A/N: Hello readers, I hope you're enjoying this story. There are only a couple more chapters until this story is complete, then I'll get back to working on some of my other stories that I put on the shelf. It's been difficult for me to pick back up and update due to lack of interest and running out of ideas. There's several stories that I started working on that are new, and a few that are updates to some of my current running stories...I've got a teaser chapter for a new story that is meant to be a continuation of Kiss It All Better, it'd be better for readers to read that one first before the teaser so they can follow along.
All mistakes are my own and reviews are appreciated. Please no flames.
I unfortunately don't own the Thunderbirds, they are the property of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.
"You stand like this. Angle your foot like that…No, like this. If you stand like that you won't have enough power in your punch to bend paper." Alan said as he helped correct Fermat's stance when preparing to deliver a punch. Fermat and Alan had been meeting the last two nights and at first Fermat was simply going through the motions of how to properly hold his hand so he wouldn't break anything. Alan had showed Fermat all the improper ways to hold his hand when punching and he told the younger boy what he'd been taught from Scott who had wanted his younger brother to know how to defend himself if some crazed paparazzi member chased him like one had previous to Virgil when he'd been Alan's age.
Fermat hadn't been keen to learn how to throw any kind of punch neither good or bad, but Alan insisted Fermat at least know the basics so he would know how if he ever found himself accosted on Alan's account or like now, was being hounded by Darren who had decided he didn't give a damn about his own education. Alan walked around behind Fermat and crouched to grab Fermat's foot, intention to force Fermat to properly plant his foot. Once he got Fermat standing in position, Alan stood to the side and manipulated Fermat's upper body and arms before closing Fermat's fists. He'd previously told Fermat to just let him guide his body into position. Fermat had to force himself to physically relax. He wasn't fond of people being inside his bubble and he'd bit his tongue as Alan turned his torso one way and aimed his fists, so he'd know which way to punch.
"Okay, now you're going to stand like this, and I want you to try to punch my hand when I hold it up as a target. I want to help you with your aim." Alan said as he stepped around Fermat and held up a hand for the younger boy to hit.
"D-Do I r-really need t-to practice a-aim?" Fermat asked, surprised there was so much to learn about just throwing a punch. He figured throwing a punch was as normal as breathing or walking but there was so much to learn and understand.
"Yes, I know it sounds like a pat answer…but you do need to practice aim. Imagine you are trying to protect yourself and you go to throw a punch and mean to hit your target in the nose. If you don't practice aim, you could put your all into a punch that hits the attacker in the eye and doesn't bring tears to their eyes but just makes him angry. That won't help you get out a tight spot, but usually if you can hit someone at least once in the nose that cleans their clock and that could give you a few seconds to a few minutes head start. Also, you want to make sure there is power behind your punch. It won't do you a bit of good if you throw a punch and it doesn't have a desired effect." Alan explained before indicating to Fermat to punch into his hand. Fermat sighed to himself but threw a punch into Alan's open palm. "That was good but notice how your fist glanced off the side of my hand. If you don't put your all into the punch, whoever is hurting you will get an opening to hit you back because this punch wasn't strong."
Fermat didn't say anything, but the look he gave Alan said he was already tired of training. He was still angry with Alan, but gradually he was letting his anger subside. Still, Fermat got back into position and threw another hit, this one a little harder than the last and was surprised to see Alan pull back and shake his hand as if Fermat's punch actually caused a bit of pain.
"That was good Fermat. Now if you can keep that same power but aim here, not here…" Alan said pointing where he wanted Fermat to punch and where he didn't want his friend to aim. When Fermat repeated the same action, Alan encouraged him several more times to try to hit the same spot. After a while, Alan began to shake his hand more regularly and after that last hit Alan took to holding his wrist. Fermat was concerned he'd legitimately hurt Alan but the older boy disputed it and insisted he wasn't hurt but his hand was sore from how many times he's acted as a target for Fermat to practice his punches. "Okay, I think I'm done for now. My hand is smarting."
"A-Are you s-sure you're a-alright?" Fermat inquired, unsure of the pain he'd caused Alan.
"I'm fine, a little ice and I'll be good as new." Alan said before he stood before Fermat and grinned.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Over the next couple of days, Alan and Fermat trained after class. With classes wrapping up with the coming of finals week, the boys were able to dedicate a little more time to practice sparring. Alan had rearranged his room, pushing his desk into his semi opened closet so they'd have room to tussle. Fermat was getting better at throwing punches and he was also gaining the confidence he required to hold his head up when confronted by Darren outside of class.
Alan remained hidden and would observe the confrontations, intention to stay close by if he were needed but to let everything occur without his interference. Fermat was still timid around Darren and would try to shy away but when he was pushed, he let his temper show. For example, Fermat pushed back against one of Darren's friends when he tried to pluck Fermat's glasses from his face and Fermat had lost his temper. Feeling he needed to get involved, Alan acted natural when he stepped between Darren's friend Kenny and Fermat who were almost in each other's faces.
"Okay, come on Fermat. It's easier to just walk away." Alan said as he gently tugged on Fermat's tense arm. He didn't give up easily, but he did walk away when the older boy gave a more forceful pull. Kenny however couldn't take Alan's interference for what it was, and he called after both boys, calling Alan Fermat's pet. Eventually a teacher got involved and hauled all the boys to the dean's office. Alan was hoping they wouldn't be brought there and the older man made all parties sit.
"Mr. Tracy, I had hoped we wouldn't meet this way again this semester. You promised you wouldn't get into anymore scuffles." The Dean said as he looked over the rim of his glasses at Alan who was seated the most relaxed.
"In my defense sir, I wasn't directly involved. I happened upon Fermat being pushed around by those three and I was trying to pull him away from the confrontation." Alan said as he gestured at Darren and his friends.
"Fermat, can you vouch for him or should I put both of you boys on academic probation for violating the anti-bullying rules." The Dean inquired before the teacher that escorted all the boys to the Deans office stepped in.
"Sir, I can attest to Alan trying to diffuse the situation. I know he doesn't usually walk away from fights, but this time I observed him come from the direction of Brenner Hall and try to lead Fermat away. Meanwhile, those three persisted."
"You two, please leave. I'm finished with you." The Dean said before he motioned for Alan and Fermat to exit. From there both boys left and walked back to their shared dorm. Hoping there wouldn't be a phone call to their fathers, Alan took the time to shake his head before he turned to leave their dorm for the horse stables.
Once Fermat was left alone, he used the time to reflect on his actions before figuring he was calmed enough to follow Alan. When he arrived, he was surprised to see Alan practicing jumps. He was curious but scared at the same time. He wasn't afraid of horses per se but the idea of riding one especially when he didn't have any idea how, that was what struck fear in him. Feeling Alan's gaze on him, Fermat looked up at his friend and took a step closer to the corral. Alan seemed to sense that Fermat had a question, and he gave a light tug to the reigns and made Freckles come to a stop.
"I thought I'd made you mad trying to break up your little fight?" Alan asked before patting Freckles in her neck.
"It w-wasn't you t-that made m-me mad, it w-was them. I a-appreciate you t-trying to g-get my b-bacon out o-of the f-fire." Fermat said, his way of apologizing for his earlier behavior.
"Good, I was beginning to think I'd need to put in for a dorm room reassignment before the end of the semester." Alan said, his way of accepting Fermat's apology.
"P-Please don't d-do that. I l-like having a-a friend s-so close b-by." Fermat said before he reached over the corral fence and gently petted Freckle's snout.
"Do I see a bond forming between you two?" Alan inquired playfully to which Fermat smiled back.
"Y-Yeah, as m-much as I h-hate to a-admit it." Fermat replied before reaching over the fence with his other hand and using both hands to pet Freckle's snout and scratch her chin. "I h-have to a-admit t-that I've g-grown curious o-over time a-about your o-offer to learn h-how to r-ride a h-horse."
"Well, we've been dismissed from all our classes for the rest of the day. What say I give you a lesson in riding horses?"
"I-I don't know." Fermat stammered once he realized that he might just agree to learning horse back riding.
"It's easy, but you can't ride in that." Alan said before gesturing at Fermat's school uniform. Alan dismounted from his saddle, tying off Freckles to a post. Alan gestured for Fermat to follow him into the tack room where there was a selection of riding clothes for students. Alan helped Fermat to look through the shirts and breeches until they found a suitable pair that looked like they'd fit Fermat comfortably. It took Fermat several long minutes to get out of his uniform into his riding clothes. When Fermat exited the changing room, he felt like he was naked wearing something he wouldn't normally wear, especially not his clothes being quite so skintight.
Alan greeted Fermat back outside the changing room to make sure Fermat retrieved a riding helmet. From there Alan helped Fermat select a pair of boots that would fit. Once Fermat was adorned with most everything involved in horseback riding, Fermat, and Alan both went back out to Freckles who had managed to fit her head through the fence boards to eat some grass. Alan spoke to Freckles and gently coaxed her away from the fence before he whispered sweet nothings to her and steadied her thereby allowing Fermat to draw near. Alan guided Fermat in putting his foot in the stirrup. Fermat struggled with pulling himself up onto the saddle, his fear getting the better of him every time, but Freckles remained calm. Eventually Fermat made it atop of Freckles' saddle and he let the pounding of his heart settle a little bit before acknowledging Alan who seemed to sense Fermat's nerves about riding a horse. Once Fermat settled into the saddle, Alan took the reins and led Freckles around the corral to let Fermat get used to the side-to-side motion of the horse's gait.
Fermat let out a bit of a squeak when Freckles began to walk, and he grasped the reins so tight that his hands soon went numb. Alan kept up a constant stream of conversation to keep Fermat distracted while he walked around leading Freckles along behind him. The entire time Alan continually checked in with Fermat to see how he was doing. After a half an hour Alan suggested they swap to allow Alan to cool Freckles out before he put her back in her stall. Fermat struggled with getting down from the saddle but soon he figured it out and made it back down to terra firma.
Alan took over with Freckles and soon he'd gotten her cooled out and back in her stable. Once that was done Alan met up with Fermat who had taken the time to change back into his school attire. Alan flew through changing as well and soon both he and Fermat were heading back up to their dorm room. Alan appreciated Fermat trying to learn something that Alan enjoyed. It made the older boy feel like Fermat was invested in their friendship and not just friends because Alan spoke to him.
… … … … … … … … … … …
At the end of their semester, Alan and Fermat both met up in the hall separating their dorm rooms. Both boys were hard at work packing their rooms for the next move. Both being sophomores the next year they've got to move to a different hall. As it usually went, all freshman students lived in Brenner Hall and the year after they were promoted to Woodward Hall. Then the junior and senior students were given the choice to live in Chesapeake or Oliver Halls. Both the latter named halls were the best dorms for prospective outgoing students and so were treated to the best rooms available. Alan was nervous though because he believed his dad to be coming to help him and Fermat get moved out of their dorms. That however wasn't the case. Virgil and John both came with Hiram and they helped both boys get packed and moved to the other halls which had been cleaned two days prior when the upperclassmen moved to their new halls or were granted the privilege of graduating.
Alan found it hard to keep his lips sealed around Fermat so as to not tip Brains off that he was still friends with the younger genius. He did however inquire to both of his older brothers as to why their dad didn't come to help them move. He missed having his dad to come and help. Sometimes it felt to Alan like his dad sending him off to boarding school or to live with his grandma was just a way to get rid of him. Fermat often argued against that belief, but Alan couldn't shake the idea. He knew that after their summer break began, Alan would be at the family's island home for a week then Alan would go spend the rest of his summer with his grandmother in Kansas. It never failed to make Alan feel unwanted by his immediate family and now having Fermat as a friend, Alan found himself longing to stay an entire summer at the island so he could grow his friendship.
Fermat with his father's help finally managed to get his trolley loaded which was provided to all the students that would be moving to new dorms. It was a heck of a lot easier than carrying everything by hand to the new halls. Then instead of going on ahead to his new dorm with his dad and trolley in tow, Fermat went to see if Alan and his brothers needed a hand moving anything. Hiram didn't immediately say anything knowing his son was raised to think of others before thinking of himself. But he couldn't shake the idea that Fermat has been keeping secrets from him. He hoped his son wouldn't tell him a bold-faced lie about no longer being friends with Alan. It took a little bit longer to get Alan's room boxed up and loaded on his trolley until soon both boys were set to move to Woodward hall.
"Thanks for your help Fermat. I owe you one." Alan said as he pulled his trolley behind him. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched and a quick glance over his shoulder showed the youngest Tracy that Hiram suspected something and Alan was quick to dissolve his and Fermat's jovial banter.
"What's wrong Alan?" Fermat asked softly when he noticed Alan clammed up.
Alan didn't say anything, but he met Fermat's gaze and shook his head. Fermat didn't dare look over his shoulder with Alan acting so strangely and figured he could ask Alan when they were in flight to the island home. Once they made it to their new dorms, Alan and Fermat set to work in getting everything unpacked and situated before they returned home for the summer. Once alone with Alan, Fermat inquired again with a whisper why Alan was acting so off, and Alan whispered back that he got the feeling that Hiram knew they hadn't absolved their friendship and were intentionally going against his explicit instructions. Alan was used to getting in trouble with his father but not when it's Hiram. He's not seen him mad before, but it wasn't something he planned on seeing.
When they'd finished with everything and were headed to the airfield, Fermat became aware of what Alan was talking about. He felt his father's gaze on him burning him like the heat of an ion laser cutter. And he didn't dare say anything unless his dad said anything in front of Alan's brothers. He didn't want to jeopardize his father's job with Mr. Tracy and so he kept quiet. Once they'd reached the airfield, Alan followed Virgil and John to the jet leaving Fermat and Hiram to bring up the tail. Hiram could no longer keep quiet and he stopped his son and stood a distance away to talk.
"S-Son, is t-there something y-you wish t-to tell m-me?" Hiram asked, knowing Fermat couldn't lie to him for long. Fermat would typically try to brush it off and then he'd spill the beans.
"N-No…why d-do you ask?" Fermat replied knowing he was about to be found out.
"You s-seemed particularly c-chummy with Alan t-today and I r-recall you telling m-me that y-you two w-weren't friend's a-anymore." Hiram said, his accusing tone of voice making Fermat feel bad about keeping his friendship with Alan a secret. But his dad didn't understand. Alan was Fermat's first and true friend. How could his dad ask him to give that up in place of a mundane life stuck at a boarding school he had no intentions of attending in the first place.
"W-Well, we aren't f-friends anymore. But w-we're still r-roommates." Fermat tried to provide some rationalization for why he and Alan were being 'chummy' in his father's words.
"I h-hope you a-aren't lying t-to me. You k-know how I f-feel about l-lying." Hiram said before he shook his head and continued to the private aircraft.
Fermat wilted as soon as those words were uttered by his father. He knew he was lying to his father and he didn't know how to convince his dad that Alan was not a bad influence on him. Needless to say that Alan noticed a difference in Fermat the moment the younger genius stepped into the belly of the jet. He didn't approach though because he knew Hiram was watching them both like a hawk. Mutually the boys detected the importance to stay away from each other and it wasn't until they'd gotten home to the island and the evening had progressed as normally as possible that Alan and Fermat were able to simultaneously break away from their families to meet up and talk.
"So what did your dad say to you earlier that had your lips sealed on the flight home?" Alan inquired as he took a seat in his windowsill to gaze out at the water.
"He s-suspects that we're l-lying to him a-and that I am d-deliberately disobeying h-his rules." Fermat said his voice a low whisper. "I j-just wish I k-knew what I c-could say to h-him that w-would change m-my dad's mind a-about you. It i-isn't fair, he's j-judging you a-and he doesn't e-even take t-the time t-to know you!"
"It's okay Fermat…we'll just have to keep an even lower profile than I originally thought and you'll really have to mind your P's and Q's. Especially around your dad." Alan said suggesting to hide their friendship more than they already were. Shouldn't be too hard considering Alan was leaving to his grandmother's property in less than a week.
"I-I don't l-like this…W-We shouldn't b-be forced to h-hide our f-friendship." Fermat argued, his voice taking on distressed edge.
"It's not something we can control Fermat. Unfortunately, it's either we forgo our friendship and let your father win, or we let him think he's winning, and we hide. It's not what I want to do, but our hands are tied." Alan said as he turned to look at Fermat. His friend looked down and Alan sensed that Fermat was more upset than he was letting on. "Hey, none of that. It'll all work out in the end…we won't always have to do this."
"I h-hope not." Fermat said with a sigh. "I c-can't believe I'm s-saying this, b-but I w-wish we could j-just go b-back to school."
"I know Ferm…but maybe this next school year will be different. Who knows maybe your dad will relax a little more and we won't have to hide for long." Alan replied, tried once more to be as optimistic as was possible. It was hard to do, Alan was usually the one that saw his glass as half empty meanwhile Fermat was always the glass half full type. It felt unnatural that they had switched roles. "Okay Fermat…maybe we ought to go about life as we'd normally live it. Try to act natural and don't sweat it."
Fermat didn't speak, his shoulders slumped as he exited Alan's room. Life was about to get even more complicated.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Approximately four days later, Alan was hugging his father and each of his brothers as he climbed into Penny's garishly pink car to go to his grandmother's in Kansas. Fermat was standing with Tin-Tin's family as he was using them for a cover for why he was at the landing strip saying goodbye to Alan if his father asked. The last four days had been miserable if you asked Fermat. He was having a difficult time trying to 'act natural' as Alan put it. There was no natural for Fermat. His dad had been eyeing Fermat like a hawk and he'd made a remark that he needed to start wearing more antiperspirant because of excessive sweating. Fermat knew he was excessively sweating because he was nervous about keeping a secret from his dad. He was terrible at keeping secrets and he knew his dad suspected something.
As much as he valued his friendship with Alan, he was also kind of glad he went to spend the summer at his grandmother's. It'd remove a factor in this whole mess. Fermat raised his hand to wave at Alan and he felt this weight lift a fraction, but in exchange for the weight lifting…he also felt the loneliness he'd felt previous to his budding friendship hitting him with such ferocity that it nearly took his breath away. Having a friend like Alan made him feel like he wasn't just wanted for his smarts. He was wanted for just being himself.
Dropping his arm, Fermat turned ahead of the rest of the island residents and made his way towards the villa. He didn't know what else he could do now that his first and only friend had left the island for summer break. There was nothing to do except wait this three-month period out and then he and Alan could return to school and act like nothing ever happened. Like nothing had ever tried to break apart their friendship.
Meanwhile in Lady Penelope's pink car, Alan was fiddling with his phone. He was debating on sending a message to Fermat, but worried his dad would find out and tear apart the remaining shred of friendship they'd salvaged. He didn't want to unintentionally destroy their friendship so he deleted the text message.
"So, you're going to spend the summer with your grandmother? She's a fantastic woman." Parker said from the front seat. He glanced in the rearview mirror to look at Alan and noticed his subdued behavior. "There something wrong young master? Ye seem upset."
"No, I'm okay…but I am tired." Alan fibbed. It wasn't the whole truth, but Alan was tired. He hadn't slept well the night previous. He was worried about going to his grandmother's and leaving Fermat behind. Not that he doubted Fermat's ability to survive life on the island, he did that just fine before his dad made a deal with Fermat's dad to pay for his tuition at the same private school Alan attended. No, Alan was just worried that all the effort they'd put into building their friendship would be whittled away to something unrecognizable.
Pocketing his cell phone, Alan figured he'd try to cop a nod for some of the flight.
… … … … … … … … … … …
Back on the island, Fermat heaved a sigh. It'd been a couple hours since Alan had left for his grandmother's house. As far as Fermat was concerned, this was going to be the longest summer vacation in record history. Already Fermat was looking at the calendar, and wishing Alan was home so he wasn't so bored. Though even if Alan were home, it's not like they could hang out what with Fermat's dad lording over him like a hawk.
Wandering up to his room, Fermat dropped into his chair and started to sway back and forth. Nothing he normally did seemed to interest him and all he wanted to do at the moment was just sit around with one of his very best friends and talk music or even play video games. So needless to say that it came as a surprise when there was a knock at the door. Fermat didn't personally feel like he wanted company around, but he knew if it was his father at the door he would be upset with Fermat's disregard.
"Fermat. May I come in?"
It was Virgil, Fermat would recognize his voice anywhere. Sucking on his lower lip in minor irritation, the young genius stood and went to answer the door.
"H-Hi Virgil." The bespectacled boy said after opening the door, he turned and went to resume sitting in his previously occupied seat. The older boy walked in until he stood just in front of the young genius. He knew the younger boy was sad and he didn't know what he could do to help because he knew the position that he was in.
"Hey kiddo, is everything alright? You vanished pretty quickly after Alan left for grandmas." Virgil said, taking a seat on Fermat's footlocker and facing the younger boy.
"It's f-fine…I'm f-fine." Fermat said even if he didn't believe what he said himself. He knew he wasn't okay, but there wasn't much he could do short of go down to talk to his father and beg him to reconsider, tell his dad the truth about how lonely Fermat was at this new school and how he wasn't making friends like he led everyone to believe. Tell his dad that before Alan, he didn't have a single person to talk to and how miserable he was. Then Alan came into the picture and while they'd had their ups and downs, Fermat was ultimately grateful for his newfound friendship.
"Fermat, I know you're having a hard time with this. You don't have to keep up that façade. Don't pull an Alan. You know it's not healthy." Virgil chided meaningfully. Immediately the young genius lowered his head. Virgil softened his voice and grinned. "Do you want me to talk to your dad? I can do so and try to persuade him to lighten up a little."
Fermat was quick to shake his head in the negative. He feared making his dad mad and he didn't want to test his father's friendship and business partnership with Mr. Tracy.
"Kiddo, you've got to know that this isn't your battle to fight. Not alone anyway. I know your father's intentions are good, but he doesn't know what I know." Virgil said as he set a sad gaze upon the younger boy. Fermat lifted his gaze to meet Virgil's honey burnt eyes. "Alan's told me about the boys that won't leave you alone and he's also told me about the kids he stands up for when nobody else will. I know that the scuffles he gets into are because he's being the hero for everyone. Our dad just doesn't understand that Alan is doing what he was always taught. To stand up for the little guy and not back down. And I know your dad. He means well but he also doesn't understand where Alan is coming from. He thinks he's protecting you from a bad influence but he's protecting you from the wrong influencer. Alan is a good influence, he's a little bit of a diamond in the rough but he's not seeing the bigger picture that you and I and the other guys see."
"T-The other's k-know?" Fermat asked, surprised that everyone knew. He thought he'd kept it better hidden than that.
"We know a lot. The few times we've been on campus to get Alan out of trouble and have seen for ourselves. Not to mention that Alan was on a video call with Scott and I when he intervened in some trouble between you and a kid named…Darrell?"
"Darren…N-Not one of m-my better m-moments." Fermat said under his breath.
"Darren…yeah. Scott and I were on a call with Alan one of the times that he intervened on your behalf." Virgil said with a shrug. "Scott wasn't happy that you wouldn't seek the help of an adult and he was ready to go to bat on your behalf to have you brought home for home studies, but Alan insisted that he had it covered. We know Alan is a good kid, but he has a hot temper. I think your dad is just worried that Alan will lose face one time he's friends with you and hurt you along the way. But Alan's not like that."
"So w-what can I d-do to c-convince m-my dad otherwise?" Fermat asked, sad that his dad is so insistent that he and Alan not be friends. When he didn't actually know Alan.
"I think you and I both know the answer to that. It's not up to you to change your dad's mind, it's Alan who unfortunately has to prove he's fit to be your friend." Virgil said before he stood. "Come on, Onaha was preparing lunch when I was coming up here and I think it will hurt her feelings if we don't show up for lunch."
