gremlinhaus | Beauty & the Beast AU

[The woods beyond the village were cursed. That was simple, clear fact. It had been true for as far back as anyone could remember -- which was strange in and of itself, really, the way that memory seemed to blur and fuzz at the edges when one tried to concentrate too closely on it. But that strangeness did not make the curse any less real, at least as far as the villagers were concerned. Alex had been raised on the stories and the warnings, that venturing too deeply into the woods would surely end in some horrible fate.

Even now, now that he was a grown man, venturing into the forest was entirely forbidden. His mother, who incidentally happened to be the mayor of their charming little village, had emphasized just how forbidden it was. Alex was well aware.

But god he was so fucking curious. What the hell was even out there in those dark shadowy woods? What was beyond that? He needed to get out of this town someday or he'd lose his mind. Maybe that was dramatic. He had his family. His mother and step-father. His actual father. And his sister. Really, June was his entire sanity, along with Nora. But he was still restless, made even more so by a particularly aggressive suitor who Alex was trying to diplomatically dodge.

Oh there were excuses and reasons, but the day that he finally said fuck it and headed into the woods, it was because something was calling to him. He didn't know what or who. He couldn't even really put words to the feeling, only that something out there needed him. Besides, he was only going to explore a little bit. Barely out of sight of the village outskirts.

That had been the plan at least. But plans did not always come to fruition, and in remarkably short space, Alex found himself turned around. No, no that wasn't right. Turned around was not a strong enough word. He was lost. Totally fucking lost. It felt like the paths were shifting beneath his feet, steering him towards a destination that it had in mind rather than him. Then the storm swept in, drenching, pouring, punishing rain soaking through every inch of him. The wind whipped through the trees, sending branches scraping against his skin. Lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating the silhouette of a castle looming ahead, breaking through the dense forest trees.

What the fuck. Was there supposed to be a castle out here? But whatever, Alex needed shelter, and it had presented itself. So he ran the rest of the way, eventually coming to the large doors of the dark and foreboding castle, run down like it was little more than ruins. How could Alex have known that this place was the source of the curse that had spread across the land? How could Alex know that inside was a handsome prince who had paid the price for his family's pride and offense to a sorcerer, transformed and cursed himself.

And like okay, the sorcerer was probably just trying to prove a point about how terrible it was to try to make someone stay in the closet and defy their heart. The sorcerer was definitely a yaoi shipper. So, the key to breaking the curse? Of course it was true love. That was how these things worked, after all.

But Alex, drenched, bedraggled, scratched and bleeding and looking much worse for the wear, stumbled his way into the seemingly abandoned castle.]

Hello? Is anyone here? I just... kind of need a place to ride out the storm? So I don't get fried by lightning?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

internationalrelations

Oh. Oh right yeah. I guess that is more complicated than finding a sword in a lake or something.

[So Henry had to wait for some pretty princess to wander through this place? That seemed like he was being set up to fail. No one came through the woods, and this castle wasn't on any maps that Alex knew.

Alex sat back in his chair.]

Not like you really have a lot of chances to meet cute anyone in this place. I didn't even know there was a castle -- and I should have known that. I've studied all sorts of maps and geography. My mom's the mayor of the town, so like... seemed sort of important to know, right?

[He would just try to wrap his head around someone being turned into a clock. That was a hell of a curse.]

...a clock. Huh.

[A shake of his head.]

Anyway, I bet we could find you a good match. I've totally played matchmaker before. If we work on the whole grumpiness thing, you're not actually so bad. You're even a little funny. Like, very little, but it's something.

From:

lordfuckleroy

[ A pretty princess, clearly the prettiest. And then there was the whole, 'this' which internally Henry was thinking about his own very flawed visage. No, he was not aware that there were people who this was a kink for. Of course not, because it had not been the case; really it felt to Henry that he was being set up to fail intrinsically which.. invariably was not Alex's fault. ]

The castle is very picky about who it reveals itself too, the last person to go through the bounds was a merchant though upon seeing me, he fled.

[ Not really a surprise, either way. ]

I am uncertain if I should be terrified by your attempts to matchmake me.

From:

internationalrelations

[Alex grinned, wide and bright.]

Oh you definitely should be terrified, yes.

[Henry might be shaped like a beast, but Alex was, at his very core, a gremlin. So who was the real monster here exactly? (Alex. It was Alex. Henry now had a one-man gremlin infestation in his nice cursed castle.]

So... what's your type? Sweet? Shy? Demure? Not interested in asking questions about the cursed elephants in the room?

[You know, the exact opposite of Alex?]

From:

lordfuckleroy

[ Thrilling.

Henry had never once encountered a cursed gremlin of a man, but well there was a first time for everything. Though he was not going to lie, Alex was very nice to look at with that smile and those sparkling dark eyes-- like something exotic and totally unlike his own very proper and placid blondeness. ]

I thank you for guessing but no, intelligent and funny, perhaps even a bit athletic, with shared interest.

[ Which could also fit a woman in this day and age. ] Shy and demure does not appeal to me in the slightest, they seem to be reasonably scared.

From:

internationalrelations

Oh. Oh well that's actually a really good list. We can work with that.

[Alex nodded his agreement. He had the most absurd thought that those words could describe me but that wasn't a helpful notion, now was it? He tilted his head to the side.]

So... what sort of interests?

[Tell him about yourself, Henry.]

From:

lordfuckleroy

[ No, it was not helpful at all-- not to Henry who's royal gaydar did not work properly; and perhaps that had everything to do with the world he had lived in where everyone wore masks and were terrified of taking them off for fear of being discovered.. and worse-- shunned.

It could describe Alex, though perhaps not a mention of gremlin in sight.

But the gremlin would be like a barnacle. ]

Reading, horseback riding, games of skill, I suppose ah.. cuddling.

[ Oh gods, did he just say the word cuddling, he could have drowned himself in his soup bowl; the only thing preventing him was not wanting to get his face hair dirty. ]

From:

internationalrelations

...oh my god you totally said cuddling.

[Alex beamed at him. Look at this beast with a soft side. It was, well, it was cute. Endearing.]

Seriously though. Cuddling's great. I agree totally.

[He would be kind and not go any further with the teasing. For now.] You'd probably really like my sister. ...but I think she's got a thing for our best friend. And I sorta think she likes her back, so. That's out.

From:

lordfuckleroy

[ Jaw drop, did Alex just mention something same sex, and very casually at that? That was very interesting to be sure and only blew his mind a little. Time certainly had changed more than he had anticipated if that were the case.

It was uncommon for people wander blithly into his realm. ]

Ah, the cuddling is just well-- [ Henry was going to act abaolutely grumpy about this. ] Never mind that I said anything at all.

From:

internationalrelations

[Meanwhile Alex had no idea that he'd gone and blown Henry's mind at all. Sure there were people who were still assholes about the whole same sex thing, but Alex had the benefit of growing up in a family where open mindedness and support for each other was the norm. Sure his family had their issues, and Alex was not without the scars of them, but it was a good sight less dire than Henry's situation. Not that he knew that either.

He laughed again shaking his head.]

Come on, I'm not never minding anything. It's kind of cute, actually. [More than kind of.]

From:

lordfuckleroy

[ Well, it was a question of the ages as well as a matter of the difference in their ages-- and in Henry's own time frame there had been very few people who had understood which would make it different. ]

Is that normal in your time? A girl being in love with a girl?

[ This was a valid question and he tried not to let his entire breath hinge upon it. ]

From:

internationalrelations

Yeah. Well. It should be anyway. Some people get all bent out of shape about it, but they can go fuck themselves.

[So sayeth Alex. But given that this conversation was at least in part about June and Nora, Alex would quite literally fight someone who tried to make an issue of it.] Mostly it's the bitter old people who try to make some big deal out of it. But there's fewer of them everyday. People should be able to love who they want without having to hide it.

[Though this was when Alex's brain caught up with him.]

What do you mean 'in my time'?

From:

lordfuckleroy

[ Henry's own apparel was clearly a little bit archaic and outdated by quite a bit, it was the cravat and waistcoat-- both have been out of fashion perhaps well beyond what was current now. He knew very little of the world outside, remembering his own time frame and with everything caught perfectly in that little bubble.

He mentally tallies the time, the pomegranate fruits lost. How many days had he come in to brood and mope on the passage of time evidenced in the pomegranate skims laying shriveled on the ground. Intimately, he knew their number. ]

One hundred and forty years ago I would imagine? Closer to fifty.

[ Yes, that was a long time ago, it would be telling that most of the books were from ages past with no current novels. ]

From:

internationalrelations

Holy shit. You're old.

[So there was a bombshell. Henry was from forever ago. That is a hell of a curse. ...and ther were only so many pomegranates left. Oh. Oh wow. Okay Alex was starting to put all this together.

How long had Henry been alone here? With Bea, he supposed, but still.

Something in his chest squeezed painfully tight. Well, that decided at least one thing, didn't it?]

Do you think we can get a letter back to my family? I won't tell them specifics or anything, but if I'm going to be here for a while, I at least want them to know I'm okay.

From:

lordfuckleroy

Well there is no sense in having them worry over you I suppose.

[ After all he had promised to stay, at the very least maybe Henry had a friend when he died cold and unloved, with the kiss of true love denied him. At this point? That was the least that he could hope for. ] Write a letter and put it in the top right drawer in the desk in the study. Wait for five minutes, and when you open the drawer again it will be gone and taken to your family.

[ You know, magic bullshit. The type you read about in books. ]

From:

internationalrelations

Okay, great. Cool. I'll do that then.

[Magic bullshit all right but at least this was the useful kind of magic bullshit. Like the hot water magic. Also pretty brilliant, actually.]

Thank you. I don't want them freaking out or anything.

[Since yeah, he was staying. He offered a softer smile.] You really aren't so bad, you know.

From:

lordfuckleroy

[ Henry would laugh if he knew that was Alex's thoughts, for the most part he usually ignored the convenient magic to focus on the threads that bedeviled him more often than not. ]

Ah yes, it would not do to have people with pitchforks and torches coming to attempt to raze down my castle.

[ There had been some girls who had attempted to break the spell because they had been romantics and also well-versed in fairy tales BUT it had been impossible. So he had some girls crying and then a bunch of villagers going to avenge the girls thinking that he'd hurt them-- when he had not, just rejected them. ]

Ah, you don't have to let that get around.

From:

internationalrelations

Yeah, that'd kind of be a downer all around.

[Alex agreed with a serious nod. A letter every now and again would keep his mom and dad and June from burning down the forest to try to find him. Probably.

His expression brightened into a grin.]

Right yeah, wouldn't want to blow your rep. It'll be our little secret, that you're a halfway decent guy. So... you're gonna show me around the rest of the castle, right? And maybe point out the other super secret cursed things I shouldn't touch?

From:

lordfuckleroy

Please, I spent many years on this reputation.

[ Already much better than having to deal with a girl who just wanted a Prince to save; though that may work against him if he found the boy who was oblivious to the fact, and then Henry would fall in love and it would be just as unrequited. But he was doggedly not thinking about that.

Their meal was almost finished and would clean itself out by the brooms and mops that had been turned from Castle staff, though he was always sure to be very careful and not leave a mess so that they wouldn't strain themselves too much. ] Well where would you like to start in terms of a tour?

From:

internationalrelations

Of course. Wouldn't want it getting out that the scary beast is actually a book nerd and a cuddler.

[The scandal that would create. Alex stood and stretched, considering.] Huh! I don't know. I mean I found the library and the gardens and a music room last night. So... what else is good to know around here?

[Lake? Pool? Hot tub? Good view of the sunset? ...wait that last one was probably a little too romantic, and yet. Alex kind of wanted to see it.]

From:

lordfuckleroy

You have already been to the Conservatory...

[ This was said wryly and nearly deadpan. ]

There is the attic, where my family keeps everything that happens to be spare [ Except for him of course ] and then the gallery which has legions of portraits, all of people who died well before my time, all with disapproving stares.

[ He was thinking of potential places that may amuse Alex. ] There is a ballroom though everything is covered within, since there has not been a ball here in a very very long time.

From:

internationalrelations

[Alex narrowed his eyes. He was never living that down, was he? He really had not meant anything by it, Henry! How the hell was he supposed to know it was a terrible cursed action?]

Gallery of judgy relatives. Noted. Worth a look, sure.

[He perked up at the mention of a ballroom before deflating.]

Yeah, I guess there probably wouldn't be. Too bad. I've always been a sucker for a good party/

From:

lordfuckleroy

I am not sure how many people would be inclined to attend the party of a beast.

[ He said this matter-of-factly, as he was not easy on the eyes. He allowed himself a shrug though he got up from the table and then pushed the chair back underneath. ] But I will show it to you nevertheless because it is beautiful and my grandmother and grandfather spent countless of the treasury on it because they also enjoyed parties.

[ He motioned for Alex to follow him; and if Alex looked he'd see that there was indeed a very waggy tail that came from just underneath his coat tails, swaying with a seeming mind of it's own. ] The parties that my family through were perhaps overrated?

From:

internationalrelations

We need to work on your self esteem.

[Alex informed him before reaching over to pat the beast on the arm. He'd fall in line and follow along now, interested to see more of the castle. And, strangely enough, looking forward to passing the time with Henry too.]

Overrated? How's that?

[Dish, Henry. Spill that royal tea. Alex was all ears.]

From:

lordfuckleroy

Well first of all it was too stuff in the ballroom.. figuratively and literally.

[ Those of royal lineage were not known for their shimmering incandescent personalities, there was always some sort of vying or power games going on. There were marriages underneath the surface to be plotted, and heaven forbid the rumors that circulated like wildfire especially when it appeared that someone may have a one up on you. ]

The people were odious, the food even more so..

[ He flexed his hands.. errh paws, or whatever they were as a way to get some tension out. ] Bea and I would try to escape somewhere so we could talk about the terrible people we've seen.

From:

internationalrelations

...yeah not my type of party at all. I think you and Bea had the right idea. That sounds like the only way to survive that sort of event.

[Alex was aware of how society parties could be. His mother was the political head of their town, and there was no shortage of political machinations and power games there either. That was his least favorite part of it all. The making a difference, being able to help people, he liked that piece a lot.

He looked over at Henry. The more he got to know him, the more he found himself liking him, these little glimpses into who he was.]

June and I get roped into a lot of the official events that Mom gets invited to. Sometimes they're interesting, but they sure can be full of horrible arrogant, entitled assholes.