Chapter Text
I hear your voice on the phone...
Now I’m no longer alone
— — — — — — —
“So are you coming or not?”
Alex let out a huff of breath. Stretching his legs out over the sofa’s arm, he pondered the question, brow furrowed.
“You said it’s tomorrow night, right? Who else is coming?”
Tom’s voice grew even more insistent, tone somehow decipherable even through the static of the phone’s speaker. Alex could picture his friend perfectly, slumped over his bed in quite the same way Alex himself was over his sofa. “Who knows- everyone, probably? And yes , it’s tomorrow. Don’t tell me you’d rather spend the night working on biology.”
“It’s not my fault I’m behind,” Alex snapped, sighing. Curse MI6 and their pointless missions- if he wasn’t forced to leave for weeks on end halfway through term, he wouldn’t be buried up to his neck in late schoolwork during Easter break. All of his classmates were out traveling or partying (or both)- and yet here he was, stuck with nothing to do but attempt to tackle the endless assignments he had yet to make up. At this point, he already knew his finals were a lost cause- no amount of studying would make up for it, but he felt his professors deserved some effort from him.
Still, the sound of a night out partying with Tom was undeniably tempting. With Jack gone for the holiday to America to visit family, he would otherwise just be alone, working on pointless assignments he didn’t understand for a final he wouldn’t pass. Hardly a fun proposition.
“Maybe?” He heard Tom cheer on the other end of the line. “I’m not driving us home if there’s alcohol, though. That’s on you.”
His friend barked a laugh, and Alex felt himself smile, school stress briefly forgotten. Tom had that effect on everyone. “We’ll walk, mate. I don’t trust you behind the wheel sober .”
“ And I want your help with this bio- and English,” Alex continued, stretching. He swung his legs over the cushions, finally righting himself. “I can’t afford to fail every class, Tom, and you understand it better than I do.”
“I can get you up to a C, maybe,” Tom offered. “But I won’t promise anything past that- my grades aren’t much better than yours. Then again…”, he paused, and Alex could practically hear him grinning over the phone. His tone turned teasing. “You could always ask Artemis to help you.”
Alex felt a flush run over his face at the mention of the other boy, cheeks burning- with a groan, he fell back onto the sofa’s arm. No fair. Leave it to his best buddy to miss absolutely nothing. “Nope, no, not a chance. Don’t bring Art into this.”
“Why not?” Tom persisted, no doubt grinning ear-to-ear. Alex wished he could punch him in the shoulder. “It'd be fun- you know he’d love it. The chance to nag your ear off about convergent evolution and taxonomy, and show off that big brain of his? You’d be getting all A’s in no time!” His voice dropped to a whisper. “And maybe you won’t fall asleep this time if he’s the one teaching you.”
“It’s not like I want to be tired all the time, Tom!”, Alex snapped, smarting from the reminder of their last disastrous study session. “Things are just… stressful, right now. MI6, finals, Jack getting ready to move out…”
In all truth, he couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d slept fully through the night. His waking hours were haunted by an endless cycle of missions, schoolwork, missions, schoolwork- and as for the night…
Well, his nightmares were better left unsaid.
“I get it.” Tom interrupted, no doubt trying to keep him from spiralling. It didn’t quite work, but Alex appreciated the effort. “But who knows, maybe Artemis has something for that too. Fowl’s a genius- and I’d bet good money he doesn’t sleep any better than you. You could always ask him?”
His tone was gentle. Alex opened his mouth to reply, but nearly jumped when the chime of his phone’s notifications went off in his ear. Someone was texting.
He glanced at the screen, and blinked. Artemis was texting.
“Speak of the devil-“
Tom barked a laugh. “Well, I’ll let you two talk for a bit- see you tomorrow night, Alex! Tell your new tutor I said hi.”
“Tom, wait-“
But the other boy had already disconnected the line, and Alex huffed, miffed by his sudden retreat. Rolling his eyes, he checked the notification, nonetheless curious. Artemis preferred face-to-face communication, and if that wasn’t an option, the Fowl boy always called- he insisted nothing was better for deciphering the truth of a conversation (and, granted, he wasn’t wrong , even if it was an odd thing to fixate upon). It simply wasn’t like him to text out of the blue.
In reading over his message, however, Alex found himself growing even more confused.
Can I come over for the night?
That was it. The only message from him in the past several weeks, and it explained nothing. By all means a simple request… if it was sent by anyone else. For a second, Alex waited to see if another message would pop onto the screen, anything to explain the confusing question before him- but nothing appeared. Artemis was awaiting an answer, then. What was Alex supposed to do? Just say yes, without hesitation?
Of course, Art. Lmk when you get here.
Alex knew he wouldn’t have texted if it wasn’t important- and he hadn’t seen the other boy much lately. Artemis had been more distant of late, withdrawn in a way Alex couldn’t quite reach. He looked stressed, irritable, and tired- far from his usual self. When asked about it, he wouldn’t answer, deflecting any question with his usual flippancy. It wasn’t entirely unbelievable, given the many things Artemis considered himself responsible for, that he had merely overworked himself and would soon sort things out- but it concerned Alex all the same. There was something… weary, about the look in his eyes as of late, an ache that Alex wished he knew how to cure.
Then again , he reminded himself- it was also equally likely that Artemis just wanted to hang out for a bit, and his timing was simply a little poor. If that was all, it was something Alex was happy to oblige- it would be good to see him again.
With that in mind, Alex stood, pausing to stretch once more. Artemis lived in Ireland- it would take him at least a couple of hours to make it to Chelsea. That gave Alex plenty of time to make sure the house looked alright. Staring around at the scattered textbooks and coats tossed every-which-way, he winced. It always got so messy when he was left alone in charge of the flat.
Heaving a sigh, he set to work stacking his papers in a somewhat-orderly fashion, sweeping them between cover and page of one of the larger textbooks. He’d sort through them later, when he didn’t have a friend coming over all the way from Ireland. Taking note of some of the questions marked on one page in bright red ink, he winced.
Suddenly, asking Artemis for help didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
——————————
There was something so dreadfully disheartening about the rain.
Artemis felt a sigh drag from his lips as more of the icy deluge splattered against his shoulders, cold and unforgiving. Thoroughly chilled, he darted between covered awnings and empty storefronts in an effort to escape it, but it was a pointless effort. He was already drenched. In hindsight, he knew should have thought to bring an umbrella, or checked the weather in Chelsea, or something- in his fury, he hadn’t remembered, too desperate to get out from under the gaze of his father to think clearly.
It seemed rash decisions were something the two had in common.
Now, with his anger abated, the only feeling he could summon was an unbearable melancholy. It suited his surroundings perfectly- the streets around him were abandoned, everyone already having fled inside to avoid the downpour. Dusk was gathering, the fading light dimmer than normal under the flat sheet of clouds- it was growing more difficult to see. Even the birds had disappeared for the night, fluttering away to hidden places to find a warmer spot to perch.
The sidewalk under his feet was crooked and uneven. Distracted by the emptiness around him, Artemis suddenly cursed as he stepped ankle-deep into a puddle that more so resembled a small pond. He only barely managed to keep himself from falling onto his face- annoyed, he tried his best to ignore how cold and numb his extremities were becoming. Shivering slightly, he paused under the next awning, rubbing his arms in an effort to warm himself up. He was near Alex’s street- now he was only left with finding the right house.
There was an ominous rumble in the distance, and Artemis winced. Just what he needed right now- a thunderstorm to emphasize the ridiculous situation he had put himself in. Blueish-white light rippled across the clouds, not yet ready to touch the ground. It would be at most only a few minutes before lightning would be streaming down from the slate-grey sky above. Heaving another sigh, he forced himself to step out into the downpour once more, skirting around the pooling water where he could.
Thankfully, he managed to find the right house number in record time. Drenched, he made his way to the front stoop, but as he reached out to knock, he found himself hesitating. There appeared to be a light on in the main room, despite the late hour- Artemis was suddenly struck with the sheer nerve of his actions. He had contacted Alex out-of-the-blue, requesting to come over with no explanation, thereby forcing his friend to stay up and likely rearrange his schedule.
All because of one stupid, stupid argument.
He knew he should turn right around and get himself home. Apologize to Alex for the inconvenience, promise to meet up later, dodge his parents on the way up to his room, and spend the rest of the night trying to come up with some sort of plan to make life at the Manor manageable again.
Artemis was startled out of his apprehension by a massive clap of thunder- the brontide was over, it seemed, forced to make way for the full force of the storm. Lightning sparked in the corner of his vision, and Artemis bit back a hiss of frustration as he flinched, pressing himself against the door, watching the white light rake across the sky. There was just no going back in this kind of weather, the jet couldn’t handle it- he was going to have to bite the bullet, or keep standing out in the cold. Given that his extremities were already numb and he couldn’t seem to stop shivering, the latter just wasn’t an option.
With trembling fingers, Artemis forced himself to knock once, twice on the door.
And after a few moments, it opened.
— — — — —
“Do you need some help with that?”
Alex’s voice was soft, gentle, almost drowned out by the dull roar of the rain against the windows. Were the circumstances different and exhaustion not overwhelming most of his senses, Artemis would have been content to listen to him speak for hours- or simply sit in his company. Unbidden, his mind flashed to the warm sensation of the other boy’s arm curled around his shoulders, the quiet purr of his laughter, and he winced as his face reddened.
He didn’t deserve such things.
Clenching his teeth in a weak effort to stop them from chattering, the Fowl heir shook his head stubbornly, before turning back to the task of trying to remedy the drenched state he was in. He had already been forced to shed his jacket, the sopping fabric haphazardly slung across the back of a chair. His tie and shoes had followed- while he now felt horribly underdressed, he was at least a bit drier. Snatching up one of the towels Alex had been kind enough to set beside him, he began the monumental task of getting his hair back into some state resembling ‘organized’. The rain had left it completely undone, and now it was practically a mess of curling wisps.
“Don’t mind me, dear Alex.” He muttered, growing frustrated with the feeling of it curling beneath his fingers. “I’ll be right as rain in no time.” He snickered at his own little joke, but even as he said it, his teeth were still chattering slightly. A chill had set into his bones.
Alex watched, head tilted and eyes half-open. For a moment, the room was filled with nothing but a pleasant quiet- rain pattering down and the soft hush of their breathing, Artemis muttering under his breath as he tried and failed to sweep his hair back- then, Alex sighed, standing up.
“Here. Let me.”
Something warm pressed against his shoulders as the other boy maneuvered behind him- Artemis blinked as the towel was plucked neatly from his grip. In seconds, Alex had most of Artemis’s bangs in order, gently running his fingers through the raven-black curls.
The sudden contact was heavenly, and for a moment it was all Artemis could do not to collapse backwards, curl up against the other boy, and seek solace in one of the few steady figures he had managed to find in his world. Alex was warmth and light and gentle things- when Artemis was in his presence, everything became just a little bit brighter. Some small part of him, however- the part of him that could still manage to reason- reminded him that such things were better left to those that could afford to show such weakness. Instead, the Fowl boy settled for merely shutting his eyes and leaning into his touch, silently accepting the help. Exhaustion was beginning to drag at him- he found himself struggling not to yawn.
Alex hummed as he worked, the sound melodious and comforting in spite of its tunelessness. A habit of his of which Artemis was undeniably fond. With surprising skill, the spy slowly worked Artemis’s hair into something approaching it’s normal state, combing his fingers through and unworking all the little knots the rain had twisted into the dampened strands. “You know,” he eventually murmured, voice so soft as to almost be a whisper. “Just because you don’t need help doesn’t mean I won’t help you.”
Artemis blinked upwards through long, flickering lashes. There was a brief pause.
“I know.”
Something in his chest ached at the admittance- thankfully, Alex didn’t press the issue further.
Deftly smoothing back what remained of Artemis’s curls, Alex surveyed his handiwork with a pleased smile. “Better?” he asked, watching as Artemis carefully dragged his fingers through his now-restyled hair. It wasn’t a perfect job- all the gel Artemis normally used to keep it in place had been washed out in the downpour, though he had managed to get it out of his face, at least. Without any products to slick it down, Alex was surprised to find it was almost… wavy.
He wanted to run his fingers through it again.
Satisfied, Artemis nodded. “Much.” His voice softened. “Thank you.”
Another pause.
“Anytime.”
The pattering of the rain outside had slackened off to a fine drizzle as the storm began to die out. Gradually, the sound of it faded too, until the air was filled with nothing but silence and a soft kind of darkness, broken only by the dim glow of the lights outside. Alex didn’t seem bothered as he slowly shuffled around in the kitchen, well used to navigating in the dark.
Artemis could sympathize- the Manor’s halls were drenched in impenetrable shadow long before the sun ever went down.
Significantly drier, Artemis finally stood from the cold tile, muscles aching from being held still for so long. He carefully picked his way over to the sofa, falling back against the cushions with a sigh. He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do now- his earlier frustration had completely dissipated, and now the only emotion he could summon was a deep weariness. Weariness of what, exactly, he could not tell, but the feeling was far from unfamiliar.
His thoughts were interrupted by the soft thud of a thick blanket falling into his lap. Looking up, he could just barely make out the gleam of Alex’s eyes in the dark, as he turned and sat down beside him. Artemis blinked, but said nothing- instead, he busied himself with settling the blanket around his shoulders, grateful for the warmth of it. The chill hadn’t quite left him yet.
They sat in silence like that for a while. The only sound to be heard was the slow ticking of the clock on the wall, the hour hand stretched well past midnight. Alex would likely have been in bed by now, if he hadn’t shown up.
“So, Art.”
Alex’s voice broke the silence as he shifted to stare at Artemis.
“Why… why are you here?”
The room was still too dark to see easily by, hiding much of his face- for that, Artemis was grateful. It couldn’t quite mask the concern shining in Alex’s dark eyes, though, and the Fowl heir bit back a wince. Do I really look that bad?
“I…” Artemis paused as he tried to come up with an answer that wouldn’t make himself seem any more pitious than he already felt.
I’m here because life at the Manor is rapidly becoming unbearable. My parents do not understand or want me, nor can they tolerate me as I am. My family still hasn’t come to terms with the fact that I was resurrected- I haven’t either. I am coming to realize things about my family and my childhood that I don’t want to acknowledge. I think something is wrong with me. I have no other friends aboveground, and I have no one left to turn to. I missed you- this is the safest place I know.
“I just… needed to get out of the house, for a bit.” he eventually stammered. His voice had dropped to a whisper, and he forced himself to take a deep breath, start again- voice a little steadier, he continued. “It’s been a long day. A really, really long, difficult day.”
It wasn’t an answer. It wouldn’t suffice, and yet Artemis found he couldn’t explain himself further. His eyes were stinging- exhaustion and frustration were mingling in his chest, a pressure that demanded to be released. If he continued, he would fall apart, and he wouldn’t do that to Alex.
His friend deserved better than that.
To his relief, Alex said nothing, only blinking in the dark. Artemis could just make out, through the hazy shadows, the dark circles under his eyes, etched by sleeplessness and stress. MI6’s doing, no doubt.
The Fowl heir’s fingers suddenly twitched with the urge to reach out and pull Alex to him, to murmur soft and quiet comforts against his straw-blonde hair until the other boy could rest easy- until Artemis could rest easy. He resisted the impulse, twisting his hands into the fabric of the blanket instead. “Perhaps…”, he offered, not bothering to hide the tiredness in his voice. “Perhaps we could talk about it tomorrow?”
He wouldn’t- at least, he didn’t plan to, if he could help it. If he was pressed, he wouldn’t have much choice otherwise, but he had no interest in unloading all of his recent difficulties on Alex, no matter how willing he knew the other boy to be when it came to Artemis’s problems. The spy was already being kind enough to let him ‘crash’ for the night- that was more than enough.
Alex squinted at the clock on the wall. “It is pretty late,” he admitted, ignoring how rough his own voice sounded. His gaze flickered to Artemis. “Too late for long conversations. We should probably get some sleep.”
“That would be best.”
Alex didn’t answer- for a moment, there was only silence, the two content in each others’ company. Then, Artemis stiffened as an arm suddenly curled around his shoulders, strong and steady, and he found himself pulled close to Alex. It wasn’t quite a hug, but the quiet reassurance felt the same, and he leaned into it, grateful.
They stayed like that for a minute- when he eventually pulled away, it felt far too soon.
“Will you be fine in here?” Alex asked, yawning. He gestured towards the couch under them.
Artemis wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and only offered a tired nod. He had something of a reputation back at the Manor for falling asleep in his office chair every night- the sofa, by all standards, was infinitely more comfortable. He was too tired and too polite to be picky.
Alex stood, stretching as he did so. For a brief moment, Artemis found himself already missing the warmth of being beside him- tiredly, he shoved those thoughts away. “Sleep well?” he offered.
The other boy turned. His eyes flickered with something- concern? Appreciation? Warmth. He gave a brief flash of a grin, dazzling even in the shadows of the night. “Same to you, Art. Sleep well.” Even as he smiled, however, there was a strange note to his voice- it sounded an awful lot like sadness.
With that, he disappeared into the hallway, tossing a quick “Call me if you need me!” behind him. Artemis watched him go, before directing his attention to settling down for the night.
With no one else around, the shadows of the room seemed to twist and lengthen- Artemis ignored the sensation, stretching out with a long sigh. Blissfully, his mind had finally begun to quiet for the night, anxious thoughts melding into one another in a sluggish blur. It certainly wasn’t the most productive state to be in, but it was peaceful, and that was just about all he wanted right now. He could worry about other things in the morning- for the minute, he just needed to sleep.
As he set his head down, he felt the buzz of his phone in his pocket- groaning, he quickly pulled it out to check the notifications.
He had several missed messages from Butler.
I forgot to tell him.
It was too late now. Artemis heaved another sigh, squinted against the harsh light, and quickly tapped out a response to the most recent. He knew he would receive an earful when he inevitably called back in the morning, but that was a problem for tomorrow’s Artemis.
I’m safe. At Alex’s. About to sleep. Call tomorrow.
He didn’t bother waiting for an answer before he set the phone down against the nearby table. Tomorrow’s Artemis, he reminded himself.
Resting his head against his arm, Artemis adjusted the blanket around his shoulders and shut his eyes. The sound of the rain above, now discernible in the absence of quiet chatter, was soft and surprisingly soothing- even the distant rumble of far-off thunder didn’t unnerve him. Instead, Artemis focused on the warmth of the fabric curled around him and the soft rustling from Alex’s room, as the spy settled down to sleep as well. He could hear him humming.
I’m safe.
It wasn’t long before sleep took him.