Freedom 30
Waking up the following morning in the brownstone was surreal. They loved the feeling of finally being alone, together. Knowing that they were in their own little bubble. It didn't matter that they had fallen into bed as soon as Shaan had taken his leave last night. It didn't matter if they had only slept the bare minimum, choosing to make love, kiss and cuddle with one another, instead. If it took them a little longer to get out of bed than usual on that first morning because they decided to let themselves get carried away making love again, then so be it. If Alex decided that showering together was a constructive use of time, so be it. If Henry didn't want to let go of Alex while he was cooking breakfast, then so be it. If, when Shaan and Zahra let themselves in with Shaan's key, Zahra and Shaan called out before entering the kitchen, so be it.
Moving into the Brownstone with Alex and setting up their new home together has been an experience unto itself. One that both Henry and Alex have loved every minute of. The furniture had arrived the following morning. Henry had paid the movers extra to do the heavy lifting, while Alex had started cooking up a storm in their kitchen.
Shaan was working on the floor of Henry's office on some foundation business and Zahra was standing at the breakfast bar on a call with Alex's mom. Cash and Dylan were overseeing the installation of their internet and telephone hook up, ensuring their online security met with both the White House and the Palace's security standards. While Amy was doing a deep grocery shop and Simon was manning the hub.
When Zahra hung up, she scrutinised Alex closer. Alex could feel her eyes on him. "What?" Alex asked, half in a huff. He was feeling self-conscious, having Zahra's eyes on him.
"Nothing." She murmured in a low voice, as Henry's instructions to the movers about where the sofa should go echoed through the floor. "It's just that your mother's really worried about this whole set up and now I have to be the one to go back to DC and tell her she's got nothing to worry about."
"There's nothing to worry about, Zee." Alex tells her, as he tossed the onions, garlic and jalapeños in the pan.
"I suppose I should thank you." Zahra sighed. "Brooklyn is significantly closer to DC than London." Alex tilted his head towards her as he tossed some peppers and corn kernels into the pan as well. "Alex, you're a good kid when you're not being a little shit. I would go to London if I had to. But, by choosing New York, I am in the same time zone as Shaan and only an hour away by plane. As opposed to London with an eight-hour flight and transatlantic time zones."
"You should be thanking, Hen." Alex told her, before returning to his pan and adding the rest of the ingredients and more peppers. "Not me, this was all him."
Zahra packed up her stuff and was ready to leave for another offsite meeting at the DNC, when she looked back at Alex and held her gaze on him a little longer than usual. "You need anything, call me you little shit." She said affectionately, heading out before Alex could thank her.
He would thank her later, her and Shaan were joining Alex and Henry for dinner, before Zahra caught a private flight back to DC on Alpha Foxtrot 29000, AKA Air Force One when the President was not on board.
Alex was lost in listening to his Spanish music as he cooked up a storm in the kitchen of their new home. The smells that had filled the house were nothing short of mouth wateringly delicious and Henry couldn't help but feel famished by the time the movers had left. The furniture delivery was set for an hour's time and Henry realised it had been almost two hours since he had popped his head into the kitchen to see how Alex was fairing along. He was meal prepping their freezer, as well as cooking some of Oscar's famous pozole for dinner.
Sneaking into the kitchen he wrapped his arm around Alex's waist as Alex swayed in time with the slowish song that crooned out of the Bluetooth speaker. Feeling his boyfriend's arms on his waist and Henry's lips on his neck, Alex reached up with one hand and held Henry's mouth in place by the blonde locks on his head. While Alex released the spoon, he had been stirring the pot with onto the italian marble benchtop with a clatter, he reached back blindly for Henry's hips, pulling the prince closer to him and encouraging him to sway with him to the old song that filled the speaker.
"Darling," Henry cooed, as he released Alex lightly and turned him around to hold him. Face to face, hip to hip, chest to chest.
Alex's hands found their prime real estate on Henry's hips and Henry looped his arms around Alex's neck and moved with Alex's body. "See baby, I knew you could dance."
"Well, this. Yes, I can manage." Henry sassed back, leaning down to kiss Alex's lips softly. "I was thinking about making some tea for Shaan and I, would you like me to make a cup of coffee for you?"
"Do you know how?" Alex retorted, and Henry let out a loud belly laugh. Henry's laughter was loud and carefree, reverberating through his entire body and it made Alex happy to see Henry in such an unrefined moment of pure happiness.
"You reprobate, of course I remember." Henry teased him, kissing him again. "I am not that inept."
Shaan had been feeling like he was desperate need of a cup of tea and headed out of the office and into the kitchen for some tea. Seeing Henry approach Alex and hold him close like he was Henry's most precious possession, made Shaan feel melancholic for everything his friend Arthur was missing. But it encouraged Shaan to remove his phone and film them to send to Catherine.
Shaan debated pressing stop on the recording when Henry kissed Alex, but Henry managed to spin Alex around and Alex had Henry swaying with him. The moment was too precious not to capture and deep down, Shaan thought Henry might want to have a record of this moment too.
When the boys looked up, just as he stopped filming them, both men were blushing. "Don't stop on my account." Shaan told them with an encouraging smile, stepping into the kitchen. "Just getting some tea."
"Man, if you're gonna hang around here, we've got to get ya a bell." Alex joked with Shaan, seeing the British-Indian man smile at Alex's joke. "I forgot you were here. But, now that you are, how about some lunch?"
"Nonsense Alex, you do not have to cook for me." Shaan rushed to hastily reassure Alex. Alex had already set himself a monumental task of filling their freezer with meals, ready for when school starts and their days are suddenly filled with Alex's studies and Henry's shelter business.
"But then how can I convince you to cook some food for us?" Alex winked at him. "Henry tells me you can make a wonderful butter chicken curry, that your tikka masala is to die for, and you do an ok falafel."
"In that case, a little food swap never hurts between neighbours." Shaan suggested. Alex had made a good point. While Alex was a more than decent cook, his recipes all tended towards mexican cuisine or Texan cuisine. Which wasn't a bad thing, but he knew how Henry quite often liked other foods. Henry loved trying his curries and his falafel. Henry had even asked to learn how to make them, but they hadn't found the time yet. "Shall I set the bench for lunch?"
"Like a spice swap? Is that a thing?" Henry questioned, looking at Shaan closely. Alex shook his head at his boyfriend and went back to pulling the salad he had made earlier out of the fridge and the enchiladas out of the oven to check they were ready. "Wait, you said neighbours?!"
"Zee and I have purchased the red brick across the street. We settle in fourteen days." Shaan grinned. "So, we're going to be neighbours."
Shaan had been planning to rent a small apartment, but the cost of rent, alone, for a one bedroom in Brooklyn was ridiculous. Zahra had made a sarcastic remark that he would have to be close to Henry and Alex, as Henry's equerry, or PA, now Henry resided in the states. Shaan had sighed at his fiancee's unhelpful suggestion, before Zahra had opened her mouth again. "Or we could just purchase the place next door. Together, with both of our names on the deed. With our combined savings and income, it would be more than worth it. There is two studio apartments in the basement fully finished that we could sublet for extra income. I mean Ellen isn't going to be president forever. She's got three years left and it's only an hour by plane between Brooklyn and DC."
Cash and Dylan had come upstairs from the security hub and informed Shaan that the telephone and internet connection was now active. Dylan needed both Henry and Alex's electronic devices, all of them, even the brand-new laptop that Alex had just purchased for law school the day prior, so the tech could set them up and install the Crown's latest cybersecurity software on their devices, so they were impenetrable to hackers. MI5 and the CIA had combined their resources in the wake of the email leak to come together and codesign the latest cybersecurity software for both countries to ensure that something like what happened to Alex and Henry, did not happen again.
Living and working together was new and exciting. Sure, Henry and Alex had teething issues, like any couple when they begin living together. Issues like who's turn it was to take out the trash or do the washing. But the promises that Alex had made to Henry, back on that island held true. Just as the promises that Henry had made to Alex. Alex helped Henry learn how to do the washing and how to cook. Henry learnt how to be more patient with Alex when his ADHD hyperfocus clicked on and he would go on a cleaning frenzy from top to bottom.
But through all of their ups and downs, they still loved one another. They had a more active and more intimate sex life than they'd previously had. Both men had theorized to one another, late at night in bed, that surely it was just the novelty of finally being alone, but it had actually increased. Not that either man complained. If anything, individually, both men secretly thought it made their relationship stronger.
The dreaded day finally came, four months into living together. Just like every Sunday morning, Shaan and Zahra joined them for brunch at the Brownstone and the four of them discussed their respective schedules to the White House and to the Crown for the week ahead. Henry was much more prepared than Alex when Shaan dropped the bomb on them. "The Queen has requested Henry come back to London for a series of appearances and events next week." Shaan told them and Henry instantly felt awful when he saw the look on Alex's face.
That week was really important for Alex, it was his first week of classes and Henry had wanted nothing more than to be there for Alex. "Is there any flexibility?" Henry asked and Zahra smirked at him.
"Not really, it has been all but demanded, I am afraid." Shaan sighed. He too knew Henry felt like he needed to be there for Alex. He knew it was the First Son's first week of classes and that Alex had been spiraling in his nerves over it already. Henry had already vented to Shaan, multiple times the week before in the office that Alex's cleaning frenzies were driving Henry insane. In the sense that Alex was cleaning over and over the same thing, that was already clinically clean, just to try and control his feelings. "She has also requested a family meeting while you are in London."
"I see." Alex said softly, and nothing else. He didn't storm out and he didn't say anything more. Which was very unlike him. That concerned Henry. Mostly Henry's attention was focused on Alex and Alex wasn't wanting to start an argument with Shaan and Zahra present. It was an irrational fear of his. It sounded even more stupid in his head, but he feared that if he and Henry fought in front of Shaan, he'd pack Henry up and whisk him away without a word. Back to London, again.
Alex knew it was an irrational fear. Probably something that had manifested from the time that he had gone off to Summer Camp and came home to find that his father had packed up and moved out of their family home. Not just moved out into an apartment or house down the street, or somewhere in town. But had moved to California. States away from their home in Texas. That and no matter how much time he and Henry have spent together being a couple, he still has this fear that Henry's grandmother Mary, is still looking for an excuse to tear them apart. It's something he has never shared with Henry. Something he probably should share with him. Someday soon.
"Alex?" Henry tried, but Alex shook his head no. Alex wasn't going to say anything. Not in front of Shaan and not in front of Zahra. Zahra who might (and very likely will) run back and tell his mom everything. Alex didn't think he could handle anyone gloating at them about how they had rushed into living together. "We'll talk about this later." Henry replied when Alex shook his head, keeping his voice low. Looking back up at Shaan, Henry jutted out his chin, a little, mostly in defiance of what Alex had just said. "Tell my mother that while I appreciate that she would like a family meeting with me and would like me to attend a series of events, it is the worst possible timing for us."
"Henry," Alex admonished lightly. Alex did not want him to be the reason Henry didn't go back to London when required, even if he could admit to himself that selfishly, he needed Henry here. "No. I don't want to be the reason you can't go to London and see your family. I certainly don't want to be the one that keeps you from royal events. We both know if you do not attend it will be me who takes the grubbing in the tabloids."
"Sad fact is, he is right, Henry." Zahra sighed. Shaan and Zahra had both seen it with their own eyes. If Henry was scheduled to appear and didn't, or even if it was speculation and he didn't appear, the tabloids always came out with the most ridiculous claims. Claims that Alex was brainwashing him against the crown or holding him hostage in the US. Or Alex's personal favourite - Alex was issuing Henry ultimatums - 'It's me or the crown?'
"I will issue an apology statement if I have to, but I am not leaving. Any other week, but next week. I want to be here. No, I need to be here." Henry said softly. "I promise, I'll personally call mum and apologise, Shaan."
After Shaan and Zahra said their goodbyes, Henry managed to coax Alex's irrational fear out of him and Henry sheepishly admitted he was concerned too. That if he went back to London so soon after leaving, Mary might try something.
That was the end of it. Or it should have been. If not for that fact that Henry had indeed followed through on his promise to Shaan. He had called his mother, and Henry deliberately left the call on speaker phone so that Alex could hear what she said. Alex had wanted to leave and give Henry the privacy to speak to his mother, one-on-one.
"Darling, I am truly sorry. I didn't know it was Alex's first day of classes." Catherine had told him earnestly. "Or I would have never suggested it. I honestly thought he didn't go back until the following fortnight. Please don't come, we can schedule another time soon. Stay there for Alex, Henry."
Henry couldn't help but think that if Mary was still on the throne, then he would have been dragged back to London long before now. That is if she had of let him leave in the first place.
As predicted, the press were brutal when Henry was a no show, and as predicted Alex copped the bulk of the flack. The Crown's defence or lack thereof, has always been never to issue any statements about what was going on.
Naturally, when at 4am New York time, both of their phones started vibrating like crazy with notifications, it woke them up. "Oh shit!" Henry muttered, sleepily. His sleepy voice escaping without his brain working.
"What the hell?" Alex muttered, in an equal state of sleepiness and confusion. Alex was sleepy. He had first day jitters and it had been impacting his sleep schedule.
It was a google news alert, His Royal Highness Prince Philip had called a press conference, in addition to making a formal statement to the media. Not only did he call out the tabloids for their scandalous and downright false narrative of events surrounding everything from the outing of Henry and Alex for political gain, as well as the subsequent email leak and Henry's move to New York. He called them out for their racist undertones towards Alex and their biased reporting. Ending both his press conference and his statement to the press with such finality.
"For the final time, I'd like to remind you all that Alexander Claremont-Diaz is not only the son of the American President. He is not only Henry's boyfriend and partner, but he is also a beloved member of our family. Your royal family, whether he and Henry make it official or not. He deserves to be treated with respect. His race or sexual orientation should not be up for discussion, it is not news. It is his personal business, no one else's.
On behalf of the royal family, I am happy to report that Henry and Alex have settled into their home nicely and are preparing to take on their new and exciting lives. Henry is fully dedicated and working hard towards establishing the proposed LGBT shelter, in Brooklyn on behalf of the Fox-Okonjo Foundation. Alex is excited to be commencing his law school studies. We wish them both the best of luck and we respectfully ask to give them some privacy, as they work on their exciting new roles in their lives.
Thank-you for your time this morning, we will not be taking any questions at this time. All questions are to be directed to the Royal Press Secretary."
"Did Philip just publicly stand up for us?" Alex asked in earnest, for once holding his usual barb and sharp tongue at bay when talking about Philip. "Did he just call out the press for hounding us and outing us?"
"I think he did." Henry replied, in the same amount of stunned state as Alex was in.