Title: Inevitable
Rating: T for teens and angst
Summary: No, just no, this couldn't be happening… It was all just a dream… It shouldn't have come as a surprise, but tragedy has always defined Alex. One-shot
Disclaimer: No, I do not own anything of Alex Rider and never will. There is also no profit gained from this.
Warnings: This is semi-AU and Scorpia Rising never took place, and I really should get a beta. I am also American and lack proper knowledge of English slang.
Inevitable
It was a regular day until a teacher told Alex Rider that someone was here to see him. Against all odds, he survived until the age of eighteen and stood up smoothly; ignoring Tom's worried glance and the glares the rest of the class gave. There was a lazy grace in his stride as Alex wondered who it was. He slid in the office and was faced with K-Unit, Snake, Eagle, and even Fox was there.
"So, as good as it is to see you all, my academic reputation would thank you if you waited until after school," Alex greeted them as he tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach at their expressions. Snake and Eagle looked uncomfortable and guilty while Fox was watching him carefully.
"Well… You see… It… Justhere!" A letter was unceremoniously shoved in Alex's hands. He stared at the formal paper blankly, even while his mind processed it subconsciously. He fumbled with the envelope and dimly registered the minute shaking of his hands. After clumsily peeling open the letter, his mind tried to understand the words placed there so simply.
"Sincerest condolences… Honorable discharge…. Accident…" snatches of words stood out, dark ebony against pristine white, as the list went on and on, but Alex just glazed at the former K-Unit uncomprehendingly. He felt his shields start cracking after so many years and hated the sympathy in their eyes.
"This is a joke right? Where's Wolf? Where is James?" Denials where spewed out and two soldiers watched as Fox hugged the child and whispered false comfort in his ears. Excuses where made to the principle and they brought the grieving boy back home.
The house in Chelsea that Alex Rider called home for all his life was a lonely shell, reflecting the bleakness of its owner's mood. "Empty, far too empty and cold," the traitorous thoughts seeped through the mind of the boy, no, the young man, as he buried himself deeper in his bed. Blank eyes stared out the window to avoid the worried glances that were sent in his direction.
"We wanted to ask that you let us tell his father about the two of you," Snake ventured softly. Alex turned his gaze to the box on his shelf and tugged it down. The lid was pushed out and he lifted a simple mood ring out, nostalgia bringing him to reminisce about its origins.
"Here," gruff hands pushed an aged ring in the younger boy's hands.
"Come on James! I know the SAS get paid much more than this!" Even as Alex was laughing, he slid the weathered ring on his finger, delighted at his lover's gesture.
He knew how much effort it took for the emotionally stunted man to show such commitment. From the soldier, it was basically a marriage proposal.
"It is one of the few things I have left of my mother. Keep it," Wolf said, when he saw Alex trying to return it. "When I have time, I'll buy you a better one, if you want?" The last three words were spoken hesitantly, as if fearing rejection.
Alex shook his head, "No it's incredible," and his meant it, kissing the wary expression off of the unit leader's face.
That felt like ages ago, not a mere three weeks. Unconsciously, tears began forming and the repeated statements 'there is no time,' or 'later,' rang through his mind. The same words the he and Wolf, no James, used whenever something came up. They were both people who had a duty to their country and forgot just fragile human life was. In the end, both were humans who had expected a whole life with the other, instead of a single year. Too much wasted time and a wealth of broken promises replayed themselves to the teen.
The ring was pried from tight fingers gently, with the whispered promise of "we'll give it back," from Eagle.
Sobs began to wrench themselves out of the young man when the door closed. Three co-workers, no friends, closed their eyes in pain when they heard the muffle cries.
The sky was cloudy as the small group accumulated at the picturesque courtyard. Alex was in a formal suit and Jack in a simple black dress. They made their way over to the three familiar faces and took the empty seats next to them.
The funeral past by slowly; each droning word from the priest felt like a punch to the gut to Alex, and there was only ten people, excluding the clergy. When it was over, a bulky man with ashy black hair peppered with white made his way over to the despondent teen.
The soldiers introduced them and the man hugged the teen tightly. "It is wonderful to meet the person who could make my boy rest, even for a while." Alex stilled from shock at the casual acceptance and then hugged him back.
At the end of the procession, Snake handed Alex a velvet box. Alex opened it to reveal an onyx ring with the simple words 'I Love You' engraved on the inside of the stone. He nearly dropped it in shock, knowing how much James hated to say those words and looked at Snake for answers.
"James asked me to have it made and keep it in case something happened to him. Somehow, I believe he knew he wasn't going to walk out of this one alive."
The ring fit perfectly, and for a moment, Alex could imagine what could have been. If only Wolf wasn't so noble and chose to give his life for his team's, but Alex knew that would have never happened and he would have done the exact same thing in Wolf's position.
It was a lull between James' next deployment and Alex's fast-paced missions or never ending stack of homework. They were curled up between each other to enjoy the rare moment of respite their hectic schedules offered them.
"What would you do if you had to choose between me and your team?" Alex couldn't resist asking.
"What would you do if you had to choose between me and the world?" James replied with a knowing look.
Nothing more need to be said. The smaller figure leaned into the larger as the simple touch assured that they were still alive, still whole, and still in the other's arms.
The two of them weren't selfish and as much as they would give anything for the other, it would be what they could give, and not at the cost of others. They were soldiers and knew the cost of serving their country.
As much as Alex wanted to hate James for his choice, he understood.
~FIN~
5/38/12 - Originally written and posted. I'm not going to lie, I had a dream, woke up and started writing this :/
4/13/13 - revised and added some more content, I just realized how much grammar mistakes I had and corrected what I could find.
The first ring Wolf gave Alex was supposed to be a mood color ring, but then I felt it was too childish? I really liked them as a child and thinking about Alex holding it and it changing from purple/blue to yellow and then grey/black made me sad. So if you guys weren't sad enough, you can have that image as well.
4/29/17- altered summary a little and crossposted to AO3, so if you guys see it there, it's not plagiarism.
So I was re-reading this and the age thing bothered me a bit more than when I first wrote this and looking back, having Jack there and alive, but without a scene with her opinion on the relationship seems off? I also wished I was talented enough to insert more of the K-Unit in an organic way... I guess there's always a chance I would come back to this, but at this point, it's been at least 4 years since I've actively been a part of the fandom and even more since I've read the series and don't feel like I can do character justice with vague ideas.