Etwas Peilen (Swapboys AU)
Continuation of Welcome to the Show exploring Alt and Hennyās relationship!
Masterpost | More Swapboys
Before the new friends parted ways, the good doctor Jackson rounded them all up to get their scratches and wounds tended to. Bro and Jackie were already helped, with Bro giving a detailed report to the police and Jackie icing his aching nose.
Dr. J had Alt up on the bar stools with him, lightly dabbing antiseptic on the cuts on his cheek. Alt hissed and was trying not to glitch away as Jameson held him still.
Henrik watched anxiously, wringing his fingers back and forth. Heā¦ canāt believe Magnificent justā¦ let them go. Guess they proved themselves? Maybeā¦ but- Henrik was scared the puppetmaster was only biding his time. And until nowā¦ he had no one who he could confide in.
Untilā¦ Alt.
As the good doctor started to gather his supplies and finished up with Alt, popping a clean white bandage on his cheek- Henrik hesitated before slowly approaching. The normally charismatic actor felt nerves in his throat but he tapped the glitch on the shoulder.
Alt looked back and raised an eyebrow at him, āSchneep? Uhā¦ wassup?ā
Henrik tapped his legs as he tried to find his voice, āT-Today wasā¦ long day. But- weā¦ we have found ourselves in a uhā¦ similar position, yes? And so Iā¦ I was wanting to invite you to make the drinkings with me?ā
Altās eyebrows furrow in slight concern, āAre you suggesting alcohol to wash our troubles away? Cuz I donāt think the doc would approve of that-ā He glanced back towards Jameson as he went to join the others.
The gentleman laughs and shakes his head, āNo no! Not in that wayā¦ I- just think it would be nice toā¦ get to know each other better? Since wellā¦ you know.ā Henrik messes with the back of his head anxiously, trying to give an award winning smile to Alt.
The younger man stared at Henrik with an unreadable expression for a couple beats. Then, he sighs and stuffs his hands in his pockets, going to pull his mask up out of habit but stopping himself to look back at the actor.
āā¦I should warn you Iām not an open person soā¦ I dunno how much getting to know each other theyāll beā¦ but, sure. Tomorrow nightā¦ meet me at Insomnia.ā
Henrik tilts his head slightly, āNot tonight?ā
Alt laughs, though, it looks kinda pained. āNah Iā¦ I got a gig tonight.ā He laughs some more and pushes his bangs back then tugs on them, āgodā¦ I have a gigā¦ Iā¦ I should get ready for thatā¦ā
Henrik frowns in sympathy and hesitates before putting a hand on Altās shoulder. āPleaseā¦ do not push yourself too hard my friendā¦ and youā¦ you are injuredā¦ā
Alt blinks in surprise at the gesture and then glitches back to his feet, looking at the actor warily. Henrik blinks and holds up a hand and Alt attempts to give a forced smile. āI-I would cancel butā¦ I need money for drinks now.ā
Henrik steps back and wildly waves his hands, half signing out of habit. āNo no! You will not pay! It will be on me!ā
The glitch seems surprised by this too. But, now he smiles more genuinely. āWellā¦ all the more motivation then, huh?ā
He lightly hits Henrik on the shoulder as he starts to walk away, turning so the gentleman can still read his lips. āā¦see you tomorrow then, Schneep. You know how to reach me.ā
He then pauses and fully turns back towards Henrik, something dawning on his face. āWaitā¦ you Do know how to text right? U-Use a phone?ā
Henrik laughs and nods, āJa I know the telefon! Iām not as fresh from the past as you think, my friend. I have learned very much!ā
āOhā¦ okay- good thenā¦ā Alt nods then sends a two finger salute Henrikās way, glitching away into that night. āSee ya.ā
Turns out Henrik did know how to text butā¦ notā¦ well-
Around 7 pm the next day Altās phone buzzed with:
Schneep
šŗšāļøāāā
Alt
ā¦Yeah man- howās 9 sound?
Schneep
šš„°āļøāļøāļø
Alt
U kno u donāt have to use only emojis to text right?
Schneep
š
Welp- guess that answered that. (Asking Jackie about it- apparently after Dr. J helped Henrik get his phone, the teal gentleman accidently got stuck in the emoji menu for a couple days and now is like- addicted to them. Alt wasnt sure if that was better or worse than old man texting-)
A little after 9, Alt glitched in front of the small pub downtown called Insomnia. He liked it here- good place for a drink after some of his shows.
He walks in, nodding towards the bartender that recognized his mask. Then, it was surprisingly easy to find Schneep- cuz he barreled right towards Alt with his arms open.
āHallo, Alt!! My friend!!ā He shouted.
Alt quickly stumbled back, his shoulders buzzing as he tried to keep out of Henrikās grip. He hurried to take off his mask and hold up his hands. āUh- hi Schneep- sorry just- not good withā¦ contact-ā
Henrik tilted his head in confusion but then got the memo and nodded, a bright smile back on his face. āOh yes! Not to worry- I will save huggings for later!ā
āYā¦yeah- sure-ā Alt muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. Damn- this guy was too sweet. It was kinda intimidatingā¦
A furry head peaked out from Henrikās leg and Alt recognized Schneepās dog, Sahne. He felt himself bristle a bit like an offended cat. But, she just blinked at him, her tail slightly wagging. She had her vest on- guess she was working. So, Alt tried his best to ignore her.
Henrik led them towards a quieter part of the bar where he had already set himself up with a small book. Though, once Alt got closer he recognized it as something more than just a paperback novel- it was a small moleskin sketchbook. Henrik plopped into the seat and Alt hesitated before sitting down and gesturing towards the book.
āYouā¦ draw?ā
The gentlemanās eyes sparkled as he eagerly nodded. āOh yes! I quite like making art in my spare time! Normally, I like to paintā¦ but when I wait for friends I like to draw portraits!ā
He shows Alt his sketches- quick gestures of other patrons- mostly anyone with a very striking appearance. Henrik smiles as he looks at them. āI thinkā¦ learning people is helping me to understand more and more about how people work now. Sometimes- it helps it feel not too different.ā He pats Sahneās head as she sits down next to him. She licks his fingers then settles down to rest under his barstool.
Alt listens and nods to his words. He then flushes and fumbles for his backpack. They were trying to get to know each other andā¦ well- this was something most people donāt know about him. But, artists liked showing off to other artists. It couldnāt hurtā¦ He pulls out a thin tablet and then turns on the screen, flipping to show it to Henrik. On the screen are designs heās done for his illusions and shows- and concepts of graffiti tags, most featuring a green eyeball with red xās and a stitched smiley face over its iris. Altās face turns very red as he stammers out, āI uhā¦ I draw too. And, umā¦ i also like- painting butā¦ not in the way you do.ā
The German actor looks beyond pleased, sparkles practically coming off his body as he grabs Altās hands and holds them close. Alt yelps and pulls himself away and Henrik apologizes quickly, āOh yes sorry! But Alt! You are good! Such fun colors!! I wondered if it was bright paint on your clothes! Someday you must show me more of your work!ā
The glitch turns even more red and hides a bit in his hoodie, āUmā¦ yeah- if I canā¦ find one thatās uh- in a good spotā¦ I can show you.ā
Alt had been trying to find more free spaces lately but- doesnāt mean he doesnāt still tag where heās not supposed to. Not that anyone could catch him- he had quite the streak for heaven spots around the area. Couldnāt take Henrik to see those though- well, at least up close.
Alt flagged down the bartender and ordered some Irish whiskey, watching as Henrik got what looked like his 3rd pint of beer. He smirked and sipped at the drink, taking a second to appreciate it before he sighs and looks back at Henrik.
āAlright, you had something on your mind, right? Or were you serious about getting to āknow meā?ā Alt added the air quotes to make sure his sarcasm wasnāt lost on Schneep.
Henrik blinked and then played with the pages of his sketchbook. āOh ahā¦ I do- want to get to know youā¦ I think you seem- wellā¦ very rough around edges- butā¦ sympathetic too. I think I would very much like to be friends.ā He tried to smile at Alt. But, then he sighs and takes a sip of his drink before continuing.
āBut- if you want to skip pleasantries then- we can talk about the elephant in the air-ā
ā...do you mean āelephant in the roomā?ā
Henrik flushed and then laughed, āOh is that how that is called? Butā¦ ja- letās talk about this elephant.ā
He then gets quiet and looks down, tracing the lines in the table.
ā...Magnificent-ā He eventually whispers, suppressing a shudder. āIā¦ I could not help but noticeā¦ that he treated you and meā¦ very different from each other.ā
He looks to meet Altās eyes now, āI do not know how it works for youā¦ maybe it is differentā¦ but when I am ah- puppetā¦ I see it all. I remember. Not right away butā¦ it comes to me in my dreamsā¦ā He grips one of his hands into a fist and closes his eyes as he takes a shaky breath. Sahne seems to sense his distress and reaches up to rest her head on his leg. He continues, āI cannot control what my body does. I cannot form my own thoughts- but I stillā¦ see it. I am forced to take in what awful things I am made to doā¦ā
Henrik hesitates again before meeting Altās gaze. āin the warehouse, when he gave you his powerā¦ did you mean it? That you wanted all that orā¦ was that his ah- thinking forced in you?ā
Alt frowns. Wow- that wasā¦ immediately very deep. He takes a long sip of his whiskey before he responds, but his voice is quiet. He almost forgets he needs to turn enough for Henrik to read his lips.
āIā¦ I was definitely influenced butā¦ I guess. I do.. kinda want that?ā He grips at his head slightly, āItāsā¦ complicatedā¦ and goes wayyy into my backstory that Iām not sure youāre at a level to unlock yet.ā
Henrik looks confused.
Alt shakes his head.
āSorry video game joke uh- im not sure weāreā¦ close enough yetā¦ to explain whyā¦ but-ā
āThen, can I share some of me?ā
The glitch blinks at the actor. āHuh?ā
āIf you know me better then- we would be closer. And you can explain better, ja?ā Henrik smiles.
Alt looks confused by this but eventually laughs and knocks back some more of his drink. āAlright, shoot.ā
Henrik hums and looks up, āOhā¦ where to beginā¦?ā
āOh!ā He grins at Alt, āI know is hard to believe because of my accent but- did you know I am not full German? Actually, I am a full British citizen!ā
Altās eyebrows shot up, ā...that is hard to believe.ā
The gentleman laughs lightly, āI know my accent is everywhere- but I spent many of my early years only speaking German- and sometimes French!ā He gets a dreamy look on his face, āMy father was a British doctor- he learned in France where he met my mother. She was full German but was trying to study with some artists there. They metā¦ fell in love and then moved to London and had their 5 kids.ā
ā5 kids?!ā
āYes! I was the baby!ā Henrik added with glee. āI had 4 older siblings- two brothers, Peter and Fritzā¦ and my sisters, Gabi and Ilse.ā He smiles sadly for a second and pauses to take another drink before sharing more.
āFather used to say when he grew up he hated German because he was expected to learn it. But then, he met my mother and it was suddenly the most beautiful language to him. We loved speaking it- even while in England. I wouldnāt even see Germany until I was grown.ā
He then frowns and leans more on the table, absent-mindedly petting Sahneās fur back. ā... that changed with the war. The great warā¦ Then, our accents and our language was suddenly not to be spoken. People would get angry with us for sounding too German. We made sure to hide our German sounding namesā¦ Father was on the lines, as were my brothers.
Soā¦ they wereā¦ somewhat safe when the Zeppelins came. Safer than we wereā¦ā
Altās heart and stomach dropped.
āNo one was preparedā¦ we were out shopping andā¦ and-ā Henrk clenched his glass tight with both hands, his fingers shaking. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a stuttering breath. Sahne whined and leaned more on his leg. Alt didnāt know what to say-
ā... Mama, Ilse and Gabi didnāt have to suffer. But, I never saw them again-ā
ā...Schneep-ā Alt tried to interrupt. But, Henrik was lost in his re-telling.
āThatās how my deafness started, I wasā¦ 11, I think? Peter found me, he was working in a hospital nearby. He took care of me. Some kind soldiers taught me sign while I recovered- then... Then father was-ā
āSchneep!ā Alt exclaimed and gripped onto Henrikās shoulder. The gentleman looked up with slightly misty eyes. Alt was quick to pull away but he held up his hands. āDudeā¦ youā¦ you more than earned your level- Iā¦ I can answer your question nowā¦ if you want.ā
Henrik blinks and then laughs, looking a bit embarrassed as he rubbed at his eyes. āO-oh jaā¦ I forgot that was the pointā¦ we are not here to hear such sad story!ā He tried to smile it off but Alt could tell it was forced.
Alt swallowed and then knocked down the rest of his drink, the alcohol burning his throat. He quickly ordered another one, shaking himself out. āNeed a bit more liquid courage for thisā¦ā He muttered.
Once the new drink is gotten, Alt holds it in his hands for a second before sighing and turning enough for Henrik to understand but not enough to look in his eyes. Pixels vibrate around his head and shoulders in a way thatās hard to see in the dim light of the pub.
āā¦ I dunno if you met anyone like me in your time. And not just.. cuz of the glitches and magic butā¦ I wasā¦ bornā¦ wrong.ā He clenched his teeth slightly and tried to ignore the feeling that was screaming at him- telling him that every eye was on him. āā¦And I grew upā¦ constantly thinking about itā¦ how I wanted to be somethingā¦ better. Strongerā¦ because I didnāt feel like I wasā¦ as I am.ā
He traces the rim of his cup in thought. Henrik watched him very patiently. Alt felt like that was more than he deserved.
āI know Mag was spitting fucking bullshit- butā¦ some part of meā¦ wants to believe him. And Iām not sure if thatās his mind tricks orā¦ the part of me that wants to beā¦ something more. I.. I want to be strongerā¦ but I donāt know how to get thereā¦ and for just a little bitā¦ I did believe him. That he couldā¦ make me stronger. Andā¦ things would getā¦ easier.ā
He leans his head on the table, starting to feel the alcohol in his cheeks. Schneep leans closer to make sure he can still understand. Alt angles his head a bit better as he mumbles in defeat.
āIām sorryā¦ I know you want to find some good in me butā¦ my life has royally sucked. Andā¦ sometimes what Mag purrs out soundsā¦ argh!ā
He suddenly grips at his head, a headache blooming alongside his conflicted mind. Purple seems to spark weakly in his eyes.
āI dunno! Iām confused! Iā¦ I can still hear his stupid smug voice in my headā¦! I donāt know what I wantā¦! I just- I justā¦ Iām so fucking tiredā¦! Of all of this-! Iām tired of being hungry and- and- powerless and a-scaredā¦ I donāt want to feel so lost anymoreā¦!ā
He starts to cry but hides his face and he hiccups āI want all of this to stopā¦!ā
Henrik almost misses the last part but- his eyebrows crinkle with sympathy. Alt starts to come back to himself and then shoots up, looking at Henrik with wide eyes and red ears.
āFuck I- I didnātā¦ I didnāt want to-ā
The gentleman hesitates, going to reach out like he wants to touch Altās hand, but then stops to just loop his pinky around Altās own. Alt almost pulls away but- thatāsā¦ thatās not so bad.
āI understand,ā He says softly, āHe whispers siren songs- into your head. Butā¦ he will only tell you things you want to hear. He does not careā¦ he only wants control. His promises areā¦ empty.ā
He sighs and looks down, shrugging. āThat is how he got me. He used my confusion and promised to help meā¦ he did not. He is nothing but ein lĆ¼gnerischer Bastard.ā
Alt looks away but- heās afraid to tell Henrik how little he cared. Before, he met the others. Before he even thought he could become friends with themā¦ with anyone. He didnāt care who he hurt- if he got hurt. Because- heād finally be somewhere betterā¦. Someone better. ā¦.right?
Henrik lets go of Altās pinky and then waves a hand, giving a nervous smile.
āThis is getting too of the serious! We shouldā¦ talk about other things!ā
Alt looked down at the table and sighs. ā Iā¦ I thinkā¦ I need to go homeā¦ā
āNo!ā Henrik suddenly yells, startling the glitch and Sahne, who bumped her head on his leg. The actor then pleads to Alt. āWe do not need to talk anymore if that is what you want! We can justā¦ do the hangings out! We couldā¦ draw together and drink! No more serious talk!ā
This gives Alt pause. Actuallyā¦ that sounded like it could be fun. The pickpocket slowly smiled, bringing back his tablet. āYou know what Schneepā¦ Iāll bite. But itās on your wallet-ā
Schneep beamed brightly.
The two spent a while just drawing together. Alt tried to copy Henrikās idea of drawing others around him. But- he wasnāt nearly as good as Schneep. So, he went back to what he knew- he even tried making bubble tags of the others' names. Just for fun. It was nice to just- doodle for a change.
He glanced at Schneep who had paused in his drawing to stare at someone across the way. He had a somewhat lovestruck look on his face.
Alt tried to follow his gaze- and saw what looked like a man- but honestly their gender was pretty ambiguous. They had tan copper skin and wavy brown hair. They were dressed in shiny silks with celestial patterns on them- even Alt had to admit they were very pretty. Maybe they were a model.
Henrik seemed to think so too- cuz as Alt looked at Henrikās sketchbook- the whole page was filled with studies of that one person.
The glitch smirked and then bumped Henrik enough to get his attention. āLike something you see?ā
āHm? Oh! Jaā¦ very much-ā Henrik sighed as he looked back. āHe isā¦ so pretty- I cannot stop lookingā¦ā
Alt rolled his eyes and waved a hand in front of his face. āCareful- you donāt want to creep them out-ā
Then Alt frowns, realizing something.
āWaitā¦ Schneep- are youā¦ gay?ā Alt makes a face and thinks, āwasnāt that like- a sin back then or something?ā
Henrikās face turns bright red with embarrassment and alarm. He holds his cheeks and ducks down, whispering, āah yes right I- I cannot think such things!ā
Alt wasnāt expecting such a response- so he hurries to correct him āno no itās okay! itāsā¦ not like it was anymore. Itās okay now- no laws against it!ā Alt hurried to look around then gestures vaguely at a cluster of gay couples on another side of the pub. āLike see thereās a couple guys over there too- youāre fineā¦ā
The actor seems to calm slightly at this and nods. Alt hesitates before adding, āI just- didnāt expect someone from your time to even be into thatā¦ā
Henrik laughs āWell it was- against the law. Very strictly for a longtimeā¦ but it does not mean the thoughts are not there.ā He looks back to study the pretty person again as he swirls his drink in his glass. āThoughā¦ I think I like just- pretty people in general. I do not care what sex they are, you know?ā
āWell- if it helps, I think theyāre non-binary- from what I can tell at least.ā Alt shrugs.
āAh yesā¦ that is- neither girl nor boyā¦ yes?ā
āIt getsā¦ complicated but- yeah basically.ā Alt answers. He makes a face and takes a long sip of his drink. āGender is weird.ā
He then starts to think about this too. Maybe he was having too much to drink by now but- he finds himself muttering. āI get itā¦ the pretty people thing. I- think Iām the sameā¦? Thoughā¦ I dunno- I donātā¦ crush on anyone. But I think if I knew someone for long enoughā¦ maybe-ā Alt sighs dramatically and falls back against the table, squishing his cheek against it. āfeelings are weird tooā¦ā
Henrik smiles and shakes his head with a laugh, āThey are indeedā¦ā
āFucking hate them-ā the glitch muttered. Henrik shakes his head with a quiet giggle.
āYou know- I had many chances to visit Berlin once I started acting. And it was such a sightā¦! It wasā¦ more okay there- to be queer. Even here in Brighton, it was becoming better and better! It made me feelā¦ so happy. Like I could be understood- eventually.ā
He looks to Alt and smiles, āEven when I was youngerā¦ I think I heard of people like you, Alt.ā Altās eyebrows raised in surprise.
He grips his glass and looks down at the table. āHoweverā¦It all started to changeā¦ right before I- I was broughtā¦ā He pressed his lips together and suppressed a shudder.
Altās face creases in sympathy. He knocks back the rest of his drink then adds quietly. āā¦you dodged something really awful, Schneepā¦ā
āI knowā¦ā Henrikās voice cracks. āā¦I amā¦ grateful in some waysā¦ that I did not have to suffer another warā¦ butā¦ā He bites his lip to keep from crying.
Alt can tell thereās a lot left unsaid in the silence but he can read it well enough. No need to draw out this pain for the poor guy. Altās been pretty sensitive to touch tonight but- he leans his shoulder against Hen and flags down the bartender for another round. āā¦itās okay, Schneep. I get itā¦ letās talk about something else, alright?ā
Henrik quietly nods.
Thereās quiet for a second before Alt asks, āuhā¦ I donāt know- a lot of sign yetā¦ wanna try to teach me? Something simple though.ā
Schneepās face instantly lights up with excitement and nods. āOh yes!! I have the perfect thing!!ā
Turns out- in sign, you can either finger spell a name or whoeverās signing can make up a sign thatās faster for someone they know. So, Henrik made quick work of teaching Alt the signs he used for their little group.
Bro Fantastic was the letter B then the sign for hero. Jackie was J then the sign for tired. Dr. J was easy- it was two Jās then the sign for doctor, naturally. And Sahne was cream, dog. Because Sahne in German meant Cream. Not the most creative name but- Alt had to admit it suited her.
Eventually Henrik starts to sign something that starts with A- then he makes a jagged motion in the air. Alt tilts his head.
āWhatās that one?ā
āItās you! A- then lightning! Alt!ā Henrik adds cheerily.
Alt feels his face heat up slightly. He then grins and laughs, āheh- awesome. Got any others?ā
Henrik thinks- and Alt can see his cheeks getting flushed and warm like he feels on his own. So everything was a bit harder to slug through- but it was definitely more fun.
Finally, Henrik laughs and then starts a sign that looks like heās drawing whiskers on his face. Then he taps his hand on his forehead, holding it straight up and touching the thumb to his skin.
Alt narrows his eyes. āMmmm whatās that mean-ā
Henrik grins real wide as he shows again, this time explaining. āCat, bitch!ā
The glitchās eyes widen and then he barks out a laughs nearly spilling his drink. āMagnificent!ā
āYes! You got it!ā
They both erupt into drunken laughter and giggles, falling over on each other.
The night wears on for a bit longer before the two admit theyāve had enough to drink. Alt feels it a bit more than his German counterpart and ends up stumbling into him as he attempts to stand up, nearly running into Sahne.
āOopsā¦ sārry pubby-ā Alt mumbles. Sahne wags her tail vigorously in response.
Henrik laughs then asks, āCan I help you outside, or?ā
Alt grumbles and waves his hand. āYeh ye- do whāevār ya wantā¦ā He then pushes his face somewhat against Henrikās side and the taller man quietly giggles at the sight.
Henrik leads the two outside and then tries to flag down a cab. He helps hold Alt up with one arm, while Sahne guards his other side, alerting him to any sounds he needs to watch out for.
He feels Alt shift and looks down to see the tired glitch try to find his eyes.
āā¦hen?ā Alt slurs out.
It takes a second for Henrik to process that but his eyebrows shoot up. Alt hasnāt attempted to use his first name yet- it still wasnāt it fully, but it was close enough to make Henrikās chest feel light.
The glitch looks away at first but then looks back to mumble out, āā¦it was nice. To not drinkā¦ alone.ā
Henrik smiles and nods, āā¦I thought so too! It was very funny! ā¦Perhaps we canā¦ do it again sometime?ā
Alt canāt help but feel himself smile. āā¦yeahā¦ I think Iād like thatā¦ā
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