I do NOT own Alex Rider. Horowitz does. He would be appalled reading this (ok, maybe not but still).

I ALSO DO NOT OWN SPRING AWAKENING.

-This fic's chapters are all based off of the songs in the musical "Spring Awakening" as they appear in chronological order. Mostly it's just the title of the song, but sometimes the lyrics will have relevancy as well.

SPOILERS FOR EVERY BOOK IN THE SERIES

Disclaimers: Alex/Tom. DLDR. I enjoy the thought of these two being together. There will be explicit (note the wording) material in later chapters. This fic is purely about a relationship, not about the sex that happens in it (looking at you, lemon-writers). Not to say there won't be any, but it's definitely not going to be happening within the first 3 chapters. Maybe 4 or 5. Hell maybe not even until 7.

(If you saw Spring Awakening, you will have a general idea of when it might take place)

This, unlike almost every other slash fic, isn't written in first person. I alternate limited 3rd person perspectives.

I'm rambling.

Okay, let's go. Please enjoy. REVIEW too. I like those

Spring Awakening

An Alex Rider Fanfiction

By: Heartless_Scholar

Chapter 1: Mama Who Bore Me

7:00PM on a warm summer night in Chelsea; Tom had just settled down with his mother and his brother, Jerry for dinner. The kitchen they were eating in was in disrepair. The cabinets that lined the walls were falling apart, and mold could be seen growing inside them. The fridge was covered in scratches and looked like a total mess. The stove didn't work, but the oven beneath it always heated up too fast and wouldn't stop. Last time the family tried to cook something in it the house was almost burnt down.

Yes, Tom's life without his dad was an absolute wreck. Without his father's money, his mother couldn't possibly support Tom, much less herself and Jerry from time to time as he came to visit. Tom's mother lost her job a few months after divorcing his father. She had then won the custody battle over him in court; and honestly, Tom didn't care either way. He thought both of his parents were nutjobs. The fact that his brother's name was Jerry was all that one needed to know about them.

They ate on a wobbly wooden table; the KFC containers were almost empty now as Tom finished his last bite of popcorn chicken. He didn't like drumsticks, breasts, or wings. He didn't like the bones; eating around them made him feel like an animal.

The table was silent, but that was usual. Tom rarely spoke to his mother anymore. She could do nothing for him. All he was doing was awaiting the day he turned 16 and could move out of the house and live with his brother. He only had one year to go.

Yet beside this Tom felt tension in the air; everyone at the table could. It was looming, like a black cloud above a city constantly threatening to pour rain down on its inhabitants. The cloud over the table was Tom's secret that he had been hiding from his mother. Jerry already knew and didn't care; but he insisted that Tom tell his mother that he was gay by the time he left the next morning for America. Jerry was about to go study history at the University of California in Los Angeles, and he wanted to know his brother was comfortable with his sexuality around his mother.

As Tom swallowed the final piece of chicken Jerry shot him a glance, saying c'mon you bloke, just spit it out. Tom would've complied; he trusted Jerry, but his mother was a whole different story and because of that it wasn't as easy as Jerry thought it would be.

Tom looked at the ceiling, as if waiting for God himself to just spell it out to his mother for him. It didn't happen, Tom sighed. If only Alex were here.

Alex. Alex Rider. His best friend who was now in California with the family of his girlfriend. The last time he saw him was the day before he left for America with Mr. Pleasure.

He remembered that day…the day his second half left him alone in the gloomy city of London.

He remembered the tears streaking down his face when he hugged his best friend goodbye.

He remembered the hopelessness he felt the first few weeks following.

He hadn't even told him his secret.

Tom needed to tell his mom, he didn't know why. Maybe it was his brain punishing him for not telling Alex before he left. There was something pushing him…fate, perhaps…to tell his mother that he was not into women.

Tom sighed and looked back at Jerry, who gave him a small nod from across the table. Tom looked at his Mom, who was still finishing a bit of a chicken wing, and took a deep breath.

"Mom…"

"Yes, sweetie?" Her voice was gentle.

"Um…how do you feel about…homosexuals?"

His mother stopped eating, swallowed, and put her food down. She looked at Tom, her eyes not giving away anything. "That's an odd question, why do you need to know?"

"A school report." Tom rehearsed this in the mirror in his room. He sounded perfectly normal.

"Really? On what?"

"Society's feelings towards homosexuals, Jews, blacks, Irish…basically minority groups that have received some terrible treatment in the past. I want to know if the general view of the public has changed or stayed the same."

"Well I'm fine with black people, Jewish people are fine, and I don't remember the last time I read something about an Irish person being discriminated against."

Tom was annoyed. She avoided his initial question, "And…?"

"And…what?"

He sighed, "Homosexuals."

"Oh. Sorry. I forgot. I don't like them. They're not natural. I'm sorry, but a man's penis goes into a woman's vagina. Not another man's butt. It's not how humans were meant to be."

The world stopped.

Mama who bore me,

Mama who made me…

Mama the angel…

Who made me so sad

-Spring Awakening

He never felt attached to his mom. So why did he feel so crushed at this proclamation? Was it because Tom felt that mothers should, in fact, care for their children? Or be more sensitive to them? Of course, he wasn't considering the fact that his mom didn't know he was gay, but in essence he felt the same way as if she had disowned him for it.

Jerry looked at Tom from across the table and saw fire in his eyes. He shot a glance at him to calm him down, but it wasn't working. Tom was furious. He stood up and gave a menacing glare to his mother.

"How could you condemn two people of the same sex loving each other when you couldn't even keep a heterosexual marriage?" He screamed, "Have you ever considered loving someone? You certainly didn't show it to Dad. But you described love as a sexual emotion in your answer, so maybe that's it. You just liked his prick, huh? Is that it?"

Tom's mother had no way to respond. Jerry stood and stormed over to Tom, grabbing him, and cupping his hand over his brother's mouth, "You will not talk to our mother that way, Tom! You're not being fair, she doesn't even know!"

She spoke, "Know what?"

Tom broke free of his brother's muzzle, "I'M GAY!" With that he ran up to his bedroom, his brother relinquishing control. Jerry sighed; his palm went to his forehead as he pulled a chair up next to his mom.

"Sorry, mum. Tom didn't mean it. He really didn't."

His mom was shaking. She hadn't been yelled at by her boy before. Well, she had, but it was never a verbal assault like the recent one. Jerry hugged his mom, "Look, I can't say I don't agree with anything he says…but I know you had to have loved Dad at one point."

"Why couldn't he tell me he was gay?" She asked, "I wouldn't have said what I did about homosexuals…"

"I think he wanted the truth, mum, and I think I know why he wanted it."

"Why?"

"Look…" Jerry sighed, pulling away from his mom, "I told him that if you won't accept him…he can come with me to California. You know I got accepted into the University of California in Los Angeles, and it just so happens that Alex is staying with his girlfriend's family around that area. He desperately wants to see Alex, and it's known that California accepts homosexuals more widely than most other states in the U.S…"

"You're taking Tom away from me now?" She said, a tear rolling down her cheek, "Why? I do love Tom, I love both of you. I'm sorry if I haven't shown it, but I do. I miss you not being around, Jerry, and I don't want Tom to go away too."

"He's sixteen."

"I know."

"Mum, he's decided to come with me."

His mother sobbed, "I know."

Tom had already packed his suitcase. Every article of clothing he could fit went in there, along with a few pairs of shoes and his portable gaming systems. He didn't read much, but he had a book on LA that he wanted to read on the 12-hour flight.

A knock came from his door.

"Who is it?" Tom asked with a groan.

"Jerry." Without even asking his brother came in and closed the door.

Tom glared at him,"What do you want?"

"Hey, back off, I'm the one getting you out of here." Jerry replied, acid in his voice. Tom settled down and threw himself onto his bed, staring at the ceiling above.

"Why doesn't she care?"

Jerry sighed, "She does Tom. You jump to conclusions too fast." He sat down next to his younger brother, noting that his body has taken on a more manly stature since he last saw him when he was 15. "Hey, you know what'd impress Alex? If you built some muscle. You have the frame for it."

Tom sat up quickly and looked at Jerry, his face red "H-How would you know if I want to impress Alex?"

Jerry giggled, "It's obvious. You've said something about him every day since we left. But I did want to say something. He's straight, Tom, and has a girlfriend."

Tom looked down at his feet, "I know…but…"

"Ha. You like him."

Tom nodded slowly, "Yeah…I think I do. I guess it's just that I've never felt closer to anyone…and he is a fine-looking man. Don't you agree?"

Jerry gave a puzzled look, "Sure?"

Tom laughed, "Oh, right."

"Is it so wrong to be straight?" Jerry asked, breaking into a fit of laughter.

"Hehe, if the world had an even amount of gay and straight people. I'm pretty sure we'd all be accepted and dating would be so much easier."

"Yeah, you guys have it rough. Just be careful with Alex, O.K.? I know you have strong feelings for him and you might scare him or offend him if you try anything romantic."

Tom sighed, "Of course, Jerry. I'm not stupid."

His brother smiled, "I know you're…wait a second. You're my little brother. Yeah you're a dumbass." He was responded with a tackle from Tom, knocking them both to the ground and initiating one of their wrestling matches. Jerry was surprised as he actually had to struggle a bit against Tom's newfound strength. His brother was getting older. He hoped his brain was too; even though they were going to be in a more-accepting environment gay guys were not the norm in California by any means. He also knew that once he got to see Alex again he's going to be thrown into emotional turmoil once Sabina comes along.

Jerry pinned Tom for ten seconds, claimed his victory and crawled off of his brother, the both of them panting.

"You're a lot stronger than you were last time." Tom said.

"I was literally about to say the same thing about you."

Tom stood up and embraced his brother, "Hey, Jerry?"

Jerry, not knowing how to react hugged back, "Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For?"

"Giving me a new life."

Jerry smiled and relinquished his brother, "You're more than welcome, Tom. Not get some sleep, we're leaving tomorrow morning and you have a long flight ahead of you. You might want to text Alex, too; let him know that his best friend will be landing in 18 hours." He left Tom's room and closed the door.

Tom excitedly grabbed for his phone and selected Alex's number from his contacts:

TO: Alex Rider

MESSAGE:

Hey, Alex! We haven't talked in weeks! I'm moving out to LA with my brother, and I'm going to be landing in 18 hours. We should hang out soon!

-T

With that, Tom sent the message and turned off his phone. He crawled into bed and fell asleep quickly. His wrestling match had really tired him out.

HEY! I hope you guys liked it! I'll post a couple more chapters before I decide whether it deserves to be continued or not. If you guys REVIEW I may be a little more encouraged ;) THANKS!

-HEARTLESS_SCHOLAR