The flight Alex and Henry were taking to the lake house for the Fourth left slightly later than expected, because Alex got caught up in studying. The flight from New York to Texas was as uneventful as most private flights with Amy embroidering a new jean jacket and Cash engaged in a conversation with Alex about something he just read in his law textbook. Shaan was spending this weekend with Zahara in DC. As soon as they touched down on the runway in Texas a visible burden was lifted off Alex's shoulders, as if he could breathe the air clearer.
"Finally, vacation. We've just been so busy, I'm excited to just spend time with June and Nora." Alex says.
"I'm so excited too, love" Henry says as he connects his hand to Alex's and they make their way to the Jeep.
The girls were already at the house. They left DC a few days before so Alex and Henry got the refurbished Jeep all to themselves. "Henry, this is going to be so fun, forcing you to do all these stereotypical American things. I have a whole playlist of patriotic adjacenct songs just for the drive down." Alex said as he slid into the driver's side and rolled down the windows.
"I beg you not to. June and Nora would never allow you to play such music" Henry states as Miley Cyrus's voice starts to play.
Alex replies "Just because Nora uses math to calibrate her playlists, doesn't mean everyone else's are bad. You know I have great taste in music". The chorus of the song starts to ring out as they make it onto the interstate, surrounded by both Alex and Henry security details.
"While you might have good taste in music, my ancestors are squirming in their graves over me listening to a song called "Party in the USA" on such an outrageous holiday, to celebrate America's independence from my country."
"You realize that our whole relationship has your ancestors cringing, you celebrating America's founding is really just the cherry on top. Really you should just enjoy the incredible American themed songs" Alex says as he hands Henry a Mexican Coke.
"Since you are so convincing, love, I will listen to the rest of your allegedly incredible playlist without complaints. If it is horrible though, I'm telling June and Nora".
"That seems fair, but it will be incredible" replies Alex. The rest of the drive goes smoothly, with a whole range of songs, from Taylor Swift to Jimmy Buffet filling the Jeep. Henry only complains when the Star Spangled Banner starts playing.
———-
As they make their way walking down the driveway carrying just their duffle bags, June shouts "Hey boys!!" as she and Nora engulf Alex and Henry in a hug.
"How was the drive down?" June says as everyone continues walking towards the house. tt
"It was great, I've been forcing patriotic things onto Henry" Alex replies smugly.
"I was stalking your Spotify and had questions about your playlist called "How to force royalty into being patriotic"- now all my questions have been answered" Nora quickly says as she helps Henry with his bag.
"I still have some more great ideas for Henry's American immersion, but I'm keeping them a secret," Alex says, smirking.
———-
"Today it's time for the most stereotypical American lake activities, tubing! It will be so fun" Alex says as Henry walks into the kitchen, looking slightly disheveled, but well rested. Alex is content at staring at Henry's morning hair for the rest of the day.
"What the bloody hell is tubing?" Henry questions, looking very concerned. "It sounds like some revolutionary torture device."
"It's only the most fun and American thing to do at a lake" June answers from the living room coach, where she is sitting with Nora reading what looks like a novel about some historical event. "Basically an inner tube is pulled behind a boat going fast"
"That seems...so American and so horrifying. Don't you have any scared people who live here?"
"We do, they just have to be fearless for tubing,very important to honor our country's founding. Fun fact today you will have to become fearless too, but at least Oscar is a good boat driver" Nora assures Henry.
"Hey, I'm good too!!" Alex inserts.
"I was going to say that" Nora bickers back, while June puts her book down.
"How did I not know you could drive a boat? I talk about sailing all the time" Henry says while staring at Alex flipping the bacon in his pan.
"I just never thought it was relevant". Alex replies, practically smirking.
"You knew it was relevant to me talking about boats"
"Hmmm, maybe I did and just wanted to keep something as a surprise for when you came back to the lake. If you go tubing, you'll get to see how good of a boat driver I am"
"We're all going tubing, after you finish cooking breakfast Alex" June says, reminding everyone of the task at hand. With the sound of sizzling filling the room, Alex adds another waffle to the waffle maker, and adds the one he just got off to a growing stack.
"The waffles are smelling great, Alex." Oscar's voice sounds as he shuffles into the kitchen.
"Can you and June go down and start preparing the boat? I don't trust Nora and Henry to go with you" Alex says as he focuses his attention back to the waffles.
"Hey, I'm offended, I'm very good around boats. Alex you know that I've been sailing for ....."
"Basically your whole life. Yes we get it." Nora cuts in. "Maybe Alex just doesn't want to be in the kitchen all alone. I however am not good around boats, and aren't even allowed to swim without a life jacket so that's why I was not invited."
"So what if I did want company, while simultaneously not trusting people around the boat. Even though June was a lifeguard, she couldn't save us all if you fools somehow messed it up"
"I don't plan on doing any saving today- I've been a retired lifeguard for far too long. I'm heading down to the boat" June replies as she steps out the screen door onto the back porch.
"I'll be right behind you, just getting some life jackets," Oscar says, turning to walk into the storage room, where most of the lake equipment is kept.
"Come on guys, help me get the table set. Let's get this show on the road" Alex says, when June and Oscar both leave.
"Ugh, putting us to work, what if we just want to watch you cook?" Nora says jokingly.
"Retweet, bitch"
"Nora, please stop forcing Henry to talk like you. You'll be able to watch me more on the boat, if we get breakfast finished. Can one of you go get June and Dad up here?"
"Of course, love" Henry replies while he's heading out the door. Alex looks lost in thought, forgetting Nora is still there.
"Y'all are just too cute, I'm dying, literally deceased because of you guys. Also I'm curious as to why are so forcefully trying to get Henry onto the tube, Alenjandro" Nora comments, while tilting her head and watching Alex reply.
"I just think it will be hilarious to fling him off the tube, giving him the true taste of Fourth of July" Alex declares right as Henry walks back in with June and Oscar in tow.
"The boat's all ready to go when y'all are ready," Oscar says.
"Perfect. Breakfast is serve yourself, so everyone can dig in" Alex responds as he gestures to the giant stack of waffles and the plate of bacon. Everyone practically lunges towards the kitchen with plates in hand.
Five minutes later, June breaks the silence of everyone eating, "It's not fair you're such a good cook Alex, my and Nora have to eat takeout pretty much every night, since neither one of us can cook".
"You could have taught yourself, just like I did." Alex says, almost looking smug at the compliment.
"Does Alex cook great meals for you Henry?" Nora asks while glancing down the table where Alex and Henry are sitting beside each other.
"Sometimes, when he remembers to take his eyes off a textbook. There's also a lot of great restaurants in New York" Henry replies, looking a little taken back by the question. Not wanting everyone to comment on how Alex sometimes just gets so caught up in his work, he forgets that he can cook, Henry likes Alex in sort for his passion though.
"Come on everyone, stop talking about how great I am, and just enjoy the food I made" Alex shifting the attention back fully to himself.
Thirty minutes later, Alex is almost pushing Henry through the woods to get out to the boat. "Come on, it will be so fun."
"It's not that I don't trust you, love. It's that your definition of love is slightly different than mine."
"Although that's true, since I am so much more fun than you, you can ride on the float with June, she'll keep you plenty safe. We've been tubing in Lake LBJ forever" Alex says as he jumps onto the boat. "Do you want to get on the boat right now, just to see it, or would you rather get straight on the tube?"
"Let's just get this done, I'll do that tubing thing first". Henry declares as he puts on his life jacket.
"Please video all of this Nora" June says as she hops on the float. Henry quickly jumps on the tube after June, since he sees it drifting further and further towards the dock.
"Please don't go too fast Alex, love" Henry emphasizes as he sits up on the tube, knuckles clinging to the handles of the float.
"Oh don't be scared Henry. Alex is a perfectly fine driver" Oscar yells from where he is sitting at the front of the boat. Nora looks content sitting at the back of the boat, close to Alex as she videos June and Henry.
Alex gets the boat going slow, trying to lull Henry into a false sense of comfort. He slowly takes a turn into another part of the lake, where he picks up a bit of speed. He sees the tube bobbing a little bit over the wake from where they turned, but not enough to fully knock Henry off. During this part of the lake he continues to speed up, as he makes a circle around the inlet. Alex makes a quick turn back towards the part of the lake where the house is, hoping to throw Henry off. When he looks back, he sees that Henry is nearly six feet in the air, screaming, while June is dying of laughter from the tube. Alex stops the boat, while Henry swims towards them.
"You told me it would be slow and fun" Henry whines as he climbs into the boat.
"It was fun and slow for how I usually go" Alex replies, handing Henry a towel.
"That was not slow, kid. Henry, he was definitely trying to throw you off the tube" Oscar says as he gets behind the wheel, to keep pulling June.
"Why did you want to throw me off?"
"It's such a stereotypical American Fourth of July and I thought I'd get funny pictures. Once June gets off, we can ride together and I promise to not let you fly off."
"I sure hope you got good pictures, that was horrifying. And now I'm all wet."
After about 5 minutes, June decided that she was done tubing and just wanted to hangout in the boat.
"Please don't throw us off the tube, Dad, Henry will definitely not come back to the lake house." Alex says as he watches Henry climb back into the tube and puts on his life jacket
"I'll keep it gentle, but you and I both know that Henry will go wherever you are, even if it requires speeding through a lake on a tube". Oscar responds as Alex finishes up putting on his life jacket and climbs into the water.
Once both boys are settled on the float, Oscar starts slowly driving across the lake.
"I would have thought life jackets would tarnish your fearless reputation" Henry says, while glancing up and down at Alex.
"Absolutely not. I care upmost about safety. My daredevil image stays strictly within the bounds of being safe" Alex says, as he begins to stand on the tube.
"Now explain to me how standing up on the tube is safe"
"In the grand scheme of the world it's safe, like I'm a great swimmer and I'm wearing a life jacket. I'd be fine if I fell." As if Oscar Diaz had the best hearing in the world at that moment, he turned the boat, sending Alex flying through the air and hitting the water in a surprisingly good dive. Henry jumped in the lake after him as his laughs filled the air.
"Karma's a bitch I guess, love" Henry says once he reaches Alex.
"Shush, my dad is looking out for you, I guess" Alex offered, as he pulled Henry close to him with his legs. "Did you have a more fun time with me?" Alex asks.
"You know I did" Henry begins to say as June interrupts yelling, " y'all are in the middle of the lake, just swim towards the boat and make out later".
Embarrassed, Henry and Alex both swim as fast as they can towards the boat, where Nora is cackling.
"I got that whole thing on video. Alex launching out of the tube. I will be watching this forever." Nora declares, as Alex is sliding in the driver's seat and Oscar is taking his seat back in the front of the boat.
——
Later that night Alex has an even more American idea. "Come on, let's go down to the lake. A little do over from last year, plus there'll be fireworks, which is even better" Alex says, as he's walking out the bedroom door.
"There's truly nothing more American than launching missiles in the air to celebrate" Henry replies.
"Oh be quiet, fireworks were literally invented in China". They finish the rest of the walk down to the edge of the water in a comfortable silence, with Alex only pausing to take a picture of Henry in front of red and blue fireworks.
"What are these infernal creatures, they are going to kill me off!" Henry says breaking the silence. As Alex shoves him off the dock he yells "Not this again".
Author's note
This was inspired by hanging out with my friend at her lake house for the Fourth and the title is inspired by Taylor Swift's You Are in Love, which is one of my favorite songs from 1989. Also this is my first fic in awhile, so bear with me as I get back into it.