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fredbassettTitle : Tethered, Part 2
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Alex Rider
Rating : 15
Characters : Alex, Yassen, Tom
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Summary : Does frozen pizza and a six-pack of beer amount to a dinner party? According to Tom it does. And then there's the whole problem of introducing your best mate to your ghostly bodyguard...
“So where does he go when he’s not here?”
Tact and Tom didn’t go together.
Alex let his eyes flicker over to the wicker chair in the corner of the kitchen just to unnerve his friend.
Tom yelped. “Dude, you told me you’d given him a tenner and sent him out to the movies.”
“Relax. He’s not here.” As far as Alex knew, Yassen was sprawled out on the bed in the spare room watching Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).
Alex had a horrible feeling his spectral bodyguard was going to start wearing white suits.
He wouldn’t put it past him.
**
“Can I meet him?”
Alex’s eyebrows collided with his fringe at speed.
“Dude, you’re scared of ghosts, remember?”
“He’s living with you and I’m your best friend. I need to check his intentions are honourable.”
“What part of definitely dead wasn’t I clear about?”
Tom waved a hand airily. “The Ouija board was my idea, remember. Where does he sleep?”
“Not in my bedroom, if that’s what you mean!”
Alex had no idea if sleep was even a thing for ghosts.
And he had no idea where Yassen was when he couldn’t see him.
He hadn’t asked.
Maybe he should.
**
Tom walked into the kitchen, clutching a six-pack of beer and three frozen pizzas.
Yassen, lounging at ease in his favourite wicker chair, looked amused.
Tom stared suspiciously, peering into corners and even glancing under the kitchen table.
Eventually, he sighed. “This is one big wind up, isn’t it, mate?”
On cue, the lights flickered and went out.
Tom yelped like a kitten whose tail had just been trodden on.
“Yassen, I said play nicely,” Alex chided.
The lights obligingly went back on.
Tom still looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin at the slightest provocation.
**
“Trying using your peripheral vision.”
“What the fuck does that even mean?”
“Look straight ahead but concentrate on what you can see out of the corner of your eye.”
“The fridge and the cheese plant. It needs watering, by the way.”
Ten minutes later, Tom gave up in frustration and went to the loo.
A loud yell told Alex all he needed to know.
A heartbeat later, Yassen appeared, grinning. “Before you ask, I waited until he was washing his hands.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Alex muttered.
Tom shot out of the loo, wet hands waving everywhere. “Fucking hell!”
**
After pizza, beer and considerably more questions than might be considered polite, Yassen and Tom had bonded over a love of Blithe Spirit and mutual hatred for the abysmal reboot of Randall and Hopkirk.
Tom could still only see him occasionally but appeared to be able to hold a conversation without difficulty.
After switching to rum and coke, his friend was trying to persuade Yassen to appear on Most Haunted.
“You could wear a white suit!”
“I prefer black.”
“Black’s cool, too. Can you walk through walls?”
“Doors are more usual, and I don’t have to pick locks any more.”
**
Alex finally poured Tom into the spare room then flopped down on his own bed.
“Dinner parties are tiring,” Yassen commented, solicitously.
“Does pizza and beer constitute a dinner party?”
“Absolutely.” Yassen looked thoughtful. “He told me that if I hurt you, he’ll kill me.”
Alex shot upright. “He didn’t, did he?”
“He’s your friend, of course he did.”
Alex wondered if it was possible to die of mortification.
“What did you say?”
“I pointed out I was already dead.”
“And?”
“He said he’d burn some sage.”
“Not in my bloody kitchen.” Followed by, “Why?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
**
“Yassen?”
“Alex?”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
Yassen was currently lounging on the huge beanbag in the corner of the room, looking perfectly relaxed.
“You can… stay there, if you like?”
“It is comfortable,” Yassen acknowledged. “Go to sleep, Alex.”
Alex snuggled down and pulled the duvet over his shoulders. “Night.”
“Good night, sleep well.”
When Alex woke up in the middle of the night, his insubstantial housemate had his eyes closed and appeared to be asleep.
To his surprise, Yassen looked younger and somehow more vulnerable in sleep.
Alex felt strangely privileged to have seen him like that.
**
“Where were you this afternoon?” Alex asked as casually as he could.
He’d been on a simple surveillance job, shadowing the son of a Russian diplomat.
Gregor propositioned him almost immediately.
Flustered, Alex said he had a steady boyfriend.
Gregor hadn’t wanted to take no for an answer.
Alex had spent the rest of the afternoon expecting his handsy companion’s phone to blow up.
When it had remained stubbornly intact, he’d been a tad disappointed.
“I thought you’d prefer some private time.”
“It was a job, not a bloody date! I was lucky to get away with my virtue intact!”
**
“If your virtue had been threatened, I would have been there in a heartbeat.”
Alex, curled up on the sofa, stuffed full of Chinese takeaway, said, “Thanks.”
Yassen, sitting at the other end of the sofa, replied softly, “You’re welcome. But if you want to bring someone back here…”
“No. I’m not dating. And it’s your home too.”
“Alex, I’m…”
“Dead. Yes, I had noticed. Yassen...”
“Yes?”
“Shut up and turn the telly on.”
Episode 26, Vendetta for a Dead Man, seemed strangely apt.
Only two more episodes to go and they’d have to find a new series to watch.
**
Yassen vetoed watching Friends.
In retaliation, Alex opted for extending Yassen’s knowledge of the supernatural by watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Yassen liked Spike (no surprise), really disliked Angel’s excessive brooding (also no surprise) and showed a morally dubious interest in the rules of kitten poker.
Alex enjoyed slobbing out with his spectral companion and the help on missions had made life considerably less stressful.
There was just one problem.
Alex hadn’t worked out how to tell his best mate that he fancied the dead assassin who had killed his uncle.
That wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have sober.
Author : fredbassett
Fandom : Alex Rider
Rating : 15
Characters : Alex, Yassen, Tom
Disclaimer : Not mine, no money made, don’t sue.
Spoilers : None
Summary : Does frozen pizza and a six-pack of beer amount to a dinner party? According to Tom it does. And then there's the whole problem of introducing your best mate to your ghostly bodyguard...
“So where does he go when he’s not here?”
Tact and Tom didn’t go together.
Alex let his eyes flicker over to the wicker chair in the corner of the kitchen just to unnerve his friend.
Tom yelped. “Dude, you told me you’d given him a tenner and sent him out to the movies.”
“Relax. He’s not here.” As far as Alex knew, Yassen was sprawled out on the bed in the spare room watching Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).
Alex had a horrible feeling his spectral bodyguard was going to start wearing white suits.
He wouldn’t put it past him.
**
“Can I meet him?”
Alex’s eyebrows collided with his fringe at speed.
“Dude, you’re scared of ghosts, remember?”
“He’s living with you and I’m your best friend. I need to check his intentions are honourable.”
“What part of definitely dead wasn’t I clear about?”
Tom waved a hand airily. “The Ouija board was my idea, remember. Where does he sleep?”
“Not in my bedroom, if that’s what you mean!”
Alex had no idea if sleep was even a thing for ghosts.
And he had no idea where Yassen was when he couldn’t see him.
He hadn’t asked.
Maybe he should.
**
Tom walked into the kitchen, clutching a six-pack of beer and three frozen pizzas.
Yassen, lounging at ease in his favourite wicker chair, looked amused.
Tom stared suspiciously, peering into corners and even glancing under the kitchen table.
Eventually, he sighed. “This is one big wind up, isn’t it, mate?”
On cue, the lights flickered and went out.
Tom yelped like a kitten whose tail had just been trodden on.
“Yassen, I said play nicely,” Alex chided.
The lights obligingly went back on.
Tom still looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin at the slightest provocation.
**
“Trying using your peripheral vision.”
“What the fuck does that even mean?”
“Look straight ahead but concentrate on what you can see out of the corner of your eye.”
“The fridge and the cheese plant. It needs watering, by the way.”
Ten minutes later, Tom gave up in frustration and went to the loo.
A loud yell told Alex all he needed to know.
A heartbeat later, Yassen appeared, grinning. “Before you ask, I waited until he was washing his hands.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Alex muttered.
Tom shot out of the loo, wet hands waving everywhere. “Fucking hell!”
**
After pizza, beer and considerably more questions than might be considered polite, Yassen and Tom had bonded over a love of Blithe Spirit and mutual hatred for the abysmal reboot of Randall and Hopkirk.
Tom could still only see him occasionally but appeared to be able to hold a conversation without difficulty.
After switching to rum and coke, his friend was trying to persuade Yassen to appear on Most Haunted.
“You could wear a white suit!”
“I prefer black.”
“Black’s cool, too. Can you walk through walls?”
“Doors are more usual, and I don’t have to pick locks any more.”
**
Alex finally poured Tom into the spare room then flopped down on his own bed.
“Dinner parties are tiring,” Yassen commented, solicitously.
“Does pizza and beer constitute a dinner party?”
“Absolutely.” Yassen looked thoughtful. “He told me that if I hurt you, he’ll kill me.”
Alex shot upright. “He didn’t, did he?”
“He’s your friend, of course he did.”
Alex wondered if it was possible to die of mortification.
“What did you say?”
“I pointed out I was already dead.”
“And?”
“He said he’d burn some sage.”
“Not in my bloody kitchen.” Followed by, “Why?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
**
“Yassen?”
“Alex?”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
Yassen was currently lounging on the huge beanbag in the corner of the room, looking perfectly relaxed.
“You can… stay there, if you like?”
“It is comfortable,” Yassen acknowledged. “Go to sleep, Alex.”
Alex snuggled down and pulled the duvet over his shoulders. “Night.”
“Good night, sleep well.”
When Alex woke up in the middle of the night, his insubstantial housemate had his eyes closed and appeared to be asleep.
To his surprise, Yassen looked younger and somehow more vulnerable in sleep.
Alex felt strangely privileged to have seen him like that.
**
“Where were you this afternoon?” Alex asked as casually as he could.
He’d been on a simple surveillance job, shadowing the son of a Russian diplomat.
Gregor propositioned him almost immediately.
Flustered, Alex said he had a steady boyfriend.
Gregor hadn’t wanted to take no for an answer.
Alex had spent the rest of the afternoon expecting his handsy companion’s phone to blow up.
When it had remained stubbornly intact, he’d been a tad disappointed.
“I thought you’d prefer some private time.”
“It was a job, not a bloody date! I was lucky to get away with my virtue intact!”
**
“If your virtue had been threatened, I would have been there in a heartbeat.”
Alex, curled up on the sofa, stuffed full of Chinese takeaway, said, “Thanks.”
Yassen, sitting at the other end of the sofa, replied softly, “You’re welcome. But if you want to bring someone back here…”
“No. I’m not dating. And it’s your home too.”
“Alex, I’m…”
“Dead. Yes, I had noticed. Yassen...”
“Yes?”
“Shut up and turn the telly on.”
Episode 26, Vendetta for a Dead Man, seemed strangely apt.
Only two more episodes to go and they’d have to find a new series to watch.
**
Yassen vetoed watching Friends.
In retaliation, Alex opted for extending Yassen’s knowledge of the supernatural by watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Yassen liked Spike (no surprise), really disliked Angel’s excessive brooding (also no surprise) and showed a morally dubious interest in the rules of kitten poker.
Alex enjoyed slobbing out with his spectral companion and the help on missions had made life considerably less stressful.
There was just one problem.
Alex hadn’t worked out how to tell his best mate that he fancied the dead assassin who had killed his uncle.
That wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have sober.
no subject
Date: 2021-08-08 05:05 pm (UTC)This is so good I might get mixed up and think this is canon! I love your Tom and Alex especially :D
no subject
Date: 2021-08-08 05:31 pm (UTC)