strings attached ; firstprince

chapter eight

"Princess, huh?" Henry teases as he reaches the blanket, casting a playful glance at Alex. Seating himself across from Alex, he stretches his legs out comfortably and props himself up with one hand.

Alex grins. "Well, it suits you, doesn't it?"

Henry's mouth meets his instead of responding, his hand reaching for Alex's neck and Alex is so in love he could die. In the heat of the moment, Henry moves closer but instead fumbles his hand and knocks the guitar on the ground between them with a thud of hollow wood and accidental strum of strings.

"Do you mind not breaking my guitar?" Alex says, managing to choke out a laugh despite the unexpected interruption.

Henry, still recovering from the shock, smiles sheepishly. "Hardly the same as a broken heart."

"Touché," he concedes with a playful grin. "I feel like that's going to be brought up very often."

Henry chuckles and reaches for the fallen guitar, carefully setting it back in Alex's lap. "Only when it benefits me," he replies with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Henry settles back in his spot, lying back and propping himself up his elbow while Alex moves the guitar from his lap to the ground beside him. Looking at Henry feels like how every love song sounds.

"You know," Alex begins, Henry hums in acknowledgement. "I've been thinking."

"I highly doubt that," Henry quips.

"I highly doubt that," Alex says, mocking Henry's accent and receiving a kick in the leg. "You're lucky you have a good excuse to insult me every five seconds," Alex grins.

"I never need an excuse to insult you, dear," Henry quips, a soft smile tugging his lips upwards. He can't help but lean forward and plant a chaste kiss on them.

"As I was saying," Alex sighs playfully against Henry's lips, pulling away and leaning back against the tree. "Before I was rudely interrupted-"

"Apologies. I'll be sure to withhold kisses until you've finished speaking," Henry smirks and Alex picks up a handful of leaves and throws them at Henry, delighting in the shriek that escapes his lips and laughing. Henry pounces forward, tackling Alex to the ground and giggling against his lips, their foreheads pressed together. He rolls off, laying by Alex's side now.

"Go on, love," Henry prompts softly.

Alex turns his head to look at him. "Remember that CD I made you?"

Henry turns to him as well, a grin forming on his lips. "I remember it quite clearly, yes."

"I thought I'd play you a song from it," Alex says, a shy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You want to serenade me?" Henry teases.

Alex sits himself up, picking up the guitar and placing it back in his lap. "Anything for my princess."

"I beg you not to call me that," Henry says with a scrunch of his nose, despite the faint blush on his cheeks and the smile that refuses to leave his face.

"You love it."

With an affectionate smile, Alex begins to strum the opening chords of "Songbird." Their eyes locked the whole time and Alex feels like they're in a cocoon—where it's just them, only them.

Henry tries to act like he's not totally enamored but the way his face softens speaks volumes that even Alex can hear.

Hours pass with them in the park on their blanket. They lie shoulder to shoulder, a few quick kisses exchanged and a lot of laughing—Alex's cheeks are quite sore, and he doesn't mind at all. As long as he has Henry laughing, nothing else matters.

"So..." Alex drawls, knocking his knees with Henry's.

Henry laughs softly as he rolls his head to look back at him. "So..."

"We're... friends?" Alex grimaces as he says it, realising how it sounds when it comes out.

"Well, no. I don't exactly do this–" Henry gestures between the two of them. "With my friends."

"I figured," Alex lets out a soft laugh. "I just mean, I don't want to assume anything or cross any boundaries—"

"I don't know if I can really tell you right now, Alex," Henry interjects, his expression solemn. "I don't really have it figured out yet."

Henry sighs, looking back up at the tree above him, Alex pulls his lips into a thin line and scrambles with his thoughts to somehow say the right thing. Alex doesn't mind not having a label, or knowing what he is with Henry, as long as he has him in his life. Alex would stay friends with Henry forever if he had to–although it would be quite challenging.

Alex clears his throat and shifts onto his side, facing Henry. "It doesn't have to be anything."

Henry follows suit, propping his head up with his hand. "I know I've been somewhat contradictory with what I want."

"Rightfully so," Alex quickly adds, and Henry smiles gently in response.

"You know, I'm not accustomed to someone being so..." Henry's gaze seems to be in search of the right word. "Patient."

"You don't usually struggle with words," Alex playfully teases.

"It's different with you," Henry laughs breathlessly.

"I have that effect on people," Alex quips with a smirk, his fingers idly tracing patterns on Henry's arm, which causes the hairs on his skin to stand on end, creating a trail of goosebumps.

"Definitely an effect." Henry shivers under Alex's fingers and without much of a pause, Henry places his lips onto Alex's mouth, pushing him onto his back. Their kiss deepens, a silent affirmation of the emotions they've been dancing around. Alex's hands find their way to Henry's waist, pulling him closer, their bodies fitting together as if they were made for each other. The world around them fades, leaving only the gentle rustle of leaves and the warmth of their entwined bodies.

Alex's hand slips to gently cradle his face and his fingers comb through Henry's hair, deepening the kiss. Their bodies press closer, a silent, unspoken desire passing between them. The connection between them, the palpable chemistry, feels like a current of electricity, charging the air around them.

As their lips finally part, Henry gazes into Alex's eyes, his voice barely above a whisper. "You make patience a beautiful thing."

Alex smiles, his heart swelling with emotion. "And you make it worth the wait."