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Feb. 15th, 2014 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kippurbirdI wrote a thing.
It's a ficlet. Not really a full out short story or anything. No real plot. I wrote a short story actually and this is a scene that happened in the story but wasn't actually mentioned. Just sort of a headcanoned thingy? The story involves Alec being Alec... as in during one of his little world hopping things where he possesses an alternate version of himself and lives their lives for a while. No particular fandom this time. I got the idea on a walk a few months ago and decided to write it up.
Anyway. Enjoy some fiction.
Absently listening to the television news, Alec slowly chopped up cucumbers for dinner in the far too sleek and modern kitchen. He didn’t really like the chrome and sharp lines of the modern style kitchen, or the rest of the penthouse really, however his alternate did. And since he was living in his alternate’s body, he did what they wanted… in this case. It would be suspicious otherwise.
The television shut off though as Nate walked over, saying, “I heard your stock jumped up again today.”
Alec glanced at him, pleased to see him out of his super hero uniform. While he had no qualms with seeing Nate in his possibly too tight super hero uniform, the man was always a little bit distant while he wore it. He was the Silver Hawk and not just Nate. But now, just wearing sweatpants and a slightly tattered t-shirt he was just Nate. Almost human, Nate.
“I noticed,” Alec said dryly. He’d announced a new project earlier today, a secret one that would revolutionize the world… once again. Of course his stock went up. Over the past five years whenever he did something like that, his stock went up.
Snorting, Nate leaned over Alec’s shoulder and ran a hand down Alec’s arm. “How was physical therapy?”
“It was fine,” Alec said, flexing his fingers absently, but not looking at them. It was almost impossible to tell that the wrist had been replaced. Both wrists really. And his knees… and a leg bone… some ribs… and then he had no idea how bad his squishy bits had been. He never asked. And then he was half blind…“Same as usual.”
“You’re getting better, right?” Nate asked, as he picked up the hand and gave it a kiss. Then he kissed the back of his neck, still holding the one hand lightly.
“Yes… of course… stop it… I can’t make dinner with you doing that.” He laughed and twisted away.
“You don’t have to make dinner…”
“Yes, I do. I’m hungry.”
“Give me that,” Nate said as he pulled away the knife. “Go work on the other stuff. I’ll chop up vegetables.”
“Fine.” Alec let him chop up the vegetables and went to grab a measuring cup. He missed it though, by an inch and instead it tumbled out of the cupboard and almost crashed onto the counter. He still wasn’t used to not being able to see out of his left eye.
Nate grabbed it before it could do so.
“Here, give it to me,” Alec said when Nate didn’t hand it over right away.
The man held the up and turned it over in his hands looking remarkably vulnerable, completely at odds to his usual self. “Maybe you should get your eye fixed. They could do that now, you know… I mean… it’s because of you they can do that…”
Sighing, Alec stared out of the kitchen and through the window. He could only see the lights of other buildings, stars not visible in the city. He’d built his fortune here in this world by stealing technology and ideas from other realities. It was easy for him to go picking through them mentally and just writing the plans down. Medical technology jumped quite a bit in the past five years because of him. They could replace broken bones now… they did replace his broken bones. They didn’t touch his eye because it wasn’t life threatening and they didn’t know how badly it was hurt at the time.
“I know. I just don’t want to.”
“Why?” Nate looked up at him and right in the eyes. Alec could see the hurt in there, the anger that he wasn’t able to protect Alec from getting beaten to a pulp by the Time Master a few days before their wedding. But Alec really didn’t like the idea of someone replacing a body part of his with something else. Perhaps it was because he spent so little time in his own body and being someone else that he’d rather stick was as many of his natural parts as he could, even if it meant being hurt.
If he had a choice he probably wouldn’t have taken the bone replacements. But he’d been unconscious when Nate got him to the hospital. Dying. His family said do whatever it takes to save him. Nate – the Silver Hawk – said do whatever it takes to save him. The doctors did whatever it took to save him. They didn’t want to end up like the Time Master did.
“I’m fine the way I am.”
“You’re half blind!”
“I’m getting used to it.”
“You’re in pain all the time!”
“But less every day.”
“You’re always having nightmares.”
“Fixing my eye isn’t going to fix that,” Alec snapped. “I haven’t changed who I am. I’m still me… injuries and all. I’m still the man I was before I got hurt. You married me. For better or for worse. This is a worse. But it will get better.”
He snatched the cup away from Nate and hunted for the olive oil. Nate went back to the chopping but then, before Alec could even finish pouring he spoke again.
“Do you ever wish you had super powers?”
Sighing, Alec put the cup and bottle down. “Having super powers might not have prevented this. Not everyone is invulnerable.”
“Well… no. But do you want some?”
“No,” Alec said without even needing to think about it. He went back to filling up the cup.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m a greedy and selfish bastard. Are you chopping up those vegetables?”
“Yes. And what does that have to do with anything.”
When he heard vegetables actually being chopped up, Alec answered. “Okay. So. Let’s say I have super powers and I do the whole super hero costume thing, all right?”
“I can imagine you in a super hero costume…”
“Focus. Let me talk. Then we can eat. And then we can sex.”
“Fine. Talk.”
Pouring the oil into the frying pan, Alec continued, “If I went around saving people and then asked them for money for saving them, people would think I was a horrible person. They’d smear me all over the media. I’d well… I wouldn’t be considered to be a very good hero, now would I? But since I’m just an ordinary human coming up with all these world saving devices, I’m an intelligent and innovative entrepreneur. People throw money at me because they want the devices and think I’m a fantastic person. Even better, since I make appropriate donations to the proper charities … which barely makes a dent in my accounts. So, I’m hailed as hero… while making ridiculous amounts of money. Which I couldn’t do if I was saving the world like you do.”
“So you think what I do is silly?”
“No, I don’t. I think what you do has its place and you to do it. And in the meantime, I’m going to be making lots of money and being here to make dinner when you come home. Which won’t happen if you don’t shut up and chop.”
It's a ficlet. Not really a full out short story or anything. No real plot. I wrote a short story actually and this is a scene that happened in the story but wasn't actually mentioned. Just sort of a headcanoned thingy? The story involves Alec being Alec... as in during one of his little world hopping things where he possesses an alternate version of himself and lives their lives for a while. No particular fandom this time. I got the idea on a walk a few months ago and decided to write it up.
Anyway. Enjoy some fiction.
Absently listening to the television news, Alec slowly chopped up cucumbers for dinner in the far too sleek and modern kitchen. He didn’t really like the chrome and sharp lines of the modern style kitchen, or the rest of the penthouse really, however his alternate did. And since he was living in his alternate’s body, he did what they wanted… in this case. It would be suspicious otherwise.
The television shut off though as Nate walked over, saying, “I heard your stock jumped up again today.”
Alec glanced at him, pleased to see him out of his super hero uniform. While he had no qualms with seeing Nate in his possibly too tight super hero uniform, the man was always a little bit distant while he wore it. He was the Silver Hawk and not just Nate. But now, just wearing sweatpants and a slightly tattered t-shirt he was just Nate. Almost human, Nate.
“I noticed,” Alec said dryly. He’d announced a new project earlier today, a secret one that would revolutionize the world… once again. Of course his stock went up. Over the past five years whenever he did something like that, his stock went up.
Snorting, Nate leaned over Alec’s shoulder and ran a hand down Alec’s arm. “How was physical therapy?”
“It was fine,” Alec said, flexing his fingers absently, but not looking at them. It was almost impossible to tell that the wrist had been replaced. Both wrists really. And his knees… and a leg bone… some ribs… and then he had no idea how bad his squishy bits had been. He never asked. And then he was half blind…“Same as usual.”
“You’re getting better, right?” Nate asked, as he picked up the hand and gave it a kiss. Then he kissed the back of his neck, still holding the one hand lightly.
“Yes… of course… stop it… I can’t make dinner with you doing that.” He laughed and twisted away.
“You don’t have to make dinner…”
“Yes, I do. I’m hungry.”
“Give me that,” Nate said as he pulled away the knife. “Go work on the other stuff. I’ll chop up vegetables.”
“Fine.” Alec let him chop up the vegetables and went to grab a measuring cup. He missed it though, by an inch and instead it tumbled out of the cupboard and almost crashed onto the counter. He still wasn’t used to not being able to see out of his left eye.
Nate grabbed it before it could do so.
“Here, give it to me,” Alec said when Nate didn’t hand it over right away.
The man held the up and turned it over in his hands looking remarkably vulnerable, completely at odds to his usual self. “Maybe you should get your eye fixed. They could do that now, you know… I mean… it’s because of you they can do that…”
Sighing, Alec stared out of the kitchen and through the window. He could only see the lights of other buildings, stars not visible in the city. He’d built his fortune here in this world by stealing technology and ideas from other realities. It was easy for him to go picking through them mentally and just writing the plans down. Medical technology jumped quite a bit in the past five years because of him. They could replace broken bones now… they did replace his broken bones. They didn’t touch his eye because it wasn’t life threatening and they didn’t know how badly it was hurt at the time.
“I know. I just don’t want to.”
“Why?” Nate looked up at him and right in the eyes. Alec could see the hurt in there, the anger that he wasn’t able to protect Alec from getting beaten to a pulp by the Time Master a few days before their wedding. But Alec really didn’t like the idea of someone replacing a body part of his with something else. Perhaps it was because he spent so little time in his own body and being someone else that he’d rather stick was as many of his natural parts as he could, even if it meant being hurt.
If he had a choice he probably wouldn’t have taken the bone replacements. But he’d been unconscious when Nate got him to the hospital. Dying. His family said do whatever it takes to save him. Nate – the Silver Hawk – said do whatever it takes to save him. The doctors did whatever it took to save him. They didn’t want to end up like the Time Master did.
“I’m fine the way I am.”
“You’re half blind!”
“I’m getting used to it.”
“You’re in pain all the time!”
“But less every day.”
“You’re always having nightmares.”
“Fixing my eye isn’t going to fix that,” Alec snapped. “I haven’t changed who I am. I’m still me… injuries and all. I’m still the man I was before I got hurt. You married me. For better or for worse. This is a worse. But it will get better.”
He snatched the cup away from Nate and hunted for the olive oil. Nate went back to the chopping but then, before Alec could even finish pouring he spoke again.
“Do you ever wish you had super powers?”
Sighing, Alec put the cup and bottle down. “Having super powers might not have prevented this. Not everyone is invulnerable.”
“Well… no. But do you want some?”
“No,” Alec said without even needing to think about it. He went back to filling up the cup.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m a greedy and selfish bastard. Are you chopping up those vegetables?”
“Yes. And what does that have to do with anything.”
When he heard vegetables actually being chopped up, Alec answered. “Okay. So. Let’s say I have super powers and I do the whole super hero costume thing, all right?”
“I can imagine you in a super hero costume…”
“Focus. Let me talk. Then we can eat. And then we can sex.”
“Fine. Talk.”
Pouring the oil into the frying pan, Alec continued, “If I went around saving people and then asked them for money for saving them, people would think I was a horrible person. They’d smear me all over the media. I’d well… I wouldn’t be considered to be a very good hero, now would I? But since I’m just an ordinary human coming up with all these world saving devices, I’m an intelligent and innovative entrepreneur. People throw money at me because they want the devices and think I’m a fantastic person. Even better, since I make appropriate donations to the proper charities … which barely makes a dent in my accounts. So, I’m hailed as hero… while making ridiculous amounts of money. Which I couldn’t do if I was saving the world like you do.”
“So you think what I do is silly?”
“No, I don’t. I think what you do has its place and you to do it. And in the meantime, I’m going to be making lots of money and being here to make dinner when you come home. Which won’t happen if you don’t shut up and chop.”
