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ninacarstairss · 9 months

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an incomplete list of things that will make me go feral if they’re included in the movie:

alex pulling henry in the red room and “impugning his virtue” against a painting of alexander hamilton and amy out the door pretending not to know what that horny little bitch of fsotus is up to

henry offering to get out of alex’s life to make it easier for him and alex brushing it off, only to realise later what henry was truly offering him and how stupid he was not to see it

oscar talking to alex at the lake house. oscar seeing him and accepting him. alex looking at henry, nora and june (yes i know she’s not in the movie just let me dream. he can be looking at henry, nora and pez too) and feeling like his world is complete. the night on the porch swing. sometimes you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff. the night in the lake. the little stone of certainty alex feels in his chest as he’s making breakfast.

yeah so just the lake house part

uma thurman delivering a power point presentation about dating the prince of england and alex running out when she brings up protections and pamphlets

jesus, could you stop being an obtuse fucking asshole for, like, twenty seconds?

so glad you flew here to insult me—

i fucking love you, okay?

the issue of le monde that henry keeps on his nightstand from the first time they woke up together

i want you. then fucking have me—

alex waking up in kensington in an empty bed, henry coming back, looking at alex and going “your hair in the morning is truly a wonder to behold” before making the world’s best declaration of love

“When he got older, he learned about love as a strange thing that could fall apart no matter how badly you wanted it, a choice you make anyway. He never imagined it'd turn out he was right both times.” there is like a 0,1% chance of this making it into the movie but i have this tattooed on my skin and it would be so perfect to see it on screen

alex saying in front of the fucking queen that he wants henry’s children

henry rambling about art and history in the v&a and alex pulling him into a kiss because he just loves him so much

i’m taking a picture of a national gay landmark. and also a statue

alex panicking about henry having to enlist

shaan having to dislodge philip from the chandelier when henry comes out to him

i’ve been gay as a maypole since i came out of mum, philip

henry’s obsession with jaffa cakes and mr wobbles

the memories email. I took that down to the gardens. I pressed it into the leaves of a silver maple and recited it to the Waterloo Vase. It didn't fit in any rooms.

alex being a brat about the turkeys “put them in my room put them in my room put them in my room”

And then, inexplicably, you had the absolute audacity to love me back. Can you believe it?

alex calling henry at christmas and telling him all about his family drama and henry simply telling him that he did his best, the only thing he really needed to hear

most things in this world are awful . but you are good

alex’s list of things he loves about henry (especially points 16 to 18)

henry writing down the list in the email and then calling henry anyway because he knows he likes to have these things written down but he needs to talk to him

alex kissing henry in front of a giambologna

Sería una mentira, porque no sería el.

the drunk bad metaphors about maps email

alex being summoned by the president after the email leaks and ellen just asking him “are you okay?”

alex’s whole family being there for him after the email leaks, hugging him through a panic attack and allowing him to be himself after a traumatic event that had to be dealt with in a strategic political way

or so help me God I will personally make your balls into fucking earrings. zahra you fucking queen

the call from the plane. “sweetheart” he hears henry’s exhale over the line. “hi love. are you okay?”

alex and henry running to hug each other as soon as alex gets to kensington

i won’t lie. not about you. alex and henry saying at the same moment that they want to do this, they want to tell the truth, because lying about this is not an option

the little touches between them. whether it’s holding hands beneath a buchkingham palace table or hugging in a closed room or pressing a knee agains the other in a public place, because that is a tether, a gravity that makes the world make sense

bea’s speech about grief and how it’s like a pie. i want to cry really hard

numbers on one of us getting involved in a sex scandal before the end of second term?

henry sticking out his chin in that defiant way

I love him, with all that, because of all that. On purpose. I love him on purpose.

"Plus we banged it our last night” shaan and zahra being a power couple

bea dumping the tea pot on philip and going “all that cocaine i did must have really done a job on my reflexes!”

the han and leia mural

dc dykes on bikes chasing protesters

To you, specifically, I say: I see you. I am one of you. As long as I have a place in this White House, so will you. I am the First Son of the United States, and I'm bisexual. History will remember us.

alex’s face being plastered on chocolate bars and thongs with henry’s after the royal suitor photos

henry telling alex he’s opening the queer shelters worlwide. henry telling alex he bought a brownstone in brooklyn

the flashbacks to election night 2016 when alex saw zahra crying and all those women taking in the moment their first madam president was elected

alex and henry biking through austin, alex opening the door to his childhood home with henry by his side

a little flash forward into their future and alex calling henry the love of his life, henry choosing the place for a credenza in his brownstone, going on vacations together and falling in love all over again, savouring their time together with no fear of getting caught, june and nora finally kissing and alex being shook at pez’s comment, henry realising he doesn’t want to ever go back, henry listening to alex talk to his mum about marriage when he has also bought a ring, henry and alex buying a house far from the public eye, having the quiet life they never had, june subletting the brownstone to be closer to pez and nora, “you and me”

#i know june won’t be in the movie but let me dream okay??#i have been rereading okay? and i am in pain #also we have confirmation some of these scenes are definitely in the movie so i’m ready to scream into the void forever after august 11th #rwrb #rwrb movie #red white & royal blue #red white and royal blue movie #red white and royal blue #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor

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folkloriansolitairian · 9 months

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so here’s the thing about the red white and royal blue movie

PSA BEFORE WE BEGIN!!! I AM NOT HATING! i did like the movie, this is not me hating on it or casey mcquinston, any of the actors, producers, writers, etc. i personally think that casey is an insanely talented writer, and the actors did a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. i am simply sharing my opinion and what i would change about it! also i like to complain it is my natural instinct. now that that’s out of the way here we go

honestly i think they could have done better and we could have gotten a lot more. sososo much was left out from the books and i was honestly just disappointed by how much they changed or straight up removed entirely. we were ROBBED of the following:

• JUNE I MISS HERRR WHERE IS SHE WAAAAH

• alex’s parents being divorced and how that effected him as a person and helped him grow into the person he is

• alex’s self discovery in his sexuality

• liam and rafael luna and how they both also helped alex in discovering his bisexuality (who the fuck is miguel) (did not like that he was already bi, his path of self discovery throughout the book is really relatable and good rep imo but idk)

• the iconic cornettos scene (i know they filmed it it was is the fucking trailers WHERE DID IT GO)

• bea’s 🍃 scandal/‘powder princess’ and how much that contributes to her development and depth as a character

• BEAS FATTY FUCKING CAT WHAT IS HIS NAME I MISS HIM

• the physical presence of the emails and how vulnerable alex and henry are with each other in them and how much they reveal about not just the 2 of them but other characters too like bea and the rest of henry’s family (they just has voiceovers which i thought was kind of weird, maybe just me)

• henry talking to the cancer patient about at at wars and that whole adorable thing

• seeing alex storming the palace to talk to henry (he just appeared?? smh anyways)

• most of alexs persepective of the emails getting leaked

• the ENTIRE fake dating arc with alex/nora and henry/june (i think? read the book a while ago don’t fully remember)

• alex’s whole dilemma and eventual decision to go to NYU law

• ZAHRA AND SHAANS ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP BASICALLY!! (why weren’t they engaged)

• the historical love letters henry and alex quoted in their emails to each other

• most of the plot with the richards campaign (mostly to do with the fact that there is NO LUNA)

• overall a lot of the buildup/enemies to lovers aspect of alex and henry’s relationship

there’s probably so much more that i’m forgetting but THE POINT IS there were so many important little details from the book that was left out in the movie that i would have loved to see and it’s honestly just disappointing that we didn’t get those. it felt like they basically got rid of everything that didn’t have to do with alex and henry’s relationship which just made the movie feel very one dimensional and bland to me. the whole film just felt overall really lacking of what made me love the book so much in the first place.

now i am going to be a tad bit hateful when i say the pacing of this film is HORRENDOUS. it was so fast paced and really just did not flow at all like the he book did. a great example of this i think would be the bar scene. when i read that in the book, it felt like a really long and detailed scene, but in the movie it’s a short maybe 60 second long montage which honestly just does not do such an eventful moment from the book justice.

to be entirely honest i feel like the book would have done a lot more justice if it had gotten a tv show adaptation instead of a film. unfortunately movies have a time limit, and amazon made them cut the originally 3+ hour film down to 2 hours or less. with tv shows on the other hand, they can make multiple shorter episodes, resulting in a longer total running time, therefore giving much more time for the smaller details (listed above) that aren’t detrimental enough to the plot to keep in a limited 2 hour long maximum film, but important enough to be kept in a, for example, 8 episode long tv series, 30-45 mins per episode. it doesn’t make sense to me why it wasn’t a tv show in the first place, since it is produced by prime video, whose most popular thing rn is the summer i turned pretty, which is LITERALLY A BOOK TO TV SHOW ADAPTATION!!!!!

to put it simply, it is impossible to fit 10 hours worth of words into a 2 hour long movie, so i understand why they had to remove so many details, but as a diehard book fan it is still disappointing to not see little things like that portrayed on the big screen.

i think that the moral of the story is that books should never be made into movies and instead always be made into tv shows and we deserve the 3 hour uncut version and amazon hates gay people

thank you for coming to my ted talk

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marvelling-at-marvel-blog · 9 months

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After the longest day when everyone kept asking for a favour right that changed my plans (for real no one ask me to watch any toddlers anytime soon.), I finally got to watch Red, White, and Royal Blue a solid 10 hours after I planned.

I loved it so much, guys, but I also felt disappointed a little. I think it was just a little to rushed. I understand why, it is a movie and you only have a certain amount of time to tell the story (also why i understood characters like June where cut, because she is awseome but in the sense of the movie she and Nora served the same purpose) but I loved the journey to love we went through with Alex in the book and the exploration of thier relationship and I felt like the elements of it was there but I wanted more. More time to see that grow.

I also HATE when movies or tv shows advertise scenes that are not in the movie. Why put the kitchen scene out there in the trailer only to cut it. I found myself wondering if I had day dreamed off and somehow missed it. I mean, if you need to cut, then fine, but don't put it in the goddamn trailer if ya ain't gonna use it.

Where this movie shined was with Alex and Henry. Hats off to those two. Thier chemistry was great. Nick did an amazing job portraying Henry and all his vulnerabilities and struggles. I always felt so much for Henry and I feel like Nick understood him. That man can tell a story with his face.

And Taylor blew me away. Because heres the thing. I think Alex is a hard role to play. His loud, confident, funny and sometimes cocky and really loveable. But play that wrong, and he could have come of cocky and annoying, especially at the beggining but that was not an issue. In the book, we get to hear his thoughts and understand him. In the movie, it all comes down to Taylor, and he does an amazing job.

I loved the V&A scene so much and as much? It's where you can really feel the love between them and as I would have loved your song, I think I can't help falling in love with you, was a beautiful choice.

The dock scene for me was the perfection of the movie. Alex, dreaming of their future together and the quiet devastation of Henry as he realises was actually amazing. In the book this always got to me as it was the moment to me Henry realised to Alex this all had a end date. The hiding, the need to keep it all a secret. After the election was done, most of the danger of being exposed was over for Alex. Presidents can only serve 2 terms so elections wouldn't be a thing again, he was already out to everyone who mattered most to him. For him next year was freemdom when for Henry, he was born into royalty and that necer ended or went away, this was Henry thinking in his head that he could never give Alex that happiness and freedom and he was heartbroken.

Also.

-Both Amy and Zahra where amazing. Nailed it.

-Feel like we needed more Shaan, Bea and Pez

- the sex scence was beautiful, but I am low key obsessed with the tack room scene. When Alex lifts Henry in his polo uniform on to the tbale is perfection.

- I feel like the friendship to lovers part was the most rushed. I would have loved to see another 5 to 10 minutes dedicated to that as I think it would have enhanced the beginning of the romance.

- I now they had limited time but I really wosh they had talked more about how mich Henry losing his dad defined him and shaped him.

- I wanted more pet names 😢 happy we got some but still.

- More David was needed. Enough said.

- I found the line 'I was four when I realised the whole of England knew my name, and I would never know theirs' really poignant. Could you imagine how watched you would feel all and the expectations you would be aware of all the time growing up like that.

- At the end of the day it wasn't perfect and it was missing some things that I think where important but this was an amazing movie that I would reccomend to anyone.

#red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #spoilers #henry fox mountchristen windsor #alex claremont diaz #taylor zakhar perez #nicholas galitzine #loved it #rwrb

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alittlefrenchtree · 6 months

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For rwrb book/film ask - 4, 7, 10 and 15 please!!

So sorry it took me forever to answer but here I am 😁

4- If you could keep only the book or only the movie, which one would you choose?

The movie, hands down. It was my introduction to the story and I like it better so no dilemma for me here.

7- Tell us something you like better in the movie than in the book. And tell us something you like better in the book than in the movie.

It's hard to pick something specific knowing I don't know the book that well (I read it once and pretty quickly). It's also hard not to talk about the perks of the medium itself. The movie being more efficient in terms of storytelling and the book leaving more room for the development of their relationship. I like the way Alex's bisexuality is handle in the movie. I also like that he's actually taller than Henry, not sure why.

I'm going stick with the development and nuances of their relationship for the book, even if I can't highlight a specific scene. The movie being a romcom, the need for a strong-kind-of-cliché-roadmap-with-milestones for the relationship was understandable but a bit too strong for my taste? (I have so many unpopular opinions about Paris night scene). Wait, I can highlight a specific scene. The way penetrative sex is introduce in the story? Book all the way.

(all the puns are intended)

10- You’re in a difficult situation where you have only one call to get help (or to save your life), who are you calling? Amy, Zahra or Ellen?

I would call Zahra, because after being sure of my survival I could try to persuade her to marry me (sorry Shaan).

15- Gapfiller — briefly describe a scene you would have love to read/watch. It can be a whole new scene or a scene you would have like to be a bit longer, include more things.

My idea when writing this question was asking for a bit more of the lake house but I guess we have that already now. I'd say the coffee-shop-whatever in Paris. I feel that they could have also shot the conversation of the next scene (where they're walking around in a scenery that looks nothing like Paris) sitting at that table. I love the vibe in this scene, and I think having longer takes, less cuts and a longer scene in general would have made a beautiful thing.

Allow me to answer to an additional question from a previous ask I dodged at the time BUT had time to think about since then?

Asked by @sugdenlovesdingle (forever time ago)

19- Karaoke time ! For each, pick a song :

-To tell the love of your life how you feel about them:

youtube

-To tell your crush that you want them:

youtube

-To present yourself to the world and show what kind of wonderful you are as a person:

youtube

it would be a weird ass song to pick for a karaoke but i can't think of a better song for this purpose. I've been feeling ways about this song for half of my life.

AN INCOMPLETE LIST: 20(ish) THINGS YOU LOVE (or don’t) ABOUT RED, WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE

#alft asks #rwrb ask meme #rwrb #red white and royal blue

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doofus-and-dragons · 8 months

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Thoughts on Red, White, and Royal Blue(Taking notes helps me retain information so ofc I do it about my media like a goddamn nerd)

Overall thoughts:

I give this movie a 4/10. The actors were incredible and the jokes landed where they were suppose to. I was really excited for the movie, and I probably would have loved it if I hadn't read the book first (I don't regret reading it first. I adore the book, probably going to reread it). For me, the pacing was just extremely distracting. I didn't know where I was at any point in time. By the time I would figure it out, I was somewhere else. I also think that the removal of certain characters (June,Rafael, and Leo), the sugar coating of Zahra, and the microdosing (idk what else to call it) of other characters (Nora, Bea, Percy, and Shaan) really takes allies away from Henry and Alex, along with major plot devices within the main story. I felt like the movie cut out a lot of scenes (Star Wars, historical letters, the Rumors, Henry's date with June, the campaign, Nora in general, Alex's reaction to the leak, and the exposing Richards to name a few) really hurt the integrity of this movie for me. I was super excited going in, but now I'm just kind of bitter.

I did like how Henry and Alex's actors had some (from my pov) really good chemistry. That or they're just really good actors. They are, but like...differently. loved Oscar, loved the charcarization as a whole (other than maybe Bea (she felt kind of bland) and Zarha (she felt sugar coated). As a whole, all the actors (and yes, I do mean all) did an amazing job. Set design was absolutely breath taking. Most of the music was spot on (still salty about "Your Song" being cut out but yknow), and I'm a band kid and a theater kid so music means a lot to me. I loved the little metaphors, like when Alex gave Henry the key to his house (a bold choice, but it worked). I feel like Ellen deserved more of a "Im struggling to find an election balance and a mom balance" arc that Book!Ellen got, but Uma Thurman did a great job with Ellen. She didn't play too hard into the accent, and it was tasteful (much appreciated by the by). Loved Amy (wish we could have seen he do crafts tho...and her dog). LOVED it when they decked Henry out in commoner clothes!

So, yeah. My review of the movie is a 4/10. Here are the notes that better explain my personal opinion. If you enjoyed it, I'm so happy for you/gen.

Notes:

• The lack of June as a character takes away so many plot points and character building opportunities from all of the characters

• The loss of Leo as a character takes away from much of the drama not only within the First Family but also within the debate

• Who decided Miguell as a character???seems like they took that Post reporter from the book and turned his affection to Alex instead, which I guess they had to since the tossed June.

• I love Ellen, Oscar, Zahra, Amy, Pez (why can't they ever call him pez?), Nora, and Shaan.

• The movie is moving really fast. I can hardly keep up with. I'm constantly in a state of "Wait, where am I? Why am I here? This isn't supposed to happen yet is it?"

• I can't explain it, but Henry has very gay

• Where's Rafael? He's like the reason for the climax (lmao)

• Sending him to Texas? But he's not supposed to be there yet!

• I'm so lost that I can't keep up with the movie. I can't even enjoy the sap from the email reading because I'm really confused.

• The acting is really good! The pacing is just off.

• I hate this Miguel guy.

• HENRY IS SUPPOSE TO BE CONFORTING HIM BECAUSE OF THE BETRAYAL

• Not enough Bea

• I am enjoying this 20 Questions scene, very cute yet very sad

• Zarha is suppose to be angrier at him for being awake.

• Henry in the closet will never not be funny to me.

• "...good morning!" -Prince Henry of Wales, 2023

• "And my sister" "awww I didn't know that!" "Yeah she was really happy for us."

• "Tetnhically I'm the spare!" "Not talking to you sir!" So funny!

• I'm assuming Miguel is the leak

• I'm back to being confused. Also, not enough Amy. I need more of her. I need to see her dog Johnathan

• "She happens to be a he....and he happens to be henry..."

• Ellen is the best mom I love her

• I WANTED TO SEE ELLEN'S POWER POINT COME ON AMAZON :(

• Love how he's got a University of Texas Austin hat (it's not UT to me I'm from Tennessee, UT is University of Tennessee)

• Love how they Texas-ified Henry

• Sad we didn't get the kimonos

• So Oscar is Sen. Of Texas??? I thought that was Ellen before elected?

• Haha gays

• Needs more Pez

• Ok, wait, I know where I am! The start of the week of sad!

• Already? It feels like I've been sitting here for like half an hour. I'm not retaining any of this. God the pacing is killing me

• Also they didn't include them Skinny dipping which is honestly tragic

• Sad gay prince hours

• *megamind meme* No bunk beds?

• Bea calling him Hen is the world. That's it.

• WHY AM I ONLY GETTING ONE SCENE WITH SHAAN?

• Alex was suppose to be angrier, making a scene. Shaan needed to almost throw him out. I need more Shaan.

• Eye opening for Henry time ehe

• Did he put his ring on the mantle I didn't catch it.

• He was suppose to have make up time THEN go to the museum I'm lost again

• I can't help falling in love" and not "your song is" a choice

• They didn't bring up Sampson :(

• Wait he was suppose to put the ring on the chain. It was sweet to give him the key tho. I see you "key to my heart" symbolism. I see you and I love you.

• DAVID!!!BABY BOY!!!

• Where's Zarha's anger? Alex's concern? AHA Zarha and Shaan engagement real??? 👀

• Miguel is the leak and I dispise him.

• No meeting with the king? No Catherine? No Phillip getting hot tea spilled on him? Tragic.

• Henry not getting to get a word in is tragic.

• I love Alex's speech it's so heart wrenching

• I need to see zarha's anger- oh Shaan is into it isnt he? Love those two! They are the true heros of this movie.

• "I'll break the sound barrier for you" 🥺😭

• Henry playing Yankie doodle and Alex playing God Save The Queen is wonderful

• "Im white and upperclass so my affection comes on strings"

• Alex fidgeting with Henry's ring 🥺

• Stfu Pip, the fact you're the only one sitting on the side of the king is telling

• Stfu king Mary (he has no name just king so he's king Mary now).

• "Uh-bec-becu-because!!" 🙄

• Bea needs to spill tea on Phillip pls

• We don't get to see Alex's rslley speech? We're already at the election?

• No Zarha/Shaan makeouts? Srsly?

• No Liam? Where did the bikes come from?

• This movie has so many plot holes, it's like driving down a secret highway...

#red white and royal blue

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fics-n-stuff · 3 years

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Young Royals x Red, White and Royal Blue Crossover Headcannons (mild spoilers for both ahead!!):

To preface, in this universe Simon and Wilhelm get the same kind of happy ending as Alex and Henry because it's wHAT THEY DESERVE GODDAMMIT!!!

The first time Wilmon meets Firstprince is at a charity gala that Wilhelm brings Simon to. Henry and Wilhelm had met before, both being members of European royal families, but their new and very unique common ground lends itself to the beginnings of a friendship. Wilhelm likes Alex, Henry likes Simon, but something between Alex and Simon does not mesh at first

Nevertheless, a photograph of the four of them together goes completely viral, with millions of people gushing over how Alex and Henry are taking Simon and Wilhelm under their wing

Cash, Amy, Zahra, Shaan and Malin are a fuckin SQUAD. A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH!!

Name me a better girl group than June, Nora, Felice, Sara, Bea and Maddie. I'll fucking wait.

The RW&RB squad all offer to punch August in the face. Alex and Pez both legitimately try to do so on two separate occasions

Linda absolutely ADORES Alex and June when she meets them, and they adore her back. Every time they see each other it's all hugs and smiles and conversations in incredibly fast Spanish

Linda and Ellen are on some kind of wavelength. Nobody understands it, but somehow those two are always on the same page. Maybe it's some kind of "fantastic mother to a queer son embroiled in an (inter)national scandal" thing?

Similarly, Linda and Catherine become something rather similar to best friends (as much as they can be when one is the heir to the English throne). After the years that she spent emotionally absent from her children's lives, she's grateful for the support in the mothering department that Linda provides. They talk a lot about just how much they love their kids

Linda and Oscar get along like siblings, and treat each other's children like niece and nephews. They made a group chat with their kids that actually gets a surprising amount of use

Catherine gives Kristina more than a few pointers on how to be a mum while also being a monarch. Though she admits that she herself hasn't been perfect, at least she knows how to show her kids affection

(Throwing this in for myself because I want a Micke redemption arc but) Micke takes a lot of advice from the other parents on how to be a better dad, and a few important lectures from Bea about addiction and sobriety

During one visit, for a charity event that Henry put together with Pez and invited Wilhelm to, they stay in an adjoining suite at the hotel. Up until this point Alex and Simon had been rather icy, but late at night, when both Wilhelm and Henry had dosed off, they lie on the floor of one of the rooms speaking in hushed Spanish just telling each other everything they love about their respective princes

After a while they start being comfortable enough to crack jokes about each other's scandals. Simon or Wilhelm will quote a line from one of the leaked emails, and Alex or Henry will reply with a snide comment about the sex tape

In his free time, Simon dives into helping Henry and Bea with their charities, both causes being close to his heart. Wilhelm loves seeing how passionate he gets

Wilhelm himself likes to get involved too, as much as he can considering he's a Crown Prince. He makes a lot of appearances for Henry's foundation

Alex feels left out that he's the only one of the four of them that can't play piano, though he does get a kick out of the fact that Simon is still learning to read sheet music

Simon and Bea love playing music and singing together. He appears on stage with her at a couple of her charity concerts

When Simon or Wilhelm is struggling with homework, they have a number of people they can ask for help. June, Nora and Henry never fail to provide some assistance

Since monarchs can't exactly attend pride parades, one year for Stockholm pride the whole RW&RB squad fly over and they have a pride party instead. The pictures that get posted, while carefully selected and approved by the many PR teams involved, circulate the media at breakneck speeds

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saltfics · 4 years

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“You’re panicking?! I’m the one who got fucking *insert injury*!”

Blood, Gore & Injury Sentence Starters Thanks for the ask @bibliothesoph !! I made an Ao3 work for this and future sentence prompts here! But the whole fic is posted under the keep reading as well!

If you want to go really hard on the appreciation, you can tip your fellow writer here. Hope you enjoy!!

Having famous last words is one way to go down in history. It’s not even just the profound ones that get all the credit. Sometimes, the ones remembered are those that were so cocky and topped with just the right amount of irony to be rendered iconic. Alex has never forgotten John Sedgwick since he learned about him, not because of his great work as a military officer, but because he had the gall to say ‘they couldn’t shoot an elephant from that distance’. And then they did.

Alex thinks he has a high chance of going down the same way. In fact, his last words might turn out to be, I can run that fast.

The light for the pedestrians switches from green to red just as he steps on the crossing, but the cars are still far away. Henry’s waiting for him outside the university library, and Alex is already twenty minutes late. I can run that fast, he thinks and dashes instead of stepping back. He doesn’t notice the car that’s mid-turn, a turn that’s far closer thanwhat he based his calculations on. I can run that fast.

Famous last words.

There’s a precise moment when he realizes he’s completely fucked up, and he wastes one whole sixteenth of a second hoping it’s not the last time he ever gets to fuck up like that. He’s in the middle of the street, too far in to back away, too far away to make it to the other side. It’s a two-car lane. If he takes a step back, there’s something coming his way. If he takes a step forward, there’s another car coming his way. If he stays there … Fucking fuckity fuck.

If he dies, Henry’s going to murder him.

Metal connects to his side and all that crap about your life flashing before your eyes? It’s still crap, but later he’ll swear time does slow down for him to think. Or his mind goes into overdrive. Same difference. He feels the first slam and he thinks, hey that wasn’t that bad. He can’t see around him, can’t register his surroundings but he still manages one single, impossible thought in the middle of disaster: Brace yourself. You still have to land.

And maybe that’s why when he does fall on the asphalt, a good two feet away from where the car hit the breaks, his hands are out to protect his face. When his vision returns, he’s on his hands and knees in the middle of the street, his palms stinging from the rough slap against the asphalt. His legs are spread behind him and his backpack is too heavy on his back, pulling him to the side.

Alex is breathing hard, trying to take mental stock of his body. He’s afraid to try moving his legs, but he’s still in the middle of the fucking road, one of the lanes paused because of his stupidity. Okay, okay, he has to move.

He searches his body for any extreme aches that should cause him to panic, but the adrenaline must still be pumping through him because he doesn’t feel any pain. Relief spikes through him for a second. He’s fine. He’s actually fine. Henry’s not going to kill him. June is not going to have his head.

Then he actually tries pushing himself to his feet. Shit, nope, he’s wrong. He’s very wrong. Fuck.

Pain strikes, angry and bright like lightning up his leg, the second he considers putting some weight on it. The effect on him is still blurred, his mind reeling too much to properly panic or wonder what that means.

He doesn’t register the people walking towards him until two sets of hands grab his arms, while a third pries his backpack from his shoulders to lessen his load. Together they guide him to the nearest sidewalk. Alex is sure he says something to them. Thank you, or sorry, or an endless stream of both mixed together into a string of mumbled nonsense.

“Dude, are you okay?” one of the guys supporting him says.

“You should have been more careful,” reprimands the lady who’s still holding his bag. “Why did you cross like that?”

They lower him down into a sitting position again now that he’s not obstructing traffic anymore, and Alex’s head is starting to return to him. A small crowd is gathered around him, talking to him, asking him if he needs anything, but mostly just looking on, curious and worried in equal measure. He looks around for his backpack again, just to make sure it’s nearby. His laptop, including his fresh 25-page paper is in there and he has his priorities straight, damn it.

He catches a glimpse of what he’s pretty certain is the car that slammed into him drive away as soon as the street is free again. Fucker.

“We should call an ambulance!”

“Should we drive you somewhere?”

“Is there anyone I can call for you, honey?”

That’s when his mind actually connects. “Oh, shit! Henry! Where’s my phone? I-I was holding it? Fuck, is it still on the street?” One of the guys who helped him pushes his phone into his hands. Alex is pretty sure he’s in his class. Shit, he needs to learn his name. Why is he such an ass with this stuff? “Thanks, man,” Alex offers him a guilty smile. “I’m—I’m good. I’m good, everyone! Thank you so much! I’ll just call my boyfriend to-to pick me up! It’s—”

“Alex?”

“Or he’ll find me first.”

The crowd parts as Henry pushes his way through, and soon starts to scatter. The lady hands his backpack to Henry as she leaves, and he accepts it, confused. Alex watches as Henry’s eyes roam over him, widening as he takes him in, sitting on the dirty sidewalk, his leg spread out carefully, his clothes rumpled. And he’s grateful there’s a lack of carnage on him, no blood or torn clothes, that he’s just mildly disheveled, because he can’t imagine putting Henry through that.

Well, he’s also grateful he didn’t die, but again, priorities.

“Alex, what happened?” Henry asks, crouching next to him. He pushes a tangled mess of curls away from his face, letting his hand rest on his cheek. “Why are you on the ground? Are you okay?”

Okay, shit, how does he tell his beautiful, barely calm boyfriend that he was stupid enough to get slammed by a car in one of the busiest streets in New York? “Uh, okay, don’t freak out.” Which is the wrong thing to say, and the fastest way to get Henry to do just that.

“What? Why? What’s wrong? Can you get up? Are you hurt?”

“Yes. And yes. Actually, I think. I don’t know.”

“Alex… what?”

Alex groans. His leg is still throbbing in a steady pulse, but that’s about it. Even his hands have stopped stinging. “Help me up? Please?”

Henry nods, still confused and Alex doesn’t want to exchange the confusion with whatever’s going to come next. He wonders how much he can play the injury off. He can say he tripped, and with his level of injuries it’ll probably be believable but he doesn’t want to lie to Henry. If it was the other way around…

Alex hisses the moment he’s on his feet. Henry fumbles to readjust his grip on his arms, squeezing a bit too tight as if Alex might break if he doesn’t hold on with all he has. “Shit, sorry. I, uh, okay. So, I had a little accident.”

“You—what kind of accident?” The color washes from Henry’s face as he pulls him closer, shifting his arms so one of them is around Alex’s back instead. “What happened?”

“I’m okay, I promise! I was just really stupid. And crossed the street too carelessly and well…” he shrugs, giving a vague gesture towards his left leg.

Henry looks back towards the street for a moment, and when he turns back to Alex he looks like he’s the one who got struck. “That street?” he asks, voice small. “Are you okay? Are you—Okay, we need to go to the hospital. I’ll call Shaan to come pick us up, do you want to sit down again? Does it hurt? I’m sorry, I—”

Alex places both palms on the side of Henry’s face, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs. “Hey, hey. Look at me.”

Henry hesitates for a second. When those precious blue eyes turn to meet his own, hints of moisture linger in their corners. He’s much paler than he was when he arrived, and Alex wants so desperately to kiss some color back into those lips, watch a rosy pink dust his too cold cheeks.

“Baby…” he coos. “You’re panicking? I’m the one who got ironed. Breathe.”

Henry flinches, his face inching away from Alex’s hold. “Don’t use that word. That’s not funny.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he chuckles. “Would it help if I went to the hospital with you?”

“Would it help? Of course, you’re going to the hospital! ‘Would it help’, he says.”

There’s no chance in hell Henry is going to take no for an answer, so Alex waits for him to call Shaan, lets him help him to the car without any protest. On the way there he gets three phone-calls, the level of exasperation increasing with each one. Apparently one of those kind passerbys was also kind enough to post a photo of him on the sidewalk on his Twitter. His dad calls first to make sure he’s okay. Then June, who upon learning the location of the accident just responds with ‘and you’re still alive?’, which is fair but also very rude, though when he complains to Henry about it, he’s sure he must be using all his patience not to glare at him for the nonchalance. He’s definitely glaring when Zahra calls and Alex just hands the phone over to him with the biggest, most pleading eyes he can muster.

Other than that, Henry stays quiet, eyes glued up ahead and staring at nothing. One of his hands is holding Alex’s own and he squeezes it every few minutes like he’s trying to make sure Alex is still there. It’s scaring him a little, but no matter how many times he insists he’s okay, that it barely even hurts, Henry doesn’t relax. He turns to him, gives him a small, tense little smile, then resumes looking at nothing ahead of him.

It’s fine. They’ll go to the hospital, they’ll get some tests done, and Henry will see he’s in perfect health. Then they’ll go home and cuddle until he forgets how much his leg hurts.

Unless he has some internal bleeding. That would be unfortunate.

The hospital visit passes faster than even he could have predicted. After describing his symptoms, Alex is quickly examined by an orthopedist and taken for x-rays to make sure nothing is broken. Everything comes out clear and in an astonishing show of competency, they’re out of there less than two hours later. Hell, the waiting room took twice as long as the tests themselves.

They stop for some painkillers on the way home, and he’s all set. He won’t even have to miss a class.

But Henry doesn’t perk up with the news. His breathing calms and he gets a hint of color to his cheeks as they drive home, but he’s still quiet. Withdrawn. It hurts more than the leg.

David rushes to greet them when they return, all little jumps and wagging tails. Alex feels a pinch of hurt when Henry grabs the puppy before he can jump on him. He doesn’t reprimand him, of course. Henry never yells at David, not even when he chews on pages of his work that he was foolish enough to leave out, but he’s too listless to play with him either, and it’s that apathy that finally breaks Alex’s heart.

“Henry? Baby, talk to me,” he pleads, leaning on his good leg with one hand against the nearest wall. “I’m fine, so what’s wrong?”

Henry doesn’t look at him. “I’m going to take him out for a bit. We won’t take long. Maybe I can bring food on my way back? What do you feel like having?”

“Henry.”

“Is there anything you need before I leave? Water? Tea? Do you want me to help you up the stairs? Maybe we should just fix up the couch for tonight…”

Alex sighs, limping over to where Henry is still looking away from him, bent over to secure the leash on David’s collar. He wraps his arms around his waist and pulls him upright. “Sweetheart…” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck, as he’s still turned the wrong way. “Please.”

It takes a lifetime to hear his voice. “You’re such an idiot,” Henry breathes, too shaky to hold any bite. He lets Alex turn him around and leans forward to press their foreheads together. “You’re such an arse.” He’s not crying, though he’s shaking, and Alex rubs some warmth up and down his arms, along his back. “Do you have any idea how lucky you got? That was a dangerous fucking street, Alex.”

It’s the lack of anger that truly does him in. Henry might be mad at him but it’s not enough to overpower the fear that’s been rooting within him for hours. “I’m sorry. I know. I’m so sorry.” Alex pulls back slightly to give him a soft smile. “Would it help if I said I was rushing because I was so desperate to see you?”

“Alex. ”

“Nope, I made it worse. Got it.” He presses a chaste kiss to his lips. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It was stupid, even for me. It won’t happen again, I promise. I’ll look both ways. Twice. I’ll fucking study physics to calculate the speed of cars versus my chance of running into them if I have to!” A smile trembles at Henry’s lips and Alex grins. “Watch me! Hey,” he says, softer now. He presses another kiss, this one to his cheek, smiling against him when Henry tilts his head towards the touch. “Anything to wipe that look off your face, and never have to see it again.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I worried you.”

“I know.”

David squeezes between their legs, pawing at Henry, nudging him with his nose.

Alex smiles. “It’s okay, buddy. I upset your daddy a little bit, but we’ll be fine. Right?”

Henry nods, bending down to scratch the top of David’s head, before heading for the door. “He doesn’t like it when I’m upset.”

“We have that in common.”

Henry makes sure to wrap him into the biggest hug before he leaves, even though he’s all kinds of dirty from lying on the road, and probably still smells like the hospital. Alex presses his face into the crook of his neck, breathes him in. Guilt churns in his stomach when he really stops to think about it, how stupid it was, how Henry must have felt. He squeezes a bit tighter before letting go.

And because he’s a total hypocrite, but he got himself too worked up not to, he calls out after him before he shuts the door.

“Hey, look both ways before you cross the road!”

Henry loves him, anyway.

#saltfics #rwrb #rwrb fic #red white and royal blue #first prince #henry fox mountchristen windsor #alex claremont diaz #slight whump!#calm before the storm honestly because i have 9 more of those coming and some of them are uh a pain train #enjoy #leave a comment and/or a reblog #they help more than you think!#Anonymous

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hms-chill · 4 years

Text

Everything’s Bigger

Epilogue

The next year goes in stages.

First, there's physical therapy, a stage of tears and frustration. Henry's there for every appointment, learning how he can help and doing whatever he can to comfort Alex. He starts holding Skype calls at all hours to avoid crossing an ocean while his boyfriend is healing, and he manages to stay in New York, helping Alex move his arm and making sure he doesn't push too hard. There are days when Alex can't move his arm at all without tears, and Henry is there to help him go as far as he can and to cuddle him afterwards. Those days are replaced by days where they're pushing to get the arm to shoulder height, and when Alex can consistently get it that high, they get ice cream. Alex complains that it's a stupid milestone to celebrate, but Henry won't hear it. They celebrate every little milestone until the end of Alex's physical therapy, when Henry treats him to a nice dinner out, and Alex thanks him for being there through everything with a home cooked meal the next night.

Next, there's what Henry privately dubs the babysitting stage. It's the period between the sling coming off at the end of physical therapy and Alex being declared fully better, when Henry's job shifts from managing a charity to managing his tornado of a boyfriend, making sure Alex doesn't re-fracture his shoulder. Alex seems to believe he's fully healed the moment the sling comes off. He insists that he's totally capable of carrying an absurdly heavy backpack all day until he comes home with it slung over his good shoulder and can barely put it on the next day. Then he promises that it doesn't bother him with donors and congresspeople and senators pat his bad shoulder, until Henry presses a kiss to it that night and even that light of a touch nearly reduces him to tears. It's a terrifying few weeks of ice packs and massages, of worried check ups and ibuprofen before Henry helps him figure out what he can actually do, what he can do if he's not doing anything the next day, and when he needs to wear the sling to make sure other people leave him alone. The bad days get less and less frequent, though, and eventually, they get an all clear from his doctor. They celebrate with a movie night at the Brooklyn youth shelter, cuddled up and surrounded by kids they've helped together.

The clean bill of health is followed by weeks apart. Almost as soon as Alex is deemed medically healthy, Henry is whisked back across the ocean to take care of all the things he's been putting off while Alex healed. It's debatably the hardest part of the year, when he's worried about Alex's shoulder and mental health and there's nothing he can do. Eventually, Christmas comes. Henry has a big Christmas Eve dinner with his whole family in London, a Christmas brunch with his mom and Bea, and he and Shaan are on a plane headed for DC long before his grandmother starts her speech.

Alex and Zahra meet them at the airport, and Henry can hug Alex as hard as he wants, and Alex can hug back just as hard, and that in itself feels like a Christmas miracle. Alex shoves a mess of a Christmas jumper over Henry's head, and Henry laughs, overjoyed to be back together. Christmas with Alex's family is civil, and Henry sticks around after to help finalize plans for the Young Americans Gala. Pez and Bea fly over for the party, and though Henry does have to go back with them a few days later, he leaves with the confidence that Alex is doing okay. He'd spent far too much of the party bragging about how he'd saved James Bond's son, the prince of England, for Henry to be too worried.

It's just after Alex's birthday that the final phase of the year, the begging and planning, really starts. They're in bed together when Henry's fingers find the two puckered scars in Alex's shoulder, and he traces them gently, asking, "Alex, are you awake? What... have you thought at all about going back to Austin for pride this year?"

"That would be perfect."

And so, a little over two months later, Henry finds himself stepping off a plane into Alex's arms and the Texas summer heat. They're back. They're on a float again, but this time, it's not just them. Bea and June refused to let them go alone, and Nora and Pez refused to be left behind, so all six of them are here, piling into a van in a mess of rainbows and body glitter and Cash's sunscreen.

"You doing okay?" Henry asks Alex as they get a second, and Alex nods, rubbing his shoulder absently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Great. We're back in Austin, and we get to go to pride with everyone; it's going to be great."

"It will be. We'll be okay, Alex. Promise."

Alex smiles, pulling Henry into a hug as they get downtown and the energy shifts. The parade meeting ground is hectic, but it's a contagiously electric energy, and Henry can feel the fear start to slowly drain out of them both. By the time they're on their float and moving, they're all a mess of massive grins and bigger cheers.

The parade itself is a blur, but a few things stand out. Henry sees two women with twin girls on their shoulders, one moving forward so her daughter can tip a drag queen. There are kids with pride flags painted on their faces showing their parents around, and there are queer people old enough to be their grandparents who get to celebrate like everyone else. But what stands out the most is the moment they approach the turn where everything fell apart last year. Alex tenses up a bit, and Henry moves closer to him on instinct. But then the others are there, too, crowding close as they turn the corner to see a sea of rainbow and be hit with a wall of cheers, accompanied by more sings than anywhere else on the route: "Austin strong, Austin proud!" "We love our first kids" "Alex I'm so f**king proud of you!" "Henry, Prince of my heart!"

Alex is crying as Henry hugs him, but he's laughing, too, and looking out over the crowd to be sure he doesn't miss a second of it. Henry sees Bea and June filming both sides of the street as Nora and Pez shout thank yous and throw pride flags into the crowd. Henry and Alex just soak it all in, holding each other and beaming into the crowd. Alex raises a fist, extending his pointer finger and pinky in a "hook 'em horns" salute, and Henry follows suit. The crowd cheers, mirroring them, and Alex whoops so loudly, Henry's sure it carries over to Louisiana just to spite anyone who might try to shut them up.

From the end of the parade route, it's a short walk to their last scheduled stop for the day. It's a gorgeous Victorian building in Central Austin, bought eleven months ago and newly renovated with the donations that flooded in after their catastrophe. They've got a ribbon cutting ceremony for the newest Okonjo Foundation youth shelter, located close to public transit and the University of Texas campus, and incredibly near and dear to both their hearts. They cut the ribbon together, each holding one handle of the oversized scissors and throwing the doors open together to welcome the staff inside. If it's anything like the other shelters, they'll have kids there by that night, and they'll most likely come back to welcome them in person.

Once the shelter's open, they and their friends get to just enjoy pride. They get sno cones and watch drag shows, and they meet up with Liam and Spencer for a bit, and really, it matters less what they do and more that they're doing it at all, surrounded by people who are celebrating their love.

Over dinner at Alex’s favorite Austin restaurant, they all curate instagram posts together. Henry has a few photos of himself and Alex at the ribbon cutting, captioned with a paragraph about how he's so proud of Alex, the foundation, and the city of Austin and how thankful he is to be able to be a part of something like this. Nora's got one of herself, June, and Pez, lipstick stains on both her cheeks, and Pez has one of the three of them sharing a massive rainbow sno cone and sticking out tongues dyed various different colors. June's post is a photo of herself and Alex, a caption about how she's infinitely proud of him and overjoyed to be celebrating in their hometown, and Bea has a similar post about Henry and how proud she is of him, accompanied by a photo of them together in front of the youth shelter.

Alex's post takes the longest, but eventually, he settles on a photo of himself and Henry from behind, "Hook 'em Horns" raised to an overjoyed crowd. It's followed by Bea's and June's videos of the crowd along that stretch and captioned, "a massive, Texas-sized thank you, Austin! Thank you for standing up to hate, and staying loud and proud, and for helping make a hard memory a million times better. Y'all have shown me and my family so much love, and I can't imagine a better city to come home to."

On AO3

Notes:

It's done! I did it! Now I need to do actual Real Life Work (research into queer history) (also job hunting) for like a week, but I've got a few requests to finish up once that's done! I should be back soon; my research is due the 6th :)

#firstprince #red white and royal blue #red white and royal blue fic #my fic: rwrb #rwrb fic #rwrb #henry fox mountchristen windsor x alex claremont diaz #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #bea fox mountchristen windsor #pez okonjo #june claremont diaz #nora holleran

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