Work Text:
Alex has made a lot of bad decisions in his life. Really, he's no stranger to them. In fact, he has a tally of all his Bad Decisions etched onto the wall, right over the side of his bed in his tour bus. There's already 19 tallies on there, and they've toured six cities so far. He just needs to add one more to it, round up that figure. Fuck, what has he done.
See, in his defence, they'd just got done playing a two hour show for 80,000 people, he's been on the road for days, and he's practically running on no sleep, alright?
So, he might have forgotten to switch to his burner account before he'd tweeted that. Like, yeah, he's famous, of course he has an burner account. He loves to look at all the fan theories, what they think of their shows, their album rankings, their favourite lyrics. Like, every famous person does that, okay? So what is he'd gotten a little carried away and started interacting with other accounts? So what if he'd started tweeting about random shit on there without a filter? So what if he constantly thirst tweeted about Henry fucking Fox on there? It wasn't a crime.
Henry Fox. The lead singer and the bass player of Penrose Steps. God, even their band name was pretentious. Like, alright, a person could climb Penrose Steps forever and never get any higher, which, okay, is a great metaphor about not being able to move on from, like, anything ever, but really? They could've named themselves something basic like, oh, the Foxies and still have millions of people cry over them. Well, Alex gets why he wasn't allowed to come with his own band name, but his point still stands. With over 100 million monthly listeners, Henry's band was making headlines all over the world. Alex hates the fact they're talented because, like, fuck Henry, alright? He had no right to be that hot, talented, funny and a genuinely good person. Like why did he make Alex want to pull his hair out because he'd caught a glimpse of that soft dip below his ribs and make his heart flutter by just donating thousands of dollars. It wasn't fucking fair. Alex really, really doesn't like him. That's alright because Henry hates him.
Their bands have never gotten along— Acid Dreams and Penrose Steps were rivals. Henry, Bea, Pez, Spencer versus Alex, June, Nora and Liam. Okay, fine, maybe he's just being dramatic about their bands, but Henry and Alex were rivals. They'd never gotten along. Alex had been twenty-one when he'd first met Henry. He was so new to this entire 'fame' thing, and it was his first award ceremony ever. Their band was seated with Henry's, and when he'd tries making conversation, the fucker just angled his body away from him before he started talking to his bandmate, Pez, in hushed whispers. Whatever. He didn't want to be friends with that man anyway. He could admit he was bitter about it all, though. He'd started slipping little digs at Henry when the interviewers brought up Penrose Steps. Zahra tried to stop it, but she'd given up years ago. He knows he should be more professional, but something about Henry just riled him up so much. Despite what June says, no, he wasn't doing it to get Henry's attention. Their fans— fuck, even the general public— knows about the rivalry between them, and they never stop bringing it up.
Which is exactly why he's so fucked. Look, he hadn't meant to. He's usually very careful about what account he's tweeting from, and he usually has two phones, just for this reason. One phone is logged into all his band accounts, and the other one had all his personal accounts. He'd forgotten his personal phone at home and decided to say fuck it and log into his personal ones on this phone. Biggest. Mistake. Ever.
So, like, he'd just played a long ass show, taken a shower, crashed into his cramped bed, shutting the curtain behind him. With his face smushed into the pillow, he looked through his timeline, loathing the fact Henry was on a tour, too. Yeah, he follows Penrose Steps fan accounts, sue him. Anyway, half-dead to the world, he was looking at pictures of Henry, ignoring the way his stomach had swooped after every new picture he saw. Henry, with a black leather jacket, stood there with his fingers wrapped around his bass guitar, his lips stretched in a gorgeous alright-looking grin. His blue eyes were glittering, and the column of his neck was shining with sweat. He had a couple of necklaces hanging around his neck, and glitter on his incredibly sharp cheekbones. His hair was sticking to his forehead, little curls right above his ear. There were a couple of earrings glinting under the strobe lights, and Alex ignored the heat in his stomach when a video of Henry's fingers, adorned in rings, were flying over the strings started playing. Cursing, he put his headphones in to grudgingly listen to Henry sing, the words sounding obscene in his accent. Christ, why did that little shit had to be perfect at everything? It should've been illegal—Henry needs to be locked up.
Listen. His burner account is his safe space, alright? He tweets things without thinking about them too much. He's allowed to be himself on there without any additional pressure of maintaining the 'perfect image'. He allows himself to acknowledge the fact he's low-level attracted to Henry on there. He can say things he wants without anyone judging him, including himself. He's free. So, Alex tweets about him on there a lot. It's honestly embarrassing. It's second nature at this point, so he doesn't think about it too much when he tweets the picture on there.
alex @theagcd
they way i would let him [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] me just give me ONE fucking chance that's all i'm asking for i need him in a way that is honestly concerning please i would do ANYTHING i mean it
[1 picture attached]
He realises he's fucked up the second his phone starts vibrating crazily. With shaky hands, he unlocks the phone and feels all the blood drain from his face when he notices he's tweeted the fucking thirst tweet about Henry on his main band account instead of his burner account
"No, no, no, no, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," he mutters as he tries to delete the tweet, his hands too shaky to do it on the first try.
Fuck, he's in so much trouble. Forget Henry, Zahra is going to get to him first. He's in so much shit. He groans again as he refreshes his timeline, seeing all the fan accounts tweet the screenshots of his now-deleted tweet. He knows this is going to end up plastered everywhere. He's never going to be able to escape this. They're both in famous bands that are technically taking over the whole fucking world, and don't even get him started on the amount of fans that ship them, whatever that means. Fine, okay, he knows what it means, and alright, he might have read fanfictions about them. He sees the potential, not that he'd admit it to anyone. Henry hates him, anyway. Henry. Alex dreads to think of Henry's reaction to Alex basically declaring he wants to fuck Henry to the world. How is he so fucking stupid?
Sighing, he pulls up Twitter to draft another tweet. There's no getting out of this. His notifications are still blowing up, and he debates throwing his phone out of the window.
alex @theagcd
if i say i was hacked will y'all believe me my dignity is on the line here
leo @cruelsummerhfmw
absolutely not
luke @saigonafi
no
henry defence squad @henryluver
obviously not let's fucking GO #PenroseDreams truthers
michael @inthealps
what's going on i'm so lost you decide to go study for ONCE and suddenly the whole tl is blowing up
ella @foxdiaz
HI OOMF WELCOME BACK LMFAO ALEX TWEETED A THIRST TWEET ABOUT HENRY AND DELETED IT IN UNDER A MINUTE
michael @inthealps
WAIT HENRY AS IN HENRY FOX AS IN HENRY FROM PENROSE STEPS AS IN HENRY WHO HATES ALEX HENRY AS IN THE HENRY ALEX HATES????????
Well, Alex wouldn't go as far as saying he hated Henry. Maybe, like, really fucking strongly disliked him. But, of course these fans won't let him ignore the whole thing and forget about this. It's fucking humiliating. The rational side of him knows he should've waited for his manager's instructions before tweeting the second tweet, but his brain wasn't working. He's probably, no, definitely, made things worse for himself. They could've worked out a strategy. But no, Alex had to act without thinking again.
His phone vibrates again after he's put it on DND and he sees it's a text from June.
Bug
hey baby bro just saw
your twitter what's going on
don't call me that
i was hacked?
no you weren't
what happened tell me
so you know i have that
undercover stan account right
i thought i was logged in on there
but i obviously wasn't
wait
let me just get this straight
or... not straight
you thirst tweet ab henry on
your stan account???
i thought it was to keep tabs
on what the fans are saying ab us
of course it is
i just got... distracted
of course you did
i honestly can't say i'm
surprised
you've been obsessed
with him for years now
are you okay tho
did z kill you yet
i'm just gonna.. ignore that
i'm fine i guess i dunno
doesn't really feel real
i'm dreading henry seeing that
z hasn't gotten in touch yet
send back up pls :(
i'm sure it will be fine!!
sorry nora and i have a date
you're on your own kid
you're the worst
lmk what z says and call me
if you need anything
thanks i will
hey bug?
yeah?
i'm sorry
i know the media is going
to go crazy over this
i should've been paying
more attention
alex shut up it's alright
plus we don't have interviews
for a while so it will be okay
don't worry yeah?
okay love you
go have fun w nora now
love you too!!
Alex wakes up the next morning and groans into his pillow when he recollects what'd gone down the previous night. He winces as he remembers the phone call with Zahra and the lecture he'd gotten. Zahra had threatened confiscating his phone, and he'd begged her not to until she relented. He thinks of all the fan accounts that had started obsessively tagging him under pictures and videos of Henry. Like, yeah, they used to do that before this mess, but the frequency had drastically increased. Look, he couldn't say he really minded it, but he had to put up a front, alright? So he turned off the option to be tagged in pictures. However, it didn't stop their fans from @ing him under these tweets.
Alex checks his phone, letting out a quiet sigh when he realises Henry hasn't gotten into touch or said anything about it. He can't lie, he feels a little disappointed, but he brushes that off. It doesn't matter.
He opens Twitter, wanting to see if any news outlets have picked up on what had happened. Obviously, they had.
Music Updates @MusicUpdates
Alex Claremont-Diaz of Acid Dreams tweets about wanting Henry Fox of Penrose Steps to give him 'one fucking chance' in a now-deleted tweet!
[1 picture attached]
The Sun @TheSun
Alex Claremont-Diaz, singer/guitarist of Acid Dream talks about wanting to get together with Henry Fox, the lead singer/bassist of Penrose Steps, a source reports.
www.thesun.com/today/acd-hf
Pop Base @PopBase
Alex of Acid Dreams is 'willing to do anything' to get 'one fucking chance' with Henry Fox of Penrose Steps, People reports.
Fuck, did they really have to word it like that? He knows those are his words, but they could've softened the blow. He knows it's all for clicks, and he feels his face heat up. God, this shit is embarrassing.
Not for the first time, he wonders about Henry's reactions to these articles. Henry'd come out as gay a few years ago, just before Alex had come out as bisexual. He hopes Henry isn't disgusted by all this. He almost wants to reach out, but he doesn't. That would be stupid. Instead, he logs out of his personal band account and switches to his stan account. Time to get the intel from the people themselves. He knows people don't totally hate the idea of them together— quite the opposite, really— but he needs to know what're they really thinking. The fans are calling them PenroseDreams, and he thinks it's cooler than AlexHenry. He doesn't really mind it.
william @alltoounwell
guys omg what if #penrosedreams are secretly dating
sun @princeofrockh
just bc henry is gay and alex is bi doesn't mean they're automatically dating
william @alltoounwell
i said it bc alex basically admitted that he wants to fuck henry but alright...
sun @princeofrockh
stop sexualising him
william @alltoounwell
???? are you fucking stupid what do you think "they way i would let him [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] me" and "i need him in a way that is honestly concerning" means pls get tf outta here before i block you
It was pretty incriminating, Alex agrees. He exits the thread, laughing at people arguing on Twitter. It's a part of the charm of the app. He looks through more tweets, his heart rate picking up every time someone implies that they're dating/fucking around. He's too afraid to admit that he wishes it were true.
jade @acddefender
this is from three weeks ago at the grammys red carpet they have to be dating they're just standing a little distance away but like hello the chemistry is insane
[1 video attached]
taylor @penrosedreamsvinyls
THE WAY ALEX STARTS LOOKING AROUND THE SECOND THE PHOTOGRAPHERS SAY HENRY IS HERE
jade @acddefender
AND WHEN HENRY WALKS OVER TO BASICALLY STAND NEXT TO HIM
nick (taylor's version) @junescardigan
DID Y'ALL SEE THE LOOK JUNE GAVE ALEX WHEN HENRY STARTED WALKING CLOSER
taylor @penrosedreamsvinyls
HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THAT I WAS BUSY LOOKING AT PEZ ALMOST SHOVING HENRY TOWARDS ALEX
jade @acddefender
I'M TELLING YOU THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON ALEX BASICALLY CHECKS HIM OUT HE'S SO OBVIOUS
nick (taylor's version) @junescardigan
HENRY ISN'T GIVING ANYTHING AWAY BUT THE WAY BEA IS SIDE-EYEING HIM???
taylor @penrosedreamsvinyls
DON'T KNOW ABOUT DATING BUT SOMETHING VERY NOT HETEROSEXUAL IS HAPPENING
sophie @pendreamsbfs
OH PENROSEDREAMS ARE DEFINITELY FUCKING LOOK AT THAT HICKEY ON HENRY'S NECK THIS IS FROM TWO DAYS AGO
[1 picture attached]
drew @noraaron
? they were in literally different cities stop being so delusional and invasive
Alex feels a little sick as he zooms onto Henry's neck. The skin looks red, yes, but it could also be from the strap of his bass digging into his skin at an odd angle. He really hopes it's from the bass. He shakes off the weird feeling, quickly scrolling past that thread. The thought of Henry fucking someone makes him want to puke, and he doesn't want to think about that right now.
luke @henryonfilm
STOP THEY'RE SHARING CLOTHES IT'S SO OBVIOUS THAT'S SO PRECIOUS
[2 pictures attached]
ellen @beasgf
AS MUCH AS I WANT THIS TO BE TRUE THEY'RE DIFFERENT HOODIES THEY JUST LOOK THE SAME LOOK AT THE STITCHING ON THE SHOULDER THEY'RE DIFFERENT PATTERNS
luke @henryonfilm
NOOOOO!! WELL AT LEAST THEY HAVE SIMILAR TASTE LMAO
eli @pezlover
soooooooooo can someone drop #penrosedreams fic recs pls xx
Alex is only a little ashamed to admit he bookmarks the last tweet.
That evening, an unknown number texts him. He furrows his brow as he opens the text thread. It's difficult to get his number— this better not be a stalker or something.
+44 7022367043
[1 video attached]
Hi, strumpet! This is Pez btw
From Penrose Steps
The exquisite June gave me
your number, I hope you
don't mind xx
I reckon you're going to
love this video :)
uh hi
how's it going?
you have june's no???
Well, we've been keeping
in touch since the Grammy's.
you have??? she didn't tell
me that
Now you know, darling!
Better get to the video. I
have a feeling you need to
see it.
uh thanks??
Not a problem. If Henry
kills me, let the world know
I did it for a noble cause.
henry??? did he see the
uh
Your tweet? Yes, he did.
Rather difficult to avoid.
yeah i guess so
what'd he say?
does he hate me?
more than he usually
does i mean
Darling, look at the video.
Cryptic, but alright. Pez had always been a little eccentric. Alex thought he was really fucking cool. He was the drummer, and Alex always looked forward to seeing Pez's make up on stage— it was all really creative.
He opens the video, turning up the volume little. He almost drops his phone when he sees Henry sitting on the couch in what looks like a dressing room backstage. He's relaxed, his long legs stretched open. Alex feels his mouth water. He's wearing grey sweatpants that hang low on his hips, and a loose tank top that exposes his arms. Fuck, Alex wants to lick his biceps. Is it absurd? That's absurd. One of his arms is covered in tattoos and Alex longs to trace them with his fingers, and then his tongue. He wants to taste the skin under his mouth, his tongue flat against the ink. Henry's blond hair is flopped over his forehead in messy waves and Alex wants to run his hands through it. He feels like one of Henry's fans. What has his life come to?
He sees Bea enter the frame, her phone in her hand. She's grinning down at it, and she checks that the camera is recording before she heads over to the couch. She hands Henry her phone and says, "Hey, Hen. Did you see this?"
Henry furrows his eyebrows and Alex wants to soothe the frown away. God, what is he thinking? He doesn't like Henry like that. He's just... lusting after him. Then, he hears Henry squeak before he drops the phone, his eyes wide. A blush is quickly making its way over his face, the tips of his ears practically scarlet.
"What?" Henry practically shouts, his eyes wide.
"Looks like your urge to fuck Alex is... mutual," Pez cackles.
Mutual. Pez said mutual. He rewinds the video, just to made sure. Henry wants him, too. He might hate Alex as a person, but he wants him. Christ. He feels faint as he rewinds the video again, letting it play further.
"Maybe he just tweeted the wrong picture," Henry rationalises. "I don't think it was meant to be my picture."
"Henry," Spencer says flatly. "You're being stupid."
"He hates me!" Henry exclaims, his eyebrows shooting upwards.
"Does he hate you, or do you think he hates you?" Bea asks with an amused huff.
"No, he definitely hates me," Henry replies. "Don't you remember every dig he's taken at me over the years? Unprovoked, may I add? He can't stand me."
"Maybe he wants to fuck you despite that," Spencer laughs.
Henry frowns.
"No, I don't want to be hate fucked. That's not my thing," Henry mutters.
Huh. Didn't Pez just say Henry wanted to fuck Alex as well? Does this mean he doesn't hate Alex? He wants to reach into the screen and get all his answers from this version of Henry who's so open.
"He doesn't hate you, Hen," Bea says softly.
"You don't know that!"
"Actually," Pez starts. "June made that very clear. He doesn't hate you, it's just. Well, you were a prick to him when you first met him, weren't you?"
Alex is going to murder June. Just what has she been saying about him to all these people. Like, okay, she's not wrong, but Henry doesn't need to know that. He'd like to keep the illusion of hate two-sided, thank you very much.
He watches in fascination as Henry's face floods with guilt and he wishes he could just talk to him. If Henry doesn't hate Alex, and Alex doesn't hate Henry, then there's been some miscommunication. Like, he gets that Henry might just been having a bad day when they first met, but Alex had just assumed Henry hated him and he had to keep up the rivalry.
"Dad had just-" Henry starts to say, but Bea interrupts him with a squeeze to his shoulder, cutting him off.
"We know," she says gently. "He probably didn't."
"You should talk to him," Spencer suggests.
A horrified expression crosses his face, and Alex is almost offended.
"I can't," Henry pleads and Alex sees the fear in his face. "He'll know. He'll know I've lov-"
The video abruptly cuts off like Pez didn't want Alex to hear the rest of it. Alex feels antsy with the need to find out what was Henry going to say. It almost sounded like love. Fuck. Fuck Pez for ending that so abruptly. He needs to know what happens next. Does Henry not hate him?
Pez
watched it
what was that
Talk to him, dear.
A conversation is long
overdue.
why are you doing this?
getting involved i mean
sending me this video
Because I care about him.
I figure, on some level, you
do, too. I don't think it's all
lust-based, believe it or not.
I know he'll never reach out,
no matter how much he
wants to.
If there's anything I can do
to make him happy, I'll do it.
He deserves that.
you're a good friend pez
you're right it's not only
lust-based
i have so many questions
send me his number after
making sure it's okay w
him pls?
Alright, Alexander. I'll ask.
Sorry for the delay, I was
just making sure.
Here you go:
+44 7710709632
thank you i owe you
you really are a good friend
I know ;)
Now go get your man.
Alex's stomach swoops as he reads 'your man.' He wishes. Maybe he won't have to anymore. With shaky hands, he saves Henry's number. Then, he texts June. They're on the tour bus, driving to the next city, and she's in her bed.
Bug
i know what you did
i'm not completely
mad but i'm like about
to text hen and i'm v
nervous can you come
to my bed
bffr you should thank me
i just got you the number
of the boy you've been
crushing on for years
be right there!!
you didn't do shit
but thank you or whatever
<3
June pulls the curtain open with a rustle and sits opposite Alex, their legs crossed. There's a shit-eating grin on her face as she nudges Alex, and despite himself, he smiles.
"Nervous?"
"Yeah," Alex says with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What did Pez say?"
"So, I think there might have been a bit of a miscommunication. I think Henry doesn't hate me? Or doesn't completely hate me?"
"Alex, I've been saying that for years!"
"I know, I know," he relents. "Uh, he might, um, want me, too?"
"I fucking knew it!" June shouts.
"You didn't know shit!" Alex counters.
"Uh, I so did! There's no heterosexual explanation for acting the way y'all have!"
"We don't even talk!" Alex cries indignantly.
"No, but y'all send each other longing glances when the other isn't looking, you literally have pictures of him saved on your phone-- don't deny it-- and then there's the fact Henry looks at you like he's half-way in love with you."
"He does not!"
"He does! You'll see."
"Fuck, you're making me more nervous, Bug," Alex murmurs, running a hand through his hair.
"Hey," she said, nudging their socked feet together. "It's just Henry. It'll be fine."
"Yeah, I hope so. Here goes nothing," Alex says, opening up Henry's contact.
Henry
uh hi this is alex
i just wanted to apologise
for that tweet. i'm sorry you
got dragged into this mess
because of me
Hello, Alex. Thank you
for reaching out. You truly
don't have to apologise.
I believe all the media
attention must've been
quite hard for you.
We can pretend you were
hacked, if you prefer. Your
dignity is on the line, after all.
ahaha you never told me you
were funny, fox
but that's really kind, thank
you sweetheart
i meant what i said tho
sorry if that made you
uncomfortable
I've always been funny. Where
have you been?
Thank you for apologising, but
as I said, there's no need to.
It didn't make me uncomfortable.
mad at you because of some
miscommunication apparently
tell me. you know i don't like hate
you or whatever right?
Uh, no, I didn't know that.
In the spirit of disclosing things,
I don't hate you either.
I'm sorry I was an arse to you
when we first met. Not that
it's an excuse, but my father
had just passed away, and the
management wouldn't let me
skip the any events, especially
since it was the awards season.
I hated every second of it. I was
an arse to everyone, and I'm truly
sorry. By the time I realised I'd hurt
you, it was too late and you'd
started making digs at me, so I
thought it was best to leave
you alone.
fuck now i feel like i should
apologise
i'm sorry about you dad, hen
you didn't deserve that
i'm sorry ab my interviews, i
was just really bitter about the
rejection. i'd looked up to you
for a while, esp since we were a
new band too and it sucked— the
way you behaved
think we can start over?
Thank you, I appreciate that.
Yes, I'd like starting over very
much.
hi im alex i play the guitar and i
sing and my band is called acid
dreams and we're kinda cool
Hi, I'm Henry. I play the bass and
I sing. My band is called Penrose
Steps, and we're kinda cool, too.
Can I ask why Acid Dreams?
lovely meeting you sweetheart
well it was not actually supposed
to be our name but we experiment
with our music a lot and sometimes
it just feels v hazy and something
you hear in a dream so it just
stuck y'know
Yeah, I understand that. I think
the name really suits the band.
yeah? listen to us much
sweetheart?
Yes, you're honestly one of
my favourite bands.
wow i ought to put this on
my cv or something
THE henry fox loves us that's
a big deal
i love your band too btw
you're insanely popular
shoutout4shoutout?
You're absurd.
you love it
God help me, I really do.
so sweetheart as nice as this is
i was thinking...
Careful there, or you might
hurt yourself.
LMAO shut up asshole
I WAS THINKING
do you wanna help me break
the internet
consider it a payment
A payment for what?
being so hot you made my
brain melt and made me
thirst tweet ab you on the
main
like that was so embarrassing
you must pay
Oh.
Well, alright then, darling.
I guess I'll HAVE to. How do
you propose we do this?
glad you asked baby
ok firstly we follow each other
next you and i are going to
meet up in two days i checked
and we're gonna be in the
same city and i'm going to
take you on a date and then
i'm going to kiss that
ridiculously attractive face of
yours. then we take a picture
of us kissing, i make it my
lockscreen, take a screenshot
and then i tweet it saying
'well my boyfriend's in a band'
bc i know you love lana del rey
we break the internet
unless you have any objections?
No! No objections at all. Not
a single one. I'm SO on-board
with this idea. Let's break the
internet, love.
fucking stellar
can't fucking wait baby
so like you have a british accent
Astute observation.
yeah yeah. MY POINT IS
you should call me so i can
hear you call me 'love' in that
fuckass accent
I have a feeling you like my
'fuckass accent.'
i plead the fifth
God forbid you actually
compliment me.
HELLO
WERE YOU THE ONE WHO
HAD A BREAKDOWN OVER HOW
HOT YOU ARE IN FRONT OF
100 MILLION PEOPLE
OH WAIT THAT WAS ME
HOW DARE YOU
just you wait i'm the
most competitive person
ever get ready to be
SHOWERED in compliments
baby esp since we're gonna
be boyfriends and all
Christ, Alex. You can't just
say that.
Give me a minute, I'm going
to call you.
Alex looks up from his phone, a huge grin on his face. He notices that June's already left. Huh. He hadn't even noticed that. Whatever. Henry is going to call him and he feels giddy with excitement. Now, without the ruse of having to hate Henry, he can honestly admit he's really fucking obsessed with Henry's band and their music. They're insane. He's in love with Henry's voice, and the fact he's going to hear it makes him want to scream like one of those fans who queue for hours just to get a good spot at Penrose Steps' shows. He's no better than them.
Alex picks up the call on the first ring.
"Baby," he breathes, closing his eyes, lying down in his bed.
He hears the hitch in Henry's breath and he smiles softly. He can't wait to feel that hitch when Alex holds him close and calls him 'baby.' He can't wait for learn all of Henry's expressions— what all of them mean. All the versions of his smile.
"Alex," Henry sighs in relief.
"Baby, get on with it. I'm waiting, you know. I don't have all day," Alex teases.
"You're a menace," Henry says and Alex can hear the smile in his voice. He wants to see it so badly.
"Your menace, now," Alex grins. "Hey, sweetheart, can we switch to FaceTime? I want to see you."
"Of course we can, love," Henry says softly, and Alex's breath stutters in his chest. Fuck, he's in too deep.
When Henry's face fills the screen, he has to take a deep breath in because he can't fucking breathe. He's so fucking etheral.
"I suddenly remember why I tweeted that fucking tweet," Alex’s mouth says before his brain processes it and he winces in embarrassment.
Henry laughs that gorgeous laugh of his, his face turning red, and Alex wants to crawl through the screen to get to him to hold him to his chest.
"Hey," Alex says softly, eyes fixed on Henry's face.
"Hi, love," Henry smiles and Alex traces his face through the screen.
"I can't wait to see you," Alex confesses.
"Me either. The next two days are going to be torture."
"They are. It's gonna be worth it, Hen. Can I come to your show on Saturday? We're playing our second show on Friday in Glasgow, and then leaving for London on Monday, so my weekend is pretty free."
"I'd love nothing more," Henry grins. Alex feels warmth down to his fucking bones. "I'll see to it that you're on the guestlist. Will anyone else be joining you?"
"Uh, I think the rest of the band will? If that's okay? As embarrassing as this is, they've probably waiting for this day for years, so they wouldn't want to miss it."
"Of course it's okay, love. I can't wait for our friends to get together. I think Bea, Pez and June are well-acquainted already," Henry says, smiling.
Then he looks at the floor. Hesitantly, looking at Alex through his lashes, Henry asks, "Waiting for this day for years?"
"Now, don't let this get to your head, sweetheart, but June thinks I've been trying to get your attention for years because of my crush on you," Alex says, a half-smile on his face. His face heats up.
"Were you?"
"I think so," Alex says slowly. "I didn't want to agree with the crush bit, but looking back, it's probably true. I just. I was so bitter about you ignoring me that I didn't want to acknowledge it."
He sees Henry's face flood with guilt and he titters in annoyance. "None of that now, baby. We're past that. Let's just go from here, 'kay?"
Henry nods.
"I've fancied you for years, too," Henry says, his voice gentle. His eyes are shining with emotion are Alex wishes they weren't in different cities so he could hug him.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Quite frankly, along with drowning in my sorrow, I was intimidated by how good you looked when we first met back then."
"No way," Alex says in disbelief, his eyes widening. "You were intimidated by how good I looked? Baby, have you ever looked in a mirror?"
Henry laughs bashfully and Alex curses the distance again.
"Anyway," Henry tries changing the subject unsubtly, and Alex lets him. "You said something about breaking the internet?"
Alex beams. Oh, it's so on.
josh @penrosestairss
GUYS ALEX JUST FOLLOWED HENRY WHAT IS HAPPENING
ryan @perfectdreams
HENRY JUST FOLLOWED ALEX BACK FHDFKJASALSJDA
sarah @norajunesarah
GUYS WHAT ALEX JUST LIKED HENRY'S POST IT HAS BEEN THREE MINUTES SINCE HE POSTED IT
i'm a mirrorball @acidsteps
I KNEW HE WAS DOWN BAD BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS SO DOWN BAD
sarah @norajunesarah
HE THIRST TWEETED ABOUT HIM WHEN HE HAS 100 MILLION FOLLOWERS DOWN BAD DOESN'T EVEN BEGIN TO COVER IT
henryfox Edinburgh, you were a dream! Thank you for one of the best nights of our lives :)
@pezlikethesweets YOU'RE SO HOT THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND YOU GUYS!
@theagcd henry fox are you free on sunday night i was wondering if you wanted to go out on sunday night because i am free on sunday night and i wanna go out with you on sunday night because i am free on sunday night are you available on sunday night when i am free so we can hang out if you are free on sunday nig
38,969 comments
abby @falsegod
DID Y'ALL SEE ALEX'S COMMENT ON HENRY'S POST I'M FUCKING SCREAMING THAT BOY HAS NO SHAME
blake @aciidjune
he's just like me fr
Alex waits outside his tour bus, arms crossed, fingers tapping his forearms. Henry is going to be here any second and Alex can't wait to see him. They've barely stopped talking these past two days. The only time they've stepped away from their phones is for rehearsals, soundchecks, and the show. Who needs sleep, anyway? His bandmates are sick of him whispering and giggling over the phone all night, but they encouraged this, so they can deal with the consequences.
He watches as a black car stops by the bus, and then Henry steps out in all his glory. Alex doesn't give him a chance to react-- he jumps right into Henry's arms, his arms wrapping around his shoulders, his face buried in the crook of his neck. He's on his tip toes, and their height difference is doing it for him.
"Baby, you're here," Alex whispers, tearing up when he feels Henry shiver against him.
This is the first time they're actually touching, but it feels like coming home. Henry smells like freshly cut grass and clean linen, and Alex wants to bottle up the smell so he can use it when they're apart. He tightens his hold when he feels Henry rubbing his back, and gently dropping a kiss on the top of his head.
"I'm here," Henry says, and Alex can hear the smile in his voice, so he pulls back to look at that face he adores so much.
"Hi," Alex says as he cups Henry's cheeks, the pads of his thumbs gently tracing those sharp cheekbones he's dreamt about.
"Hello, love," Henry smiles, his cheeks squished.
Alex rests their foreheads together, closing his eyes so he can just bask in Henry's presence. Hell, he's wanted this for years. He stands there, wrapped in Henry's embrace, until Henry slides a hand in his hair, tugging slightly.
"I missed you," Henry says. "Is that weird? We've never talked in person before, not properly, but I missed you like I'd miss a lost limb."
"See, now at times like these I remember you write songs for a living, and you're fucking great at that," Alex smiles. "But, no, it's not weird. I missed you more," Alex says.
"I don't think that's possible," Henry whispers, bringing their faces closer.
"Yeah?" Alex challenges. "Wanna kiss about it?"
He swallows Henry's answering laugh as he slots their lips together, and suddenly, a thousand lyrics come to his mind. Half-fractured sentences that he could fit in half-finished songs. Tunes and symphonies he wants to record into his phone before he forgets them. Instead, he slides a hand in Henry's hair to pull him closer, his tongue tracing his bottom lip, begging for entrance. When their tongues meet, Alex swears he can write Henry a thousand romantic songs— he feels like everything suddenly makes sense. Like he suddenly has a purpose. Like he finally understands all those stupid love songs he's always hated. Gasping, Henry pulls back, his head resting on Alex's shoulder.
"That was..."
"Yeah," Alex breaths. "Just... just don't look at me weird for this, okay?"
Alex, with a hand on the back of Henry's head to hold him in place, pulls out his phone to record a tune into his Voice Notes. He hums it, his hand running through Henry's hair. Henry relaxes against him, snuggling closer. Alex's heart feels like it could burst out of his chest.
"What was that?" Henry murmurs once Alex has put his phone away.
"That's what kissing you sounded like," Alex says, and Henry kisses him again.
Penrose Steps Updates @PenroseUpdates
Acid Dreams stopped in the V.I.P.tent at the Liverpool show tonight!
[4 pictures attached]
Acid Dreams Updates @AcidDreamUpdates
Alex and Nora dancing during Penrose Steps' cover of Don't Stop Me Now!
[1 video attached]
kiera @auntiepezza
LOOK AT ALEX'S FACE WHEN HENRY WAS SINGING 'COULD LOVE SAVE ME?' HE WAS SMILING SO HUGE I LOVE THEM
ryan @perfectdreams
LOOK I KNOW IT'S A HUGE ASS STADIUM BUT THERE'S NO WAY HENRY WASN'T SINGING TO ALEX HE COULDN'T STOP LOOKING AT THAT TENT
kiera @auntiepezza
NO HE 100% WAS PEZ KEPT LAUGHING AND NUDGING HIM AND SPENCER WINKED WHEN THE BRIDGE CAME ON
ryan @perfectdreams
THEY'RE SO IN LOVE I'M SICK
It's Sunday night, and it turns out Henry had been free on Sunday night to hang out. Turns out, he had the all of Sunday booked because Alex was there and he wanted to take Henry on a date. The date was a huge fucking success. 10/10. Would recommend. Would do it again.
"Let's take that picture," Henry whispers as they lay in bed, their legs tangled.
"Hmm? Alex hums, busy kissing a path down the side of Henry's neck.
Henry laughs, sliding a hand in Alex's head to tug him away from his neck, which was hickey-free. It was a guitar strap, it turns out. Alex can't wait to litter Henry's neck with visible marks.
"You menace. You wanted to break the internet, remember? I need to make my payment."
Alex grins evilly, rolling his body so he can lean over Henry, his hands on either side of Henry's head. He dips down to give him a soft kiss, grinning against his mouth.
"You can pay me in other ways..." Alex trails off as he pushes down to grind against Henry.
Henry pulls him closer, laughing.
"As nice as this is," Henry gasps as their cocks line up. "You've influenced me. Badly. You’re a bad influence. Love, stop."
Alex pauses, but leaves their bodies pressed. He looks at Henry, hair fanned against the pillow, lips parted. He places a quick kiss on there, his tongue tracing that fucking mole on the corner of his lip that has no right being as attractive as it is.
"Okay. Okay, let's take the picture, boyfriend," Alex whispers, pressing a kiss on Henry's temple as he stretches out an arm to search for his phone. He smiles when Henry's breath hitches.
He lays on his side, Henry's hand cupping his cheek, as he closes his eyes to kiss Alex. Alex stretches out an arm to position his phone above them, closing his eyes to kiss Henry back. He loses himself in the kiss, clumsily attempting to take the pictures by pressing the volume button.
"Okay," Henry gasps. "Okay, let's see them before we get carried away again."
Alex scrolls through the photos, his heart too huge for his chest. The white sheets look gorgeous against Henry's skin. They're shirtless, the duvet covering most of their bodies. Their hair is messy, cheeks red. Alex selects a picture of them smiling in the kiss— it's just their smiles pressed against each other and they look so happy that he makes it his lockscreen without giving it a second thought.
"I love this picture so fucking much," Alex says as he adjusts it to fit his phone. "You look like you're mine."
"I am yours, love," Henry promises, pressing a kiss on his neck.
"Damn right you are. Now, let's make fucking headlines, baby."
theagcd well my boyfriend's in a band @penrosesteps
@junecd about fucking time
@noradreams ugh y'all are so cute i love you
@beafox brb crying in a corner
@liammm MY BOYS
@pezlikethesweets You're welcome. Both of you x
@spencersteps GOALS OTP PERFECT COUPLE FAVOURITE COUPLE
@henryfox Your boyfriend sounds cool.
@agcd @henryfox he's the coolest!!
79,038 comments
"Hey, guys," Alex says into the mic after the fifth song of the show, the crowd going wild. He laughs. He's been doing this for a decade, but it never gets old. He's never going to get tired of this.
"Thank you for being here, all 90,000 of you. I appreciate y'all spending time with us. Every single one of you. Uh, today's quite a special day, you see. Four years ago, I asked Henry, the absolute love of my life, to be my boyfriend. He's been kind enough to accept my invitation and come sing a song with us today, so make some noise for my boyfriend and amazing his band! The Penrose Steps, y'all!"
The noise rises to an almost defeating level, and Alex feels his lips stretch in a lovesick smile as soon as he spots Henry. He'll never get over how gorgeous his boyfriend is. He pulls him in to kiss him right there, in the middle of the stadium, feeling like nothing can touch them. They're on the top of the fucking world.
They band introduces themselves and Alex reluctantly lets go of Henry's hand once they pick up their instruments.
"Hello," Henry says, and the stadium screeches. "It's so good to be here. Thank you, Acid Dreams, for letting us share the stage. It's an honour. Well, this next song we're going to play, uh, Alex and I wrote this together. I remember, we'd just finished our respective shows in New York. We'd ordered an unhealthy amount of food once we got back to the hotel, and sat on the floor in our pyjamas, just writing the lyrics till the sun came up. It was... so natural. I truly understood how well we fit."
"Aw, don't get all sappy on us, baby," Alex teases, kissing Henry quickly. "He's not telling you everything, but that's why I'm here. So, we wrote the lyrics over this voice note I'd recorded years ago. I remember, it was the first time we'd kissed, and my brain just wouldn't shut down, so I took out my phone right there, still hugging Henry and hummed that tune into my phone as I held my boyfriend. Nothing I wrote ever felt perfect, until Henry wrote it with me a few weeks ago. He's right, we just fit. Everything feels perfect when he's there. Our bands are really fucking cool, agreeing to play this with us. So, here's Penrose Dreams!"
one year later
luke @henryonfilm
ALEX AND HENRY GOT FUCKING MARRIED????????????????? #PENROSEDREAMS
taylor @penrosedreamsvinyls
WHAT
luke @henryonfilm
LOOK AT BOTH THE BAND MEMBERS' STORIES LOOKS LIKE IT HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND????
luke @henryonfilm
THEY'RE DANCING TO PENROSE DREAMS IT'S THEIR WEDDING SONG I'M GOING TO BE VIOLENTLY ILL
[Screen-recording of Bea's Instagram story]
blake @aciidjune
WDYM TAYLOR SWIFT WAS THERE AND SHE SANG YOU ARE IN LOVE FOR THEIR FIRST DANCE THAT'S INSANELY ROMANTIC I'M GOING TO DROWN MYSELF THEY'RE SO IN LOVE
[1 video attached]
theagcd well my husband's in a band @penrosesteps
@henryfox I love you so much, darling.
@theagcd @henryfox i love you more baby
@henryfox Let's kiss about it.
@theagcd @henryfox you read my fucking mind sweetheart this is why i married you
94,237 comments