Hey guys. Thank you SO much for such lovely reviews. I am very flattered.
Disclaimers here though:
First disclaimer: I'd like to stress that I'm not trying to say anything disparaging about football, or the two teams in question in the riot part of this chapter. It's just that it's well known that if a sporting clash is going to happen, it is most likely to happen at football, and it's a good setting to put the two spies in. I don't mean to say that it happened because it was these two teams in particular, just that these are two teams I know a bit about from Moscow and St Petersburg. I also don't own these teams, obviously, so that's a disclaimer bit too.
Second disclaimer: if I get any Russian/football team facts/ etc wrong then I apologise.
Third disclaimer: oh yeah, and I don't own Alex Rider! I just wish I did.
"Ok, we need to talk."
Alex had had a fitful, restless sleep. He had tossed and turned and gone over every option open to him. He had even got up quietly and paced out on the terrace, hoping the biting cold of the earliest hours of the morning would jolt his mind into thinking of a solution. To no avail. He eventually slipped off into an uncomfortable, cold and unnaturally light sleep.
Alex shut the door behind him as best he could in its crippled state. He did this even though the rest of the house had long gone out to amuse themselves in the city. God only knows what they were doing, but the house was now completely empty.
"About what?"
"About what happened."
"You mean-"
"Yes," Alex coughed, feeling a blush creep up his neck. He turned to face Kai who – annoyingly – had a small smile on his face.
"What exactly did you want to talk about?"
"Us."
"Well...I think we work well together."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
"I know, but I like seeing people squirm."
"Great," Alex muttered.
"Look, Alex," Kai said with a small chuckle, "We-"
"Kai, you kissed me!"
"I kissed you? Maybe, but you kissed me back."
"I...I didn't."
"Yes you did. You even moaned a little-"
"I was surprised! You surprised me. And we were having a conversation, one that I haven't had with anyone else. I've never talked to anyone about...all that."
"Well, you kissed me back. You can't deny it."
Alex gave up. He let out a long sigh and hung his head. He jumped as Kai sat down next to him.
"It's just...why did you do that?" he asked, forlornly.
"What?"
"Kiss me."
"I don't know."
"That's comforting."
There was a long pause, as Alex stared down hard at the floor. He clenched his hands together in front of him.
"What's wrong, Alex?"
"I don't really know you, Kai."
"No. But if you give it some time you will."
"How? You won't tell me anything."
Kai shrugged, "It's just the way I am. I'm not used to sharing my personal life with people. Anyway, I showed you my tattoo."
"Only because I made you," Alex grumbled.
"Still, there's only a few other people who've seen it. It's not like it's a part of my life I want to make public."
"I blurted all that stuff to you," Alex groaned, running his hands through his hair, "That's it, isn't it? This is why we....because I've never met someone else in the same position as me. That's all."
"So that's the reason you kissed me back," Kai laughed, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"No, I....I don't know," Alex sighed, "I'm not...at least I don't think I am..."
"Gay?"
Alex clenched his jaw. How was he having this kind of conversation? If he had had some control and stopped the kiss then he could have saved this embarrassment. But now he was starting to think more and more about it, and it was becoming more and more obvious that there was no way in hell he was going to have pushed Kai away.
But why? Was he gay? Or was this his hormones going insane? He was fifteen, after all. Did he like Kai because his hormones were going into overdrive or something?
But he had hoped the whole relationship thing could be staved off for a while. He and his friends had talked about sex and girls and all the sorts of things teenage boys talked about. Most of the conversations about his mates' or peers' sexual conquests were nothing more than dreamy exaggeration. Thankfully Tom was more like him – a little less willing to start talking about all things sex – but he was a fifteen year old at school; there wasn't much more to talk about apart from computer games. He wondered if that should have been a sign to himself that he was gay.
'No that's ridiculous' he thought with a scoff, 'Just because I don't go on about girls doesn't mean I'm gay. But...kissing Kai sort of indicates something."
"Whoa."
Alex jumped as he felt Kai cup his face as he crouched down in front of him, the smile back in his eyes, "I can see the turmoil of you thinking this over."
"Really?"
"You're not a very easy person to read, Alex. But when you start to think about something that's worry you, you can see how your train of thought is going," he chuckled, "Your eyes go all misty and your face flickers as you think. It's like watching mime."
"Sorry," he murmured in reply, flustered at how close they were once again.
"Anyway," Alex said, leaping backwards as he heard footsteps enter the house, "We're on a mission. We need to concentrate on that. We need to keep our cover."
Kai didn't say anything for a moment, then stood up too.
"Ok," he said, putting his hands in his pockets.
Kai didn't provide any more to the conversation, letting Alex talk for the both of them as the British teen endeavoured to fill the silence and stop the topic changing back to the kiss.
He replied to Alex's questions about the two football teams they would be pitting against each other in monosyllabic form, keeping his eyes on the floor or out of the window.
Eventually, Alex grew tired of the one way conversation.
"What's wrong?" he asked, testily.
"Nothing."
"I'm beginning to think that's the only word you're ever going to say to me."
Kai didn't respond. He had turned his back on Alex and was staring hard out of the window.
"Fine, Alex. Whatever."
They stood like that for a while in silence, Alex growing increasingly uncomfortable. Had he offended Kai?
He hadn't wanted to make it seem as though he was angry at the kiss, or that he hadn't wanted Kai to do it. Had he? No, of course he hadn't.
It just that it seemed a little rich for Kai wanting to do that...and then on the other hand being so secretive with him.
God he was confused.
Somewhere in his muddled mind, two synapses finally fired in unison and he felt the lose strands of thought starting to knit together. He moved over to Kai, standing in front of him with a sort of defiant terror.
"What?" Kai sighed. Alex was surprised as how miserable he looked.
So he took a second to inwardly steel himself. Then he kissed him.
It seemed to take the Russian by surprise because for a moment he was rigid, before finally relaxing. The kiss was similar to their first, Alex even felt the same numbness and spark of excitement as he had done then.
"Did you just do that because you felt guilty?" Kai asked, a smile flickering at the corner of his lips now.
"No," Alex said, with a sudden wave of conviction.
"Good," Kai chuckled, pulling the blonde into another kiss. Alex let out a small noise of surprise as Kai planted his hands on his hips and pulled his body flush to Kai's.
"So we can continue doing this until you're finished having your little internal meltdown?" Kai asked when they eventually pulled apart.
Alex pretended to think about it for a moment.
"If we have to," he finally concluded, then started to laugh.
'I've gone insane' Alex thought, as he couldn't get the laughing to stop even though he had resumed kissing Kai with his arms wrapped around the boy's neck.
Had he snapped? Was this it? He always thought the missions and the death and destruction and danger would make him crack one day. But not like this. Not attached to the mouth of another young spy.
Kai was laughing now, both of them finding it impossible to get a clear kiss whilst they were laughing.
Kai was the first to recover, and Alex finally stopped as the elder teen ran his hands through Alex's wild blonde hair.
"Alex, I like you. Can you accept that, please, and not worry about it?"
"I'm not worrying-"
"Yes you are, you're thinking about it too much. We're not exactly ordinary teenagers, we're not in an ordinary situation here."
"I know."
"Good."
"Can we make a deal though?"
Kai sounded suspicious, "What kind of deal?"
"Well...two. One: we don't do this at anything other time apart from when we're in this room and out of sight and earshot. Two: you tell me more about yourself. You don't have to do it all in one go, just...don't be so secretive."
"Fine. But I don't know all that much about you either, Alex. This is another thing you need to stop. Give it time."
There was a whoop of joy from outside their door, and the distinctive sound of Luke's voice as he yelled: "We're off guys, let's go start a fucking riot!"
"Yes. Let's," Kai grinned. He kissed Alex's forehead, just at his hairline, and detached himself from his warm embrace.
FC Zenit vs. FC 'Spartak' Moscow. A fun rivalry, a friendly game. Alex couldn't understand why someone would want a riot to take place, but he knew all too well that Beckett Circle kids who asked questions were quickly dispatched from the group.
The fans for FC Zenit were kitted out in bright blue, the Spartak fans in red and white. They were being funnelled through the city towards two different entrances; the obligatory
This wasn't Alex's first football match, and he felt a sudden thrill of excitement as the stadium loomed into view. He had made a walk like this with his uncle to see Chelsea play a number of times. Of course now he knew that his uncle's claim that the tickets he got from work was a lie; unless MI6 funded its spies to go and see football matches.
Coming to a match as a support of FC Zenit was completely different to being a Chelsea supporter; the colours were all wrong. Breathing was difficult as the ice cold refused to relent. The sun was weak and watery, and even with a new pair of gloves he had acquired from a street stall Alex was none the warmer.
"Spartak fans are 'Myaso' or Svinyi'. Lieutenant Alexei said we need to get the riot going outside of the stadium but close enough to the police to get them involved. If you want to piss off a policeman call him a 'ment'. It's a bit like 'cop' or 'pig' in English. Call it them enough times, particularly if you're up close, and it should get some reaction. During the match, if you want you can yell 'spabedo'. It's something like 'for victory'; you'll hear it a lot. And at some point we'll get covered by a massive banner the size of one of the seating sectors. Just put your hands up and help them get it unfurled, but you don't need to once it's up. I don't know what watching football in England is like, but there's going to be a lot of coloured smoke and big banners."
Kai and Alex walked and talked, having lost the others in the surging crowd a few minutes ago. They had all been briefed on the general information about the two teams and possible ways to stir up the riot, but it wasn't to be a cleverly orchestrated linguistic triumph. They were there to start a fight, to get as much violence stirred as possible.
Alex was starting to get nervous. He wished he was just coming to see the football, to enjoy it with a friend. He hadn't been to a match for such a long time, never mind with someone his age. And it would be a completely new experience in a new culture. But he couldn't enjoy it, because the minute it was over he was going to have to start calling the opposition names and throwing some stones.
He hoped that they could bring down the Beckett circle soon; it was going to be difficult to do these kinds of activities for too long.
"Ok," Alex nodded, looking around him at the sea of FC Zenit blue. He stuck close to Kai, who looked oddly happy.
"What are you smiling about?" Alex eventually asked, as the shadow of the stadium fell over them and the crowd started to stagnate in front of the entrances.
"It's just strange hearing St Petersburg accents again. I'm used to doing jobs abroad, not in my home country. Not at a football match where the team I used to support are playing."
Alex couldn't hear any differences between the Russian he heard now and the Russian he had heard on the streets over the last few days, but his grasp of the language was minimal.
"Who used to take you to the matches?" Alex ventured the question as innocently as possible. He had tried it once before and he had failed to get an answer. He had hoped that after their conversation that morning, Kai would maybe feel better about replying.
Alex felt a little stab of guilt at the thought. He hoped it didn't sound like he had returned Kai's affection as an act to get Kai to tell him more about himself. Because now he was starting to look forward to the next time they were alone together, able to enjoy their privacy.
'What's wrong with me?' he thought, 'I'm not gay! Well, I must be...but still...'
He shook away the fretting, wanting to stick by what he had promised. He needed to just take the situation as it was: he and Kai had kissed. He was looking forward to the next opportunity to do so, and he didn't want to think about stopping doing it anytime soon. Anything other than that was too much to think about
"Tom used to bring me."
"Who's Tom?" Alex blurted before he could stop himself.
Kai squinted against the sunlight as he looked up to the top of the stadium where the cheers of the steadily increasing crowd were growing.
"He was my guardian."
Alex was about to ask about the use of the past tense 'was' when Luke appeared between the two of them, ruddy cheeked and eyes lit with excitement.
"This is fucking immense. I can't wait to start a fight! And we get to see some good fucking football, FC Moscow are a good team."
"So are Zenit," Kai reminded him, waving the end of his scarf. He had bought Alex and Kai scarves at a street vendor back down the road, scooping out money from his pocket Alex hadn't realised the other spy had possessed.
"Oh yeah," Luke mumbled, going a little red. He had been designated to take the Zenit side of the fight, the hope being that if both sides were riled enough a riot would be definite.
It looked like Luke didn't exactly appreciate the choice, however.
"Hey you speak Russian, can you tell me some stuff to piss off the Spartak fans?"
Kai smiled devilishly and taught them both a few choice phrases. Some of the other Zenit fans around them applauded the Russian boy teaching his English friends some of the dirtiest phrases known to their game; others smirked or laughed. Others gave them sour looks, which the boys ignored, feeling the excitement of being completely free to offend and stir some rivalry brewing at the bottom of their stomachs.
What self-respecting teenage boy wouldn't want to cause a bit of trouble?
Dark had fallen when the match was finished. The game had been fantastic; Alex felt breathless and full of adrenaline. He had forgotten how thrilling it was to see matches live, to stand shoulder to shoulder with a wall of fans all willing for the same thing. Ok, so he had only heard of FC Zenit the day before, but he had found an uncontrollable urge to support them so that they won.
Unfortunately they hadn't, but Alex hoped that would make riling the crowd up easier for the other boys in the group. He wanted the violence to start quick, and to get out of it even quicker. He had heard things about Russian policemen and cells that in any other circumstances would make him behave without question. Now he had to actively ask for the danger of being locked up.
"Come on."
Kai nudged Alex forward into the crowd as they streamed out of the stadium, "We need to follow those big guys."
"Where?"
Kai pointed out a huddled mass of largely built skinheads heading away from the rest of the crowd. They were decked from head to foot in Zenit, had obviously had a beer or two, and were enjoying their intoxication.
"Why?"
"They're not going to start a fight on purpose but they will do soon. They're heading the wrong way, they're heading over to where the Moscow guys are going to get home. They must be staying at a hotel in the city, everyone else is headed for the train station. They're big enough to look up for a fight if someone wants to pick one."
Alex nodded, taking faith in Kai's knowledge. He followed suit as Kai jogged around the group, speeding up ahead of them towards the Spartak fans. He shouted something over his shoulder at them and they threw their arms in the air and started to sing; it was a song Alex had heard numerous times on the Zenit stands. Luke and Jack, the fourth boy in their little group, jogged behind them.
They drew up just before the police line that kept the Moscow fans separate from the Zenit fans as everyone left the stadium. The alleyway between the two main roads was small and lit only by the moonlight and orange flow from the street lamps at either end.
Kai took a deep breath.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"Let's go and ask for the shit to be kicked out of us then."
With a deft change in languages, Kai began yelling in his mother tongue, throwing his arms out and jeering towards the fans in red and white. For a while none of them responded. Alex, Luke and Jack joined in, mimicking Kai's words with little understanding.
The lose line of armed policemen stood in between them and the Spartak supporters. Kitted with batons, riot shields and grey helmets, Alex was thinking twice about aggravating them. Still...
"Hey!" Kai cried, pointing accusingly at the back of a policeman's head and shouting something that sounded rude even to Alex. They didn't turn around to him so he started to call again, cupping his hand to his mouth. Jack and Luke were insulting them in English now, which Alex doubted they hadn't heard before, and he joined in with vigour.
Some of the Moscow fans were starting to get annoyed though. They started to shout through the gaps between the heads of the policemen, faces slowly starting to match the red of their shirts and scarves.
Alex and Jake simultaneously picked up a stone and hurled it into the crowd. That got the police's heads to turn. They were stuck though, keeping the now furious Moscow fans back. Many of the ones who had a problem with the four screaming kids were drunk and violent on it. They pressed against the police line, calling back, naming them names Alex didn't understand. Kai laughed and gestured rudely in return.
Alex picked up a half crushed can from the pavement and sent it arching over into the crowd; Kai continued the jeering and taunting in Russian. An enraged fan finally broke free, and the FC Zenit fans that had been ambling up behind them started up their own teasing chants.
'Run' Alex's instincts were telling him, as the Spartak fans powered towards him, fuelled on alcohol and passion. They identified the kids who had been ridiculing them, but also the skinheads coming up behind them dressed in blue. Good enough for a fight.
As they headed towards him, Alex heard the clatter of boots behind him and a roar of retaliation.
Kai had been right. Their aggravation of the Moscow fans had set off all those willing for a fight; they were now heading towards anyone dressed in blue to make their feelings known.
Alex turned, desperate to leave the fighting to those who actually cared.
His stomach clenched, his blood flushing cold.
The policemen that had been guarding the FC Zenit line of fans had been dodged, but now they ran towards the violence. Up ahead, the policeman desperately trying to stop the flow of Moscow fans into the alleyway had provided an affective barrier.
They were trapped. Between two lines of policemen, funnelled into a tight space, with the angry drunk football fans they had themselves angered.
He swore once, loudly to himself, then felt the wave of FC Zenit fans hit him. He was knocked sideways, right into the chest of a Spartak fan. Alex saw a flash of a tattoo down the man's neck before he was shoved away, a bottle smashing to the tarmac where he had been seconds before.
Alex tried to move backwards, desperately searching the crowd for the others. He remembered seeing the start of a fight after a Chelsea match when he was nine; how tightly his Uncle had held his hand and the tone of his voice when he told Alex to stick close to him.
He wasn't going to get hurt by the violence, he was going to be crushed by the people.
Someone barrelled into him from behind and there was a flurry of blue, red and white. He couldn't see the sky anymore, the ground and the walls of the alleyway spun into one. Alex had no idea which was left or right. His head jerked to the side as someone pulled on his arm, tugging him into a scrap between two Zenit fans hell bent on shutting up a Spartak supporter.
A fist caught his shoulder and another hit him against the hip. The crowd suddenly surged together and Alex was forced against the alley wall. His head snapped back, thumping against the concrete. For a moment he felt a wave of nausea, stars exploding in his vision. There was a tight pain in his chest as someone's elbow pressed against his ribcage.
The noise around him was suddenly muffled, an odd crackle in his ears. A hot pain flickered at his hairline before the area started to feel warm and wet.
His hands scrabbled against the wall, trying to push himself away.
Then a cool hand grabbed hold of his, gripping tight. He felt it pull him, gently but forcibly along the wall.
A voice he recognised, but couldn't place, was shouting next to his ear, demanding something. He couldn't make out the words, but soon the crushing weight of the crowd lifted. The light was suddenly brighter, the air cooler. He thought he was falling, about to hit the concrete, unable to catch himself in time, but strong arms caught him. Alex felt himself be lowered carefully sit heavily on the pavement.
"Alex? Alex are you Ok? Alex, look at me."
"Kai?"Alex was confused, "Where?"
"It's Ok, they let us out of the crowd. Alex, look at me."
Alex finally wrestled his senses under control and looked up at Kai's worried face. The Russian was panting heavily; his skin ghostly pale, making the bruise on his eye stand out starkly.
"What?"
"We were getting crushed," he explained, "I saw you hit your head. Do you feel sick at all?"
"No."
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three?"
Alex couldn't be sure that Kai was holding up his fingers at all. Only his face seemed clear, and the feel of his hand at the back of his neck.
"Is he Ok?" someone asked in English, hovering above Alex where everything was blurred and dotted with stars.
"He's probably got a concussion."
"Shit he's bleeding."
"Give me your scarf."
The world was starting to slowly right itself around him, and for the first time Alex could get a good clear inhalation of oxygen into his lungs. It did wonders to clear his head, and he finally managed to blink away most of the stars.
He could make out Luke crouching next to Kai, a bruise marking his jaw.
"Are you Ok?" Alex asked them both, taking a few more healing breaths.
"Luke got his first experience of a drunken Russian punching him in the jaw."
"Yeah, fucking fantastic," Luke grumbled, "You and Kai were getting crushed. He went all white and nearly passed out; you got smacked up against the wall. I thought you were going to go down and we wouldn't see you again."
"How did we get out?"
"I got thrown out by a policeman," Luke explained, "I was trying to get them to let you guys out but they weren't listening. Kai got free and managed to convince them to let you out."
"You were bleeding," Kai shrugged, "And you're a blonde English kid, they took pity."
"I'm bleeding?!" Alex cried, putting his hand to his forehead where he had felt something warm starting to thread. His hand bumped against Kai's, who still had the scarf pressed against the cut.
"It looks worse than it is, you won't need stitches."
"Is he Ok?"
Alex's senses were still a little scrambled, and it took him a moment of deduction to work out who was speaking. It was Lieutenant Alexei, stood behind Alex and Kai and bedecked in the blue of FC Zenit.
"He's fine, just got knocked on the head."
"Good," Alexei mumbled, almost to himself, his surprisingly English accent being brought out by the stress, "Come on, I'll walk you guys home. I'd take off all your Zenit stuff, if you can."
Luke and Kai helped Alex to stand. His legs burnt and trembled and his head swam for a moment. After a pause to adjust, he felt better.
Still, Kai wrapped an arm tightly around Alex's waist, and Luke hovered nervously by.
"What happened to you?" Alexei asked Luke as he ushered them at a surprising speed back onto the main road.
"Some guy whacked me on the jaw."
"And you're Ok?" he then quizzed Kai.
Alex wasn't sure why the Lieutenant was so concerned as to their safety. He always got the impression Beckett Circle kids of the lowest order were expendable; if they ended up in hospital after doing a job then it was their problem. But here was one of their stern-looking Lieutenants shepherding them personally home and enquiring about their health.
"I'm fine," Kai nodded, although to Alex his skin still looked pale.
"You get crushed in a crowd and you might not know you're haemorrhaging inside for a while," Alexei said, sounding angry, "Are you sure you're ok? You're breathing is Ok?"
"I'm fine," Kai repeated, "I can breathe fine, I've just got a headache."
"That's from not getting enough oxygen," Alexei snapped, as though it were Kai's fault. They were still heading home, and with each step Alex was starting to feel stronger. He noticed Alexei run a hand through his hair distractedly.
He started to talk to Kai in Russian, his voice considerably less frustrated. Kai nodded in response, and turned his attention back to Alex.
"You feeling better?"
"Yes, a lot. I can walk on my own."
"That's not very advisable," Kai chuckled, "Nothing worse for a concussion than banging your head again."
Alex didn't have the stamina to argue. He allowed Kai to help him home, wondering all the while at how worried Alexei looked.
When they eventually had shut the door behind them in their temporary home, Alexei announced, "You're all accounted for. That's good. There's....there was an incident, and the Beckett Circle needed to withdraw."
"What do you mean 'an incident'?" Alex asked, as he sat down heavily at one of the chairs pulled up to the dining table. The blood had dried on his forehead and as he talked and his skin moved it started to flake onto his nose and into his eyes.
Alexei chewed on his lip for a moment, then continue with an unsteady voice, "Lieutenant Leonid stabbed someone. Someone we...if he had to stab someone, let's just say that was the last goddamn person he could have done it too."
"He stabbed someone?"
"It's complicated," Alexei sighed, "But we needed to get you all out before some agent figured out that starting the riot was planned by a group posing on both sides. We don't want the Beckett Circle compromised. If any of you had been locked up, you would have blurted it all out. Everything about the Beckett Circle, down to our names."
"Thanks for the confidence," Luke grouched.
"Have you been locked up in a prison cell in this fucking country?" Alexei asked, the frustration rising again.
"No," Luke mumbled, going red.
"No, exactly. You spend ten minutes behind a locked door with a detective that wants information, and you're more than willing to give it to them."
He was breathing heavily, agitated and angry. He kept glancing out of the window and half turning to check on the front door.
"I have to go. If he gets worse-" he pointed at Alex, "Take him to the free clinic. If you head to where you picked pockets at the concert, it's between that square at the church."
"We will do," Kai assured. The trio sat watching Alexei quietly, knowing that around the house every pair of ears was pinned to the conversation.
"You don't breathe a word of this to anyone," he eventually threatening, pointing a finger, "Beckett Circle business is Beckett Circle business. You only know the minimum, but no gossiping with any other kids. For the sake of this entire thing, keep your mouths shut. I'm going back to the office, stay here and get some sleep."
"The office could mean that place we dropped off the wallets we stole. If he's going there, we could see what these people are up to."
Kai nodded, concentrating on checking Alex's wound.
"If he's going back to the office that must mean they'll be talking about Beckett Circle stuff, maybe even bringing in some of the people in charge to deal with it. We have to be there Kai, we haven't got anywhere with this investigation yet and this could be it," Alex continued.
"You're concussed, Alex! You've got a gash on your forehead and half an hour ago you couldn't focus on anything. You can't go back out there and go sneaking around an office eavesdropping on conversations like this, you'll get caught."
"What do you mean, I can't do this? Surely if I'm too injured to do it you are too! You look terrible."
"I didn't have my head smacked against a concrete wall. I found it difficult to breath for a moment or two but I'm fine now, I'm recovered. Let me go and do this on my own."
"No," Alex snapped, "We need to do this together."
Kai sat back on his heels, the wet towel he had been using to clean Alex's wound in his hand.
"Says the one who sped off on a moped on his own to follow a potential lead," he said, frowning.
"That's different," Alex cried, "This is going to take two of us, we both need to be there."
"So you don't trust me to go on my own?"
"I didn't say that," Alex groaned.
"Well what are you saying? In an ideal world, yes, it would be best if we could both. But you've got a concussion. You're not in the right-"
"I can do this! I've done this before Kai, I know what I'm doing and I feel fine."
They walked in silence to where they had dropped off the purses, battling through the snow that was now driving into Moscow's streets.
Alex assumed that, once again, Kai wasn't happy with him. But he was less concerned about it in this situation; he knew that to get the information they needed two of them.
"He's wearing the stripes of a Junior Lieutenant," Kai announced, as he headed down the street towards the back entrance of the club. Alex remembered with bitterness the hours he spent waiting for the black Mercedes on this street, and felt sorry for the guard that was huddled under the overhead light by the door.
As they were heading towards him, Kai turned and pushed Alex close to the wall gently.
"You go in and try to get as much information as you can. I'll distract the guard so you can get in, but I doubt there'll be many people in there at this time of night. Probably just those doing damage control for what happened at the football match."
"Fine," Alex nodded, "When I come out, I'll wait behind...that red Citroen, there. When you walk past I'll join you."
"Ok."
Kai turned on his heel towards the freezing guard at the door.
"Mladshiy Leytenant!(1)" Kai cried, grinning. He held out his hand and shook the boy's hand vigorously. They started to talk in Russian, and Alex settled down in the cold to wait for the opportune moment.
It was twenty minutes before Kai had started to ease the guard away from the door. They were chatting in quite a friendly way, their conversation punctured by laughter.
After taking a deep, steadying breath, Alex moved away from his protection of the wall and slipped in through the door.
There was no-one inside. The club the office lay behind hadn't got going yet; the peak hour would be closer to midnight and it was only past eleven. Kai was right, the backwater Beckett Circle office was quiet. He heard Logan Safin's booming voice from a far away room, but then another familiar voice could be heard underneath it.
"Of course, Sir."
It was the Lieutenant Alexei. He recognised the very English accent, but there was another with an even rougher British accent talking to him.
"Come on Lieutenant, come to my office and we can talk in private."
They were heading his way. Alex moved quickly down the red carpeted corridor studded with doors. There was only one corridor apart from the one the pair were heading down towards him. Alex ducked down this, the red carpet muffling his tread. There was a low, narrow alcove at the end of the short corridor. He ducked and slid inside it, tugging at his long limbs to get them to fit inside the small space.
The two turned down the corridor. The footstep of Alexei's partner was significantly heavier, and he was breathing heavy as he reached a door, unlocked it, and moved inside.
The door shut softly behind them, and Alex raced to kneel beside it.
He leant his back against the wall, steadying his breathing so that it was minimal as possible. His head was thumping and he tried desperately to ignore the pain as he tuned into the conversation.
"What's going to happen Captain Reynolds?" Alexei's voice was tired and nervous.
"The retribution of a rich man is swift and uncomfortable, Lieutenant. We were paid to look after his son in a planned stunned that was supposed to bring Hassan sympathy to win a vote of confidence. And not only did we fail to keep him safe, it was one of our kids who stabbed him!"
The voice had escalated with fury, and the man took a moment to calm down.
"We're going to isolate the problem and try to placate Hassan."
"And what if that doesn't work?"
"Then we think of a plan B."
There was a heavy pause, then Alexei spoke again, "What do you mean when you say 'isolate the problem', Sir?"
The man didn't respond. Alexei fell quiet and they sat in silence for a while longer.
"You've told the recruits about the need for them to shut their traps?"
"I did, Sir. They looked terrified and many of them had minor injuries; they won't want to talk about it to anyone."
"Good. Keep an eye on them over the next few days. Any sign of them gossiping about this, and I want them on the first dingy back to that godforsaken spit of rock they come from. I'm all for the exchange of English kids for Russian kids in this organisations, but they don't half pick the thick ones to send over. No offence to you, Alexei, but you were pretty useless when you arrived."
"Yes, I was sir. I was only twelve."
"Hm. Twelve is too young. Too frightened of everything. I'm glad they raised the acceptance age. But look at you now, a strapping nineteen year old and a Lieutenant. No wonder they're considering you for a Senior Lieutenant position."
"I'm very proud to be helpful to the Beckett Circle, Sir."
The Lieutenant sounded like he had said those words before; an automatic response.
"Good boy. Now, go home and get some sleep. Remember to keep your recruits under control and scout out ones possible for Project 209."
"Yes. Goodnight Sir."
"Goodnight Lieutenant."
Alex darted away from the door and tucked himself into the alcove at the end of the corridor, listening as Alexei opened the door and shut it carefully behind him. His footsteps slowly disappeared.
Alex paused, listening for any signs of further activity, before he crawled out of the low niche. As quietly and quickly as possible, he made his way out of the corridor and back towards the main door. He didn't fancy staying any longer; the sounds of the club were starting to increase, and he had heard people walking in and out of the office regularly. Office hours had obviously started.
He was in a dangerous position; someone only had to turn the corner of head out of a room and see a Beckett circle kid sneaking around where he wasn't supposed to. But he made it outside safe, feeling the punch of cold air as he stepped out into the snow.
Kai was waiting outside, still distracting the guard. He was smoking a cigarette with him, and the two started laughing at something the Junior Lieutenant had said.
Alex managed to keep himself hidden in the flurry of snow, and flitted across to the other side of the road discreetly. He crouched down low behind the red Citroen and immediately started to shake as the cold started to seep through his clothes. The pain in his head increased, until it grew to a stabbing, ice cold pain where it had been hit against the wall.
Kai appeared about ten minutes later, walking past the car without looking down. Alex stood, taking a moment to glance at the guard. He had his back to them, huddling against the doorway in the snow.
He caught up with Kai around the corner. Kai's hair had turn almost completely white, a few flakes of snow even in his eyelashes. His lips were faintly blue, and his face was covered with concern, "Alex you look freezing."
"I am cold," Alex admitted, his jaw clattering as he spoke. Before he knew what was going on, Kai had unzipped the front of his coat. He took Alex's arms and wrapped them around his torso inside his coat. Without asking any questions, Alex squeezed tight, burying his face into the warm crook of Kai's neck.
"This country is always so cold," Alex chattered, the shaking of his voice hiding his laugh.
"You're right, but you notice it so much because you're not used to it," Kai assured, his arms now hugging Alex to him. Alex was grateful for the warmth, and he felt a lot less uncomfortable about this situation as he may have done when they first met.
Kai raised a hand and brushed away the snow from Alex's hair, pushing it back from his face.
"I'm not kissing you," Alex said.
"What? Why?"
Kai looked genuinely surprised and confused, and Alex smiled before answering, "Don't look so hurt. It's just that I saw you smoking with that kid. I hate the smell of smoke."
"Yeah, well the taste of it is no better," Kai chuckled, "So I forgive you."
"Do you smoke a lot?"
"No. Not at all, really. I've only done it to fit in somewhere or, like then, to get in with someone. Or to get warm. Disgusting habit, but when you're hanging around on the streets in this country you need to try anything to keep you warm."
"Oh. Um...why are we having this conversation out here? It's so cold."
"I have no idea. Come on, we should head back or they'll get suspicious. You can tell me everything you heard when the other guys have gone to bed."
Alex was gasping for breath between the kisses, breathing heavily. He was so hot, he hadn't felt a heat like it. Skin was touching skin as his t-shirt rode up and his feet wound around over and over again. Kai was propped above him on his elbow, hand delved into his thick hair at the back of his head. Which was hurting. God, it hurt. Why did it hurt so much?
He didn't have much time to consider the options before he realised that as he was kissing him, Kai's other hand was wandering under his t-shirt. His fingers traced the light definitions of the muscles in his chest, trailing a soft touch down past his ribcage, eventually running over his stomach. The muscles there flickered, tensing. Kai's fingers curled over his belt; the tips of his index and forefinger brushing just above-
...
Alex woke with a start, panting heavily. It took him a moment to get his bearings. Kai was sleeping a few inches away, turned away from Alex. His breathing was relaxed and heavy, sleeping peacefully.
Alex kicked away the covers, careful not to disturb Kai. He was so hot, his skin felt like it was on fire. Immediately it started to cool, and the pain in his head began to return. He remembered going to bed after taking some painkillers Kai had bought at a 24 hour pharmacy with some more money from his pockets. As he had been drifting off to sleep, he and Kai had discussed what he had heard between Alexei and Captain Reynolds. They had decided to ring Agent Rhodes the next day and check on some of the names they had required, including the Kennedy Building.
They had knocked him out into a comfortable and, ultimately, pleasurable sleep. He groaned when he rolled onto his back, realising that a dream like that hadn't come with a price. Even though his head was pounding and all he wanted to do was stick it under the pillow and go to bed, he couldn't face sharing the bed with Kai for a moment longer. Not in his current predicament.
Scolding himself the whole time, he clambered off the mattress and crept quietly into the bathroom.
The toilet was nothing more than a whole in the ground, and using it involved peeing into an upcoming draft, which was often a perilous task when the wind was particularly strong. Whatever was deposited down the whole landed into a drain that hadn't worked for years, as the smell indicated.
The base of the shower was orange with rust and dirt, with very little hot water which often disappeared in the first blast of water. The rest of the time it was freezing and pummelled whoever stood behind the curtain with icy water.
Right now, Alex considered that a blessing in disguise, as he stripped off his clothes and pulled back to the shower curtain.
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