Chapter Text
Alexander Gabriel Claremont Diaz is definitely not ordinary. Not in anything he does, nor in what happens to him, as if destiny found it fun to match its wild twists and turns to the lively, bright charisma Alex held in every interaction. He was a contradiction in and of itself, existing as so many things at once it was hard to keep up, made you wonder if there were just too many souls and a single body and that is how Alex must have come to be.
Born and raised in Austin to politician parents, Alex was always involved with that side of things. The undying charisma, excellent speeches, the way he would claim attention simply by existing, but above all, his compassion and wish to help was more than enough to lead people to think he'd follow in his parents' footsteps. But when you are friends with Alex Claremont Diaz, you get used to the exceptional.
It was not that Alex didn't see value in how his parents changed people's lives, helping in any way they could, but he longed for more. He longed to know their names, see their struggles up close, see the change right before his eyes, and even though he wouldn't be able to change the lives of thousands of people at once, he was a firm believer of good karma, of how great actions simply multiply. So Alex became a med student.
It's needless to say his overworking tendencies matched perfectly with med school. Always burning bright, always at god knows how many miles per hour, and still facing every problem with energy and a fire that seems eternal. Among students, patients and professors, Alex was as liked as everywhere else he ever stepped into, the Texan drawl to his speech and the warmth carried by his Latino heritage making it almost too easy to adore him.
Somehow, Alex's fate brought him to England. It was an interesting program, helping chronically ill folks of all ages to live with a better quality of life, and obviously such a concept pulled at his heartstrings. Plus, Alex was yet not sure which field of medicine to dive deeper into (first, cause there is no way he'd be stuck to a single field), and it'd be an opportunity to get to work with multiple fields at once, while outside of the chaos of the Emergency Room. Be there, for the daily lives of people of all ages, getting to know them, help them and watch as they improved. It was just too great of a proposal, even though the lack of sunshine of merry ol' England was a certain worry for the one who burned as bright as the Texan sun.
It didn't take long for Alex to settle, unsurprisingly. He lived at a small apartment in Richmond, close to the facility where he worked at, the full gardens and tranquil view of the river the perfect scenario for the Waterloo Home. It was not far from London, so he made his trips to the city often, especially during his day offs.
It was in a usual work day, around 6 months after he started working at Waterloo that fate took another turn. Alex fidgeted and paced outside the Director's room, after being called up by his supervisor. He was sure there couldn't be an issue with his work, the ones under his care always showering him with compliments, especially dear Louise, a disabled lady who had quickly become like a grandma to him. So there had to be some other issue, and Alex's brain was working even faster than usual, thoughts running through his mind all at once.
"Alex? Come on in."
The peaceful voice of Lark came muffled through the door. Lark was not that much older than Alex, but quite experienced in the field, and decided to establish Waterloo Home through watching his own husband's struggles with his chronic illness. The Home offered a variety of services, from one's who lived at home, to ones who came periodically, to dispatching employees to give at home services.
Alex made it into the Director's office, which felt more like a comfortable lounge than an office in itself, which was honestly very on brand with Lark's kind and calm personality, always seeking to make others as comfortable as possible.
"Good morning, Sir"
"Good morning, Alex, I'm sorry to call you in this suddenly, but this is a matter that needs to be solved quickly and quietly."
"Of course, Sir, how may I help?"
"It's a... complicated case, Alex"
Alex started finding it weird right then. Even though he received compliments often, he was far from the most experienced or knowledgeable medic in the team, with some others having more years of experience than he had of life.
"How so, Sir?"
"In this case, extreme discretion and privacy is necessary, as well as the possibility of staying over at the Patient's house a few times a week."
The overnight stays were not unusual for the field, honestly. Some of his colleagues had patients they'd stay with for weeks at a time, for example during colder weather, when the issues of some patients with pain in their joints would become especially hard on them. But Alex could see the reasoning behind choosing him for a privacy sensitive case. He was a foreigner, lived alone, and even if he accidentally ratted out to a family member or friend, they'd be across the ocean, unable of causing much damage.
"So I guess I was a good option because I don't really have many connections here?"
"Sometimes you're way too smart, boy. But yes, correct. For us to continue this talk, I need you to sing an NDA, if that's fine? If you're interested in the case that is."
"Sure, Sir, I'm open to it."
Lark handed to him a few sheets of paper, and coming from a politics family, he took his time reading the contract. The NDA was extensive, and extremely through in every single possibility, not leaving a single possible gap. Whoever was hiring the service, was certainly above wealthy to have professionals capable of harboring such a document. After reading through everything, Alex signed the document and handed it back to Lark, who was staring at him with a pensive smile.
"Now may we continue, Sir?"
"Surely. Now I do have to say not even I have much information regarding this case. We received an anonymous report of the person's general condition, without their name or even the dates of appointments and such. I did try to gather more information but the client was adamant on protecting the patient, even though I also signed an NDA. The single other information we have is the place where the services will happen. Nothing less than Kensington Palace."
After the initial shock, things slipped into place. The extreme worry with privacy, the need for someone with no strings attached to the UK, even the choice for a foreigner, making it easy to find reason to just snap him back to the U.S. in case anything went wrong. Nothing short of the Royal custom of keeping everything under wraps.
"Oh. I got it. And from what I understood, I am supposed to stay there at least a few days a week?"
"Yes, initially you will only visit the patient once every two days, but as you get closer and they approve of your treatment, the frequency will become progressively bigger, until you stay with them 5 days a week."
"That makes sense. I'm glad we will have the time to get to know each other without the entire I suddenly live with you thing."
Lark gave him a sweet, pensive smile.
"Seeing that you're taking this as any other patient makes me even more sure of my choice, Alex. You will probably receive an envelope with further information soon, but know it is not to be shared even with the Home personnel. You must go to the Palace for the first session in 2 weeks, transportation matters will also be dealt with by the client."
"Alright, Sir. Thank you for trusting me with this."
"I do so because you deserve it, Alex."
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Just two days later a simple brown envelope was delivered to Alex's apartment, with a much thicker file than the one he received from Lark just days before. Already having experience with such cases, Alex was not surprised with the added details. The patient was a male, just 25 years old, not much younger than Alex himself. He was not looking for a cure, but rather help dealing with issues that were affecting his mobility, as well as issues regarding extreme fatigue and pain.
Looking at the records written by what he guesses are the Royal Family's medics, Alex cannot help but think either they are severely dismissive of the person's condition, or the patient himself is severely understating how much it all affects him. Sometimes, with people who have been ill since early ages, they just cannot fathom existence without pain or fatigue, which makes it hard for them to understand and grade their own issues. Sometimes, they cannot even understand that existing shouldn't be irrevocably attached to pain. Those cases tend to be the hardest for Alex, his heartstrings pulled taut while he looks at people who have just given up on knowing what a life without pain is.
Alex really hopes that wouldn't be the case.
After a few days studying the case, Alex gets into his usual MO of how to deal with such cases. He never likes acting like the know-it-all, even though he has no problem understanding his position in his relationship with patients. He had just learnt that giving people a choice, when so much in their lives is already dictated for them due to their illness, often serves as a good way to have them open up to him and feel better about the whole thing. So he makes lists and lists of possible ways to treat, or accommodate to the patient, each extremely well-organised, with full and easily understandable explanations of each step. Often times, chronically ill patients already have a great medical vocabulary, but he doesn't like to assume.
So at the scheduled day, Alex was standing at the sidewalk, bag hanging from his shoulder and folder held to his chest, along with his coat. Especially for first appointments, Alex preferred a very in-between of the extremely formal medic wear, and his own comfier style, aiming to find the state that made his patients the most comfortable, so he wore a neat white button up with light brown slacks.
With the usual British pontuality, at exactly 8:50 am, the car Alex was expecting stopped right in front of his building. As Alex imagined, it was an extremely common car, with the driver dressed formally, but not fancy enough to draw attention. Discretion was top priority, and even when Alex tried to knock up small talk with the driver he was, though very politely, dismissed. Every single time he interacted with any of the staff related to this patient, it felt like they thought over their words 10 times before actually saying them.
That was another thing. Alex had not gotten a single moment of contact with the patient himself. Usually, Alex preferred to keep in contact with the patient and their family at least for a few days before the first appointment, but regardless of how many times Alex even hinted at such a wish, he was again dismissed.
Alex decided to just review his notes and lists, since any try at conversation was turning up unfruitful. It didn't take long to arrive at Kensington Palace, Alex wasn't yet very familiar with the roads since he spent most of his time at Waterloo, but even he could tell the driver chose side roads rather than main ones. A route also likely meticulously studied, Alex knew.
They made it through back gates by a single nod of the driver, and as the car approached one of the tall doors of the Palace a brown man with thick black hair and beard, all extremely neatly styled, matching with his also just as neat dark blue 3 piece suit came into view.
Alex attempted to open the door for himself, but was soon stopped by the fancy man himself.
"Doctor Claremont-Diaz. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Shaan Srivastava, his Royal Highness' Equerry."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I have to thank you for being so accommodating, I do remember it was you I talked to in our few phone calls."
"It's not a problem, Dr. Claremont-Diaz. Please, come on in."
The tall doors opened, revealing unexpectedly comfy-looking interior, even though it was sometimes broken by expensive paintings or way too much gold. Even then, there was something about it that made Alex uncomfortable. He rationally knew that Kensington Palace had centuries of history bearing down on it, and with it hundreds of people who lived and breathed in its every room. But something about it just felt stale, not lived in, almost like a TV scenario, built like a home but never actually lived in. It was unsettling.
It was then that a beagle came in waltzing through one of the many doorways in the corridor, a sign of life and joy in the dull place. The dog came to Alex, clearly curious about the visitor, and Alex didn't hesitate on crouching down to pet the puppy.
"Well, I guess nothing more fair than meeting His Royal Highness' favorite companion before meeting his Royal Highness himself. This is David, His Royal Highness' dog."
Alex knew it would be absolutely impolite, and maybe a national crime, to comment on His Royal Highness' pet naming choices, but no one could stop his thoughts of how David was a terrible name for a dog.
There was also the side of his brain that was going miles per hour trying to figure out what he was getting himself into. He knew enough to be aware of how Princes and Princesses were the ones to mostly be addressed as "Royal Highness", and Shaan had used masculine pronouns, which could only mean that the patient was Prince Philip. But what was almost giving him a heart attack was: it couldn't be him. Unless Prince Philip had been lying about his age, his height, his weight, and basically been switched when he was supposedly a toddler.
So who the hell was His Royal Highness?
"His Royal Highness is waiting in his study room, Dr. Claremont-Diaz."
Alex got the hint to stand back up, and follow Shaan to one of the doors, David on his heel. There was a single guard/butler, Alex wasn't sure, on the side of the closed door, and at a nod by Shaan, the door was opened. Alex could see the top of a head of blonde hair, the man sitting on a comfy looking dark red armchair that faced a window, opposite of the door.
"His Royal Highness, Dr. Claremont-Diaz is here. I shall excuse myself, and give you both some privacy."
Shaan was out of the door and had it closed so fast, Alex barely had the time to thank him. Meanwhile, David quickly made his way around the armchair, facing his owner, who leaned down to pet him gently. Alex hesitated before saying:
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Royal Highness. My name is Alex Claremont-Diaz, please feel free to call me Alex."
"Then you might as well call me Henry."
It was then that Alex noticed the walking cane leaning on the side of the armchair, which a delicate hand reached to take, and then stand up slowly. Wide shoulders dressed in a light blue button up shirt came into view, along with a narrower but still solid waist. From his knowledge of the case, Alex knew it must have been hard to, but the man kept perfect posture, nothing less of the Prince title he held.
Prince Henry.
Henry turned, and fixed Alex with eyes bluer than the halo of blue sky and sunlight coming in from the window right behind him. Alex felt like the world stopped turning for a second, the air stilled as he got to take in all the presence of kindness, strict rigidity of royalty bearing down on suffered shoulders.
The hidden Prince Henry.
"It must be a lot to take in. Not only being hired by the Royal Family, but by a Prince you didn't even know existed."
"Well once I arrived for my shift and one of my patients had apparently climbed into the ceiling, so I think I had a lot of situations where there was a lot to take in."
Alex was about to curse his 0 filtered mouth, but when his widened eyes looked at Henry again, a smile had taken over his features, light chuckle echoing in the big room.
"Well, that surely must have been a much more interesting endeavor."
The Hidden Prince Henry is absolutely beautiful. Alex would have to revisit that thought later.
"It sure was, ever since them we made sure no ceiling tiles can be removed, trying to find one patient in the ceiling is enough, can't have the others having ideas too."
The light chuckle was there again as Henry continued.
"Please, get comfortable wherever you'd like."
It was just then that Alex actually took in the room. Shaan had mentioned it was a study room, but Alex had no idea if study room or library fit the space more. Floor to ceiling shelves covered most of the walls, books that looked to be as old as the castle itself all the way to brand new ones neatly organized. Alex would have to look around later, maybe they could find books they could both talk about.
Other than the armchair Henry had been sitting on, there were two sofas of the same comfortable, dark red style sat in the middle of the room, over a detailed soft looking rug. The flooring was the same dark wood of the corridor, the visible walls the same yellowy beige as well. Honestly the only personality of the room could be seen in the brand new books decorating the shelves, and on the piles of papers, open and closed books, writing materials, diaries and laptop that covered a desk close to the armchair, positioned in front of the second window of the room.
Alex decided Henry being in the armchair he was the most comfortable in would be better for such a first meeting talk.
"Is it alright if I take the chair from your desk? I'd appreciate keeping the sunlight, we don't get even close to enough of it here for my Texan tastes."
"Of course. I haven't ever been to Texas, but I imagine living here must be... interesting to say the least."
Henry slowly sat down again on the armchair, with the aid of his cane, while Alex pulled the desk chair and sat in front of him, back to the window, after placing his bag and folder on one of the sofas.
"Oh, don't get me started. I feel like a plant lacking photosynthesis. "
It was the third time he made Henry chuckle. Alex wanted to make it a full laugh soon.
"I guess we should get down to business, Alex. I don't want to be a waste of your time."
"Something that you need to know about me, Henry, is that not a single second spent with a patient is a waste of time. I'm here to help, be it through what I studied to do, medicine and all that, or just through being here when you're having a hard time. I know some of my patients don't like that, so I leave the choice to them: I can be just a doctor, or I can be a doctor and a friend. You don't have to answer me now, but especially for our first meeting, I'd like to know you more as a person, if you'd allow me to, of course. Your well-being will always come first."
And for a millisecond, it was like hundreds of emotions went through Henry's previously schooled features. It was almost like Kensington Palace itself: seeing the colorful books and messy desk of Henry's personality, after being only exposed to the numb perfection of the red, beige and gold Palace decor. Alex wanted to see more.
But as fast as it happened, Henry was again Royal perfection and rigidity, down to a T, clearly engraved in his being regardless of his hidden status.
"That would be nice, Alex. Thank you. I guess I should present myself then? I am Henry Fox Mountchristen-Windsor, son to Catherine, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Arthur Fox. And there is no better way to say this, but well. I'm the hidden Prince of England."
It was clear Henry expected some big reaction. Alex found it fun to break expectations.
"Well if we are being that detailed. I'm Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz, son to two politicians, Ellen Claremont, and Oscar Diaz. My parents are divorced, so my mom remarried a while back to a psychiatrist named Leo, cool guy really. I have a sister named June, and a best friend named Nora, I'm born and raised in Austin Texas. Everyone believed I'd follow my parents' footsteps and be a politician, but I wanted the hands-on approach to helping people rather than sitting in a room filled with, and no offense, wrinkly old men and trying to yell some sense into their stubborn heads while people actually suffer."
"No offense taken, no worries. I may be a Prince but I also have some... class conscience, may I say."
That got Alex chuckling instead.
"Good to know, your Royal Highness, but know I'll hold you to that."
"If you don't, I don't think anyone but Bea will, and belive me, she does it well. Oh well, you mentioned your sister and best friend, Bea is my sister and my best friend. Along with David, of course."
"I knew that the Royal Family of England was up to some weird stuff, but I had no idea it went as far as considering a Beagle as your sister. Truly impressed, Henry."
That finally got him a full bodied laugh with Henry leaning forward, while covering his mouth trying to muffle his laughter. But for a short moment Alex could see it, his bright, free smile, much brighter and warmer than the sunlight warming his back, the sound much lovelier than any bird chirping could ever possibly be.
But the moment was broken was soon as it started, a whimper making it's muffled way through Henry's lips, a furrow to his eyebrows. Alex's doctor side was in like a bullet.
"May I touch you, Henry?"
There is a light nod, and in a flash Alex is on his knees before the Prince, David standing up in alarm beside the two. Alex had read on the file that Henry had an old rib injury, which sometimes still bothered him, especially in cold weather and when he moved suddenly. Much like all other sides of chronic illness, it was a Russian roulette really, something could be fine one second then completely debilitating the next.
Alex sneaked his hand to the side he knew to be troublesome, first slowly resting his hand on Henry's rib before slowly applying pressure where he knew would give him some ease to breathe. The reports might not have been detailed when it came to the prince's identity, but a few things were extremely detailed, this being one of them.
Alex could see Henry's expression slightly relax, but there was still the tension that came with being afraid it would hurt again at any movement.
"There you go, can you please breath with me, Henry? Slowly, accompany me, okay?"
Alex took one of Henry's hand, resting it on his own chest and breathing slowly. Henry took a bit, but was soon accompanying his slow breathing, and Alex took the opportunity to slowly guide the other to lean back on the armchair. When he was sure Henry was alright, he went back to his own chair.
"Thank you. I had no idea that was even possible."
"It's more experience than actual medical knowledge that one, in Waterloo we have a few nurses and medics with more years of experience than me and you have of life together. "
"Must be nice to have them to rely on."
Henry sighed, leaning his head back and briefly closing his eyes. It felt like he was re-centering himself, getting ready to put the mask back on and hide the pain that to Alex was achingly clear.
"Would it be overstepping if I asked your butler for tea?"
"Feel free to request anything that would make you more comfortable."
"It's not for me, I'm a coffee kinda person, I just think a cup of tea would do you great."
"I think you're right."
Alex stood up, knowing Henry probably needed a bit of time before they could get back to talking. He opened the door just enough to be able to see the guard/butler and ask for a cup of tea for "His Royal Highness", before going back in and sitting back on his seat.
As soon as he sat down, he could see Henry was struggling on where to go with this, whether to talk about what just happened, or to go back to the pleasant chattering they had been doing.
"I think I should already give you a warning there will be many situations where I'll have to touch you, or even hold you. If there is anything you're really uncomfortable with, we can try and work around it."
"It's alright, Alex. Don't worry about it."
"I think we should start talking more about you. I've read your file, and what you're looking for, but I'd much rather hear it from you" The part about not being even sure the file was written with Henry's wishes in mind was left unsaid.
"Well, you have probably already realized what my first main issue is. Mobility has been a progressively growing problem for a while now, and even though I have no illusions I'll be able to run a marathon, I wish to have at least enough mobility to get around."
"Whether you'll be able to run a marathon, do triathlon or whatever your sweet heart desires is for both of us to decide together. Don't be afraid of aiming higher simply because you think you won't make it, Henry."
This was the type of talk Alex preferred not to play around much in. Even though he hoped it wasn't the truth, the probability of Henry being ill since infancy was high, so it really did mean he had never had a life without illness-related hardships, and therefore had nothing to compare to. Alex also wasn't delusional: he knew of the body's limits, but he also knew that even though things might not look good at that point, that they could get better, regardless of how long they took. So he was always honest with patients, when they could aim a bit higher, when their goals were probably too far out. Sincerity was something he valued a lot.
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you. Other than that, pain and fatigue are issues for me. There are days where it feels impossible to get out of bed, where even a light nudge makes me feel like my hip bone is being dragged against asphalt. It's not always like that, but it does happen."
"Would you say there are specific places that hurt more, or more often than others?"
"When at those worst states, I just feel like everywhere hurts at once. But mostly, my hips, knees, shoulders and ribs hurt more, at different moments. It really varies."
"That's expected, these things can be very random in how they occur. Would you say you're always in some degree of pain? And if yes, how much from 0 to 10?"
"I'd say a 2"
Alex would later write it down as 5. He knew a stubborn head underestimating patient when he saw one.
"What about the fatigue?"
"The fatigue is more of a... constant weight on my shoulders. Like never getting a full night's sleep. Those things will tire you out till you have no choice but to crash for 15 hours straight. That happens once every 3 weeks-ish, and then the cycle begins again."
"So as your goals you have, 1- getting better mobility, first at your daily life and we'll see where we go from there, 2 - diminishing your usual pain level, and 3 - diminishing your fatigue levels."
"Correct. If that's all possible."
At that moment there's a knock on the door, and Alex stands up to take two mugs filled with tea from the tray a blonde maid is holding, thanking her with a bright smile before getting back into the room. He sets both mugs on a small table, on the side of the armchair David is not laying down on.
"What is possible or not is a matter of time and effort. We will try things, and if something doesn't feel good for you, then we can simply change the plan. "
"So we make plans for treatment?"
"You have never gotten full time treatment, have you?"
"Not really, it was more individual shorter treatments when things got really hard to handle. But things have been getting harder and harder to handle, so Bea fought her way through to Buckingham Palace to get this to happen, otherwise it'd continue that way."
Alex really had to steer himself to not show as much anger as he was feeling. From Henry's records he had gotten the feeling the doctors were dismissive, but he wasn't sure if it was the doctors themselves or the ones who hired them. Hearing from Henry himself that he was neglected to that extent, while basically being hidden from the world made his blood boil.
"I don't know how all other doctors work when it comes to this, but I like to plan things, and plan things with my patient."
Alex stood up, going over to the sofa to grab the folder he had brought with all the possible plans, while he continued to speak.
"I always like presenting different treatment options that can also be slightly altered to fit whatever the patient wants, needs, or is able to do. It's not anything rigid, if something doesn't work then we change it, it's just good to have a guiding light. I prepared this for that reason. Here are quite a few different treatment plans I came up with. You can take your time reading through them and deciding, for the first week I'd prefer to get to know you and get to know your difficulties and abilities, and whatever questions you have about anything feel free to contact me."
Henry took the folder from Alex's hands, opening it and looking briefly through all the colorful, neatly organized plans.
"I really like that system, Alex."
Alex wondered if it'd be a great idea to say what he wanted to. Alex was never really good with holding back impulses. And Henry was pulling at his heartstrings like no one else ever had.
Alex took a deep breath, scooting so he was sat at the edge of his seat, closer to Henry. He reached out and gently rested his hand on the Prince's knee, looking up into those bright blue eyes, all Bond's child like he knew he was.
"When you're with me, Henry, I want you to know that whatever happens is always your choice. Whatever plan you want to follow, whatever alterations you want to make, how many times per week you'll see me, for how long, what we can or cannot talk about, everything will happen not only with your consent, but only if you truly want it to. Got it? I need you to be honest with me. "
Henry's eyes traveled, losing the hard edge that is all Royal strictness. For a few seconds, Henry just stared at Alex's hand on his knee, just breathing, thinking. Alex didn't remove his hand, he simply waited, giving however long Henry needed to react, even if it was to not react at all.
But then Henry leaned a bit forward and rested his own hand on top of Alex's, not moving his gaze up to Alex's face, but saying in a soft voice that he hadn't yet heard, frail in its quiet emotion.
"Thank you, Alex. I'll remember that."
"You're welcome."
Alex didn't understand what was happening to him, didn't fully understand the emotions going through him yet. But Henry was awakening in him a need to protect and comfort he had only felt in small dosages, never as something so overwhelmingly true, making his heart ache and his thoughts revolve, little rationality but so much certainty it was scary.
"I think I've left you with enough to think about today, Henry. The folder also has a lot of information, and I can tell you're a bit tired."
"I'd love to continue our chat, but that's indeed true, Alex."
"Would it be alright if I help you get up to your room? With your rib having acted up just now it's not good to rely much on it, please?"
"I'd appreciate that, thank you. We can ask Shaan to bring my cane, the folder and the tea up to my room later, honestly I do want to just have a rest now."
"And you do deserve one. Now, I'd like to help you up as to put as little pressure on your torso as possible, but for that I need to get rather close, would that be alright?"
"Feel free to do whatever you feel is needed, Alex, honestly. I don't mind being touched all that much if it's with that purpose."
"Okay, but if anything changes, or if anything hurts, please, tell me."
Henry just nodded, a small smile on his face as Alex stood up and got closer. He leaned down, guiding Henry's arms to around his own shoulders, his face right beside Henry's. But he couldn't allow himself to get distracted, this was doctor Alex helping a patient, not Alex with a very cute very handsome guy. Even though Henry was a very cute very handsome guy.
He helped Henry lean a bit forward before sneaking one of his hands to Henry's lower back, supporting his spine, the other making it to the center of his back. Alex slowly and gently pulled Henry into a standing position, not letting go until he could feel Henry was steady on his feet.
Alex moved to Henry's left side, where he had noticed the slight limp he carried himself around with was just a bit more severe. He directed Henry on how to step while using him as an aid, as Alex had an arm wrapped around his waist, slowly moving through the room, engaging in light mindless talks.
Henry gave him directions to go up the stairs and down the hall, and Alex would have to add a stairs program to the plan, because it really didn't look like they had done anything to the Palace to make it accessible for a disabled person, but who was he to judge what the British Royalty do with all the stolen money from God knows how many minorities.
The door was opened to Henry's room, and soon closed behind them. The room was much like the entire rest of the Palace, little personality in the faked warmth of the light green walls and detailed soft rug. Alex could still see the bits of Henry's personality poking through here and there though: pictures of him and Bea and David in Royal Gardens, pictures of just David being adorable or goofy or both, pictures of this one black man he'd have to ask Henry about later. But also the books, books in piles close to the bed, to the armchair, to the sofa, all of varied ages and styles, matching what he had seen at the library/study room below.
"Rather boring for the supposed suite of the Prince, isn't it?"
By that point Henry was slightly panting due to exertion. Through their short walk, Alex had quickly come to realize Henry lacked strenght on his left leg, which he would also have to add to plans in order to get his mobility going better.
"I'd say, not as customizable as I thought it could be. Still, better than a room filled with all the gold and paintings from that one corridor down the stairs, I swear to god if I had to sleep in a room with that horse painting staring at me I'd rather just never sleep again."
Henry laughed tiredly, which was Alex's cue to help him get on the bed. They used a similar manner to the one he used to get Henry up from the armchair downstairs, and after setting Henry down on the bed Alex couldn't help but stare at his clothes. Slacks and a button up were certainly not good sleep clothes.
"Would it be alright if you direct me to where I can get you comfier clothes? Those don't look at all comfortable."
"I'm wearing a comfy enough shirt under the button up, but I would appreciate comfier pants though. It's in the closet, inside the drawers that are just under where I keep the coats."
"On it."
Just as Alex expected, the pants were very neatly organized, just like the rest of his closet, exactly where Henry pointed out they would be. He quickly picked up soft, dark blue checkered pants that seemed stretchy enough for Henry to be able to put them on while sitting down. When he got back into the room, Henry was struggling with getting his shirt unbuttoned.
"Well, if I may help with that."
Alex gently set Henry's hands down on his lap, going on to slowly undo the buttons of the shirt he was wearing, also pulling it off his shoulders when it was completely unbuttoned. Alex settled the pants on Henry's lap, looking up to the Prince who was already looking down at him.
"I'll go downstairs and get your cane, the folder and the tea, if that's alright."
"Sure, if anyone asks just say I asked you to bring them."
Alex nodded, gently resting his hand on Henry's knee as he stood up and made his way out of the room. No one actually asked him anything, so he was quickly making his way back to Henry's room, cane and tea in hand, folder in his bag on his back.
Once the guard/butler opened the door he could see Henry was already sat resting on the headboard, blankets covering his lap and slacks neatedly folded beside him. Alex smiled as he set his bag on the armchair, and the tea, cane and folder at reachable distance for the Prince. Alex sat down on the bed, facing Henry.
"I'm guessing you're used to getting dressed like this?"
"Yes. Unless my hands are acting up, which makes it difficult to unbutton things, I can get dressed and undressed rather easily. Well, as easily as it can get for me."
"Your hands act up as well?"
"Sometimes, especially in colder weather, it's like I tell them to move but they just don't do what I want them too, or without as much strenght as I need."
Alex doctor side was back on in a second, holding his hand out for the Prince in a silent question, which Henry immediately placed his own hand in his. Alex used both hands as he lightly massaged the Prince's hand while also getting a feel of what could be wrong.
Henry's hands were a bit smaller than Alex's, but still had relatively thick fingers, not at all dainty like one would have imagined of a Prince. His nails were bitten, and when Alex got close to the fingertips he felt a roughness that was very familiar to him.
"You play a string instrument?"
"The guitar, yes. When I can at least."
"And I bet you'd like to play it more?"
"Yes."
Henry wanted to say more but was interrupted by a yawn, making Alex chuckle.
"I guess it's time for a nap, Henry."
Henry just nodded, letting Alex help him move to a laying down position, where Alex tightly tucked him in with thick blankets. Sun was never synonym to warmth in England, so he had to make sure Henry slept warmly (totally cause he was thinking of how it would affect his patient's joints, totally not cause he felt affectionate, absolutely not).
"Sleep well, Henry."
"Get home safe, Alex"
In a few seconds, Henry was out like a light, and Alex was making it home with a head full of thoughts and ideas, but an even fuller heart.