Red, White, & Royal Pain

1.1

"Honey, I'm home!" Alex shouts with a wide grin as he pushes the key into the door.
Henry walks out of the bedroom with an equally large smirk.
"You're never going to stop with that are you, love." He says, mock shaking his head. Ever since they moved to New York together and started a family, Alex has created somewhat of a tradition with this entrance. Henry pretends to be annoyed, but they both know that he finds it adorable.
"Come on, baby, I know you love it" Alex says with a wink.
"Mhmm," Henry groans as he scoops Alex up into a bear hug. "About as much as you love my shower singing."
"Ugh, not fair. You screech like a fucking prepubescent girl"
"Precisely my point."
Alex rolls his eyes and Henry gives him an affectionate kiss which is happily returned.
"Ewww" exclaimed their oldest son of 9 years old, Arthur, as he walked into the area. "Get a room, you two," he sarcastically grinned. For such a young kid, he certainly has picked up on some of Alex's mockery skills.
"Only once you start paying the rent, sweetheart," Alex retorted, looking devilish but satisfied.
"Yeah yeah, whatever," was Arthur's reply, but his beautiful lips were still turned up in visible humor.
***
A few hours later, Alex and Henry were enjoying the quiet drive through their town in Brooklyn with the radio quietly playing in the background. They were silent for the most part, but it was a comfortable silence, one they'd grown to enjoy since their relationship began. Henry was driving and Alex simply admired him, his hair, the freckles lining his nose, the small smile painted on his face. How had Alex ever been so foolish as to convince himself that he had hated the man before him?
Hits from the 70's were lowly playing in the background until the familiar sound of Freddie Mercury's voice singing made the couple freeze. "Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time ..." Both the men looked at each other, wide-eyed, until Henry blared the radio up at least ten notches.
"This is my shit!" Henry called, throwing Alex's own words back at him from when they were younger and had not yet admitted their feelings for one another.
Alex laughed as his husband sang the words carelessly as he had done that one night at the karaoke bar, and danced along with him, their kids dancing in the backseat.
"Hey kids, did you know daddy embarrassed himself to this song a while back?" Alex asked as he turned around to the little ones in the backseat.
"Really?" Their youngest, Ella, asked.
"Oh hush, you know you loved it," Henry muttered, shaking his head while keeping his eyes on the road.
"Really really," Alex replied. "And your aunties and uncle sang backup for him." Their oldest, Arthur, gasped and spoke "Auntie June, Auntie Nora, Auntie Bea, and Uncle Pez?"
Alex and Henry laughed at their boy and Henry assured, "Yes, all of them." Once their laughter had subsided, Alex lowly spoke so that only Henry could hear, "And what came after the karaoke bar was supersonic," with a wink.
"What came after the karaoke, Daddy?" Ella asked, her voice innocent.
Alex's eyes widened and Henry just laughed.
"Uh, we uh-" Alex began before Henry cut him off, "We got In-N-Out burgers with your aunties and uncle."
"Yes, yes that," Alex spoke with a relieved sigh.
They were making their way back home when Henry noticed Alex start to doze off. Knowing how rare sleep was for him, Henry blissfully gazed at the love of his life while smoothing his tousled curls from his forehead. From the backseat of the car, a voice that could only be Arthur said:
"I've got a marker in my pocket. I say we give daddy some facial hair, whatcha think Ellie belly?"
Just as Ella was about to express her willingness to cooperate, a tired Alex grumbles in response.
"Don't you dare or so help me I will ship you off to Great Gran without a second thought."
At this moment, Henry only had one continuous thought: God, he's cute when he's sleep deprived. This was the life that they'd made for themselves. All of the sneaking around, struggling with acceptance, and public exposure had led them to their happy little circle of love.
***
Not wanting to wake Alex, Henry dropped the kids off at home. June had just recently come to visit them and was more than happy to watch her niece and nephew. She adored them beyond comparison. Well, almost as much as she adored her brother and brother-in-law.
"I just want to let your dad rest a bit, my loves. Go on inside and keep Auntie June company. We'll be back soon," he told them. Not quite ready to erase the peaceful look of slumber on his husband's face, Henry pulled back out of the driveway once the kids had gotten in safely and continued to drive around the block.
As if the heavens were on their side, none other than "Your Song" by Elton John came on the radio. Wow, Henry thought as memories of sneaking into a museum and slow dancing clouded his train of thought. This, along with that moment of their "in between" period, when he'd made the bold move of fingering the melodic piece on his grand piano.
A soft snore snapped Henry out of his thoughts as he looked to the passenger seat and saw Alex stirring in his sleep, lightly snoring. Henry couldn't help but smile as he placed a hand atop Alex's. At this, Alex's beautiful eyes opened as he softly smiled at Henry.
"It's our song, Hen."
"I know," Henry smiled as he lifted Alex's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. Alex smiled again as he turned around and gasped.
"Hen! Hen!"
"What?" Henry asked, Alex's frantic tone almost causing him to crash.
"The kids! Where are they?" Alex shouted, his pulse beginning to quicken, Henry felt. Henry let out a short laugh and spoke, "I dropped them off at the house with June, love."
"Oh," Alex sighed, calming down a bit. "Are we going somewhere?"
"Nope," Henry replied, turning the wheel as he turned down their street. "I just didn't want to have to wake you."
"Aw," Alex gushed, smiling widely at his husband. "That was sweet of you." Henry smiled as he shifted the gear into park in the driveway. "Hold on," Henry spoke as Alex went to open his car door. Alex was confused as he saw Henry walking around the car, but then smiled as he realized what was happening. Henry then opened Alex's car door for him.
"Such a gentleman," Alex smiled, pressing a kiss to Henry's lips.
"Anything for you." The pair walked to the front door and opened it. June was sitting on the couch in their front room, a worried look etched on her face. Henry was worried for a moment, perhaps something had happened to the kids, until he heard their voices giggling from a few rooms over.
"Bug? What's the matter?" Alex asked, shutting and locking the door behind him.
"Have you guys looked at the tabloids in the last hour?"
"No," Henry answered. "What is it?" June frowned and turned her phone towards the men.
"Alex Claremont-Diaz bored with domestic life? Sources say he has been leaving his husband, also known as HRH Prince Henry of Wales, and their kids periodically for late-night rendezvous with a mysterious brunette woman."