Fic: Alex Rider: Something Like That
Title: Something Like That
Rating: PG-13 for mentioned murder
Warnings: mentions of murder/child abuse; no main character death, however.
Word Count: 440
Disclaimer: Alex Rider is not mine and never will be.
Summary: For once, Alex doesn't bounce back after a mission, but for once, there's someone there who understands.
AN: In my head, this is set in the In Loco Parentis 'verse, but there're no concrete indications - so you can pick the one you prefer. ^_^ Possible OOC-ness depending on how you see the characters and their developement.
(Crossposted to ami_n_von.)
**
For a moment, Alex stared at Wolf blankly, and then the man saw, to his horror, tears well up in the kid’s brown eyes. Alex shook his head, blinked, and the tears spilt over and Wolf swallowed nervously, a move the kid clearly caught. Cub looked down and away to hide his tears, evidently embarrassed by them, especially in Wolf’s presence, angling his body ever so slightly away from him.
“Cub?” he said quietly, as gently as he knew how. Alex looked up at him again quickly, then down almost immediately. There was a brief flash of something like anger in his eyes, and Wolf was all-too familiar with the tactic of getting angry with those who embarrassed him. “What’s-” he paused, considering briefly how to go about this, then continued rather tentatively. “What’s wrong?”
For a moment, he thought Cub wouldn’t answer, then: “they killed them.” He whispered very quietly, all traces of anger gone, his voice flat and frighteningly emotionless. “They said they wouldn’t if I did what they wanted, and - they killed them.”
Wolf took a couple of steps forward, until he was stood with arms reach of the boy - less than that, in fact, just a step or so away - and said awkwardly. “Who killed who?”
“Them.” The kid said, as if that explained everything. “The - them. The men I was sent to look into.” He looked up at Wolf again, eyes wide and wet, salty tear tracks marked on his face, expression worryingly blank. “They had - had some kids, hostages. They said that they’d let them go if I did what they wanted, and I did it - and they killed them.” He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of an image. “They made me watch.” He looked back at Wolf, and his face crumpled, creasing with misery. “And I can’t stop watching.” He told him, voice strangled. “I-I keep seeing it.”
Tentatively Wolf put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. Alex gave a compulsive, choked little sob, and he almost removed his hand in shock, but managed to keep himself under control. Slowly he put his arm round the boy, and was rewarded by Alex half burying his face in his shoulder, and beginning to sob in earnest.
It was a strange feeling, a mix of terror, horror and unbearable, choking affection. Terror because he felt like he was free-falling without a parachute, and had no idea how to deal with all of this - horror, because of what this kid had had to deal with, at fourteen. And affection, choking him until he could hardly speak. Well, fondness. Well - something like that.
**
Did like, didn't like - do tell. ^_^
Rating: PG-13 for mentioned murder
Warnings: mentions of murder/child abuse; no main character death, however.
Word Count: 440
Disclaimer: Alex Rider is not mine and never will be.
Summary: For once, Alex doesn't bounce back after a mission, but for once, there's someone there who understands.
AN: In my head, this is set in the In Loco Parentis 'verse, but there're no concrete indications - so you can pick the one you prefer. ^_^ Possible OOC-ness depending on how you see the characters and their developement.
(Crossposted to ami_n_von.)
**
For a moment, Alex stared at Wolf blankly, and then the man saw, to his horror, tears well up in the kid’s brown eyes. Alex shook his head, blinked, and the tears spilt over and Wolf swallowed nervously, a move the kid clearly caught. Cub looked down and away to hide his tears, evidently embarrassed by them, especially in Wolf’s presence, angling his body ever so slightly away from him.
“Cub?” he said quietly, as gently as he knew how. Alex looked up at him again quickly, then down almost immediately. There was a brief flash of something like anger in his eyes, and Wolf was all-too familiar with the tactic of getting angry with those who embarrassed him. “What’s-” he paused, considering briefly how to go about this, then continued rather tentatively. “What’s wrong?”
For a moment, he thought Cub wouldn’t answer, then: “they killed them.” He whispered very quietly, all traces of anger gone, his voice flat and frighteningly emotionless. “They said they wouldn’t if I did what they wanted, and - they killed them.”
Wolf took a couple of steps forward, until he was stood with arms reach of the boy - less than that, in fact, just a step or so away - and said awkwardly. “Who killed who?”
“Them.” The kid said, as if that explained everything. “The - them. The men I was sent to look into.” He looked up at Wolf again, eyes wide and wet, salty tear tracks marked on his face, expression worryingly blank. “They had - had some kids, hostages. They said that they’d let them go if I did what they wanted, and I did it - and they killed them.” He shook his head, as if trying to get rid of an image. “They made me watch.” He looked back at Wolf, and his face crumpled, creasing with misery. “And I can’t stop watching.” He told him, voice strangled. “I-I keep seeing it.”
Tentatively Wolf put a hand on the kid’s shoulder. Alex gave a compulsive, choked little sob, and he almost removed his hand in shock, but managed to keep himself under control. Slowly he put his arm round the boy, and was rewarded by Alex half burying his face in his shoulder, and beginning to sob in earnest.
It was a strange feeling, a mix of terror, horror and unbearable, choking affection. Terror because he felt like he was free-falling without a parachute, and had no idea how to deal with all of this - horror, because of what this kid had had to deal with, at fourteen. And affection, choking him until he could hardly speak. Well, fondness. Well - something like that.
**
Did like, didn't like - do tell. ^_^