A/N I have been wanting to write this for some time, a gay version of the hit movie Titanic. Some roles will be swapped in order to make this happen.
Theme song: Southampton-James Horner
It is a gorgeous day for sailing, as the R.M.S. Titanic prepares to leave on her maiden voyage to America. It is almost noon, as the docks were flanked with people, waving and cheering to passengers as they await their journey. People on the decks embrace in tearful goodbyes, while others wave and shout 'bon voyage' wishes to friends, families any anyone wanting to start a new life in America and Canada.
Two cars drive by, with incessant honking as they make their way through the crowds. Around the cars there were people, as they tried to make their way aboard the grand ship. White Star officials bark orders to third class passengers that they must go through a queue to be checked out for any lice. The cars stopped, and the driver hurriedly opened the door, as Thomas gets out of the car. His piercing brown eyes looks up as the Titanic is moored at the Southampton docks, amongst the cheering people. His older sister Rose soon followed him out of the car. A personal valet soon opens the door on the other side of the car, and Caledon Hockley steps out.
"So this is the ship they say is 'unsinkable,'" Rose also looks up at the looming leviathan herself, but her younger brother looked unimpressed. To him, this ship was just like any other, nothing special, even though people couldn't talk about it nonstop, and it was indeed bigger than her sister, the R.M.S. Olympic, which had completed her maiden voyage to New York a year prior.
"Of course its unsinkable. God himself could not sink this ship." Cal says, as if almost in a prideful manner of tone. Soon, a porter arrives, at the last minute, after he was done loading the previous passengers. "Mind your step there, Rose." he says, as he points down to a puddle before Rose could step in it.
"Sir, you'll have to check your baggage through the main terminal. Round this way..." Cal gives the man some money. "I put my faith in you, good sir." He then points to Lovejoy behind the cars. "See my man."
"Yes, sir, my pleasure sir." He runs to the back, where he meets Lovejoy.
"These trunks here, and there's twelve more in the Daimler. We'll have all this lot up in the rooms." The porter looks at the mounds of luggage, then takes a deep breath, seeing how he must move all these peoples' luggage into the ship. He pulls out his whistle for any available cargo-handlers to load these onto the ship's massive cranes. Meanwhile, Cal checks his pocket watch.
"We'd better hurry. This way, ladies. Thomas."
Thomas looks at the mighty cast wall of a ship's hull in front him, as it towered over the docks, and seemingly looked like it had no end. This ship was truly a monstrosity.
"I don't see what the fuss is all about...It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauretania." Thomas says, as he rolls his eyes, then gets his luggage before making his way towards the first-class loading platform.
"You can be blasé about some things, Thomas, but not about Titanic." Cal says, as he puts his hand on the small of Thomas' back. "Its over a hundred feet longer than Mauretania...and far more luxurious. Your brother is far too difficult to impress, Rose."
Thomas led the way, followed by Cal, Rose and Spicer Lovejoy, as they made their way on the gangplanks of the towering R.M.S. Titanic, as he began to feel his stomach tying itself in knots. Soon, he will step foot back in America, as he shook his head. Thomas, whose hair is also long for the times, fell in his eyes as he continued his way to their stateroom cabins, as stewards were bringing their luggage, and Cal's green, hideous safe was being carted in as well, which Thomas hated. He shook his head once more, why would he be engaged to this man, whom Rose found attractive for him? To Thomas, he would be no longer be free, as he would become a property of Cal Hockley, despite having money himself, and his older sister Rose.
Thomas assisted the maids in selecting the art he has collected since their stay in Europe, and which ones would be put up, much to the behest of Cal, who despised such things. Art was the only thing he connected with, and he would one day, become an artist himself, someday. But for now, he wanted to admire these paintings from the sidelines. This was the only escape he needed from the real world, and something he would like to get lost into.
Theme song: Never an Absolution-James Horner
In one of the upperclass dining rooms Thomas was sick of inhaling all the smoke from the people in the room, including Rose, as Cal looked at Thomas with hungry eyes. He kindly excused himself for a breath of fresh air, then places his napkin on the table, before leaving to the outside decks.
He looked over the expansion of the sea, as far as his eyes can see. The wind was gentle against his face, and he slowly brushed his hair from his eyes, as he had forgotten his hat back in his stateroom. Looking down towards the lower decks, he noticed a young man looking up at him. He thought nothing of it at first, then he averted his gaze back to the sea, before they locked eyes once more. The young man below was intently staring at him, just before Cal came out, put his hands on Thomas' waist, and led him back inside the dining room, and he quickly forgot about the young man below.
Thomas has had enough of the small, mindless chatter, by the time the evening dinner came. He had long to be the free man he once was, until he was dragged by Rose and that she thought he and Cal were to be the perfect partners for each other. He wanted no part of this life, all the boring, pointless chatter, and just sitting around, withering like some plant that hasn't been given any water, listening to the droning banter of these people. He bolted from the table before Cal could get ahold of his partner, as he made his way outside.
Thomas was shaking by the time he reached the poop deck, then slowly making his way to the railing. He knew this would be a fatal mistake, but it gave him little choice. He looked around, then slowly makes his way over the railing, then hanging dangerously over the stern. He looked at the foaming water for some time, as he prepared himself.
"Don't do it." A voice from behind says, very calmly.
Thomas was startled, then he turned around.
"Don't you come any closer." Thomas says, breathing faster, and his heart beats faster now. He soon recognized the young man from earlier in the day.
"Come on, I'll pull you over." The man says, offering his hand to the man.
"No! Stay back! I'll-I'll let go..." Thomas turns back to the sea, before taking a glimpse of the man, who was gesturing to throw his cigarette over to the sea. He took one last drag, then throws the cigarette, as Thomas watched it disappear beneath the waves.
"No, you won't." Thomas furrows his brow, then smiles, and shakes his head. He couldn't believe what was going through this man's mind.
"What'd you mean, 'no, I won't?' You don't know who I am."
"Sorry. Look, if you wanted to jump, you would have already done it by now." The young man takes his time, as he unlaces his boots, then takes them off, and setting them next to an anchor. Thomas scoffed at this absurd situation that was unfolding right before his eyes. The man soon takes off his jacket, and lays it atop the same anchor.
"What do you think you're doing?" Thomas asks in bewilderment.
"If you let go, then I'm going to have to jump in there after you."
Thomas shakes his head. He really is out of his head. he thought. "Don't be daft, that fall alone will kill you."
"Don't worry about that, I'm a good swimmer."
"But the fall alone will kill you..."
"It might hurt, not saying it wouldn't. To tell you the truth, I'm a lot more concerned with that water being so cold down there."
Thomas averted his gaze once more to the black horizon, as he thought what was going through this young man's mind. He himself was a good swimmer also, but hadn't thought much about the pain, much less the cold. Who was this man, and why did he want to help him out?
"How cold?"
"Freezing. Maybe a couple degrees over." He then slowly makes his way closer to Thomas, leaning over the railing himself, as he tried not to spook the man. "Like right down there, it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe...can't think...At least not anything about the pain...Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in there after you. But like I said, I don't have a choice. Now, come on, come back over the railing, and get me off the hook here."
Thomas thought long and hard, and taking in what this young man had said, he decided to take his bargain, and let this man help him over.
"Whew. I'm Jack Dawson." The young man says, as he was getting ready to pull Thomas back over the railing.
"Thomas Barringer-Dewitt Bukater."
"Thomas Bar-wha?" Jack says, more with awe. Just then, an officer, making his rounds, spots the two young men, and decides to intervene, as he thought the two men might be up to something no good.
"You stand back, and don't move an inch!" the officer yells, and pushes Jack aside, as he jams his hands in his pockets. He pulls Thomas over the railing, just as another officer runs to aid his fellow man.
"You alright, lad?" the officer asks, and Thomas nods. "Fetch the master at arms!" The officer yelled to his mates.
Thomas was seated on a bench as Jack was being handcuffed by an officer. In all of the confusing scene he was wrapped in a blanket when no sooner Cal appeared. Little did he know there was an officer making his nightly rounds when he spotted them over the railing, and thought that Jack was somehow doing harm to him. So far, he was glad no one knew of the suicide attempt he was trying to do.
"What makes you think you could put your hands on my partner!?" Cal seethed, "Look at me, you filth!"
"Cal, stop. It was nothing. I was just simply leaning over, to see the marvelous propellers I've been hearing about." Thomas tried to give a convincing story, and so far, they had bought it.
"Was that the way of it?"
Yeah. Yeah, it was pretty much it." Jack says, and was finally released from the handcuffs, hoping that was the last time they encountered, and they began to lead Thomas back into the ship. But soon, one of the men stopped Hockley in his tracks, as he wanted to offer his thanks for the young man who brought Thomas over. Cal huffed, and offered Lovejoy, to give Jack a 'twenty'.
"Is that the going rate for someone saving the life of your partner?" Thomas asks.
"Hmm, Thomas is displeased." Cal says, before turning his attention to Jack. "Perhaps you would like to join us for a dinner celebration tomorrow evening? You can entertain us with your tales of heroism." Jack's face remains neutral, until he finally spoke.
"Sure, count me in."
"This will go lovely." Cal says, leading Thomas back to the ship, before Jack whistled to Lovejoy, then asks him for a cigarette. Lovejoy hands him two, as Jack places the spare in his ear. He then looks over at Jack's untied boots.
"You know, its interesting Mr. Bukater was peering over the stern, and you had the time to remove your coat and your shoes." he says sternly, before leaving Jack alone on the stern deck.
Later in the night Thomas stood in front of the fireplace mantle mirror in his room, just as he was getting ready for bed, when he heard someone knocking on his door softly. Caledon entered Thomas' room, as he had his arm behind him, and was holding something there.
"I've noticed you've been melancholy, and I don't pretend to know why." Cal pulls a box from behind his back. "I intended to save this until the gala next week, but tonight, perhaps as a reminder for my feelings for you..."
Thomas slowly opens the box; inside he was at a loss for words. It was a diamond, sparkling in all its might. Cal knew Thomas would look magnificent in this heart-shaped jewelry, to match his feminine looks. He slowly takes out the diamond, and places it around his neck. Thomas swallowed, his slight adams apple bobbing as Cal finishes putting the clasp on.
"It was once worn by Louis XVI after the French Revolution, they call it the Le cœur de la Mer, or the Heart-"
"Of the Ocean." Thomas finishes. Cal leans his head next to Thomas, as they gaze at each other's reflection in the mirror. Cal brushes the soft textured hair from Thomas' eyes as he continues to look at their reflections.
"Its for royalty, and we are royalty. There's nothing I couldn't give you. There's nothing I'd deny you if you deny me. Open your heart to me, Thomas..."
Thomas looked at himself in the mirror, at the necklace he was wearing. He had several thoughts running through his mind, none of which he would tell.
Not yet, anyway.
