i have no real opening remarks, so have some fic, mind the tags, and have a good day!
masterlist
did the light hit my blush (when i told you you could be enough?) by matherine
Henry wasn’t eavesdropping. Really, he wasn’t — he had just come home from work at the shelter early, toed off his shoes at the door, and began to settle in when he heard it.
“No, Nora,” Alex’s voice groans, floating out into the hall from where his bedroom door must be cracked open. “I can’t tell if he’s just not interested or oblivious. I’ve used my whole arsenal of flirting and Henry’s completely unresponsive.”
Or: Alex has been flirting for months. It’s not that Henry didn’t notice — it’s that he thought he couldn’t possibly mean it.
Only Fools by OrchidScript
Henry rolled his eyes. “No. You tell me — that sounds better — why I should bring my ex-hook up to my brother’s wedding?”
Pez hummed and half-shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you? He’s the perfect thing to light your gran’s helmet of hair on fire.” Pez set his cup down and leaned forward onto the table. “That’s what Pip encouraged you to do, didn’t he?”
“Martha more than Pip, but yes. He did.” Henry sighed.
“Then ask Alex.”
--
With his brother's wedding a few weeks away, Henry Fox is determined to not show up alone. Not wanting to ask a stranger, he instead turns to Alex, hoping to manufacture something believable from something familiar. Try as he might to keep a level head, Henry can't help falling in love with the man. Will it come around to bite him or will it turn into something more than he had hoped?
kitchen confidential by stutteringpeach
The NDA is approximately a mile long.
“Jesus fuck,” Alex splutters. “What, is their favourite film The Menu or something? Am I gonna come out of this one alive?”
~
Or, the one where Alex is hired to cater a private dinner party for Prince Henry and his friends, and it does not go as he expects.
Can You See Me? (I'm Waiting for the Right Time) by affectionatelyrs
“Whose turn was it?” Henry asks while Alex is busy pondering the merits of throwing himself out their fifth-story window and hoping his boner doesn’t take anyone’s eye out on his way down. “Forgive me, but I am a bit tired. Do you think you could take it?”
There’s no way that Henry’s not doing this on purpose. He makes words mean things when put in a certain order for a living, for fucks sake. Alex almost quips back depends on how big it is just to see how—or if—Henry would react.
“Yeah, um, no problem.” There. Much more normal. He could steal Henry’s job at this rate. “Truth or dare?”
-
Or, Alex’s world gets flipped on its axis during a game of truth or dare
getting good now by Standinginmoonlight
Alex sighs and balls his hands up into fists, digging them into his eye sockets until he sees stars, and then he’s speaking without his brain giving his mouth permission.
“I can’t believe I’m going to marry someone British.”
Or: the Love is Blind AU that no-one asked for.
A Sin Better Than Heaven by AnchoredArchangel
“Show me,” the king says, a demand. He sets the vial back down, careless to where it lands compared to where it originated. He leans back against the table, crosses his arms over his chest; chin raised, jaw set- a picture of regality.
Henry’s heart is pounding in his chest, the unstable beat of too many horse hooves overlapping, like the canter through the woods that very afternoon before he was shoved from his saddle. For the first time, he considers the possibility that perhaps he had hit his head harder than he realized- against the ground or against the tree, because certainly his hope is misplaced; certainly he is not following this conversation as well as he presumed.
“Show you what, Your Majesty?”
The king only deigns to move a hand, untucking it from his elbow in order to wave it vaguely. “How your body responds to men.”
Or: A criminally loose reimagining of the tent scene from Mary & George, only Alex is a sexually confused king, and Henry's the one who has been sent to seduce him.
it's so hard to get to heaven with my head in my hands by anincompletelist
His mother would have a fit if she could see him now, taking comfort he isn’t owed from men he shouldn’t want it from. But Henry wipes his tears with the back of his hand and Alex begins singing the dulcet tune of a Spanish lullaby and George feels, perhaps for the first time in his life, like he belongs.
Silence & Sound by @nocoastposts
Alex tugs at his hair and tries to focus on choosing his next words. He knows that Henry will help him - that he wants to help him. He knows that all he has to do is say the word.
Henry stands and steps closer, holding Alex’s chin firmly and tilting his head up so their eyes are forced to meet.
“You need me to clear that lovely head of yours, hm?”
“Please,” Alex says in barely a whisper.
or: Henry helps Alex fill the silence before indulging in the sound.
baby boy by smc_27
It starts as a joke. Alex taking the piss about how much money Henry has. How he could have anything he wanted, from anyone he wanted, if only he just asked.
all so human with our guards down by maxbegone
“Constant fear is debilitating,” Alex tells him later on. The sun has risen, though it’s barely prominent through the dark clouds in the sky. “Even in the world we live in now, you need to find the things that make it feel…normal.”
Of course, Alex isn’t even sure that makes much sense, and he thinks about doubling back on what he just said with something stupid and word-vomitty, whatever pops into his head first, but Henry beats him to it. Much more suitable, and it puts Alex’s mind at ease:
“I’m starting to think you’re right.”
The world ended three years ago. No more all-night study sessions, no more drag brunch and mimosas, no more societal expectations.
But out of everything Alex was expecting from an apocalypse, Henry sure as hell wasn't it.
Dallas, Texas by annesbonny
i thought I knew hopelessness. i thought I'd learned its specific dread years ago
There's an assassination attempt on Ellen, Henry is caught up in the damage. Alex is... coping about as well as you would expect.
Best Practice in Sexual Favours by everwitch
They meet at a bar. Alex is young; fresh out of law school, sharp and charismatic and oh-so attractive. The sex is absolutely incredible, and Henry has no regrets. At least not until the morning after when he finds himself opposite Alex in a meeting — equipped with the painful knowledge that Alex’s boss thinks Alex’s only function in said meeting is to sit there and look all pretty. Somebody ought to call HR right about now.
Or: when sexual relationships mix with professional ones, Alex and Henry make the most of it.
this is the first time I've felt the need to confess by theprinceandagcd
Alex frantically unlocks his phone and stares at their text thread, at the heart reaction that Henry had left on his most recent message. His thumbs hover uselessly over his screen, trembling as moisture burns his vision. The entire room is thick with uneasiness, heavy enough that it’s hard to breathe, and Alex wants to tell Henry something, wants to reach out and find the solace that Henry so often offers him without even realizing it.
But mostly, as his brain finally catches up to what’s actually happening, all Alex can think is that he doesn’t want to die.
He tries to come up with a list of reasons why in his head, a comprehensive one that probably should include family and career goals and a million other things, but in the end, in the moment, all he can fucking think about is Henry.
out of the kitchen by rizcriz
Alex looks to his right where Henry’s standing at his own door. Any moment now, Gordon Ramsay is going to tell them to turn the handle and one of them is going to cascade into a new life. He doesn't care if his door doesn’t open; in fact, he’d rather it didn’t. He’s come all this way, he’s proven himself as a chef, but there’s no denying that the man beside him was made for this role.
For the last five weeks, he’s watched as Henry’s given his all to every challenge and dinner service.
--
or, the Hell's Kitchen au literally nobody asked for.
i love you (ain't that the worst thing you ever heard) by coffeecatsme
Henry doesn’t doubt that, just as much as he doesn’t doubt now that Alex won’t have a single issue with him being trans. In another life, when Henry whispered it in the quiet hours of the night, he didn’t. In another life, when he kissed Henry anyway, he didn’t.
In another life. In this one, when Alex meets his eyes, all there is left behind them is a cold glare that freezes Henry to his soul.
One year ago, Henry had a whirlwind of a day with Alex after a chance meeting in a coffee shop, only to leave in the morning to protect his heart. He doesn't expect to see Alex again, until he shows up at June's wedding and finds out her brother is the same Alex he hasn't been able to get out of his mind for a year - and he's pissed.
Fragile Things by SatinBirds
Alex does not scare easily. But the moment he sees Henry fall, all breath leaves his body at once.
Trim my Christmas tree by clottedcreamfudge
Henry is a writer, not a mall Santa, but unfortunately this year - thanks to his adorable and conniving nieces and their Aunt Beatrice - he's going to have to be both. This doesn't leave him a great deal of time to pine horribly over the part-time bookseller and Law student over at June Claremont-Diaz's shop, but somehow he manages to jam it in anyway.
Ho ho ho.
All Kinds of Wounds by allmylovesatonce
It throws Alex off when it takes longer for the door to close, when he hears Henry’s footsteps but doesn’t hear him approaching. As he listens closer, there are steps on the stairs and eventually the sound of feet on the second floor.
Henry avoided him.
Henry gets hurt at the shelter and tries to hide it from Alex.
blurred lines by seafloor
Henry is a lovesick writer; Alexander a charismatic bartender. They’re still fated to fall into bed at some point.
keep me up all night/ i wanna scratch your surface by @firenati0n
They step inside, greeted by moonlight streaming through the windows, illuminating their living room in a dreamy light; it’s enough to see outlines and shapes, enough to keep everything just a little bit secretive, a little softer around the edges.
Henry moves his hand to flick on the kitchen light, and Alex’s hand shoots out to grab his wrist. Henry looks down at him questioningly, blue eyes sparkling even with the absence of light. Alex always feels a little off-kilter around him, Henry both his center of gravity and his reason for vertigo. He’s stabilizing, and dizzying, and everything.
Alex’s thumb and index finger circle Henry’s slender wrist, exerting the slightest pressure. He feels Henry's pulse jump under his thumb.
“Get on the couch.”
Voted most likely to run away with you by dreamsinthewitchouse
Alex drifts into consciousness in a bed full of tangled limbs and warm, sleep-rumpled skin. He’s lying half on his stomach and half on his side, the shoulder smushed against the bed protesting in a way that tells him he’s going to have a crick in his neck for the rest of the day.
But fuck if he cares, with Henry stirring next to him, one of his long legs draped over the back of Alex’s thigh. Alex doesn’t need to open his eyes to know the room is hazy with filtered sunlight, spilling pale yellow through the carelessly drawn curtains.
everything just stops by HypnosTheory
Alex hums, pushing his nose into the side of Henry’s cock. “Let me give you your gift, Hen.”
“You’ve already given me my gift,” Henry says, fingers tightening on the edge of the countertop. “Twice.”
Alex laughs and takes Henry’s cock back into his mouth. Henry keens, knees shaking. He’s oversensitive already; Alex woke him up with a hand on his cock, and then in the shower surprised him with three fingers against his prostate. Each orgasm was greeted with a happy birthday, baby, which is a phrase that’s starting to have a Pavlovian response on Henry.
---
Alex gives Henry all the birthday orgasms - Henry believes turnabout is fair play.
the wrong place by congee4lunch
“I don’t want you, I don’t want anything to do with you, Alexander,” Henry breathes out, his breath ghosting over Alex’s lips. “I just want to feel good.”
“Perfect,” Alex grins. “I want the exact same thing, Fox.”
henry and alex hate each other. when they're forced to share a hotel room and a bed for a night, they fuck about it.
Total Eclipse by @myheartalivewrites
Alex is not sure what the fuck is happening here.
“And if you only hold me tight…”
A man—probably the most beautiful man he has ever seen—is up on stage in this karaoke bar, absolutely murdering Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart and he’s pretty sure the guy is crying and it’s one of the most horrifying things he’s ever seen and Alex cannot. Look. Away.
Late Bloomer by @sparklepocalypse
Alex Claremont-Diaz is sixteen years old, and he hasn’t presented. His dad seems to think it’s fine and offers Alex regular reassurance that his cousin Angel hadn’t presented until nearly 20. His mom, though, gets a little crease between her eyebrows whenever she thinks Alex isn’t looking. Presenting is a Big Deal in the Claremont family, and Alex just... hasn’t.
So Alex is sixteen, and he’s… a boy. That’s it. Just a boy. Not a boy and an alpha like his friend Marco, or a boy and an omega like his friend Noah. Just a boy.
living in a new normal by @forever-fixating
Henry Fox could write an entire dissertation based on how much information his twin nieces Penelope and Grace have told him about their favorite band, Austin Heat. The girls peppered him with neverending facts since he surprised them with tickets and meet-and-greet passes to their concert at Madison Square Garden last Christmas.
--
Henry Fox takes his nieces to a concert of their favorite band, Austin Heat. He gets a bit more than he bargained for when he meets singer and guitarist Alex Claremont-Diaz.
as always, let me know if you want to be tagged in future lists!
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together
Summary:
Writing a letter keeps him out of that grave, which means no crying, which means Henry won’t ever see the letter. It’s sound logic. And thus, an identical envelope to the rest, this time addressed to Henry, goes into his locker. Far in the back, with the stack of the four other letters written across the years he’s worked with Zahra.
And Alex forgets about it.
Until a stupid ass decision (getting a bacon, egg, and cheese), made by a stupid ass person (him), lands him in a precarious position (confronting three guys attempting a stick-up), where the potential for everyone he’s ever loved (including Henry) to be handed a dusty letter is exponentially more possible by the second.
