Red, White, and Royal Blue - Anything for You

Chapter 7

Alex held Henry in his arms for a while longer as their emotions from the conversation neutralized. Henry took a shower to cool off and for the rest of the day, the men stayed in the apartment. The two of them tried to do some things like normally enjoyed doing. They watched The Good Place, cuddled with Henry's dog David, read their books by the window, and ordered in pizza for dinner. They weren't going to ignore their obvious problems but Alex thought that it would be best for both of them to process their conversation. 

Now, they are getting ready for bed to prepare for the Monday morning after. Henry is fluffing his own pillow and Alex is already on the mattress with the blanket covered.

Alex tells him as he is getting in, "I think you should take the week off."

Henry just looks at him. He doesn't want to go either really, but instead, he just responds, "It's a little late to call out now."

"After everything, you should put your personal needs first."

The Prince lies on his side facing his boyfriend. He doesn't argue against it because he knows Alex is right. He's just not ready to admit that he's been through some terrible shit.

The First Son has always joked about wanting to "kill someone," but it was always in the form of coping through humor. Like if a classmate hasn't done their part on a group project and it's the night before it's due. This was the first time in his life he actually wished to be the one to push a person until their final breath.

He wants to know exactly what this sick bastard has done, so he can pinpoint the extent of the torture the CEO deserves. He wants to know how far he should go. He wants to get every last detail so he can return it to Paolo in the exact same intensity of pain. It even scares him that his anger goes into the route of homicide, but when looking at the full picture it makes perfect sense. The First Son has internal feelings that are swirling in his head, making him sick with wrath. Who in their right mind would inflict such damage on someone like Henry? Why would they suck so much life out of such a beautiful person? Some people belong in a grave, Alex thinks to himself.

Henry asks, "Are you thinking about something?"

Alex glances over, realizing he was just lost in a trance. The blonde saw a certain fire in his partner's eyes that he hadn't seen on him before.

The darker haired one brushes off his murderous look. "I was just thinking about Paolo."

Henry stills for a second. "What about him?"

The First Son looks down at the other, "You don't have to tell me specifics of what he did if you're not comfortable. Just know, if you do want to share them... Like to vent or get it off your chest, you can come to me."

"I don't... I don't think I'm there yet."

"That's ok."

The Prince inhales steadily. "Do you want to know?"

"It's not about me."

After a few moments of quietness, Henry says, "I'll call out for the week."

Alex puts his hand on his boyfriend's. "I already planned to have security around the building. I called Amy earlier."

This jerks Henry up. "You didn't tell her did you?"

"No! All I said was there we caught an intruder earlier. I just want to give you the story I told her in case anyone asks."

The blonde nods his head yes. Alex continues, "What I told her was I went downstairs at night to get a glass of water and saw a masked guy holding the TV between the living room and kitchen. He was wearing black sweats from head to toe, as well as black gloves. He was about 5'6 - 5'8 and had brownish hair, but it was too dark to tell. Since I caught him in time, he freaked out and dropped it. I said it wasn't necessary to press any charges since no one was hurt and nothing was stolen. We just want to make sure it doesn't happen again, which was why I was asking for security."

"Ok sounds good. You really thought about it."

"Yeah," The First Son then adds, "Could you also take a bodyguard with you when you go out?"

Henry rolls his head at this question. "What am I Rapunzel now? How long do I have to stay in my tower?"

The blonde has a tendency to shelter himself when things get tough, especially in a scenario like this one. When he was younger and stuck in a relationship with the CEO, he barely came out of his room at all. It is a different story though when he is being told to not leave at all. It makes him feel even more stuck since it isn't his own decision to make.

"I know it's not ideal, but I'm not taking any chances here."

"Fine."

The darker haired man can see the annoyance on the other. This frustrates him. "I was serious when I said you're not making any sacrifices anymore."

"I know that I'm just frustrated at the whole situation."

Alex looks at his partner lying down and notices he feels defeated. He lies down next to him and wraps himself around Henry.

"We're gonna get through this together. I'll make sure he won't hurt you anymore. "

The blonde shakes his head. "That's not my main concern."

The First Son can see it behind its eyes. It's you who I'm worried about. 

"I'll bring a bodyguard, ok? If he confronts me at all, I'll stay too." 

The Prince considers this and realizes that it is a good middle ground. "Ok."

Alex realizes Henry seems so small now. Henry sees it too, he has shrunk to his teenage self who yearned to escape the manipulation and abuse he was trapped in with his relationship. The blonde thought he had healed and had an open future of freedom, even if at the time he only had casual hookups before Alex. He might not have been open to the idea of being in love but he finally had control of his own life. Now that control has been robbed from him again, by the same man of all people.

They rest into bed and the black haired boyfriend spoons the other closely to his chest. Guilt eats away at him when he thinks about the fact the love of his life put their own body in harm's way, specifically for him. He almost wishes that Paolo could kill him instead of brutalizing Henry's body. He is also pissed at the fact that he didn't notice it sooner so that he could try to stop it.

Henry may not see his partner's face but he can feel the tension in his body. He notices it's still running through his mind. Neither one of them is going to get much sleep tonight.