A/N: Happy Monday, everyone!


Yassen pushed open the door to the flat, a little surprised to see the living room empty and the television quiet. Perhaps Alex was still at the restaurant. The boy had given him that cross don't-treat-me-like-a-baby look when the assassin had told him about Dima's offer and his preference that Alex spend his afternoons doing his homework there. Yassen had rather expected the boy would put in only a cursory appearance and head immediately home, but perhaps it had gone better than planned and Alex had ended up liking the place.

Or not.

A whirlwind of untidiness had blown through the kitchen and hallway. Alex's possessions were strewn about in almost chronological order of layers. In a former era of his life, the assassin would have gone on high alert and swiftly examined it for signs of a struggle, but after a mere matter of months stuck living with a teenager, it just inspired annoyance. Around dinner time, Alex's mild fastidiousness seemed to go offline for the night. Yassen half considered picking the various articles of clothing up himself, but dismissed the idea. Wasn't Alex supposed to be the one hung up on cleaning?

The shiny silver takeaway tray resting on the counter drew his attention. He pushed back the foil cover and chuckled to himself: a full pan of brownies.

Of course Alex had sweet talked his way into a month's worth of dessert. Of course.

It could be worse, he supposed, glancing in the fridge to confirm it's relative emptiness. Naturally, the boy wouldn't have wheedled his way into anything remotely healthy. At least Alex was guaranteed to put on at least a little weight eating like this. It might not be good for his health long term, but Yassen was beginning to learn the futility of trying to solve Alex's problems more than a few months in advance. They evolved so quickly and unpredictably that Yassen was half convinced it was karmic spite driving them.

It was better to just accept the chaos and adapt.

Struck by a thought, he returned to the brownie tray to examine it more closely. Perhaps Alex's sweet tooth could once again be turned in Yassen's favor. Was it possible to sneak protein shakes into baked goods? Yassen stared down at the neat little squares consideringly. It had been a long time since his Scorpia cooking lessons, but he remembered the basics. Maybe substitute some of the flour with a whey protein instead?

It called for more research. Or maybe he could foist the extra work on one of Dima's employees. Thanks to that particular facet of nepotism, Yassen wouldn't even have to bribe anyone to sneak vitamins into the boy's atrocious diet. At least the strawberry milkshake fixation had abated, though Yassen suspected that had more to do with the lack of available options: Moscow wasn't exactly known for it's milkshakes. The last few weeks had presented more challenges than expected and spiking the brat's food had drifted to the back burner.

He shut the foil lid on top of the brownies.

Paused. Peeled it back up and stole the biggest one.

The taste of chocolate was gratifying on it's own- he hadn't realized until now that he'd actually worked up quite an appetite- but the petty spite of leaving a large, obvious missing square was its own special treat. This would teach the brat a lesson about stealing food.

At any rate, real food was still on the agenda tonight. Munching on the little bar, Yassen strode to Alex's bedroom and glanced through the open door. Empty. A new thought occurred to him. He returned to the kitchen and yanked open the freezer. As suspected: they were out of ice cream. No doubt the boy had run to the corner market down the street for another pint, probably to enjoy his brownies a la mode. If Yassen braced himself for the argument and caught him coming in, he might even succeed in persuading Alex to eat proper food before starting in on his sugar.

Twenty minutes passed with no sign of the brat. A flicker of doubt pooled in his stomach. While it may be impractical for a number of reasons to confine Alex to only designated areas in Moscow, it would certainly be the better security move to restrict his movements. Easier to confirm his safety and location. It was probably nothing, but with Alex's luck...

He fished his phone out of his pocket. Where are you?

Alex's response was reassuringly immediate. At the store.

Yassen relaxed. Hurry up. I want to eat dinner sometime before midnight.

I'm at Laszlo's so I'm going to be a bit. Just pick me something up. You don't have to wait.

That earned an active scowl. What was Alex doing that far away? There were plenty of small shops and markets between them. Laszlo's was in an entirely different neighborhood- it had just been the most convenient thing on their way back from the therapist's office that one night. Now that he thought about it, it was higher end and thus carried a lot more international and artisanal brands, including that strawberry ice cream he'd liked so much.

Yassen pinched the bridge of his nose. As much as he wanted to encourage Alex's independence, he'd also thought he'd impressed upon the boy the need to stay close and not go far alone. To not give much opportunity for their soon-to-be-watchers to approach him.

It was probably fine, but he'd definitely have to revisit the conversation.

Grabbing his coat off the peg, Yassen threw it on and checked his pocket to make sure he had his keys. It would probably just be faster if he met Alex at the store and went directly to food from there. Odds were the boy had bought too many snacks to carry by himself anyway. Be right there.


The frigid winter air bit his face as Alex carefully stepped onto the street, shoes crunching against the dusting of pavement salt recently distributed liberally to combat the latest accumulation of sleet. Glancing at the apartment building in question, now largely obscured by the almost identical one in front of it, he struggled to make out any hint of the glare he'd seen.

Nothing, of course.

Alex grimaced and kept walking, burying his hands in his coat pockets as he just realized he'd forgotten to grab his gloves on the way out. He was probably just being crazy. Well, in the normal way, he supposed; it had been two days since his last hallucination and even then he'd been able to ignore the crocodiles wandering the floor of his French class. His panic attacks weren't nearly as bad anymore either, though they hadn't lost their frequency. Hopefully that meant the A216 had run its course and now he was back to his old problem of Alex's brain simply refusing to believe things were fine. That danger lurked around every corner. That MI6 or Scorpia were out to get him and slowly drawing closer the more he relaxed.

Of course, he was working hard to remind himself of the reality of the situation. Scorpia had been negotiated with. MI6's hands were tied. Even if he was correct about his guess of their watchers' arrival, there wasn't likely to be any danger in it for now.

Then again, leaving his nice, heavily surveilled apartment was essentially presenting them with a generous kidnapping opportunity, sans only a shiny red bow perched atop his head.

He was such an idiot.

It was nearly enough to make him turn around, but not quite. In all likelihood, Alex reminded himself, he had just seen the flash of a telly or the power light of someone's xbox or something utterly benign. Regardless, he refused to live in paranoid fear, especially when it lasted for hours and had no basis in reality. Plenty of real demons haunted him, thank you very much, and he wasn't about to rewrite his life for the sake of those his brain just fucking made up over a trick of the light. If he had to go through the motions of proving to his stupid anxiety that everything was fine a million times over, he would, even if it was just in the vain hope that doing so meant he wouldn't be beholden to it for the rest of his life.

However long that would be.

Alex slowed as he approached the apartment entrance, careful to avoid the majority of the light of the streetlamps as he studied the step. It seemed quite a bit more run down than he'd expect in this area of Moscow, though Yassen had explained that little trick to him before. A lot of apartments favored looking a little shoddy on the outside to deter thieves, while the nicer complexes cared more about appearances; a nice shiny one that displayed obvious wealth (such as theirs) drew the attention of thieves while the other buildings in the vicinity seemed like less ripe pickings in comparison. At any rate, it didn't matter in Alex's case; the door required either a code or a resident to buzz their guests in to the entrance. Not only that, but a small black security camera perched above the entryway.

With a sigh, Alex pulled his hood up and settled in to wait, pretending to be engrossed in texting.

It took ten minutes before a middle-aged man carrying a few plastic shopping bags approached the door and pressed a random number after a good deal of shifting. With a sharp crackle, the intercom engaged and after a short conversation a loud buzz sounded and the door unlocked. The man paused, struggling to shift his groceries as he tugged on the door.

That'd do.

Alex rushed forward to hold it open for him, nodding. "Let me, grandpa," he said, in his limited Russian.

The man gave him a dirty look but followed it with a curt thanks. Alex wasn't strictly surprised- the man technically wasn't old enough to be called grandpa nor be shown the consideration to elders he'd learned was more carefully observed here than in other places. It was only a small risk. He'd called him old, but he hadn't been disrespectful, so beyond that, the interaction was over and Alex was in without looking significantly suspicious. The man grumpily strode ahead to the elevator so Alex opted for the stairs on the other end of the building.

The hallways of the complex were quite narrow and somewhat poorly lit, with small functional stairwells that could only maybe allow for two people to pass at the same time. Alex scrunched up his nose in thought, suddenly glad Yassen had coaxed him into judo over the last few days. His cardio was certainly being challenged for the first real time since his hip injury.

It was just as well, he supposed, pausing to pant for a few seconds and tugging open his now sweltering jacket. The window he'd spotted had at least been ten stories up. Part of him could hardly believe other intelligence agents were as paranoid as Yassen about elevators, leaving Alex relatively unlikely to bump into them if he stuck to the stairs.

Not that he wanted to stand around and find out if he was wrong. Grimacing, he straightened up and set to climbing again.

He reached what the thought to be about the right level and stode down the hallway, counting doors and glancing out the stairwell windows to ensure his mental map was lining up correctly with the world outside. After three or four doors, he pulled out his iPod and activated the audio surveillance, walking as though he knew precisely where he was going without hurry.

Flickers of sound reached him as he tucked one earbud in. Television program with a squealing car chase, a baby crying, a woman speaking Russian to it in a low soothing voice. Plates rattling and scraping across tables. A man's snoring. Nothing suspicious. He did a second sweep with infrared on the apartments that offered no sound, but that turned up nothing. Just a lot of occupants out for the evening or flats waiting for new tenants.

The next floor up didn't fare much better. A couple bickered quietly, someone hammered something into a wall. One flat was listening to heavy metal, much to the ire of their neighbors based on the fists pounding against the adjoining wall. The music lowered in volume only fractionally.

Alex sighed. Just one more floor, he assured himself. One more floor and the heights couldn't possibly line up with where he'd seen the glare.

His brain would just have to be satisfied with that.

The little silver iPod diligently gathered the vibrations as he passed. A keyboard clattered in the apartment to his immediate right. He nearly switched to infrared to confirm, on the fence if any agents would be reporting back so soon, when a voice close to it started complaining to "Ma" as a door opened. The next apartment was silent, but offered no heat signatures either. Loud panting and moaning greeted his ears as he pointed at the next- Alex's steps screeched to a stop as he swiveled the device sharply away from the figures inside. Blushing to the roots of his hair, Alex turned off the infrared function and picked up his pace.

Two apartments from the end of the hall, Alex felt his chest begin to ease. Nothing so far, because there was just nothing to find. It was just a passing bout of paranoia. Perhaps he'd have those now, like the mood swings. Then again, those weren't as bad lately either. It wasn't ideal, but he could live with it. He'd tell Yassen about it when he got home and maybe he could help him come up with a better way to-

"Cyrillic was designed by a drunk calligrapher who'd only ever heard the latin alphabet described," Snake complained.

Alex froze dead in his tracks. No. Out of everyone MI6 could have possibly-

Eagle huffed. "Are you sure we have to learn this? I vote we go rogue on the mission parameters. Wolf and Fox can keep an eye out for the kid and do all of the evidence gathering, while Snake and I go see the sights. We'll make the whole team look like obvious tourists for the sake of cover, and when you guys see Cub, you give us a call and we'll come chat him up. Problem solved."

"You'll want to at least be able to read the alphabet to navigate the streets," Fox pointed out dryly. "Not that that is the most obvious or only flaw in your plan."

Alex's phone vibrated suddenly. He glanced down at it, spotting the text from Yassen. Shit. He didn't have time for this right now-especially not when Yassen realized Alex had directly ignored his warnings to be alone near the team.

The conversation about just who it was promised to be equally un-fun.

Firing off a quick excuse to buy himself some time without making the man actively worry, Alex tried to refocus on the conversation.

Snake groaned. A book shut sharply a second later. "Yet I don't hate it. If we're stuck in Moscow for the foreseeable future on a weird barely-a-mission, we might as well get a good look at the place. Learn the lay of the land."

"As nice as that would be, we need to prioritize our goals," Ben said, voice growing slightly louder as he stepped near them. "And those don't include being paid to wander the Red Square."

Eagle heaved a massive sigh, before his tone brightened. "No, I've got it now. You come along to translate for us. Wolf calls us when he's spotted Alex and then- wait for it- then we talk him into going to all the cool places in the city with us. This way, we're not technically disregarding the mission. I mean, if we're supposed to basically stalk him and butter him up anyway, who's to say he doesn't want to see the sights himself? Our new goal should be showing him a fun time. Keep him out and about."

His phone buzzed again. Fuck. Yassen was sitting at the flat, waiting around for him.

Alex bit his lip. He wasn't sure how long he should sit here, but he was getting good information that Yassen would surely appreciate. Well, after he was done being cross with him. However, if he told the truth now, there was no guarantee Yassen wouldn't get himself involved immediately- something Alex didn't necessarily want to contemplate. K-unit might be pricks, but they were pricks Alex knew, and he didn't want them shot because Yassen's level of 'mild caution' was what most people considered 'extremely proactive'. Once he could explain it to the man properly, it'd probably be fine but he didn't really understand the whole situation yet. If Yassen wanted food, it was probably for the better if he just left to get some alone, buying Alex time to sort this out.

He texted back an excuse as fast as his fingers could.

"While keeping him out and away from Gregorovitch might aid us in persuading him to leave the country willingly," Ben pointed out. "It could just as easily backfire. We don't want to spook a known killer. Even if he doesn't feel threatened by us, if we're a big enough nuisance, he might just put pressure on the SVR to force us to leave. Or he might keep Alex inside the flat. Remember, we don't want either of them out of sight. Alex running around all day gives us a chance to document any signs of abuse, while Gregorovich feeling unthreatened means he might slip up and do something we can document to prove he's unfit."

"I'm not advocating being a nuisance," Eagle insisted. "I'm advocating for very discretely taking Alex out on day trips. It'll be good for him. Get some fresh air in his lungs. Learn the history. Keep him out of the man's hair. Give us a proper vacation. Everyone wins."

Alex's phone vibrated again.

There was a sharp beep and a digital crackle. "Delivery for Ben Daniels," a voice said in Russian. "Come to the entrance, please. We don't deliver past the fifth floor."

"I vote that since the food is in Fox's name, he's the one who has to fetch it," Wolf said.

"Seconded," Snake said quickly.

"Agreed all around," Eagle added.

"Fine." Ben sighed, before the sound of rustling- his jacket, probably. "Just don't come up with any more bright ideas while I'm gone. Can you hand me the-"

Alex shoved his iPod into his pocket with a curse, just as the doorknob beside him began to turn. There was only a split second to evaluate his options. Their apartment was right next to the elevator: the obvious choice to retrieve their takeaway. That left the stairs as the only discreet way to leave- clear across the hallway, four apartment doors away.

He'd just have to make it somehow.

Alex sprinted, knowing damn well his trainers weren't exactly the quietest option available. His heart pounded in his chest, his lungs burning with the sudden burst of cardio so soon after the stairs. It didn't matter- he couldn't let Ben see him! Yassen was still waiting at the apartment for him. Surely the man would lose patience soon and call him, which could be disastrous if Alex was stuck talking his way out of the apartment with Ben. Plus, Alex certainly didn't want to talk to any of K-Unit without discussing things with Yassen first. If he was caught outside their flat now, that would beg the question of how he found them before he was approached, which touched on all sorts of topics Alex didn't want to get into and might even compromise the mole if K-unit realized he'd anticipated their arrival.

The stairwell loomed in front of him. He hurled himself at it, flying past the stairs themselves to slam into the wall of the lower landing.

Ow. He grunted, knowing he'd already made a loud thump and praying that Ben didn't think anything of it. Rolling to his feet, he plowed down the next set of stairs with only a quick glance to confirm Ben hadn't come running- something he might do at any second now. Even if the hallways were dim and he'd only seen Alex's back, surely it looked suspicious enough to investigate.

He had to hurry.

Alex could have kicked himself, suddenly. He should have gone up a level and waited- thus eliminating the risk that he'd run into Ben on the return trip should he change his mind about the elevator. It would have been the smart thing to do, but Alex hadn't had time to do the smart thing. Scaling the stairs would have taken longer than jumping down had. Ben would have seen him for sure if he hadn't already.

Shit, shit, shit.

His trainers pounded against the stairs, in conjunction with each bolt of adrenaline lancing through him. Glancing back up the way he came, he kept his eyes peeled and his ears strained for any hint of pursuit. Finding none, he paused five floors from the ground level to catch his breath, collapsed against the wall.

A young woman stared at him, keys out but not inserted in her door. She glanced uneasily at the stairwell behind him. "Are you okay? Who is-"

The last thing he needed was attention. Alex shook his head and grinned, still panting. "I am fine," he told her, knowing damn well that his pronunciation was terrible even when he wasn't struggling to draw air and just hoping that she understood the gist. "My girlfriend's dad nearly saw me."

She gave him a flat look as she finished opening her door. "Be more quiet. It's too late for this nonsense."

"Excuse me, sorry." Alex nodded until she left. He glanced back the way he came. Still no one following him.

Cautiously, he descended another three floors. He halted on the second level and bit his lip. If Ben hadn't seen him, he had probably picked up his food and left already. But was Alex prepared to take that risk and run smack into him? It would be just his luck.

Double checking that the lobby was empty with his iPod, Alex let out a massive sigh of relief and shoved it back in his pocket. Breezing out the door as though he had every right to be there, Alex didn't completely relax until the crisp night air greeted him outside. His coat was still unzipped, but Alex actually spread it open further, welcoming the sharp cold air against his overheated flesh. The building had been sweltering and running hadn't helped the matter either.

Still. No time to waste, even if he was more or less in the clear. He had a scolding to get to. Wanting cold air on his neck, he twisted his hair up into a little bun and set off for the apartment.