Title: Titanic AU Ficlet
Pairing: HankAlex
Rating: PG-13 for some foul language and adult implications.
Word Count: just barely cracks 1000.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: if our boys had been passengers on the ill-fated ship, and Alex had decided to end his life as Shaw's kept boy, it might've gone something like this.
Author's Note: I wrote this two and a half months ago to commemorate the centennial of the ship's passing. Slash fic might not be the most appropriate avenue, but I can't help writing Hank and Alex in every scenario imaginable. I'm absolutely doing a more fleshed-out version of this, but I wanted to post the ficlet for now. Please excuse how out-of-character Hank is here. I was trying to make him more Jack Dawson-like.
O
Alex Summers has a charmed life.
It's what Sebastian always tells him, with that smug, condescending sneer of his. He took Alex and his brother off the streets, after all. Fed them, clothed them, provided for them better than Alex ever could doing anything decent. He even sent Scott to America, where they'd soon be joining him. One big happy family.
If a happy family can consist of a sadistic sociopath, his frigid wife, his boywhore, and the boywhore's brother.
Far as Alex is concerned, it cannot. At least, not anymore.
This is the best way to end it. If it looks like an accident, Shaw won't take it out on Scott. At worst he'll withdraw his financial aid from the boy. There are worse things in life. Alex knows that now. And anyway, Scott can probably make a better life for himself in America than he ever would've back home. It's not much, but it's enough.
If he could just let go of the damned railing...
"Nice night for a swim."
The sudden voice catches Alex so off-guard that his grip loosens. Just the slightest bit, but it's enough to get his heart racing. Even more than it was already, braced on the outside of the Titanic's stern-end railing. Chest heaving to catch his breath, he glances over his shoulder. There's a man standing not ten feet away from him. He's unreasonably tall and slim and appears much more casual than Alex would if their positions were reversed.
"Stay back!" Alex shouts.
The man holds his hands up in a gesture of compliance.
"Yeah, yeah," the man assures him. "Still as a statue, that's me."
When the stranger doesn't appear to be departing, Alex asks him, "What do you want?"
"Me?" says the brunet. He shrugs. "Nothing I don't already have, really. Got a roof over my head and food in my belly. I could stand for it to be a bit warmer, I s'pose." He eyes Alex up and down. "What is it that you want, exactly?"
So many things, Alex thinks ruefully, and snarls, "None of your fucking business."
"Oof!" the man chuckles. "Not the sort of language one normal hears on you First Class types."
"Yeah, well, don't let the tux fool you, I'm not much of a First Class type," Alex mutters. All the man does is nod, like he understands, like anyone could possibly understand. "Would you just get out of here!"
"Afraid I can't do that, friend," says the brunet.
"You're not my friend," grunts Alex.
"Oh, of course, where are my manners? Hank McCoy," he says, offering his hand. Then, realizing, he retracts it, adding, "No, right. You, uh. You hold on there. Or maybe you should just come back over to this side and we can shake properly, eh?"
"You don't want to shake my hand," Alex insists. "And you wouldn't be trying to stop me if you knew why I was standing here. Believe me."
"What makes you so sure?" asks Hank.
"What I am. What I've become. What..." Alex hesitates before realizing that there's no point in that now. It'll all be over soon. He swallows and says quietly, hardly audible over the breaking waves below, "What he made me into. The things he's made me do."
"All due respect, mister," Hank says, "but I don't think anything could be so bad that it's worth taking a dive into that thing."
"Yeah," Alex chokes out. "Shows how much you know."
"Believe what you like," Hank permits. "If you ask me, it'd be an awful shame for a fella pretty as yourself to go to waste."
The words are almost as much of a shock as the man's unexpected appearance. At least they don't make Alex lose his grip this time.
"Are you making fun of me?" Alex demands.
"Not at all," replies Hank, stowing his hands in his jacket pockets. "But I figure this'll go one of two ways: you're either gonna jump, or you're not. And if it's jump, well... It won't matter much what I say then, will it. And anyway, I've always been of the mind that you should be honest, especially when someone may be soon to depart from this world. And if you're gonna go, you should know that you're just about the most handsome man on this boat. Which is really saying something, a boat this size."
"You know, it isn't proper for one man to say things like that to another," Alex says, even though he's heard far worse from Shaw before. "Especially if he's a stranger."
"I guess I'm not really all that proper then," Hank grins. "Anyway, I'm not a stranger, I gave you my name. Still haven't gotten yours, though."
He pauses, considering the lunacy of this situation, before answering, "It's Alex."
"Alex," Hank repeats slowly, like he's testing the way it feels on his tongue. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alex."
He takes a step closer and Alex realizes all of a sudden that Hank is right at the railing. He must've been inching that whole time without Alex noticing.
"Now, do you think you might wanna come back over so we can shake hands like gentlemen?" Hank asks softly. "I promise I won't try anything funny."
"Not sure I'd mind if you did," Alex admits with a nervous laugh.
"Oh," says Hank, a bashful expression lighting up his face as he pushes his glasses back up on his nose. "Well. All the more reason then."
He offers a hand, and Alex takes it. With great caution, he climbs the railing. His legs are shaking as they settle on the wooden planks of the Titanic's deck once more. Hank is holding him by the elbows. The support isn't quite needed, but Alex doesn't see any reason to tell him this just yet.
"Like I said," Hank breathes in a sigh of relief. "Pleasure to meet you, Alex."
With a hesitant smile that's perhaps also the most genuine one he's had on his face in years, Alex responds, "Likewise."
END NOTES: Keep an eye out for the extended version of this. Also, if you like what you read, follow my Twitter and Tumblr (MisterKevo) for updates on the book I'm e-publishing later this year!