Title: Their Secret

Tom's PoV

Fandom: Alex Rider

Relationship: Alex/Tom

An: This was a rewrite of a story that I had done in the past that I failed to upload because of how much my style has changed since then. But here it is back and in this giant ones-shot, oh well.

...

"Did you hear? Alex Rider is back."

"He has new gang scars."

"Bet he was doped up."

"Yeah, he was probably high all the time."

"He's such a waste of life."

"A real loser."

"Junky."

"I wonder how long until he drops out completely."

"Not long, he's never here."

"Hopes so, it's depressing how low someone can fall."

"He is a stain on British pride, he is."

"Damn druggy."

"He should be expelled."

I heard the whispers in the hallway. But they weren't whispers, they were loud as they ever fucking pleased. Each one boiling my blood and making me go insane. Alex wasn't any of those things. The terribly stupid, ignorant as fuck, brats are the real problem with this country. God, sometimes I wish they could see the Alex, I see. He is so much more than all of those things. He's was a son to Ian. He's a kid-brother to Jack. He's my best mate, and the one person I just want to spend my life with. But that just makes him ordinary. Way above anything my misguided peers think him capable of, mind you, but shit. Alex is so much more than that. Alex isn't ordinary. Alex is the only reason we are still breathing, living, smiling, and laughing. Alex is amazing. He's a true blue patriot. He's a bloody goddamn hero. And they piss all over him, because they can only see what he looks like from the outside and they look at him with garbage tinted glasses. Bruises, cuts, scars, and unexplained absences, all endured for them. Stupid, stupid, stupid fucking people.

"Hi Tom, been having mental conversations with yourself again I see." He said giving me a nod. "You must have missed me a heck of a lot to be talking to yourself. I wonder, can a person really annoy oneself? I am terribly sorry if that is the case. I have doomed you and inevitable fate." Alex joked, suddenly appearing at my side. I smiled at him.

"Alex Rider. How is it you know everything, hmm? Can you read minds now too?" I asked pretending to not to be nearly as amused by his antics as I actually was.

"Well, it wasn't particularly hard figuring out that you were having a mental conversation. Because a: you look angry shaking your fist at nothing in particular, and b: you were muttering some things out loud." Damn spy.

"Well, the public's stupidity is a real epidemic." I said awkwardly. Not knowing quite what to say.

"The public's stupidity is a good thing sometimes. Like how they don't have a clue about us. Or that place. Are we meeting tonight as planned, or had you really not missed me at all?" Alex asked in an devastatingly unfair way.

"Of course we are. We'll meet around midnight like always. I've missed your more than a man would willingly admit, Alex Rider. So don't you dare think otherwise." I replied making the tension in Alex's shoulders disappear. It was barely visible to anyone who didn't look for it, but I knew what to look for. Alex Rider was insecure and it was my job to fix it.

...

My eyes cast down looking at Alex. All I could think about was how fucking beautiful he was. He denies it every time I tell him, but that's a load. He probably thinks about his scars when he retorts that I'm daft. But he doesn't realize that his scars are beautiful. They are a testament that he survived. That he came home again. That he came back to me waiting.

"Tom, what are you staring at? You look like your mind's with fairies."

"Well, I'm lying in the wet grass with you. Some would say I'm with at least one fairy." I pointed out mischievously.

"Oh you're going to die all right," he said while he dove towards me and we started wrestling playfully. I knew he could win effortlessly if he was trying and kill me in a matter of seconds. He was the teenage spy after all, but I also, knew he wouldn't hurt me. He was Alex, he couldn't; it would contradict everything he stood for. Eventually, he apparently grew bored of our wrestling. His boredom was apparent because he pinned me down in one flawless move, a move mind you, that I couldn't even stop if I had seen it coming. While he was smirking above me the moon light lit up his face and illuminated his hair. God he was so...so, I don't even know how to begin to describe it to you. He was just perfect.

"Any last words before I kill you?" He asked imitating the very bastards that he fights for a country that doesn't care. I mumbled inaudibly. He then leaned in and as I had planned I kissed him. He, like always kissed back. As we both applied pressure we moved back and forth in a tug of war of gravity as we gradually were getting more aggressive as each turn passed by. In our little kissing game, the violence passion of each kiss elated until it got so far as to make us roll down the hill of our private field towards the woods. We continued kissing oblivious to the world around us. After an immeasurable amount of time there was a rustle of leaves and footsteps. Without warning Alex was suddenly standing next to me and I was attempting to kiss nothing and consequently fell on face first into the grass. How he manage to do this so quickly I am not sure, but he made me look ridiculous falling over.

"Fuck, bloody brilliant fuck!" He whispered fervently.

"What?" I asked annoyed, at how stupid and confused I was.

"There were two of those plastic girls with their arsehole boyfriends watching us." He said in an overly calm voice. Damn spy and his weird calmness.

"You're right. Bloody brilliant, we are screwed." I said knowing I was right, while hoping I was wrong. How hard was it to just mind your own business and keep you goddamn mouth shut.

...

The next day we walked to school together. Alex forced me too. I was planning on hiding the entire day. Possibly, even skipping. But no, Alex and his logic rationalized that if we walking in together they couldn't ambush either of us. He had a sort of mantra saying that, "We can't be caught off guard if we are together." When he pushed the idea, I just bit my lip and nodded. I knew damn well Alex wouldn't be caught off guard and even if he was I couldn't help. He just wanted to make sure no one hurt me. Damn, overprotective git.

When we arrived, the school was normal. Too normal. It seemed weird. It was like we had entered some alien replication of our school. It was like some weird parallel dimension that was filled with perfect little robots that just looked liked my classmates and pretended to be them. We went to class, like any other day and no one let on to anything. Not a single thing was said. Alex was unnerved. Hell, I was unnerved. Alex was unfriendly all day. Well, unfriendly to most people at least. Myself was not included, neither was our friend James nor any of the guys from football. But it wasn't until Alex and I had separate classes for history that I realized what was going on.

I heard two girls talking in that class. "I'm glad Alex isn't here, he's freighting." A girl in an argyle sweater said.

"But he is still very hot when he goes off like that." Argyle sweater's friend wearing a pleaded skirt answered back.

"Yes, but even before he gets all worked up he's hot. I'm kind of glad his shirt got ripped." Argyle sweater confessed.

"Too bad he's taken." Pleaded skirt said with a sigh while eyeing me.

"Stop that. He'll find out. He made it perfectly clear if we even so much as talked too loudly near Tom we'd…"She dragged her finger across her neck. Pleaded skirt just nodded and they both began working on their homework on parliamentary government.

This was what made it crystal clear what was going on. The school was in pure unadulterated terror. Alex had managed to threaten the whole school even before I got there. Everyone was pissing themselves trying not to piss him off. He had come to school early to smooth things over and he was attacked. More than attacked Alex had been hurt. I'm not sure how it went down but Alex had been attacked. They had probably thought he was an easy target. Since they ripped his shirt, he most likely broke another bone or dislocated some thing again. Not enough to stop him, but enough to make him angry, just enough to make my spy of a boyfriend go bloody James Bond on their asses. It's not his fault that his training makes his reactions so volatile. He needs his survival instinct to kick in if he is going finish his missions. He needs it to save his James Bond-like ass. But unlike James Bond, Alex does not have a job to keep. M16 couldn't care less if he killed a man. They would just fix it and then demand that he go on some incredibly dangerous mission they need him to do. He could have done anything to the people that hurt him. But in truth, it would hurt Alex mentally if he'd done anything more than anything he could do to them physically. Alex would think back to it over and over again in his head and it would join his many, many, nightmares. Just like all of his missions. He wasn't even safe here and that, made me incredibly sad.

After history, lunch was next on my schedule. So I yet again joined Alex in the hall so we could walk to the cafeteria together. We just need to get our food and then go to our spot near the tree out in the courtyard in the grove. It was secluded and nobody liked climbing the hill to get back to the school so there was only just us and a few stragglers. It was just the way we liked it. But this time as we walked together I did more than just look. I observed. If Alex didn't want you to know he had been hurt, you usually didn't, unless you were me, or well, Jack. And even if he really wants you not to know it would be impossible to figure it out. Like this time for instance, it was almost unnoticeable, but Alex's posture was really rigid and he braced himself every time he took a step with his left foot. I'm guess that he broke yet another rib and sprained his ankle again. Thank god football season is over or Alex would have been even angrier than he already is. When we got outside I put my food down and stared out at the clouds.

"Status report," I said coldly. I had to say it without emotions, if I didn't my voice would have definitely broke.

"What? Okay, I'll play status report on what?" He asked trying to feign innocence, but I could tell I caught him off guard.

"You know what I'm talking about. You definitely fucked up your ankle, but was it your shoulder or have you broken another rib, perhaps both?" I asked my voice rising. I couldn't help it.

"Who told you?" He asked calm as the sky after a storm.

"Nobody told me. I overheard some girls. But it doesn't matter, you are avoiding my question. What is your status right now and swear to God if you lie I'll sick Jack on you." I replied.

"Tell me their names. What did they look like?" He redirected again. Stubborn as ever.

"I don't know. What does it matter? Tell me how hurt are you. I can tell that your limping. And there is something not right about your torso. I'll call Jack." I took out my phone. "I'll do it, I swear."

"I just sprained my ankle and dislocated my shoulder, happy? I've seen worse." I had to look down. I knew he had. How could I not remember it. I still have nightmares seeing him in that hospital bed weak and feverish. "I had to protect you. It's just you and Jack for me. That's it. You're my rocks. I stubble into uncharted territory all the time, you two are always there when I get home. I'd endure far worse than this to make sure you two are safe." He lifted my chin and looked me straight in the eyes.

"I understand. But when you get hurt. Don't lie about it. Don't ignore it. Let me take care of you. It's all I'm capable of doing at this point. I can't have your back in a fight, but I can take care your needs afterwards. Your physical needs. I know you tend to forget about them. Even at times deny that they exist at all. But they do. You are human, no matter what you try to say you are. You are a living breathing, bleeding, human. And your body is fragile just like the rest of us. And...and." Alex silenced me with a kiss. One kiss and we heard a girl gasp from the side.

Alex grimaced and looked straight at the girl. There was a whole flock of them. Just waiting up the hill, watching us. They were in a particularly unfavorable position a that moment since they were the at the receiving end of one of Alex's glares. With his glares you don't have to imagine lasers shooting out of his eyes. You just felt so uneasy and anxious you just fled. And that was exactly what these girls did.

"Did you enjoy the show?" I shouted after them as they ran away. I had a smile on my face. They weren't doing much harm. Just being a bunch of silly girls. Alex eventually calmed down and we lapsed into our usual conversations about nothing in particular and everything at the same time. The important topics said right along with the unnecessary shit.

...

After lunch, I'd convinced Alex to go home and go get fixed up. He didn't need any more bones that wouldn't mend. My mistake though. When Alex was gone, the shield of protection that covered me melted away. I didn't notice at first. A snide comment here, and odd remark there, nothing I couldn't handle. But as the time grew so did people's confidence. The first one was this loud rowdy girl from the lacrosse team.

"So Tom, so it's you who takes it up the arse, then. I always figured you for a lady." She said this with a smug expression and continued on her way. Gym class was the worst. James was the only person that would get changed with me. All the other guys went out of their way to be gone by the time I sired the courage to actually go into the gym. Don't be fooled, I was an athletic guy. I'm no Alex Rider, but I've been on the football team my entire life. The gym had always been a comfortable place for me to go. But then at that one moment it was terrifying. James had known all the time what I was. He hadn't said anything until now, but he let me know that nothing had changed and the people that thought it had we just stupid.

Gym was the last class of the day. So I headed home like usual. Alex and I usually walk home together and mess around in each other's houses for a few hours before reluctantly doing our homework and returning to our respective houses. But when Alex isn't there I just walk home alone. Sometimes I bribe James to come walk with me but today he had to go to his sister's birthday party right after school so I was out of luck.

As I walked home they were waiting for me. There was a group of them. I guess they were mates of the two that decided to mess with Alex that morning, but I all I could think was why couldn't they just let it go. I pushed past them hoping I could get home without them pulling anything.

"Hey Tom, where you going?" One of them who was wearing an orange polo asked. But he asked in that way all bullies do. That voice that to anyone looking on would seem friendly but you knew better because they laughed at your answers.

"Home, bugger off." I replied walking a bit faster. The biggest one there decided to walk ahead of me and put a hand on my chest pushing me back.

"Why don't you stay and have a chat with us for a while. Tommy boy." The Cro-Magnon one said as he held me in place. The orange shirted guy started talking again.

"We have a predicament here you see Tom, we don't like fagots. They are wrong and skivvy and make our skin crawl. It just unnatural. Nothing against you personally it's just wrong. We would have left you alone though because you're a decent guy. Social and all that not like that punk Rider you go around with. But Rider had to go be a little shit and hurt our mates. And we can't hurt him because he isn't human. He doesn't react like humans do you know. So the only thing left to do is hurt you. You see. We don't want to, but if we don't it will send the wrong message about us." My heart rate increased and I braced myself to get hit. But this is when Alex decided to set from the shadows.

"What that you are a decent human beings. No we wouldn't want that you see than people might think that you are actually not the scum of the earth. Get up, Tom." I stood up and navigated thought them in their shocked state. "So you heard what I did to your friends them good. They what do you think I'm going to do to you? Play nice and let you go? The only little shit I see right now is you. No one touches Tom. I'll give you to the count of ten. If your still here you'll be joining your friends in the hospital." They just stared dumbly at Alex not knowing what to do.

"One...Two...Three..." They started to run and one dialed a number and a few blocks later a car came to pick them up. "Come on Tom lets go home." At Alex's house I told Jack everything of what happened and she gave me ice cream. Alex called James up and told him that I wasn't allowed to walk home alone anymore and that it was James's responsibility to make sure I didn't walk home. I think it was a bit unnecessary I doubt anyone would go after me now but it made Alex feel better. And so it we progressed like any other afternoon and everything was back to normal. At least as normal as it could be after Alex came home from a mission.