Chapter Text
“Get your ass up, Hamilton.” Alex hears these words first thing in the morning - the alarm clock on the nightstand in Hercules and Gilbert’s guestroom said 5:43 - right after being doused with ice cold water.
The man who did the dowsing was Hercules, who was prepared for Alex lunging at him in retribution for what just occurred. But instead of being attacked by his friend, the Caribbean sat up solemnly and did nothing more. His hair was drooping in the same manner his head was; pitifully and dripping wet.
Not a peep came out of his mouth while Hercules began the long-rehearsed speech about Alex needing to take better care of himself. No yelling was coming from the man on the bed when Gilbert came in as well and ranted and raved about the impact his actions were having on his wife.
The men were shocked, to say the least. Their friend was doing nothing but listening with an absent look in his eye, an occasional tear rolling down his face. This show of emotion, however moving it was, would not save him from the onslaught.
Once the tirade was over, Hercules sounded out of breath and Gilbert was angrier than he was when he started.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Alexander?” Gilbert pushed Alex’s shoulder, meeting little resistance. A restraining hand was put up by Hercules to keep Gilbert from releasing his tension in ways unproductive to the cause, sensing that once his boyfriend got started, there would be difficulty in stopping him.
Alex met the eyes of his friends tentatively as though he were a puppy just kicked, unsure whether he was allowed to do something so simple without repercussion. “I…” He seemed to be unable to form coherent words, but his mind was racing faster than it had ever done before, every negative thought polluting his brain to think himself unworthy of even the simplest act of kindness.
Hercules sensed apprehension but didn’t truly fathom its depths. “Gilly, love, go make some chai for us please.” Despite the sugary tone Herc spoke to his lover in, the Frenchman didn’t want to leave; he just stood where he was and held Hercules in a stare of defiance and stubbornness.
Hercules was not in the mood for this, nearly growling his previous statement with much less affection. “Gilbert, go make us some chai. Now.” Gilbert was stunned by the ferocity of Herc’s words, finally conceding to the demand with a slammed door behind him.
The remaining men winced at the echo of the slam briefly as it reverberated through the small room.
“Alex, talk to me. What are you needing right now?” Herc spoke softly, coaxing the baby deer his best friend had become from a state of recluse.
“I need my wife.” He spoke the words quietly at first, testing the way they felt on his tongue.
“I need my wife.” More confident now, but still unsure if the words sounded right coming from his lips.
“I need my wife.” It was firm, ebbing closer to the Alex his loved ones cherished and sometimes had to reel back into reality.
“I need my wife!” The gravity of what the words meant was now present and felt. Alex’s head finally seemed to be catching up with his heart, him springing up from the bed as if it were covered in burning coal. Scanning the room frantically, his eyes finally land on his keys.
Hercules was stunned when Alex all but climbed over him to get to the keys to his car, the shorter man sprinting out of the guest room and soon after, the house.
Soon after the front door slam echoed through the house, Gilbert came into the room, two glasses of chai tea in his hands. “What just happened?”
Hercules accepted one of the cups from his boyfriend, shrugging. “Honestly, I have no idea.”