Alex grinned and laughed as he punched Tom playfully in the shoulder. "You're such an idiot." Tom shot him a dirty look and retaliated with a foot placed smartly before Alex's shin.
"No, you're such an-hey, you can't do that!" Alex hopped over the foot and pushed Tom in a nearby mud puddle, the smaller boy flailing to keep his balance. "That's not fair!"
Alex shrugged and adjusted the strap of his pack on his shoulder. "Life's not fair, mate, life's not fair." He sobered enough to say the line with meaning then laughed again and held out a hand to help up the sour faced Tom. "Just trying to help."
Tom accepted the hand with a wary look and allowed Alex to pull him up safely and right him on his feet, shaking his hand from his friends grip when he was safe. "No help needed, mate, I'm enjoying my last hour as a dumb twenty-year old best I can before I become a hopeless lugabout like you." He stuck his tongue out childishly and clumsily dodged another strike from the palm of Alex.
The two continued the banter and shoving all the way to their destination, where Tom straightened his back at the door, child behavior gone, and Alex shot him a careful look of consideration. "I know you don't want me to ask again, but are you sure…?" he let the words hang in the air unspoken and dampening the playful air quickly dissipating into the past.
Tom didn't look at him and squared his shoulder resolutely. "Yes, Alex, I'm sure." He said with courage in his eyes and steel in his voice. There would be no convincing him otherwise, Alex realized then and was forced to nod in support.
Least he could do was support his friend when he needed it, even if he thought he was making the wrong decision. Tom was his only real friend at the moment, Alex figured he should try and sustain that best he could, and if that included helping him make the most important decision of his life, he would.
"I'm going in, Alex, you following?" Tom broke Alex out of his resigned stupor, hand on the door handle and looking at him expectantly.
"Yeah, I suppose I am." He smiled a strained smile and Tom smiled the same back before turning and pulling the door open, holding it for Alex and going in himself when it became obvious that Alex wasn't going to let him do that.
Catching the door as Tom released it, Alex took one last, yearning look outside and desperately wished Tom wouldn't do this to him. "Alex, quit loitering, come on." At the pleading in his friend's voice Alex turned and took the few steps it took to be fully inside the building. He let the door close listlessly behind him and with slight hesitation hurried to catch up with the determined gate Tom set.
Tom was already at the front desk, hands on counter and staring down the equally challenging secretary when Alex reached him. "I called before I came here this morning, what do you mean I don't have any record?" Tom demanded and the secretary made a helpless gesture with her hands, a gesture that meant she had no intention of helping the slight male.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have a Tom Harris listed for an interview. If you could take a seat by the wall I can call my boss and ask." She offered not at all apologetically. Alex sighed, and stepped up beside Tom, giving the woman a smile. He was glad he'd made sure to call ahead in case Tom really did go through with this, and wouldn't be remembered.
"Excuse me, M'am, but is there by any chance an Alex Rider listed?" he asked politely, a smile as fake as the brand named clutch beside her hand. She blinked and took a look at the computer screen before her, fingers tapping a few keys on the board before she looked up again.
"Yes, there is, actually, for 2:30." She sounded surprised, Alex smiled and didn't look at Tom, but felt the burning gaze drilling into the side of his head. "May I presume that you are Mr. Rider?"
Alex nodded and slipped a card across the counter, hiding it from Tom's view as he did so, allowing the woman a chance to read what it said and register the importance before taking it back and returning it to his back pocket. "That is correct, now may my friend and I pass?" she nodded, flustered and as Alex brushed past Tom to walk down one of the branching hallways, hearing his friend quickly take chase, the woman grabbed her phone, dialed and spoke urgent, hushed words into the mouthpiece.
"What did you do, Alex?" Tom demanded. "I thought I told you not to interfere!" he grabbed Alex's arm and pulled him back from his fast paced walk. Alex looked into Tom's blue eyes when he spoke, trying to make his friend understand.
"She wouldn't have let you in by yourself, Tom, you're too much of a nobody in a world like this. I had to pull some strings, I'm sorry, but it was necessary." He held up a finger for silence when Tom opened his mouth to protest angrily. "All I did was get you the audience you wanted, nothing more, I hold no sway in the interviewer's decision. I don't even know who the guy is." he offered a guilty smile, hoping that would appease his friend enough.
Tom looked at him carefully for a few seconds before nodding. "You better not have, Alex, or you would have another thing coming." He threatened. "I don't want to get this job because my best friend is MI6's best agent." Alex laughed they continued walking.
They were silent for the rest of the journey, a relatively short one in terms of real time but for the best friends it felt longer than the years they'd been compatriots. Such was a walk of fate.
The silence was broken when they stopped in silent unison before the door Tom was to enter through, Alex turned to Tom and grinned. "Well, Tom, now it's your turn, make sure my favor pays off. I'd hate to see you lose the job and my social standing." He clapped a hand to Tom's shoulder suddenly serious. "Please, Tom, do your best, yeah?"
Blue eyes crinkled and thin lips smiled without showing teeth as Tom clasped Alex's shoulder in turn. "I would never let you down, Alex, and I never will." He murmured and with a decisive nod turned, breaking the moment, and knocked once on the door.
A voice within, stern and stony, very similar to the voice of Alan Blunt, Alex thought sardonically, called out. "Come in."
And Tom twisted the door knob and opened the door. He walked in without looking back and the only glimpse Alex could catch of the man seated behind the desk that would decide where Tom's life was going was of a black suit and black eyes, hard as stones. Before he could say more the door had closed with a gentle click and Alex was left standing alone in an otherwise empty hallway.
That was the last time he would see Tom Harris for five years. And the next time they would be on very separate sides of the law.
Possible beginning for a new story Tom and Alex centric. By the way, it would be Tom on the right side of the law, I like cliche angst Alex too much. But would it really be angst Alex? Or a facade, one of many? Would Tom really be on the side of the law? Egh...
Anyways, still not updating Great Companion, can't get up the strength and motivation. But I don't want it to become another one of those stories never completed...I'll get around...egh...
Y'all should listen to Loud Pipes by Ratatat, it's intense, and makes this story read all intense. Like the trailer to an action movie of action. Hohoho, I'm so funny. (You don't have to laugh, I'm letting you off this time, I agree that was incredibly stupid.)
Gosh I love Pandora, finding all this music I don't even know but like. Wow. I'm sleepy.
I'm gonna play pocket frogs now, because I know how to waste my life. And that's getting pissed at pixel generated fictional frogs that won't hatch. Figure it's better than getting pissed at poisoned/paralyzed/infatuated/confused/sleeping pokemon and informing them that it's their fault their dying and not helping when I have the means. I'm such a Gary. *huge sigh*
G'night then.