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The wood in the fireplace crackled in rhythm with the flames that danced upon its bark and slowly devoured it.
The rich warmth radiating from the fireplace was a godsend. Outside, a blast of polar air had swept down across the country, somehow even managing to ambush Texas! Snow was actually predicted for tonight – snow, in Texas!
The remains of a meal tray lingered on the coffee table. Wrapped in an immense green plaid, Alex and Henry, a bowl of popcorn between them, were watching a movie. They were enjoying being alone, at the lake house, without children. They still had a few days before rejoining everyone at Ellen and Leo's.
As Alex reached for a handful of popcorn, Henry’s muttered words snagged his attention.
"You're doing it again!"
Henry paused the film.
"What?"
“You’re mouthing the lines!” Alex charged, eyebrows arched, a playful accusation in his eyes. Henry just shrugged and hit play once more.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, this is bad. This is very, very bad. This is really bad… They just can’t get my nose right!” Henry mumbled, barely audible.
"Ah!" Alex exclaimed, making Henry jump. "Wales, how many times have you watched this film with the children to know it by heart?"
“Four…ty-ish,” Henry mumbled back, grinning like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Over their years together, Alex had learned two key things: Henry’s unwavering love for animated movies, Disney especially, and his personal mission, once the kids were old enough, to make sure they saw them all.
“You’re a menace, you know,” Alex murmured, dropping a kiss on Henry’s cheek. After all this time, Henry’s charm still worked its magic.
“Hey, I’ve told you – that line’s copyrighted!”
“What can I tell you? You’ve rubbed off on me too much…”
Throughout the rest of the film, Alex had to stop himself from teasing Henry, who was practically acting out entire dialogue scenes. And let's not even mention the songs. He knew them BY HEART. Henry could belt them out, tickle them out on the piano, or both at once for maximum effect.
“Listening to you narrate the film alongside me, I swear I feel like you would be able to have a conversation using only Disney quotes."
"I could manage a whole day without a problem," Henry retorted, a challenging glint in his eyes.
"A whole day? Isn't that a bit presumptuous?" Alex questioned doubtfully.
"Want to bet?" Henry’s gaze was utterly serious.
"Okay. Tomorrow, all day, you must only speak in Disney quotes, dialogue, or song lyrics."
"Agreed, but I request the right to adapt the dialogue if there's a character's name, to be able to put yours, or the children's, parents', or friends'."
Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to write the draft of a contract outlining the conditions of the bet.
Disney Quote Challenge – Dialogue and Song Lyrics
- From waking up to bedtime, Henry may only respond using Disney dialogues and song lyrics.
- Alex reserves the right to verify if he has any doubts.
- Henry is allowed a maximum of 30 seconds to respond.
- In case of doubt raised by Alex, Henry is authorized only to give the name of the film.
- Henry has the right to replace a character's name with a person from their entourage.
- If it is a quote from a song, Henry must sing and not simply recite.
- If Henry successfully completes the challenge, he may ask Alex for whatever he wants for a full month.
- Henry can choose from when the full month will begin.
- If Henry fails, Alex may ask Henry for whatever he wants for a week.
- Alex will choose the week that suits him in case of victory.
They reviewed the mock contract and declared it official. A challenge under contract was the rule in the Diaz-Fox household. Henry still remembered his defeat in a bet he lost at the birth of their first child.
As they finished tidying the kitchen before going to bed, Henry couldn't quite suppress a wry smile. While loading the dishwasher, his lips moved without emitting a sound. Or almost. His head swayed slightly.
"Did you say something?" Alex asked from the other end of the kitchen, emerging from a cupboard.
"♫ Be prepared…♪"
***
A sliver of morning light brushed across Alex's face, nudging him awake. He stretched fully, a loud yawn escaping him. One hand groped for Henry’s side of the bed, finding only cold, rumpled sheets. He swung his legs out, shivering at the icy floor, quickly wrapping himself in warmth before heading to the kitchen. There, Henry was already at work on breakfast, the scent of warm pancakes flooding his senses - a delicious promise of sweetness.
“♫ Bonjour! Good day! How is your family? ♪” Henry greeted him, bright and playful.
“Ugh, I almost forgot…” Alex groaned, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Coffee. Definitely coffee.”
Henry gestured to the table he’d laid.
“Got breakfast for ya! Look, you get porridge! And it's happy to see you!” he announced with a flourish, setting a dish before a still-groggy Alex. Eyes only half-open, sleep lines crinkling at the corners, Alex wanted to argue. There was no porridge. But he lacked the will to even try.
He slumped onto a stool at the kitchen island, facing a perfectly arranged plate of pancakes, chocolate, and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. Henry, attuned to his husband’s every need, placed a large mug of coffee at his elbow.
“♫A Spoonful Of Sugar Helps The Medicine Go Down! ♪” he declared, setting a bottle of maple syrup beside the plate.
“Thanks,” Alex mumbled.
The coffee began to work its magic, a jolt of energy spreading through Alex, electrifying his cells and jump-starting his brain. He was determined to win this challenge. But in just a few minutes, he was beginning to suspect it might be tougher than he’d anticipated. A flicker of opportunity appeared when he spotted a pancake in the stack that was significantly darker than the rest.
“This one’s a little burnt, Sweetheart,” Alex observed, dangling the blackened pancake towards Henry. Henry just shrugged. A beat of silence hung in the air.
“‘From failing, you learn. Success? Not so much,’” Henry replied, his voice imbued with mock wisdom, a glint of challenge in his eyes.
“You’re a menace…” Alex murmured, even as he took a bite of his pancake.
***
Steaming water cascaded over Alex's naked body, his skin, lightly tanned in mid-winter, reddened under the bite of the near-scalding droplets. He was already dreaming of sun-drenched days, of that deeper tan that shouted his Mexican heritage. He loved the contrast it created with Henry. Lost in daydreams of distant summer days, he didn’t notice Henry leaning in the bathroom doorway, eyes fixed on him. It was only when he shut off the water and turned around that he saw him and jumped.
“You scared the life out of me! I was miles away, daydreaming,” Alex exclaimed, clutching dramatically at his chest.
“‘What’s your dream?’” Henry asked softly, that little half-smile playing about his lips.
“Hey! Hold on – that’s not Disney dialogue!” Alex protested immediately, a spark of hope in his eyes.
Henry just gave him the look – a perfect blend of fond amusement and long-suffering exasperation. Every tiny muscle in his face joined forces to convey an expression Alex knew backward and forwards. Mouth, eyebrows, eyes all silently shouted: “ Are you kidding me ??”
“Tangled.”
The movie from the night before. Henry just rolled his eyes and started to turn away.
“Could you close the door, please? It’s freezing,” Alex called out as Henry walked away. Henry poked his head back around the doorframe, shaking his head.
“‘Love is an open door’,” he declared.
“Ugh, I hate you,” Alex grumbled, feigning annoyance.
“♫ So this is love…♪” Henry hummed, before finally vanishing from his husband’s sight.
***
When Alex caught up with Henry, Henry was already decked out in snow boots, gloves, the works. He tossed a coat at Alex.
“♫ Do you wanna build a snowman? ♪” Henry warbled, pulling a beanie and a huge, cosy scarf over his head.
They needed to protect themselves; outside, the cold reigned supreme, and snow carpeted the entire landscape with a beautiful white blanket. The sun made the garden around the house sparkle with a thousand gleams.
This cold spell, though, was a gift. For the kids, at least. Alex, in contrast, had already been outside a few times, grumbling under his breath about the freezing temperatures as he made sure the backup generator was still working.
And yet, Alex couldn't refuse. They’d promised the children snowmen. Pictures were mandatory after. And they needed to be quick about it - this being Texas, the snow was unlikely to linger. Ellen and Leo had already sent snaps of their kids’ creations, including a video of eight-year-old Isabella, eyes flashing, challenging them to do better. Definitely their fathers’ daughter.
“♫ Come on, let's go and play, ♪” Henry continued, heading for the door. As it swung open, a blast of crisp, invigorating air enveloped Alex in an icy hug. He shivered and hurried to shrug into his coat.
Finding Alex lagging, Henry reopened the door, poked his head back in, and kept singing.
“♫I never see you anymore; come out the door. ♪ It's like you've gone away. ♪”
Alex tried to keep a straight face, fighting a losing battle. Henry’s infectious joy and good humor were impossible to resist.
“You know you’re allowed to quit the challenge, right? It’s going to be a long day for you!” Alex called out, shutting the door and quickly pulling on his beanie. The snow crunched underfoot.
Henry closed the distance between them, wrapped his arms around Alex’s waist, drew him close, and pressed a light kiss to his lips.
“‘Giving up is for rookies,’” Henry replied simply, eyes sparkling. And then, without missing a beat, before Alex could even open his mouth, added, “ Hercules .”
“I knew that was Hercules,” Alex mumbled, trying harder to convince himself than Henry. “But I’m still betting you crack before the day is out.” Alex tried to sound confident.
“♫ I can go the distance; I will find my way.♪”
Alex couldn’t help himself, rolling his eyes again, and shoved Henry playfully into the snow before starting on his own snowman.
“Did you know that every single snowflake is totally unique? Its shape is all down to the temperature and humidity,” Alex threw out casually, fishing for a slip-up.
He was trying to trick Henry into breaking character. Henry could easily have retorted that he did know that. He could also have replied that he had been present a few weeks earlier when they had all together reviewed this lesson on the different states of water with their daughter.
“♫ You think I'm an ignorant savage… ♪” Henry began, all puffed up with pride, when Alex cut him off sharply.
“Oh, absolutely not! No cultural appropriation. Pocahontas songs are strictly off-limits,” Alex declared, wagging a finger at Henry. “Need I remind you of your heritage, Wales, and what your family and country did here? You should be ashamed!” Alex chided with mock severity, again suppressing a grin.
“Because we invaded their land and cut down their trees and dug up their earth?”
“Precisely! Just think of what your grandmother and your ancestors got up to!”
“♫We don't talk about Gran, no, no, no, no.♪”
Henry adopted a carefully neutral expression, the kind he usually wore at society events when the royal family required his presence. Alex just stared, wide-eyed, incredulous.
“How do you even do that??”
“‘First of all, I would like to make one thing clear: I never explain anything’,” Henry retorted, placing a hand on Alex’s shoulder.
“You won't always have an answer for everything. I'll get you in the end,” Alex affirmed. Henry knew him; he knew that Alex loved challenges, and this one was proving to be much more difficult than expected. But not for the right person. He feared that Henry really did have an answer for everything.
Henry, while moving away to resume his snowman, began to sing again in a provocative tone.
“♫ There's something sweet and almost kind. ♪But he was mean, and he was coarse and unrefined. ♪”
“Oh shut up, baby!” Alex begged, hilarious.
“Poor unfortunate s…” Henry didn’t get to finish; a snowball slammed into his shoulder. He barely registered what was happening before another exploded against his chin….
***
The day unfolded in a rhythm of songs and quotes. Henry was clearly in his element. He was having an absolute blast. His brain was in turmoil, and his memory was stimulated like never before. Alex was starting to realize he was living with a walking Disney encyclopaedia. He knew Henry had an incredible memory. It was only now, after many years of living together, that he realized its full potential.
That afternoon, curled up by the fire, Alex suggested a board game. Settled on opposite sides of the low table on plump, comfortable cushions, Henry dealt the cards for a game of Uno. Alex’s choice. A terrible choice, given what a notoriously bad loser he was at Uno.
“♫Let's get down to business... ♪” Henry sang, handing Alex his stack of cards.
Henry had been confident of victory, playing strategically, expertly needling Alex, but the truth was undeniable: Alex was winning. Winning big. He radiated smug confidence and a mischievous delight.
“Cat got your tongue, then? Has His Majesty misplaced his voice?”
“‘If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all,’” Henry retorted with an elaborate shrug.
Alex’s only response was to stick out his tongue. Then he slammed down his final card, crowing, “Boom, baby!” Still wanting to rub it in, he added with a wink, “See? I can drop Disney quotes at the perfect moment too!”
He leaped up to perform a little victory dance, just to taunt Henry, when a cascade of cards slipped from beneath his sweater. Alex watched them flutter to the floor. Then he looked at Henry. Then, back at the cards. He shrugged, throwing his hands up, falsely sorry.
“Oops.”
Henry drew a deep breath. Then slowly exhaled. He rose in turn and faced Alex, jabbing a finger at his cheating husband’s chest. His gaze was stern.
“‘Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your family! Dishonor on your cow!’”
Henry didn’t give Alex a chance to reply, pivoting sharply and heading for the kitchen. He absolutely had to escape before he met Alex’s eyes and dissolved into laughter. He needed to maintain a semblance of seriousness. He was practically biting his cheek to keep it together. It was almost impossible to resist the wounded puppy-dog look he knew Alex was about to deploy.
***
When Alex dropped a glass on the floor at the end of their dinner, it shattered into a thousand pieces. Alex swore and cursed his clumsiness.
"Damn it! What an idiot I am!"
Henry, attentive, grabbed a broom and began to gather the shards of glass.
“Thank goodness I have you. Honestly, sometimes I just exhaust myself…”
"‘I wish you could see yourself the way I do. You are perfect just like this. You are just as special as anyone else in this family,’" Henry countered gently, his voice full of reassurance and deeply loving voice.
“Thanks,” Alex murmured, leaning into him, “And what an amazing family we’ve built, huh? Been a rollercoaster, but we made it through.”
“‘This Is My Family. I Found It, All On My Own. It’s Little And Broken, But Still Good. Yeah. Still Good,’” Henry echoed quietly.
Alex just melted into that tender blue gaze, that calm, deep ocean he loved to dive into. He kept falling, and falling, for this man who made his life so bright. Every day, he noticed some new little thing to fall for – a new way Henry’s hair fell, the crinkles around his eyes when he smiled first thing in the morning…
“I love you.”
Henry opened his mouth to reply, then paused. A dazzling smile lit up his face.
“♫ No chance, no way, I won't say it, no, no,” Henry declared, suddenly choreographing with the broom like a stage prop, twirling around an utterly smitten Alex. “♪ I won't say I'm in love. ♪”
“Oh, come on , you know you can just tell me,” Alex teased, grinning, “You’re practically bursting to, and I bet you a Disney character has said it perfectly.”
“‘If you live to be a hundred, I hope I live to be a hundred minus one day, so that I never have to live a day without you,’” Henry whispered close to Alex’s ear, dropping the broom and wrapping his arms around his neck instead.
“♫Can you feel the love tonight? ♪” Henry murmured against Alex’s neck, peppering it with soft kisses.
“It’s not just love I’m feeling right now, pressed up against me…” Alex whispered back, breathlessly.
“‘♫ Love is never wrong, and so it never dies. ♪’”
“You’re gonna Disney-quote every single love line you know, aren’t you? We’re going to be here all night at this rate…”
“‘You mean more to me than anyone in this whole world,’” Henry murmured tenderly, his gaze lost in the deep, dark pools of Alex’s eyes.
“You should think so! How could you not desire me? Or resist my legendary charm?”
“♫ Like fire,♪ Hellfire. ♪ This fire in my skin. ♫ This burning ♪ Desire ♫ Is turning me to sin, ♪ ” Henry sang, suddenly his voice low and husky with desire, his eyes burning into Alex’s.
Still kissing him deeply, Henry, utterly fired up by his husband, pulled him with urgent passion towards their bedroom. Fingers laced tightly together, eyes sparkling with playful lust, he gently tumbled Alex back onto the bed.
“Let’s make some magic!” Henry exclaimed, eyes gleaming.
He knew, with absolute certainty, he was going to win this ridiculous challenge. Alex would do whatever Henry desired for a month. And he planned to relish every single, delicious moment of it.
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
Walt Disney