in an ecstatic hug, knocking Liam’s cap off and nearly sending both of them down into the sand. Then Alex is running full-tilt toward them, barely pausing to accept an American flag from someone in the stands, which he throws over his shoulders like a cape as he gets enveloped in hugs from his family over the railing. It’s incredible, and Henry is so bloody happy for him, and—

And Alex grabs him, Henry assumes to drag him into a hug, but then Alex is pulling back and putting his hands on either side of Henry’s face and kissing him soundly on the mouth. Henry can see at least five cameras out of his peripheral vision, all crowding in to try and get the shot, but his attention is quickly torn away because Alex is kissing him, full and deep and claiming, and Henry can do nothing but cling for dear life as he kisses Alex back.

Alex presses their foreheads together when they finally part and says something, though Henry can’t quite comprehend it over the roar of the crowd. Only later will the words finally resolve themselves in his head, once Alex has been drawn away to be congratulated by others and Henry is still sitting dazed and touching his lips as people ask him questions he doesn’t know the answers to.

“I’m interested, baby.”

~~~~~

Alex and Liam do not, in fact, wear bikinis at their medal ceremony. Henry finds out later that the US Olympic committee’s emphatic directive that athletes wear their official Team USA track suit or else was, in the end, enough to spook the two men into behaving.

“That, and I’m pretty sure my mother would murder me,” Alex tells him once Henry manages to steal him away from the numerous well-wishers and endless press after the ceremony.

Henry has no clue where they’re going, having never been in the non-public parts of this stadium, so he lets Alex take over, leading them into the bowels of the training areas and locker rooms. By now it’s nearly three in the morning, and Henry is slightly delirious, though that’s less from the fatigue than the fact that he still hasn’t recovered from Alex kissing him in front of the entire world. They could have gone back to their room in the Village, except that apparently neither of them are willing to wait any longer.

“We should talk,” Henry says when Alex finally pushes him into an empty training room and closes the door behind them with a soft snick.

“Counterpoint,” Alex says, grinning wickedly as he crosses the room. There’s a swagger in his stride that really only comes when there’s a gold medal hanging around a person’s neck and, unfortunately, it’s devastatingly attractive. He backs Henry up against a wall, sliding his hands up Henry’s chest as he leans in so close their noses brush. “This now. Talking later.”

“You make a compelling argument,” Henry breathes.

“I know I do, sweetheart,” Alex says smugly, and Henry has no choice but to kiss the smirk off his face.

This kiss is nothing like the one they shared after the match. Henry takes his time, luxuriating in the slide of their lips and the cut of Alex’s teeth, licking into Alex’s mouth to feel their tongues slip against each other. He gets his hands into Alex’s hair like he’s wanted to since that first night, letting the curls twine around his fingers as he tightens his grip in a way that makes Alex moan into his mouth. Alex’s body is a firm weight against him, nothing but solid, corded muscle clenching under Henry’s palm. His hips rock forward, so subtly that Henry’s not even sure he knows he’s doing it, but the effect is unmistakable all the same.

In one smooth movement, Henry turns them, pressing Alex back against the wall and dropping to his knees, and the sight of the hard length of Alex’s cock straining in his trousers is enough to make Henry’s mouth water. He looks back up to find Alex gaping at him, his chest heaving and his knuckles going pale where his hands are clenched into fists by his side.

Henry licks his lips and slides his palms up Alex’s thighs to the elastic waistband of his trousers. “Can I blow you?”

“Fuck, please,” Alex exhales, a gratifying tremor in his voice.

Grinning, Henry hooks his fingers into the waistband and yanks downward to reveal—

“You’re a bloody demon, you know that?” Henry huffs as Alex’s cock twitches against the skimpy red spandex of the bikini bottoms.

“I said I was gonna wear it on the podium, and I keep my word,” Alex says, grinning, only to swear loudly when Henry leans in and presses his open mouth to the damp spot on the fabric.

Thank god this area is deserted at this time of night because Alex is loud as Henry shows off his not inconsiderable skill. He teases Alex through the bikini until he’s trembling all over, and when Henry finally sucks him down to the root, it takes no more than a few swirls of his tongue before Alex is coming with a shout and a fist tugging on Henry’s hair hard enough that Henry sees stars.

“Gold medal,” Alex breathes, his chest heaving and his thumb pressing at the corner of Henry’s mouth as Henry gentles him through the last aftershocks.

Henry doesn’t have the heart tell him that he’s not the first person to say that at the games. If cock sucking were an Olympic sport, Henry’s medal count would put Michael Phelps to shame. None of that matters now. Alex curls his hands in the front of Henry’s jacket and drags him back up to kiss him deeply, and the way they fit together is simply… perfect.

Alex doesn’t miss a beat in the rhythm of the kiss as his hand slides down to palm Henry’s cock through the front of his trousers, but Henry catches his wrist. “Later, love,” he murmurs against Alex’s lips. “What I want, we need to go back to the room for.”

They have two days before the end of the games, and Henry intends to make the most of it.

[ghaniblue]

Reading List: August

Everything I finished and enjoyed in August that's not from HD Wireless fest see below. 99% Drarry, 1 Tom/Draco and 1 RWRB fic. ❤️ denotes favourites.

>> July recs <<

HP

❤️🙈 Alley Cat by papermonkey / @dracomort (Tom/Draco, M, 72k, WIP 13/?)

In which Draco attends Hogwarts with Tom Riddle and inadvertently saves the world.

What if Tom became Draco's best friend? I feel like the monkey emoji represents Draco in this fic: if I ignore it, it won't be real and I don't have to acknowledge it ladida. He amuses me to no end.

🏥 Nightingale by michi_thekiller (Drarry, E, 67k)

God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages. -Jacques Deval

This is canon-divergent since it was written before the books were finished. I enjoyed the dual timeline. At school they are antagonistic and fight-happy with punching turning into shagging, while the present timeline is just a little disturbing. Harry is not well in this. Draco isn't either but [spoiler].

❤️🩸 Harry Potter and the Inconvenient Condition by Mirabella (Drarry, M, 20k)

Harry comes back from vacation with an inconvenient case of vampirism and must learn to cope with blood, Malfoy, and recalcitrant secretaries. And if that doesn't tell you everything about the plot you need to know, you haven't read enough badfic.

Another oldschool fic. Vampire!Harry has a hankering for Draco's blood. This is such a fun, tropey romp. I was kicking my feet with glee.

🔮 Cassandraco by @jtimu (Drarry, T, 5k)

Harry Potter was going to die in six hours. As far as Draco was concerned, that wasn’t nearly soon enough.

This is fun. Beleaguered rescuer Draco and unwilling recuee Harry.

❤️🤒 the sun between us by @eleadore (Drarry, E, 7,5k)

Draco Malfoy, an omega. It was laughable until he was right in front of you, smelling like he was one shaky step from tripping into a heat. 

This could be just any other omegaverse PWP, but it's so dense with characterisation and layered emotion.

🏊‍♂️ Freely Given by InnerLilith + art by @kk1smet (Drarry, E, 18k + digital art)

As a young child, Harry Potter had always wanted swim lessons. He never got them. As an adult, he runs into Draco—an excellent swimmer and disconcertingly fit to boot—at a muggle pool. Naturally, he calls in his life debt for swim lessons (a totally normal thing to do, thank you very much). He gets more than he bargained for.

What a lovely @drarry-mini-bang story: hot, funny and sweet; and the art is delightful (you get built swimmer Draco and adorable chibis).

❤️👮‍♂️Rookie Moves by peu-a-peu (Drarry, E, 75k) + podfic by @sweatersinthesummer (~7h)

Aurors Potter and Malfoy crack the case.

Finally managed to read this; all the recs are justified. They are such disasters. Their characterisation is so funny and vibrant. They are both so deranged and combative. The podfic was completed half-way through my reading so I switched to listening. Such a good interpretation of this mad fic.

RWRB

❤️🥍 A Sporting Chance by clottedcreamfudge (Alex/Henry, E, 12,6k)

"Marry Henry - destination wedding. Combine all of our names so paperwork is a fucking nightmare." Henry stares at him and Pez rolls the dice, and-

"Congratulations to Alex and Henry Claremont-Diaz-Fox-Mountchristen," he says with a bright grin, and Alex punches the air and makes a 'whooping' noise. "Your wedding is attended by the Beckhams, the President, and several key members of congress. Henry is very gentle on your wedding night." Henry is going to fucking kill Pez.

"Fucking sweet," Alex says, because Henry is apparently the only one here trying not to have a coronary about all of this.

***

It had just been a party game, except now Henry is in way over his head.

Fuckbuddies/Idiots to lovers. This Alex is such a horny chaos demon, and Henry is so in love it's visible from space. Also, Pez is a gem. I often start scrolling through repeated sex scenes but not with this fic. This story made me happy.

[rwrbficrecs]

The last of our monthly recs for 2023 ❤️ Every Day’s a Holiday (When I’m Near to You) by bleedingballroomfloor (book-verse)

@dot524: I loved every bit of this road trip fic. Henry has a crush on Alex and impulsively decides to join him on a road trip to Texas, which turns out to be longer than expected. The delicious yearning, only-one-bed situations, and funny road-trip pit stops made this a great story. I didn’t want to stop reading.

@heybuddy-drabbles: this ticked all my boxes honestly. The pinning, the yearning. The friendship they build while falling in love. And then the love, wild and unstoppable and so free. It was just perfect.

I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard? by dollarstoreannabethchase (book-verse)

@dot524: A deliciously angsty Henry POV of key events in the book - lake house & storming of Kensington Palace. Broke my heart and put it back together again. The description of his depression and pain made me want to give Henry a hug.

Last Christmas by @celaestis1 (book-verse)

@suseagull04: Enemies to lovers meets Christmas feels and found family. The establishment of every relationship, both romantic and platonic, in this fic is fantastic too!

Never Did Run Smooth by @clottedcreamfudge (book-verse)

@dot524: What a delightful ride! I loved the unique reality-show setup and the roommates/best friends to lovers pining from Henry’s POV. It had a few fun plot turns that kept me guessing and many scenes that made me grin like an idiot (e.g. a cake-baking contest and partner yoga with someone else). This isn’t exactly an undiscovered gem based on the number of comments and kudos — but I hadn’t read it, so I wanted to spread the word for those new to the fandom!

No Consequences by @anchoredarchangel (book-verse)

@thesleepyskipper: In this AU where Henry is still the Prince but Alex is a civil rights lawyer who works with Pez, the author has given us an incredible meet cute!! Alex pulls an Alex and shoots his shot for a selfie that turns out pretty well for him in the end. 😏 The author’s writing of Alex here is absolutely spot on AND hilarious. I still can’t believe this is their first published fic!!!

@zwiazdziarka: this fic has everything one could ask for: it's funny, it's cute, it's awkward, it's hot and addictive. I can't stop thinking about this version of Alex and Henry and their characterisation is absolutely perfect!

Made For Love by @candyspandemonium (book-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: AU where Henry and June are ice dancing champions and Alex has a lot of feelings about some guy stealing his sister. There are just so many good things in this fic - emotions, Alex being totally unhinged and not realising what it means, Henry as perfect fantasy, dealing with media and public opinion - and all that in nice scenery of ice rinks. Can't recommend it enough!

(Secret) Santa Baby by @indomitable-love (book-verse)

@dot524: Such a sweet AU about office romance between Alex and Henry and how a Secret Santa gift & being paired together on a project leads to something more. Heartwarming and made me smile… this writer’s characterization of Alex & Henry is always spot-on for me, no matter the universe.

The Royal Magician and the Ravens of the Tower of London by @bluflamingo (book-verse)

@suseagull04: The world-building in this fic is phenomenal! It's the perfect blend of magical realms and the real world, mystery and magic AU, and I love it!

could it be mad love? by @duchessdepolignaca03 (book/movie-verse)

@zwiazdziarka: actors AU, but also Henry is Alex's biggest fan and his awkward celebrity crush adds all new flavour to their relationship once they meet. The range of emotions fit in this story is truely amazing. There's so much tension and every moment feels like the one where it all can turn into a dissaster or something absolutely wonderful.

where every wish comes true by @hypnostheory (book-verse)

@heybuddy-drabbles: Neighbors!au + fuck buddies. Alex locks himself out of his apartment in a filthy costume and his neighbor and fuck buddie Henry takes him in. It's very funny and sexy!!

[tinyarmedtrex]

Hello! Would you do

61. “I love you. I’m completely and utterly in love with you. Please don’t get married.”

for firstprince please? 🤍

Going for the ANGST, I love it. Thank you!

Henry gaped at the ring. It was nestled perfectly in a little red box, the diamonds shining under the light. It was objectively gorgeous. Alex had done a good job. Expensive but not flashy, tasteful. 

"Well H?" Alex asked, unable to hide his excitement. "What do you think? Come on," He nudged Henry with an elbow. "I need your thoughts if you're going to be my best man." 

Henry choked back a sob. He had to look away as he attempted to school his face into something besides horror and finding that he couldn't. It seemed that his face had forgotten how to smile. 

"Don't you think it's a bit soon?"

He didn't have to be looking at Alex to know he was frowning. "It's been a year. We're not getting any younger and Amber isn't going to wait forever."

The response made him wonder if Alex truly wanted to do this. Not that it really mattered, once Alex decided it was nearly impossible to get him to change his mind. Once Alex set his mind to something he was going to make it happen, come hell or high water. 

It was one of the many things he loved about Alex. Along with his kindness, his attentiveness, how he knew Henry's exact order for every restaurant, how he would curl up next to Henry and everything bad would seem to disappear, how he never made Henry feel guilty for his bad days and instead sat with him, waiting them out. 

Henry had been in love with Alex practically since they met. After a rough start they became friends and then roommates. Henry knew it was risky to room with his unrequited straight man crush but when Alex had asked, he'd found it impossible to say no. And living with him had proved amazing. From the late-night movies to the early morning breakfasts and everything in between, Henry had loved it. 

He'd thought that Alex loved it too. He'd never considered that Alex was thinking about the rest of his life, a life where he was married and living elsewhere.

"Henry, what's wrong? I thought you liked her." Alex's voice had shifted to concern. Much like David, Alex was an expert on Henry's mood. Curse him for being so attuned. Just this once he'd like to be able to hide his emotions.

"I do. I -" Henry looked up at Alex. At his warm brown eyes and perfect curls. At the man who had captured his heart years ago, entirely without meaning to.

“Alex, I- I love you. I’m completely and utterly in love with you. Please don’t get married.”

Henry was horrified. He hadn't intended to say it. The words had spilled from his lips like tea from an overfilled cup. 

He'd just confessed his feelings to his nearly engaged friend. To his straight best friend. 

"I'm so sorry Alex. I should never have- I need to go." Henry turned on his heel and went to his room, throwing items into an overnight bag and then scooping up David. When he went to back into the hall Alex had disappeared. That was probably for the best, though he couldn't deny the pain in his chest.

He went to Pez's, explaining through tears what he'd done before collapsing onto the guest bed. 

Three days later and Henry was still there. He hadn't heard from Alex, not a peep since his idiotic confession. He was still kicking himself for it. He'd ruined everything, a lifelong friendship, and for what? Nothing. He wouldn't blame Alex if the man never wanted to see him again.

"Hazza," Pez sang before opening his door. "There's someone here to see you."

He sat up, brushing the Jaffa cake crumbs off his shirt. "Tell me you didn't call Bea." He didn't want anyone else to know what he'd done.

"It's not Bea." Pez said before flitting away. 

Then another figure filled the doorway. Alex. He looked nearly as rough as Henry, with dark circles under his eyes and lifeless curls. 

Henry sprang to his feet, grateful that Pez had been making him shower every day. "Alex I-" Oh what to even say? "I'm sorry. I truly am." Barely five words in and he was already crying. "What I said- I put us both in an awful spot. I hope you can forgive me, one day. I know-" 

His speech was cut off as Alex surged forwarded, pressing his lips to Henry's. Henry sank into it. It was everything he'd always imagined it would be. Alex's lips were soft against Henry's, warm and plush. He could have lost himself in it if not for the gnawing pit in his stomach.

He broke the kiss and started to ask, "What-"

"I love you too." Alex interrupted.

His eyes were likely the size of saucers. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead, he simply shook his head.

Alex huffed a laugh. "I do. Fuck H, it took you confessing for me to realize it, but I do. I always have." He stepped back in, cupping the back of Henry's neck. "Something clicked when you said those words and I knew, I knew I had to say them back." 

"But-" His brain still wasn't working. This had to be a dream of some sort. "You're straight."

"Apparently not so much." He let out a rueful laugh. "I made a list. When I wrote it all down, well, it was obvious. I called Amber and broke things off with her. Honestly, she wasn't too surprised." He shrugged. "Seems everyone knew but me." Alex locked eyes with Henry. "Sorry it took me so long."

"This isn't real." Henry said, his brows furrowing. "It can't be." Henry didn't get the love story, the happy ending.

Alex's hands moved to his cheeks. "It's not. Henry, I love you. And, assuming I didn't fuck everything up by abandoning you for three days, I'd really like to take you on a date." 

Henry opened and closed his mouth. It was surreal. Here was Alex, confessing his feelings, offering Henry everything he'd ever wanted. He'd dreamed of this more times than he could count but had never expected it to actually happen. 

"Unless it's too late." Alex dropped his hold and stepped back. "I'd understand if-"

"No!" He cried, grabbing Alex's hand to stop him from moving. "Alex I would have waited a millennia for you."

 Alex grinned at him. "Five years was probably enough." He stepped back in, comfortably crowding Henry's space. "So, a date? What do you say?"

"One thing, before I agree."

"Anything baby."

"Kiss me again."

Alex's grin grew as he pulled Henry's face to his. "Thought you'd never ask."

This time they didn't break apart for a long time. 

[meraki-yao]

RWRB As A Sit-Com

This came out of nowhere but I’m suddenly imagining RWRB as a sit-com? The ones that cut away to the characters breaking the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience?

Like it’s never gonna happen but picture this (or rather, picture these)

1, Buckingham Reception Line

After Henry ignores Alex’s greeting and directly walks away

Cut to Alex alone in the reception hallway, aggravated

ALEX: If you combined the world’s highest possible level of white privilege, nepotism and arrogance together, Prince Henry is what you would get. He has been an absolute dick to me literally since our very first meeting. I mean seriously, what did I ever do to him?

Cut to Henry alone in the reception hallway with a pinched, nervous smile

HENRY: Oh he has no idea about the sheer amount of agony he’s caused me. And he will never, ever, know.

2, Oscar and Alex on the White House Balcony

After Oscar asks Alex about why he doesn’t like Henry

Cut to Oscar alone on the balcony

OSCAR: Alex has a tendency to pull the pigtails of the people he likes. It’s how he got his first girlfriend in grade school. So this little rivalry he has with the prince? Yeah, I’m not buying that bullshit for a second.

3, The first kiss

After Henry runs off after the kiss, leaving Alex standing in place, watching Henry leave with confusion and awe.

Cut to Alex alone under the Linden tree

ALEX: So… that happened. Yeah… When I went back to the party Henry and Percy were nowhere to be seen.  

Cut to Henry and Pez in the cabin of a private plane, Henry with his face in his hands, letting out a muffled high-pitched scream. Pez pats him consolingly on his back.

ALEX: I’m not nearly sober enough to process this fully but… (licks lips) this has definitely given me something to think about. A lot, to think about.

4, Alex and Nora in the office

After Alex says “I don’t know” when Nora lists out all of his interactions with Henry.

Cut to Nora sitting in her office on her office chair.

NORA: Okay, so discovering your sexuality, coming out, feelings and relationships in general are all very personal subjects and everyone should take it at their own pace. That being said, sometimes I look at this obvious idiot and go ‘COME ON MAN’

5, Red Room

After Amy walks on Alex and Henry making out

Cut to Amy in the Red Room, parade rest position

AMY: I pride myself in being a professional and during my career I’ve seen a lot of things and somehow that, was the biggest shock I’ve ever experienced. Kids these days. (sighs)

6, First Night Hook-Up

After Henry goes down on Alex and the close-up of Alex sighing.

Cut to Alex on the couch in his bedroom, shirt open, belt unbuckled, looking dishevelled and flushed.

ALEX: So… maybe I was wrong and a little over-confident when I groped Henry’s ass in front of the political leaders of our respective countries, one of which gave birth to me, and then said that I was going to do some very bad things to him. … That did not happen, the opposite did. In every sense of the word. (leans back and lets out a satisfied groan) But Holy. Shit.

Cut to Henry hastily wiping his mouth, equally unkempt but with all his clothes on.

HENRY: Well I mean I’ve only been fantasising about this moment for ages. Plus his confidence although perhaps misplaced, was very cute. (giggles)

7, Zahra finds Henry in the closet

After Zahra opens the closet to find Henry in it, and everyone kind of just stares at each other

Cut to Henry, flustered, sitting on the hotel bed

HENRY: Fuck.

Cut to Alex standing next to the closet, panicked

ALEX: Fuck!

Cut to Zahra in the middle of the living room, enraged

ZAHRA: WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK. When I told that little shit to play nice with the prince and “act like the sunshine out of his ass and you have a vitamin D deficiency”, I DID NOT TELL HIM TO TAKE THAT LITERALLY. Oh God now I have an image in my head of that WHY—

Like just picture it, please tell me I'm not the only one that sees the vision

[daffodilsonaprettystring]

The thing I love most about this picture is that you have Henry and Alex just GRINNING at each other like the lovesick goofballs they are and then you have Pez looking back at Henry like “are u fr right now I can smell the heart eyes coming off of you” and then Nora’s over here looking at Pez like “yes that’s your idiot and this is my idiot they’re in love but they don’t know it yet so we have to pretend like we don’t either”

[kiwiana-writes]

WITH SO MUCH OF MY HEART (THAT NONE IS LEFT TO PROTEST) by @kiwiana-writes

Fandom: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Rafael Luna, June Claremont-Diaz, Nora Holleran, Percy "Pez" Okonjo, Beatrice Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, David the Beagle (Red White & Royal Blue), Zahra Bankston, Liam (Red White & Royal Blue), Catherine Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, Enemies to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Bisexual Disaster Alex Claremont-Diaz, Canon Dialogue, like an embarrassing amount of it actually but whatever, and I am including Much Ado dialogue in that as well as RWRB, Much Ado About Nothing, Much Ado About Nothing References, Inspired by Shakespeare, References to Shakespeare, in which the author nerds out about Shakespeare and queerness and also drops a James Bond deep cut, Slow Burn, not the relationship so much but the writing definitely, once they actually get together it’s kind of a relationship speedrun if we’re being honest, but we take a while to work up to the rating sorry, let Rafael Luna be the queer mentor Alex deserves, Epistolary, so much epistolary nonsense scattered throughout, Smut, Grief/Mourning, not at the same time lol, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, First Time Blow Jobs, First Time Bottoming, Semi-Public Sex, Homophobia, Racism, Communication Failure, Panic Attacks, Canon-Typical Angat, Angst With a Happy Ending, POV Alternating Summary: Alex is a former child star struggling to make the transition into being seen as a serious actor. He jumps at an opportunity to perform on stage in the UK, seeing it as a way to break free from the typecasting and show what he can really do. But he wasn’t prepared to star alongside someone he hates. // Henry is a recent theatre graduate who accepts an amazing role in a queer reimagining of Much Ado About Nothing. And then it turns out his co-star is none other than the man he’s been hopelessly pining after for years—even though Henry made a terrible first impression when they met. // It’s… well, it’s practically Shakespearean.

Complete fic

Act I: I, II, III Act II: I, II, III Act III: I, II, III, IV, V Act IV: I, II Act V: I, II, III, IV

***

Part Two: The star to every wandering bark

Fandom: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Characters: Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Alex Claremont-Diaz, June Claremont-Diaz, Ellen Claremont, Oscar Diaz (Red White & Royal Blue), Leo (Red White & Royal Blue), Liam (Red White & Royal Blue), Catherine Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, 5 Things, 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Fluff, tagging too extensively will spoil part 1 of this series, but trust that it's fluff and joy all the way down, spoilery summary is in the notes!, Implied/Referenced Sex, POV Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Summary: A 5+1 coda-ish thing set through the back half of the With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest) epilogue!

***

Part Three: Thus may poor fools believe false teachers

Fandom: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Oscar Diaz & Rafael Luna Characters: Rafael Luna, Oscar Diaz, Jeffrey Richards, Alex Claremont-Diaz (mentioned) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, Homophobia, Bittersweet ending, but part one of the series makes it all better, POV Rafael Luna Summary: Rafael's POV of the Dad's Way cancellation; a prequel to With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest)

***

Part Four: Nature's infinite book of secrecy

Fandom: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Oscar Diaz & Rafael Luna, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor & Rafael Luna Characters: Rafael Luna, Oscar Diaz, Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Ellen Claremont, Leo, Oliver Westbrook Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, 5 Things, 5 Times, 5+1 Things, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Bets & Wagers, POV Rafael Luna, and then as a bonus, POV Oscar Diaz Summary: Five times Rafael tried to figure out when Henry might propose and one time Oscar did something with that information; a sequel to With so much of my heart (that none is left to protest)

[heysweetheart-writes]

A little late to the game because I was out all day at a protest and I've been having a week. Thank you for or all your lovely tags today: @kiwiana-writes @magicandarchery @theprinceandagcd @orchidscript @getmehighonmagic @zwiazdziarka @read-and-write- & @hgejfmw-hgejhsf always love reading what you're all up to!

Here's a tiny little bit of the neighbours!au because I haven't had time to write much of anything since Sunday.

Pez did not get into his head and this is not a date.  The next Friday night, Henry finds himself by Alex’s door, David with him. He paces in the hallway for a minute trying to will his heart to bloody calm down and his breathing to just be bloody normal. He thinks maybe he should have done that at home instead of here by Alex’s door. Idiot. Before he can settle down, David loses his patience with him and just starts scratching at Alex’s door and lets out a whine towards it, probably alerting Alex that they’re out there lurking so now Henry doesn’t have much choice than to ring the bloody doorbell. 

Tags under the cut!

I’m tagging both people I want to see what they’re up to and people I’m hoping will see this snip: @daisymae-12 @indomitable-love @cricketnationrise @suseagull04 @pridepages @clottedcreamfudge @anincompletelist @myheartalivewrites @three-drink-amy @lizzie-bennetdarcy @callumsmitchells @raysletters @cultofsappho @priincebutt @notspecialbabe @firenati0n @tailsbeth-writes @bigassbowlingballhead @onward--upward @ninzied @nocoastposts

(please let me know if you would like to be aded or removed from the tag list)

[tailsbeth-writes]

Espresso martini, Henry and Liam. Hehehehe

I may write more about this in a Oneshot, it's actually given me some fun ideas! 😇

Henry will admit he's a little nervous as they walk to the bar. He might be clinging to Alex's hand like it's a life raft when they see Liam wave them over. Alex is grinning like the Cheshire cat though and it makes Henry's heart fuzzy.

‘ACD, bain of my life, how are ya?’ Liam drawls as he and Alex hug, slapping each other's backs. Henry can't help but think about them doing this as teenagers, after a lacrosse game. Match? Oh, mere details Henry can't bring himself to be bothered by.

They slide into the booth and Alex goes to order Henry's usual gin and tonic at the bar when he stops him.

‘Actually, make it an espresso martini. It's a special occasion, no?’ Henry cocks his brow because he knows it will drive Alex crazy, and by the way Alex bites his lip, it's working.

‘Make it two, I'm on vacation!’ Liam chirps in. Henry smiles at him and back at Alex who rolls his eyes and heads to the bar. Liam settles into the usual small talk with Henry, who is thankful when Liam gets into a long story about his flight to New York. They don't know each other super well, but Henry has managed much worse situations. If he can deal with a high tea with the Austrian ambassador who obsessed over clownfish, then this is nothing. When Alex comes back, he's got the two cocktails but is lacking a third drink.

‘I am so sorry but I need to run out. Work emergency, I would tell them to shove it but that would be six months do-’

‘Go, I'm here for a week dude. We'll catch up another night.’ Liam interrupts with a nonchalant shrug. Alex looks to Henry, who is playing with the anxiety ring June bought him to replace the signet ring.

‘Can you entertain Liam for this evening, baby?’

Henry takes a sip of his martini, he knows this is Alex’s polite way of saying ‘You can go home, it's okay.’

‘We’ll be fine, love. Go save the world or whatever it is you do all day.’ He teases before sliding out and giving him a parting kiss. Alex calls out a quick ‘be good’ with some finger guns and high tails it out the bar.

‘I forget how embarrassing he can be… how do you do it Henry?’

Henry barks a laugh and holds up his glass to toast.

‘To Alex Claremont-Diaz, the most idiotic man with the biggest heart.’

Liam clinks his glass with him and they gulp the deep brown cocktails.

‘He hasn't changed. Did he ever tell you about the time he brought the wrong underwear for after training?’

‘Tell. Me. Everything.’

*Several espresso martinis later*

Alex ❤️

almost home

did you get back okay?

Come drink with us!

Still at Martie’s.

Baby, its almost midnight

Dont you have a call at 8am?

Pez says

it's ok

Ok?

Oh Henry how many have you had

only a few

The bartender gave us some free shots

Lovely chap

Coming to pick you up sweetheart 😂

Hows Liam?

But you've got me Alex

We're married darling.

You don't need to pick me up

So silly ❤️❤️❤️

Oh youre so gone

Liam is calling Spencer

He's going to propose when he arrives on Wednesday

How romantic!!

Wait he told you that?

Yeah

He told me lots

I know all about your 'straight' boy days

I am never letting you two drink alone again

[pippin-katz]

just letting you know this ask will contain sensitive issues regarding Jewish identity and negative criticism that I’ve seen about rwrb. So I understand if you don’t want to answer at all - but I just wanted to see what your thoughts were about this (as I haven’t read the book but absolutely adore the movie) - if you want to make a separate post or something.

I saw a post on my “for you” feed (can’t find it anymore) that apparently Matthew’s decision to conflate and change Nora and June’s characters is antisemitic and bi-erasure? I only skimmed through it because it was very accusatory and the comments were also very negative.

I can understand being upset about losing some characters and the criticism about Nora’s bi-identity. I can’t really speak about the antisemitism as I’m not fully aware of that aspect from the book. But I was thinking - if they did make Nora bi and she still ended up being with Percy/Pez, would those critics be happy? Or would they still be mad because June wasn’t there for the polyamorous relationship that was hinted in the books?

They’re mad about Richards, Rafael Luna, Liam, divorce-free Claremont-Diaz household, no Queen Mary, no Princess Catherine, no this, no that. And they said it’s not a true rom-com because it doesn’t flesh out the romance between Alex and Henry? I just don’t understand what it takes for them to be satisfied. Casey said themself that if everything was done 100% from the books, fans still wouldn’t be happy with it. I mostly ignore the loud ones who hate the movie with all their being but when it comes up it’s so jarring. I don’t want the hype of this movie to lose out to the noise of the haters and bashers. This movie, and Alex and Henry’s love story has become so important to many people and we want more!

Funny you should bring that up to me of all people, seeing as I happen to be Jewish!

I think I may have seen posts like that in the past and immediately blocked the poster because I knew that if I wrote a response to them it would spiral out of control, and there were too many people in the replies to try and explain this to.

Post Writing Note: Buckle up for this one cause I definitely went on a tangent about Jewish culture, but I felt like it would help people understand, or at least be interesting.

The short version of this is that they are self centered idiots who have their heads up their ass.

Casey is 100% correct that even if they were completely true to the book, they wouldn’t be satisfied. They will always find something to complain about.

They also simply don’t want to like it, or understand it. All of those major changes were made for a reason, and make complete sense/were the right call for what Matthew was trying to accomplish with the film. But they don’t want to hear or accept that.

As for Nora and June, once again, they are being idiots.

Matthew has explained several times that the decision to cut June was a logical director’s decision.

With the limited time the film has, side characters simply can’t have as much detail or development as they have in the book. In the case of June and Nora, he explained that he essentially would’ve been giving half of a character to the two actresses. They would’ve been fighting for screen time, and would’ve felt unsatisfied with the roles. Therefore, he essentially combined the two into one full character to give to a single actress. It makes complete sense, and was the right choice.

Did that remove the polycule dynamic? Yes, but that was a side effect of the decision, not part of the reason. Matthew does not seem like the kind of person to remove something like that for no reason, or purely because it might "make the straights uncomfortable". It was just the way things happened.

Now, let me address Nora.

The thing that drives me a bit crazy about this is their determination to call her intentional erasure.

Just because those traits weren’t brought up in the film does not make them untrue. There is no reason to assume that she isn’t bisexual or Jewish just because they didn’t bring it up. They did not say anything that counters those details, therefore I don’t see them as being changed.

They are also exaggerating a lot.

Now, I’m saying all this as a Jewish person who would love to see more representation of Judaism casually included in characters.

Nora’s Jewish identity is completely irrelevant to the plot and is only mentioned in the book. When Alex wants to call someone on Christmas after his parents fight, he briefly says that she’s busy celebrating Chanukah. That is the only moment in the entire book that Nora being Jewish is brought up, as far as I can remember from the last time I went through to look for it, when I first saw a post about this. I checked again while writing this. Other book readers can correct me if I’m wrong about that, but I know for a fact that it is not something that’s regularly mentioned or relevant to the plot.

Again, I say this as a Jewish person with love, it was not important. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until I fucking die: the book had no time limit.

The novel is not a massive one, but it is absolutely stuffed cover-to-cover with content. It’s a book told through Alex’s point of view, giving direct access into his thoughts and feelings through text.

When Alex offhandedly mentions in his head facts like that, the translation to the screen would be constructing a situation where bringing that up out loud is relevant. The other option is to put clues in the environment to indicate it.

The thing about those options though is that Nora does not have any scenes during the holiday portion of the movie. In fact, there is not even a mention of Christmas at all; the only reason we know is because of the decorations around the White House, but no one mentions it. There is only one scene that even takes place around Christmas in the film: Alex’s conversation with Zahra. From there, it’s straight to New Year’s.

Some may be thinking, “But those are so close together, it would still be relevant!” and I hate to tell you that you’re wrong, but there’s an 85% chance you’re wrong.

Chanukah shifts dates from year to year because it’s determined by the Jewish calendar, and that doesn’t match the normal calendar. As someone grew up celebrating it, and still does celebrate it, I can tell you from personal knowledge that most of the time, it happens before Christmas. Yes, sometimes it overlaps with it, or happens afterwards, but I can safely tell you that most of the time, it happens before; for example, this year Chanukah starts Dec. 8th and ends at sunset Dec. 15th. It starts and ends a whole week before Christmas.

Now, I have to also say, and I say this with as much love and respect as I can for all the normal Christians/Catholics out there, we don’t really… shove our holiday in everyone’s faces?

I know that sounds rude, and it might be, but I mean that everyone knows when Christmas is. Everything closes down for Christmas. Whether you celebrate it or not, you’re most likely going to be off-work or off-school for it. No one looks around and goes, “what day is Christmas again?” And most people know the basic gist of why it’s celebrated.

I’m pretty sure that at minimum 65% of the people who read this had no idea when Chanukah was, and have zero clue why it’s celebrated.

That’s not really their fault, it’s just a simple truth about Western society (especially American) that people don’t get educated on Judaism, even indirectly the way they do for Christmas. The same can be said for all of the religious minorities. I’m by no means innocent of being uninformed on the basics of other minority religions. I’m just bringing it up because it’s somewhat relevant.

When it’s Christmas, you know it’s Christmas. Everyone is talking about it and there’s decorations everywhere. And while there’s sometimes a few decorations for Chanukah and maybe Kwanzaa, it’s not common; especially given the unfortunate reality that said decorations are a beacon for hate crimes.

Circling back to Nora, the easiest way to provide indications that she is Jewish is through decorations in her office/apparel choices. I just explained why she would be unlikely to have decorations in her office for Chanukah, but what about non-holiday specific decor?

Well, in my experience as a reformed Jewish person, there's not a lot of decor that's not very obvious or specifically religious in its representation. I say "specifically religious" because Judaism is a culture as well as a religion. I'm a Jewish person, but I don't regularly attend Temple or practice daily prayer. My experience with Judaism stems more from how we celebrate the major holidays, the kinds of food we eat, clothing we wear, and stuff like that, not passages of the Torah.

We also just don't really have as much physical decoration options as Christians/Catholics, at least for Jews who are not devoutly religious.

Judaism is practices aniconism.

Don't be alarmed, most people don't know what that word means; I only know because I learned about it briefly in an art history course a few years ago. Aniconism is the absence of artistic representations of certain figures in religions. Judaism is generally "anti-iconic", meaning it's strongly discouraged to create imagery, specifically human imagery, of God or other saint-like figures from the Torah. It's not completely unheard of, but think about how frequently you see imagery of Jesus in Christianity/Catholicism, or all the famous imagery of God, and depictions of scenes of the Bible and the saints, etc. etc. etc. Jews just don't do that, at least not nearly to the extent or as commonly as Christians/Catholics.

Jews instead have focused artistry into the form of ceremonial objects, i.e. the menorah, Kiddush goblets, etc.

In fact, my Jewish heritage comes from my father's side, so my grandfather on that side has always been a practicing Jew, and my grandmother converted back when they married. They're not super religious, but more so than my parents and how I was raised.

Thinking back to their home, I'm realizing that all of their Jewish "decor" was fine dishware sort of like this they kept in a China cabinet, like this:

Nora's not going to keep fine China in her office.

The only piece of "decor" that I have in my parents' home is not even really decor. This is a super common thing to find in Jewish households. It's call a mezuzah:

It's a little container that keeps a scroll with two prayers from the Torah written in Hebrew by a calligraphist. They are a symbol of connection and protection amongst the Jewish community. They are an ancient tradition. Nora would definitely have one.

However, these go on the doorframes of the entrance to a home. They're not hung up anywhere to look nice. She wouldn't have one on her office doorway, which is glass anyway.

So I've eliminated physical decorations, so how about jewelry?

This is where I'm sure a bunch of those people will shake their fists at me. The easiest and simplest way to imply a Jewish character (especially a female one) is the same as a Christian/Catholic character: a necklace.

Obviously, it is common practice for crosses to be worn on necklaces. Wearing the Star of David on a necklace is also common, but not nearly as common as the cross. I've noticed over the course of my life an increase in seeing them, but they're still uncommon.

And incredibly recently, I actively chose to stop wearing mine because we are at a point of actual danger in the US right now, specifically Florida, where I happen to be so lucky to live.

Regardless, it's debatable on how likely it would be for Nora to be wearing one. I feel like it's pretty split on how much of the Jewish population does and doesn't. So let's take a look at her style then:

The only outfit I couldn't find a clear still image of was the one in the jeep, but there are GIFs of that:

Note: I swear, if this fandom doesn't start posting more content of the side characters, I'm going to throw something; y'all are making it very hard to write my essays!! 😂

Out of her seven outfits, she is only wearing a neck accessory in ONE. More notably, she's not wearing a necklace in either of her formal outfits: the wedding and the party dresses. If she were going to wear a necklace, a fancier outfit usually makes it more likely. She seems to like wearing earrings more. Earrings with the Star of David exist, but I've personally never seen someone wearing them.

So based on everything I've been talking about, and Nora's personality, and her characterization in the book, and everything else, it's probably unlikely that she would wear a religious necklace, if not because she's not heavily religious, then because she just doesn't wear necklaces.

Could you ignore all that and complain that they could've given her a necklace or something anyway? Yeah, you could, but you are just being annoying and overreacting. She's still a Jewish character. People who haven't read the book may not know that, but tons of people who have read the book didn't even remember that. It's not an intentional decision made to erase her Jewish heritage. It is purely a side effect of having very limited time to cover way too much content.

The same can be said for her being bisexual. There's no reason to assume she's not. Hell, we've been joking about the face she makes when she meets Bea since we saw it:

This look alone is enough to make non-book readers go, "oh ship! ship! ship!". She's not straight just because they don't address her sexuality. Again, it was not an intentional decision made to erase her bisexuality.

Look, I'm not saying you have to like it, but for the love of god, stop acting like Matthew is the devil incarnate who made every change and cut out of spite, and to hurt you specifically.

As for the comment about not fleshing out Alex and Henry's relationship? I... I have no fucking words. That's a lie, I have so many fucking words, but I've been writing this for too long, so I'll speed run this:

First of all, if you don't think the romance between Alex and Henry is "fleshed out" in the film, I cannot say anything else than you are a fucking idiot. I don't like rom-coms, but this one is so fucking genuine, emotional, and sweet that even my cold dark soul feels warmth while watching it.

Second of all, how the fuck are you going to make the claim that they didn't flesh out Alex and Henry's romance, while simultaneously bitching about 3+ hours of book content that didn't make it? Do you not have any logical reasoning skills or common sense, at all??

I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: THE BOOK HAD NO TIME LIMIT. THE MOVIE DID.

Alright, that's enough of all that; I have an essay that I wrote the day after the movie originally dropped that went more in detail about that last one, so I'm not going to get super into that here. That's the short version of that, and if you want to hear the long version, go read this.

I hope that cleared some stuff up for you Anon! Sorry for the rambling lmfao

Thanks for reading!! If you enjoyed this essay & would like to support me, you can give me a tip on my Ko-Fi! ☺️

[cha-melodius]

💘 firstprince please :)

💘 fake relationship / mutual pining / dared to kiss  (I skipped ahead on prompts so I could write the companion piece to this ficlet. if you were hoping for fake relationship, watch this space, I have another one of these hearts to do lol. read all the kiss ficlets)

Alex doesn’t know how he got himself into this situation.

To be fair, coming out was entirely his idea. It’d been too long since he let loose and had fun, so when a girl in his econ class told him about this party, he’d put on his tightest pair of jeans and crop top, styled his curls just so, and dragged Liam along with him for good measure (Alex loves his best friend, but the dude needs to get out more).

So far he’s had fun dancing, and he’s been hit on by plenty of very enthusiastic girls, but nothing’s really clicked. There’s something else thrumming under his skin that he can’t put a finger on. It didn’t really help that he nearly ran into Liam making out with Pez Okonjo on his way to the bathroom. Obviously it’s fine that he was, Alex knows (now) that Liam is gay, and he’s free to kiss whoever he wants. It’s not like Alex was jealous. If anything, it was kinda hot—they looked good together, Liam’s pale skin against Pez’s dark tones, which is frankly not a thought Alex is sober enough to deal with right now.

Alex is also not sober enough deal with running into Pez later, who has a tall, blond, ridiculously hot friend in tow this time. Blondie is wearing a plain button down and khakis, like he’s at a business lunch, but somehow the way his shirt is cuffed at the elbows and unbuttoned at the top to let his collarbones peek out is more alluring than most of the half-dressed coeds at the party. Then there’s the way his golden hair flops over his forehead and his blue eyes shine in the low light, and it’s a lot, ok? Fuck.

It’s honestly a bit of a relief when Alex gets dragged away and convinced to do some kind of scavenger hunt, which sounds kinda dumb, but whatever. It’ll keep his mind off Pez’s hot friend. He works his way down the list, taking shots and doing ridiculous dances and convincing people to give him their numbers (not hard), until he hits one in particular—make out with someone you met tonight.

He’s met plenty of people tonight. Lots of girls who’d probably be willing, honestly. Somehow, only one person sticks out in his head.

Apparently he’s not even fucking subtle about it, which is embarrassing. Liam catches him looking down at his list, then back up at Henry across the room, and slings an arm around his shoulders.

“Go on. Ask him,” Liam goads, grinning drunkenly at Alex. “I think he’s into you.”

As if on cue, Henry glances over at them, then quickly looks away again when he sees them staring.

“You’re on drugs,” Alex scoffs, trying and failing to shove him away as something inside his stomach turns over at the thought that Henry might be into him. It’s probably just the liquor. “Maybe he likes you.”

“Nah,” Liam says confidently. “You wanted a wingman. I’m winging. Wingmanning? I dunno, man. Just go kiss him, ok?”

Alex can feel his face getting hot. “Fuck off.”

Liam’s grin goes sharp and wicked. “I dare you.”

Fuck. The best friend dare is sacred. If Alex doesn’t do it, he’ll have to do something else later that’s like ten times worse. Fuck.

Alex crosses the room in some kind of daze, the rest of the party falling away around him. Is he really doing this? Apparently so. He stops by Henry’s elbow, and the other man turns to look at him.

“Hey,” Alex says. Amazing opening line, truly. Fuck, he’s an idiot.

“Alex, right?” Henry replies with a little smile. Alex nods. “What’s up?”

Alex swallows hard. “Can I kiss you?” he blurts. Henry’s eyes go wide, and Alex holds up the sheet of paper. “It’s a dare.”

“Oh,” Henry says, sounding almost disappointed.

“But also, like, you’re really hot and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you, and I’m not gay but I— I might be bi, I guess, I don’t really know because my best friend is gay and I never thought I was really into guys but I kinda want to kiss you, I mean, I really want to kiss you, if you’re into it, and oh my god, I’m such a fucking idiot, please forget I ever said any of this to you.”

Alex turns on his heel, ready to flee the house and probably the country, but Henry catches him by the arm and pulls him back. Pulls him in, firmly, so that Alex has to tip his head up, and then Henry’s kissing him. Softly at first, but Alex whimpers and opens his mouth, tilting his head to slot their mouths more firmly together, the taste of cheap booze and sugary mixers blending on their tongues. Henry gets a hand into his hair and Alex likes that even more, likes the way Henry surrounds him, likes the way Henry's waist feels under his palms. Never wants it to end, actually.

Henry does eventually pull back, though. Sadly. Alex promises he doesn’t whine.

“So,” Henry murmurs. He still hasn’t let Alex go, and Alex is entirely ok with that. “Thoughts?”

“I think I need another. Y’know. To gather more evidence.”

“Another kiss?”

“Yeah,” Alex breathes. “Maybe more than one.”

Henry laughs, low and warm, and he kisses Alex again.

[firenati0n]

summarizing my wips badly <3 :)

thank you so much to @cha-melodius @bigassbowlingballhead @magicandarchery @anincompletelist @kiwiana-writes @onthewaytosomewhere @indestructibleheart @inexplicablymine @junebugclaremontdiaz @porcelainmortal @nontoxic-writes for the tags!

this is a fun new game fajslkdfj here is my pass at a few of mine:

chef alex started making it big. had a breakdown. came home. breakdown got worse before it got better. bon appetite.

chris nolan!alex and cillian murphy!henry fuck around and find out, to the delight of everyone but them

alex torments henry on tiktok and everyone on the internet knows henry wants alex except for alex. as usual.

alex is stalked by an invisible man in a trench coat fr and almost throws a jo malone candle at him in fear

love at first flight, alex follows henry all around london. henry does not know he is being followed.

henry is once again down horrendous for alex in another fucking universe. but this time he's a masochist and writes alex love letters on behalf of a girl because he's a fucking idiot

horny and earnest brain worms make alex eat his fist on his first date with henry

the super six are overworked and underpaid public school teachers. pez is a principal and he, as usual, slays

cia agent alex forced to participate in a male pageant and henry falls in love. what a twist no one saw coming.

obscene amounts of pining longing yearning across timelines until they eventually converge bc i am not evil

alex pines for bea from afar but ends up, once again, down horrendous for her pretty brother when bea gets in an accident (how unfortunate for everyone but alex and henry)

henry is cillian murphy narrating his little irish train sleep story on the calm app and alex listens to it on loop to fall asleep bc he would rather do that than confess any sort of feelings ofc

henry hires an escort to be his wedding date bc he is incapable of normal human interaction but whoa the escort is alex. who else is surprised.

you are welcome to send me asks about any of these, and i will ramble on about them and share snips where appropriate :) <3

xoxo roop

open tag and a few tags under the cut <3

@ninzied @anincompletelist @nocoastposts @wordsofhoneydew @myheartalivewrites @rmd-writes @cricketnationrise @smc-27 @dumbpeachjuice @clottedcreamfudge @cheesecurdsgravyandfries @orchidscript @tintagel-or-cockleshells @violetbaudelaire-quagmire @eusuntgratie @getmehighonmagic @captainjunglegym @sparklepocalypse @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @onward--upward @leaves-of-laurelin @priincebutt @duchessdepolignaca03 @ships-to-sail @piratefalls @welcometololaland @affectionatelyrs @happiness-of-the-pursuit @sherryvalli @whimsymanaged @alasse9 @cultofsappho @itsmaybitheway @kill8a @largepeachicedtea

[firstprince-ao3feed]

How to Say "I Love You" (Without Saying "I Love You")

by thethingaboutashis in which Alex and Henry are best friends who love each other very much, maybe more than best friends do. This is based on a random Tumblr post I saw that said "there are so many ways people say i love you silently every day over and over again if you only listen" and proceeded to list 14 different examples. These are all 14, firstprince's version. Words: 1518, Chapters: 1/15, Language: English Fandoms: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Percy "Pez" Okonjo, Arthur Fox, Original Male Character(s) Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Lawyer Alex Claremont-Diaz, Writer Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Idiots in Love, Everyone Has Issues, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, References to Depression, Anxiety, Location: Brooklyn Brownstone (Red White & Royal Blue), Childhood Friends, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends Don't Look At Friends That Way, everyone knows but them, alex and henry are sooo silly, we love them tho via https://ift.tt/ODNiA5Z

[legless-fish-on-rollerskates]

Okay obviously any movie adaptation of a book is going to be trimmed down. I get why they didn't spend time on certain things like Nora and Alex's dating history and Ellen's PowerPoint. It makes sense with the way movie beats work to show them getting outed immediately after they reconcile instead of having the extra act of them writing more emails acknowledging their love and fake dating Nora and June to try and take some heat off and Henry coming out to Phillip. Some changes like Henry's surname being different and having a king instead of a queen I know were about not offending the irl royal family and while I'm not exactly a fan of the monarchy I don't really care that much. Pez just being "Percy"? Kinda sad but again, I don't really care. I even understand cutting things like Bea's struggles with addiction, Catherine's depression and detatchment from her children, and Richards being the one who outed them with Raphael Luna as the triple agent - they have value to the story and I wish we could have seen them, but from a filmmaking perspective I can see how they would take up a lot of time to properly include. There were a lot of things I loved about this movie, which I'm adding to the bottom of this post so as not to be a total downer. Overall I think it was a good movie and a relatively faithful adaptation. But also there are some changes I am less a fan of.

So, my biggest issues with the RWRB movie:

Amy being trans is never mentioned? It's literally one line in the book could it not be one line in the movie? (At least they didn't cast a cis actress, so presumably the character is still trans, but we could have said that. She could have at least worn a pin that would not have been hard)

Bea is younger than Henry 🤨 What even was the purpose of this change?

Look I'm not even gonna talk about June we've all talked about June plenty already

Alex already knows he's bi? His idiot crisis is a huge thing! It establishes so much about both his and Nora's characters! Was it really so important to reduce things by five minutes that we couldn't get a quick "wait I like guys???" "congrats you are literally the last to know"

Nora being bi is never mentioned?? I get that without June you'd have Pez focus his affections on Nora but having a thing with a guy doesn't make her straight! She could have at least said something when Alex came out to her! (Also without June you lose the poly undertones of Nora June and Pez which I at least thought was pretty important)

Just gonna reiterate, because the more I'm thinking about it now the more upset it's making me - They erased Nora's bisexuality and Amy's transgenderism and June doesn't exist? Congrats you've killed all the story's queer women

Ellen and Oscar are supposed to be DIVORCED that was IMPORTANT

No inspiring Alex speech to the crowd while they're waiting on Texas - this moment could have been so much more active than standing in the hall waiting and hoping

Alex gives his coming out speech BEFORE they get permission from the crown?? That doesn't even make sense! One, he never talked to Henry about it, and two, the white house would never have risked international relations by letting him do something like that without the king's permission

Getting permission from the crown was way too easy. In the book Catherine literally had to blackmail Queen Mary into letting them come out. You're telling me the king just went, "Are you SURE Henry are you REALLY SURE okay fine"? It way takes down the tension of the climax and also kind of invalidates all of Henry's fear that he's been struggling with the whole movie. It would be way more powerful for him to stand up for himself against a grandparent who was outright against him rather than one who just wasn't really thrilled about it

Why was Henry fully dressed jacket and all after their first time did Alex not reciprocate or what

That being said, things I loved about the RWRB movie:

"And I thought Alexander Gabriel Claremont Diaz was a mouthful" - "He is"

"History, huh?" in the V&A (I'm sad this wasn't in the emails because it means no wider HH movement from the public, but it was really sweet how they did it)

Visibly obvious red-rimmed eyes from both Henry and Alex (though Henry more) throughout most of the third act - just a little detail that I appreciated

Alex's conversation with Henry about being a person in politics who looks like him when his dad didn't have that growing up

Henry full on swimming away so fast when Alex tried to tell him he loved him, no mosquito excuse in sight. This was just really fucking funny I don't know why

Exchanging the necklace for the ring - works really well, great excuse for him not to add the ring to the necklace (for those who don't know, they tried this first but the lump was really obvious and it screwed up the costume so they had to figure out a different way to do it)

Henry continuously playing the piano throughout the movie

"She's not a republican, is she?"

Literally everything Zahra Bankston does and says she is perfect I love her

Mike Holleran is just as irrelevant in the movie as he is in the book. I continue to find this hilarious

Henry differentiating between the persona of HRH Prince Henry and the person he is to himself, specifically the fact that he defines his true self as Henry Fox

The equerry vs butler argument, purely because before we watched the movie I was giving a recap to my dad of the important characters and described Shaan as "basically Henry's personal butler" when he didn't know what I meant by equerry. I'm sorry Shaan I didn't mean it

[sporesgalaxy]

I also havent posted at all about how much i lpve chiffon, bege, and pez. that idiot from the godfatjer movies has nothing on this guy