#lake lbj

[honey-bri-books]

I can't wait to ugly cry to this movie. 😪💖🤍💙

[websafe2k16]

Brick - Midcentury Exterior Inspiration for a substantial exterior remodel of a two-story brick mid-century modern home with a metal roof

[rwrbmovie]

firstprince + beds DC • Paris • New York • Austin • London

[firstprince + couches]

[tempest-melody]

DFW Local Hikes

Something that I have been wanting to do for a while is to create a resource where people can easily sort through the places I have hiked to find the hike that is right for them. To test this and see if it is something that people are interest in, I have compiled a list of Dallas-Fort Worth hikes. I do want to note a couple of things, none of these trails require special equipment and are easy…

[awesome-lovingbouquetwizard]

Lake LBJ Home Builder help to find the comfortable living. The company offers temporary housing solutions, including short term rentals, and fully furnished apartments and executive rentals at the best price.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Welcome to the volcanic rock house (it has a bunch of other rocks, too). Still sitting on the market, I've posted it before. Built in 1978 it's right on Lake Lyndon B. Johnson off the Colorado River, in Horseshoe Bay, TX. 6bds, 6ba, $13.5M.

Rocky front steps up to the front door. Odd placement of railings- I guess you shouldn't walk up the center.

Cement doors flanked by lava rock.

A matching curved wall. Note the stone flooring and random piece of lava rock on the left.

Steps down to a living room with a view of the lake. Natural lava rock forms decorate the stairs and rails. There's also a lava rock fireplace.

Terrace. Don't even think of diving off the terrace into the lake. Look at those rocks. (Murder-make-it-look-like-an-accident-scene?)

The kitchen has tree trunk custom-made cabinetry. I don't know if it's real or simulated. The island, however, is real lava rock. I think that the counters are real wood, but they could be laminate. There's also a large wine rack in the wall.

Double doors open to a bedroom. The whole house has amazing views of the LBJ River.

The spacious room has a vaulted ceiling and a private terrace.

The en-suite has a tile shower, tile sink counter and stone bowl-style sink.

The primary suite is huge and even has a loft, plus a vaulted ceiling.

There's even an accordion door to close out the light. Did they leave a piece of art?

There's an office area with a desk and cabinetry.

The terrace.

It has a large, rounded en-suite with tile and stone. Look at the shower- there's a bench to look out at the river. You could sit there naked, and wave to the boats going by.

Lava rock halls.

Outside is an infinity pool.

Covered stone patio with an outdoor kitchen.

Large wood deck beside the boat dock.

Gotta have a boat dock when you're right on a lake.

Beautiful natural landscaping.

Lots of rocks in the lake.

4.06 acres of property.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/122-Estate-Dr-Horseshoe-Bay-TX-78657/2062670194_zpid/?

[dizzymisslizzie]

My Red, White & Royal Blue works on AO3

💦💧beautiful, curious, breathing, laughing flesh [fic & podfic] by esbielle, LK_42

Alex Claremont-Diaz meets Prince Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor at the 2016 Rio Olympics after the Men’s Diving Final. Alex is thrilled and Henry is amazed. Why is this meeting so different?

It’s a diving AU! 💦💧

32K words, podfic 3.5-4 hours

🌃🌌🪐🛸Looking for Orion by LK_42

The Red, White and Royal Blue x Star Trek: The Next Generation crossover no one asked for!

32K words

🍪🥐 Biscuit Land by LK_42

Bake Off AU!

31K words

🛥️⛵️Model Behavior by LK_42

Alex is a model & activist and he connects with Prince Henry at a fundraising weekend that Pez is hosting. It's a comedy of errors as sparks fly and they knock over the dessert table on national television. They're forced to make nice by their sisters and PR teams. (This is my first fanfiction I ever wrote!!)

67,876 words

🚀📽️May the Fourth be with You by LK_42

Alex rents out a theater to screen the original trilogy to celebrate May the Fourth with Henry.

1,764 words

Related Podfic!!

🦊🏰All, All Mine, Beloved by LK_42

Completed!!

Omegaverse

Alex lives in New York and works as a lawyer fighting for the rights and safety of omegas. When he turns 25, he's told that he has inherited a title and land in England from an obscure uncle on his mom's side. Alex Claremont-Diaz, Duke of Wessex, now has to navigate his new titles, the English peerage and being a rare male omega. Prince Henry wants to warn Alex about the Crown's intentions for the newest duke but it ends up going sideways for the Alpha.

51K words so far

One Shots

🎆Fireworks Reflecting on a Lake by LK_42

Henry and Alex enjoy the Fourth of July watching fireworks on lake LBJ.

800 words

SMUT! These are my smutty works! They include the boys in love too!

🩶💛New Friend Silver, Old Friends Gold by LK_42

Alex and Liam are fuck buddies in their twenties. Liam working in the English department of the local college. One of their games is for Liam to tell Alex about the men he finds attractive but chooses not to fuck because he’d rather save up his energy for Alex.

4,683 words

🌄💌The Rotation by LK_42

Alex doesn't storm the castle after Henry ghosts him. He joins Rafael Luna's reelection campaign in Denver. He makes new friends, has several regular sexual partners as well as his ho phase and builds a life. He finds a romantic in him has been unlocked and compartmentalizes that part of him into an email account for himself.

5,162 words

[coldnerdnacho]

Okay RWRB TRAILER!!!! (drumrolls)

A comparative study:🩷🩷🩵🩵

THE NEW YEAR'S PARTY KISS

"Oh you are thick as it gets"😭

PHILIP'S WEDDING

THE CAKEGATE/CAKE-TASTROPHIE!!!

It started with a cake and the rest is history ✨

Ellen's damage control and prolly the PowerPoint presentation scene

Oh the enemies to fake friends to best friends to lovers trope starts here (without Henry's polo gear😆)🫶

The cancer ward / star wars nerds

Henry quite literally coming falling out of the closet vs zhara pulling him out😂 (i loved the brexit your head your highness one)

Dear thisbe i wish there wasn't a wall between us - love pyramus (do you see them🫶💙😭)

LAKE LBJ !!!!!!💙💙

The confession!!! The signet ring!!! HISTORY HUH?😭🫶

OMGGGG IT'S PERFECT I'M TELLING YOUU

I know it won't be same as the book but it'll be amazing in it's own way!! You know like all the firstprince fanfics we've read till now. But this time it's by the author. I trust MqQuiston's decisions and storytelling. So stop hating and spreading hate and just pour all your love on them 🫶💙❤️

[porcelainmortal]

Ok well I gotta go with 👀 lol

Thank you for the ask, Sara!!

In a surprise to absolutely no one, these ficlets took me so much longer than I planned. 😅 I hope it was worth the wait!! (It's slightly horny, fyi.)

👀 Skinny dipping in the sea

If someone had asked Alex what his perfect honeymoon would be, he would have said this. Even though a year ago, he didn’t even know this existed. Henry had been the one to suggest a totally private island, away from prying eyes or anyone to bother them. With the exception of a few staff who take a boat over once a day (a maid who tidies up and brings fresh towels and a chef who cooks them dinner), they are completely and utterly alone. Their security team has a villa on the main island and access to the 24-hour boat service, should the need arise. But otherwise, there is no way on or off this island.

It’s been another perfect day in paradise and the chef has gone back to the mainland. They’ve cleaned up from dinner and the sun is setting, throwing the most vibrant, gorgeous colors across the sky, and Alex is not about to fucking miss it.

“Come on, baby,” he says, pulling on Henry’s hand as he affectionately rolls his eyes and stands from his lounger. Henry wanted to finish his chapter of the book he was reading, but the sunset waits for no man. “Let’s enjoy it from the water.”

When they get to the beach, Henry pauses in his tracks. He looks down at himself, then at Alex, a sly smile taking over his face. He hooks his hands in the waistband of his swimsuit and shimmies it off, stepping out and taking Alex’s hand again. Alex takes the hint, pushing his shorts down as well and dragging Henry into the ocean.

Alex has skinny dipped a lot of places – Lake LBJ dozens of times, pools and hot tubs at houses and villas they’ve rented, and once, Nora’s grandparents’ pool in Vermont (but that’s a story for another time). But he’s never done it in open ocean and it feels fucking amazing. The salty water is smooth and refreshing against his skin and Henry’s palm is firm and centering in his. They wade out until they’re both in up to their chests and Alex scans the sky, watching the setting sun fling the most incredible colors across it. 

The warm oranges and pinks and purples make Henry’s skin glow when Alex glances over and sees Henry watching him.

“You’re not watching the sunset.”

“Am I not allowed to look where I want?”

“It’s only fucking romantic if we watch the sunset together, baby.”

“It is?” And with that, Henry tugs Alex closer, grabbing his butt as leverage to pull him up, forcing Alex’s legs to wrap around Henry’s waist as his arms come up around his neck. It leaves him a little breathless, the abruptness with which Henry can still surprise him and render him speechless. 

“Baby,” Alex groans, leaning in to kiss the grin off Henry’s face. It’s lazy and languid and deep and fucking everything and Alex wants to drown in Henry’s kiss, right here in this beautiful ocean. After several minutes or maybe hours, Alex pulls back, panting, and sees all the love he feels reflected back in Henry’s eyes. The intensity of his moment makes Alex shudder and he pulls Henry back to him again. “I love you,” he mumbles against Henry’s lips.

Henry tilts his head, mumbles, “I love you more” against Alex’s jaw.

“Lies,” Alex groans as Henry’s hands flex where they’re holding him and their hips start to move instinctively, seeking friction.

They rut together and Alex forgets about the sunset until Henry is licking along his collarbone and his head falls back. His eyes open for a moment and he gasps in wonder at the colors above him. 

“Henry, baby. Look.”

Henry removes his lips to look up, their bodies still moving together in perfect, practiced rhythm. 

“Beautiful,” Henry whispers. Alex’s eyes drop down to find Henry staring at him instead of the view. He has no words left, just noises of pleasure as their mouths slot back together once more. 

When Alex comes, it’s the reverent look on Henry’s face that lives inside his head. When he starts to come down, it’s the rainbow of colors painted across the sky that make this moment singular. When Henry’s eyes open after his own release, it’s the perfect blue that reminds Alex that he’s home, even in the middle of an ocean on the other side of the world. 

After the trip ends, they’ll tell people about this sunset. How vibrant it was, how breathtaking. But the moment they shared during it… that’s just for them.

Ficlet Friday Summer/Holiday Prompts

[littlemisskittentoes]

so american by kittentoes

G || > 1K || Song Ficlet, Tooth Rotting Fluff

i’m interrupting you’re regularly scheduled WIP Wednesday to share this sweet little ficlet i put out last night 💖

tags below the cut!

It feels different than it had all those months ago. They’re so far from that tightrope of intimacy disguised of sex, the dangerous meeting place of wanting and resisting. He can still hear his mom’s voice against the panes of his skull, ‘do you feel forever about him?’, and yet, there’s none of the apprehension clawing at the back of his throat. There’s no flip in his stomach turning over like a car engine, fighting to ignite.

---

or, Henry and Alex drive to Lake LBJ, and Alex is so in love that he could die.

thank you for the tag @onthewaytosomewhere

tag, you’re it! @happiness-of-the-pursuit @read-and-write- @affectionatelyrs @inexplicablymine @gayrootvegetable

@gay-flyboys @leojfitz @songliili @galitzine-nick @kiwiana-writes

@anincompletelist @leaves-of-laurelin @firenati0n @bigassbowlingballhead @cactusdragon517

@junebugclaremontdiaz @eusuntgratie @msmarvelouswinchester @magicandarchery @hgejfmw-hgejhsf

[indestructibleheart]

Thank you, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @kiwiana-writes, and @junebugclaremontdiaz for the tags! ❤️

I have reached the point of the Doctor Who AU where I'm so close to finishing it that my ADHD brain has decided it cannot focus on it... which is incredibly annoying, but whatever. I'll finish it when I finish it—as you can see, I am trying to be kinder to myself, lol.

I was able to write some of The Coma AU™️ this weekend... so that's what I'm gonna share today. This is a piece of Alex's coma dream, particularly where shit gets real for him.

Content Warning: Major character injury, some light purple prose (lilac prose?) describing remembering a car accident.

It's also more than seven sentences, as these often are.

Please note the "ish" in the graphic. 😅

He remembers now. Waist-deep in Lake LBJ, he remembers the last letter Henry wrote him, left on the kitchen counter. Alex remembers the silence. The waiting. You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent, drafted and deleted. Dear fucking Thisbe, stuffed into his pocket on the runway. He remembers the sound of it first—skidding and screeching and sirens—then the white hot pain. It starts at the back of his neck and travels down his spine. Waist-deep in Lake LBJ, his knees buckle, but four hands catch him before he faceplants into the water—Nora's hitting his sternum hard enough to crack his ribs. Alex isn't even sure where they fucking came from, but they practically drag him out of the water until the three of them collapse into a pile of tangled limbs in the dirt. His ears are ringing like crazy; he only vaguely hears June's voice above the din, saying, "Stay with us, Alex. We've got you." He wants to tell her he's not going anywhere.  His lips won't move.

As a reminder... Alex will be okay, despite how grim this snippet may seem, and there will be a happy ending.

Tagging some lovelies under the cut. If you have not been tagged and you want to be, consider this your tag!

@anchoredarchangel, @barbiediaz @cha-melodius, @cricketnationrise, @guillermosfamiliar, @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @hippolotamus, @inexplicablymine, @jettestar, @junebugclaremontdiaz, @lizzie-bennetdarcy , @missgeevious, @mulderscully, @myheartalivewrites, @ninzied, @nontoxic-writes, @notspecialbabe, @priincebutt, @rmd-writes, @rosedavid, @sparklepocalypse, @three-drink-amy, @treluna4, @vanillahigh00, @welcometololaland, @orchidscript, @ships-to-sail, @stereopticons

[onthewaytosomewhere]

RWRB, no smut please (unless it's drinks at the bar or skinny dipping) because I just want all the fun summer feels, and pick whichever prompt you like because I love them all! Oh, and Junora or firstprince please!

well i accomplished no smut!! hope ya like this one Morgan 💚 you got a lil reading and swimming cuz that's just the direction the silly boys went

this can also be found on ao3 if you'd rather

no cut cuz no smut :)

Alex is sitting out on the dock reading the newest book Henry recommended to him while soaking up some Texas sun. Their trips to Lake LBJ are rejuvenating in a way that they both need so much. They both get time just to be themselves, and ever since the first one when they came back to reclaim it, they make sure to get some time before everyone else gets in just for the two of them. This year, they’ve finagled a whole week to themselves, and while Alex is loving Henry becoming more comfortable as the week progresses, he’s been trying to get through this book he started on the flight out the last three days. Trying because he keeps getting distracted by Henry and all the skin he’s been showing, by the soft swell of his stomach as he walks around in swim trunks or just shorts and the tight-as-fuck tank tops Alex always forgets he has until they’re here.

Right now, Henry is sitting on the end of the dock, feet in the water, stretched back to soak up the sun, which is reflecting off his hair. Alex really doesn’t understand how he should be expected not to want to be over there with him. He places his book down on the chair he drug out onto the dock and walks over to plop himself next to Henry.

Henry cracks his eyes open and smiles at him, “How is the reading going, love?”

“It’s not—because, for some reason, I’d rather be sitting out here by you than in the perfectly comfortable chair I brought out here.”

Henry closes his eyes again. "Hmmm … Well, I am more than happy to have you out here with me. I was thinking about a swim. Are you up for it?”

“Of course, you up for a race? The first one to the buoy and back gets a kiss?”

“This seems like I win even if I don’t actually win. Unless you’re going to be claiming a kiss from someone else.”

“No, I only want my kisses from you.” Alex proves his point by stealing a quick kiss before standing up on the edge of the dock.

“So this is what they call a win-win scenario? I get to watch you cut your way across the water like you belong in an Olympics race, and then I get a kiss when you inevitably beat me back here. Sounds like there should be a catch somewhere.”

“No catch, just a clarification, I’ll be the one getting the kiss in that scenario. As in, you will be pressing your lips to mine. I will get to feel your lips move against mine as your tongue attempts to work its way into my mouth because you will be carried away with your love for me.”

Henry hops up from where he’s sitting and places a kiss on Alex’s cheek. “Are you sure you’re not the writer?”

“Are you saying what I said sounds fictional?

“No, quite simply saying the way you described what is most likely an accurate foretelling of events to come sounded poetical in that accent of yours that gets thicker every time we’re down here. Now, are we going to race so we can get back here and you can claim your prize?”

Alex does win the race and gets to claim his prize. His laugh when Henry says, “I don’t know this still feels like I’m winning,” in between kisses rings out across the lake.

[cricketnationrise]

Hi!! My prompt:

3:47pm

The lake house on Lake LBJ

Oscar Diaz

Song for vibes: My Way DH by Rascal Flatts

Thank you!!! ❤️❤️❤️

ooooo Oscar was fun to write. note to self, must write more Oscar. anyway i listened to My Wish and immediately had 'dad thinking about his kids' vibes so please enjoy just over 600 words of oscar being happy for his children 💜🦗

read the rest of the ficlets here!

❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙

3:47pm, lake lbj

It’s a special kind of surreal seeing both his kids in love.

Sure, June may not actually be dating Nora, but that’s a when, not an if, judging by the way Nora half-melts when June smiles at her and the special crinkle of June’s eyes when she watches Nora spout off ridiculous statistics. Oscar hasn’t seen that particular crinkle since June was with Evan. His heart swells with happiness for his oldest every time he spots her and Nora lost in each other’s company or trying to drown each other in the lake or communicating solely through raised eyebrows and quirked lips or when Nora hides her watery eyes when June sings Annie’s Song next to the campfire. They’re practically one brain, one soul even, split across two bodies and it’s stunning to witness.

Sure, Alex may not have admitted to himself that he’s in love with Henry, but Oscar would bet the lake house, his Senate seat, and much more besides, that Alex will figure his shit out soon, because he’s never seen his son like this before. 

Alex has always moved a million miles an hour, always put a ton of pressure on himself, always pushed himself to juggle a seemingly-impossible load. Oscar has seen the dark circles under his eyes when they video chat, has heard the exhaustion in his voice when Alex visits his Senate office, has noted the middle-of-the-night timestamp on one too many emails to think that Alex is completely fine. Oscar recognizes the signs of stress—both from himself and from when he and Ellen lived together—that have been increasing in frequency over the past year.

But lately, and this week in particular, Alex seems settled in his own skin—he’s practically aglow—and not because of the sunshine. Every time he sets eyes on Henry, or makes him laugh, or even just talks about him, Alex lights up. All through prepping the food earlier, Alex had kept glancing out the window, a fond smile on his face at the sight of Henry out on the dock refereeing the girls. Watching his son and Henry interact, it’s like there’s a whole other level of happiness that’s been unlocked. 

Alex’s carefully blank voice when he’d asked if his ‘friend’ Henry could come to the lake house had all of Oscar’s dad instincts sitting up. And his son’s anxious hand wringing when he’d introduced Henry had been enough to tell Oscar that this person was someone special to Alex, even if he’d never indicated he was interested in men before. Their conversation in the kitchen had been an unnecessary, but welcome, confirmation. 

All he’s ever wanted for June and Alex is for them to be safe and happy. The Texas sun shining down only highlights how content his kids are—it looks good on them both—and Oscar is beyond grateful he gets to witness it. He’s always wished for them to dream as big as they wanted to, for them to reach out and gather up all the love they can possibly hold inside. He’s always wanted them to have a comfortable place to land, a secure set of arms to fall into if life knocks them down. He’s always wanted them to know they can fly free, knowing someone loves them unconditionally. And sure, he and Ellen and Leo and all their extended family love Alex and June but— It’s immensely satisfying knowing that the universe has answered Oscar’s wish and led both of his children to their people.

He hopes they’re both brave enough to reach out and gather their loves close, and hang on tight through whatever life throws their way.

[suseagull5914]

For ficlet Friday- “No need to be hateful in your fake Gucci sweater” (My Kink Is Karma)

RWRB… maybe Henry focused? ❤️💙

TW for (almost) drowning and CW for drinking/alcohol (not my usual style, but with this prompt, I had to). Also, I know you said Henry... Hopefully it just being about Henry is okay?

Alex can't believe this guy. He's just so… infuriating. 

He's always so pretentious. Everything he says… It's like he took the entire works of Jane Austen and swallowed them whole, regurgitating them at every available opportunity. Plus, his tone is always so condescending. And don't even get Alex started on the way the guy dresses. Gucci, Prada, Armani… it's all fake, it has to be- after all, they're in college. Unless Mr. High and Mighty paid for it with his gran’s money, which is entirely possible. Alex thinks he's heard people say she's the CEO of some really successful real estate agency or something like that. 

He's thinking all this as he spots Henry at the latest frat party. He wouldn't be here, but Nora insisted, claiming that the guy who invited her, Pez, is unlike anyone she's ever met. Not that she's into him- she's been dating Alex's sister since they started college (a fact that had irritated Alex a little, considering he had dated Nora in high school). “He just has this vibe that draws everyone to him,” she had tried to explain. “You'll see what I mean when you meet him.”

And yeah, Pez is cool. The thing is, though, the person he seems to hang out with the most is Henry, of all people, and Alex just doesn't get it. Either Pez isn't as great as Nora seems to think, or Henry is much more laid-back than Alex thinks (but he's pretty sure it's the former). 

So Alex tries his hardest to hang out with Nora and some of their other friends and totally ignore Henry, and he mostly succeeds. 

He’s so happy, and some might say that's at least partly because of what he's been drinking, but he doesn't care. He makes his way over to the pool, looking down at the people swimming in there. If only he'd brought his bathing suit…

Oh crap.

He's in the pool, and he doesn't want to admit it, but somehow, it's like all of those summers swimming in lake LBJ have totally vanished from his brain. 

He comes up spluttering, gasping for air and flailing his arms. Maybe if he does it enough, he’ll somehow make it back to the edge of the pool and be able to pull himself up and out of the water. 

His efforts are useless, though. He seems to stay in one place, and it's only when he realizes that that he starts shouting- not that he expects anyone to hear him, since the music's loud and most of the guests are inside. 

Then suddenly, he hears the muffled sound of a splash as someone jumps in after him. He wants to tell them what a bad idea it is, but he's too busy trying to keep his head above water. 

Then someone’s grabbing him around the waist, pulling him back. 

The next thing Alex knows, he's gasping for air and looking up to thank his rescuer.

He's dumbfounded when he looks up and finds Henry looking down at him. Although he guesses he shouldn't be surprised because, “You wanted to play the hero, didn't you?”

“That, or I couldn't let the most handsome man I've ever seen drown before I got the chance to ask him out.”

Alex just stares at him for a second, mouth agape. “Yes.” 

It was the least he could do, after all.

[forever-fixating]

WIP Wednesday

Things have been a little hectic (in a good way), and I'm been writing like crazy, between LIANN and my RWRB Month ficlets. Today I am sharing a snippet from living in a new normal (which is already up to 15K hits, omgggggg) and a little genderflipped FirstPrince AU oneshot because ya know, I wanted to change things up a bit. Enjoy!

living in a new normal

Henry passed out copies of the map he made of the cemetery, saying, “There is a method to my madness, I assure you. I’ve marked a route we can take to hit the graves on our collective list but with plenty of wiggle room for individual exploration.”

“Are you certain you’re only into men, Fox?” Nora asked, looking over the map. “Because this kind of organization is big sexy to me.”

“Afraid so,” Henry replied, the tips of his ears going bright red. “But I’m flattered.”

“Back off, Holleran.” Alex wrapped an arm around Henry’s waist. “He’s mine.”

Their first stops were at the cemetery’s Holocaust memorials. Nora placed stones at each one as a sign of respect and recited a prayer at the Auschwitz memorial for the family members her grandparents lost at the camp. Her Judaism wasn’t something she spoke about often, but she did wear a Star of David given to her by her grandmother. Similar to Alex and June’s attitudes with regards to the Catholicism of their childhood, Nora often said that she was culturally Jewish.

Their next stop was the grave of Edith Piaf. Each of them set a rose on the polished black marble of the tombstone. As June laid hers down last, Alex nudged her and said, “Go on, Bug. You know you want to.”

“Do it, baby,” Nora seconded. “Live out your busker fantasy.”

June’s cheeks were almost as red as the rose she just set down. She clasped her hands in front of her and stood next to the famous singer’s tomb. When she began to sing ‘Tu Es Partout,’ the song made known to them by its inclusion in Saving Private Ryan, their fellow tourists paused to listen. Her voice shook at first but grew with confidence as she sang. June fell in love with the singer after watching the 2007 biopic starring Marion Cotillard. There was a time when the only thing coming out of her bedroom across the hall from his was Piaf songs as his sister taught herself how to sing them phonetically. Alex made frequent use of his headphones during that time.

When she finished, their small audience applauded and she gave a little bow. Before she could step down, an older French woman asked for an encore of ‘Le vie en rose.’ And, like the sweet Southern girl she was, June said yes. Alex couldn’t have prouder of her. There was a moment during the song when he stopped seeing her as the sleek and confident popstar that filled stadiums with him and Nora. Instead, he saw a young girl sitting around a bonfire at Lake LBJ with family and friends, singing songs from her diary. Alex scrubbed at the corner of his eye when a tear threatened to trickle out.

After she finished, the woman said something that made Henry laugh. When June asked what she said, he replied, “She said you should be a singer.”

June let out a nervous giggle and thanked the woman for her kind words. When people tried to offer her money, June shook her hand but thanked them for listening. She threw herself into Nora’s arms, laughing, “How was that more nerve-wracking than any of the concerts we’ve done?”

“When in the presence of the Voice of France,” Henry said, “one wants to make sure one does her justice.”

you wear it best when you wear nothing at all

Alex and Henri shouldn’t have worked out as roommates, let alone best friends. Alex was the athletic, outgoing prelaw student while Henri was the willowy, shy art student. Alex’s parents were the mayor of Austin and a Texas state congressman, and Henri’s parents were award-winning, A-list actors. Alex was coffee with cinnamon, a well-stocked spice rack, and Texas heat. Henri was Earl Grey, macarons and Jaffa cakes, and English rain.

They shouldn’t have worked. But somehow, despite a rocky start, they did.

They were Alex-and-Henri, one rarely seen without the other, so close that outsiders were genuinely shocked when they found out the pair weren’t actually a couple. But between them, there was an understanding and ease that felt too precious to risk fracturing by adding sex into the mix.

(That didn’t mean that Alex, whose bisexual identity crisis was inspired by the ethereal English art student, didn’t sometimes imagine what Henri’s lips would feel like against hers. Or that her stomach didn’t go all weird and fluttery when she came home to find Henri tipsy from one too many gin and tonics trying to dye their hair the colors of the lesbian flag. Or the time Alex let her arm go fully numb because Henri fell asleep while watching something dumb on Netflix and she couldn’t bear the thought of waking them up when they looked so goddamn beautiful and at peace.)

Alex loved being Henri’s friend, loved being Alex-and-Henri platonically, and until she could get over that nagging shred of doubt that said she and her big fucking mouth and too fast brain would somehow fuck everything up despite all evidence pointing to the contrary, that friendship was enough.

Tagging @onthewaytosomewhere @priincebutt @dragonflylady77 @piratefalls and anyone else who wants to play!

[emmalostinwonderland]

Thanks for the tags @malakia215 and @suseagull04!! I'm working like crazy on my punk rocker Henry fic for RBB, so here's a snippy from the thousand or so words I plonked out in my half-awake state last night.

Henry takes him straight to the escalators and kisses him on the slow ascent to the top floor. “Where were we?” “What, in 20 questions? I lost count somewhere between ‘favorite color’ and ‘your ideal date’.” “Right, of course. My turn then.” He hums in thought as he tugs Alex over to a stand of historical romances. “Sticking with favorites for now. Holiday destination?” Alex laughs and shakes his head. “Like vacation or like Christmas? Actually, never mind, it’s the same answer. My dad’s lake house.” Henry turns to him, looking puzzled. “I thought you said you weren’t a trust fund kid?” “Nope, that’s still all you. My dad’s parents owned a house on Lake LBJ back in Texas, and he moved in with them after the divorce. They passed away a few years later, and he still lives there. I’ve spent pretty much every summer there until… fuck, like three years ago?” Alex tips his head back and squints at the ceiling as though the cheap tiles have his calendar displayed for viewing. “What changed? If you don’t mind me asking.” “Law school. I have classes year round now that I’m done with undergrad, plus I had summer internships the last few years.” “Sounds exhausting,” Henry says softly.

open tag as always, plus I'm tagging @s0mesugar @materassassino @thedramasummer @jackzimmermemes @cactusdragon517 and @itsmaybitheway without checking first if any of y'all already played!