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Henry may be a smidgen drunk, just a tad, barely more than a small bit perhaps maybe only a little tipsy. Yes, that seems right. But now he’s floundering, staring at sloshing liquid of his goblet, fingers curled around the stem, tight enough to break the fragile glass. Pez has once again disappeared, likely swept up in the madness of the dancefloor and Henry is…well.
Henry is staring at his phone, so intently you would think it held the secrets of the universe. Sadly not, because if it did it would tell him how he had managed to fumble the best thing that has ever happened to him, and likely ever will. He knows he could text Alex and that, even in the aftermath of what felt like an explosive, earth shattering breakup, Alex would answer.
Alex would always answer.
Yet he hadn’t texted him, his phone screen remaining painfully dark. Why hadn’t he texted? Why doesn’t he want to talk to Henry?
“Ah, ah!” The phone is swiped from his hand instantly and Pez’s frowning face appears, smeared with glitter, “Do not text him.”
“Pez-“
“No.” Pez says firmly, squishing into the seat beside him and winding his arms around his shoulders.
“I can’t just never talk to him again!”
“And I never said that,” Pez says, eyebrows raised, “but you are not texting him while you’re hammered. You can have this back in the morning.”
“Pez-“
“Oooh tequila rosé? Don’t mind if we do.” Pez swipes the shots off of a passing tray, flashing the holder a winning smile before downing one, shoving the other under Henry’s nose.
The sickly sweet smell makes him nauseous, and reminds him of medicine he would take as a child. He drinks it anyway, licking his lips once it’s all the way down. Pez beams at him in that familiar way, clapping his hand against his shoulder firmly.
“Come on,” he says, just loud enough to be heard over the thumping bass, “What do I have to do to make you smile?”
Be Alex?
That’s not fair, he knows it isn’t. But he hasn’t smiled since the moment Alex walked out that front door, leaving Henry gaping in his wake. It had been a stupid argument, pointless really, but had ended in Alex very pointedly saying ‘I can’t do this, Henry’ before walking out of their shared apartment.
The message was clear and Henry Fox does not chase, even Alex Claremont Diaz. He knows when he is not wanted.
Henry left almost immediately after, clipping David’s leash and forcing himself not to cry as he slams the door behind them. David trots along, casting glances back at Henry as if he knows his heart is entirely shattered in his chest, unable to come back together again. They had ended up on Pez’s doorstep, Henry fully in tears at this point, and his friend pulled him in close, vowing to help him forget for an evening.
So now he’s drunk, only a few days after the last time he was drunk, when he thought his life couldn’t get any better.
His twenty-seventh birthday, in a bar not dissimilar to the one he’s currently in, lapful of a beaming Alex.
“Baby,” he crooned, hand stroking down Henry’s cheek, catching on his wide smile, Henry pressing a kiss to the pad of his thumb, “I love you so much.”
The thought of it now makes him want to bring the shot back up all over his Alex-less lap.
“Alright!” Pez’s voice in his ear snaps him out of his thoughts, “Your phone is staying in my pocket for the remainder of the night, capiche?”
“Pez, I-”
“No buts!” Pez leaps to his feet, arms extended and wiggling his fingers to get Henry to take his hands, which he does with a sigh.
I miss him, he wants to say, but he knows it will do no good. Instead he forces a smile across his face, finishes the rest of his drink and allows Pez to drag him towards the dance floor.
Still, even years by Alex’s side, he’s not one for dancing and especially not given his mood tonight. But still, he lets Pez take a few instagram stories of them dancing, Pez surrounded by men that he isn’t even giving a second glance, content to put his hands on Henry’s hips and drag him along to the beat.
Even drunk, all Henry can think about is Alex. It’s pathetic, pining over the man that had walked out of their apartment, clearly putting an end to their years together. The worst part had been how easy it had seemed for Alex, how he had simply slammed the door and walked out without as much as a backwards glance to the man he had deemed ‘the love of his life’.
It hurts, more than he could put into words, how apparently disposable he is to the man he was planning on proposing to. A pipe dream, a stupid small box in the back of his sock drawer that he would have to return shamefully, letting all of the staff and customers know that he is a sad sack who was dumped before he could even pop the question.
“Hey there.”
Henry flinches at the voice speaking directly into his ear, hands falling to his hips and squeezing in a way that makes tears spring to his eyes, too familiar yet completely strange at the same time.
“You here alone?”
He shakes his head, moving forward to break away but the grip is steadfast, yanking him back. Irritation flashes through him as the fingers dig in deeper, so reminiscent of Alex yet nothing like him.
“Let go of me.”
His eyes widen in shock at the sheer audacity of the man holding him and he turns his head to berate him when a pair of lips attempt to cover his own with force. Before he can pull his hand back to shove the offender away, the hands disappear from his hips and the man flies backwards away from him.
He turns to see what the hell has just happened when he’s faced with a downright furious Alex, arms folded and eyes blazing as they stare at him, narrowed.
“What the fuck, Henry?”
“What are you doing here?”
Alex laughs, completely unamused, “I could ask you the same.”
“Pez took me out.”
“To hook up?” He laughs darkly, taking a step closer, towering over Henry despite their similar height.
Despite everything, he finds himself shivering at the look in Alex’s eyes, intense and focused entirely on him. It sets him alight, makes him want to grab Alex by the collar and smash their faces together.
“No!” He says indignantly, “To cheer me up.”
“So we have a fight and you decide the best thing to do is go to a bar and grind on a bunch of guys?”
“I have not been grinding. I was about to shove that guy off when you - how did you even find me?”
“Pez’s stories.”
Henry pinches the bridge of his nose, acutely aware that they’re having this fight in the middle of a crowded dance floor, “Of course. Why are you here, Alex?”
Alex’s shoulders slump, the fire in his eyes dying out in an instant, the flame quenched, “Do you not want me here?”
His heart clenches in his chest, “You dumped me, Alex. Forgive me for trying to have a few moments of peace before facing reality.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Alex’s eyes widen drastically, a hand reaching out for Henry that he immediately shrugs off, “Hen, I didn’t-”
“Alexander.” Pez appears by Henry’s side like an apparition, “Perhaps this conversation is best saved for tomorrow.”
“I’m not going to let him go off with -”
“Alex.” Pez’s eyes narrow, “Tomorrow.”
Alex looks defeated, his face crumpling as he looks between Henry and Pez, back and forth before sighing.
“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, Henry.” And he disappears into the crowd, immediately swallowed up by the masses.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I want to go home, Pez.”
Pez looks as though he’s about to protest, before pausing, sucking in his lips and exhaling through his nose. He nods, which is enough for Henry to turn and start weaving his way through the crowd, chest tightening with each person he has to move through.
That night, curled up in Pez’s bed beside him, the other man plastered to his back and snoring in his ear. All he can think about is Alex, Alex, Alex.
He doesn’t want to sleep, to end the last day in his life where he’ll be Alex Claremont Diaz’s Boyfriend, and wake up as just Henry Fox again. Life wasn’t as good back then, and he’s not ready to face it on his own.
Eventually, he passes out.
When he wakes, the bed is empty and his phone is deposited on the bedside table, sticky note attached to the screen.
You might wanna read through this, you put your phone on airplane mode like a dumbass :) Gone to work, I assume you won’t be here when I get back xoxo
His hand shakes as he reaches for the phone, the screen lighting up as he lifts it, squinting at the bright light of it until his eyes adjust. Dozens of text messages line his screen, all from the exact same contact name;
Alex ❤️
Stomach churning, he unlocks the phone and opens the text chain, the most recent message only sent thirty minutes prior.
Alex ❤️
gone for a run, sorry for losing my temper, i’ll be home soon.
where have you gone?
henry you’ve been gone for forty minutes, that's longer than it takes to walk the dog surely.
baby???
you’re worrying me.
i’m sorry if I upset you, it was just a stupid fight. please come home and we can talk about this ??
baby please
you’re in a club????? are you being serious rn
pez’s story…surrounded by hot guys hen this isn’t funny
fucking text me back please baby
just talk to me
i don’t understand what i did??
i’m coming down there. i’m sorry if that’s a dick move but we need to talk. blame pez he loves a geo tag
Henry pauses before he scrolls any further, taking a deep breath and wiping away the tears that have collected on his cheeks. He has managed to read the entire situation completely wrong and he feels like an utter fool.
Alex ❤️
right, it appears that there has been a major miscommunication between us and it is in my duty as your BOYFRIEND (that has not fucking changed) to fix this - prepare for a long one
baby, i could never break up with you. and i am so fucking sorry if anything i said today led you to believe that. i realise now that ‘i can’t do this’ might have gotten misconstrued but baby i just couldn’t fight with you any longer
i went for a run, bought a bunch of flowers and came home like a lost puppy to find all the lights turned off and our bed empty
i figured you went for a walk so i cooked dinner, lit a few candles and waited patiently for you to come home so i could grovel at your feet and beg for forgiveness
then i started doom scrolling, only to find videos of you dancing in a fucking club surrounded by hot men
my heart fucking shattered baby
so here i am to tell you all of the reasons why i adore the ground you walk on and could never ever break up with you, in list form ofc
you have an ass that won’t quit
you always make sure i don’t go into Doom Mode
you make me smile when it’s the last thing i feel like doing
the adorable little scrunch in your eyebrows when you’re worried
the way you kiss me
the way you hold me
the way sex feels new every time
how you try to cook and fail but it’s the fact that you tried
how you curl around me in your sleep
the way you reach for me when i get out of bed
the way you kiss me when you’re trying not to fall asleep but can’t help yourself
Henry is crying full force now as he reads through reason after reason why he’s been an idiot, a complete bloody fool and he has to fix it.
68. the way you keep a constant point of contact, even in public.
69. ;)
He snorts out a laugh, the sound coming out choked and watery as he pulls himself out of bed.
He needs to go home.
85. you make me feel needed
He keeps reading as he walks down the street from Pez’s, making the journey in record time, David trotting happily by his side.
102. you are everything i could have ever hoped for
103. and nothing that i deserve
His front door taunts him as he shoves his key in the lock, twisting it and yanking the door open. David immediately bolts to the couch, leaping up and curling in as though he knows Henry won’t scold him for it.
113. because you’re my home
please come home, baby
“Alex?” He calls out, but gets no answer.
His heart clenches in his chest as he walks towards their bedroom, hearing a small sniffle.
“Oh, love.” He murmurs at the sight in front of him.
Alex is curled up in bed, face buried in the pillow, but Henry knows he’s awake, well aware that Henry is standing next to him. He moves to the side of the bed, sitting on the edge and laying a gentle hand on his back, not wanting to spook him.
“Hi.” Alex says, voice muffled, not pulling his face from the pillow, “Welcome back.”
“Alex, I am so sorry.” He feels Alex’s shoulders shake beneath his hand and he tugs on the back of his shirt, trying to turn him around. He’s still in his clothes from the night before, “Please look at me.”
After a long, painful silence, Alex turns slightly, red rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks making Henry want to start crying all over again.
“Hey.” He croaks, “How’s it goin’?”
“Alex…”
“If you…did something last night. I don’t want to know. Please.”
“Alex,” He gasps, hand clenching in Alex’s shirt, stomach turning at the mere thoughts of it, “you can’t possibly think I would have done something.”
“I mean…you thought we were broken up -”
“Even if we were, I couldn’t. God, Alex, you know I couldn’t do that.”
Alex perks up slightly, fully turning around to face Henry now, smiling as his hand immediately lands in his curls, winding them through his fingers.
“I had hoped. But I wasn’t sure.”
They sit in silence for a moment, Henry trying to muster up the courage to say what he needed.
“I…I’m sorry for leaving. I thought…I thought you…”
Alex’s face crumples, “Hen, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean it that way, I just needed a break from fighting. It was stupid, I should have stayed to talk it out.”
“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions. And for not texting back. Apparently I put my phone on aeroplane mode.”
“You’re such a grandpa with that phone.” Alex snorts, eyes sliding closed as Henry’s free hand rises to wipe an errant tear away, “I missed you.”
“I missed you so much,” Henry says with a choked laugh, “I ran home when I saw your texts.”
“Did you…like them?”
“They were so much more than I deserve, especially given the circumstances.”
“Untrue. You deserve everything.”
They chuckle, Alex’s face finally drifting back to its usual colour as the tears stop. His eyes are shining as he smiles up at Henry and he looks so beautiful that his heart makes a valiant effort to beat out of his chest.
“This can’t happen again, Alex.” He says firmly, “I thought you dumped me. We need to be very clear when we say things, especially in a fight.”
“Yes.” Alex sits up, hands cupping Henry’s face and he can’t help but turn, pressing a kiss to his palm, “I promise. Please. We can pretend it never happened.”
“We don’t have to do that. We can learn from it. Never do it again.”
“Never.” Alex promises, gaze flitting down to Henry’s lips before darting back up to his eyes, “You know what they say about fighting…”
“Alex…you’re very vulnerable right now, maybe sex isn’t the best idea-”
He’s cut off by Alex tugging him in, covering his lips with his own, firm and dry and he can’t help but melt into the touch.
“I just want to feel close to you,” Alex’s hands smooth down his shoulders, “Please baby.”
And Henry, like always, is helpless to resist.
Often times, they fuck. Hard, frenzied and fast with Alex uttering complete filth in his ear that has him wailing loud enough to strip paint from the walls. It isn’t regular that they have the time to do it this way, soft and needy, Alex clinging to him and begging for him to be closer, to get under his skin.
They shed their clothes easily, falling into piles on the floor that Henry will deal with later. It doesn’t matter right now, nothing does except the man beneath him.
“What do you want, love?” He murmurs, voice gentle as he places soft kisses along Alex’s jawline, nipping at his earlobe when he makes it that far, “I’ll give you anything.”
“Can you,” Alex gasps, hands flying down and grabbing his ass in two handfuls, squeezing, “fuck, ride me? Please.”
“My pleasure.” Henry smirks against Alex’s skin, darting another kiss before pulling back and reaching over him for the lube.
He opens himself up slowly, leaning back on Alex’s thighs and making a show of it, feeling Alex’s cock twitch beneath him in desperation, feeling it leak against him.
“God, you are a fucking vision.” Alex breathes, hands flying to Henry’s hips and holding on tightly, fingers digging in so deeply that he hopes it leaves bruises in its wake; proof that he is Alex’s and Alex’s alone.
Henry whines as he clenches around his own fingers, deep but not enough. His skin is dripping sweat, his teeth clenched as his fingers probe inside himself, stroking against his prostate with practised ease.
“I need your cock.” He breathes, scissoring his fingers just so, “I’m ready, please.”
Alex nods, watching as Henry pulls his fingers out of himself before reaching down with one hand, guiding his cock towards his entrance. Henry sinks down with a blissful moan, hands flying to Alex’s chest and staying there as he lowers his hips. The stretch makes him pause for a moment, instinctually clenching around him which drags a low groan from Alex.
“Fuck, you feel good.” Alex moans as he bottoms out, Henry’s thighs squeezing around his hips, “Fucking perfect, baby.”
“I love you.” He can’t help but say, leaning forward to bite into the junction of Alex’s shoulder, feeling him shudder, “I’m yours.”
“I love you so much.” Alex’s eyes clench as he thrusts up erratically, breaths coming out unevenly. “God, baby, you are everything. I’m so fucking yours it’s not even funny.”
Henry laughs, which quickly dissolves into a loud groan as he grinds down, pressing Alex directly against his prostate. There’s no need to speed up, to take things faster. This is perfect, it’s what he’s been craving since the moment he saw Alex on the dancefloor, eyes blazing.
How could he have possibly lived without this? Without Alex inside him, around him, with him always? He laughs brokenly, pressing himself down, trying to get Alex deeper. His fingers are digging into Henry’s waist, using the grip to keep Henry in place as he fucks up into him.
“Could do this forever.” Alex mumbles, head tilted back but eyes firmly on Henry’s face, blazing with warmth and love despite everything, “Need you.”
Every part of his body is screaming for more as he scrapes his nails down Alex’s chest, watching the red lines bloom before fading back into tanned skin. He needs this feeling, for it to never stop. Judging by the way Alex is writhing beneath him, keening into his touch, he feels much of the same.
Henry comes unexpectedly, mid grind as Alex moans loudly, squeezing his hips. Alex plants his feet flat on the bed and uses the momentum to thrust up before spilling inside him, collapsing against the bed spread.
Henry laughs softly, flopping down on Alex’s chest, absentmindedly playing with the soft hairs. He feels a soft kiss placed on his head and he smiles.
“Hey,” Alex says after a prolonged silence, “what were we even fighting about?”
Henry frowns, “I actually don’t remember.”
They both laugh, the vibrations of Alex’s chest pronounced against Henry’s ear. As they snuggle beneath the covers, both in desperate need of a nap, Henry thinks absentmindedly about the ring in his drawer, and how he’ll have to put it to use soon.
But for now, he’s content as they are.