Kitten.

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/51458941.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, June
Claremont-Diaz/Nora Holleran
Characters: Alex Claremont-Diaz, Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, June
Claremont-Diaz, Nora Holleran, Liam (Red White & Royal Blue),
Spencer (Red White & Royal Blue), Miguel Ramos (Red White & Royal
Blue), Percy "Pez" Okonjo, Beatrice Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, Other
Characters
Additional Tags: Mafia AU, doctor!henry, Mafia boss!Alex, June and Nora are badasses,
alex is smitten, Protectiveness, angsty, Fluffy, Protective Alex
Claremont-Diaz, Top Alex Claremont-Diaz, Bottom Henry Fox-
Mountchristen-Windsor, Miguel Ramos Being an Asshole (Red White &
Royal Blue)
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-11-08 Completed: 2023-11-20 Words: 22,481 Chapters:
4/4
 Kitten.
by Stuckyl0v3r

Summary

“Are you Henry Fox?”

“Yes, how can I help you?” he replied, sort of in awe as to how they knew his name. They
surely weren’t patients, he couldn’t recall their faces.
“Mr. Fox, your assistance is required.” She continued smoothly. “If you’d be so kind to
follow us, we’ll be forever in your gratitude.”
Henry gripped the bat tighter, ready to take a swing.
“What for?” he asked, voice wavering, noticing how the woman squinted and took a half of a
step forward. He was ready to shut the door in their face.
“Please” the crying woman said in a small voice “my brother has been shot, he needs medical
assistance. We know you’re the best surgeon around, we did our homework. He needs to be
cared for soon. Please.” She begged, a twinge of sympathy hitting Henry in the heart.

When doctor Henry Fox cares for the head of a mafia organization he didn't quite expected to
be so terrified and attracted to him.

Notes

Hello, guys, I got this idea, started writing, couldn't stop. Bon appetite! :)
Initially I wanted this to be a lengthy one-shot, but I got excited and I have more things that I
want to say and well, I will split this into two parts for now. Maybe three if inspiration really
strikes. Hope you'll like it as much as I loved writing it! Let me know what you think in the
comments.

Much love xx

See the end of the work for more notes

 Can you blame me?

There was someone at his door.

Which, technically, would be fine if the circumstances were different – if it wasn’t 3 in the
morning, if he didn’t live alone, almost isolated some would say, and if Bea and Pez (the only
two people that would visit him out of nowhere) were not in England at the moment.

He approached the door slowly, dread settling in the pit of his stomach, the baseball bat
gripped tightly in his sweaty hands. A million scenarios were forming in his head. There was
someone out there, scouting his property, looking for a way to get in and steal something.
There was a murdered on the loose, breaking into houses and killing everyone inside in cold
blood.

He dared to look at David, his dog was watching his with weary eyes, growling softly in the
back of his throat. Maybe he sensed that something dangerous was happening on the other
side of the door. Maybe he felt his fear and was acting instinctively, trying to protect his
owner.

He looked through the peephole, noticing two young women on the other side, both dressed
in black from head to toe and both wearing the same blank expression on their faces. One of
the women – the curly haired one, raised her hand to knock again, frustration creasing her
forehead.

Okay, two women, maybe they were stranded somewhere and needed his help. Maybe they
needed to make a phone call. Maybe they were murderers on the loose.

He thought hard about opening the door, letting them inside. Sure, they were two women, and
sure they looked small enough that he could take them in case a fight broke, but also, what
happened to one of the first rules of childhood? Don’t talk to strangers, don’t invite them into
your home. Well, he wasn’t a child anymore, he was a 35 years-old doctor that knew his way
around the scalpel and the baseball bat, so he didn’t have to worry.

He could just go back to sleep, his house was fully locked, and his alarm system was active in
case they tried to break in, so there shouldn’t be a problem, but could he really go back to
sleep knowing that they might have needed his help? What if the two of them ran into a
psychopath or something like that and he found out over the news in the morning that they
got killed because he was too scared to open the door?

He could never forgive himself.

Moving the bat to his other hand, to conceal it behind the door, he took one deep breath
before unlocking the door to look at the two women sitting on his porch. The first thing he
noticed was that the both of them were very pretty, attractive features on their faces and
curves that weren’t concealed by the thick winter coats that they were wearing. The cold hair
hit him full force, making a shiver run down his spine. He noticed, too, that the other woman,
not the one that he’s seen knocking, had tears streaks on her face, her make-up a little bit
smudged and her eyes were red-rimmed. Clearly they were in need of help and he prided
himself for being a good sport and opening the door to help them.

Before he could say anything else, the curly haired woman asked in a hard voice:

“Are you Henry Fox?”

“Yes, how can I help you?” he replied, sort of in awe as to how they knew his name. They
surely weren’t patients, he couldn’t recall their faces.

“Mr. Fox, your assistance is required.” She continued smoothly. “If you’d be so kind to
follow us, we’ll be forever in your gratitude.”

Henry gripped the bat tighter, ready to take a swing.

“What for?” he asked, voice wavering, noticing how the woman squinted and took a half of a
step forward. He was ready to shut the door in their face.

“Please” the crying woman said in a small voice “my brother has been shot, he needs medical
assistance. We know you’re the best surgeon around, we did our homework. He needs to be
cared for soon. Please.” She begged, a twinge of sympathy hitting Henry in the heart.

“I’m sorry, but, if he’s been shot he needs to go to a hospital. You can take him to where I
work, I’ll go there immediately, but – “

“No!” the first woman said. “He can’t go to a hospital. You need to come with us.” She
paused, letting out a frustrated sigh. “Please, we didn’t know where else to go. We’ll explain
everything on the way there. We mean no harm.”

Oddly enough Henry believed her. That they didn’t mean no harm, there was an air of
desperation around them that couldn’t be faked.

“Okay, I’ll come with you.”

The both of them let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m going to change quickly and get my bag. Would you like to…um, come in? Get out of
the cold?”

The women nodded and he stepped aside, bat still in hand before running upstairs to get what
he needed. He heard the first woman chuckling at the sight of his bat, but he couldn’t care
less.

Three minutes later they were out of the door, Henry bundled in whatever he could find
faster, heading towards a black SUV that was waiting in front of his gate.

That’s how Henry found himself on the way to give medical attention to some mafia boss.
/

He learned that the two women were called June – the woman who was crying – and Nora –
the one with the sharp tongue and that they were part of an organization that dealt with
various things: buying properties, offering security for people and their homes and dealing art
pieces.

Henry was thorn, his mind lightening up with a red flag anytime he thought about what the
two women told him. Even more so when they appeared to be sinking deeper into the woods,
going on a country road that seemed to be leading to nowhere. He was amazed with his
stupidity, in 35 years of life never doing something so obscenely ridiculous. Why did his soft
spot for helping people in need somehow always managed to turn against him? It was like he
wanted to be kidnapped and killed.

A house started to appear from beneath the coverage of trees, standing up tall and proud. It
was more of a mansion, bigger than his Westchester propriety, that was for sure, and he
thought his house was ridiculously huge. They stopped in front of a gate, Nora who was
driving rolled down her window to talk to a guy that was sitting there.

They spoke too softly for him to hear anything, but soon enough the gate opened letting them
pass.

Henry looked around, amazed by the beauty of the scenery. Everything was neat and
imposing, with guards – those had to be guards, otherwise why would they carry guns?!? –
swarming around, acknowledging Nora and June.

Nora stopped the car in front of the entrance, gesturing for him to get out and follow them
inside the mansion. The inside was as beautiful as the outside, looking like an old-school
mansion that had the right amount of personality – just like Henry loved. It was a tasteful
place, decorated to combine both the old and the new.

He thought about the organization that June and Nora talked about, buying properties,
offering security and dealing art? He was pretty sure he was in the middle of a mafia
organization. Why would there be so many people dressed in black if that wasn’t the case?

June gestured for him to follow them, across the hall and up a creaky stairwell covered in
plush carpet. Someone was waiting for them at the end of the walk, a huge guy, dressed, of
course, in black, the glint of a gun shining at his torso where it was looped to his belt. Well,
fuck it, Henry was going to die, wasn’t he?

“Where is him, Liam?” Nora asked.

“In the library, he um… said he wanted to enjoy a whiskey while he waits.”

June slapped her forehead, before punching the guy in the arm.

“And you let him?” she shrieked, speeding up, Henry trailing behind her. He was muttering
something in Spanish, making Nora grin, although the worried crease between her eyebrows
hasn’t vanished. Whoever this mysterious person that Henry had to treat was, it was clear that
they meant something for the two women.

They stopped in front of double doors, at the end of the long hallway, and June pushed inside
forcefully, continuing her Spanish curses (curses? had to be, they sounded too damn angry)
louder this time.

“Bug, please! You’re making my head hurt!” a deep voice cut in, stopping Henry dead in his
tracks.

There was a man slumped in an armchair, his white shirt was ripped open, half of it covered
in blood. He was sitting with his feet up, a tumbler of whiskey gripped by two fingers, resting
against his chest. Henry’s gay heart stuttered, the man in front of him, no matter how
disheveled seemed to be was absolutely gorgeous.

He was tall and lean, even slumped ungraciously like he was, Henry could notice that, broad
shoulders finishing in a smaller waist and legs that seemed to go on for miles. His caramel
skin looked paler than it should have been and the sheen of perspiration covering it looked
downright delicious. His lips were full, chapped and stained with dried blood, but he had dark
eyes and lashes that almost killed Henry on the spot and dark, messy curls that he would kill
for just to touch for a second.

He was breathtaking. And he was oozing blood everywhere on his expensive carpets and
chair.

His eyes caught Henry’s, amusement and something else he couldn’t quite place going
through them.

“Ah, ¿trajiste un ángel?” he asked, his eyes dragging across Henry’s body from head to toe.

He felt self-conscious, here he was, in the presence of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen
in his 35 years of life, looking like the Ghost of Christmas Past, with his flannel pajamas and
boots and washed-out hoodie that he guessed it was from Oxford, but he couldn’t be sure
anymore, hair a mess and dark bags under his eyes – he was sleeping after a 24-hour shift at
the hospital when he was rudely interrupted by June and Nora.

Nora snickered, shaking her head and June looked like she was going to lose hers any second.

“Doctor, Alex! We brought a doctor!”

“Oh.” Alex, the gorgeous patient said with a frown, before his face broke in a downright
devilish smile. “Well, I don’t really like doctors, but I sure as hell would love to keep this
one.”

“Sweet talking me is not going to fix whatever is wrong with you.” Henry found himself
mumbling, blushing when he noticed three pair of eyes turning towards him: Nora was
amused, June was angry and Alex was bewildered. That was, until Alex started to laugh,
harder than he should have given his condition.
“Oh, Bug, you didn’t tell me he was British, what am I going to do now?” He looked at
Henry, eyes dark and heavy and his voice dripping with honey. “You’re a mouthy one, aren’t
you, kitten?”

Henry sighed, trying not to let on how much that voice of his affected him, before side
stepping from behind the women to take a better look at him.

“My name is Henry Fox and I’m here to help you after being rudely interrupted from my
sleep after my 24-hour shift at the hospital. Can we please get it over with? June said you’ve
been shot, tell me what happened and where’s the problem?”

“My problem” Alex started, a cheeky grin forming at the corner of his mouth “are those blue
eyes and that sinful mouth of yours.”

“Fucking hell, Alex!” June exploded, before Henry could fully blush. “Stop fucking around
and let him help you.”

He huffed, annoyed, mumbling a petulant fine, before putting aside his red shirt. Henry took a
closer look. There, on Alex’s left side, nestled between his hipbone and his lower belly was a
bullet wound, oozing blood and looking angry and red. He cringed, well, that couldn’t be
comfortable.

“Is there an exit whole?” he asked the man, who looked up confused.

“What?”

“The bullet, did it pierce you to the other side?”

“Well no, kitten, it’s inside of me.”

He turned towards the two women who were watching their interaction.

“He needs to go to a hospital. I am in no way equipped enough to tend to his wound,

especially since the bullet is still inside.”

“No.” Alex answered simply. “No hospitals. I don’t have insurance.” He winked at Henry
and really, if Alex wasn’t so damn gorgeous and so damn injured, Henry would have punched
him in the face.

“I will personally drive with you there and I will be the one to take the bullet out and give
you the proper medication, but this isn’t the place to do this, this room isn’t even sterile, for
crying out loud, what if it gets infected and something else happens?”

“I poured some whiskey on it, should be fine.”

June huffed, annoyed, and Henry shrieked in disbelief. He’s had his fair share of annoying
patients, people that thought they knew better than him just because they surfed the internet
and discovered WebMD, but no one managed to get under his skin more than Alex did in the
ten minutes they’ve known each other. It must have been a personal record.
“Are you out of your damn mind?” Henry asked, not quite believing his ears. He was
rewarded with a sharp look coming from Alex. His eyes suddenly getting darker, his face
thunderous while he spoke through clenched teeth:

“Listen, kitten, I do enjoy a good banter once in a while, but I would advise you to learn
when to shut that pretty mouth of yours. You have your magic bag, you have your patient,
now fix me.”

It was his tone, dark, low, threatening that pulled Henry out of his stupor. He wanted to be
daring, wanted to ask what would happen if he said no, if he walked out that door right then
and there? Would he actually make it to the door’s library before getting shot in the head, or
they would simply let him go? He was pretty sure they weren’t. Not with how desperate the
two women were regarding Alex’s well-being.

He wanted to help Alex in getting better, but he wasn’t going to let himself be talked down
on just because his patient looked like every single one of his wet dreams smushed into a
living person. Not even the threat of death could stop him from being arrogant.

“Fine.” Henry complied, jutting out his chin. “But I expect to be heavily compensated for
this.”

He snapped into action, asking either one of the women to call for another person, preferably
the guy they’ve met on the hallway. June returned with him, looking as annoyed as before,
and the guy – Liam, was it? – was sporting an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. Henry didn’t
want to know, but he assumed June chewed him out again for letting Alex go in his library to
drink alcohol.

He instructed Nora to make room on the big desk and she did, pushing everything out of the
way and clearing it for him. Liam asked what he needed him for and he showed him how to
grip Alex’s legs, to keep them steady and told him three times that he was going to count to
three and then they will lift him. Alex looked annoyed and Henry had to explain to him that if
they didn’t lift him correctly there might have been a possibility for the bullet to sink deeper
inside of him, hitting God-knows what organs or worse.

They’ve managed to lift him without producing any more damage and slowly they moved
Alex on top of the clear desk. Alex’s breath sounded a bit heavy and although he was putting
up a false bravado, Henry could hear his pained groans. It made his heart ache a little. Even
though he chose to be a doctor and he chose to make a living out of it, he hated seeing people
suffering.

Henry gathered his bag, before telling everyone that they needed to leave the room.

“I’m not leaving him.” June said decisively, shaking her head.
“June, please.” Henry said, exhausted. “I need to concentrate, he’s going to hurt, I can’t
concentrate if I feel you breathing down my neck. It’s for his own good, trust me.”

Nora took her hand, dragging her slowly towards the door.

“I’ll be fine, Bug, go. McDreamy here is going to take good care of me.” Alex said, offering
a soft smile.

She eventually nodded, throwing a murderous glare in Henry’s direction.

“If something happens to him, I’ll make sure that you’ll be so disfigured not even your
parents will recognize you.”

“Funny!” Henry snapped, already done with all the threatening bullshit. “My mother can’t
even begin to acknowledge me living and my father is dead, so you’ll have to think of
something else, love.”

June mumbled something in Spanish, while Alex laughed on the desk. Henry made sure that
the door was closed before he snapped into action, taking a pair of scissors out of his bag and
cutting Alex’s clothes off of him so he could get a better look at his injury. While he worked,
he felt the intense gaze of Alex everywhere on him and he looked up, catching his eyes.
There was a bit of a moment where they stood staring at each other and Henry could feel the
beginning of a blush staining his cheeks.

“What?” Henry asked, breaking eye contact.

“Nothing. You surprise me, kitten.”

“That’s wonderful to hear.” He commented sarcastically, making Alex chuckle.

“You do know where you are, right?” Alex asked softly.

“Figured. Ordinary people don’t come knocking to my door at 3 in the morning to help
someone with a bullet wound. Not in a place like this crawling with people dressed in black
and guns everywhere. And certainly no one threatened me this much before, not in such a
short amount of time.” Despite the situation, he found himself smiling slightly at the man
lying on top of the desk. Surely it seemed amusing now, he was sleep deprived and he needed
to operate on someone without the necessary instruments. He’ll have time to freak out
tomorrow.

“Look, I’m not going to lie to you. This is going to hurt. I don’t have anesthetic and even if I
did, I can’t give it to you just like that. Plus, you’ve drank alcohol. So, what I’m going to do
is, I’m going to give you my hand and you’re going to squeeze it to take your mind off of it.”

“Whatever you think, sweetheart, you’re the doctor.”

Henry offered his left hand, before taking out some gauze and disinfectant and cleaning
around the bullet wound. Alex’s hand felt hot and clammy in his, but his grip was strong, so
he took it as a good sign.
“I’m assuming you’re the boss?” he asked, wanting to take his mind off of the pain a little.
Especially when he pulled out the medical forceps. He had to look for the bullet there, to take
it out and that was going to hurt like a bitch. He warned Alex as much and the man simply
nodded, groaning loudly when Henry inserted the instrument inside the bullet wound.

“I am.” He said through clenched teeth.

“Yes? How does one become a mafia boss?”

Alex laughed at that, his laugh turning into a breathy moan that made Henry blush. He really
shouldn’t think about Alex moaning like that in other circumstances. Not when he was inside
the man and not in the good way.

“Family business, you could say.” Alex replied earnestly.

Finally, Henry managed to grasp the bullet, pulling it out slowly as to not shatter it. He was
familiar with taking bullets out, God knows that in New York a lot of crimes happen. He
pulled out the bullet with a victorious cry, looking at it intently. It was still intact, which was
also a good sign, no remnants of shrapnel left behind in Alex’s body.

“I got it out and it’s still intact which is good. This part is going to hurt as much, I have to
make sure that it didn’t pierce anything vital inside you.”

He moved his hand around Alex, palming his smooth skin. He could feel how hot his skin
was, even through his gloves.

“I think you’re good, now I’m going to suction the blood and then I’ll stitch you up.”

“What, with your mouth?” Alex asked him grinning. He looked to be in a lot of pain, yet still
managed to turn a ridiculously, flirtatious smile in his direction.

“No, thanks, I’ve already ate a bag of B Negative at home.” Henry commented drily, making
Alex laugh out loud.

“Ah, gattito, you’re really something else.”

“Did you just call me kitten, but in Spanish?”

“What about it?” Alex asked cheekily and Henry shrugged, might as well flirt back if that
made the man feel better and ease his mind from the pain.

“Weird way to propose, that’s all.” Henry replied with a wink making Alex laugh again. He
managed to suction the blood from Alex’s wound with a syringe he found in his bag and even
though it took forever he was finally ready to stitch him.

“Unfortunately, I can’t hold your hand anymore, I need to stitch you up and I need to use
both.”

“That’s okay, I’ll just watch you instead. That would surely keep my mind off from the pain.”
Henry worked carefully, making sure the stitches were tight and there won’t be an ugly scar
left behind. Finally, when he was done, he bandaged the wound carefully with whatever he
had left in his bag.

“Okay, you’re all set. You’ve lost quite some blood.”

“I’ll be fine. Not my first rodeo.” Alex replied, trying to sit up quickly. Henry inhaled sharply
when he groaned, not strong enough to sustain his weight and dropping back on the desk.
Henry barely managed to sneak his hand at the back of his head to not hurt himself.

“Fuck! What is wrong with you? What were you trying to do, go run a half-marathon?”

Alex looked at him sharply, grinding his teeth in annoyance.

“Careful now, kitten. You don’t want to make me upset – “

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll kill me, we’ve been through this before.” Henry commented with a roll of
his eyes. “Threatening to kill me, then flirting with me while I take care of you and then
threatening me again really sends mixed signals to a guy. Just – sit for a couple of more
seconds and then I’ll help you up.”

Surprisingly Alex shut up while he gathered and stuffed everything in his bag. He found a
trashcan under the desk, stuffing his gloves and Alex’s ruined clothes before closing it tightly.
Alex still sported a very annoyed look on his face and Henry kind of felt bad for him, until he
remembered all the threats he had to endure just because the man was the leader of some
mafia organization. He was so sleep deprived he really couldn’t care less.

“Alrighty, I’m finished. You’ll have to take it easy on the next couple of days, I will come by
on Saturday to take your stitches out. Please be careful enough not to do something that will
break them. A little bit of bleeding is normal, but if it persists you’ll have to call me so I can
come see what’s wrong.” He sighed, he was going to regret what he was going to offer next.
“Do you think that someone around here is capable enough to change you bandage without
creating damage, or should I come to bandage you myself?”

Alex perked up a little, offering a slow smirk. Yup, instant regret.

“Oh no, kitten, I don’t trust anyone but you with my hot body.”

Henry bit his tongue this time, he really wanted to go home without having to hear yet
another threat.

“Okay, I’ll come later… today, I guess? Just, take it easy. Here, hang to my arm, I’ll lift you
up.”

He offered his arm, the other one sneaking behind Alex’s back to lift him gently in a sitting
position. The man blinked slowly, shaking his head as if he wanted to stop himself from
getting dizzy. Henry told him that he had to sit like this for a couple of moments before he’ll
help him stand up. By the time Alex was standing, leaning against Henry’s side to support
half of his weight, June was bursting into the library with a loud What the fuck is taking you
so long? Nora trailing worriedly behind her.

She rushed to her brother, approaching him with her hands before stopping abruptly, not
knowing when, or how to touch. Henry transferred him to his sister carefully, making sure the
both of them were steady before letting go.

“Thank you.” June said quietly. “For um… helping us.”

“Don’t mention it.” Henry muttered tired, he was more than ready to pass out somewhere,
preferably his bed.

“I’m going to ask Miguel to take him home.” Nora said, but Alex protested loudly.

“No, you take him home, Nora.”

“But-“

“Please?” he huffed, annoyed. Nora squinted in his direction, looking like they were having a
silent conversation with just their eyes. Eventually she rolled her eyes, mentioning for Henry
to gather his things.

“Thanks for everything, kitten!” Alex called out, a lazy smirk at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll
see you later.”

“Sure, God, I can’t stress this enough – rest. Don’t break the stitches.” He replied before
following Nora back to the car.

They drove in silence, neither one of them in the mood for talking. Henry guessed that
something fairly illegal happened that got Alex shot and he wasn’t in the mood for asking.
The less he knew, the better. Nora looked as dead on her feet as he felt, but she still walked
him to the house. It was early in the morning, but the sun didn’t look like it was going to
come up and he was more than grateful to go back to sleep in the dark.

“Thank you for what you did, Mr. Fox.” Nora said smoothly, looking at him with hooded
eyes. “Now tell me, please, do you feel the need to tell anyone about what happened?”

“Dear Lord!” Henry exclaimed, a surge of fury passing through his body. “Can you like not
threaten me for five minutes? I know what it was, I know what I saw and who you guys are
and honestly, I don’t give a fuck, right now. Just, give me the address of the house so I can
come later and change Alex’s bandage.”

Nora nodded, offering him a brilliant, yet very lethal smile.

“Good, no need to worry about the address, someone will come pick you up at 8 PM tonight.
And just remember, I know a lot of things about you, so you’d better keep your mouth shut.”
She replied, before turning on her heels and going back to her car.

Henry wanted to tell her something witty in return, but he was too tired to care.
/

By the time he woke up it was already 2 in the afternoon, but he felt like he didn’t sleep a
wink. He desperately needed a shower because he couldn’t be bothered with one after Nora
drove him back home. He put on a bathrobe and some slippers and made himself some tea
while he let David out in the backyard to run.

It was horribly cold, but it helped him wake up fully.

After David was finished, he cleaned the mud from his paws before going to take his shower.

The warm spray eased the tension in his muscles, replying the weird happenings of last night.
True to himself he started to panic, sitting on the floor of the shower and letting the hot water
wash over him while he was hyperventilating. He was a good guy, a too good of a guy some
would say, so he couldn’t understand why did he let himself be roped into this mess? He was
aware that he should go to the police, tell them everything, but if there was one thing that
Henry learned from movies, it was that a mafia organization had enough power to control the
law enforcement. So going to the police was like kicking the chair from under his feet.

He didn’t know about what kind of power Alex possessed, but he thought it was
considerable. Even while bleeding and in pain he had an air around him that just screamed
danger. Henry really didn’t want to get involved into this. Not after Nora’s last threat – about
her knowing things about him. They’ve probably ran a background check on him, knew
everything about Bea, about his nephew, Pez, his family and his coworkers. He couldn’t for
the life of him do something stupid that might put in danger the lives of the people he cared
about.

And well, aside from all the threats he had to endure, no one harmed him and everyone was
almost civil towards him, so that was a plus.

He calmed himself down long enough to actually shower and get out to get ready. He needed
groceries and food, and maybe swing by the pharmacy to take some things that he needed for
Alex.

Putting on warm clothes, he left David at home while he piled into his car, driving to the
nearest supermarket that he came across. He shopped quickly, putting everything in bags
before driving to the pharmacy. He wondered if Alex was in very much pain, so he brought
him so Tylenol and some numbing cream for his wound before driving back home slowly.

It was already 4 PM by the time he got to have his first meal of the day. He felt restless,
nervous to go back to that place crawling with dangerous people, but there wasn’t much that
he could do. He tried cleaning to ease his mind, then took David for another run around the
forest and back home to shower and find some suitable clothes that didn’t make him look like
a hobo – a pair of jeans and a white Henley.

He was just preparing his bag to take with him when he heard a honk coming from the
outside. He looked from the window, seeing the same black SUV waiting for him at the gate.
He couldn’t see the driver, but he sure as hell hoped it was either June or Nora. Henry put on
his boots, grabbing his coat and locking the door behind him, before walking towards the car.

Thankfully, he noticed June sitting on the driver’s seat and she offered him a small smile
when he climbed into the car.

“Hi.” She said softly, backing out of the park space.

“Hello.” Henry replied just as quietly, not daring to make eye contact with her. His palms
were sweating and his heart was pounding in his chest. Fuck, why was he so brave last night?
Was his mind unable to conjure what was going on? Was he so sleep deprived that it just
made sense to be surrounded by mafia people? He needed to calm the fuck down.

“So” June drawled, looking ahead “I realized that I was mean to you last night. I didn’t want
to threaten you, but I was… concerned for my brother’s well-being. You probably know how
it is.”

He did. That’s why he was in a car with her, going to patch up a mafia boss, instead in front
of a police officer writing his statement.

“Don’t worry about it.” Henry spoke up, voice as steady and as calm as he could manage. “I
know that fear is a factor of stress."

"Yeah, it’s no excuse for being a shitty human being, though. Anyway, sorry, I wanted to say
that. On behalf of all of us. We didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, you were kind
enough to help us in the middle of the night.”

“Thank you.” Henry replied and that was it.

The rest of the drive was spent in silence and when the car finally stopped, he followed June
inside the mansion and back into the library.

Alex was waiting for him there, slumped in the armchair like last night, thankfully no
tumbler of alcohol in sight. He looked to be scrolling mindlessly on his phone, eyebrows
creased in the middle of his forehead. He was dressed in comfortable pants, and a tight, black
T-shit that was doing wonders to his physique. Henry felt his mouth watering at the sight of
him, the sudden urge to climb him like a tree being more and more desirable.

Alex looked up when he heard footsteps approaching, his scowling face lightening up
suddenly.

“Kitten!” he howled, rushing to put himself in a sitting position, wincing slightly at the
sudden movement. “You actually came.”

“Of course, Alex, I told you I would.” Henry found himself replying, blush traveling down
his neck and warming his chest. The pet name that Alex chose to call him made him feel a lot
of things. He was rewarded with a brilliant grin, June chuckling softly from behind Henry.

“I’ll let you two…whatever you were going to do.” She said, shutting the door of the library
on her way out.
Left alone with Alex in the library, Henry felt the unease travel down his spine. He was alone
with the head of a mafia organization. Alone in his library, in a mansion in the middle of
nowhere, in a mansion crawling with dangerous people. Fuck, he thought every dirty thought
under the sun when he first entered and saw Alex and now, he felt clammy, on the verge of a
panic attack, his bag shaking in his hands. He tried to remember the technique his psychiatrist
thought him and he took steady breaths through clenched teeth, avoiding looking at Alex.

“You can…sit.” Henry managed to say. “Remove your T-shirt, please.”

Alex complied, a smug look on his face. Henry was watching him through a haze, his eyes
stung with unshed tears. What the fuck was wrong with him? He knelt besides Alex’s
armchair, when the latter removed his T-shirt and got to work quickly, snapping a pair of
gloves on his hands and trying to concentrate on anything other than the panic squeezing his
heart.

He got rid of Alex’s old bandage and just like he said, the wound bled a little, but nothing to
serious. He inspected it carefully, it looked good, no sign of infection and the stitches were
still as tight as last night. He got to work quickly, disinfecting, applying the numbing cream
and patching a fresh bandage in place. His hands were shaking horribly, he could barely keep
anything in them. It took a while to be done with everything, but when he was, he breathed a
sigh of relief.

“All done.” He said, getting into a standing position and gathering his things quickly. He
needed to get out of there, as soon as possible.

“Kitten.” Alex’s voice cut through the ringing in his ears.

“Hm?” he asked.

“Look at me.”

“Here” Henry said instead “I bought you some Tylenol in case the pain gets worse. Take one
every 8 hours, after eating if it gets unbearable.” He stuck the bottle of pills in his hands,
voice breaking only twice. He counted that as a success. “I’ll see myself out and I will see
you tomorrow. You can send someone to pick me up just like today.”

He managed to take two, or three steps towards the door, before Alex’s hand found his wrist
and he was spun around, face to face with the mafia boss. He gasped, recoiling from the
touch, jumping back from where his chest touched Alex’s as if he was burned.

The other man’s eyes widened, letting go of his wrist and not trying to take another step
further. Henry dared to look at him, eyes stopping in his chest. Alex looked confused, head
tilted to the side like a cute puppy dog, his dark eyes impossibly wide and imploring.

“Henry” he whispered softly and the way he said his name, his actual name, for the first time,
sent chills down Henry’s spine. He didn’t know if they were good chills, or bad chills.
“you’re afraid of me.” Alex concluded, an unreadable expression crossing his face.

Henry felt the laugh bubbling out of him.

“Can you blame me?” he asked, hysterical. “I’ve been threatened more in 24 hours than ever
in 35 years of existence.”

“Oh.” Alex muttered and he had the decency to look ashamed… remorseful, maybe? “I’m
sorry, for the way I’ve treated you. You don’t have to be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Yet.” Henry whispered, but by the starstruck look on Alex’s face he’s heard him. “Look, it’s
okay, um… don’t worry. After you get well, we’ll never have to see each other again. I’ll
just…go.”

Alex sighed, running a hand through his mess of curls and across his face.

“I’ll drive you home.” He said.

“No, please, that won’t be necessary….” Henry started to say.

“I swear that I’m not going to hurt you. I’ll just drive you home, so I know that you’ll safe.
Please?” Alex cut in urgently, desperation lacing his tone. It was that voice of his that made
Henry nod his head yes.

Alex offered a reassuring smile, gesturing for him to go ahead and exit the library, telling him
that he was going to grab a coat and then they can go. He returned a couple of seconds later,
dressed in a hoodie and boots. Multiple people were gathered in the open-space living room,
Nora, June and the huge guy Liam being among those people. They seemed to be looking
over plans, blueprints, Henry saw, before averting his gaze to look at his shoes. He really
didn’t want someone to tell him that he was going to be killed over seeing a mafia
organization briefing and debriefing

The chatter stopped when Alex cleared his throat and all of the eyes turned in their direction.
Henry gripped his bag tighter.

“Hey, you’re finished already?” June asked, a smile blossoming on her lips. “Leaving so
soon?”

“Give me the keys to your car, June.” Alex said softly to her when she approached them.

“What? Why?”

“I’m driving Henry home.” Henry pretended not to notice the way June’s eyebrows shot up at
hearing his name coming from Alex’s lips.

“No, I’ll drive him. You’re in no shape to drive.”

Alex’s eyes glowed with fury for a second and he told her something in Spanish, too low for
the others to hear and too complicated for Henry to understand. Eventually she offered Henry
a look that seemed apologetic, before taking the keys out of her pocket and handing them to
Alex.

“See you tomorrow, Henry.” She told him and he nodded in acknowledgement.
Once outside Henry took deep breaths of the night air, letting it cool him down completely,
before following Alex to the car. He opened the door for him, before climbing inside and
speeding off.

Henry felt his nerves easing. He was still wary of Alex being in the car with him. He was still
wary of Alex, period, but he felt a little bit better now. He stopped shaking, his heart rate
returned to normal and he didn’t feel as stuffy as before, so it meant that the worst of his
panic was gone by now.

They drove in silence, Henry sneaking glances at Alex’s profile. Although it was dark on the
road and dark in the car, he could still make out some of the man’s features. His plump lips
were set in a thin line, his fingers gripping the wheel like his life depended on it and his
whole posture was rigid. It felt like he was a ticking bomb, waiting to blow off.

Eventually, the GPS of the car announced them that they’ve reached their destination, and
Alex pulled the car into the parking spot, shutting off the engine.

“Thank you for driving me home, Alex.” Henry said quietly.

“Can I walk you to your door?” Alex asked and Henry sighed, offering a nod of his head.

It was a lovely night, that was for sure, the moon was shining brightly among stars on the sky,
reflecting softly on the thin layer of snow that covered his garden. If it weren’t for the fact
that he was accompanied by a mafia boss, it was easy to pretend that he was coming home
from a date, getting walked to his door by his partner, eager to be kissed senseless.

They climbed the porch together, Henry’s key already in his hand. He turned to look at Alex,
who was watching him with a cautious expression on his face.

“Again, thank you for driving me home.”

“Why are you suddenly afraid of me?” Alex asked softly. “If I remember correctly, you were
quite mouthy to me last night.”

“Yeah, I was sleep deprived, maybe that’s why I was so brave.”

“I don’t think so, no. You didn’t give a fuck about where you were, what could have
happened to you. Nothing.”

Henry shrugged, hugging his torso to protect himself against the cold.

“You were hurt, I had my mind set on helping you. No matter what I felt in that moment.”

“Fuck!” Alex exclaimed, shaking his head with a bitter laugh. “You truly are something else.
Can I… Can I touch you?”

Despite his mind turning the red flag alert to a maximum, Henry found himself nodding his
head yes. Alex wasted no time in cupping his cold cheeks into his warm hands. How were
they so warm? It was freezing outside.
“I’m sorry if I – if we – scared you. I didn’t mean to… I wouldn’t hurt you. Never. You
helped me without asking any questions and for that I’m incredibly grateful. I hope you know
that.”

“I do.” Henry muttered, watching Alex’s face enraptured.

(seriously, what the fuck was wrong with him)

(here he was, canoodling with a man that slightly terrified him)

“Do you believe me?” Alex asked softly, his voice barely a whisper between them.

“Do I believe what?”

“That I wouldn’t hurt you. Ever.”

“Yes.” Henry heard himself replying.

“Good, because I wouldn’t. I need you to know that.” Alex stressed, pressing his forehead
against Henry’s. “There’s something about you that makes me crazy.”

Henry let out a strangled sigh, the urge to kiss Alex making his mouth itch. Judging by the
expression on Alex’s face, he was having the same thoughts. Instead, the man pulled back
slowly, pressing a soft kiss to Henry’s forehead before stepping back out of his space
completely.

“Thank you, kitten.” Alex said quietly, a soft smile, very different from his cheeky grin,
curving his lips. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, see you tomorrow.” Henry squeaked. “Good night.”

Alex turned around, marching towards the parked car as Henry got inside his warm house,
slumping against the door.

Now, what the fuck was that?

 You're desperate.
Chapter Notes

Hi, guys! Let me just tell you that I did not, not even in my wildest dream, anticipated
the amount of love towards this story! Honestly, you're absolutely amazing!! Inspiration
really struck, sooo there will be 4 chapters in total. I have some ideas as to how I will
continue it.
But until then, please enjoy this chapter. I surely enjoyed writing it.
CAUTION: Hot content inside. :P

much love xx

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The next day passed away in a blur for Henry. He was paged early in the morning for an
emergency surgery – a car accident that involved a woman in her mid-twenties. He got to the
hospital as soon as humanly possible, prepping for the surgery. As much as he fought for the
life of the woman, she still didn’t make it – hours and hours of losing her, resurrecting her
only to lose her for good. He was heartbroken, he couldn’t even tell the family that was
waiting for any sign for the medical team. He stood back watching as his colleague, Dr.
Morris, broke the news gently to the family, watched as the father and the mother collapsed
in a heap on the floor, sobbing their hearts out, until he couldn’t anymore.

He went to his office, allowing himself to cry for the life of the woman that was brutally
taken for him, before collecting himself and packing to go back home.

Life wasn’t fair, that was certain, and he knew that he did everything in his power not to lose
the woman and it still happened. It made him feel helpless, lost and so frustrated that he
could scream. He was presented with papers that he had to sign, waiting for the people from
autopsy to come and collect her body. Even though the success rate of his surgeries was
considerably bigger than the death rate, that didn’t mean it hurt any less. He hated that other
people had to go through the loss of someone, it transported him back to when he lost his
father, all those years ago.

He finally left the hospital, Dr. Morris telling him gently to go back home, stop thinking
about it and get some rest. He was needed to the hospitals for his shifts starting tomorrow.

Even though, to some degree, she was right, he found himself driving aimlessly around New
York. Stopping to get some food to eat at home, even though his stomach churned at the
thought. He walked around Central Park, trying and failing to collect his thoughts. He knew
that he shouldn’t put so much of his soul into this, but Henry was an emphatic person, he just
couldn’t help himself. He tried not to let unfortunate events, happening at the hospital, bring
him down, but it wasn’t easy. That was one of the things he was still speaking about in
therapy. He could remember the name of every single person that he lost on the operating
table and the ghosts of it still haunted him to this day.

Eventually, after he managed to calm himself down, he headed home, his takeout food
already cold. It was dark outside and when he looked at his watch he realized that it was a
few minutes after 8 PM. He totally forgot about Alex and that he needed to change his
bandage. He couldn’t have left a message for Alex, that he was going to be late, because he
had no means of communicating with the man and he also thought that he would make it on
time for their scheduled session of bandaging, at least until everything happened with the
woman.

Surprisingly enough, when he parked in front of his house, the black SUV was waiting for
him there, but no one was inside. He looked at his porch, where the silhouette could be
vaguely seen in the darkness of the evening.

Henry took a few seconds to collect himself, wiping at the crusty tear streaks from his face
before stepping out of the car and making his way to the door. He was expecting to see Nora,
or June, or even any other of Alex’s henchmen, but not the man himself, swinging mindlessly
on the swing he had on the porch.

Alex looked up when he heard footsteps approaching, smiling brightly when he saw that it
was Henry.

“Hi.” Henry said softly, stopping in front of him.

“Hello there, kitten.” Alex replied, just as softly.

“I’m sorry if I made you wait, there was an…emergency at the hospital and I had to go there.
I’ll just, get my bag and we can go.”

Alex looked at him, from the way his hair was flopping to his forehead, to the way he gripped
the bag of takeout, his brows furrowing with every second that passed.

“Actually” the man said, standing up “I was thinking that maybe you’d be more comfortable
if we did that here? Uh, in your house?”

Henry was taken aback by his words and especially by the way he was rubbing nervously at
the back of his head. Yes, he would be more comfortable with doing this in his home, where
he didn’t have to go through hallways looking at people that carried guns, or where he didn’t
have to worry that someone would jump at his throat if he as much as breathed wrongly. But
at the same time, having Alex in his home felt oddly intimate. He was still wary about the
man, not because he could hurt Henry, he promised that he wouldn’t and Henry actually
believed him, but because he couldn’t remember the last time he’s had anyone that wasn’t
Bea, or Pez in his home. A home was a sanctuary, a glimpse inside a person’s head and heart.
Did he really want to let Alex see that glimpse of himself?

“Or we can do it here and I’ll go.” Alex offered, even though he looked like he didn’t want
that at all.
“No, it’s okay.” Henry rushed to reply, turning around to unlock his door. “It’s too cold
outside, you must be sitting here for God knows how long.” He took a steadying breath,
opening the door widely and stepping inside. “You can come in.”

Alex took slow steps to enter the house, as if he was giving Henry time to change his mind.
Henry simply shook of his jacket and boots and turned the lights on.

David was sleeping on the hallway, but he snapped his head up, barking suddenly when he
noticed Alex standing there. He jumped to his feet, approaching the man cautiously and
sniffing his boots and the hand Alex offered him. Henry watched with curiosity the
interaction. Alex was crouched, while David was still sniffing him. It took a couple more
seconds for the dog to deem him trustworthy before his dog started to wiggle forcefully,
standing on his back legs to try and lick at Alex’s face. The whole scene looked endearing
and for the first time that day, Henry managed to crack a smile.

“It seems like he likes you.” He spoke, making Alex chuckle.

“Fuck, he’s so cute.” The man said before addressing David directly. “You’re so very cute,
but I think you know that already.”

“He’s name is David.” Henry told him while he waited for Alex to take off his jacket and
boots.

“David?” he asked amused. “What kind of name is that?”

Henry shrugged:

“He’s named after Bowie.”

“Ah, see, that makes it cooler.”

Alex grinned at him and Henry took a few seconds to study him. He really was a gorgeous
man, his features a mix between soft and sharp that gave him just the right amount of
dangerous air. The adorable dimple in his chin yearning to be kissed by Henry.

“Are you okay?” Alex asked him, brows furrowing again. He touched his cold fingers to
Henry’s face, right under his eyes. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

Henry shook his head, trying to push the butterflies forming inside his stomach to the side.

“I’m fine. The living room is right there, make yourself comfortable while I change and grab
my bag.” He told Alex before heading upstairs to his bedroom.

He changed in comfortable clothes, willing to stop his heart from beating so loud. His skin
burned with the memory of Alex’s cold fingers against it. He couldn’t understand what was
happening to him in the presence of the man downstairs, it seemed like every ounce of
preservation that he possessed was going down the drain with each smoldering look Alex was
offering him. It was dangerous, so very dangerous and yet so alluring that he couldn’t help
himself.
There was a visceral response from his body whenever Alex touched him and his soul
yearned for more – for his skin against his, for his lips everywhere on his body. He knew he
couldn’t. He knew he shouldn’t, better said, but every fiber of his being was screaming at him
to press himself against Alex and drag him to the nearest flat surface.

He had to stop thinking about him. As much as it pained him to admit, after Saturday they’ll
never see each other again. Alex was just taking advantage of his medical skills, there was
nothing more to it.

Henry shut off the lights in his bedroom, now changed in one of his less flattering, colorful
sweaters and a joggers. When he entered the living room Alex was not on the couch like he
expected him to be, but he was walking up and down his library, touching the spines of the
books he kept there and occasionally stopping to look at the pictures decorating the walls and
the mantle of the fireplace.

He turned in Henry’s direction, eyes widening when he took in his appearance.

“Oh.” Alex breathed out.

“What?” Henry asked him.

“Nothing, you look…adorable.” He rasped out, his tongue peaking out from beneath pearly
white teeth to lick at his lips. A slow smirk spread across his face. “Good enough to eat.”

“I sincerely doubt that.” Henry replied drily, trying to hide the blush covering his cheeks. By
the way Alex’s smirk widened he wasn’t doing a good job.

“You have a lot of books and not only medicine related.”

“Yeah, those I tend to keep in my office at the hospital. These are just books that I enjoy
reading. Romance, murder mysteries. Everything I can get my hands on.”

Alex asserted him with a soft look.

“What’s your favorite book?”

“Pride and Prejudice.” Henry replied without a doubt.

“Ah, Austen. My sister, uh… June, she loves Austen.”

Henry nodded, not knowing what else he could say. On any other day he would be thrilled to
launch in a talk about Austen’s work, but after today’s events he was still out of it. He
gestured to Alex to sit on the couch and he did after removing his shirt. He might have sensed
Henry’s mood because he kept quiet the whole time Henry was tending at his wound. It still
looked good and it didn’t feel hot under the touch of his gloves so there wasn’t any sign of
infection after all. He was sticking the adhesive to the gauze and partly on the skin when
Alex’s hand sneaked between them to lift his chin up. Henry gasped, surprised, looking at the
man’s concerned face.
Henry was surprised by the tender gaze on Alex’s face. It took everything in his power not to
lean into his touch.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked, just as softly, his voice barely a whisper between the two of
them.

His thumb brushed against his bottom lip, a smooth, barely-there touch that had Henry
gasping for more. It was that soft voice and that tender touch that made everything in Henry
resurface, eyes filling rapidly with tears.

“I lost a patient today.” Henry whispered, closing his eyes to take a deep breath and letting
the tears fall. He wiped them quickly with the sleeve of his sweater. The couch shifted and he
turned to look at Alex. He scooted to the edge of the couch.

“Come here.” The man said, gesturing for Henry to slip in the space between his body and
the couch. Surprising the both of them, Henry took of his gloves and crawled in the tiny
space, one of his legs thrown over Alex’s waist while the rest of his was sprawled across his
torso, careful not to touch the wound.

Alex’s arms circled him instantly, one of his hands flying to his hair to run his fingers through
it while Henry sniffled quietly. He didn’t realize how touch-starved he was, how much he
needed and craved the comfort of another person. Cradled in Alex’s arms like that soothed
his soul. The words started to bubble out of him before he had any chance of stopping them.
He told Alex about being paged early in the morning, his arrival at the hospital and all the
prep he went through to get ready for the surgery. He told him how hard he fought for his
patient to live and how the woman fought back until she couldn’t anymore. How numb he
felt, not being able to tell the family and not wanting to return home, driving and walking
aimlessly through New York. He told him about the other patients he had lost, the way their
names were engraved in his mind forever.

Alex listened silently, running his hands all over his hair, his shoulders and his back, trying to
offer him a sense of comfort and security.

Henry calmed himself enough by the time his tale was over, enough to stop crying and for his
breathing to return to normal. He looked up shyly, a blush blossoming high on his cheeks
when he realized Alex was already looking down at him and that they were closer than Henry
imagined.

“Thank you for listening.” He whispered and Alex squeezed him tighter.

“I’m sorry for today, kitten.” Alex said softly. “I can’t exactly relate to your story, I always
thought doctors were more… cold-blooded, trying not to empathize as much with the cases,
to keep themselves sane. I see now that it’s not the case for you.”

“I know I should detach myself from this, that I shouldn’t put everything to heart, but I can’t
help myself. It’s my profession and everything, but I hate seeing people suffer.”

“I hope you know that whatever happened today, it wasn’t your fault and that you shouldn’t
blame yourself, however hard that might sound. If she was ready to go, if it was her time to
go, then there was nothing you could have done.”

“I know.” Henry whispered.

They stood like that in silence for a couple more minutes, before Alex prompted them to get
up and reheat the food. Henry tried to protest, but his stomach grumbled loudly enough for
both of them to hear, an urgent reminder that he didn’t eat anything today. Alex laughed,
helping him up, before putting his shirt back on. Henry had half a mind to tell him not to
bother, the perfect, caramel skin was a welcomed distraction, but he bit his tongue and
followed Alex into the kitchen.

While he waited for the food to get warm again, he made both of them a cup of tea.

“You look like someone that ingests ungodly amounts of coffee, but sadly I only have tea. I
don’t like coffee.”

“Sacrilege!” Alex cried out, making Henry giggle. “Who doesn’t like coffee? Who doesn’t
have coffee for guests?”

“Me.” Henry replied with a smug smile. “Why would I have it if I don’t drink it? And the
people that usually come by my house are my sister Bea and my best friend Pez and they’re
both tea drinkers, so I shouldn’t bother.”

He split the food on two plates, offering one to Alex and when the man tried to refuse, Henry
simply rolled his eyes telling him that he couldn’t eat everything by himself anyway. It was
nice, having a companion that for once wasn’t his sister, or Pez. It brought life into his home.
Even though that said companion was a very dangerous (Henry could only assume) mobster.

“What, no buff boyfriend barging in to kick my ass for being alone with you?” Alex asked
through a mouthful of noodles.

Henry snorted, shaking his head.

“Did you seriously think I would snuggle like that with you on the couch if I had a
boyfriend? You were half-dressed.”

“Well, it worked, no? You’re brightening my night with that smile of yours.” Alex replied,
throwing a wink in his direction. “How come someone as beautiful as you is single?”

“Really, that’s your line?”

“Is it not working?”

Henry blushed a little. “Maybe.”

“Then that’s my line.” Alex answered with a grin.

“I don’t go out much and I guess it’s not that easy to meet someone after a certain age.”

Alex snorted.
“You tell me.”

The silence stretched for an awkward amount of time, while the both of them played with the
food remaining on their plates. Henry didn’t know what exactly to say, he sometimes went
over in his head, not able to read the room or know what to say. Thankfully, it was Alex who
broke the silence, asking him about why he chose to go in the medical field if he hated seeing
people suffer. Henry shook his head with a laugh, telling his story about how he wanted to
help people, even more so after his father died. Alex helped him wash up and they moved
back to the couch and Henry opened a bottle of red wine, offering a glass to Alex.

“What, you’re not going to yell at me for drinking alcohol?” he asked with an amused grin,
making Henry roll his eyes.

“Red wine improves blood circulation, you’ll be fine.” Henry replied, mirroring his grin.

“Oh, kitten, I don’t need red wine to improve blood circulation when I have you sitting so
close to me.” Alex drawled, making Henry hide behind his wine glass to cover his blush.

It was surprisingly easy to talk to him, he was thinking that maybe it was dangerous to
explain his life in so many details, but on the other hand, it probably wasn’t something that
Alex didn’t know – considering the background runs Nora did on his profile. They talked
about everything under the sun, splitting the bottle of red wine between the two of them. Alex
was a good listener, soaking up every little word that came out of his mouth and although
Alex told him some things about himself, he was cautious enough to avoid speaking about his
profession in too many details. Henry wasn’t bothered about this, not when Alex was pressed
against his side like that.

The wine, combined with the delicious scent emanating from the man next to him, made him
dizzy in the most delectable way. It was so long since he got to enjoy the company of another
person, of an attractive man and he didn’t quite realize how much he craved it. He wasn’t
exactly surprised when he kissed Alex right on the mouth, effectively stopping him from his
rant about which was the superior Star Wars movie.

Alex tested of wine and the dinner they shared, a combination that shouldn’t work together,
not without that something extra that was all Alex. The press of his mouth was soft, lips soft
under Henry’s, but he seemed to be frozen, rigid under Henry’s touch. The feeling of
rejection sunk deep within his bones and he pulled back, trying to not to let it show how
much it affected him. Maybe there wasn’t something more. Maybe he imagined the whole
sexual tension between their bodies. Maybe Alex was a big flirt and flirting with Henry was
part of who he was as a person. A million thoughts were swimming around his head, cheeks
burning with embarrassment. He opened his mouth to apologize to Alex, when the man spoke
softly.

“Henry” he said, prompting Henry to look at him. His eyes were pitch black, dark and lustful
and he was gripping the edge of the couch so hard that his knuckles were white. “I want you
to know that if I get to put my hands on you, there’s not going back.” His voice was low,
seductive, swirling around Henry’s head like a melody.

“What do you mean?”

“It’ll mean that you’ll be mine and I won’t be letting you go.”

It took five seconds for the words to settle inside his brain, turn it to mush, before Henry
launched himself out of his seat to climb in Alex’s lap. This time when they kissed, Alex’s
mouth opened pliantly under his lips, inviting him in with a possessive growl that bounced
off of Henry’s chest. They kissed desperately, teeth clashing, tongues fighting for dominance,
Henry’s hands sinking in the soft curls that he was desperate to touch and making Alex groan
out a moan.

When Alex took control of the kiss, pulling him closer to press bruising kisses on his jaw, his
neck and his collarbones, Henry’s mind short-circuited. He barely managed to climb off of
Alex’s lap, breathing so heavily he was a bit worried for the well being of his organs.

“Take off your pants, I want to suck you.” Henry groaned and Alex wasted no time in pulling
down his pants and his underwear, freeing his cock from the confines of his clothes. Henry
dropped to his knees, making the man on the couch rasp out a curse.

“Fuck, kitten, look at you. You’re desperate.”

He was, but he didn’t care, taking the gorgeous cock in his mouth and sucking hard. Alex
cursed, his hands flying to his hair, rocking his hips gently inside his mouth everytime Henry
scraped his teeth along the shaft. He could feel he was close, Alex’s hands tightening in is
hair before gently pulling Henry off of him. Henry whined at the loss and with spit running
down his he glared at the man on the couch.

“Why did you stop me?”

Alex smirked, bending to kiss him again – just as hard and hot as he did before, whispering
against his lips:

“Because I want to fuck you, kitten. You’ve been shaking that glorious ass of yours in my
mind ever since I’ve met you.”

Henry moaned. He wasn’t much into dirty talk, he found it a bit awkward, but now, with Alex
breathing heavily against his lips, that damn smirk of his curling at the corner of his mouth,
Henry wanted nothing more than to have the filthy words Alex was uttering engraved on his
skin.

“Bedroom.” He gasped when Alex’s palm smacked his behind. He scrambled to his feet,
pulling Alex alongside with him and almost running upstairs to the bedroom. Alex was trying
to, simultaneously, take off his sweater and pants, stumbling, and collapsing on top of each
other on the bed. Henry giggled.

“Careful not to hurt yourself, love.” He admonished Alex who simply grunted, bending down
to suck a hickey on the column of his throat. He stretched, fumbling with the packet of
condoms and the bottle of lube he had stashed inside his nightstand.

“Come on, come on, come on.” He groaned, impatiently, squirming under Alex’s body.
“Patience is a virtue.” Alex grinned.

“Don’t have it. Don’t care. Fuck me.”

“So bossy.” the other man drawled and with one swift motion he turned Henry around,
pressing his face down on the mattress. He peppered kisses all over his back, biting lightly at
the plump flesh of his ass before delivering another slap to his behind. “You like this don’t
you? Me, slapping your ass like the little naughty boy that you are. Letting a mobster fuck
you.”

Henry moaned, rocking his hips into his mattress, trying desperately to create some sort of
friction. When Alex started to prep him slowly, he felt his soul leaving his body. It was so
long since he slept with somebody, so long since he felt the touch of another person, getting
dizzy with the lust he felt. It was just his luck that Alex was skilled, opening him up and
almost driving him up the walls, with his teasing long fingers and bites and sharp slaps. He
was reduced to a puddle of goo, melting on the mattress, his legs shaking wobbly as he was
fighting to keep steady.

“Fuck, kitten, you look so good like that. All opened up and ready for me to fuck you. You
can’t wait for that, huh?”

“Yes.” Henry cried out. “Please, Alex, please, fuck me.”

“So needy.” The other man mused, but his voice was thick with want and desire. He heard the
foil of a condom opening, the sound of latex slapping against Alex’s cock and the glorious
nudge of his head at Henry’s opening.

He heaved out a moan at the glorious stretch, basking in the burn and pain and pleasure. Alex
groaned too when he bottomed out, letting Henry adjust to the weight and length of his cock.
He rocked his hips gently, scratching Henry’s prostate in the process and making him muffle
a shout.

“Oh, kitten, you’re just spectacular. You were made for me.” Alex rasped out, getting a hold
of his arms and hoisting him in a half-sitting position. His hips were moving harder, steadily
inside Henry, fucking into him like there was no tomorrow. Henry loved every second of it.
One of Alex’s arms gripped his waist, holding him tight against his chest, while the other
traveled to his jaw, turning his head to the side and pulling him in a filthy kiss.

All it took was Alex’s hand to go a little bit lower, pressing two fingers against his throat and
squeezing gently, for Henry’s orgasm to be punched out of his chest, groaning Alex’s name
breathlessly and spilling all over his clean sheets.

“Fuck, Henry, what am I going to do with you?” Alex grunted, his hips stuttering lightly
when his orgasm washed over him. They collapsed on one side, getting dirty on Henry’s
orgasm, with Alex’s cock still inside of him. Henry felt boneless, a dumb, sated smile curling
his lips, whining lightly when Alex pulled out.

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up.” Alex nudged him, pressing a sweet kiss to his sweaty
forehead.
 They moved to the bathroom, turning the shower on and sharing slow, languid kisses while
they washed each other. Henry changed the sheets before changing Alex’s wet gauze. He was
surprised to see the mobster not scramble to get his clothes and leave, instead he went buck-
naked downstairs, returning with a glass of water for Henry, before sliding under the sheets
with him and pulling him against his side. Henry looked up at him, confused.

“What?” Alex asked. “I like to cuddle after glorious sex.” He chuckled, settling in more
comfortably. “Would you rather I leave?”

“No.” Henry found himself saying, a smile turning up his lips. “Stay.” He continued, putting
his head on Alex’s chest and closing his eyes.

He fell asleep to the sound of Alex’s breath and the slow hum of his heart.

Chapter End Notes

*sigh* Alexxx, right!?

 Just to see you smile.
Chapter Notes

Heeeeello! Back again with another chapter. One more to go and then we're finished. I'll
have to say, I'm pretty bummed that this work is going to be finished, but there's that. I
don't want to complicate things more than they will be.
Loved writing this chapter, it's not longer because I have SO MUCH to say in the final
chapter. be prepared, but also, it's going to take a while to write it, that's for sure.
thank you all sooo much for all the love for this story! I'm mesmerized, truly, about the
amount of support I've received.
all the love to all of you!!! <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

They fell into a sort of a routine, Henry realized, weeks after Alex showed up at his door.
He’d come back from work, seeing Alex’s silhouette on his porch, before he was scooped in
a hug and warm smiles, pressed against the side of his door.

It always started the same, Alex urging him to shower after long hours at the hospital, while
he made dinner for the two of them. Henry was sure that he’ll never tire of seeing Alex in the
middle of his kitchen, surrounded by pots, pans, David at his feet while he cooked and drank
wine and sang to his hearts’ desire. It was the kind of domesticity Henry never realized he
craved, not until he tasted it. His house became alive, Alex’s laugh and stories bouncing off
of the walls, David’s excited bark whenever he saw the two of them washing over his ears.

It was good, more than good.

Their night always finished with them tangled in each other, between the sheets, or the couch,
in front of the fireplace, or the shower and Henry didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he
was getting addicted to the other man’s touch. Alex understood what he needed without
having to ask him. He would take one look at his face and he knew if Henry needed to be
taken roughly, if he needed to be punished, or praised, or made love to – sweet and gentle. It
was something that Henry never experienced with his previous partners and he realized that it
wasn’t that they lacked experience, but they lacked care. They didn’t care if in the process of
fucking Henry, he was satisfied or not.

Which wasn’t the case for Alex – the man was as good a receiver as he was a giver. And he
gave Henry every part of himself.

It was only logic that, at some point, Henry realized that he was in love with him.

The realization didn’t disturb him as much now, as it did in the beginning. Now it was just a
matter of being careful not to blurt out the words whenever Alex as much looked at him. In
the beginning he was scared shitless to admit that, truly, he loved the mobster. Alex was
sweet, funny, charming and intelligent. He knew how to hold his ground and he had that air
of danger around him that simply sang to Henry’s heart. He was never the risk taker, he liked
being on the safe side, playing nice, but he also liked all the darkness that seemed to be
floating around Alex. He hated to say that the man truly made him feel alive.

At first, after their first night together, Henry was more than happy to see that Alex was gone
by the time he woke up to start getting ready for his shift at the hospital. He had enough time
to panic, alone, in the shower, a million thoughts swirling inside his head while he washed
the smell of Alex from his body. Objectively, he knew that he was the one that started it, so
he couldn’t really blame Alex for acting on instinct and delivering the best sex of Henry’s
life.

It was fine, he told himself then. He’ll stay away, he’ll finish tending to Alex’s wound and
they’ll go on their respective ways. It was the smart thing to do – even though he found the
man incredibly alluring. He was a mobster for crying out loud, Henry never got as much as a
speeding ticket in 35 years on the planet. He wasn’t going to fool around with a man that
thought he was above the law.

He remembered all of the thoughts that were going through his mind, only to go downstairs
to let David out in the garden and find a cup of tea already prepared for him. It was still
lukewarm, so maybe Alex didn’t exactly leave in the middle of the night, but sometimes
before Henry woke up and he had the time to make him tea. Next to the cup it was a note that
made him blush:

If you found this it means you’re done panicking. Last night was fun, let’s do it again. I want
to fuck you until you can’t remember anything else, but MY name. Call me. – A

At the bottom there was a number written and Henry wasted no time in saving it on his
phone. You never know when you need it.

He didn’t plan on calling Alex that night, but it wasn’t necessary anyway, because the man
was expecting Henry when he returned from work. Alex said nothing, just smiled knowingly
at him:

“You didn’t call.” He said pouting.

“No need, apparently.” Henry replied.

And – again.

Henry was pretty sure that he was the one that made the first move, jumping to circle Alex’s
neck with his arms and pull him in a desperate kiss.

“Kitten, you’re going to kill me.” Alex said then, through moans and groans of pleasure and
pain. They were trying to make their way upstairs, into the shower, only to bump in every
piece of furniture and wall that Henry owned.

“Do shut up, love.” Henry told him, trying to take their clothes off.
And it happened again.

And again.

And again.

Then Christmas came and passed, Henry was in London and he found himself miserable.
More miserable than before – having to deal with his grandmother and his older brother
Phillip would have been easier if Alex were to be by his side. Thank God for Bea.

Then New Year came and passed and on the second of January, Henry left London, frustrated
for having to put up with his family, but giddy to return home and see Alex.

They managed to see each other on the 6th of January, Alex was also traveling, visiting family
which was such a domestic thing to do for a mobster, but hey, who was Henry to judge, and
he returned on the 3rd when Henry already begun his shifts at the hospital. He missed
working, that was sure and he was thankful that they didn’t have as many accidents or sick
people coming from the holidays. Usually that period of time was a living hell.

He was coming home, bone tired and ready to cuddle with David on his bed, when he noticed
Alex leaning against his door. He was wearing far too little clothes for the cold that was
outside, but Henry was so mesmerized by the sight of him that he couldn’t be bothered to
admonish him.

“What’s wrong, kitten? Who got your tongue?” Alex drawled, pushing away from the door to
stay in front of him. His smile was cocky, but there was a certain emotion in his eyes that
Henry couldn’t quite place – there was the usual hunger, like he wanted to eat Henry, but it
was more to it than that.

“What are you doing here?” Henry found himself asking and for a second Alex looked
confused. “Not that I’m complaining. I haven’t seen you in weeks.” He rushed to assure him.

Alex smiled brilliantly, bending down to catch his mouth in a searing kiss. That simple thing
was enough to turn him into a puddle of goo and he had to lean into Alex for support.

“I wanted to see you, of course.” Alex muttered softly, pressing kisses against his forehead. “I
missed you.”

Henry pulled back, ridiculous smile plastered on his face – one that Alex greedily took in.

“I missed you too.” He whispered before pushing Alex inside.

They didn’t have sex that night, instead Henry watched Alex cook something for them,
before dragging him to the bathroom where they took a long bath, filled with scented salts,
candles littering every surface and bubbles. It was a little bit cramped, and both their legs
were half hanging outside of the tub, but it was perfect. Feeling Alex close to him while he
pressed kisses to his neck and shoulders. Washing each other’s hair and complaining half-
heartedly when they had to get out and clean all the spilled water.
Alex dried him thoroughly. Ruffling his hair and making Henry laugh while he returned the
gesture, before the both of them retired in the bed, embraced in a hug so tight that nothing
could ever separate them. Henry felt relaxed for the first time in weeks, already floating
towards a dream when Alex bent his head, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

“Creo que estoy enamorado de ti, mi corazón.” He whispered thickly.

Henry had no idea what he said, but he hummed in answer, before falling asleep with the
image of warm brown eyes swimming around his mind.

He woke up to a hot mouth searing kisses into his skin, making him moan. The room was still
engulfed in darkness and the first thing he saw, when he opened his eyes, was his alarm clock
announcing that it was almost 6 AM. The next thing he saw, while trying to blink the sleep
away was a head full of mussed curls, going down on his body.

“Alex.” He said softly, not wanting to scare the man that was currently busy, mouthing at the
line of his semi-hard cock.

Alex’s head snapped back and he offered a blinding smile.

“Hi, baby.” His voice was rugged with sleep, deep and seductive, making the butterflies in his
stomach swirl. “Good sleep?” Alex maintained eye contact while he took the head of his cock
in his mouth, looking at him through those fucking eyelashes of his.

“Mhmm.” Henry grunted, a moan getting stuck in his throat. “Best in a while.”

“Me too.” The other man agreed, lightly tracing the curve of his cock with his tongue. “But I
couldn’t sleep anymore. Not with you pressed like that on me.”

“Ah, Alex!” Henry chuckled, a sound that quickly dissolved into a breathless groan when the
man took his cock in his mouth in one fluid motion.

“I’m going to suck you off until you come down my throat. And then I’m going to open you
up nice and slow, before I fuck you until you won’t be able to speak. Understood?”

“Yes.” Henry complied, crying out when Alex took him in his mouth again and began to
suck. One hand went to Alex’s hair, tangling his fingers there and he pulled, hips rocking
inside Alex’s welcoming mouth.

It wasn’t long before he was coming, a shout of pleasure getting punched out of his chest and
he fell breathless on the pillows.

“So beautiful.” Alex praised him, licking his lips. “That face you make when you let go is the
only thing that could ever bring me to my knees.”
Henry groaned again, this time because of his words. They made his heart flutter in his chest.

“Come here.” Henry pleaded making the other man chuckle.

“Not a chance, kitten. I’m not done with you yet.”

He leaned over Henry, rummaging through his nightstand to pull out a condom and the lube,
before resuming his position. He spread Henry’s legs further apart, taking a moment to
admire all the naked flesh he could see.

“When I’m through with you, you’ll be ruined for anyone else.” Alex promised him, a
mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Don’t need anyone else when I have you.” Henry responded and this time Alex’s smile was
softer, more vulnerable.

“Good, kitten.” Was the reply he got, before Alex lost himself between his legs.

He wasted no time in opening Henry up, using his tongue and his fingers, brushing against
Henry’s prostate and making him cry out, licking into him until Henry was nothing more than
a quivering mess and the only thing he could babble was Alex’s name.

“Please, Alex, please.” He begged, tightening his legs around the other man’s shoulders. “I
need you, love.”

“You have me, baby.” Alex said softly, pulling back to bring him into a messy kiss. There
was sticky lube covering his chin and lips and Henry couldn’t care less. Alex pulled back just
enough to put on the condom, before he gripped his cock, guiding it to Henry’s entrance.
Both of them moaned when he moved further – Henry because of the delicious stretch and
Alex because of the tight heat engulfing him.

“It’s like coming home.” Alex said against his throat, biting harshly at the skin there. He gave
Henry a couple of seconds to adjust, before he pulled back just enough to slam back into him.
The force of his movement sent them both a little higher on the bed.

“God, Alex.” Henry groaned, tightening his hold on him and pulling him as close as it was
possible.

“Just Alex, kitten.” The other man chuckled, raising his hips just enough to graze Henry’s
prostate again.

They were pressed everywhere, Henry’s hands tangled in the soft curls of his hair, pulling
harshly while Alex was sucking kisses on every inch of skin that was available. He was going
to have some nasty bruises, but he couldn’t care less. He wanted to have the memory of their
night. Henry searched for one of his hands, taking the palm and pressing the fingers against
his throat. Alex’s eyes widened just for a second, before he understood what he had to do and
he tightened his grip on Henry’s throat – squeezing, making the other man’s eyes roll in the
back of his throat.

“What a pretty collar you have there, kitten.” Alex said, a hint of darkness tinting his voice.
“Alex – I’m…not going to last any longer.” Henry warned him, his voice already raw from
all the groaning.

“Let go, baby. Let me see your face. Let me hear you. And then I’m going to do the same, but
I’m going to paint this gorgeous body of yours with my come.” Alex whispered in his ear and
it was what he said that sent Henry over the edge. His back arching, he came between their
bodies, clawing at Alex’s back while he rode out his orgasm. Alex grinned, watching him
collaps against the pillows. Seconds later Alex pulled back, ripping off the condom, while he
also came – spilling himself all over Henry’s chest and belly.

He took Henry’s face in his hands, leaning on him and not caring about the mess they’ve
created, pressing the softest kiss on his lips.

“I love you, kitten.” Alex whispered, resting his forehead against Henry’s.

For a moment the time slowed down and the only thing he could hear were the three little
words that he never dared hope to hear. Certainly not from Alex. But with Alex’s erratic
breathing washing over his face and his heart slamming against his ribcage, he realized that it
wasn’t a perfect illusion, something that he desperately wanted.

He pulled Alex closer, hugging him with his arms and legs, sharing his warmth with him,
before he managed to find his voice again:

“I love you too, Alex. For a while now. I just didn’t want to ruin this thing between us. It’s
better to have you like this, then not have you at all.” He whispered. He was glad for the
position they were in, considering the knot forming in his throat and the tears that burned his
eyes.

Alex, being Alex, didn’t leave it like that. He pulled back just enough to cradle Henry’s face
in his arms, leaning on his elbows to sustain part of his weight. The look on his face was
mesmerizing, it made the knot in Henry’s throat grow larger. He was looking at him like he
was something precious, like he was something fragile – with so much love swimming in
those brilliant, dark eyes of his that Henry wanted to scream into a pillow.

“You have all of me now. Body, mind, heart and soul, mi vida.”

January flew in a blur, between spending half of his time at the hospital and half of it with
Alex. Things shifted a little in their routine. Alex spent the night more frequently now, taking
it upon himself to drive him to and from work. They went out more, taking David in long
walks through the woods, kissing each other under every possible tree. They spent some of
their free nights in the city, in parks still decorated with Christmas lights, cozy coffee shops,
expensive restaurants, or movie theaters where they spend the majority of their time kissing
like two horny teenagers at their first date.
It was everything Henry ever hoped for.

Sometimes they would have dinner with June and Nora, at his house, the women going out of
their way to apologize to Henry again, for scaring him and for treating him badly. Water
under the bridge, Henry told them, squeezing them both when they asked if they could hug.
He knew that Nora and June were a big part of Alex’s life, the most important one, and he
wanted to get to know them better.

It wasn’t surprising how much he liked the two women. He appreciated Nora’s sharp wit and
mind and how easily she quipped with something fun or intelligent. He appreciated June’s
sensibility, hidden somewhere at the surface of her personality, it was clear that she loved
Alex a lot and he could only share that sentiment. The fact that they bonded over Jane Austen
and other romance novels was just a plus.

And Alex was…

Amazing, to put it shortly.

He was attentive and reassuring, he cared for Henry even on his worst days, when the burden
of working in such a fast-paced, demanding domain took a toll on his mental health. He
would cuddle him for hours, cook him food, or spoil him with treats and gifts. At some point
in their relationship he gifted Henry a princeps edition of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.
It was safe to say he bawled like a baby, holding both Alex and the book close to his chest.

“Alex” he managed after gaining composure “this must have been a small fortune.”

“Kitten. Mi corazón, I’d put the world to your feet just to see you smile.” Alex declared
fiercely.

Henry was so in love he wanted to shout it to the whole planet to hear. It was a bit terrifying,
the power the man held over Alex, how easily a misplaced word of his would have the power
to destroy him forever. Henry didn’t regret it, not one bit. The past couple of months, since he
began to fall in love with Alex, were better than the 35 years he spent on the planet. Henry
knew everything about him and Alex did the same. He wasn’t exactly a believer, didn’t
believe in God, or other deities, or fate, or karma. But it must have been, right? Fate at least,
for bringing such a splendid man his way. Devoted and caring that would do everything in his
power just to see Henry smile. They fit together perfectly, to the last detail.

Valentine’s Day fell on one of the days when Henry had a short shift at the hospital and they
arranged to meet each other after and go to a restaurant that Alex insisted on. He drove Henry
to the hospital, telling him that at 7 PM sharp he was going to wait for him in the parking lot.
The hours dragged, he was watching the clock every five minutes, counting the seconds until
he could be in Alex’s arms again.

At 6 PM, when his shift was over, he headed towards the showers, in the staff area, to clean
himself good after a whole day of work, before he all but sprinted to the parking lot. It was
mostly empty, just a few cars littering the place, Alex’s nowhere in sight. He sent a text, for
good precaution, telling Alex that he was going to be waiting for him outside. The answer
came seconds later:
 I’m stuck at the same red light for 15 minutes now. But I’m close by, hopefully it won’t take
long.

It better not. Henry replied amused, only to swoon lightly at Alex’s reply.

I’d break the sound barrier for you.

A couple of minutes passed with Henry enjoying the quietness and the cold. He didn’t feel
much anyway, bundled in a thick jacket, a sweater and gloves, but the cold air that he
breathed made him feel refreshed. His moment was rudely interrupted by the sound of tires
screeching on the frozen road, a black van stopping carelessly in front of him.

Henry froze, it looked like a police van, but the people spilling out of it looked nothing like
police officers. They looked like mercenaries, their faces obscured by ridiculous hoods.

“Get in the car.” One of them told Henry gruffly, his voice somehow familiar, with an accent
that he couldn’t quite place.

“No thank you, I’m waiting for someone.” Henry replied, taking a step back, calculating how
far away he was from the hospital’s entrance – very, what was the probability that he could
make a run for it – less than 5%, and if he did escaped to the hospital, what were the chances
of these men not shooting everyone inside – they were going to kill everyone. He wasn’t
about to risk the lives of hundred of people, not when it was clear that the men wanted him
specifically.

“I said” the guy spoke again, through gritted teeth “get in the car before I put a bullet through
your eyes and blow this whole place up.”

“Fine!” Henry exclaimed petulantly, hoping that his voice came as annoyed as he was going
for, not at all terrified. “But if you’ll mess up my clothes, I’m going to be very upset. I have a
date later.”

The man laughed, a cold sound that pierced his blood. He grabbed Henry, pushing him into
the van. Other men were already there, pinning Henry down to the floor.

“Sure, dollface. You have bigger stuff to think about than your clothes getting messed up.”
He replied cynically, closing the sliding door of the van.

The last thing Henry saw was a boot approaching his face, before he was hit and everything
went black.

Well, getting kidnapped was at the bottom on his How I’d spend my Valentine’s Day list.

(beggars can’t be choosers, after all.)

Chapter End Notes

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALEX and his pet names. I could scream. I
always feel like you can make Alex say all the pet names in the world because all of
them would suit him/Henry.

oh, also, I joined Tumblr - my username is the same as it is here. come say hi, I'm pretty
new to it, I've never had Tumblr before. :)
 How to get kidnapped in ten easy steps, by Henry Fox.
Chapter Notes

guys, GUYS, we're at the end with this story and I'm soooo sad to let it go. I loved
writing it - it was badass, it was hot, it was fluffy and angsty and everything in between
and I simply adored writing it. the fact that you loved this story just as much motivated
me to continue writing it. maybe, someday, it'll be a part of a series, maybe I'll add some
missing scenes - who knows?
I'm really thankful and grateful for each and everyone of you that left kudos, comments,
or simply read the story! you're all amazing, I hope you know that.
thank you so much for everything, for you support, hope to see you in my
comment/kudo/read section to my other stories as well!
much and all the love for you <3

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Something hurts.

He just can’t tell exactly what, but the pain is zinging through his body whenever he as much
tries to breathe. He can hear voices, all of them mingling together – a cacophony of Spanish
and English that rubs him the wrong way. He listens closely, trying to hear if any of the
voices talking in Spanish resembles Alex’s. It’s not like Alex would do something like this,
not after they’ve proclaimed their love to one another, but there’s a spot of uncertainty in the
back of his mind that he cannot ignore.

He opens his eyes, cautiously, taking in his surroundings. He’s tied to a chair, unable to move
his arms and legs, and there’s something warm dripping on his forehead. He doesn’t have to
see to know that it’s blood. There’s a sharp pain shooting through his torso when he tries to
breathe in deeply and he recognizes the pain – he has a fractured rib. Someone fucking
kicked him hard enough to fracture on of his ribs.

The anger inflates his chest making a strangled grunt escape his throat. The chatter stops
abruptly and several pair of eyes turn to look at him. Henry squints in their direction. They
are in a room that looks absolutely filthy, with old things thrown everywhere and one singular
lightbulb that dangles over his head. He looks down, his clothes that were once pristine were
now smudged with blood and boot prints. When he speaks, he doesn’t recognize his own
voice – rough and chilly with a subtle note of fear that can pass as cockiness.

“I told you to not mess up my clothes.” Henry says, his voice all but booming in the quietness
of the room.

Someone approaches and he thinks he has to squint to see the person. It’s a man, of course,
on the shorter side, but with muscles bulging under the tight T-shirt. He has a nice face, a
little bit of stubble on his jawline, lips pulled up in a sardonic smile, but his eyes were colder
than anything Henry’s ever seen. It makes a shiver run down his spine.

“Hola, precioso.” The guys says and there’s something vaguely familiar in his voice. Like
he’s heard it before, but he can’t exactly say where.

“I know you.” Henry says. “I just don’t know where from.”

Maybe they’ve met each other in a bar? At some pub? He is objectively nice to look at, when
he doesn’t sport the psychopathic glare and Henry would probably take him home if it were
an average day and he wasn’t in love.

“Really?” the guy drawls, moving closer that he was almost nose-to-nose with Henry. Henry
doesn’t understand how someone can manage to look both amused and pissed at the same
time.

“Look” Henry spits out “I told you I have a date, so I’d like for you to let me go. If money it
is that you want, I can arrange for you to get all the money that you need. You won’t have to
work a day in your life. I imagine kidnapping people from the street doesn’t exactly qualifies
as a day job.”

He knows that he has to shut the fuck up. Maybe plead with them, ask for mercy and all the
jazz that he’s seen in movies whenever there’s an interrogation scene. He can’t bring himself
to. He’s terrified, trying to push the inevitable panic attack down, while he juts his chin out in
an attempt to appear confident. Henry was a master at hiding behind irony and acid words
whenever he was in an uncomfortable situation. Admittedly, this wasn’t exactly an
uncomfortable situation – more of a life and death situation.

The guy pulls back with a laugh and it sounds evil enough that Henry has the fleeting thought
of the man practicing in the mirror. Stupid thoughts to think when you’re tied to a chair,
beaten up and unable to escape without dying.

“Money, dollface?” the guy asks again. “I have plenty of money, but what I need right now is
to make you scream.”

“Sorry, I’m taken.” Henry mumbles, making the man laugh again.

“Not like that, although I have to admit, you’re a tasty little thing. We might have some fun. I
can understand what Alex sees in you.”

He freezes at the name and the guy offers a dark smirk, leaning in Henry’s space and pressing
his palms to Henry’s thighs. He studies his face for a couple of moments, the smirk still in
place, like he can read every thought that goes inside Henry’s mind.

“Mm. I can easily say that Alex is behind all of this. You didn’t exactly think that you’ll be
together forever, no?”

“You’re lying.” Henry tells him through gritted teeth and the guy is trying to soften his look
in a moment of fake-sympathy.
“Unfortunately, I am. I had to plan this all by myself. He’s so in love with you that it makes
me a little bit sick to my stomach.”

Henry squints again, trying to find the name that he’s looking for. He’s certain that he’s seen
the man before, somewhere, but his mind is fuzzy enough to not be able to grasp where. He
talked about Alex like he knew him intimately, so he can’t exactly be one of his enemies,
trying to force Alex’s hand with something. Maybe he’s one of the henchmen Alex keeps
around his propriety, that’s why he seems familiar. He might have seen him around the house
when he went to take care of Alex, back when he was shot. A name comes to the front of his
mind.

“You’re Michael something, aren’t you?” Henry asks and the guy smirks again.

“Miguel, but close.”

“Ah, you were supposed to drive me back home, the first night I’ve met Alex, but he didn’t
want to let you.” Henry muses. “I wonder why, do you think he was imagining something
like this happening?”

“No, he was just trying to keep you hidden. Didn’t want to share his pretty, little plaything.
He’s selfish like that.”

A hysterical laugh bubbles out of his chest.

“So what? You thought that kidnapping the pretty, little plaything that your mafia boss plays
with is going to get you what… a promotion?”

Miguel moves faster than Henry could have anticipated and suddenly there’s a hand gripping
his throat tight. It’s not like when Alex chokes him during sex, he’s not only doing it to offer
another stimulating alternative that will push Henry into an orgasm – Miguel squeezes tight,
stopping both the air and blood flow from circulating through his system.

“You might think that it’s cute to act all brave and bitchy, but I’m not Alex. I don’t have any
emotional ties to you and I have no problem in putting a gun in your mouth, so don’t tempt
me.”

He lets go of Henry, forcing him to gasp for breath. His throat hurts and his lungs burn for
being deprived of oxygen. If he escapes this, he’s definitely cured from the choking kink. At
least for a while.

“Then why don’t you kill me already?” Henry asks.

“Not my intention. Contrary to the popular belief, mafia people don’t go around killing
people for fun. I’m just going to keep you here a little longer, I’m trying to teach Alex a
lesson.”

“Which is?” he asks impatiently.

“Never do something as stupid as fall in love with a civilian. Not while you’re a self-
proclaimed mafia boss.” Miguel answers with a grimace, but there’s something that Henry
catches in his tone, in the way he carries himself, pacing the room and keeping his head
down, trying to not make eye-contact with Henry.

His voice was spiteful, but there was a tone of regret laced through his words. His body is
flexed, alert and he’s pinching his fists together as if he wants and not wants to punch
something. When he turns to look at Henry there’s a fire in his eyes that burns bright, but as
Henry analyzes his whole appearance, nothing is exactly directed to the situation – he’s not
pissed that Alex fell in love with a civilian, he’s pissed that Alex fell in love, period.

“You’re jealous!” Henry blurts out, not quite believing his eyes.

There’s a second when Miguel falters, when his eyebrows pinch together in the middle of his
forehead and he bites his lip. It’s gone fast enough for Henry to pass it off as his mind playing
games. Miguel’s face is void of emotion and his cold eyes burn with fury.

“Please, dollface, don’t flatter yourself.”

“Oh no, this isn’t about me. You slept with him, didn’t you? Maybe a couple times and you
realized that you wanted more. But he didn’t – and he met me. And he fell in love with me.
So, you thought the logical thing to do was to kidnap and torture me just so he’ll suffer. Or
break up with me and start something with you? That’s the most idio-“.

He’s cut off by a punch to the side of his face, words dying in his mouth. The punch was
sharp, precisely delivered, turning his whole body to the side. Yep, he definitely had a broken
rib, he could feel the pain coursing through his veins. Henry didn’t have time to recover after
the punch, for Miguel delivered others.

“Oh, yes, dollface, I’m definitely going to make you scream. You’ll forget every nasty little
thing trying to come out of your mouth.”

When he wakes up again he’s in more pain. It hurts. Badly. It hurts bad enough for him to
want to crawl out of his skin. He doesn’t know how much time passed since he was brought
here, but he knows that he shouldn’t have taunted Miguel with his stupid words. Clearly his
instinct of preservation is missing. He remembers getting beaten to a pulp, drifting in and out
of consciousness while Miguel was kicking him, yelling profanities in Spanish. There’s none
in the room with him so at least he has some time to contemplate on things.

At least he knows that fate isn’t as sick and twisted as he heard and Alex has nothing to do
with this. Well, not entirely. He’s pretty sure that he was right about Miguel’s infatuation with
his boyfriend – otherwise why would he have punched the living daylights out of Henry?
God, but he was a little bit too old to deal with jealous boyfriends.
Except that, Miguel wasn’t a jealous boyfriend, he was a psychopath that believed doing
what he did would miraculously fix whatever feelings Alex had for Henry. Which wasn’t the
case, Henry liked to think that their love ran deeper than that. He felt tired and hurt in various
places. He didn’t want to think at the worst, but Miguel did threaten him to kill him at some
point –

it’s been a while since he’s been threatened.

But, weirdly enough, the thought of dying didn’t scare him so much anymore. He was mostly
sad, his heart squeezing painfully inside his chest as the only thing running through his mind
was hoping to see Alex one more time. To tell him that it wasn’t his fault. To tell him that he
loved him and that maybe something like this had to happen.

He never thought about how his life will end, he always thought that either old age or
sickness will put him in the ground, but now he took into account that maybe dehydration
will finish him. Maybe that broken rib that was hurting his side. Maybe he’ll bleed to death
from the various cuts and punches that split open his skin. Maybe exhaustion combined with
all of the above. Who knew? He just hoped to live long enough to figure it out.

The door of the room creaked and someone entered, carrying a metal tray. Henry looked up,
his eyes were swollen enough to not see very good, but there was a vaguely familiar air about
the man that entered.

“You’re awake.” The man said and his voice was almost painfully small – sympathetic in a
way that made Henry’s skin crawl. He put the tray down, assessing Henry with a look. “I’m
sorry for what happened to you. You don’t deserve it.”

“No shit.” Henry wheezed out a laugh.

“I didn’t… know that Miguel was going to do this to you. To you. He said that Alex – Alex
asked him to take care of something and that he needed my help.”

“You look familiar.” Henry told him and the guy let out a soft laugh, taking a towel and
dunking it in the bowl of water he carried.

“I’m just going to clean you up a little.” He replied, pressing the lukewarm water to his
wounds. “You’re bleeding everywhere.”

“I wonder why.” Henry replied sarcastically. “Where do I know you from?”

“I’m one of Alex’s men. Spencer. You probably saw me when you swung by the house.”

“Oh!” Henry muttered, hissing when Spencer pressed harder on his skin. “Alex told me about
you. He said that you and…Liam? Your boyfriend. You both started at the same time.”

Spencer nodded, laughing pitifully.

“Yeah, it seemed like a good idea. Liam is fiercely loyal to Alex, they grew up together. It
was only rational to join his gang.”
“And now? Does it seem as rational as before?”

Spencer pursed his lips, but continued to clean his wounds. When he was done he offered two
pills to Henry – Tylenol, he said, to help numb the pain a little bit and he held a bottle of
water to his lips. No food then, Henry thought ruefully. Spencer didn’t answer his question
when he started to leave, but he did turn to say something that made Henry feel bad for the
man:

“He’ll come for you, you know that, right? I know I’m asking too much of you, but maybe,
you can tell him that I’m sorry. Tell Liam I love him.”

“Why don’t you tell them yourself?”

“When this is over there’ll be a grave with my name on it waiting for me.”

Miguel returned after what felt like a couple of hours. Surprisingly the pills that Spencer gave
him helped dull the ache in his bones, but he felt so tired. He wanted to sleep. He probably
had a concussion and he had to fight to stay awake.

“Ah, precioso.” Miguel drawled, looking at him closely. “It seems I got you good.”

“Mhmm, kudos to you.” Henry muttered, trying not to give in on the general desire to fall
asleep.

“It seemed like Spencer didn’t listen to me when I told him to leave you alone.”

“You tricked him into helping you.” Henry reminded him. His mouth felt cottony, it was hard
to get the words out.

“A small price to pay, really.”

“Not when Alex will kill every single one of you.”

“Oh, dollface. You really think he’s coming for you?”

“I don’t think, I know that he’s coming for me.”

There was a sudden commotion outside the room and Miguel turned in that direction when
someone opened the room, running inside. Henry vaguely heard the sound of a phone
ringing.

“It’s him.” The person said thickly, passing the phone to Miguel.
Miguel took the phone, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips, before he pressed the button
accepting the call. Putting the phone on speaker, he said:

“Alex, hermoso, que tal?”

Alex’s voice filled the room, soothing Henry.

“Where is he, Miguel?” the voice said darkly through the speaker.

Miguel grinned, jumping on the table.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I asked…where is Henry, Miguel?”

“Ah, Henry, un hombre precioso. We’re getting better…acquainted. Want me to put him on
the phone?”

Miguel looked at Henry, gesturing for him to say something.

“Hello, my love.” Henry spoke, hating the way his voice sounded weak and fragile. He heard
a gasp from the other side of the line, like Alex sucked in a deep breath. This time when he
spoke, his voice sounded gentler.

“Hang on tight, mi vida. I’m coming for you.”

His words made Henry feel oddly reassured.

“And I’m coming for you, Miguel. You can’t even imagine what I’ve planned for you.” Alex
spoke again, the murderous tone returning to his voice.

“Sure, Alex, that’s it if you ever find me.” Miguel replied cheerfully. It scared Henry, how the
man seemed to not have a care. How he seemed so sure of himself. It made Henry think how
much time did he actually have left?

“Oh, I will. Even if I’ll have to look under every rock and every ditch and basement. I was
told that that’s where rats usually hide.” When he spoke again, he addressed Henry: “Baby,
remember what I told you when I texted you.” Before the line promptly went dead, making
Miguel huff in annoyance.

I’d break the sound barrier for you. Henry recalled, a small smile curving his lips.

Somehow, he knew that Alex would.

As much as he fought to stay awake, the exhaustion took over, kicking him and pulling him
in and out of slumber. He was thankful that Miguel left, after the conversation he had with
Alex on the phone, leaving him alone.

His mind was fuzzy with different scenarios, trying to grasp at the thread of consciousness.
At one point he thought he heard something, yells and gunshots, but that could have been his
imagination. God knows since when he was tied to that chair, the pain, the dehydration and
tiredness finally attacking his mind – making him hallucinate. It’s not like it was uncommon.

He heard more screaming, more gunshots, before his mind slipped into darkness, only to
awake when he felt someone pulling at the knots at his arms and legs. Without them to keep
him upright, Henry felt himself go down, slipping out of his chair and half-heartedly
preparing himself for the impact with the ground before arms circled around him, keeping
him upright.

“Let go, baby, I got you.” a soft voice muttered in his ear before the darkness gripped him
completely, pulling him into the abyss.

He couldn’t understand where he was, there was more shouting, the sound of tires screeching
and people that were babbling nonsense. He felt like he was moving, but that couldn’t be
possible, considering his legs were not working and his brain felt like putty inside his skull.

The wind slapped his skin, making him shiver and groan. Someone pulled him closer,
whispering words of encouragement, before the familiar scent of antiseptic filled his nose.

“Somebody help me!” the person that was carrying him shouted, before he was pulled back
into darkness.

He opened his eyes, one at the time, trying to clear his vision and to take in his surroundings.
He was looking up at the white ceiling, at the neon light bulbs that were flickering gently
from time to time. It was too warm in the room and there was the familiar scent of antiseptic
again, accompanied by something fresh, sweeter.

His face felt swollen, but there was a numbness and fuzziness circling through his brain that
made him feel comforted. He tried to settle against the pillows, to close his eyes and hope
that sleep will come once again.

(before everything came crushing down on him.)

He remembers the fear, the pain, the sassiness that overtook him. He remembers Miguel and
his cold, dead eyes. He remembers gunshots and shouting and a warm body pressed to his.
The sound of tires screeching and the cold and the desperation in someone’s voice while
calling for help.

He hears the beeping of a sound, a heart monitor, he thinks vaguely, speeding up so fast it
makes him dizzy – the sound of it too loud for the quietness of the room. A door opens and
closes and heels click on the floor, before a familiar someone gathers at the corner of his eye.

His colleague and friend, Dr. Morris.

“Henry, Henry!” she says urgently, hovering above him, face pinched in worry. “It’s me,
Linda, you’re safe now.”

“Linda.” He rasps and his voice sounds broken and throaty. “Sorry.”

She huffs out a laugh, making a quick show of checking his vitals, adjusting the IV bag to
drip more slowly.

“You’re good. Whatever are you apologizing for?”

Right, he’s the one sitting on the hospital bed. She looks at him, taking in his appearance,
worry once again settling over her features.

“How do you feel?” she asks softly.

“Like I’ve been beaten to death.” He mumbles sourly.

Linda winces, settling a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Not quite, but close. Your vitals are good, you’ll have a speedy recovery.”

“Hardly. Did you check my broken rib?”

Linda smiles at him before rolling her eyes a little.

“It wasn’t broken. We did a scan. It’s bruised and the swelling already went down, you’ll
survive it.”

“Small mercies in life.” Henry replied sarcastically and her face softened.

“Hey, I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. Cassie said that she’ll take you on for some
sessions, to talk about everything. When you’re ready, not right now. Now your main
problem is getting out of the hospital and getting as much rest at home as possible.”

“Thank you, for taking care of me. I know I’m impossible whenever I’m sick or in pain.”

She shakes her head.

“You’re good. It’s my job, you’re my friend. We’re okay.”

“How long was I out?”

“Almost 62 hours. You’ve been drifting in and out of it, your body and mind were still alert
for everything.”

Henry nodded, not knowing what else to say. He was grateful for Linda’s care. He knew that
she was one of the best.

“Your boyfriend is going to be really pissed at me.”

Henry’s head snapped in her direction, thinking he hasn’t heard clearly. Boyfriend. Boyfriend
as in Alex? He was here? Suddenly his eyes were attracted to the various flower
arrangements and balloons nestled in the corner of the room – bouquets and bouquets of
roses and tulips beautiful and vibrant. The balloons and banner that read Get well soon! Linda
didn’t pay him no mind, continuing her rant:

“I’ve managed to convince him to go home, take a shower and sleep a little. I almost had to
call the security to kick him out – he wouldn’t leave your side. I only managed to convince
him when I told him that it’s likely you’ll wake up in the couple of hours he’ll be gone.” She
sighed, squeezing his hand. “I’ll call him.”

“He’s been here…the whole time?” Henry asked, hating the way his voice broke.

“The whole bloody time! He almost tried to fight me when you’ve had one episode –
groaning and mumbling in pain. He’s very… protective of you.”

“Yeah. Uh… thanks, Linda. I appreciate it.”

“Want me to call him?”

“Sure, you can call him.”

Dr. Morris nodded, before exiting the room and Henry was alone once again.

His memories came back in flashes, thinking about the awful hours he spent with Miguel. He
didn’t actually know how much time passed between when he first entered the van and when
Alex rescued him. He knew that almost three days were spent waking up and dozing off, his
body trying to regain its balance and that his friends and colleagues took care of him. But
how much time was he held captive in that little, dirty room? It felt like days, between
Miguel’s taunts and beatings and his discussion with Spencer. It most certainly felt like days,
although, deep down, he believed it was only for a few hours.

The questions were threatening to split his head and he tried to hush his noisy mind. How did
Alex find him? In which state was he when Alex found him? He only remembered pieces of
it. What happened to Miguel? What happened to Spencer – the poor lad tricked into
kidnapping him?

The one thing that he was at least sure of was Alex and the fact that Alex was okay.
Considering Linda told him that Alex never left his side and she had to force him out of his
room, that meant he was fine. Uninjured, at least.
He was thankful for being alone, as much as he craved the comfort that Alex provided. Henry
was aware of how this kidnapping influenced and shifted the dynamic of their relationship.
Somehow he knew that, sooner, or later, something like this would happen. He’s seen movies,
okay? Alex was powerful, dangerous and he probably made his fair share of enemies and
Henry was nothing if not an easy target – the boyfriend of said powerful and dangerous man.
He figured that at some point someone would try to use him as leverage, he just never
imagined that it would be so early in their relationship. He hoped to have more time to adjust
to the status of being a mafia boss’ lover.

But Alex did come for him.

He found and rescued him and took him to the hospital and sat by his side.

Henry groaned, closing his eyes. He sounded delusional – like – someone tried to kill me
because my boyfriend is a mafia boss, but he came for me. He knew that he sounded
delusional, past Henry would probably try and punch him in the face for his stupidity, but at
the same time, it wasn’t like it was Alex’s fault. Alex didn’t ask him to fall in love with him –
although his stupid eyelashes and smirk could say otherwise. Alex didn’t ask him to risk his
life and well being just to be in a relationship with him. Alex just told him he loved Henry,
not expecting to be reciprocated.

But it was. It was wholeheartedly reciprocated and Henry couldn’t care. Not one bit.

He always found the words love makes you stupid to be quite amusing, but now, he
understood why. Love did make him stupid. Made him reckless and a target for other people
that wanted to force Alex’s hand.

He loved Alex. With everything that he was. Every fiber of his being belonged to Alex and,
despite the threat of death looming over his head, he realized that loving Alex was the thing
that mattered the most in the universe.

The police came, because of course they would and Henry had to be very careful with his
words. Whenever the two detectives would look at each other, with quirked eyebrow, at his
delayed answers, he would blame it on the medication. Hooked on morphine, Henry offered a
smile, jiggling the tube of the IV, making the two men nod in understanding. He had no idea
if they really put him on morphine.

They asked a bunch of questions. Alex had to give one statement of his own, in which he told
the detectives that he got jumped while waiting for Alex to pick him up and go to their
Valentine’s Day dinner reservation. Henry proceeded from there – he was jumped, yes. He
didn’t know the people, they were wearing hoods. He was kidnapped for money and Alex
managed to rescue and deliver the sum before something worse happened. They asked how
Alex knew where he was – they shared their locations and when Henry failed to answer his
phone, he went to find him. Alex found him in a ditch, broken, beaten and he took him to the
hospital.

It was easy. A statement that was full of lies. The detectives said that maybe they’ll need
some information from him, when he’s settled and healed. They’ll open a case, they said, and
will bring the people who did this to him to justice.

Henry couldn’t quite tell them that they were probably already wiped from the face of the
Earth. Untraceable. So, he nodded, thanked them and wished them a good day – making a
show of getting teary eyed and making them promise to find the people responsible. They left
after, leaving Henry quite proud of himself – his lie was flawless and none would suspect
Alex’s involvement in this. If details of his story wouldn’t match with another statement, then
he’ll simply blame it on the medication and the stress.

He'd do anything to protect Alex.

Evening came and Alex still didn’t show up. Henry didn’t mind, he guessed that his
boyfriend was tired after spending so much time with him in the hospital. He ate a light
dinner, chatted with Dr. Morris and the other nurses that came to care for him and dozed a
little, his body still feeling the repercussions of the days that passed. At least he didn’t feel
like dying anymore, which was a plus.

He was awoken from his light sleep by a commotion outside of the room. He blinked slowly,
trying to will away the sleep from his eyes. The door suddenly opened and Alex stormed in,
Dr. Morris and one of the security guards tailing after him.

“Sir, visitation hours are over!” Linda said sharply.

Alex stopped in the middle of the room, long enough for the security guard to put a hand on
his shoulder. Henry felt like everything was happening in slow motion, the way Alex
stopped, a gasp catching in his throat. The way the guard pulled sharply at his shoulder and
how Linda pushed her glasses snugly up her nose. The way Alex was carrying himself –
tense, like a metal bar, his mouth set on a thin line and his eyes that were swimming in a
thousand emotions.

He was a sight for sore eyes – even though he looked disgruntled, immensely sad and
preoccupied. Even though his face looked sullen and the bags under his eyes were darker.
Henry has never seen something as beautiful as him.

“Oh, baby.” Alex muttered, his voice cracking.

“Linda” Henry spoke up, not once taking his eyes off of Alex “just let him, please. We need
to talk, he’s worried.”
“Henry…” she started, but he cut her off.

“Please.” Henry insisted, throwing a brief look in her direction. “If someone asks, you can
tell them that I insisted. Just please. Leave us alone.”

She searched his face for a couple of moments, before nodding briefly and speaking to the
security guard to let go of Alex. The both of them left, after he reassured Linda that he’ll
signal if he needs something. Alex remained rooted to his spot, drinking Henry in like he
would disappear if he took his eyes off of him.

“Come closer, my love. I don’t bite.” Henry told him softly, his mouth quirking in a smile.
Maybe it was the gentle tone, or the pet name that snapped Alex into action, for he
approached Henry quickly, sitting next to him on the single bed. Henry opened his eyes,
motioning for Alex to settle against him. As soon as Henry’s arms closed around him, Alex
cracked.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He was whispering, his shoulder shaking with the storm of
emotions that he was feeling. Henry shushed him, stroking his hands down his spine, through
his hair, trying to offer comfort and tell Alex that everything was alright. After what felt like
forever, Alex pulled back, just enough to look at him. His face was dark, mad, and there were
tear streaks on his cheeks. Henry’s eyes squeezed painfully thinking of how he must have felt
– the horror, the panic, the desperation he must have felt.

Alex opened his mouth to speak, but Henry cut him off first.

“Alex, I know what you’re probably thinking. I know that you blame yourself and I’m asking
you this nicely – don’t. I’ve always known your job, you never tried to keep that away from
me. I’ve always known that you were powerful and I know that this comes with
repercussions, that you must have gathered a small army of enemies. This thing, it would
have happened eventually. I would have hoped to never happen, but it is what it is. We can’t
change the past.”

“You don’t know anything.” Alex whispered softly, pain seeping into his features. “I thought
of the worst things. I was desperate in my search for you. I was this close to burning the
whole New York to the ground just so I could smoke Miguel out.”

Henry cracked a smile, shaking his head.

“You’re a very passionate man, must be the Mexican blood in you.”

“Henry!” Alex said sharply, promptly shutting him up. “I don’t understand how can you be so
chill about everything. After all you’ve been through, because of me. After what the fucker
did to you. How can you sit on the bed making jokes?”

“It’s the way I cope.” Henry replied snottily, making Alex huff in annoyance.

“I know the detectives must have come to you. Why didn’t you tell them everything?”

Henry tilted his head, an hysteric laugh bubbling out of him.

“How can you even ask that? It’s because I love you, dickhead.”

“Very bad idea on your part.” Alex replied bitterly, pulling back completely. The room felt
colder now, charged with an electricity that crackled on Henry’s skin. He hated it. After
everything he’s been through all he wanted was to have Alex pressed close to him, to
reassure and comfort him. Instead, he was pacing the room, pulling at his hair and muttering
words in Spanish to himself. The first wave of tears stung his eyes, but Henry refused to let
himself cry.

“Alex, are you even hearing yourself right now? You can’t blame yourself for this!”

“How can I not?” Alex whisper-yelled, trying not to draw any unwanted attention for the
hospital staff. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here.”

“If it weren’t for you, I’d never know what it meant to love someone like this. Miguel didn’t
do this just to get back to you. He did this because he was jealous. Because you slept with
him and he was in love with you and you are in love with me.” He paused, hating the way his
voice wavered when he asked. “Aren’t you?”

Alex looked at him sharply, the fire in his eyes burning a tad brighter.

“Are you seriously asking that? Of course I love you.”

“Well now you’re acting like you don’t. Like a spoiled brat that got it’s favorite toy back,
broken.” Henry muttered.

“Oh, fuck off.” Alex mumbled. “You have no idea what it felt to live with the guilt. To search
for you everywhere. If Miguel wasn’t so stupid to discuss his plans in the house we might
never have caught him. Thank God for Nora’s paranoid ass that insisted on bugging all the
rooms. The thought of never seeing you again…” his voice cracked again and he clenched his
jaw.

“But I know what you’ve been through. The only thing coming through my mind while I was
being held captive was how much I wanted to see you one more time. Nothing else. Not the
beatings, not the words Miguel said to me. Nothing, Alex. You were the only thing in my
mind.”

“You’re delusional.” Alex told him, but at least he stopped his pacing, taking a seat back on
the bed. “I don’t understand you.”

“I love you.” Henry said softly, reaching out to tangle their fingers together. “And if I decide
to continue this relationship is only because I love you. Because I love how you make me
feel, because however fucked up this might sound, we’re good together. We’re good for each
other and I’m not about to let something like this ruin us. Sure, it might have been worse, but
it wasn’t. I’ve survived. You’re okay. We’ll get through this.”

“What if it happens again?” Alex whispered, closing his eyes. “I can’t lose you, kitten. I just
can’t. I wouldn’t survive it.”
Henry smiled, raising their tangled fingers to his mouth, to press kisses on each of Alex’s
fingers.

"Well, you did say you’d break the sound barrier for me. Hold onto that promise.”

Alex chuckled for the first time, pressing closer to his side, careful not to hurt him.

“Break the sound barrier for you? I’d burn the whole world for you, mi vida.”

It was weeks later after his discharge, after life slowly began to turn to normal, that Henry
found out what happened that night. Alex refused to tell him, Henry had to press him
continuously for days on end. Apparently he was gone no more than 24 hours, hours that felt
like ages in Alex’s opinion and they found out Miguel’s location because apparently he was
stupid enough to still use his personal phone. Nora managed to track him down in no time.
They took over the warehouse where Henry was being held captive – just the three of them:
Alex, June and Nora. Alex didn’t trust anyone enough to accompany them.

It was a mess, gunshots, punches, kicking and fighting to get to them. Some of his henchmen
had no idea who they captured and fled the scene as soon as the three of them arrived. Some
of them were brainwashed enough by Miguel to fight against them.

They didn’t stand a chance.

Henry asked about Spencer and Alex was silent for a couple of minutes, before telling him
that Spencer helped them. The man didn’t beg for his life, he told Alex exactly what he told
Henry – that there was a grave with his name on it waiting for him. Surprisingly Alex didn’t
kill him and Henry was thankful for that, but he did order to never see him again. If he even
as much caught sight of him, he’ll kill him. Spencer left, apologizing, saying that he never
wanted any of this to happen. Alex asked Liam to leave with him, even though the man
protested, saying that he couldn’t, that he had nothing to do with everything, that he was loyal
to Alex only. Alex didn’t want him around so he asked to follow Spencer, not because he
didn’t trust Liam, but because he didn’t want the reminder of the half betrayal. Liam left,
eventually, feeling that there was no space for him in Alex’s gang anymore.

He told Henry that they captured Miguel, that he was close to putting a bullet between his
eyes, but June talked him out of it – saying that she had something special planned for
Miguel. The women took over, while Alex took Henry to the hospital. He didn’t ask what
happened to Miguel, he didn’t care. He was sure that June and Nora were… creative and that
was bad enough for the man.

It took him a few months to get back on his feet – months in which, as much as he loved
Alex, the man was unbearable. His body bounced back surprisingly well, healing quickly and
good and he was back at work in no time. His psych not so much, but it was a thing that he
managed to fix with patience in therapy. He even let Alex choke him during sex, the memory
of Miguel choking him long forgotten and fixed.

But Alex?

Alex was difficult.

It took months for him to understand that Henry wasn’t going anywhere. That he loved him
despite everything and that nothing was going to change between them. He insisted on
driving Henry to and from work each day and although he wasn’t very sure, Henry was
confident that he had someone look over him at the hospital too. The new security guard that
got hired right after Henry started going back to work was a tad too friendly with him –
always making sure he’s alright and comfortable and always having the same shifts as him.

Everything else was spectacular. They fell into their own rhythm, even taking vacations on
the year following his kidnapping, Alex even met Pez and Bea and the two of them
absolutely loved him.

Life was amazing.

So, it wasn’t really surprising what happened when he managed to ditch the security guard
that was keeping tabs on him, leaving work early just to visit a bookstore that he was dying to
visit. He didn’t tell Alex, not until he was inside the place, browsing the bookstore and
feeling the spines of the books under his fingertips.

He got a reply of a thousand exclamation marks and a capital-letters message: DO NOT

MOVE I’LL BE THERE IN 7 MINUTES, FUCKING HELL, KITTEN.

Henry waited outside for Alex, grateful for the day, when a old car stopped in front of him
and two people stepped out. They were dressed nicely, too nicely, in fitted suits that looked
weird in contrast to the old car.

“Sir, I’d like you to get inside the car.” One of them said in a gruff English accent. He didn’t
seem as cold and dead inside as Miguel, just vaguely impatient.

Henry sighed, looking down at himself.

“My boyfriend is going to be very pissed at me.”

“I know, sir.”

“I ditched the guy that I’m pretty sure was hired to take care of me and left work early just so
I can browse the bookstore.”

Their mouths quirked in amusement.

“Yes, we know that, sir.”

“If you ruin my clothes, I’m going to be very upset.”

 “No problem, sir, we’ll act civil towards you.” The English guy assured him, opening the
door so Henry could step inside the car.

They followed quickly, speeding off. Henry managed to send a text to Alex before his phone
was confiscated.

i’m getting kidnapped again, pls help.

As they drove through the streets of New York towards an unknown location Henry thought
about how much success he’d have if he started to write a book about his kidnappings.

How to get kidnapped in ten easy steps, by Henry Fox.

(first step, get yourself a mob boss boyfriend).

Surely it’ll be a hit – maybe they’ll make a movie after it too.

Chapter End Notes

open ending, sort of. maybe it'll be more, maybe not. :)

(sassy Henry is the best Henry and I'm willing to fight you on this!!!)
End Notes

*kitten*
suitable pet name for Henry, don't you think? ;)

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