A/N This is another oneshot about Alex Summers (AKA Havok) and Sean Cassidy (AKA Banshee) sharing a tender moment, another prompt from my hurt/comfort bingo challenge on livejournal.


"Oh…hey." Alex bit his lip as he entered the kitchen. "I didn't think there would be anyone else down here." He looked at the clock, sighing as he noted that it read 2:47 AM.

"Yeah…" Sean looked up from where he was standing, slicing tomatoes for a sandwich. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope." Alex shook his head.

"Same here, it was a long day."

"No shit." Alex opened the fridge and pulled out a coke. "Saving the world is no easy task."

"Neither is losing a friend," Sean muttered in reference to Raven.

"Two," Alex added.

"Fair enough." Sean sighed, focusing on his tomato slicing. "FUCK!" He shouted a couple of seconds later.

"What's wrong?" Alex instantly walked over to him, setting down his soda as he saw blood running down Sean's hand.

"Cut myself." Sean closed his eyes, wincing. "Really fucking hurts…"

"I can imagine." Alex grabbed a paper towel and took Sean's hand, instantly applying pressure to the wound. "That's a deep cut," he mused as he wiped the blood away. "You should get that looked at."

"It'll be fine," Sean shook his head, pulling his hand away.

"Well…" Alex bit his lip. "At least let me treat it, okay?"

"Um, okay." Sean shrugged, allowing Alex to take his hand again and pull him towards the sink. The blond turned on the water and wet a cloth, washing the cut carefully. Sean bit down on his lip to avoid taking too much notice of the way Alex's hand felt on his own. It was nice, soft, not like Sean had expected it would be.

"Okay, hold this cloth to it." Alex handed the cloth over to Sean and reached under the sink for a first aid kit. He grabbed some clothes, quickly bandaging the boy's sliced up hand. "There you go." He smiled. "Almost good as new."

"Thanks." Sean returned the smile, but only fleetingly. A part of him was sad that Alex had patched the wound so quickly, as he had wanted the boy's touch longer. It was an odd sensation, really, and not one that Sean had expected. "So, uh…" he tried to shake it off as he looked at Alex. "You want a sandwich or something?"

"Sure." Alex nodded.

"What do you like?" Sean asked him, going back to the sandwich station he had set up.

"I'll just have whatever you're having." Alex shrugged.

"Um, are you sure about that?" Sean laughed briefly. "I'm having a tomato sandwich."

"Oh." Alex made a face. "In that case, ham and cheese."

"Thought so." Sean smiled as he finished his sandwich quickly and started making Alex's. When he was done, he cut the sandwich in half, put it on a plate and handed it to Alex.

"Thanks." Alex nodded.

"Least I could do after you patched up my hand," Sean muttered, his mouth full of tomatoes and white bread.

"So…" Alex laughed as he looked up at the redhead, who was standing over the counter, tomato juice dripping down his chin. "Tomato sandwiches?"

"I don't know." Sean shrugged. "Just always had a thing for them."

"You're such a weird kid." Alex rolled his eyes, taking a bite of his own sandwich. "A weird kid who makes great sandwiches, but a weird kid all the same."

"Thanks. I think…" Sean stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and proceeded to wipe his hands and chin, tossing the paper tower.

"Oh, hey." Alex stood up. "You missed some, there's a tomato seed on your cheek."

"Oh." Sean swatted at his cheek. "Did I get it?"

"No." Alex shook his head, and Sean tried again.

"This time?" He questioned, only to be met with Alex shaking his head once again.

"Here, just let me get it." Alex reached out, brushing the seed from Sean's cheek, sending a shiver up the redhead's spine. "You okay?" Alex asked, noticing the shudder.

"Y-yeah." Sean gulped. "Just fine."

"You don't look fine…you're pale as a ghost."

"Curse of being a ginger," Sean stated, the words leaving his mouth far too quickly.

"I mean, paler than normal, paler than you were a minute ago," Alex observed.

"Oh." Sean shrugged. "I don't know why."

"I think I might." Alex reached out, putting his palm on Sean's cheek, sending another shiver up Sean's spine. "Knew it," Alex whispered.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Sean asked as Alex moved a little closer, his hand still on Sean's cheek.

"Shh." Alex used his free hand to take Sean's injured one, lifting it to his lips and kissing the injury. "It's okay." He didn't let go of Sean's hand as he stepped forward, placing one, soft kiss to the corner of Sean's mouth, lingering there for only a second before stepping backwards. Sean just stood there in shock, his face becoming even whiter, if possible. "I'm sorry." Alex dropped the boy's hand. "That was…too forward."

"Yeah," Sean nodded. "It was."

"I'm sorry," Alex repeated, "I thought you…I mean-"

"I did," Sean interrupted. "I do, I was just surprised, that's all."

"Oh." Alex smiled, cheeks flushing slightly.

"Um, look, have dinner with me tomorrow night?" Sean asked, looking at the floor instead of Alex.

"Of course." Alex nodded. "As long as it's not tomato sandwiches, that is."

"It won't be."