A/N: …Again: what, what, what am I doing? XD

They are all in the lounge room of the CIA headquarters, Moira, Charles, and Erik in Russia on some mission regarding Shaw. It's the night of the day they all left, and frankly, it's a bit boring but they find ways to entertain themselves.

"All right, I've got one: have you ever wanted to – or acted on – a curiosity to kiss someone who's the same gender as you?" Raven smirks. "Because, while we're playing the honesty game, I have to say that I have. It was in school when I was twelve. I never told Charles, though."

Sean raises his brows and grins. "That's hot. But no, not me; I like chicks to much to want to kiss a guy."

"I did it once, in high school. Everyone was drunk, and I thought it was a girl," Darwin shrugs, leaning back into the couch. "What about you, Alex?"

"Me?" the blond snorts. "What, do I look like the bi-curious or gay type?"

"A little," Angel jokes. "And if it makes you feel any better, I've had to make out with plenty of girls at the strip club by request of a paying customer. But I've always thought about it anyway, so it doesn't matter." She shrugs like Darwin had, and sends Alex a dazzling smile. "And it looks like it's no big deal, so have you, Alex?"

"What, kissed another dude?" Alex clarifies, his hands fidgeting.

Raven leans over to him and taps his knee. "Sure, or even thought about it. Have you?"

Hank is silent between all of them, glancing around.

"Come on, man, spill!" Sean encourages, laughing, slapping Alex on the back. "Surely a big, tough guy like you can say whether or not you've thought about it." He wriggles his ginger eyebrows. "Or done it…?"

Alex snorts again, looking away. "Can you believe this shit, Dr. Jeckyll? They won't give up."

"You should just answer the question," Hank murmurs. He removes his glasses and cleans them to avoid eye contact. "Before they riot."

"Why don't you go first?" Alex retorts, frowning a bit.

"Why are you hesitating so much?" Angel and Raven say at the same time, and they laugh because of it.

"What, is Big, Bad Alex too scared to admit that he likes guys, even a little bit?" Angel says in an almost baby-talk voice.

"There's no need to be scared, Alex. Just tell the truth!" Raven adds, smiling brightly. "What's the harm?"

"All right! Dammit, fine; I'll admit it: I've thought about it, okay? Plenty of times, and recently. Happy now?" Alex explodes, standing up and shaking his head at them all. He grumpily stalks over to the pinball machine and starts to play it.

"It's all right, Alex; I have, too," Hank whispers, and everyone turns to look at him. His head is bowed, and his eyes are looking over the floor and barstools in the corner opposite him.

"…Really?" Raven gasps, because she swore that Hank was into her, but maybe there's someone else he's attracted to as well? Or maybe she's been reading his shyness wrong, and he's actually…? She lets the thought drift away like a piece of wood on a river. "Who, Hank?"

Hank glances up, startled by the question, and his cheeks start to tint pink. "Uh, what –? N-no one, no one. Just, um, let it go and ask something else."

"No, I wanna know who!" Raven says eagerly, sitting up in her chair further and leaning toward him. "Is it someone we know? Maybe someone on the room?"

"God! Just drop it, won't you?" It's Alex who speaks this time, whirling around from his pinball game. He speaks softer as he adds, "He doesn't need to tell you everything. Ask something else."

Hank and Alex share a look. Angel changes the topic, but it's as if the air in the room has changed from one invisible gas to another, because it's suddenly a little suffocating. Alex swallows and looks down, back at his game. Hank stands up and excuses himself to the bathroom.

Casually, Alex wraps up a game and also leaves, and no one else seems much to notice.

They meet in the hallway, Hank being the one to speak first. "That was a close call."

"They almost found out, you idiot," Alex grumbles, bringing his body close to Hank's, but not touching. He looks up into Hank's eyes, and his face softens. "Still, I'm glad you weren't perfectly honest like you usually are. You saved my ass in there."

Hank smiles a little, adjusting his glasses. "Well, sure. I mean, I couldn't let you take the heat for what was technically my fault to begin with."

They laugh a bit breathlessly. Alex glances around, and then, with a relieved sigh at how alone and unseen they are, he turns back to the brunet and lifts himself the remaining height difference between them and presses his lips passionately to the young scientist's.

Hank doesn't hesitate to bring his hands up to drape around Alex's shoulders, and he tries not to make a squeak or other embarrassed, muffled sound when Alex's hands clamp down on his ass.

Yes, they have definitely thought about kissing someone of the same gender before. And they have most definitely acted on it, like they are doing once again in this tiny moment together.

And it's nothing serious or binding or anything; it's just… a way of relieving stress or tension.

At least, that's what they tell themselves.