Declassified file for captainjulieif

[spyfestadmin]

Author: xxxwicked
Recipient: captainjulieif/St. Danger
Title: The Life and Times of One Alex Rider As Told by a Teenage Fangirl
Characters/Pairing(s): Alex, K-Unit, Eagle/Snake
Summary: Well, for Alex it was just like any other, typical weekend with the K-Unit. Just like your everyday teenager, Alex gets his daily dose of new discoveries and awkward moments. The day Alex finds out about Eagle and Snake’s relationship in a most unconventional and inconvenient way.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: All Alex Rider characters herein are the property of Anthony Horowitz and the Penguin Group. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning(s): Language, Slash
Word Count: ~10,500
Author’s Notes: Yes, I realize that the title is random. Anyway, the request was to keep the pairing a side-thing. It’s just at the start... and no Yassen here, sorry :( This is way post-C.T. Alex is at least 16. Also, writing this made me realize I have zero sense of humor. I’ll admit I struggled in some parts… As for the very first scene, you can make your own assumptions as to what happened. All loopholes herein noted should be kindly ignored. :) Also, I have never been to London. I have never even stepped foot on English soil, so excuse any geographical errors.


The Life and Times of One Alex Rider As Told by a Teenage Fangirl:

"Carnal Embrace"

All motor capacity stopped.

Muscles seized.

Arms jerked.

Cookies flew.

The tray clattered.

Eyes rolled to the back of the head.

Just because you’re a spy does not mean that you are not entirely susceptible to certain situations and scenes. Even sixteen year old teenage spies had limits, best in the world or not. When a person is in a residential setting there are some things that you would just not expect. You are so comfortable in your home that when some situations occur you are caught totally off guard, and all conscious thought escapes you. Aside from conscious thought escaping, in this particular adolescent’s case, consciousness, in general, escaped.

"MEDIC!"

"Eagle! I’m right beside you!"

Snake was onto Alex in an instant, kneeling in all his half-naked glory. All modesty was thrown out the window and crushed as Alex’s health was always first priority. He raised the boy’s legs, placing them on top of Eagle’s bare thighs and checked for a pulse, then if he was breathing. Next were any open wounds, lacerations, scrapes, then onto broken bones and whatnot. Maybe they were over reacting, but better be safe than sorry.

"Fox is going to ki-i-i-ill u-u-us." Eagle said in his sing-song voice, stretching out his last two words.

And speak of the devil, Satan came bearing his pet with him. Being such a smart boy, Eagle equated the present situation in his head:

(Unconscious Alex) + (Angry Wolf) + (Overprotective Fox) = (fried Snake) x (grilled Eagle). To put it simply, the two men wearing the least articles of clothing were dead.

Fox opened his mouth to ask about Eagle’s comment when he saw his charge lying on the floor, cookies all around and an empty tray beside his body.

"Don’t worry, he’s fine." Trust Snake to act so chill about it. He said it like it happens every day.

Fox’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Pardon? Didn’t quite catch that." Fox’s expression dared Snake or Eagle to repeat what was said.

"Er, well, you see…" Snake tried to spit out an excuse, but was obviously failing at it. Eagle tried to save face - tried being the operative word.

"In a spontaneous rush of libido, Snake and I decided to engage in activities inappropriate for ages seventeen and below. In fact, most would say that even some certain mature audiences would be appalled with what two male partners might be doing, as the Church condemns this behavior. As I recall, some identify such sinful acts as sodomy."

Eagle squinted behind the smaller man, and he could almost see Wolf’s veins in his temple bursting, and Fox was looking a bit faint like he wanted to go down the same road as Alex. Eagle hurried to explain himself.

"Not that we did that. We were just about to, so really, everything’s fine."

Eagle was about to turn to Snake, ready to give him a confident smile, when a fist made contact with his mouth, ‘crushing that arrogant smirk right out of Eagle’s face,’ as Wolf liked to call it.

-

"Really, Wolf, I’m fine. Why are you being so soft on me all of a sudden?"

"Soft? Do you want me to throttle you?! Here I am, being concerned and here you are pushing it back in my face. Sorry for checking up on you and the next time you pass out, I won’t be so nice with transporting your body from room to room."

"No need to be so defensive!"

"I am not being defensive. I am merely -"

"Sure Wolf, keep talking."

The Hispanic man clenched his fists to control himself and dragged the chair across the kitchen tiles to sit beside Alex. He let out a big breath through his nose and stared straight into the teenager’s eyes.

"Look, Cub, if you, you know… have any, uh, issues like about stuff, what you’ve been through and all, I, well… I mean it doesn’t even have to be about those stuff, if you know what I mean, but it could be about anything like teenage problems and… uh, whatever; just if ever Ben isn’t here and you’re, you know, looking for someone and although I’m pretty sure I’m the last person you want to share your, er, feelings and… things with, I’m just, you know -"

"Yes, Wolf, I know. Don’t get your knickers in a twist." Alex decided to end Wolf’s discomfort and save what was left of the man’s pride. "I do have one question though."

"Shoot." Wolf was game with any questions Alex would ask, he owed the kid that much.

Wolf was a very stoic man. The words ‘impassive’ and ‘poker face’ do not even begin to describe Wolf’s facial and emotional control in the most stressful of situations, unless around his unit. He would not admit it out loud, but he thought of Cub as part of his unit ever since they were reacquainted with each other a year ago. So it was safe to say that he could not keep a straight face with that question. Those six words would blow any man away, but Alex, as mature as he was, is still a boy, and probably will be for a long time. His naivety sometimes astounds Wolf to dumb speechlessness. His position right now is a perfect example.

"How do two men make love? I mean I know that it’s just like sex, but I’m not really sure what goes where and everything, and if they do foreplay like heterosexual couples." Wolf prayed for Alex to just shut up, but he could not think of anything to sate the boy’s curiosity, especially when he was saying words like that - I mean seriously, foreplay? What do they teach kids in school?! "It’s not really as simple as it is with a man and a woman, I guess."

Wolf was way in over his head. Alex continued speaking, spouting out question after question. In reality, this is the most Wolf has ever heard Cub speak, as one-sided as it was, but he could not believe why it had to be about homosexuality. He was no homophobe, what with living with Eagle and Snake, but he wasn’t exactly a gay rights activist either. I’ll have to check with Snake if Cub knocked his head on something on the way down or hit the floor too hard.

"… in Biology class. There’s even this rumor about two sixth formers who do it in the bushes behind the gym, and if you go under the bleachers you can watch them, and they totally don’t mind. Said they’ll even put on a show for you. I’m not sure if Tom would be up to that though. Oh, and just so you know I don’t swing that way - not that I’d mind if you did - it’s just all so confusing for me."

Wolf remembered Alex’s stint just a few weeks ago in Amsterdam and wondered what the boy really went through in the hell hole he got picked up in after whatever it is Alex usually does. The teen didn’t speak for three days after that, to Fox’s distress. All of them were worried - and still are - but right now, hearing all these words come out of such an innocent - well, sort of - mouth Wolf wanted nothing more but to shove a bar of soap down Alex’s throat. It was more than just to clean his mouth. Wolf actually felt guilty for hoping that he could drop Alex off in the infamous red light district of Amsterdam again. Sure, taking a first-hand lesson on homosexual acts would be educational, but even he was not that cruel to wish upon anyone to have an occupation like that, forced or not.

Wolf heaved a great sigh and Alex stopped talking.

"You okay, Wolf?"

"Cub - Alex - what about you and I talk about this some other time, huh?"

Alex’s head tilted to side, as if he were really considering that question. It was quite obvious that Alex was intentionally rubbing Wolf the wrong way.

Suddenly, almost maniacally, Alex smiled. "Okay."

Wolf raised a brow. This kid is up to something. He was sure of it. No teenager can look like Alex right now without anything notorious in mind. Wolf didn’t mind all that much, actually, as long as he was not the victim.

Time to watch Eagle in total epic failure in the hands of Alex Rider.

Now that Wolf thought about it, he realized that he could take care of things himself. He didn’t need snotty teenagers to do the job for him. Eagle and Snake were going to pay for landing him in this awkward situation. Maybe Snake not so much, but Eagle… Eagle is a dead man.

-

"Just a sock on the doorknob; boxers or a brief if you really want to keep us away. Just give us a warning, a sign, that we shouldn’t enter and we will respect your privacy. We don’t really know the full extent of Alex’s emotional capacity right now and I’m sure we all don’t need someone having a breakdown. He may not look like it, but I still don’t think he’s stable after he came back a few weeks ago from that mission in the Netherlands. Watching him passed out on the floor does not do wonders for my heart, just so you know."

At least Snake looked remorseful, as he tried to explain Alex’s situation. "It’s just syncope, Ben, nothing to worry about. As long as he doesn’t experience any headaches or pain in the next few hours, he’ll be fine. We’ll just keep an eye on him."

Eagle snorted and stood up. "Keep an eye on him? More than usual, you mean?"

"Just, please, try to control yourselves." Fox was almost pleading. "Just imagine what it’s like for Alex to see that, when Wolf and I can’t even stand being in the same room as the two of you post-sex."

"Well, better now than in another, er, setting. You learn plenty from your mistakes." Snake said seriously, more to himself than the other two in the room. "Well, maybe not Eagle."

Fox cracked a grin as Eagle tried to slug Snake on his arm.

"Well, you never did learn not to come-"

Fox blanched and threw a pillow straight at Eagle’s face.

"EAGLE! Continue that and I won’t be throwing just a pillow the next time around!"

-

"So, Cub, when two men are, um, in love, or whenever they, er, just feel like it really, they, uh, engage in -"

Fox grabbed Alex and was about to man-handle the skinny boy out the door. "Seriously, this has got to stop!"

Wolf almost cried in sweet relief. "Fox, mate, I owe you big time!"

Alex squirmed out of Fox’s grasp, uncomfortable at his tight collar around his neck. "Wolf was just explaining -"

Fox sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I know, Alex, I know, but I’m not entirely convinced that Wolf is the appropriate man to explain certain questions that you may have. Now that I think about it, neither am I."

Wolf just looked insulted, but he was mentally thanking Fox for relieving himself of his current task - explaining to a teenage spy how it works. The birds and the bees talk wouldn’t cut it, Alex was looking for blood when it came to satisfying his curiosity. It made Wolf think if his latest mission made Alex just a little bit loose in the head. A few unscrewed hinges in the wrong places, and it somehow cracked the boy to a sometimes-almost-insane sort of ignorance. Sometimes the boy could be so critical and it’s just that he sees things most boys his age don’t, in his calm, almost freaky manner, and at the same time he was so oblivious to some things. It made him wonder at times if Cub did this just to torment him. He wasn’t a spy for nothing, that sneaky, little bugger. He felt so used and manipulated, and thinking about all this made him feel strange.

"Well, Fox, you can have the boy. I think I’ll be going now to talk to some colleagues of ours who need some… suggestions when it comes to sharing a living space with certain adolescents."

Wolf stood up and swore he just saw Alex giggle behind Fox. That boy is sick in the head, he really is.

-

Eagle huffed beside Snake, trying to visibly show his annoyance at being interrupted. They’ve been silent for more than five minutes, where Snake had somehow whipped up a cup of tea.

"So… you think we can continue where we left off?

"Oh, there won’t be any continuing while I’m around."

Eagle, startled, jumped up from the couch and swore that Wolf teleported from outside the room to the space right in front of the tip of his toes.

"Oh, Wolf, ahem…" Eagle cleared his throat uncomfortably and he saw Snake shake his head beside him. "We were just talking about… you know, preparing dinner."

Eagle cringed, more because of the unit leader’s glare just a foot away from his face than his lame excuse.

"Thought maybe we could, uh… fry some, erm…"

"Eagle," Snake said despairingly, "just shut up. Please."

Wolf raised his small stature, and even Eagle, who was much taller and just as bulky, could not help but step back.

"So, Wolfie… ‘sup?" Eagle cracked a strained smile, all his pearly whites showing and glowing.

"‘Sup? You want me to tell you what’s up?"

Eagle audibly gulped at Wolf’s enlarging eyes. "Uh… well, okay, maybe not so much."

Snake sighed beside him and stood to leave, but Wolf stopped him with a hand, his eyes still not leaving Eagle’s. "You won’t get away that fast, Snake. I’m pretty sure Eagle wasn’t just jacking off by himself. And if he was, you were probably watching so you’re also in this mess."

Snake slowly sat his butt down again, careful so as not to set Wolf in some kind of rampage.

Eagle whistled. "Your arse is in pretty deep shit right now." Eagle cocked his head to the side, deliberately missing Wolf’s gaze. "Though mine’s probably in so much deeper it looks like I’ve had loose bowel movement for a week."

"I’ll kick your arse so hard you won’t be crapping for the rest of your life!"

Snake raised his arms beside him, separating Wolf and Eagle. "Now, come on, the both of you stop being so melodramatic. Wolf, what happened?"

Wolf pursed his lips, still ready to gut Eagle, but told the story anyway. He gave them the brief summary, preferring not to repeat all, or any, of what Alex just said or asked.

"So you see, Eagle, if this happens again, I will lock you in a room filled with Teletubbies jacked up on steroids and spray you with pheromones, you got me?"

That shut Eagle up for the rest of Wolf’s speech. Wolf breached a touchy subject for Eagle. Teletubbies. It made goosebumps rise all over Eagle’s skin and he shivered. Wolf got his point across.

"If I am ever put through something like that again, that the both of you caused, I will personally see to it that you - especially you, Eagle - will suffer a strange and horrific death that you will both be begging Satan not to put the two of you in the same room in Hell."

Wolf straightened himself and grinned at the two cowering men in front of him, glaring even more to add effect to his threat.

Well, if I do say so myself, Wolf considered, nodding his head in silent approval, that was handled quite well.

-

Ben sighed, but tried to be patient with his young charge. "Are you even listening to me, Alex?"

"Course I am."

Ben nodded, an awkward silence hanging between them, though Alex looked comfortable just looking around the living room. The three other members of the unit were still in the kitchen.

"For the record," Alex almost shocked Ben when he spoke, but the older man kept silent, urging Alex to speak. "my stints with Snakehead and Scorpia were harder. I wouldn’t admit it but…" Alex paused, and Ben didn’t realize until then that he was holding his breath. It was a rare but sought occurrence when Alex spoke like this. Sometimes, the words coming out of Cub’s mouth made the unit wonder if the child was sober or even lucid. Alex continued his mini-speech, "after those I didn’t really get a chance to bounce back. It was only after the whole Desmond McCain affair when I realized that there would be no point in escaping. Trying to work out a normal life was impossible, but I wanted to pretend - that maybe Jack would come back, that it wasn’t my fault, that maybe, just maybe, Ian or my dad, or my mum is just playing a foul joke on me. Staying at St. Dominic’s gave me a lot of time to reflect, and this was several years ago, that my only way out would be to go back in. Any other way and I’ll end up lying in a ditch if MI6 wants it so. Actually," Alex tilted his head, trying to remember something, "that’s how I ended up a few times in Amsterdam."

Neither of them noticed, or at least chose not to acknowledge it, but by the time Alex was silent again Ben had moved to sit beside Alex, his legs folded like a pretzel. This may be the one chance he had of Alex opening up, and he wasn’t about to lose it.

"What happened Alex? In Amsterdam?" Ben wasn’t known for his interrogation skills, it was usually Snake’s job. He tried to keep his voice as clam and soothing as he possibly could, and when Alex replied it at least meant he did something right.

"Nothing much, just the usual MI6 play-up. ‘Look at it like a vacation, Alex.’", he mimicked, obviously pissed, but somehow resigned. He’s been doing this for several years, and most of the time he came almost willingly. Sometimes MI6 didn’t even need to blackmail him. "’Nothing can go wrong, Alex. Just a routine patrol, Alex. Only you can do it, Alex. We just need you for show, Alex.’" By the end of his tirade, Alex had an ugly sneer on his face, ruining his sweet, handsome face. "Sometimes they don’t even have to say anything anymore, because what’s the point? We all know that I’m bound to end up in some near-death, worldly-catastrophic event that only I can fix."

Ben, as an MI6 agent, was usually proud of his successful missions, with the occasional let-down when a teammate is injured or killed. The way Alex says it, it’s like saving the world is an annoying chore your mother forces you to do, as if he does it every day and got tired of it - and all this at such a young age. He’s no where even near the age when I started SAS, Ben realized.

Alex stood up and left. As sudden as the teen’s exit, it hit the man code named Fox that Alex didn’t really answer his initial question.

-

Snake jerked his arm back from Eagles’ thigh, wary of Alex’s entrance into the living room. Said teenager plopped himself onto the beanbag closest to the television.

"Anything good on the telly tonight?"

Eagle swivelled his body so he and Snake were not facing each other anymore. "Brokeback Mountain, I think." Eagle frowned. "Not sure if you’re allowed to watch that though. You have to ask Fox first."

Alex craned his neck back to look at Eagle, so that his face was upside down on the bean bag. "You’re more immature than I am. I’m pretty sure I can handle whatever that movie can dish out." Alex curled his neck forward, resuming his original position. "S’not like it’s bloody porn, you know."

Snake almost choked on his own spit and stared at the back of Alex’s dirty blonde hair. The things that come out of that boy’s mouth. Worse yet, was that no one could reprimand Alex for his language, save Ben, since it would be completely hypocritical. They tried using his age against him during one dinner discussion, but it ended up in a debate that Eagle quite embarrassingly lost. That, and the boy knew how to defend and justify himself.

Then again, they had to remember that Alex was not fourteen anymore. It was not as easy as some would think.

It had been a few days since the mishap, but Snake and Eagle were still a bit edgy when Alex was in the room. Snake was good at hiding it, only having a nervous twitch or two when he was beside both Eagle and Alex. Eagle, on the other hand, looked as guilty as a child caught stealing in the cookie jar. Alex always saw the jerk in their hands, their secretive looks, but he pretended to be ignorant, at least to the two of them. The two tallest unit members were already uncomfortable as it is, so Alex added his own two cents to their little charade by deciding to just play along with it.

Maybe if he started getting bored he’d talk to them. Right now, it was still kind of funny, especially if Eagle looked ready to jump Snake right in front of him.

"Hey," Wolf walked into the room, throwing a can of soda in Alex’s direction and passing out two bottles of beer to the other men. He set aside two more bottles, one for him and the other for Fox. "You boys up for some kitchen duty tomorrow?" Wolf stood behind Alex, and gave a look to the two men seated on the couch. Say yes or I will make you.

"Sure!" Eagle just dumbly nodded along with Snake’s reply.

"What for?" Alex was leaning back again, his hair messy against the bean bag, almost touching the floor. "The last time I tried, it was kind of an epic failure."

"No, it wasn’t, Alex." Fox walked in, grabbing a bottle of beer from the table and sat on the furthest seat, the one directly behind the beanbag. His legs knocked Alex around, ruining his comfortable position. Alex unconsciously leaned on Ben’s leg for support, resting his arm on a knee, and his cheek on his arm. "The cookies tasted fabulous. They just happened to get thrown all over the floor. Besides, I helped you make them. The hands of any Daniels will make anything I touch turn to gold."

The whole unit scoffed and Eagle retorted at Ben. Alex was lost in his own thoughts while the rest of the men engaged in light banter. They were still on the channel about to play Brokeback Mountain.

Alex was frowning. He had been so startled by seeing Eagle and Snake the other day that he had not noticed the cookies flying out of his hands. It had taken him, along with Ben, three hours to perfect the cookies, preparing and baking them batch by batch. Snake suggested they do it to bond, Wolf even taste testing the not-so-burnt batches. The idea was created when their medic, Snake, informed Fox that a new pastime may help Alex to start reaching out again by becoming more active. They were all encouraging Alex to start new hobbies, especially when he lost interest in playing football. It shocked them all speechless when Alex declined to play with them in the park.

The opening credits to the movie appeared and Ben asked, "What’s on tonight?"

"Brokeback Mountain."

Ben’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline and he glanced at the boy in front of him. "Maybe we should watch summin’ else." When Ben was nervous or in an awkward moment, his scouse accent came out. Snake and Fox used to tease each other about the their accents. "Eagle, pass me the remote."

Ben started browsing through the channels. Their eyes were contracting and dilating with the flicker of the screen in the dark room.

"Why’d you change it? I’ve never seen it before. Is it bad?" Wolf asked and Alex almost snorted. He never finished watching the movie, never even made it halfway, but he knew what would happen. Every girl, and even some boys, in Brooklands Comprehensive was talking about it even before the movie was released. Apparently, a lot of people had the hots for Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal together.

Ben was almost desperately flipping through the channels. Tom and Jerry, Deadliest Catch, some biography on Michael Jackson…

"Can we just watch Brokeback?" Alex questioned innocently. He was looking at Ben from under his lashes, and Ben, being Ben, could not resist. "Alright."

Ben changed it back, to the scene where Ennis applies for a job.

He leaned back, Alex still pressed to his knee, and enjoyed the rest of the movie. Really, it wasn’t that bad.

-

"So, basically, you want me to whore myself out for you?"

"Not exactly in those terms, Alex. The way you say it makes it sound so vulgar."

"And what other way do you want me to say it?! I don’t get the point of me doing this. It’s a waste of time."

"We just need an inside man, to see if the suspicions are really true, and Messrs. Blunt and Crawley agreed that you are the right man for the job. Your age is quite appropriate and you are, as mentioned by Alan, unbreakable."

"And what about you, Mrs. Jones? What have you got to say about it?"

"What I want and think is right from wrong does not matter if it will save lives."

"It’s going to take me really long to get high up enough to know about anything in there. I know what they do to their... employees. What if I don’t even end up in the same floor as him?"

"Alex, since when did you not end up in a situation so fortunate it’s almost absurd?"

"Well, one day, my luck is going to burn out. Let’s just hope I get though this first."

-

His eyes snapped open. He felt like the whole house was thumping to the beat of his heart. His ears were pulsating and his eyes felt like they were about to burst.

He untangled himself from the bed sheets and headed for the loo. A cold splash to the face ought to wake him up.

His footsteps made no noise as he padded down the stairs and stood in the entrance of the kitchen.

"Couldn’t sleep?"

Snake almost dropped his mug and whirled around to see the lanky teen in his rumpled shirt and loose pyjamas. Alex was so thin his clothes were about to fall off. If he jumped his pants would fall, and his shirt was already down one arm. He lifted his sleeves and it bunched up on his shoulder.

"Alex, I should ask you the same." Snake patted the kitchen stool beside him, inviting the boy to sit beside him. "Eagle and I were just talking. He went up to sleep already." He slid Eagle’s cup in Alex’s direction and held up a still steaming pot of tea. "Want some? It’s still warm."

Alex gave him an appreciative smile and knew that Snake saw the tremor in his hands as he held up the empty cup. "It’s cold tonight."

Snake was shirtless and only had thin boxer shorts on. They both ignored that fact and Alex stared into his tea before taking a sip.

Wrapping his fingers around his mug, Snake tried to work up some nerve into speaking with the young man in front of him.

"Alex..." Alex continued his stare-sip-stare but Snake knew he was listening. "I’m sorry about the other day. Eagle and I wanted to tell you, though we were pretty suspicious that you already knew, but at least we wanted it confirmed with you." Snake paused and coughed, not knowing how to continue. His light Scottish accent made Alex wonder where Snake used to live. "No one, not even Wolf or Fox, was meant to see what you saw, and we’re both really sorry about that."

Alex placed the cup down on the table. "Not your fault, I should have knocked first, anyway. But it’s okay. It’s not like I’m against people who bat for the other team. I know that you really care for Eagle, at least a whole lot more than Wolf does." Snake smiled at Alex’s simple acceptance but it soon left his eyes.

"Alex, there’s this other thing. I’m sure you’ve noticed that we’re all worried. It’s quite impossible to miss, what with Fox turning into a Mother Hen." Snake sighed and leaned forward, lowering his body so that he and Alex were at eye level. "We don’t know all of what happened to you in your last mission, and we won’t force it out of you, but we all know you haven’t fully let go of that affair in Amsterdam. Even Eagle notices and that boy’s usually low on pick-up. All I’m saying is that we want you to try. It’s hard, though I’ll admit that I don’t know how much, but we’re all here to get you through. If you help us help you, then I know you can get over this. If not over it, then at least come into terms with what you are dealing with now."

Snake paused and knew the both of them were dead on their feet. "Now go get some shut eye, okay, Cub?" Alex smiled at the familiar nickname. "Night, Cub."

Snake stood and put down his mug on the counter. He’ll wash it tomorrow. He headed up the stairs to the room he shared with Eagle, two separate beds of course, and smiled as heard someone call out his name from behind.

"Night, Snake. Sweet dreams."

-

He had puffy eye bags, as if he cried last night. He wasn’t conscious of these little things because he was vain, but because he knew the whole household would notice. He was awake the entire early morning, ever since he and Snake met in the kitchen, and that was at two in the morning. It was already half past seven meaning he slept for a total of only two and a half hours. Great.

He stretched and yawned, going inside the bathroom to prepare himself for the day.

As he showered he was positive that Snake was telling Ben all about yesterday.

-

"He’s helping himself by allowing us to help him. He has to learn by now that he should not have the weight of the world on his shoulders, although it has been countless times."

Ben sighed and placed the hot waffles on an empty plate, drizzling chocolate on the strawberries and cream he laid on top. Alex’s favourite.

"I know. He’s just not used to this, even after how many years. Then again, he only came to live with me that time. Now he has all of us, and we’re all trying our best. He’s just overwhelmed still."

"Morning."

Ben and Snake looked up. The boy made absolutely no sound. It had taken some time for them to get used to that, though there were still a few times after that the unit was startled when a previously absent Alex suddenly broke the silence.

"Morning, Cub."

"Good morning, Alex. Here, I made your favourite." Ben pushed the plate towards Alex. "Slept well?"

"Mmm, good." Everyone could see through that lie."You?"

"Just fine. I had pretty strange dreams after watching the movie though." Ben grinned at Alex and Snake laughed.

"So..." Alex started, a bit unsure, "what are we gonna be cooking up?"

Ben smiled at Alex’s initiation of the topic. "Anything you like. We can have a picnic later. It’s a nice day today."

"Then maybe we can whip up something suitable for a picnic?" Snake suggested.

"Ian and I used to have picnics sometimes, with Jack," Alex said softly, nodding in approval of the idea.

"Well then, now you can have picnics with us. What do you want?" Ben slung his arm around Alex’s shoulder and gave Snake an appreciative nod as he took the now empty plate.

"Maybe we should ask Eagle and Wolf, too."

"Ask me what?" Eagle came into the room in his dishevelled state, followed by Wolf who looked like he at least washed his face.

"We’re going out for a picnic. I’ll be helping Alex prepare the food. You guys want to request anything?"

Eagle sat on a stool while Wolf helped himself to some of the leftovers from dinner. Snake wiped his hands after washing the dishes and sat beside his lover.

"Salad, sandwiches, some fruit. The usual." Eagle shrugged, he was hoping to sleep through the whole day. Had given the three active members of K-Unit some time-off. For what reason, they did not know and will not question.

"How about some coleslaw?" Alex piped up, some of his excitement starting to rub off on the rest. "We can have a barbecue, there’s the pork Wolf marinated the other day. I kept Ian’s old picnic grill, too."

"Good idea, Alex, and maybe we can buy some fruit on the way to the park?" Ben said it more as a question than a statement. Alex nodded and smiled.

"Let’s get started then. We’ll just have late lunch, that fine with you guys?" Ben directed the question to the rest of the men, receiving two nods and a shrug.

Somehow, Wolf, Snake and Eagle managed to vacate the kitchen to give the two other enough room to move around and prepare. The whole hour and a half was peaceful, and even Alex would admit that maybe, just maybe, he’d want to do this again sometime.

-

Although their target location was St. James’s, they ended up in Hyde Park. They unloaded the few things needed from Eagle’s bag and set up what any typical picnic would look like. Picnic baskets filled with premade food, plaid blankets and chilled sodas. They even brought a football, a Frisbee and a few board games. It was evident from what they brought that they were planning to stay a while.

It was Sunday lunch, and some of the other families who decided to also have a picnic were all staring fondly at the all-male Brady Bunch who just arrived. Well, they were more like the most dysfunctional family in the park than the Brady bunch, what with four grown men and a boy who looked like he just came out of the gangly teen stage. Their physical attributes screamed that they were all not related by blood, so the park audience just assumed that they were all adopted siblings.

Wolf helped Ben situate the grill and start it up, while Eagle sniffed and prodded the marinade. Snake and Alex stretched out the blankets and put out the Tupperware.

Eagle eventually put himself to good use and helped Wolf grill the meat. It was a funny sight as the grill was made for one chef, so the two bulky men were crowding around the tiny metal grill. Ben was relaxing on the blankets that Snake and Alex put up, while the two of them were passing Alex’s ball around.

Aside from Eagle burning off his shirt sleeve and collar, flapping around the park like a duck and scaring most of the children (some were laughing) the day passed by almost perfectly.

"This day can’t get any better." Eagle said contentedly, after he was considerably cooler without the flames, burping before and after his statement.

Alex looked scandalized, "Don’t jinx it!"

Ben laughed. Wolf rolled his eyes and said, "Don’t worry, Cub, wouldn’t want fried Eagle for tonight would you? Bet the meat wouldn’t taste too good."

"Oh shut it wolf-boy. I’ll tie you up and roast you."

Wolf and Eagle’s bickering continued, but not loud enough to disturb anyone near them. This time though, no one tried to stop them. The two had their own little world, so the outside world was fine with that.

"How long do you think they’ll last?"

"Half an hour, give or take a minute or two."

-

Indeed they lasted quite some time. Even when they started eating - and food started flying- they were still at it. Eagle and Wolf were the only two left who were not yet done eating. They separated the two blankets they brought along and made the strip of grass between them their demarcation line. Anyone in the neutral area or who crossed boundaries got their hand bitten (Wolf had sharp teeth) or got his food stolen (Eagle had nimble hands). They even tried to recruit their three others companions but would not allow them to cross into his own territory. After a while the threesome got bored and started throwing Frisbees.

In the end the two warring men joined them. Eagle was on a sugar high and looked ready to climb the trees. Although when no one wanted to pass the Frisbee to him he kicked the football toward the bushier parts of Hyde Park like a petulant child. Thank God he didn’t kick the ball towards The Serpentine.

"Whoops."

"Fetch the ball, Eagle. Fetch it like a good little birdie." Wolf taunted Eagle who looked like had suddenly experienced a sugar crash.

Alex rolled his eyes. When K-Unit got back from one of their missions, the last mission Ben partook in, Eagle had a few issues with dense vegetation and wild boars. Apparently he was claustrophobic in certain environments. There was a reason Eagle never strayed too far from the trail on their way here from the station. Alex wondered if Eagle had gone through something similar to the greenhouse he got stuck in a GM plant a few years back; that had been one of his first missions under MI6.

"I’ll get it."

Ben suddenly looked hesitant as if he were weighing the chances of Alex getting raped in the bushes. No one saw how deep the ball went.

"I’m not so sure you should go alone."

Alex sighed, but did not want to sound exasperated. "I’ll be fine, Ben. It’s Hyde Park on a Sunday afternoon. What could possibly go wrong?"

-

Alex ducked as another low but thick branch appeared before him. He’s been swatting at stray leaves, tripping over protruding sticks and tree roots and even managed to eat a big spider’s web in the past ten minutes. This was freaking Hyde Park.

How did he get lost?

Where did he go wrong?

What was wrong with him?

"Hey, isn’t that punk from your school? The one everybody was talking about last year."

"Hey, Rider!"

Alex froze. No. No fucking way.

"Look at me when I talk to you, freak. I wouldn’t miss your face from a mile away."

Alex could imagine the malicious smiles curling and twisting the faces of the boys (and maybe girls?) from behind him. He slowly turned, knowing ignoring them would be futile. It irked him that he didn’t notice his peers. He wasn’t on a park trail anymore, but the grass was flat as if it was habitually trod on. The six boys and four girls sneering at him probably took to this place often. He was willing to bet the little posse in front of him were familiar with their surroundings. No matter how fast he ran he’d have to hurt at least one of them before he could make it out to the open.

The boys advanced on him, the girls staying back, led by a boy by the name of Jeremy Sturridge. He was the school bully in Alex’s year, but Sturridge was a transferee during their Year 6 and he never heard about the rumours when Alex ‘talked’ with a couple of boys from Year 5 behind the teacher’s parking lot when Tom, the new kid, was being picked on back in Year 2. The two bigger boys never bothered anyone again, and no one dared to ask where the black eyes came from.

"So, Rider, heard you got kicked outta your old house and onto the street. Did you learn anything there, since you couldn’t keep up with us in school?"

Alex kept his mouth closed. He was not going to put himself into trouble even when Sturridge started the typical schoolboy taunts. Low blows about his family, friends, physical appearance, intelligence, even his mental stability. It made him sad that no one seemed to remember his school records before Ian’s death. Then again, he didn’t care much.

He could tell his lack of response was starting to irk the boys; Sturridge’s lackeys were becoming restless. They just wanted to let off some steam and beat the shit out of Alex. Eventually, Sturridge got the hint (at long last) that Alex was pretty much saying, Dude, just get this over with.

He could have ran, could have kicked the ass of each one of these boys single-handedly without breaking a sweat, but alas the last time he got in a street scuffle with bullies was in Brooklands. He sent three boys to the hospital but no one could claim he did it on purpose. Although Alex was shunned by a lot of his peers, he was still better liked than Nathan Richards, Glenn Sawyer and Mark Piers. All witnesses claimed that Alex was only the victim and any other injuries the hospitalized boys acquired were from self-defence.

Alex was not keen on accidentally - and quite possibly, fatally - injuring any of these sorry excuses of boy, especially since he had no one to back him up.

The girls probably knew what was coming so they announced that they should just meet up again tomorrow, and for the boys to have fun. Alex felt his last hope die. This time there was no way to get out unscathed.

When the first punch landed, Alex barely flinched. He did not move to at least absorb the blow and he could feel the force of the punch lift him up from the ground a good two inches before landing on the floor, the rocks and branches digging into his back. He could see the faces of the boys looking down on him, then suddenly all heads twisted to one side. Maybe Wolf came to save me. It was just Sturridge saying something. Or not.

When Sturridge and co. diverted their attention back at Alex, the lone boy was still unresponsive. Most of them thought the boy really was loose in the head.

The flurry of kicks and punches that were raining down on him seemed like nothing. Aside from curling into a ball, Alex let them think he was weak. Would it matter what they think if I’ve saved millions of people more times than they could probably count without the aid of their fingers? Nope.

Alex had his own coping mechanisms when it came to certain situations involving pain. He was either excessively annoying as if burning him would make him smile a megawatt smile, or he was scarily impassive and apathetic. There was a period of time that Mrs. Jones was actually suspicious of him having multiple personalities, after one of his ‘partners’ reported a private note to the Deputy Head. He was subjected to three weeks intensive therapy. Right now, Alex was going for the latter of the two. He usually reserved the first one when there was a high chance of him dying (in any and all forms, like getting dissected, minced, etc.) or if the aggressor was particularly fun to irritate.

It never really registered in his head when the abuse stopped until he heard loud voices. Familiar in a way that he knew the voices, but unfamiliar because he didn’t expect these people to come, thinking of who else could have arrived.

He heard footsteps stampeding beside his ears and Alex was unsure whether it was the ground quaking or it was just his head throbbing really loud. Maybe if his heart thumped in his chest loud enough, K-Unit would notice him lying on the floor. That thought made Alex think if he was delirious.

"Jush le’em go..." Alex mumbled sluggishly, eating his words. It was enough to get the attention of the four men in front of him. He was not sure if the four did let the rest of the remaining kids go. His everything was hurting so bad.

"You hang in there, okay, Cub?" There was a feather-light touch to his forehead and he could not imagine anything but the hands of a medic administering that movement. Yet, as Snake came to examine Alex starting with his stomach, Alex flinched.

He could feel the hands crawling up and down his legs, up his stomach and on his chest.

The hands trying to unbuckle the belt digging into his hip, but drunkenly failing. Zippers quickly opening and buttons being ripped.

The thought that Mrs. Jones said nothing would happen to him, she was sure of it. The possibility that he would not make it out of this alive.

His chest felt tight as Alex shut his eyes, his breath coming in shallow gasps. Go away. I’m over this. Go away. Go away. Go away.

When Snake saw Alex going into a panic attack, he immediately called for Ben, who was man-handling one of the boys they had caught.

"Move, and I swear to the Lord above that your mother will never let you out of her sight until you are fifty." The captured boy visibly paled into a color that satisfied Ben, before running to his young charge. "Eagle! Call a cab!"

Eagle looked up from behind Wolf, who was taking note of the children’s parents, phone numbers and addresses, and ran to the nearest street and hailed a taxi. He ran fast, glad to escape the stuffy tress surrounding him. He had Alex’s ball gripped tightly in his hands, making sure it did not slip and get lost.

-

Ben slowly, gently, lay on his bed. He felt like half his hair had turned gray and his face became a map of worry lines in less than an hour.

From the searching and finding of Alex, to Alex thrashing and going crazy at the thought of taking his shirt off. All the way to the boy just curling up and staying silent, Wolf beside him to make sure he did not sleep - it was all a bit too much. He wasn’t complaining, he loved Alex with every bit of his heart, but turned to those tiny bits every time he saw the young man so broken.

Alex was probably permanently traumatized from picnics after what happened today. But Ben didn’t want to think about what happened in the woods, in fact he didn’t even want to think about going to the park - not now, and probably not for a really long time.

While Eagle was calling up the parents of some of the kids, to talk about the behaviour of their children, Snake was beside Fox.

"Wolf watching him?" Ben was looking straight, too tired to even turn his head to Snake as he asked his question.

"Yeah. Kid won’t let us patch him up. It’s not easy bandaging a shoulder." Ben saw Snake frown from the corner of his eye. "We need to get him checked, just in case."

Ben nodded. He’ll talk to Alex. And maybe, if Alex felt like it, he’ll talk to Ben, too.

-

"Did you know that boy? Sturridge, I think his name was." Ben had been trying for a better part of an hour to make Alex respond to him. He tried to pay no mind to his one-sided conversation. As much as it sometimes made him feel like he was talking to a wall, he actually liked sharing stories with Alex - when he wasn’t being such a vegetable. Eventually, Ben ran out of anything else he could think of and decided to zero in on the more important topics.

Alex’s responses for that night was limited to noncommittal sounds and murmurs, so it surprised him when Alex said, "Used to go to Brooklands. He was in my class."

"You two didn’t get along well, did you?"

No shit, Sherlock. The look Alex gave Ben made him want to eat his words.

"Well, boys will be boys." Alex’s eye twitched. He hated being called a boy. "Just look at Wolf and Eagle." Ben’s cover up elicited at least a corner of Alex’s lips to curl up.

"Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about." Straight to the point and almost tactless, Ben cringed. He was supposed to ease up Alex into the topic. "So you’re a second dan black belt. You’re the youngest MI6 agent I know. You’ve faced the world’s worst criminal organizations... Do you want me to go on or do you want to explain to me what happened back at the park?"

Alex pursed his lips. He’s making it sound like it’s my fault. Maybe it is...

"I didn’t want to get in a fight. Simple as that."

"You were already in the fight, as one-sided as it was, and it still would have been an easy brawl for you even you were kicked in the nads."

"Why are you encouraging me to fight?"

"I’m just telling you that it’s not wrong to defend yourself, Alex."

"Well, I don’t need people telling me what to do." Alex glared irritably, willing Ben to go away, "Just leave me alone. My head’s hurting." It really was, but Alex was just mentioning it to make Ben leave.

"You want anything, food or water? I can’t give you aspirin in case you have a concussion."

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes," Alex ground out.

"Feel better, Alex."

-

"Alex, dinner’s ready!"

Usually no one called for dinner. If you’re not on your seat by the time the food’s done cooking, then too bad. They just announce if ever someone is busy or sick, like Alex.

"I don’t want any!"

"Just come down so Snake can have a look at you and we can keep an eye on you!"

Alex groaned as he rolled out of bed. If he stayed up in his room he was sure one of them would come up and drag him downstairs anyway.

Trudging down the steps and into the kitchen, Alex just stared at the table where everyone was already seated.

"What happened?"

The usual seating arrangement had Alex at the head of the rectangular table, Ben on his right followed by Eagle; Wolf on Alex’s left, Snake beside him. Right now the only seat left was where Snake was supposed to be sitting. Alex felt like they just destroyed the order of the universe.

All eyes were on him with questioning looks. "What do you mean?" Wolf sounded impatient.

"Nothing." Alex mumbled and sat at the only vacant seat - beside Eagle.

"So the CO’s asking the whole squadron back to Wales."

"Just A Squadron?"

"Yeah, but I heard he wanted the whole twenty-second but the higher ups didn’t allow it."

Alex sat on his seat, bored with the whole military talk, so when Snake started talking to him he didn’t notice. A poke on his shoulder and suddenly he had a death grip on Snake’s wrist.

"Alex!" Snake squeaked out, obviously in pain.

Alex quickly let go. "Sorry."

"S’fine. Mind if I check you though?"

"Yeah, in fact, I do mind. I’m fine. I’ll just tell you if I start puking or whatever." With that Alex just up and left, the rest of the unit staring at his retreating back.

-

"I think one of you should talk to him." Ben directed his suggestion to Eagle and Snake.

"Why?"

"He cringes every time someone touches him, Eagle. He wasn’t like that before." Snake stated matter-of-factly. "I’ll talk to him."

The rest of dinner, and the evening, passed in silence.

-

A knock on his door made Alex look up from his book. "What?"

Snake’s head loomed in his doorway. "Still not up for dinner? You barely ate anything during lunch."

"No thanks. Nicked some food from the pantry while you guys were out."

Snake smiled. Slowly walked into the room, towards Alex’s bed. Alex shoved himself to a corner, curling into a ball as the bed dipped under Snake’s weight.

"What did Wolf tell you, after you saw Eagle and I?"

"Carnal Embrace."

"... What?" The phrase caught Snake off guard.

"I asked if it were called differently if two men had sex, he said it was just carnal embrace."

How Alex said it with a straight face Snake could not understand. It was perplexing to say the least.

"Oh, uh, well..." Snake coughed, raising his fist to cover his mouth, "anyway, I just wanted to talk to you about a few matters that have been coming up even before that incident." Snake paused, giving time for Alex to sink in what he said. "It’s just that now, post-incident, these ‘matters’ have been coming up more severely." Snake tried to ignore Alex’s suspicious face, both of them not wanting to dwell on the topic coming up. "To start, none of us know what happened in Amsterdam, as I’m sure Ben has told you. Not even he knows the full extent, so all I’m saying is that maybe you’ve never had closure as to what happened back there. Or maybe you have simply accepted it, but you don’t know how to deal with it now that you’re back here, in the real world."

"So you’re saying that that, whatever happened, wasn’t real? Are you saying I’m insane?"

"No!" Snake hurriedly assured him. "It’s just now that you’re back here, some traumatizing situations you’ve experienced in your missions may feel similar to some everyday circumstances. It causes you to react differently than you usually do, do you understand me, Alex?"

Alex nodded, "Yeah. Look it’s no big deal. That’s why MI6 pulled me out and got me a private tutor."

Snake nodded and clasped his hands together. "I know, but maybe at such a young age you can’t withstand the pressure being pushed on you, what with all the demands of your missions, and even at a home setting you’re starting to -"

"What?" Alex snapped, "Crack? Is that it? You think I’m going crazy?"

"No," a voice from the doorway announced, "Snake is saying that you’re pulling away from us."

Wolf walked in the room and it sucked because it was starting to get crowded and, why are you all here? Alex wanted to scream.

"When we first came here we all knew we weren’t on good terms, you could have cut the tension with a paper clip. Even then, before we all got along and became chums, you never acted this way with us."

Alex couldn’t comprehend what shit they were on about. They’re the ones going mental.

Snake started listing down his ‘problems’. Well, he didn’t call it that, but he might as well. Twitching, flinching, cringing at certain stimuli (he’s making me sound like a plant). His mood swings (now I’m a PMS-ing girl?). Loss of appetite (What am I, anorexic?). And Wolf wasn’t helping, even adding his own observations as if Alex were some kind of lab rat they just loved to criticize.

Ben and Eagle, with almost impeccable timing, came right after Snake finished his tirade. At least no awkward silence after.

"What do you want?"

Snake and Wolf turned their heads around, locking eyes with the two men behind them. They stared, as if having a silent conversation only meant to be understood between them.

Way to make me feel like a fifth wheel, Alex thought and rolled his eyes. Being the fifth unofficial member never really made him fit in, his age also feeding that sense of exclusion.

Eagle signalled something, Alex wasn’t quite sure what, but the next thing he knew everyone but Ben was filing out of his modest little room.

His bed dipped again, Snake’s spot replaced by Ben.

"What’s up, kiddo?"

"I’m not a kid anymore, Ben."

"You are if you keep acting like that."

"I will if you keep acting like that."

Ben smiled, "Fair enough."

Alex, still trying to shape himself into a ball, just eyed the man on the edge of his bed.

"How have you been holding up? You haven’t had dinner yet, you want some? Snake should be downstairs eating his."

"Don’t beat around the bush, Ben," Alex said, knowing Ben was not good at these kinds of talks and was just trying to prepare himself. "Just say what you want to say."

"I will, Alex. I will say what I want to say - what I have to say."

Alex stayed silent, pitying the man tasked to do this. Whatever this was.

"Remember a few years ago Mrs. Jones asked if you wanted to go see someone after your missions?" Alex pursed his lips to keep from retorting at Ben, knowing he was asking a rhetorical question. "Well, I know you went to see a guy, but maybe for just one month, and I highly doubt you said much." Ben opened his mouth and clicked it shut again. He felt a ramble about to erupt and tried to stay on topic. "I wanted to ask you, request of you, to maybe see one again. I wanted to suggest Snake, but then maybe you’re not comfortable now that you see him everyday, especially after that incident with Eagle." Alex officially dubbed his run-in with Snake and Eagle in the most provocative position possible as ‘The Incident.’ "Also, Snake expertise doesn’t lie on psychology. I don’t know much about this business but I thought you wouldn’t be up to it if the stranger were an MI6 operative."

Ben huffed, not knowing what else to say to Alex.

"Cub, I know that I’m not the best guardian out there -"

"You’re good."

"What?"

"You. You’re a pretty competent guardian. Like you said, not even close to the best, but you’re good."

Ben smiled at Alex, he wouldn’t admit it but it made his heart soar, hearing Alex say that. Cheesy, but he felt blessed to have a child like Alex. No wonder Snake wanted to become a parent so bad. Too bad Eagle’s in SAS too.

"The whole unit is assuming things about what happened in your last mission, and they’re not anywhere near nice. Ever since you saw Eagle and Snake you’ve been acting..." Ben tried to search for the appropriate word, "strange. You’ve been more... eh..."

"Yeah, I get it. Snake summed it up well enough for me."

"Well, anyway, we just want you to see someone. Even the SAS get post-project assistance, especially those diagnosed with PTSD. You know what that is right?"

Alex reluctantly nodded his head. It was obvious where the conversation was heading.

Ben put his hands in front of him and tried to clasp Alex’s hands in his.

"I want us to go through this together, and I’ll be there for you, even when you grow old and you’re some hot shot in MI6 and I’m still the lowest of the low." Ben was almost choking out the words, he wasn’t really a man who announced his emotions. Alex, at least, appreciated what Ben was saying.

"You always try to push us away and deny what you’re going through. I always thought that it’s okay, Alex’s an independent man now, but I’ve seen men older than you need help. Life’s not a one-man world and God knows what you’ve been through and maybe you need someone there to take care of you, just for a while. Most of your life has been spent trying to fend for yourself, or preparing you for when that situation arrives. You may think you’re a bit too old for this, but I see middle-aged men live in the basement of their mother’s homes. Not that you’ll be doing that, I’m just saying that family is important, like how Ian and even Jack was to you. Now that they aren’t here, give me, give us, a chance to show you what it’s like to be in a family again. We’re not a unit in this house. We’re four men and _______. You’re getting there, but not yet. I want to see you be the man you can be, and right now something is stopping you. We’re here to see you through it. Out in the rest of the world, wherever we end up, wherever MI6 takes us, we can be a tag team. Right now you’re just an almost-man needing someone to take care of you. I wake up every night to go to the loo and I see you thrashing in your bed, plagued with nightmares and no way to stop it. It makes me feel so helpless that I can’t do anything for you, so maybe I can look for someone else to do it."

Ben stopped, he felt like he was just going around and around what he wanted to say. That, and Alex was looking at him strangely.

"Well, um... would it make you feel better if I did see someone?"

"It’s not for me, Alex. If you don’t want to, that’s fine."

"I’ll go see someone, but... you have to come with me," Alex agreed, but hurriedly added, "If you don’t mind, I mean."

Ben sighed in relief, "Of course not, Alex."

A sniffle from behind Ben surprised him, not Alex though. It wasn’t as if he could stop Ben in the middle of his heart-felt monologue. The three other members of K-Unit were trying to fit in the doorway, fake-sniffling and wiping non-existent tears from their eyes.

"A speech worthy of an award," Eagle announced like he just heard the best Miss Universe speech given.

"A speech better than any you could make, Eagle." Wolf rolled his eyes from behind the two. If he stood in the doorway, no one else would be able to enter unless they passed above Wolf.

Alex smiled, amidst all his nightmares and breakdowns he was content with what he had. One day, maybe tomorrow or next month, Mrs. Jones will come calling, but right now he was almost-happy. He had a family - dysfunctional, but a family none-the-less - and it made him warm and tingly like that time in Year 3 when his crush, Betsy Johnson, spilled juice all over the front of his shirt, saying sorry to him the whole week. It was as close to heaven as he’ll get.

Alex leaned back, uncurling from his ball-shaped form and watched the entertainment unfold as Wolf and Eagle were up at each other’s necks again. Right now, his room didn’t feel so stuffy anymore, even with a man that made flowers wither in his path if he glared hard enough, the most obnoxious SAS soldier, a Scottish medic who was in a relationship with said obnoxious man, his colleague-slash-guardian - and of course, himself. Alex Rider, teenage spy extraordinaire.

~Fin