Silences can be friendly, comforting, distressing, or just plain awkward. "Awkward" was probably the best word for this situation.
Ben still had his hand on Alex's chin, and although Alex wasn't looking at him directly, he was carefully taking in Ben's reaction to the wings that were spread out behind him. All in all, Ben had frozen and widened his eyes, but done nothing else.
Alex, for a change, broke the silence. "Should I leave?"
Ben swallowed, reversing their personalities completely by shaking his head vigorously. Even though he was trying to look Alex in the eye, but it was evident that his wings were an excellent distraction.
Alex stood, gently brushing Ben's hand aside, and snapped his wings shut. His face betrayed a quiet anger. "Should the freak sleep on the floor?" Ben blinked and swallowed again, realizing that Alex felt singled out as inhuman by his ogling. Still at a loss for words, Ben shook his head again. "Well, Ben, aren't we quiet?" Alex smiled, but it didn't come near his eyes; his eyes showed a small, angry fire fueled by the stares and inhuman treatment he received often now, yet there was an emotion hidden behind those flames that yearned almost in vain for something.
"A-Alex, you," Ben hesitated, and Alex waited impatiently, "have got to understand where I'm coming from. It's rather..." Ben paused again, searching for the right word.
Alex supplied a few. "Abnormal? Mutant? Freakish? Bird-y? Or maybe just plain inhuman!"
"...surprising." Alex rolled his eyes, then shut them, drawing in a deep, steadying breath and sat down again.
"I'm sorry. My anger's not for you- not specifically." Deflated, Alex looked smaller than before, and Ben seemed to snap out of his shocked trance- he wasn't MI6 for nothing.
"Alex, I'm sorry. I was caught off guard, you see, but I can understand how you feel." Alex snorted. "Alright, maybe not to the same degree, but I've been singled out before too."
Alex inspected the table's intricate wooden patterns for a moment, then surprised Ben with a response. "How?"
"You remember the SAS camp, right?" Oh yes, Alex did. "Not long after you left, it became evident that I was one of the best at the camp in almost every exercise. The sergeant resented that, and I was picked on constantly until some of the higher ups got wind of it and transferred me to MI6, where I'm alienated because of my inexperience and all the secrecy involved.
"During that time, Wolf, Snake, and Eagle were very friendly, but there was some hidden rivalry that distanced us. We're still friends, though- going through h*** together does that to people; I see them from time to time, and because I'm MI6 now some of the tension is gone. You'll probably meet them again at some point, along with Bear: the new member." Alex looked up, his expression unreadable.
"When?"
"I don't know." Ben stopped for a moment, trying to decipher Alex's look. "May I ask you a few questions?" Alex nodded slightly. "Does your shirt have slits or something?"
Alex chuckled softly for a moment. "Yeah- my wardrobe now consists of short- and long-sleeved shirts with slits and several baggy jackets. Pants, too, of course, and socks and the like." Alex looked relieved at the simple question, but he then tensed. "But... um..."
"But what?"
Alex blushed. "I still haven't quite figured out how to take off a shirt with slits."
"Oh." There was another awkward silence. "I'll give you a hand." Alex nodded his thanks. "I've another question. Why did the doctor specifically say to wash your hands carefully."
"About that... to make a long story shorter, the doctors at the veterinarian hospital kept finding new traits- like the purring. It seems that GenoSchool taught me to stick to things, but it's only if I tense my skin in the right way."
"Like a gecko?"
"Yeah, something like that. It's hard to tell." Alex seemed unsettled, so Ben asked another questions.
"Can you fly?"
"No. I don't know how to."
Ben pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled. "It's not instinctual?" Alex gave a silent negative. "Hm."
Ben studied Alex closely before continuing. "Now, Alex, if my next question makes you uncomfortable at all, just refuse, alright? Do you understand that?" Alex gulped but nodded. "May I touch them?"
Alex blinked a few times, surprised. "You're the first person who's asked."
Ben raised his eyebrows, surprised as well. Half-smiling, he asked, "Well, what did the others do? Just touch?"
"More or less." Alex omitted the fact that Jack had basically knelt down to start worshiping and had never touched his black wings. "I guess it's alright, if you want to."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Ben stood and crossed the room to stand behind Alex. The slits in the shirt were nicely seamed- at least MI6 could provide clothes. Right then, Alex had his wings pressed flat against his back. The feathers were seamlessly aligned, and Ben couldn't help but wonder if Alex preened his feathers. Carefully, Ben placed a steady hand on one of Alex's wings. The feathers were soft and silky. Alex turned his head to look at the foreign hand.
"You're not afraid of me?"
"Not really."
"You're not throwing me out?"
"No way!"
"You don't think I'm a freak?" It was the quietest of the three.
"Alex, you are not a freak. Even though you have wings, it's only a genetic anomaly." Ben squeezed Alex's wing and shoulder gently, trying to reassure both of them, but Alex stood up and faced him.
Needless to say, Ben was very surprised when Alex wrapped his arms around him in a warm hug.
"Thank you."
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It was a warm, comforting embrace, and it lasted a few long minutes. Ben had tried out the doctor's suggestion of rubbing right under Alex's wings, and although Alex didn't purr then, it was clear that he enjoyed the sensation; Alex had leaned his head into Ben's chest and had relaxed his wings to allow Ben to rub circles into his wing-pits. It felt nice to be held close, after all.
Unfortunately, the phone rang and shattered the moment.
Ben ruffled Alex's hair and pulled away to answer it. Alex smiled uncertainly and leaned against the counter, waiting for Ben to finish the call.
"Hello, this is Ben Daniels speaking." The other end of the line talked for a good five or six minutes, with Ben occasionally murmuring affirmatives to demonstrate his attentiveness. "Alright, understood. Daniels out."
Alex gave him a questioning look, and Ben sighed. "That was the bank. No- it's not about a mission," Ben added quickly after seeing Alex's eyes bulge. "Tomorrow, another agent will be moving in across the hall from us. She'll be your doctor, acting as a new neighbor. Also, Ms. Johnson will bring the necessary materials for your homeschooling."
"Homeschooling?"
"Yes. MI6 wants you to get used to your changes before you go back to school." Darn.
"What about my friends? When can I see them?" Alex really meant just Tom, but singular pronouns might arouse questions.
Ben chewed his lip. "I suppose anytime, but you're not supposed to let anyone besides myself, Agent Johnson, and informed people get word of your 'big secret'. If you can't come up with a decent excuse for why you're living with me or why you can't attend school in your healthy state, I don't know if I can let you see them."
"I'm sure I can come up with something."
Ben looked faintly suspicious. "Like?"
Alex hadn't expected Ben to inquire that far. "Like... Jack had to go visit her dad who's suffering from terminal cancer, and my uncle's bank's personnel manager was partially in charge of me when she had to leave. I could say they found another employee to take care of me on an old favor to Ian. And I can say I haven't renewed my passport recently enough to go to America- no, wait. Maybe Jack wouldn't have wanted to uproot me." Alex frowned slightly at the irony of the last statement- that was exactly what she had done.
"Alright, that's believable. But what about the homeschooling?"
Alex paused, reconsidering what he could and couldn't say. "Well, I could say that my sicknesses are being monitored closely, and I'm not supposed to leave the house."
"That's not going to hold water."
"Then why are all my absences attributed to illness?" Alex snapped, thinking of all the false doctor notes he'd turned into the teachers.
"I don't know- I wasn't the one in charge of you," Ben replied calmly. Alex sighed, releasing his pent-up anger.
"Alright, alright." He paused, debating whether or not to tell Ben about Tom's knowledge.
If he did tell Ben, he could see Tom sooner- Tom knew about most of his missions, but he hadn't seen or communicated with him since the end of the school term. He could show Tom as soon as they were in private. But if Ben knew, then he'd have to report it to MI6, and only luck would keep Alex from being blackmailed through Tom. It just wasn't worth it.
"So..." Ben muttered, "I don't have a TV- what do you like to do?"
Alex paused. "Sports, I suppose." He hadn't had much time in the past few years to gather many hobbies; the only ones he really knew of were the extreme sports Ian had taught him about.
"Hm, that's not really something we could do right now- it's rather late." Alex nodded in agreement, but stopped to smother a yawn. It was maybe 8:30 PM.
It seemed to remind Ben of the situation.
"Let's work out the sleeping arrangements. Would you like the bed?"
"I'm sure you want it." It was true; Ben would take the bed over the couch anytime.
"Shall we flip a coin?" Alex agreed it was the fairest way. Ben called tails; it landed on heads.
"Aw, d***," Ben cursed with a good nature. Alex laughed at his expense. "Right, then. You said you needed a hand, correct?" Alex blushed again, but nodded.
"Then let's get to it."
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"So, how exactly did the doctors help you?" Alex had pulled out pajamas, and Ben had changed in the bathroom already. Both had brushed their teeth; it was just a matter of changing for Alex.
"Um, they basically helped me pull my wings into my shirt. Then I could pull it off myself."
"Right." Alex sat down on the edge of the bed, and Ben faced his back.
Gently, Ben stretched the shirt over the first joint of his left wing; he then delicately tucked the feathers into the bottom of the slit. The same motions were repeated on the other side.
Without really thinking about it, Alex pulled off his shirt. They were both guys, right? So it was okay.
But it wasn't.
Ben swore violently in near-shock when he laid his eyes on the newest scars that adorned Alex's torso.
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AN: Please don't review.