Red, White, & Royal Pain

9.1

It was Friday, May 4th.

Today was circled in the most vibrant of reds and surrounded by tiny hearts on Alex's calendar. It was the single most important day of the year and it was going to be just perfect. It was going to be perfect, because it was the love of his life's birthday.

Henry had openly admitted before that as a child, he obsessed over the fact that his birthday fell on May the 4th. He has also claimed this helped fuel his appreciation of Star Wars. At the time, Alex had playfully punched his arm - perhaps there was a twinge of true anger there - over the fact that Henry got to have the cool birthday. He got over it though, but if it were anyone but his Henry, they'd be dead as hell.

Alex had been orchestrating Henry's day for about a month. He had even made multiple lists and handed them off to the designated persons. There was the "Pez, do-this-for-your-best-friend-or-I-will-personally-shave-your-eyebrows-off-during-your-beauty-slumber" list, the "Bea, it's-your-brother's-birthday. Get-me-the-shit-on-this-list" list, the "June, get-your-ass-up-and-do-these-things-for-the-love-of-my-life-or-else" list, and the ever so classy: "Nora, I-swear-to-God-if-you-don't-put-down-your-fucking-computer-and-follow-this-list-your-a-dead-woman" list. All of which were written in a serial killer form scrawl in a murderous red ink. Safe to say Alex didn't doubt that the proper things would get done. He as well had his own to do list which read: 1-don't fuck up 2- seriously don't fuck shit up 3-call restaurant for reservation confirmation 4- drop off kids to mom. This was going to be Henry's ultimate birthday, a day where he could be celebrated without feeling guilty (he probably still would though because it's Henry), a day that was completely his.

———-

"Alex, love, I appreciate whatever it is that you've been brewing, but you've got this look in your eye and it's a bit frightening," stated Henry, suspiciously eyeing his husband. Sure, Alex was acting like a madman with all the rushing around that he'd been doing for the past week, but everything had to go just right. Whenever something big happens, Alex always manages to mess it up somehow. Like that night when Henry had just hit a great milestone with the shelter, and Alex couldn't be bothered to celebrate due to a frustrating halt in a huge disposition. Or that time Henry had finally gotten Ella to speak the words "I love you," and Alex hadn't even been home. Or that time when Arthur had fallen off of the monkey bars at school, and Henry had to fly in from a shelter in Georgia to pick him up since Alex had fallen into a dead sleep while working and didn't hear the phone ringing. Alex had been a self absorbed asshole a few times too many, but not today. Today was Henry's.

"Baby, please just allow today to be yours. You deserve it. And if you find a way to put a stop to any of our plans for the day, you will not live to see another birthday", Alex said with a wink and an undertone of urgency. He was internally panicked. He gave Henry a lazy kiss on the lips before grabbing his keys and saying "I'll meet you at the restaurant. And you. You will be prepared to have the best birthday celebration yet".

"Whatever you say" Henry murmured as Alex shut the door behind him.

—————-

Don't screw this up Diaz.

Alex repeated this like it was his life mantra while he drove to Henry's favorite place: a little burger joint on the corner of 5th and 6th street. They had decent food and always had some sort of techno music playing which Henry found enticing in the most strange yet adorable way.

Alex had just picked up Henry's cake which read Happy Birthday, Oh Royal One in radiant blue icing. He had dropped the cake off at the brownstone and put it in the fridge for later, and still everything had gone well. He hadn't dropped the cake, he hadn't forgotten to buy a present (a load of decorative ties and Alex's annotated copies of Jane Austen novels that he read just for the occasion), the kids were with his mother for the weekend, and he most certainly had not spoiled any of the surprises. Now all he had to do was show up and tonight was a shoe in for a great time. His self doubt/reassurance moment was interrupted when suddenly there was a violent buzzing which shook the whole dashboard of the car. His phone. It had been on silent to avoid any distractions, but now it was going off like crazy. He flipped it over so he could see who it was and the caller ID read Bug. Why was June calling? He was on time wasn't he? Leaning over to grab his phone, he clicked the green icon as his sister's voice screeched through at him.

"Alexander, where the literal shit are you?!? We've been waiting at this restaurant for 15 minutes and now the maître di is telling us there's no reservation under the name Claremont-Diaz or Fox-MountChristen-Windsor. I knew you'd fuck it up. I knew it I just knew-"

Alex let out a laugh which gained him a frustrated grumble from June on the other end. "Bug, relax. I made the reservation under Okonjo because I didn't want people to make a spectacle with our names being mentioned." June sighed with relief and he took a pause, as a grin spread from ear to ear across his face. "Ahh did poor old Auntie Pezza forget to inform you of this information?" On June's end an audible shit! could be heard from the culprit himself as well as multiple other profanities which were no doubt the result of a blow from Nora's fist.

"Thank God. Get here soon. Henry will be here in 5." With the click of the line disconnecting, Alex broke out in a fit of hysterics and wailing laughter. He was still cackling as he rolled to a red light and went to put his phone back down on the seat next to him. The car gave an involuntary lerch forwards, causing his phone to slide back onto the floor. Alex was breathing in gasps now, trying to collect himself, and he didn't even realize when the light changed from red to green. His car remained in its place as cars from behind him began to honk at him. In a startle he realized it was him that they were honking at, and put his foot on the gas perhaps not as easily as he should have.

His car zoomed through the intersection precisely at the same time another car was coming from the left. In a bright collision and a terrifying crash the cars made contact and Alex's head slammed into the dashboard as he drifted out of consciousness.