Title: Hugh?

Author: Esprit

Rating: Slightly mature themes—thus far, subject to change.

Disclaimer: Hugh Jackman is a real person and is not described herein accurately!  This story holds no opinions or actions of Hugh Jackman, and has been written down without his knowledge or permission.  No profit is being made from the use of Mr. Jackman’s name or likeness.  No offense is meant to Mr. Jackman in the writing of this story.  The X-Men are the property of Marvel Comics no profit is being gained by the writing of this story.

 

 

            The book signing was a real hit and Hugh Jackman stood in the crowd, with his friend behind the author’s desk.  Jennie had been one of his first friends here in the states and she had just finished her book on the gay experience.  It was not well known that Jackman’s actual preferences resembled Jennie’s in their nature rather than their gender.  In other words, one of the reasons that Hugh liked Jennie so much and that he was here to support her was that he was gay himself.

            Her short speech was applauded and Hugh was occasionally approached by a fan and asked for his autograph.  He replied each time that he was only signing his friend’s book today and only one that was going to be signed by her as well.  An attractive looking young man approached Hugh with a bright white smile and dazzling blue eyes… and a closed book of Jennie’s.

            Their eyes locked and he stepped over to Hugh gingerly.  “Hugh… Jackman?” the young man asked tentatively.  Hugh nodded and smiled, taking in the young blonde’s features.  “I haven’t read your friend’s book yet…” he said shyly.  “Is it useful for… gays?”

            “I found it quite useful,” he said, leaning in to the young man so they could hear each other in the crowded book store.  “It is just one person’s experience, but I drew a lot of similarities in my life from what she wrote in her book.”  The smile that the blonde wore grew by inches.

            Hugh offered his own friendly smile and tried to hang toward the back of the bookstore to keep from taking any attention from Jennie.  Hugh was noticing as he kept track of those around him that the blonde’s eyes were locked onto him.  He was used to being looked at, but this was…  His eyes turned to the young man again.  “Yes?” he asked.

            The boy blushed and stepped closer to Hugh to get out of someone’s way, but it also brought them within smelling distance.  The boy smelled of a spicy sweet cologne that was intoxicating.  “I know… I know I’m just no one,” the young man said.  “But I’ve got an eye… for beauty—for charm.  You move so gracefully, all I want to do is dance at your side.  To hear you speak is like soft silk and it… caresses me,” he said the last words nervously.

            Hugh stared wide eyed at the young man who was complimenting him left and right.  He was getting downright dizzy!  “I…”  Hugh didn’t know what to say!  Here was this cute young man charming the socks off of him right where he stood.

            “I would… I would do anything, if you would go on a date with me,” the young man said.

            “I…”  The young man was endearing, and his words… they felt like they hid an interesting personality.  Smiling at that thought, he said, “I would love to, but I don’t even know your name,” he said whispering in the boy’s ear.

            “Remy,” the boy whispered back.  “Remy Le Beau.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Hugh Jackman ascended the wide set of stairs that lead to the large double doors of the mansion from his limo waiting in the turnaround.  His house was much like this, but it was in England.  Composing himself, he knocked on the door with the knocker and got a little nervous.  The house didn’t look to be lively as he would expect for a house that had folks at home.  The lights weren’t all on, though there were some.

            A moment later, the door was answered by a tall young man with long auburn hair who… was wearing sunglasses at dusk—indoors.  Hmmm.  Random brother?  Clearing his throat Hugh addressed the young man, and didn’t notice his jaw dropping open until he had finished his sentence.  “Hello, is Remy Le Beau at home?”

            “Uh…. Who’s askin’?” the boy asked in a perplexed and guarded tone.

            “Sorry, my name’s Hugh Jackman,” he said extending his hand to the man at the door.  The young man was wearing a casual pair of jeans that fit him snugly and a collared polo-knockoff shirt.  It was a little bit contrasting to his slacks and sports jacket with a dress shirt.

            “I… recognized y’,” he said shaking his hand briefly.  Stepping back inside, but leaving the door open, his host disappeared.  Hugh leaned in to watch his host lay his head rather hard against the partner door to the one that was open.  “So… why do y’ wanna see Remy?”

            “Oh.  I… have a date with him,” he said, fearing that this was in fact Remy’s boyfriend.  That would be incredibly embarrassing.  He saw the eyebrows lift on the young man and he turned his sunglass covered eyes to Hugh who was still in the doorway, half in and half out of the mansion. 

            “An’… how was dis ‘date’ arranged?” he asked.

            “I met Remy in a book store, actually,” he said with a casual smile.

            “What did dis ‘Remy’ look like?” he asked, Hugh thought a little angered.

            Hugh looked at the man, evaluating his tone before he proceeded to assume, “Surely you know Remy better than I do.”   That was, of course, assuming the young man lived there and he had the right house.

            “Oh, I do.  I jus’ need t’ make sure you know who he is.”

            Glaring at the illusive eyes, Hugh felt that he could play along with this young mans’ game.  He frowned and said to him, “He was a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, with an American accent.”  Hugh had been unable to place which one exactly, but the man in front of him sounded more French than American.  “Can I see him now?” he asked, knowing he had described the young man who’d been brave enough to ask him out.  Leaning up from the door he was supported by, the young man gestured into the parlor. 

“Please, come in an’ make y’self comfortable.  I’ll go get y’ date.”  Remy was going to offer him coffee or something, but he wouldn’t have a whole lot of time in the midst of beating Bobby black and blue for using his name to get a date with a movie star that Remy had a crush on!

He went up the steps to Bobby’s room and didn’t bother knocking.  Bobby was at his computer when Remy barged in.  “Woah!!!  What are you doing, Gambit!?” he shouted, clicking on something to cover up what was actually on his screen.

“Bobby!  Y’ not even dressed!” he shouted at Bobby’s appearance.  He was still in a t-shirt and shorts!  There was no way he could go on a date with Hugh Jackman in a Spiderman t-shirt and a pair of snowflake boxer shorts—unless he was purposefully trying to make fun of Remy and rub in his face how he could date a movie star and look horrible doing so.

“Sure, I’m dressed.  What’s the deal?”

“Your date is downstairs!”

            “My date?  He’s your date!” Bobby protested.

            “Wait… you…”  Remy swallowed in shock.  “You asked him out for me?”  Remy’s face was turning red.  If it was a mix of embarrassment and anger, or somply one of the two, Bobby didn’t know, and it didn’t matter—Bobby was going to get pounded all the same!  Red light was spilling out from behind his sunglasses.

            “Well… yeah.  I heard you drooling over him, so I went and asked him out in your name,” Bobby smiled, proud of himself.

            “Bobby!” Remy roared.  “De man tinks he has a date wid a nice, sweet, blond haired, blue eyed, young, Yankee boy!  I don’t fit dat description!”

            Bobby’s smile had been fading while Remy roared at him, but when he finished, Bobby’s face was a completely shocked frown.  “Oh my god.  What do I do?”  A movie star had never asked him out before, even if he was a guy!  “Well… I’ll just have to explain things to him,” he said getting up.

            “Dat’s right,” Remy said with folded arms as Bobby left the room.  “Hey!  You’re not goin’ down dere dressed like dat!  You at least get some friggin’ pants on,” Remy bellowed as he pulled Bobby back into his room and slammed the door shut on him.  “I’m gonna rip his troat out when dis is ov’,” Remy growled to himself marching down the hall to wait for Bobby to get some friggin’ clothes on.

            Remy hauled Bobby down stairs after he peeked from his room with… with a dress shirt and slacks on!  “Y’ really gon’ go out wid ‘im?” he asked, heartbrokenly jealous and stunned at the same time.

            “Well, if he really wants to, I guess so.  I’m going to give him the choice though.  You would go out with him if he asked, right?” Bobby confirmed.

            “Like he’d go out wid me!  He came here t’ see you!”  Fuckin’ jerk.

            “Just, ‘if,’” Bobby clarified.

            “Yes, Bobby.  I ain’ stupid.”  The man was drop dead gorgeous!  And charming!  Remy clenched his hands and went downstairs with Bobby.

            Hugh stood as Bobby came down the stairs with Remy trailing after him.  “Mr. Jackman, may I introduce Mr. Robert Drake,” Remy said gesturing toward Bobby.  Hugh’s mouth fell open a little.

            “But you’re… Remy—?”

            “I’m Remy,” Remy piped up from the side.

            “Oh….”  Getting a little embarrassed look on his face, Hugh smiled at the two of them shyly.  “I take it there was some kind of joke involved here that I’m not privy to.”

            “Well… not really,” Bobby said looking at Hugh.  “You see, Remy is just crazy about you and… all those things that I said the other day that made you want to go out with me were his words about you.”

            Hugh’s gaze went from Bobby to Remy instantly and Remy’s face was just as shocked as what he imagined his own was, only Remy was looking at Bobby… still behind those damned sunglasses.  “Well, then… what should we do?” Hugh asked.  Remy was indeed handsome, but he wasn’t the person he’d come here to see and he wasn’t dressed to go. 

            “I’ll still go with you, if you want, Mr. Jackman.  I just… I’m not gay,” Bobby said.

            “Ah,” Hugh said, understanding.  “Well… if you would still join me, I’d be happy to take you out,” he said to Bobby.  Bobby bit the inside of his lip and he could see Remy’s hands clenching hard to the side, but his face was passive.  Nodding, he stepped over to Hugh and extended his hand.

            “Sorry that I didn’t introduce myself properly last time.  My name’s Bobby Drake.”  Hugh grasped the hand and then gestured toward the doors.

            “It’s a pleasure to meet you—finally,” he said smiling and started toward the doors.  “My car is waiting outside.”  Bobby nodded and spared only a glance for Remy before he left.  He felt that he was probably going to be a dead man by the time he got back if he didn’t actually do something about this.

            “Thanks,” Bobby said and noted that Hugh also glanced at Remy as they left. Under normal circumstances, Hugh would have shook his hand or said it was nice to meet him, or some other farewell, but his face… looked like so much angry stone that he wasn’t going to try. 

 

 

            Bobby was sitting across from Hugh at his ‘star friendly’ bar sipping his drink when Hugh said, “There’s something I’ve been dying to ask you all night.”

            Tentatively smiling, Bobby asked, “Go ahead and ask.”  There wasn’t much besides sex that he was going to be able to refuse this man.  He was charming and likable; Bobby could see why he was an actor.

            “Why did you ask me out for your friend?” he asked looking at Bobby with penetrating eyes.  He couldn’t fathom the reason.

            Bobby looked at the bar for a moment, then up to Hugh’s blue eyes.  “Remy is kind of known around the house as being a charmer… and I thought that was just what he was being when he started talking about you one day.  It was the first time that he had talked about a guy that way… and he didn’t stop,” Bobby said, remembering being baffled in the recounting of the events.  “It was when he started saying things that sounded more like poetry to me than him just being a charmer that I… I looked at his journal and I found everything he’d written about you,” he admitted, kind of ashamed.

            “So you thought the solution to your friend’s pining would be to ask me out in his name?”  He smiled at the bravery and also the ridiculousness of the situation.  “What did you think would happen when I came to your door and Remy showed up answering to his own name?  He doesn’t look a thing like you,” Hugh smiled.

            “I was hoping he’d make up some shape-shifter story so he could convince you to go with him instead, but he didn’t take the bait,” he smiled shyly, running a hand through his hair.

            “Then he is a very honest man,” he said, with a note of respect in his voice.

            Bobby got quiet.  “Well… where it counts,” he finally said.  Bobby actually thought he was more practical than honest in that it would be hard to convince someone that they were a shape-shifter without being a shape-shifter.

            Hugh quirked an eyebrow and canted his head at that remark.  “Is he really a used car salesman or something?” he asked perplexed that Bobby would contradict his assumption of this Remy being honest.

            Bobby cringed and toyed with the umbrella in his drink.  “No… it’s just….”  He might as well tell him something.  “He got into trouble in his past and he was lying to me and my friends about it for a long time.  I mean, I understand why he was, but it just… affected everybody a lot, is all.”

            “I see,” Hugh said.  After a moment, Hugh asked, “So tell me—do you think I should go out with him?” he asked looking at Bobby with less appraisal and more expectancy.

            “I wouldn’t have asked you out in his name if I thought you shouldn’t.  There couldn’t be somebody who adored you more… or who deserved a date with you, at least.”

            Smiling, Hugh was reminded that a simple date didn’t hold any strings attached—such as this date, and that it was only meant to get to know others.  “In that case, I’ll have to come by another time and ask him out,” he said sipping his own drink.  Bobby smiled at him.

            “I know you’d like him,” he said confidently.

            Nodding, Hugh said, “Tell me all about him.”

 

            Bobby had been telling Hugh all about Remy and the two of them had been joking and Hugh was laughing at Bobby’s anecdotes.  “So your friend thought it was Remy who caused his shaving cream to explode?”  Bobby nodded unable to keep from laughing.  Hugh finished laughing with Bobby and then got serious for a moment.  “Bobby… I don’t usually go out with someone unless they have the courage to ask me out…. Even before I was an international star… I’ve always prized bravery.”  He had been shocked at Bobby’s approaching of him the other day because he had been off guard about it here in the states.

            “I know that Remy is too practical to have even thought about asking you out… I mean, he would have calculated the odds of him asking you out being successful and probably come up with a really ugly number.  I know that he is a brave man… but I don’t know if that’s in the relationship sense or not.”

            “He’s… brave otherwise?”

            Bobby nodded and smiled at the thought of their jobs, but didn’t know how to express that to someone who wouldn’t understand bout them being mutants…  Oh shit, Bobby thought to himself.  Hugh didn’t know they were mutants.  Bobby cringed internally.  Well, he wasn’t about to spoil this for Remy now.  Remy could go on his date with Hugh next time, and Bobby was keeping his fingers crossed that he would come back and give Remy a next time, then Remy could decide what to do about telling him about them if he trusted him enough.  Bobby just nodded again and moved the topic of conversation elsewhere.