Fic: Alex Rider: Small Steps
Title: Small Steps
Rating: Gen
Summary: Sequel to Due Consideration. Kay takes Alex to a university open day.
Fandom: Alex Rider
A/N: So. That sequel to Due Consideration I promised? It finally arrived, after spending five months languishing in a notebook whilst I panicked over exams. As always, thank you to pygmymeese for the wonderful beta(s); any remaining mistakes are my own and I would be eternally grateful if you would point them out for me. Thank you!
Disclamer: Not mine, don't sue. It'll make you look like an idiot.
Ben answers the phone early in the morning. It isn't something he normally does, but Kay, although groggy (it really is early - she glances at the clock: half five), isn't particularly surprised. She recognises the special ring they've set up for Alex, and Ben would answer that at two o'clock in the morning if need be.
It's the school holidays and Kay doesn't need to be anywhere for - she glances at the clock on the bedside table again - at least four hours. The bed is warm and comfortable, and she's half asleep again before Ben wanders back into the room, looking stressed.
"What's wrong?" she asks sleepily, levering herself up onto one arm.
Ben runs a frustrated hand through his hair.
"Jack's really ill; Alex thinks she's got the flu. They were supposed to go to that open day today."
Kay's heart sinks. In his own quiet way, Alex has been looking forward to today. A time that he could spend around people his own age who wouldn't be able to judge him for anything, she supposed.
"He just phoned to let us know," Ben says. To be honest, Kay thinks that he's probably just as disappointed as Alex is. Kay hesitates, and then makes a decision.
"I could take him, if he doesn't mind me doing it. I'm not doing much today. Just lunch with Lydia." And shopping with her and Jess, and I was supposed to go out with the girls tonight as well, but that doesn't matter. This is important.
Ben's face brightens.
"Would you? I know you have a lot on." Kay shrugs, scrubbing a hand across her face in an attempt to wake herself up.
"I can always rearrange it. I mean, I know Alex isn't my biggest fan, but at least he'll get to go, right? I'll take loads of notes for Jack."
Ben shoots her a strange look.
"What do you mean, 'Alex isn't your biggest fan'? He likes you just fine."
"You sure? It's been a year and a half, and he's still wary of me. I mean, I understand that there are trust issues and stuff there, but-" Ben cuts her off.
"Kay, as long as I've known him, Alex has never been the demonstrative type. He refused to speak at all to the last girlfriend I introduced him to. Like I said, he likes you just fine."
"Oh, so you've taken a lot of girlfriends to meet Alex, then?" Kay teases, unable to stop herself. Ben snorts.
She still isn't convinced, but she rolls out of bed anyway and goes to get dressed while Ben phones Alex back to check that it's okay with him.
Ben sticks his head back around the door just as she shrugs on a jacket.
"Alex says that's great," he reports with a grin, standing aside to let her pass, "and to thank you very much. There was also some stuff about 'are you sure' and 'isn't she busy', but I won't bother to repeat that nonsense." Kay laughs as she grabs her bag on the way out of the door.
Alex is his normal taciturn self when Kay picks him up, but the quick smile he shoots her is genuine and friendly, if still a little cautious.
They don't talk on the way down; Alex spends most of his time staring out the window at the passing countryside, and Kay concentrates on the road as the sky lightens outside. The radio - set to some talk show - is loud in the silence between them. Neither of them make a move to break it; it's not uncomfortable.
Eventually, Kay pulls into the car park, switches off the car and turns to Alex.
"I haven't been to one of these since I was your age," she confesses. Alex shrugs and gives her another small smile.
"It's not hard. They all basically follow the same sort of pattern. Jack says it's even the same in the US. What did you study at uni?"
Kay smiles ruefully. "English Lit. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with my life at the time. You want to study French with International Relations, right?"
"Yeah. I figured that since I'm fluent, you know? It makes sense." Alex doesn't sound particularly enthused about it.
"Alex-"
"Come on, we'll be late if we don't hurry."
They sign in - "Alex Rider plus one?" - and are directed out to the lawn for a tour of the campus.
It's a nice university - a mixture of modern and old fashioned. Kay pulls out her phone and takes some pictures for Jack. She'd love this place, she thinks.
Next, they visit the drop-in session for Alex's chosen department. The displays look very impressive; Kay doesn't understand a word of it with her rudimentary O-level French, but Alex seems happily absorbed in the course requirements, so she wanders around to a table covered in pamphlets (thankfully in English) and begins to read about the course. Apparently, the students get to spend two terms of their second year in France. Fascinating.
It happens about ten minutes later.
The drop-in session is good for asking specific questions about the course, and Kay has definitely thought of a few after picking up a leaflet entitled "FAQs for Parents,". She resolves to give a copy to Jack whenever they meet next, and after a moment of hesitation, takes another one for Ben. It never hurts to be prepared.
Alex has been, eyeing the door and the window nervously for a while now, looking uncomfortable. Kay wonders if he thinks it's going to rain.
"You okay, Alex?" she asks, coming up behind him at the window. His whole body tightens and he inhales sharply, but his face remains unreadable. Kay steps back hastily, wondering if she has somehow invaded his space, but he immediately relaxes again.
"Sorry, you startled me," he says, but it's a lie and she knows it. Although she's never been able to work out Alex's tells, he's more conscious of his surroundings than anyone she knows. She frowns slightly. "I'm fine," he insists with a thin smile, and Kay knows to drop it.
"What do you think of the course?" she asks, and he flashes his small smile at her, gratefully. For a minute, they talk about the relative merits of taking double honours, touching on the trip that Kay had read about in the pamphlet, and Alex tells her what attracted him to the university: the top of the range sports facilities on offer to all students. Kay rolls her eyes. Boys. Alex catches her, of course, and grins, good-naturedly defending himself. It's the most animated Kay's ever seen him.
She is just about to ask if he is ready to leave when there is a friendly voice behind them. Absorbed in their conversation, Kay jumps. Alex doesn't.
"Is there anything I can help you with before the talk?"
They turn. It's one of the professors who has been running the session, standing there with a friendly smile on his face.
"Of course," Kay says afterit becomes clear that Alex is not going to answer. "I was wondering about the course content? We're interested in the French with IR course; I think it's double honours?" She glances at Alex who nods absently. He's looking out the window again.
"What's the ratio between the two courses in terms of teaching time?"
"Well," the professor replies, "if you look at this sheet, it shows you the core modules for the language side, and this sheet will show you…" Kay keeps the professor engaged with questions that she knows Jack will want answered when they get home, watching Alex out of the corner of her eye. Alex eventually relaxes, starting to ask questions of the professor and Kay makes a mental note to ask him what the matter was later, even though she knows he'll brush it off as he always does.
It comes closer and closer to the time of the lecture, and Alex begins to wrap up his questions. There were quite a few, once he got started, and the professor looks reluctantly impressed.
"You've obviously done a lot of research into this sort of thing, Alex," he says, after some particularly intense questioning on the current state of Libya and the situation in the Middle East. Alex shrugs, impassive, but the glint in his eye suggests he is amused.
"I learned it on the job," he says. Kay shoots him a sharp look. And just what did he mean by that? she wonders. The professor laughs.
"I wish all my students were employed there, then!" The professor grins. Alex doesn't. "This has been a truly fascinating discussion, Alex and I'd really enjoy continuing it some day. Unfortunately, I have to give a talk now, so if you and your mum would like to come this way…"
Alex's face shutters. Kay hesitates; she has no idea what to do in this situation. She sees how the mistake could be made - she and Alex perhaps look a little alike if you didn't know, if you assumed... But she doesn't know what happened to Alex's family, and she's not even sure where she stands with Alex herself, so how can she explain it to the professor?
The professor looks a little disconcerted at their hesitation. Kay doesn't blame him. Alex is hard to read at the best of times, and this is certainly not.
"Kay isn't my mum," Alex says after the uncomfortable pause goes on for far too long. "Just a good friend."
Kay's head is spinning so much she doesn't hear a word of the lecture. Beside her, Alex is paying close attention and making furious notes, but he hasn't met Kay's eyes since the professor's faux pas in the seminar room.
She'd meant what she'd said to Ben that morning - Alex never had warmed up to her the way a normal teenager might have. But then, she thought, as a slide at the front of the lecture hall changed with a loud click, Alex has never been a particularly demonstrative teenager.
After the talk, Kay and Alex head out for lunch, choosing a café in the student union- it looks nice and has healthy options as well as the customary burger and chips. Alex hesitates as they enter, scanning the tables and then makes straight for the widest view of the room, as he always does. Kay supposes he likes to people-watch.
The food they order looks delicious, and they tuck in in a rather uncomfortable silence, the words from the seminar room hanging heavily between them. Alex breaks it, eventually.
"Kay." She looks up. He takes a deep breath. "I just… I want to say thanks. For bringing me today. I'm sorry it was so last minute. I know you had stuff on." His expression is inscrutable. Kay waves a dismissive hand.
"Anytime Alex, seriously. And I didn't have that much on, anyway."
Alex raises an incredulous eyebrow. Kay suddenly remembers a conversation she'd had with Ben a couple of months ago. Take my advice: don't ever try to lie to Alex. He can always tell, and it makes him really… jumpy.
She laughs and admits, "Well, nothing that couldn't be pushed back 'til later. It's fine, honestly."
She hesitates then, wondering quite how to phrase what was on her mind, if she even should.
"What?" Alex asks. He really is a little too observant, a little too perceptive for someone his age. Kay has taken a long time to get used to that, and it still caught her out on occasion.
Her courage fails her. She doesn't want to sound overbearing, after all. What if he didn't attach the same importance to his thanks that she had?
"It's nothing, don't worry about it." She smiles at him.
"What?" he persists. Kay is surprised; it's unlike Alex to be so pushy. He must be reading something into this. It's a reassuring thought.
"Alex," she says hesitantly, "I know you're a little wary of me, and I think I understand why. I'm an intruder into your world and that isn't really very fair on you- " She breaks of with a nervous laugh. Alex smiles encouragingly.
"I'm sorry, this is really awkward. I suppose what I wanted to say is that I'm sorry for upsetting your life like that." It was hard to put her thoughts into words.
Alex takes a deep breath. "You aren't the one that should be sorry, Kay. I'm sorry that you felt the need to apologise." He shrugs. "I'm not the easiest person to get to know. Thanks for being one of the few people who actually tried." Alex looks terribly, awfully sad for a moment, and Kay remembers Ben telling her that Alex had to switch schools after his GCSEs, his reputation meaning that his old school was unwilling to let him carry onto sixth form with his friends, even with his outstanding grades.
Alex glances at his watch and gets to his feet. He smiles tentatively at Kay.
"C'mon, or we'll be late to that finance talk Jack asked us to go to. Can you believe what Cameron's doing to the tuition fees next year?"
It's late by the time Kay gets home. So late, in fact, that for once, Ben has gotten home before she has.
"How was it?" he asks expectantly.
"Not bad at all!" she replies with a grin. "Alex definitely liked the university, anyway."
"You got on well, then?"
"You could say that. We had a good talk. You were right about him not hating me anymore"
"He never hated you. And I hate to say it, but I told you so."
A few miles away in a house in Chelsea, Alex Rider goes to bed with a rare smile on his face.