Chapter Text
San Francisco, California 26 years later:
He knew that he needed to start looking, that time was of the essence, but he just couldn’t bring himself to taking up the initiative and actually doing it. He really couldn’t think of any way to get motivated without a certain someone by his side. Alex really wasn’t the type to need motivation, but ever since it had happened, he needed it more than he had first assumed.
For now though, until he was ready to take action, he’d busy himself with the seminar whose flyer had caught his eye just moments before, its main focusing claimed to be on mutations surfacing. Alex though knew plenty about that.
“Excuse me, but is this seat taken?” He looked up to see that the voice had belonged to a tall brunette girl with glasses, he shook his head and she smiled, taking the seat next to him. “It’s strange a guy like you is here alone?” Alex smiled, “It would seem so.” The girl nodded, accepting his answer, and then she spoke up again, “So your girlfriend doesn’t find this kind of thing interesting?” and Alex just had to refrain from laughing at her comment, clearly she was trying to find more out about his personal life.
“Well this ‘girlfriend’ of mine,” he made air quotes around girlfriend, “Is more of the science type, not the mutations type.” He mumbled.
“Why did you put quotes like that? You do have a girlfriend right?”
“I never actually said that no.” Alex countered, he wasn’t one to play games with people and their emotions but this was just too much fun and he couldn’t resist. Even though Alex was single, there was someone he’d like to say he had always been holding out for in a way, it was that same person that he so desperately wanted to find.
The girl smiled brightly, “So, you’re single then?” she asked, making sure that he was saying what she thought he was. But Alex just smiled, shaking his head which caused the girls brow to furrow and her smile to wan, “But, you just said-”
“That I don’t have a girlfriend.” Alex finished, looking meaningfully at the girl beside him. Hoping he wouldn’t have to spell the whole thing out for her.
“Oh! I am so sorry, I had no idea-” the girl continued, turning a beat red, as Alex smiled and said it was a simple misunderstanding the girl nodded and relaxed.
“My friend was right, all the good ones are gay.” And Alex couldn’t help but laugh along with her, he liked to think he wasn’t gay, because in truth he wasn’t. The only guy that ever made him feel anything was Henry McCoy.
They continued to talk for a short while before the seminar was to start. Alex learned the girls name was Lillian, she had just moved out of her parents’ house and was majoring in astrophysics and had been living in the city for the past four years.
After talking a bit with the girl next to him, the room grew quiet and a tall brunette guy about the same age as Alex walked into the room, writing on the board in a neat scrawl, his penmanship wasn’t the best as he wrote ‘Hank McCoy’ in a messy scrawl on the board. As the words ran through Alex’ mind he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, as he tried to calm himself. Of course failing, he couldn’t even think of anything to do or say at the moment, it was strange but he could tell that Hank looked the same as he always had, and Alex was guessing that he wasn’t going to be messing around with any chemicals that could turn him into Beast again, not that Alex cared about that. He was honestly happy to see him again, and that was all he could think about for the rest of the seminar.
After Hank said a closing speech, the other people in the room started filtering out and pretty soon it was just him and Hank. Making his way down to where his old friend stood he smiled, as he tapped him lightly on the shoulder. Turning around Hank opened his mouth, “Can I help-” but the words died on his lips as he looked at Alex, looked wasn’t exactly the best word, more like gazing into his vary being, at least that’s how it felt for Alex.
Hank tilted his head, and Alex could bet that he was rattling off the possibilities in that brilliant mind of his. As he waited for Hank to say something intelligent he noticed the slight changes in him, for one he had different glasses, more wiry and fragile looking, like his slender fingers. That used to brush the stray pieces of hair from Alex’ line of sight. Being so overtaken by emotion was almost like exposing his one true weakness and showing it off for everyone to see. Alex did like one improvement in particular, he and Hank weren’t as level as they used to be, the younger boy was just slightly shorter, so when (upon impulse) Alex had grabbed him into a tight hug, trying to break the awful silence that threatened to consume every inch of their being, Hank fit snuggly, perfectly with Alex. Every curve of Alex was met by a missing puzzle piece that was a part of Hanks anatomy.
Hank was unsure of how to respond, as if wrapping his arms around the other man would constitute something he wasn’t even sure could survive. He’d wanted this closeness long ago; before everything. But he’d been a fool to not act on it, and had died denying his feelings. Could he let it happen again? Let Alex slip away from his grasp? The movement of Alex and his hot breath on Hanks neck, made him realize if he didn’t do something soon then he would be giving him the wrong signals all over again.
Thankfully though Hank didn’t have to think too hard on that as Alex pulled back from the hug just long enough to flash Hank one of his infamous smiles and lean down for a (what Hank would describe later) breathtaking kiss.
“It took you long enough.” Hank stated as they broke away for air.
“Not too long just, you know, a lifetime.” They both couldn’t help but suppress the laughter that bubbled over.
But now I’ve found you and I’m never letting go.
Was all Alex could think as he held Hank close to him; now all they had to do was find the others, shouldn’t be too hard, right?