Archive of Our Own

New Year’s has always had the tendency to make Alex a bit retrospective. Like many others, he can’t help but look back at who he was a year ago, who he is now and what got him here.

This last year has been a big one, with him finishing law school and starting his job at the Lopéz & Malawer law firm. They offered him the job during his last internship and he jumped at the chance to work for a company that’s fighting for the people society seems to have forgotten about. He passed the bar with flying colours and has been working his ass of since.

He’s met a couple of interesting people through his job and one of them is the reason he’s in the back of June’s rental car right now, listening to Nora rattle on about the last time she and Pez were hanging out. Apparently they went to a drag bar where he judged a talent show. Because, those are the kind of experiences you’re a part of when you become friends with Pez.

Pez, the eccentric son of a business mogul with the mind of an entrepreneur, the heart of an entertainer and more money than he could spend in a lifetime.

He’s incredibly generous too, not only to his friends but basically to anyone who needs help.

That’s part of the reason why he and Alex met, actually. A couple of months into his job, Alex was asked to fill in for a sick co-worker and go to a nearby youth shelter to provide the residents and visitors with legal advice. The shelter is one of the firm’s pro-bono clients, helping teens who are looking for emancipation, who are experiencing discrimination or who need help with understanding contracts or anything else law related. All sorts of legal matters, really.

Alex was pleasantly surprised when the man greeting him at the door and giving him the tour turned out to be the founder of the foundation and the shelter. Percy Okonjo, or Pez, as his friends know him, turned out to be a hands-on kinda guy. He trusts his team but isn’t afraid to do the work himself either. He greeted all the kids by name, shared a secret handshake with a couple of them and did it all with a genuineness that had Alex in awe of the man.

As it turned out, Alex worked so well with the kids, the volunteers and staff that he stayed on as their pro-bono lawyer even after his co-worker returned to work. He also kept coming back to volunteer during holidays or on special occasions.

He brought June and Nora to volunteer at a summer barbeque, where they met Pez and became instant friends. It’s crazy how close those three became in a couple of hours and, well, Alex has seen a lot more of Pez since.

Now, a few months later, Pez has invited them to his out of this world New Year’s celebration, the most anticipated party, even more popular than the Time Square Ball Drop. Being invited to Pez’s final event of the year gives you a sort of status. Bragging rights, even. Everyone with a decent social media following would kill to be a part of it. It’s a guaranteed boost of your numbers.

And then there is Alex, with all his socials set to private but with an invitation in his coat pocket nonetheless.

“Look alive, idiot,” Nora tells him, swinging her arm backwards in an attempt to hit him. Alex moves his knee out of the way to avoid it with ease. “We’re almost there.”

Alex pauses his reminiscing to sit up straighter.

“How much longer?” he asks, checking his watch.

“It’s right there,” June answers, pointing at the colonial style mansion appearing between the trees.

It’s pretty clear they’re at the right place. Red and green coloured lights decorate the white walls and as soon as they reach the end of the lane, they’re greeted with the sound of bagpipes.

June turns a corner and follows the signs down the driveway and stops in front of a pleasantly smiling lady. The bagpipes turn out to be real, judging by the two traditionally dressed Scots that are holding the intricate instruments a few yards back.

As soon as the car is turned off, Alex hands June the high heels from the backseat, gets out on her side and holds out his arm for her to lean on as soon as she changed her shoes.

“Don’t worry,” Nora deadpans from her seat. “I’ll help myself.”

“How feministic of you,” Alex quips back.

Nora’s mumbles are drowned out by the driver’s side door closing when Alex slams it shut.

June tuts at him unconvincingly before she navigates them over the gravel path despite her laser sharp heals. Alex only feels her correct herself by grabbing onto his arm once.

“Good evening,” the woman dressed in a black pantsuit with a Tartan scarf greets them. “Welcome to a very special Hogmanay celebration. May I see your invitations, please?”

Alex pulls the envelopes out of his coat pocket and hands them over.

“Miss Claremont-Diaz, Miss Holleran, Mister Claremont-Diaz,” she nods, storing the invitations in her lectern and swiping through her tablet, “we are happy you could join us. Will we find your luggage in the car?”

“It’s in the back,” June nods. “We were told to label them.”

The three of them are amongst the few guests who are staying the night and are also invited to a private brunch tomorrow morning. The other guests will either be taking the shuttle bus home, fully arranged by Pez, will need to proof their sobriety before driving, or will be picked up by their own drivers. Pez has thought of everything, really.

“Excellent,” the woman smiles. “It will be brought up to your rooms in a moment. Our valet will be parking your car. You are most welcome to go inside where my colleague will show you where to leave your coats.”

She motions towards the double doors behind her, telling them to go right in. They thank her and follow her directions.

They haven’t even stepped inside yet and it already feels ridiculously fancy. It’s been a while since Alex has been to one of these elaborate parties, but it all feels familiar enough for him to be impressed but not completely blown away by the extravagance of it. With one quick glance at his sister and best friend he realises it's probably the same for them.

Nora leads them into the spacious entrance, where a similarly dressed woman escorts them into the cloakroom. It’s an actual room with multiple racks for cloaks and coats, a row of lockers, and a couple of full length mirrors.

Alex takes June’s shawl and Nora’s coat and hangs his own next to theirs. He watches how June straightens her dress while Nora touches up her make-up in front of one of the mirrors.

When he steps up next to them, he takes in their collective appearance. They’ve dutifully followed the dress code and are all dressed in Tartan outfits. June is wearing a knee-high, off the shoulder Tartan dress, Nora a Tartan pencil skirt with a sleeveless black turtleneck and black ankle boots, and Alex is wearing a pair of well-fitting Tartan pants with a dark grey V-neck sweater made of Scottish sheep’s wool. He’s very proud of the tuft of chest hair peeking out of it, which Nora has teased him about endlessly.

It had cost a small fortune to have them all made, but they look gorgeous in their identical red Tartan pattern. And, even though his bank account still weeps, he has to admit June and Nora were right: it’s worth it.

When June and Nora decide they look presentable, and June has rearranged some of Alex’s curls, they make their way to the main area to join in on the Hogmanay celebration.

Alex had to look it up when he received the invitation, not having a single clue what the hell it was. Turns out Hogmanay is a traditional Scottish New Year’s celebration, which is why they’re dressed in Tartan, were greeted by bagpipes and are currently making their way to the bar for some Scottish whisky. There is folky music playing in the background as well and, now that Alex steps farther into the venue, he notices the warm colours, mainly red and green in Scottish patterns, the faux deer heads hanging on the walls and the wood furnishings.

It’s like they left New York and drove straight into Scotland.

With a drink in hand, the three of them make their way through the groups of other attendees, hoping to find the host.

There are already quite a few people there, all wearing some form of Tartan clothing. Where some went for a more subtle touch, others went all out and are wearing clothing that borders on art. Alex quietly wonders how their bank accounts are doing.

As a group of people steps aside, Pez emerges, dressed to the nines himself.

He is wearing a brightly orange coloured Tartan suit. He’s forgone a shirt, instead showing his impressive chest underneath his jacket, adorned with silver chains. Honestly, only Pez could pull that look off. His hair is rarely plain coloured for once, but the dark dreads he’s rocking are expertly sticking out in all directions, bouncing happily when he talks amicably with the person next to him.

That person Alex knows as well. It’s probably the person who has surprised him most this year.

They’d briefly met before, about 8 or so years ago, and Alex had hated the man since. He still feels like no one can blame him for his grudge, because who wouldn’t hate a man who outright told his assistant to get rid of him? Even if the man is a fucking Prince. Princes should be charming, right?!

In short, Alex was seventeen when he and Henry first met at the Rio Olympics. Alex tried to be nice, Henry reacted rude and that was that.

Last September, they met for the second time. The moment Alex walked into Pez’s office at the shelter to say hi, he was stopped in his tracks when he saw Henry, just sitting there on Pez’s couch. Henry’s jaw had dropped instantly. Judging by the immediately reddening cheeks and the panic in his eyes, Henry remembered Alex and their meeting as well and Alex had felt some misplaced justification at that.

It felt good, telling June and Nora he wasn’t the only one who was being affected by that awful first meeting. They had been teasing him relentlessly for years, pushing magazines with pictures of Henry in his face and sending him YouTube-links of things like boring ribbon-cuttings. And then they’d had the gall to bully him for complaining about the man!

Nowadays, he still talks about Henry, but he has changed his tune significantly.

It took a while, though. At first, Alex was convinced he was right about what kind of person Henry was. He accused him of hanging around the shelter to get good press or something. Thought he didn’t care about the kids at all.

But then, he accidentally walked in on Henry consoling one of the residents without a single care about their makeup and tears ruining his shirt. Henry was calm and understanding. It showed in the careful arm wrapped around their shoulder, the handkerchief he pulled out of nowhere and handed over and his reassuring voice. It obviously wasn’t the first time he offered up his shoulder for someone to cry on and something in Alex broke. His chest contracted and he had to admit to himself he might have been wrong.

Later that day, he apologised to Henry for being a bit of a jerk over the last couple of weeks. Henry asked him why he held such animosity and that’s when the entire truth came out. Henry, in turn, apologised as well, and once Alex heard he had been paraded around while he was still grieving his father’s passing, his deep rooted dislike towards Henry turned into hate towards the Crown.

He was surprised when Henry told him he would be stepping back from his responsibilities as a Prince of Wales and was in de midst of moving to New York to take over the shelter. Alex was even more astonished that is was Henry who had helped Pez set it all up in the first place!

After that, they went from ignoring each other to being friendly to becoming friends pretty quickly.

Look, Alex knows it’s not common, befriending a Prince, but then again, it also isn’t common to have a mother who’s running for President.

He can’t help but wonder what would have happened if his mother had won the election. Would the two of them have met at state dinners or other international events? Probably, right? Would they have been friends then? Or would Alex have held on to his animosity and stayed out of Henry’s way?

Becoming friends with Henry isn’t the only aspect of his life that would have gone differently if his mother had won. The candidacy alone had already changed his life irrevocably. He went from wanting to be the youngest congressman ever to changing his poli-sci major to pre-law. He felt completely disillusioned by politicians and the political world. They were fighting each other more than they were fighting for the people.

And while they did that, the press tore a young Alex, June and Nora apart.

Nora is one of the very few good things that came out of that period in his life. If her grandfather hadn’t been running alongside his mother, they would never have met. They dated for a hot minute, just to get it over with, and the three of them have been best friends ever since.

As time passed, the three of them had disappeared out of the public eye. They moved to New York for their studies and stayed for their jobs and now they’re celebrating New Year’s with new friends. Life is pretty good.

Life is also being turned upside down right this moment, because his gaze has just caught Henry’s outfit and…

Well…

His brain can’t comprehend it.

It’s enough for his legs to forget how to function, making him stumble. Nora grabs onto his arm to keep his face from slamming to the ground.

“Watch it,” she says unnecessarily.

He is watching. That’s part of the problem!

He mumbles an apology and his eyes shoot up to get another look at Henry.

The second glance evokes pretty much the same reaction as the first. His entire body stops working as intended. His heart jumps, his breath catches in his throat, his nerve-endings are on fire, his skin is buzzing and his blood is running cold.

Henry hasn’t spotted him yet. He’s talking to one of the other guests and Alex can tell he has his polite smile plastered on his face. He knows Henry isn’t a fan of big events where he doesn’t know a lot of people, but he’ll do anything for his best mate.

This, apparently, includes going full on Scottish.

Sure, Alex has always been aware Henry is a good looking man. He has noticed how well Henry wears his suits before, but that’s just common sense.

This…

This is something different. This, Alex doesn’t have any objective words for.

And it makes no fucking sense because Henry is wearing a fucking skirt, frying Alex’s brain, one cell at the time!

He looks so poised in the blue and brown Tartan kilt, he’s exuding confidence and he makes it look easy as well!

And then there’s the loose fitting, black shirt he’s wearing on top of it. The open-hanging, laced collar accentuating Henry’s broad shoulders, making him look all nonchalant and rugged.

Alex has never wanted to look at anyone this badly. He’s never wanted to bite anyone this desperately either, which is kind of a shock.

His eyes trail down, the belt and a small pouch around Henry’s waist drawing his attention to a direction in which Alex really shouldn’t be looking right now.

And then there are those socks! Wool, dark grey, and covering Henry’s sturdy calves. Why do fucking socks make Alex feel things now?!

All of it, the look, how Henry carries himself, is turning Alex’s world on its axis.

But then, Henry turns his attention in their direction and his polite smile immediately turns into a genuine one and not just Alex’s world, but his entire galaxy is flipped upside down.

He’s is highly aware of the stutter in his breath, the incessive beating of his heart, the tightness in his pants and the way his limbs are failing him. He’s on full autopilot-mode as he lets his jittery legs carry him forward.

“Good day, all!” Pez greets them first, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture.

“Hello,” Henry smiles next to him.

“So glad you two lovely ladies could make it,” Pez continues, diving forward to kiss both of their hands.

“Thank you for inviting us,” June says, joined in her appreciation by Nora.

“Alexander,” Pez greets him next, joyfully shaking his hand.

“Pez, you’ve really outdone yourself here,” Alex smiles, hoping no one notices his wobbly vocal cords. “This place looks amazing!”

“Oh, strumpet,” Pez grins, using the nickname Alex still doesn’t understand and Pez refuses to let go of, “you’ve seen nothing yet!”

“Honestly,” Henry says, stepping closer and in doing so pulling all the air out of Alex’s lungs, “you will be pleasantly surprised by what Pez has in store for us.”

“Really?” June asks excitedly. “I already feel like we’ve been transported to Scotland. You’re saying there’s more?”

“What you’ve seen so far merely sets the tone,” Pez winks.

Their voices fall to the background as Alex sneaks another peek at Henry. He’s looking back at him with a questioning look, raising an eyebrow when their eyes meet. Henry’s blue eyes are digging right into Alex’s soul.

“Are you alright?” Henry asks and Alex isn’t sure how to answer.

“Yeah, I’m…”

He shrugs instead of forming a full sentence. It doesn’t diminish the growing concern on Henry’s face.

Alex takes a deep breath and pushes his confusion to the back of his mind. He’ll find a quiet corner to have a crisis over it later.

“I see you’ve gone all out,” he says, hoping it comes out somewhat teasingly and not as breathless as it sounds to his own ears.

“Ah, well,” Henry murmurs, stroking one hand absentmindedly over the fabric over his stomach.

The movement pulls Alex’s eyes down, and he has to try very hard not to wonder how soft the belly underneath must feel under his fingertips.

He forces his eyes to snap back up and is met with the pink dusting on Henry’s cheeks and a carefully amused expression.

“Pez picked it out for me,” Henry confesses. “I had hardly any choice in the matter.”

“I’m sorry?” Alex says carefully, grinning slightly.

“Don’t be. Pez has excellent taste.”

Alex swallows heavily before he breathes out a, “yeah.”

Henry lets out an uncontrolled chuckle.

“So, um… how traditional are you?” Alex’s brain expels without his consent.

The thought has popped into his head and, of course, he’s now unable to think of anything else.

Henry’s chuckle turns into a genuine laugh.

“A gentleman never tells, of course,” he answers mysteriously.

“So, you’re just gonna leave us hanging?”

It’s not until Henry lets out an undignified but incredibly attractive snort, that Alex realises what that must have sounded like.

“Wait, no, fuck, that didn’t come out right!” he backpaddles, throwing his hands up defensively.

“It didn’t?” Henry laughs and fuck, he’s beautiful when he laughs.

Alex can’t do anything other than stare at Henry as he feels his cheeks warm up at the same rate as the warmth spreads throughout his chest, down to his gut. His lips inevitably curl up into a smile, completely enamoured.

“Well, sweetheart,” Alex says, choking on the endearment, coughing but valiantly continuing, “everyone’s thinking it.”

“I highly doubt that,” Henry answers, looking deliciously mischievous. “Surely, they will be distracted by this splendid event, would they not?”

“Pez really did pull out all the stops,” Alex hums, although he’s pretty sure everyone’s undressing Henry with their eyes.

Or it’s just him… Could be just him.

“Oh, excuse me,” Henry interrupts Alex’s musings. “Pez wants me to meet a few guests.”

Alex looks around, only now noticing Pez, June and Nora aren’t right next to them anymore. Instead, June and Nora are talking to some other guests a couple of feet away and Pez stands somewhere behind him, beckoning Henry over. When did they leave?

“Oh,” Alex says, his throat dry and raw. “Yeah, alright, I’ll just be… Right.”

“Alex-” Henry starts in a concerned tone.

“No, no, go,” Alex waves off. “I’ll grab a drink, meet some people. Pez needs you.”

“He really doesn’t,” Henry answers, rolling his eyes.

“He wants you there, though.”

“Which is why I shall comply,” Henry chuckles.

He searches Alex’s face for a moment.

“Will you be alright?” he asks.

“I’m fine,” Alex says, hoping his smile is reassuring enough.

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m fine,” Alex repeats. “Just go, will you?”

Henry lingers for a moment, but eventually, he walks off, his kilt swaying with each step and his shoulder blades manipulating the fabric on his back. Alex stares, before he has the strength to tear his gaze away and abruptly turns around.

Right, it’s time for that crisis now.

His first stop is the bar where he tops off his drink, his second is one of the doors leading to the heated patio.

He finds an empty table and slumps down on the chair next to it, rest his elbow on the table and props his head on his hand.

“Alright,” he mumbles to himself. “Recap.”

He has come to the realisation that Henry is not only conventionally, objectively goodlooking, but also subjectively, ridiculously, unfairly attractive. Alex has hardly been able to look away, being drawn in by Henry’s bright, curious eyes, his deliberate movements, his confident stance, the way his hair falls over his forehead and about a dozen details Alex has never consciously noticed. They’ve always been there though, haven’t they?

So, why is it that it’s all smacking him over the head with it today? And what does it mean anyway?

He grunts in frustration. He was supposed to have fun tonight, to close this year off with a bang. He deserved to let loose, to celebrate what he’s accomplished last year. Instead, he’s sitting outside on his own, his head whirling with thoughts of Henry.

Henry and his unexpected kindness, his sarcastic and quick humour, his selflessness and his knowledge of all sorts of random topics. Alex has spent a lot of time talking to Henry over the last couple of months, absorbing Henry’s knowledge and sharing his own. As soon as they got past their unnecessary hostility, talking to Henry has been as easy as breathing.

Okay, that might not be the best analogy, since he’s been having quite some difficulty breathing tonight.

Which is odd within itself. Alex has met plenty of gorgeous people. Funny ones, smart ones, attractive ones, and none of them stopped him in his tracks like Henry has.

None of the ones that left an impression were men either.

He pulls on a strand of hair to bring himself back to the present and takes a sip of his whisky.

A scraping sound next to him brings him further back to reality. He looks up automatically and is met with Nora’s investigative scrutiny. She’s pulling out the other chair, sits down and leans in close on her elbows.

“Hey,” he sighs, sinking further down into his own chair.

“What’s up?”

Alex scoffs. “Yeah… so…”

It’s no use denying something’s up and he kind of needs Nora’s unadulterated insights right about now.

“Henry,” he says on a breathy exhale.

“Makes sense,” she nods, leaning back in her chair.

“He looks so hot in a kilt that I might not be straight anymore,” he says, not beating around the bush.

“Might not be?” Nora scoffs.

“I’m not sure what to do here,” he confesses quietly.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know,” he answers after a moment of contemplation.

“Do you like him?”

“Well, yeah,” he says, throwing her an incredulous look.

Isn’t that why they’re here? Outside, away from the party? Because he realises he has feelings for Henry?

“No, I mean, it’s obvious you’re attracted to him, but do you like him? Do you want to spend time with him other than to stare at his gorgeous face and well-formed body?”

“Oh, shut up,” Alex says, rolling his eyes. “But, yeah, he’s nice.”

“Nice? That’s it?” Nora laughs.

“Yeah, no. He’s funny too, and smart, and well, yeah… I really like him.”

“And you think he’s hot?”

“Fuck,” Alex hisses, having some flashbacks to earlier this evening.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Nora barks out.

“Noor,” Alex whines. “Tell me what to do?”

“Yeah, can’t do that buddy,” she says, actually looking slightly apologetic. “We can talk about it, I can give some advice, but I can’t tell you what to do.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To rub it in your face that you’re a dumb piece of shit.”

“Classy,” Alex says with an unimpressed raised eyebrow.

“I’m not one to coddle,” she shrugs.

“No, you’re not,” Alex concedes.

“So?” Nora asks, shifting the attention back to Alex. “What do you want to do?”

He usually has an answer to everything, but this feels like completely new territory for him, even though he’s dated plenty of women before. He knows how to flirt, how to figure out if the attraction is mutual. Knows how to be alluring, to convince someone to go home with him.

And, well, the fact that that’s where his brain went might give him some insight into what he wants to do. Flirt, find out if the attraction is mutual.

“I kinda wanna make Henry blush some more,” he says, feeling his own cheeks warm up and purposefully ignoring the irony.

Nora lets out a loud cackle.

“I approve,” she says with a proud nod, raising a fist for Alex to bump. “Go forth and blushificate!”

Alex chuckles, takes a deep breath and pushes himself back up.

On his way back inside, he plants a kiss in Nora’s hair and hands his glass over to one of the waitstaff.

It’s easy, finding Henry in the crowd and making his way over. He is fully aware he doesn’t have a plan, but he’s pretty good at coming up with stuff on the fly, so he figures he’ll just wing it.

“So,” he says, before Henry has even spotted him, “aren’t things a bit chilly down there? Not afraid of some shrinkage?”

Alex ignores the indignant faces of Henry’s conversational partners and focusses on Henry’s expression instead. He’s trying to hide his amusement by feigning insult, but there’s a subtle tilt at the corner of his mouth and a twinkle in his eye that are giving him away.

“I assure you, I have no fear in that regard,” he says calmly.

Well, that backfired quickly, because, yes, Henry’s cheeks are slowly shifting in hue, but Alex’s cheeks are burning up at an alarmingly increasing rate.

“You talk pretty big for a man in a skirt,” he says, squinting teasingly.

“That’s rather offending, actually,” Henry rebuttals, crossing his arms, which is basically playing unfair.

Alex vaguely notices the group of guests Henry has been talking to awkwardly shifting on their feet, looking around, trying to figure out if they should get somebody. He doesn’t give a damn as long as Henry doesn’t and it seems like Henry doesn’t care at all.

“Sure, sure, could get me thrown into a loch, probably,” Alex nods lightly. “You know what? I’m just gonna go ask Pez to turn up the heating. Just to be safe.”

He backs up slowly, biting the inside of his lip to stop the smirk from growing. Henry’s cheeks are full blown pink now, bordering on red. The curious amusement in his eyes finishes off the entire look, giving Henry a youthful expression that only adds fuel to the fire burning in Alex’s heart. And in other places.

“That’s not necessary on my account.”

“No, no, I’ve got your back. You continue.”

Alex makes a swirling motion with his finger, telling Henry to turn around. The thought of Henry having to turn back to his conversation as if nothing happened, is doing things to Alex. It tickles pleasantly.

He isn’t going to wait and see, though. He turns around and purposefully disappears into the crowd.

With a bit of a detour, he makes his way to the bar, where he downs a club soda. He’s determined to stay sober now. He doesn’t want his mind to feel clouded or his inhibitions to change. He wants to be present and fully aware. Because this is fun, but more than that, this feels incredibly big and maybe even important.

It probably is pretty big and important, when you’re realising you’re not straight because a Prince of fucking Wales, who you’ve been becoming friends with, is wearing a kilt. That classifies as a momentous event, doesn’t it?

A Celtic quartet has replaced the background music and is playing an upbeat tune. Feeling giddy and jittering with sizzling energy, Alex makes his way to the dancefloor. It’s not too crowded yet. Most guests are still getting a lay of the land, getting to know each other and filling up on some liquid to relax a little before they venture out. A couple of guests have made their way over though, and are improvising some folkdance looking moves. Pez is proudly jumping up and down in the midst of it with a laughing June holding tightly onto his hands.

After watching for a couple of minutes, clapping along and smiling widely when he catches June’s eyes, he taps in, asking his sister for a dance. Pez bows out gracefully and Alex and June make their way over to the back of the dancefloor.

“Having fun?” June asks him, a bit out of breath and still hopping up and down.

“Yeah, you?” he asks, already knowing the answer.

“Pez knows what he’s doing,” she grins, her eyes travelling in Pez’s direction.

“Oh, speaking of which,” Alex says, grasping at the barely there straw, using it as a segue, “I don’t know what I’m doing, but I thought you should know about it anyway.”

“About your poor dance moves?” she smirks. “I already know, Little Bit.”

“No, you absolute jerk,” he says, fondly rolling his eyes, “I mean that I’m- um- there’s something…”

“Hmmm?” June hums encouragingly.

“Yeah, so…” Alex says, almost standing still now, only stepping from side to side a bit, as he brings his hand to his neck to rub it. “I think I’m into Henry and I’ve been kinda flirting and I think he’s flirting back?”

June’s eyes go wide, but not like she’s in shock, really, more as in she’s pleasantly surprised. The smile growing on her face solidifies his assumption.

“Yeah?” she asks, getting emotional now. “And you’re alright?”

“Yeah,” he breathes, thinking about it a moment to make sure. “I am. I mean, it was a bit of a shock, but I’m over it.”

“When did you realise this then”

“Like, half an hour ago?”

“Alex!” she exclaims, looking around to make sure no one is listening and hitting him in the chest. “What do you mean you realised you’re into Henry half an hour ago!”

“Exactly that,” he shrugs. “Walked in here feeling pretty damn straight, saw Henry, changed my mind, and now I wanna figure out what he thinks about the whole thing.”

“The whole thing…” June repeats, her mouth slack and her head slowly shaking. “Alex, you really are a force of nature, aren’t you?”

Alex doesn’t get to chance to downplay her comment because June has already launched herself at him, pulling him into a crushing hug.

“You are ridiculous,” she murmurs into his shirt. “I love you so much.”

“Love you too, Bug,” he says, pulling her closer.

“Have you thought about it, though?” she asks with careful concern. “It’s Henry. It’s Prince Henry. He’s not some anonymous guy. He’s very well known and has a lot of eyes on him. Are you sure you want to discover this part of yourself with the entire world potentially finding out and having an opinion?”

“I know,” Alex sighs, having thought about it while he was hydrating earlier and finding himself not caring as much as he thinks he should, “but it’s Henry. I don’t want to discover this part of me with anyone else.”

June’s worried expression softens, a warm smile appearing on her face.

“That sounds like you. I just want you to be sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Probably not,” he confesses, “but it’s not my first rodeo and I have a feeling it’s gonna be worth it. I’ll be careful.”

That last part feels like a half-truth, since he’s already been teasing Henry in front of strangers, but he’d like to ignore that part.

“In that case, you’ve got my full support,” June says with a nod he feels against his chest.

She pulls back to reveal her wet eyes and watery smile.

“I’ll be alright,” he reassures her.

“I know,” she smiles. “You always are.”

Alex pulls her close once more, and they sway to the music until Alex spots Nora and hands June to her.

He has a blond sexual awakening to find anyway.

“Are you a descendant of Kitty Fisher by any chance?” Alex asks a little while later near the doors leading to the sizable patio.

The breeze coming in makes Henry’s kilt gently wave back and forth, automatically pulling Alex’s gaze down.

At least he’s on his own this time, sipping from his gin and tonic and observing the crowd. Alex steps up next to him, lightly brushing his arm against Henry’s as they move.

“That’s a surprisingly obscure reference for an American. I must say I’m impressed,” Henry says, looking astounded.

“Glad I was able to surprise you,” Alex beams.

He’s more than a little proud and glad he doesn’t need to explain his little joke to Henry. That would be awkward. Jokes are never as funny once you’ve got to explain them.

“May I ask, how do you know this British titbit that even a lot of fellow Englishman won’t know of?”

“Ah,” Alex laughs, pushing a hand through his curls. “When I was in college, I sorta went on a QI binge and watched way too many seasons in way too short a time. She sorta came up once.”

“Right,” Henry replies slowly, looking at Alex with a baffled expression.

“So? Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Descendant of Kitty Fisher?”

Henry barks out a laugh. He faces the crowd again with the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Alex takes one last look at Herny’s profile and turns around as well.

“Are you asking because you are still on a quest to find out if I’m wearing any pants, or are you curious to know if I share her promiscuous lifestyle?”

“Nah,” Alex answers quickly, clearly not having thought this one through. “Just wanted to know if you’re planning on flashing the masses while getting off of your horse.”

“Luckily for everyone, I’ve arrived by car today. There will be no unfortunate clothing mishaps.”

“The masses will be highly disappointed,” Alex says solemnly.

“Will they? I thought they’d be rather grateful.”

“No. Disappointed, for sure.”

“Believe me, the world is better off this way.”

“Agree to disagree, sweetheart.”

Henry sputters something unintelligible, making Alex’s heart sing quietly. He doesn’t have to look over to imagine the colour spreading over Henry’s face. He’s sure it’s cute.

He snorts quietly at the realisation that he just actively thought of a grown man as being cute. How did that thought never come up before? Or had it without him registering it? At this point, that wouldn’t even surprise him.

As he’s in the process of thinking up an excuse to slip away again, Pez offers up one for him. The music dies down and his excited voice comes over the speakers.

“My honoured guests, first of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for attending this humble soiree.”

A deafening sound roars around the venue. There’s cheers, most of all, but there’s an obvious refusal of the misnomer ‘humble’ as well.

“I do hope you’re all having a splendid time, in no small part thanks to the wonderful music of the Celtic Fonn Quartet!”

The applause that follows rivals the first and it takes a while for Pez to be able to continue.

“The pipers that greeted you outside are part of the Scottish Heritage Association of New York State. They will have another treat wating for us on the back patio in just a little over five minutes. Thus, I would like to ask you to accompany me outside shortly. If you wish to grab your coat, do so now, but there will be multiple heat sources to keep yourself warm out there, so not to worry! Once again, thank you all so much for gracing me with your presence and I will see you all outside!”

A third thunderous applause goes through the crowd. Alex happily supplying some more cheers and hollers while Henry politely joins in with an amused chuckle.

“I’m gonna take a quick bathroom break before we head out,” Alex tells Henry, who nods and moves into the other direction.

When Alex steps outside, the first thing he does is wrap his hands around his arms to protect himself from the freezing cold. Then, he scans the crowd, quickly spots Henry near the back wall, and June and Nora a few feet over, near one of the fire pits.

He swings his arm around June and lets the flames warm him up. June leans into him gratefully, stealing some of his warmth for herself. Nora scootches in closer on his other side and the three of them huddle up together.

They don’t have to wait long for a man in traditional Scottish clothing to step up, holding a large, wired cage at the size of a basketball.

“Guid eenin,” the man says cheerfully. “Good evening! We feel honoured to have been asked to share some of our Scottish traditions with you all. My name is Colin, and me and my fellow members of the Scottish Heritage Association will do our best to give you a wonderful experience.”

Colin, talking with a slight Scottish accent, beams delighted at the applause his introduction receives.

“May I introduce to you,” he continues, gesturing at the other members one by one, “Finlay, Allison, Ian, Malcolm, and Eileen. You’ve heard some beautiful traditional Celtic music earlier, but now we would like you to partake in another Scottish tradition: the New Year’s fireball swinging!”

An excited murmur rises up from the crowd. Alex’s curiosity perks up as well.

“This tradition originated in Stonehaven and it has been the home of fireball swinging for centuries. The bright light in the middle of winter symbolises the burning sun, warding of evil so we can start the new year with a new hope.”

Alex can’t help but snicker when the man unintentionally references Star Wars. It’s not childish, it’s fun, alright?

“Some safety precautions are in order, of course. We will need a fair bit of space, so if you could just stay right there, on the comfortably heated patio, everyone will have a splendid, safe time. Now, without any further ado, may I present: our piper Ian, our drummer Alison, and my fellow fireball swingers Malcom, Finlay, and Eileen!”

Colin swirls around dramatically, gesturing towards the others, and gets into position a few steps out, on the lawn. The cheers are soon drowned out by a steady drum and the singing sound of the bagpipes.

The swingers light their caged balls in unison and start spinning them around and around. As soon as they find a rhythm, they put their whole bodies into it, swinging the ball around in wide circles, making it look almost mythical.

Alex is entranced, unable to keep his eyes of the balls of light lighting up the night sky, illuminating the crowd and their surroundings with every swing.

When the music swells and the rhythm picks up, the swingers fall in sync with each other, turning their already impressive show into a dance.

Alex hears Nora shout out an appreciative noise and he hums in agreement.

Curious to see Henry’s reaction, he turns towards where he saw him last, only to find Henry watching him already. A smile appears on both of their faces and for just a couple of seconds it’s just the two of them, sharing a moment.

That moment passes when Pez steps up to Henry and throws his arm around Henry’s shoulder.

Alex softly chuckles to himself and shifts his gaze to the ground in front of him, savouring the warmth that has spread out from his chest and has nothing to do with the fire next to him. He wouldn’t mind getting used to it.

June squeezes the hand he has on her shoulder, apparently noticing something settling in him and wanting to assure him that it’s alright. That’s what it feels like, at least. One look on her face tells him she means exactly that. One stomp from Nora on his arm tells him she’s trying to convey something similar, in her own unique way.

He feels more secure now, having the two most important people in his life having his back. They’ll be there for him no matter what, just like he’s there for them, no matter how this turns out.

After an impressive fire show, the entire party moves back inside where they’re greeted with the sounds of the Celtic Fonn Quartet and a glass of Hot Toddy. Alex sticks with June and Nora for a while. Physically, at least, because he’s mostly watching Henry make his way around the room, talking to other guests, nodding along when he listens, or laughing amicably.

Alex also notices that every so often Henry glances his way. Their eyes meet, teasing looks are send both ways, accompanied by a questioning tilt of an eyebrow or a furtive smile. And Alex finds out he doesn’t need any alcohol to feel intoxicated.

When Henry moves out of sight, Alex instinctively makes his way over and only barely catches Henry stepping out into a hallway. Alex quickens his step to gain some distance and almost bumps into him when he rounds a corner into a quiet dead end.

“Oh, hi!” he says, like he’s completely surprised to see Henry there.

“Hello,” Henry says with a smile that tells Alex this was all very intentional on his part as well.

“Taking a break?”

“Perhaps,” Henry replies slowly. “I did feel rather observed in there.”

“Told you everyone wants to know about the whole kilt situation,” Alex says with a nonchalant shrug and a teasing smirk.

“The whole kilt situation?” Henry asks, one brow quirked, completely goading Alex on.

“You know, what’s up with the glockenspiel, whether or not the Lightsaber is swinging freely, if you’re going cowboy, freeballing, and all that.”

“You’ve put quiet a lot of thought into it,” Henry chuckles, but it sounds a bit breathless.

“I don’t know. I guess,” Alex says, all of a sudden running out of things to say.

“Are you honestly that curious?”

Alex watches how Henry pulls back his shoulders just the tiniest bit and cocks his head, making Alex’s heart thump at an excessive rate. He looks so confident, so… competent. It’s doing stuff to Alex’s brain and sends a primal hum through his body.

“What if I am?” he asks after a beat.

With a slow breath, Henry’s tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip. He scans Alex’s face before a small smirk appears around his mouth. The mischievous look in his eyes sets Alex alight. He stretches his fingers to stop himself from reaching out. Instead, he waits for Henry to make a move. Any move.

And then, Henry bends down slightly, not losing eye contact for a single moment, shimmies and shifts as he reaches under his kilt, and steps out of a pair of black boxer briefs a moment later. Without saying another word he bunches them up, steps in close and stuffs them into Alex’s pocket.

Alex forgets to breathe.

His blood rushes south at an astonishing speed.

“Does that clear things up?” Henry asks, his breath fanning over the side of Alex’s face with how close he’s standing.

“Hmhm,” Alex nods, staring up at Henry with a dropped jaw.

“Good,” Henry hums.

He pats Alex on the chest, steps past him and disappears.

It takes a while for Alex to remember that he needs oxygen. By the time he’s able to move a muscle and staggers back into the main area, Henry is drawn back into a conversation with a bunch of people, like nothing ever happened. Like he hasn’t just turned Alex on with hardly any effort.

There’s food being served, but Alex’s throat refuses to eat anything. Every single move Henry makes looks like it’s deliberately provoking him now. Every single glance Henry sends his way stirs up that fire burning in Alex’s stomach and every time Henry comes close, his voice it turning Alex’s insides into a Scottish Broth. There’s no room for food there anymore.

The worst thing – or perhaps the best – is that Henry knows. It’s obvious by his knowing looks, the whispered comments when he passes by and in the way he moves, drawing Alex’s attention to the kilt that now officially has nothing underneath it but Henry’s bare skin. Even if anyone were guessing whether Henry is going full on traditional, none of them know for sure. Except for Alex. He knows, and he can’t seem to be able to think of anything but, and it’s driving him up the wall.

He excuses himself from June and Nora somewhere after eleven. He needs a break. He needs to breathe and maybe do something about the precarious situation in his pants.

After some directions from Pez, he finds the hostess that had greeted them earlier, who gives him the key to his room.

With a relieved sigh, he hurries up the stairs and follows the signs to the right floor. He’s only just stuck the key into the lock when a sound makes him jump.

“Leaving so early?” Henry asks in a sultry voice from behind him.

“Fuck, man!” Alex yelps, grasping for his chest, trying to catch his breath. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Henry says softly.

“What?”

“I believe you have something of mine,” Henry says, ignoring his question completely.

Alex’s skin starts buzzing at the comment and the possible implications. He bites back the excitement that’s trying to show itself on his face.

“Do I now?” he asks, turning the key and opening the door. “Might as well come in and get it then.”

He steps inside, as confidently as he can, even though his heart his hammering in his chest, and lets the door fall shut behind him, the key still in the lock. He takes a few steps into the room and turns around slowly, holding his breath as he listens for the door. It doesn’t take long for the key to turn again and for Henry to step in, close the door and put the key on the small side table right by the entrance.

Henry isn’t looking as self-assured as he was earlier tonight. He seems to be waiting for Alex to take the next step.

Well, ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ sounds applicable right now.

“It’s still where you left it, you know,” he says, taking a few small, slow steps forward, patting his pocket.

“Is it now?” Henry says, taking a tentative step as well. He has his hands folded in front of him and is fidgeting with the ring on his little finger before he drops them to his side.

“Are you saying you want it back?” Alex teases. “Thought it was a gift.”

“It can be a gift,” Henry says, clearing his throat. “If you want it.”

“I want it,” Alex nods.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, pretty sure.”

Alex takes another step. He could touch Henry if he wanted, but he’s holding off for now. He’s savouring the thick air between them, the electricity shooting from one to the other tangible on Alex’s skin, making his hairs stand up.

“And by it, do you realise I mean me?” Henry asks slowly, straight to the point but with a nervous wobble in his voice.

“Yeah, sweetheart,” Alex says quietly, his blood rushing through his veins as his heart hammers on. “I can read between the lines.”

“And would this just be for tonight?” Henry asks hesitantly.

That question makes Alex frown. “No? I mean, sure, if you want, but I kinda thought I’d make dinner for you next weekend. Do you like Mexican food?”

“I don’t know,” Henry confesses softly, his posture visibly relaxing, much to Alex’s relief. “But I’m willing to try.”

“So, can we stop with the teasing now?” Alex asks, closing the distance even more.

The tense chuckle that escapes Henry emboldens Alex. He stops so close to Henry that he has to tilt his head back to look at him and slowly moves that stupid pouch out of the way, places his hands on Henry’s sides and gently slides them to his back.

“Because it’s bad enough having to watch you strut around in this all evening,” he continues, emphasising by lowering his hands and grabbing a hold of Henry’s butt cheeks, making Henry gasp, “but then you start wiggling it in my face and I’m supposed to keep my hands to myself?”

Henry’s hands slowly travel up Alex’s arms to his shoulders. One hand stays on his neck, but the other travels into his hair and pulls. This time it’s Alex’s time to gasp as he throws his head back. A tingling feeling shoots down his body, towards his groin.

The hand on Alex neck moves to his throat, and Henry’s thumb brushes the entire length until it hooks into the lowest point of Alex’s V-neck.

“No one said you weren’t allowed to touch,” Henry says, his voice low and raw.

Alex drowns in Henry’s hazy eyes for a moment before he makes a decision. Slowly, pointedly, he starts bunching up the Tartan of Henry’s kilt. Henry’s eyes widen for a moment, but they keep focussed on Alex’s. As soon as Alex can get his hands underneath, they find their original spot, this time without any layers between his hands and the skin of Henry’s supple behind.

Both of them groan when Alex spreads his fingers to get a good handful and squeezes.

“Alex,” Henry breathes out on a moan.

He bucks his hips forwards onto Alex, who’s eyes immediately slam shut at the stimulation, his breath getting stuck in his throat.

“Fuck, Henry,” he hisses through his teeth, “I’m gonna… You… Can you… Can you take it off?”

Before Henry has a chance to answer, his face lunges forward to mouth at Henry’s neck. He tastes a little bit salty and Alex’s inquisitive mind immediately wonders if Henry tastes the same all over.

“Not without Pez’s help putting it back on, I’m afraid,” Henry says with a hint of annoyance and an apology in his voice.

“Alright,” Alex nods, licking a stripe up Henry’s neck until he reaches his jaw.

Both their breathing has turned haggard now, coming in quick, shallow bursts. Alex can hear Henry pant right by his ear.

“We can work around it,” he concludes.

“Christ,” Henry groans, guiding Alex’s head back a bit. “Will you kiss me already?”

He sounds just as desperate as Alex has been feeling for the last couple of hours, so he’ll gladly comply. He lifts one of his hands off of Henry’s bottom and moves it to his jaw. Their mouths quickly find each other and latch on with fervent passion. Henry’s mouth tastes like the gin and tonic he has been drinking and something sweet. One of the treats Alex passed up on earlier, probably. It tastes better on Henry anyway.

With breathy moans, their tongues entangle, exploring each other. Henry nips on Alex’s bottom lip and Alex whimpers into his mouth, making them both groan louder.

All the while, their bodies melt together, head to toe, and Alex knows he won’t be able to hold on much longer. With a deep breath, he pulls back.

“I’m gonna…” he murmurs.

“Going to what?” Henry rasps when Alex doesn’t finish his sentence but starts peppering kisses on Henry’s neck instead.

“Gonna…” he tries again.

He inhales sharply, moves his hands to Henry’s hips, and pushes him backwards, up against the door.

Henry’s expression has gone impossibly more aroused with his half-lidded eyes, his pupils blown, and his mouth slack. The deep red on his cheeks is spreading all over. It’s the hottest fucking thing Alex has ever seen.

While he keeps his eyes focused on Henry, his hands travel down Henry’s thighs, slowly pulling the kilt up at the front.

“Can I?” he asks. Two simple words for a very consequential question.

Henry immediately nods with a small whimper.

“I haven’t though,” Alex continues, a little self-conscious, “before, I mean. I haven’t done this, so I might need a few pointers.”

“You’ve never…?” Henry gasps. “And you’d want to…?”

“Suck you off? Yes, please,” Alex nods, like a puppy being offered a treat.

“You don’t have to,” Henry tells him, intently looking at Alex, making sure that he’s listening. “I’m not expecting you to.”

A soft warmth fills Alex’s chest as he smiles up at Henry. “I know.”

“Do you have a condom?” Henry asks bashfully.

“No, I…” Alex says, his mind screeching to a halt. “I didn’t think I’d… But, I’m clean, if that helps.”

“So am I,” Henry nods with a small smile. “I’m regularly tested.”

“Then, if you’re good, I’m good,” Alex beams.

“By all means then,” Henry rasps, astonished and probably a little overwhelmed.

Before Alex has a chance to move, however, Henry’s head bows down, catching Alex’s lips in a heated kiss that Alex answers with an equal intensity.

Slowly, he moves his attention to the corner of Henry’s mouth, down his jaw, his neck, to his collarbone. He pulls Henry’s loose collar down and scrapes his teeth over the skin he has just exposed. Henry tugs on another strand of his hair in a reflex, pulling a deep moan out of both of them.

This feels so easy, so right. This is more than desire, more than raw need or want. It feels deeper.

And Alex is pretty sure he’s not alone in this.

It’s not something he’s currently going to concern himself with, though. They’ll talk later. Because, so far, Henry’s skin tastes just as salty and delicious as he thought, but he needs more.

He sinks down to his knees, lifting the kilt up even more.

Leaving one hand in Alex’s hair, Henry grabs a handful of the kilt with the other, leaving Alex’s hands free to move to Henry’s bare thighs, pushing up the last of it.

Alex’s mind goes blank the moment all of Henry’s naked glory appears in front of him. He vaguely hears Henry say his name, feels him caressing his head, but all he really notices is all of Henry, right in front of him, more enticing than he thought was even possible.

He really, really isn’t straight.

Gently, he strokes Henry’s thighs, his left hand trailing to the back for purchase, his right hand slowly moving upward until it can take a hold.

With a flick of his tongue, he moves close enough to savour that first taste. Slowly, he pulls more of Henry into his mouth. It’s a mind-blowing experience and he might need to pause for a second before he blows his own load.

After taking a moment to rewire his entire existence, he dives in and tries to give Henry what he would like himself, listening to Henry’s gasps and moans, learning what makes him most responsive. He has no idea what he’s doing, or if it’s any good for Henry, but thankfully, Henry is very vocal about it. Or, well, tries to be.

“Alex,” he rasps. “You’re… Christ… You’re… Fuck!”

Alex hums to let Henry know he’s listening, making Henry moan even louder. If his mouth wasn’t so full, Alex would probably smirk right about now. God, it feels good to make Henry feel good.

It doesn’t take long for Henry to choke out a warning. Alex knows he’s giving him the opportunity to pull off, but he doesn’t want to cut corners. He grabs a hold of Henry’s butt cheeks, digging his fingers into the soft flesh. Henry’s hand clasps onto Alex’s hair even tighter until all his muscles tense for a moment. Then, with a breathless groan, Henry’s release pulses into Alex’s throat.

Even though he had anticipated it, it still surprises Alex. He manages to swallow anyway, while his entire skin tingles and he feels lightheaded, warmth pooling in his lower belly. It’s almost enough to have him topple over the edge.

Slowly, he pulls off and wipes his mouth. He’s out of breath, but he feels so euphoric he hardly notices.

“Alex,” Henry whimpers, falling to his knees, grabbing Alex by the head and pressing their lips together. “No notes,” he pants, pulling back only to give some feedback. “No tips. Absolutely bloody perfect.”

He dives back in with a heady moan and Alex’s hands grab at anything they can, pulling Henry in as close as possible. When their bodies collide and Alex’s arousal is unmistakably still there, Henry quickly moves his hands down. Without breaking the kiss, he fumbles for the button and zipper on Alex’s pants, shoving them down as soon as they’re open. A hand snakes its way into his underwear. As soon as Henry’s fingers brush the sensitive skin, Alex hisses and gasps. He pulls on Henry’s bottom lip with his teeth before he throws his head back in ecstasy. Henry latches his mouth to his neck, carefully nipping and planting small kisses there.

Knowing it won’t take much, he pulls up his sweater, holding it to his chest. He hears Henry let out a surprised moan and can’t help but look back down where Henry is watching his exposed chest with a lustful expression. Just below that is his hand, steadily moving up and down, the movement slick and easy with Alex’s pre-release.

The entire image is too much for Alex to handle. There’s no holding back anymore and Alex lets go with a swear and a loud grunt, spilling all over his own stomach and Henry’s hand.

“How are you real?” Henry asks, as Alex slumps into his arms.

“How am I real?” Alex huffs, a little incredulously and still out of breath, as he watches Henry take a handkerchief out the pouch and wipe off Alex’s stomach and his hand. “Have you seen you?”

Henry let’s out a wet chuckle that turns into a full-blown laugh when Alex wraps his arms around him and makes them both fall down on the floor.

Their lips find each other again, but their kiss is more leisured now, slower. Hands carefully wander over each other’s body, brushing skin and clinging to each other’s clothes.

“It’s almost midnight,” Henry softly mumbles eventually.

“Can we just stay here?” Alex pouts, knowing full well they’re expected downstairs in a couple of minutes.

“Sadly, no,” Henry chuckles, pulling Alex’s bottom lip down with his thumb. “I owe it to Pez.”

“Yeah,” Alex sighs in surrender. “Me too.”

They clean up in the bathroom, helping each other to look as representable as possible in the short time they have, after the damage they’ve done. Alex reluctantly gives Henry back his underwear, but not before Henry promises he can have it back later. It was a gift, after all.

When Alex steps back into the room, he takes it in for the first time since he’d entered it. He has seen the door and the little side table, but that’s about it. The rest of his mind was completely enthralled by Henry.

He hadn’t noticed his bag at the foot of the bed before. Or the comfortable chair in the corner. Or the small tv on the wall.

The room is nice. It’s small but cosy and, luckily, the bed is big enough for two.

“How long until we can sneak back out?” he asks, quirking a seductive brow as he steps into Henry’s space. Henry welcomes him with an arm around his back and a kiss on his temple.

“At least an hour, but we should be able to come back here after that.”

“That’s too long,” Alex sighs, brushing his nose against Henry’s. Henry leans in for a quick kiss.

“Come on,” he says softly. “Let’s find our friends.”

They make their way downstairs, cautiously stepping away from each other as soon as they enter the common area.

It’s already agony, not being able to touch Henry. Alex has to keep reminding himself it’s just for an hour, two at the most, and then he can go back to worshipping Henry’s body for the rest of the night. Hopefully, for the rest of the year and the rest of his life, but they’ll need to have a conversation about that first, probably.

For a blissful moment, Alex actually believes their absence might have gone unnoticed, but as soon as he steps up next to Nora, she presses her finger to a sore spot peeking out of his V-neck.

“Why do you have a hickey?” she asks with amused excitement, only a moment before a low voice rumbles into his ear.

“Tell me, Alexander, what have you done to my best mate? He looks perfectly debauched.”

“I… I’m not…” Alex stammers, feeling his cheeks heat up.

His eyes feverishly search for Henry and he finds him walking up behind Pez, an adorable blush on his cheeks and an apologetic look in his eyes.

Nora’s eyes flicker between the both of them before she lets out an uninhibited cackle.

“The two of you are as subtle as a house on fire,” she laughs.

“You do look a little rumpled, Little Bit,” June says, shaking her head but smiling fondly.

“Henry’s shirt wasn’t nearly as crinkled when he left my side some time ago,” Pez says, pulling Henry in by the neck to leave a loud smacking kiss on his cheek. “I do wonder what the two of you could have been up to.”

“I wish you wouldn’t,” Henry mumbles.

“I’m pretty sure we don’t have to,” Nora laughs. “I’m pretty sure it’s written all over their faces. Their bodies too, actually.”

She eyes the both of them up and down with a smug smirk. Alex feels extremely exposed right now. He pulls on his collar, hoping to hide the evidence, but all of their friends have seen it already and are having way too much fun with it.

He notices Henry follow the movement and watches his eyes widen in shock.

“Alex!” he exclaims quietly. “I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine,” Alex reassures him quietly.

It’s a bit awkward, with Pez right in between them and June and Nora following their every move, but Henry still sends him a secretive smile and carefully reaches out to smooth the collar. His thumb brushes Alex’s chest hair, triggering a shiver that’s runs all the way down his spine.

“Alright,” Nora interrupts. “You know what? You,” she says, pointing at Alex, “over there. And you,” she continues, pointing at Pez, “take that one to the other side of the venue. If we want the two of them to keep this off social media for as long as possible, we need to keep ‘m apart.”

“Excellent thinking, Milady,” Pez says with a gentle bow. “Alright, Hazza, you’re with me.”

Alex watches as Pez drags Henry towards the sound system and ask everyone to go back outside for the countdown. He lets himself be lead to the patio, stealing glances and smiling at Henry at any given opportunity.

A few seconds before midnight, Pez starts the countdown and Alex shimmies around so he can look at Henry as he shouts ‘Happy New Year’ with the rest of the guests. Henry’s bright smile is worth any teasing Nora and Pez can throw at them.

Before the promised firework show, Pez invites everyone to cross their arms and link hands with the person next to them. As soon as the group has gathered, Conor tells them about a traditional Scottish song, often sung at New Year’s. And, as Ian accompanies him on a flute, Conor sings Auld Lang Syne. It’s beautiful, especially in Conor’s deep, carrying voice, but it’s so fucking long. Alex doesn’t have time for this! Not tonight.

The look on Henry’s face tells Alex that he wants the man to wrap it up as well, but he’s a lot more polite about it than Alex would like and tries to tell him just that with eyebrow movements only.

Nora gives him a light tap on the back of the head when she notices their non-verbal communication spanning across the entire crowd.

“For fucks sake,” she whispers, holding back her laugh.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, only feeling sorry he got caught.

From the corner of his eye he sees Pez subtly stepping in front of Henry and Henry subsequently bending back a little to grin across the patio behind Pez’s back.

Alex snorts out an involuntary laugh, putting an even wider smile on Henry’s face.

Alex’s heart expands and contracts, hardly able to believe he gets to see this, gets to have this.

But he can feel it in every fibre of his being: this year is going to be even better than the last. Happy fucking new year to him!