Kay, first Alex Rider story. Wewt. WARNINGS: Contains M/M, boy on boy, slash, shounen-ai, in other words GAY STUFF. If you don't like that kinda thing (stop scratching yourselves, homophobes, I'm talking to you), then don't read it, obviously.
Chapter 1: A Conversation
As Paul Drevin, the fourteen-year-old son of Nikolei Drevin, the... late Russian multibillionaire, sat on the edge of his hospital bed, he shook his head back and forth, not believing this was happening. His brain registered that it was indeed happening, but he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe it. Paul had thought for sure that by now he would've been... or at least he wouldn't have had any interest in seeing him. And yet, there he was. He was listening to his voice. He saw his face, with his long hair tucked back so it wouldn't fall into his face as he spoke. It was almost as if he were watching something on television and the speakers were somewhere else. He couldn't connect the sound with the picture, and certainly not accept the fact that he was actually...
"I asked them what hospital room you were staying in, and... well, here we are," The boy who could only be known as Alex Rider smiled nervously, his British accent evident in the American environment, sitting in the chair next to Paul's bed. Alex Rider. Sitting in the chair. Next to Paul's bed. "How are you feeling?"
The last time Paul had seen Alex for any length had been when he caught him rummaging through his garage in Flamingo Bay, Nikolei Drevin's private island where he had launched rockets for his illustrious project to build the world's first space hotel which he'd dumped midway through and decided to use the structure as a giant-size missile, its target being Washington D.C and the Pentagon. Fortunately Alex, with the help of the CIA, had managed to divert the whole thing. Paul wasn't allowed that many details, but he did discern that Alex saved thousands of lives, as well as his own earlier-- a group of terrorists had attempted to kidnap him for a ransom which all turned out to be another nefarious plot by his father. It was the first time they met. For a moment, Paul wondered if he was dreaming. It might be the morphine they were giving him.
"I'm a lot better, thanks," Paul said, searching the boy's eyes. "The doctors say that hopefully I'll make a full recovery. But I'm still a bit sore."
"What do you remember?"
"Well, aside from thinking I heard your voice outside the house and going to check it out, not much. Except... as I was laying there, you were by my..."
Alex looked away.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you were hurt. I'm sorry about your father. I'm sorry..." Paul had to shut him up. He wasn't listening to himself. So he slapped him across the face.
"Now we're even," he smiled. When he caught Alex in his garage, he was a bit upset, so Alex subsequently knocked him out. Paul hadn't known that he'd been trying to prevent a disaster. "Don't be sorry, Alex. None of this was your fault."
"But it is! If I hadn't come back to the island--"
"If you hadn't come back to the island, thousands of people would be dead. You're a real hero, you know." Alex blushed, knowing Paul was right and biting his lip.
"In... in any case, I'm afraid I've left a few things unexplained to you."
This perked Paul's interest. Not that he hadn't been perked before. Er, rather, not that his interest hadn't been perked... "Yes, you have."
"How much did they tell you?"
"If by 'they' you mean the CIA agents who barged in here and told me that not only was my father is now deceased, but he was a crazed lunatic, then only the events on the island. Nothing about why you were really there. Is it true, Alex? Are you a spy?"
Alex cringed at the word. "Yes and no. I have worked for M16-- you know, the intelligence agency in England, a few times now. But they're not going to drag me into it again."
Paul was silent for a while, digesting this.. He wondered what Alex meant by "dragging him in." Alex watched him as he thought, and a shadow of worry passed over his face.
"I see. Why were you on the island?"
"I was invited. I told you, that's the truth. I wasn't really assigned anything until later...but then of course Blunt always seems to have situations 'fit' to his liking..."
"Wait. Why were there CIA agents? Why not M16?"
"The Americans were the ones working on getting Drevin arrested. He had the full support of Great Britain, you remember," Alex said simply. It wasn't sarcastic or snide, just a soft reply. And coming from... from... Alex Rider... who was sitting next to Paul's bed... it made him feel something rather odd. An indescribable feeling that he'd never really experienced, nor could find words for. He felt a blush rising up his cheeks. That's something the Russian inherited from his father-- he didn't like to be shown up.
"Oh." Something occurred to him. "How is it that you're telling all this to me here? In the hospital? Couldn't someone be listening in?"
Alex shuffled a little. "I don't really know. I'd expected they would have some type of bug, but they'd have yanked me out by now... anyway. I... I really hate telling you this, but... your father, how he died--"
Paul shushed him. Alex's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"You don't have to say anything." This, however, seemed to fuel a sudden rage that flashed over the boy.
"Will you stop acting like I'm the one with the problems here? I came to apologize and explain myself after having messed up your whole life. If my father died, I would..." Alex trailed off. Obviously this train of thought led him to something disconcerting. To Paul's surprise, Alex Rider, Alex the Spy, Alex the Hero, began to sob softly. This was highly alarming. He sat in his chair darkly, sobbing flowing through his entire body like spasms, his long hair hanging over his downcast face. Even more to his surprise, Paul felt the sudden, violent urge to comfort him, to make him stop doing this horrible thing. So before he knew what he was doing, he reached out and pulled Alex out from his seat and held him close. His first thought was: Well, isn't this role-reversal? I thought I was the one in the hospital.... And his second thought was: Alex is... really warm. He didn't seem to be bothered by it, didn't push him off like Paul expected him to.
"God, I'm a wreck," Alex admitted. He looked up at him, his eyes sparkling from tears. He opened his mouth as if to speak again, but his voice seemed to be lost. This sight was both beautiful and terrifying at once. Paul was actually younger than Alex by a year or a few months, but this... how they were, felt so natural.
"It's okay, it's okay..." Was all Paul could manage as he realized he was crying too, for reasons beyond him. The two stayed that way for a few minutes, and nearly had heart attacks when the door opened. A nurse stepped in, but froze, as if in shock when she saw the boys embracing. She began to speak.
"Paul? I'm sorry, but your... visitor is going to have to leave now." Alex knew what that meant. M16 decided the jig was up. He looked Paul in the eyes one last time, why he didn't know, but the moment felt significant.
"I've got to go now. I hope you get better, and er... don't be afraid to stay in touch." They separated, and Paul watched as Alex walked out of the hospital room. He walked down the hallway. He got in the elevator. He was in such a stupor that he didn't even care that the car he was being ushered to was a black stretch limousine.
Phew, first chapter done. Please tell me what you think! And oh yes-- homophobes. Come on, please cease your neanderthalic antics-- If you want to flame me, too bad cuz I'm not going to pay any attention to it. You may go back to eating bugs now. But anyway, I'd really appreciate the rest of you all's input.