And even in our sleep - Lullabylily - Prompt: And even in our sleep
Title: And even in our sleep
Author: lullabylily
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Yassen/Alex (but it’s more pre-slash if anything, sorry)
Summary: Deprived of sleep by professor Gregorovich, Alex must learn to trust the assassin in order to let history repeat itself. Note: AE/AU in that it ignores the end of Eagle Strike and Yassen’s wish for ‘retirement’ was granted by Scorpia in the form of a teaching position at Malagosto.
Word count: 1015
Author’s Note: Written for flash_rider for the 7th prompt 'and even in our sleep'. Thanks lhune and dark_kana for proofreading.
My first fic here and in the Alex Rider fandom in general. I haven't yet read all the books (still have to read the last three, but will do so soon).
Set during Scorpia. When Alex was send to Malagosto he was told his training would be trying. In the end everyone was nice to him to gain his trust. Not exactly the ‘gruelling trials’ I expected. So; this is a Malagosto where they are genuinely training Alex, not lulling him into a false sense of belonging. And a Malagosto with Yassen. Of course.
I hope you forgive me the 15 words I went over the limit. I also hope I was able to get the dynamics I intended for this story across, even in such few words.
P.S. Yassen will always look like Damian Lewis to me.
∼*∼*∼
And even in our sleep
The crack of a gunshot resounded, breaking the silence of the night. Alex Rider woke up with a start, the hollow noise echoing in his ears as his senses tingled in alarm.
‘You are dead, Mr. Rider.’
Alex tried to get up but his hand was trapped underneath a combat boot. He stared up at the proprietor of the boot. Yassen was wholly clad in black making his pale skin and red hair stand out in the moonlight. He held a small handgun. It was smoking. Feeling no unusual pain, Alex quickly worked out it hadn’t been fired at him.
‘You allowed me to sneak up on you, Rider. Again.’
He’d been on a simulation exercise for nearly three days. It was a mixture of survival, camouflage exercises, targeting, endurance trials and time management. He’d had to decide for himself where and when to sleep.
The first time he had woken up in the lake, his impulsive intake of breath resulting in his lungs being filled with water. Fighting the momentary sensation of drowning, Alex had struggled to the side coughing and wheezing.
The second time he’d woken with Yassen’s hands clamped around his throat. His eyes had rolled back before the Russian assassin, blurring in his sight, had let go of him.
‘Even in our sleep we need to be on guard. Even then our senses need to be sharp.’
But it had become clear to Alex that his senses needed sleep just as much as the rest of him. Alex had considered staying awake until the end of the exercise, but the trials were exhausting and he needed to regain his strength. He had carefully selected his next sleeping spot. Dry twigs surrounded the area. They would have snapped and cracked under the feet of potential intruders. He should have heard Yassen arrive. But he hadn’t.
‘If you cannot protect yourself and your mission while you’re asleep, you will stay awake.’
∼*∼*∼
‘Exhausted’ could not begin to describe the condition Alex was in by the time he reached the main base. Having had barely any sleep for more than sixty hours, his head was throbbing and his limbs were tense and worn. He was nothing more than a raw bundle of reflexes.
‘Go to sleep, Alex Rider.’
For a moment Alex thought he could hear concern in Yassen’s voice. Alex slumped up to his room to take a quick shower. He was asleep before he even hit the bed.
∼*∼*∼
He never knew what it was that woke him. Instantly Alex felt something was wrong. His body complained as awareness grew and the strains of the past week could be felt in every muscle and nerve. He opened his eyes and knew he wasn’t in his own room. The room was more spacious, more luxurious still. He was laying on a king size bed on top of navy blue sheets. His hands were tied together and bound to the headboard by a brown, leather belt. Suddenly wide-eyed, Alex pulled on his bound hands, to no avail. He fervently looked around to room to make sense of his predicament and spotted Yassen positioned by the window.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ Alex was surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded.
Yassen slowly approached the bed, his eyes never leaving Alex. ‘You are a hopeless case, Alex. Not only was I able to take you from your chambers, I was able to bind you and remove your clothing. All the while you didn’t as much as stir.’
Only then did Alex notice his bare state. Every muscle, strained or not, tensed. ‘That can’t be! I must have been drugged!’
Yassen’s eyes narrowed, but his lips curled into a smile. ‘You’re hardly in a position to argue.’
Alex swallowed away any retorts, manoeuvring his legs so that they covered at least a bit of his privates. It only made Yassen’s smile twist into a broad grin.
‘Fine. You’ve got me. What do you want with me?’ Alex had already decided that waking up choking or in a lake had been better alternatives to this.
‘I want you to sleep.’ Yassen stated.
Scorpia was messing with his head. It had been clear from the start that they intended to break through his resolve and depriving him from sleep had been frighteningly effective.
‘You let your guard down when you sleep, Alex. You can’t be trusted on your own. So Scorpia decided to pair you up for your first assignment. With me.’
Alex’s head reeled, his first assignment? ‘I thought you’d retired.’
‘I’ll never be retired.’ Alex noted the bitterness.
‘If we’re going to work together’, Yassen continued, ‘I need to know I have your unreserved trust. Prove this to me by lowering your defences and sleep right here and now.’
Tied and naked, Alex added in his mind. Beginning to grasp what Yassen wanted from him. The request hung heavily in the air. ‘I trust you.’
Alex instantly knew he spoke the truth. He already trusted the assassin before the Russian had commanded him to do so. He had followed him to Venice and beyond, blindly. Whether it was right or wrong, Alex had already decided Yassen was worth trusting.
He held Yassen’s gaze. After a few moments the assassin’s eyebrow rose. Alex swallowed. ‘Sweet dreams.’ He said, forcing a small smile on his lips before closing his eyes.
He discovered he was shaking. Alex had to calm himself, had to consciously divert his attention from his bound hands and the feel of Yassen’s eyes on his body. He focused instead on the fatigue, giving into it and letting go of his guardedness.
∼*∼*∼
When Alex woke again, hours later, it took him a moment to remember where he was and how he had gotten there. Sometime during the night Yassen had untied his hands. The assassin was now lying next to him. Asleep. Alex studied the sleeping form, surprised to find him looking so… peaceful. Vulnerable, Alex knew instantly. Perhaps it was a gesture to express the trust was mutual.
Or maybe Yassen was just a light sleeper.
Author: lullabylily
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairing: Yassen/Alex (but it’s more pre-slash if anything, sorry)
Summary: Deprived of sleep by professor Gregorovich, Alex must learn to trust the assassin in order to let history repeat itself. Note: AE/AU in that it ignores the end of Eagle Strike and Yassen’s wish for ‘retirement’ was granted by Scorpia in the form of a teaching position at Malagosto.
Word count: 1015
Author’s Note: Written for flash_rider for the 7th prompt 'and even in our sleep'. Thanks lhune and dark_kana for proofreading.
My first fic here and in the Alex Rider fandom in general. I haven't yet read all the books (still have to read the last three, but will do so soon).
Set during Scorpia. When Alex was send to Malagosto he was told his training would be trying. In the end everyone was nice to him to gain his trust. Not exactly the ‘gruelling trials’ I expected. So; this is a Malagosto where they are genuinely training Alex, not lulling him into a false sense of belonging. And a Malagosto with Yassen. Of course.
I hope you forgive me the 15 words I went over the limit. I also hope I was able to get the dynamics I intended for this story across, even in such few words.
P.S. Yassen will always look like Damian Lewis to me.
∼*∼*∼
And even in our sleep
The crack of a gunshot resounded, breaking the silence of the night. Alex Rider woke up with a start, the hollow noise echoing in his ears as his senses tingled in alarm.
‘You are dead, Mr. Rider.’
Alex tried to get up but his hand was trapped underneath a combat boot. He stared up at the proprietor of the boot. Yassen was wholly clad in black making his pale skin and red hair stand out in the moonlight. He held a small handgun. It was smoking. Feeling no unusual pain, Alex quickly worked out it hadn’t been fired at him.
‘You allowed me to sneak up on you, Rider. Again.’
He’d been on a simulation exercise for nearly three days. It was a mixture of survival, camouflage exercises, targeting, endurance trials and time management. He’d had to decide for himself where and when to sleep.
The first time he had woken up in the lake, his impulsive intake of breath resulting in his lungs being filled with water. Fighting the momentary sensation of drowning, Alex had struggled to the side coughing and wheezing.
The second time he’d woken with Yassen’s hands clamped around his throat. His eyes had rolled back before the Russian assassin, blurring in his sight, had let go of him.
‘Even in our sleep we need to be on guard. Even then our senses need to be sharp.’
But it had become clear to Alex that his senses needed sleep just as much as the rest of him. Alex had considered staying awake until the end of the exercise, but the trials were exhausting and he needed to regain his strength. He had carefully selected his next sleeping spot. Dry twigs surrounded the area. They would have snapped and cracked under the feet of potential intruders. He should have heard Yassen arrive. But he hadn’t.
‘If you cannot protect yourself and your mission while you’re asleep, you will stay awake.’
∼*∼*∼
‘Exhausted’ could not begin to describe the condition Alex was in by the time he reached the main base. Having had barely any sleep for more than sixty hours, his head was throbbing and his limbs were tense and worn. He was nothing more than a raw bundle of reflexes.
‘Go to sleep, Alex Rider.’
For a moment Alex thought he could hear concern in Yassen’s voice. Alex slumped up to his room to take a quick shower. He was asleep before he even hit the bed.
∼*∼*∼
He never knew what it was that woke him. Instantly Alex felt something was wrong. His body complained as awareness grew and the strains of the past week could be felt in every muscle and nerve. He opened his eyes and knew he wasn’t in his own room. The room was more spacious, more luxurious still. He was laying on a king size bed on top of navy blue sheets. His hands were tied together and bound to the headboard by a brown, leather belt. Suddenly wide-eyed, Alex pulled on his bound hands, to no avail. He fervently looked around to room to make sense of his predicament and spotted Yassen positioned by the window.
‘What is the meaning of this?’ Alex was surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded.
Yassen slowly approached the bed, his eyes never leaving Alex. ‘You are a hopeless case, Alex. Not only was I able to take you from your chambers, I was able to bind you and remove your clothing. All the while you didn’t as much as stir.’
Only then did Alex notice his bare state. Every muscle, strained or not, tensed. ‘That can’t be! I must have been drugged!’
Yassen’s eyes narrowed, but his lips curled into a smile. ‘You’re hardly in a position to argue.’
Alex swallowed away any retorts, manoeuvring his legs so that they covered at least a bit of his privates. It only made Yassen’s smile twist into a broad grin.
‘Fine. You’ve got me. What do you want with me?’ Alex had already decided that waking up choking or in a lake had been better alternatives to this.
‘I want you to sleep.’ Yassen stated.
Scorpia was messing with his head. It had been clear from the start that they intended to break through his resolve and depriving him from sleep had been frighteningly effective.
‘You let your guard down when you sleep, Alex. You can’t be trusted on your own. So Scorpia decided to pair you up for your first assignment. With me.’
Alex’s head reeled, his first assignment? ‘I thought you’d retired.’
‘I’ll never be retired.’ Alex noted the bitterness.
‘If we’re going to work together’, Yassen continued, ‘I need to know I have your unreserved trust. Prove this to me by lowering your defences and sleep right here and now.’
Tied and naked, Alex added in his mind. Beginning to grasp what Yassen wanted from him. The request hung heavily in the air. ‘I trust you.’
Alex instantly knew he spoke the truth. He already trusted the assassin before the Russian had commanded him to do so. He had followed him to Venice and beyond, blindly. Whether it was right or wrong, Alex had already decided Yassen was worth trusting.
He held Yassen’s gaze. After a few moments the assassin’s eyebrow rose. Alex swallowed. ‘Sweet dreams.’ He said, forcing a small smile on his lips before closing his eyes.
He discovered he was shaking. Alex had to calm himself, had to consciously divert his attention from his bound hands and the feel of Yassen’s eyes on his body. He focused instead on the fatigue, giving into it and letting go of his guardedness.
∼*∼*∼
When Alex woke again, hours later, it took him a moment to remember where he was and how he had gotten there. Sometime during the night Yassen had untied his hands. The assassin was now lying next to him. Asleep. Alex studied the sleeping form, surprised to find him looking so… peaceful. Vulnerable, Alex knew instantly. Perhaps it was a gesture to express the trust was mutual.
Or maybe Yassen was just a light sleeper.