21st_sacrament | more not!fic fic birthday addition

Henry wakes up like he does every weekday, half asleep and murmuring barely intelligible questions that are along the vein of did you eat, what about for later, call me if you want me to pick up anything at the store, do you have everything, - except they all slur together into one long stream of nonsense and Alex huffs a laugh against his lips instead. He tells him to go back to sleep and that he'll see him later and no really, go back to sleep, you'll make sense later.

Then Alex is off at work and Henry sleeps another hour or two, nothing more usually because their german shepherd will come in and wake him up if Henry tries sleeping past 8 AM, after all, WALKS ARE IMPORTANT Y U NO WALK ME YET >8( and after Henry manages to get dressed and rub the sleep from his eyes, he takes him out for a walk through the neighborhood. They walk about three miles each morning, in place of the running Henry used to do.

When they get back Henry goes through the chores that need to be done, he lets the dog out in the backyard when he goes to settle in the kitchen. He's already expected to be scolded for cooking on his birthday but by the time Alex gets home they'll be out late if they go out for dinner and Henry isn't up for late outings after several weeks of staying up late working on his last job. He is a simple creature okay, he just wants to sit on his couch, eat foods, cuddle on the couch, cuddle with his husband and the dog because the dog seeks out affection as much as his husband and Henry is more than happy enough to provide it.

Then go back to bed and cuddle some more while Alex talks to him (and admittedly at him because on a full stomach Henry starts drifting off and his few responses turn into tips of the head at best. Alex will laugh at him, in that deep warm chuckle, the kind that even after twenty years reverberates in his chest and has him curling his toes.

He'll get a happy birthday, when they're all wrapped around each other, a warm bundle of limbs. A kiss pressed against his temple, each cheek, the tip of his nose, and then his lips, countless kisses until he needs to come back up for air and happy birthday happy birthday.