Title: Dreams and Fairytales
Fandom: X-Men: First Class (movie verse)
Pairing(s): HankAlex
Genre: romance/general
Type: one-shot
Rating: PG
Other Notes: AU (some), teeth-rotting fluff, (some) slight OOC
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Twelve prompts, twelve ridiculously sweet ficlets
AN: All are stand-alone and are in different universes (unless otherwise noted). Title comes from Kelly Clarkson's The Trouble With Love Is.
I'm almost embarrassed at how fluffy/cute/tooth-achingly sweet this is.
I) Tree/Pine (modern non-mutant AU)
Alex doesn't particularly enjoy shopping for a tree. Or shopping period. It's cold and wet and the smell of pine is tickling his nose and he really doesn't see the point because there's nothing positive to associate with the season. Not for him, anyway. But Hank insisted and he couldn't deny him. Ever. Not with that kicked puppy look and that pout. So here he was, in a large parking lot, surrounded by firs, trying to pick out the 'perfect' Christmas tree with his boyfriend. Hank was smiling widely, as happy as could be, breath coming out in puffs.
"I still don't know why we need a tree," he grumbles.
"Nonsense, Alex," Hank replied blithely. "It's tradition. Don't you think the smell is nostalgic? Reminds me of my childhood."
Alex huffs, "No. It doesn't."
Hank turns to look at him, eyes wide but expression sad. "No?"
He shakes his head, "No. I don't have particularly good memories of Christmas," he says honestly. Hank's expression, if it was even possible, saddens even more. "Don't you dare pity me," he growls.
"I – no – I just." He looks down to the ground and shuffles his feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't think – Why didn't you tell me this before?"
Alex shrugs, "It's fine. If I don't know what I'm missing then it's all right, right?"
He looks up at that, a small frown on his lips. "I don't think so."
"Look, I know I grew up largely in foster homes and orphanages," he said sourly, "But you don't have to make that big of a deal about it."
"But it's just – " Hank nibbled his lip, a flush rising in his cheeks. "We could create better memories regarding Christmas. Now. This year. Together. I mean – " he babbled. "I know we haven't been together long but – "
Alex silences him with a finger on his lips; if the guy blushed any harder he might pass out on him. "I get it," he said, barely containing his laughter, smiling.
"You do?" he asked, his question muffled by Alex's finger.
Alex chuckles and removes his finger, leaning in to capture Hank's lips in a chaste kiss. "Yeah," he says when he pulls away, mood suddenly lifted. "Thank you. Now let's pick out a tree, okay?"
Hank grins brilliantly, "Okay."
II) Snow (modern non-mutant AU)
They hadn't expected it, but this year they woke up to a blanket of snow on Christmas day. Suddenly feeling childish, Alex whooped and jumped out of bed, throwing on clothes haphazardly. Hank groaned unintelligibly, rolled over and threw an arm over his eyes.
"'S too early, Alex."
"It's nine o'clock, Hank," he chastised. Sometimes Alex couldn't believe that the Hank capable of staying up for days on end (and still be completely coherent) and the Hank who was near impossible to get out of bed before noon (and be completely incoherent) was the same person. "And there's snow outside. It's a white Christmas. You can't tell me that this isn't awesome." He buttoned up his coat, wrapped a scarf around his neck, jammed a beanie on his head, and slipped on his gloves. "Come on, lazy, we're going out."
"No, it's cold," he said petulantly. Hank buried himself deeper into the duvet, curling into a fetal position. Alex sighs and rolls his eyes.
"Please, Hank?" The brunet could never resist when Alex begged, because he rarely did. And when he did, it meant that whatever he was asking for was important to him.
Sure enough, Hank sighs and sits up, blinking owlishly at him, eyes narrowed in displeasure. "You're a terrible boyfriend," he grumps, pouting.
He laughs and strides forward, placing a warm kiss on Hank's lips. "Don't lie. I'm awesome." Alex turns and rushes to the door, "Meet you outside!" He barely catches the grumble that escapes Hank's lips, too excited, carefree.
Snow was still lightly falling from the sky and Alex smiled, opening his hands to catch some flakes on his palms. White Christmases reminded Alex of his family; they had had a couple when he was young. The memory should make him sad, but it doesn't. Hadn't for a while. Because he eventually realized that it was better to cherish the memories from the past rather than be bitter about them. And this year was the first year since his parents died that he'd be spending a white Christmas with someone he loves. As sappy as that sounded.
"What're you thinking about?"
Alex's smile widens, turning to face Hank. He still looks a bit grumpy and rumpled, but his eyes are wide and clear. "You."
"Oh." A blush rises in his cheeks and Alex is full on grinning like an idiot. "Why?"
He steps forward and wraps his arms around Hank's waist and Hank automatically returns the embrace. "White Christmases are special to me," he says as an explanation.
Hank seems to accept the simple answer, humming softly and resting his forehead against Alex's. He pulls him closer and Alex leans up to kiss him, soft and slow. And Alex thinks that this could be the start of a wonderful new tradition.
III) Mistletoe (modern mutant AU)
There were many moments when Hank thought that he'd die of embarrassment. Like when he was forced to sing a solo in choir when he was ten, or when his mentor Charles Xavier tried to play matchmaker with him and Raven and he had to blurt that he was really not that into women, or when he had an incredibly erotic dream and woke up his roommate with the noises he had made in his sleep.
But this was the worst, he was sure of it.
Because he and Alex Summers, with whom he was secretly madly in love despite the blond's harsh teasing and rough exterior, were standing under a mistletoe, staring at each other, their friends demanding hollering them to carry out the tradition of a kiss.
He was sure that he was beet red, looking just about ready to pass out. Maybe he should then he could escape the situation. Even if fainting would give Alex more ammunition to tease him with. He wasn't sure which seemed more bearable.
"Let's get this over with, Bozo."
"What?" he squeaked. Squeaked. God, this was terrible. Worst day ever.
Before Hank could say or do anything else (his mind was still stuck in 'mortification' mode), Alex leaned in and pressed their lips together.
"Mmph!" He felt curious fingers at the nape of his neck and Alex's lips were so soft and the kiss was surprisingly gentle. Hank started to melt into the kiss, returning it and without realizing, wrapped an arm around Alex's waist, pulling the blond closer.
Ecstatic cheering and clapping shattered Hank's haze and he broke the kiss suddenly then promptly turned red again. Oh my god. "I'msosorryexcusemeI'mgonnagonowbye," be blurted, pushing Alex away unceremoniously and bolting from the room.
Seriously, worst day ever.
Hank ran out of the mansion and didn't stop until he was well into the surrounding woods. He shivered, almost regretting his sudden departure. But he'd much rather freeze out here than go back in and face everyone after . . . that.
The kiss had been so nice, too.
He groaned and leaned against one of the trees cursing his luck. Why did he have to fall hardest for the one guy who was so caustic yet kind? It wasn't fair; Alex was so damned contradictory that Hank really shouldn't even have feelings for him. Hank traced his bottom lip with his finger; they were still tingling from Alex's warmth.
"Hey."
Hank flinched at the voice, but he refused to look up. "What do you want?"
"You're gonna catch your death out here," Alex said coming closer.
"Probably for the best."
"Hank." The sound of his name startled him enough to meet the blond's gaze. "You really need to work on your self-esteem issues."
Hank snorted uncharacteristically. "You help a lot in that department," he said sarcastically.
Alex winced, "Yeah. Sorry."
He eyed him warily. "Really," he asked, deadpan.
"Really." There was a light smile on his lips. "Can't help it if I think you look adorable flushed and embarrassed and indignant."
"Yeah, well – wait what?"
Alex laughed; he was standing in front of him now and Hank could feel heat radiating off the blond's body in waves. "I like you, okay? Freaky feet and all."
"I – what?" he asked again, baffled.
Alex leaned in for a delicate kiss, a light caress against his cheek. "Oh," Hank said when Alex pulled away.
"Yeah. 'Oh'," he said, grinning. "Idiot."
Hank opened his mouth to protest, but Alex kissed him again and Hank allowed him. "You're such a jerk," he said when Alex broke away again.
"You can punish me later," he replied with a cheeky grin and jaunty wink. "Always wondered if what they said about big feet is true."
"Oh my god," Hank flushed in embarrassment.
"And I wonder if they're as dexterous as your hands. That'd be so kinky."
Hank growled and brought Alex in for a fierce kiss. He swallowed Alex's mirth but could feel the smile against his lips and it made him smile, too.
Best day ever.
IV) Fireplace (canon, post-Cuba)
The mansion felt incredibly empty with two less people wandering its halls. None of them ever mentioned it; the hurt and betrayal was still too recent. Less than two months had passed since Cuba, but they were all still struggling to come to terms with what had happened. Hank and Charles perhaps more so.
One night when Hank emerged from his lab to raid the kitchen, he comes across a study with the light on. Curious, he peeks in. It's Alex, bundled up in front of the fireplace, a mug cradled in his hands. He's staring unseeingly at the flames, a light crease on his brow. Hank backs out of the room and leaves the blond alone; he doesn't want to provoke him.
The following night, he finds Alex in the same room, in the same spot. He still doesn't bother him and retreats silently.
On the third night, Alex turns once Hank pokes his head in. Hank almost feels like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but he stamps the feeling down and meets his gaze. Surprisingly, Alex says nothing and beckons him in.
Cautious yet curious, he enters and strides forward. He is shocked to find that there's a large plate of sandwiches, some cookies, and a cup of hot cocoa with a peppermint stick next to Alex, who's already holding his own mug. Hank sits and gives Alex a questioning look, but the blond simply gives him a small smile and takes a sip of his drink. He accepts the unspoken invitation and eats, wondering vaguely what Alex was thinking.
They started to meet every night after that, neither saying much but both offering their companionship. The nights were bitterly cold, and Alex was always huddled underneath a fluffy blanket close to the fire.
After nearly two weeks of silent camaraderie, Alex shuffled closer to Hank and leaned into his side. Surprised, Hank isn't sure how to react; this is the first time anyone's really touched him since Cuba, since he became blue and furry.
The grandfather clock chimes twelve and Alex scoots closer, hand coming up to pet the fur on Hank's forearm. He shivers at the touch.
"Happy Christmas, Hank."
Was it Christmas already? He thought for a moment and realized that yes, it was indeed Christmas day. How could he have forgotten?
"Happy Christmas, Alex."
Alex sighs softly and they remain that way for hours, Alex leaning against Hank, sitting in companionable silence.
V) Kiss (modern mutant AU)
Alex's kisses are warm and gentle, and it tells Hank what Alex rarely says aloud.
You're amazing.
You're beautiful.
I love you.
And Hank thinks that he'll never get enough of them.
VI) Gift (modern mutant AU)
Raven had insisted on Secret Santa this year and Hank nearly choked when he saw whose name he pulled. Alex Summers, the boy who teases him for his feet, glasses, khakis, bowties, intellect . . . pretty much everything, really. Now he had to figure out what to get him as a present. For Christmas. If Hank were the irrational type, he may have demanded to have another name draw, but he wasn't and begrudgingly accepted his luck.
And so it was, a week before Christmas, and Hank still had no idea what to get for the blond.
But then he had an idea. If he didn't know what to buy him, then maybe he could make something instead. Something useful. So he sequestered himself in his lab, working furiously until Christmas Eve.
In the morning, everyone gathered in the main room to open presents. The gift exchange was quick and Hank barely paid attention. Afterward, he was back in his lab cleaning up the mess he made while making Alex's gift.
It was a thin cuff bracelet made of adamantium and he had implanted a microchip in it, bio-programmed to regulate Alex's pulse, blood pressure, and other vital signs. If Alex were ever in danger, the chip would automatically send a homing signal to Cerebro. He had made it look nondescript, and even programmed the chip to display the time and date on the band so Alex would be more likely to wear it if he didn't know what its other uses were.
He realized that it was a bit . . . stalker-like to have basically planted a tracker on Alex but he also figured he could eventually make something similar for the other students, too. And in spite of Alex's teasing, Hank cared.
Maybe a little too much.
But Alex didn't need to know and as long as Hank had a way to keep Alex safe, albeit surreptitiously, it was all right with him.
VII) Warmth/Cold (canon, post-Cuba)
The cold didn't bother him anymore; it was the heat that really put a damper on his mood. His fur insulated and sometimes it wasn't so bad, but when the humidity spiked, Hank felt like he was burning.
During the summer, Sean and Alex had taken to dragging Hank out of the labs to go for a swim in the outdoor (or indoor, depending on their mood) pool. In the winter, Sean, who seemed impervious to the cold, would disappear on his own while Alex would bother Hank in the labs.
Hank didn't completely understand Alex's reasoning since the labs were underground and were air conditioned to keep his samples and cultures at the proper temperature. He asked once and Alex claimed that the chill in the labs were nothing compared to the chill in the mansion proper. He also said that his mutation could only warm him so much and the labs were a more bearable temperature.
It wasn't that Alex was bad company – far from it; sometimes Hank found himself enjoying their seemingly random conversations – but it was more like he couldn't concentrate properly when Alex was around. And that could be a problem when he was mixing explosive chemicals.
One winter night, a particularly violent snowstorm swept through Westchester and blew out the electricity. He and Alex were stuck in the labs and Hank was trying not to panic. It took awhile for Hank to find a flashlight with his heightened night vision and when he did, he resigned himself to being stranded underground until the power came back.
"The doors electronically lock and unlock so we won't be getting out anytime soon," he said and he heard Alex grunt.
"Fantastic."
Hank, Alex? the Professor's voice flitted into their minds. I'm sorry, but you two will have to wait until the storm is over and the electricity is restored.
We'll be fine, I'm sure. It shouldn't be more than a day, Hank returns.
If we're lucky. You have enough food and water down there?
Yes, thankfully.
Right. Take care of each other. And the mental connection ended.
Hank gave the light to Alex and he shuffled to the other end of the lab, pulling out a blanket and some pillows; sometimes he was too tired to make his way upstairs to his room so he slept here instead. There was a cot in the corner of the room, which could barely fit two, but now that Hank grew after his transformation, he would likely just let Alex have the cot and he'd sleep on the floor. He said as much to Alex but the blond brushed his reasoning blithely aside.
"It's cold and I don't want us to freeze down here."
"You'd have the blankets, and I'll be fine – "
"Just shut up, Hank." Hank growled softly at the insult. "I don't mind sharing," Alex said in a kinder tone. "So it's fine, okay?"
Hank was still skeptical but he knew that Alex was extremely stubborn when he put his mind to it so he figured he'd save himself from headache and acquiesce.
"C'mere." Alex was already sitting on the cot and beckoned Hank closer. He awkwardly sat next to Alex and waited. Alex sighed, exasperated, and manhandled Hank and maneuvered himself around Hank to a more comfortable position. They ended up spooning and Hank was infinitely glad that it was dark and Alex couldn't see his face because he was sure that his face was dripping with embarrassment. "You're really warm," Alex said casually.
"Um." Hank had no idea how to respond to that. His hand hovered tentatively over Alex's hip, not quite touching the blond.
"It's nice," Alex mumbled.
And Hank finally relented, tucking his head closer behind Alex's and wrapping his arm around Alex's waist, pulling the blond's body into his. Alex sighed again, this time in contentment.
And Hank has to agree, this was nice and he could get used to it.
VIII) Peppermint (modern non-mutant AU)
Alex is pretty sure that Hank doesn't know how provocative he's being while eating his candy cane. His lips wrap around the stick, his cheeks hollow, his tongue darts out, and –
It's only been five minutes and Alex is so aroused it's not even funny. And Hank is completely oblivious, reading some science journal or another, sucking on that damning candy cane.
Alex stands, stalks over to his boyfriend, and plucks the journal out of Hank's hand. The brunet looks up in protest, popping the stick out of his mouth to say something. But Alex doesn't let him. His lips are on Hank's and he thinks that he quite likes the taste of Hank and peppermint.
IX) Lights (modern non-mutant AU; follows Tree/Pine)
They're decorating the Christmas tree together and Alex was actually enjoying himself. After they had purchased their tree, Hank had insisted they pick out two ornaments. He said that his parents used to buy a new ornament every year and thought it would be a good idea to start the tradition again.
And though Alex didn't have good memories of Christmas, Hank was definitely making an effort to create some.
That night, as they sat on the couch and admired the lights on the tree, Alex leaned into Hank and said, "Thank you, Hank, for the memory."
"You're welcome." He didn't see it, but Alex knew that Hank was smiling and blushing happily. Alex took Hank's hand in his and squeezed. It's going to be a good Christmas.
X) Hot Chocolate (canon, post-Cuba)
One of Alex's comfort foods is hot chocolate. When Alex wakes from a nightmare, Hank soothes him then goes to the kitchen to fetch his boyfriend a mug. But Alex also loves to drink hot chocolate when it's winter and it's snowing outside. He even drinks it when he's content. Hank is eventually able to tell Alex's mood depending on what he is (or isn't) drinking. And Hank doesn't mind. He finds it endearing, actually.
So when Hank rises on Christmas day, he slips out of bed and creeps out of the room to head downstairs and make Alex a cup of hot chocolate. The delighted expression that greets him when Alex wakes up to find a steaming mug on the bedside table is priceless.
XI) Family (modern non-mutant AU)
Neither of them had parents anymore, nor did Alex think he'd ever see his younger brother again. Until Hank told him on Thanksgiving that he had found Scott. Alex would never admit it, but he nearly fainted in shock.
It took a bit of pulling of strings on Charles' part (who Hank had turned for help in his search and to keep it a secret from Alex until he was successful in his endeavor) to allow Alex to become Scott's official guardian.
Scott came home on Christmas day and as sappy and cheesy as it may have been, Alex couldn't have been happier.
XII) Love (modern non-mutant AU)
Alex isn't the type to constantly spew words of love and devotion; Hank knows this. The blond instead does little things to show Hank his feelings.
Like when Hank stays late at the lab, he always finds dinner cooked and ready for him when he comes home.
Or when he's feeling particularly exhausted and Alex wordlessly starts to give him a massage.
Or when Hank wakes up next to him on the weekends, Alex's arm curled around his waist, nose buried in Hank's chest.
Or when Alex kisses him randomly for no real reason.
Hank loves all of the little things and when Alex does say the words 'I love you', it makes his heart swell with happiness.
On their third Christmas together, Alex completely surprises Hank and gives him a little black box. And Hank almost forgets to breathe.
Alex looks uncomfortable and there's a light flush on his cheeks. Hank opens the box and, as he thought, there's a ring nestled delicately inside. Alex seems to struggle for words. But Hank knows and he leans forward to kiss him gently.
"Yes," he says, smiling. "I love you."
Alex sighs, relieved, and smiles shyly back. "I love you, too."
He plucks the band from the box and slips it onto Hank's left ring finger. Alex then pulls out an identical box from his pocket and Hank wordlessly takes it, opens it, and likewise puts the ring on Alex. Hank stares at their joined hands for a moment and smiles.
This moment, he thinks, is perfect.
Happy Christmas everyone! It's not my fault if you get cavities. :P