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Fic: Dating the Cleverest Boy in the World. Chapter 14.
So, here's the chapter that goes with the icon. Mostly I can't believe that I've been listening to Martine McCutcheon's Perfect Moment on repeat, but there you are. Fic apparently trumps taste. Also, young love... what can I say? Hope you enjoy and Happy New Year! ♥ (Unbeta'd, so all mistakes and bad writing mine.)
Fic index here if anyone wants to catch up, or just follow the tags. And on AO3 here.
Summary: Allison had always thought that university would be an adventure. But she'd not imagined that she'd end up dating Harold Saxon's son.
Setting: Christmas 2026 (AU post-Sound of Drums)
Characters: OCs (Alex, Allison, Allison's family + others)
Rating: Teen.
Wordcount: 4500 words approx.
Feedback: *looks hopeful*
Chapter 14
Christmas 2026 (cont.)
The next few days were spent getting the last presents, meeting up with old friends, wondering what on earth Alex could be getting her that kept requiring him to go and ‘tinker’ and... slowly learning to adjust to Troy.
Her brother’s angry words had been a bit of a shock (‘You have no idea what Troy’s been through, how shitty a life he’s had. By rights he should be in therapy, except he refuses. And do you know how hard it was to get him to come here - I had to practically force him, to explain that my family was better than that, that they’d just accept him. And then you go threatening him!’) - it hadn’t been a fun moment, oh no.
That evening she’d mentioned it to Alex, who’d smiled softly, and nodded.
“Yeah, even without all the extra stuff, just the basics aren’t good. Born to an unwed single teenage mother in rural Ireland... He’ll have been ‘The Only Gay in the Village’ without the laughter track.”
“He told you this?” she asked, stunned, and he looked at her with that surprised look which meant he couldn’t understand how she was so slow.
“Oh no, but it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
“But... unwed teenage mum...”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“She called him Troy? No way was she older than 16 at the most.” A pause, as he seemed to confirm something to himself.
“Seriously, so much like what Josh could have been.”
“Josh?” she asked, by now thoroughly thrown. “Troy is nothing like Josh!”
Josh was... charming, courteous, and quite captivating if he wanted to be. Flirtatious, true, but in such a gallant way that it never grated. He never overstepped a boundary, never put a foot wrong stylistically. The very opposite of the in-your-face-ness of Troy.
Alex smiled again, but it was a sad smile.
“Josh started out better - his mother is smart and highly educated, he grew up in London - but without Jack to mentor him, and me to look out for him, he could have ended up very much like Troy...” A tilt of the head. “You think it’s easy to grow up bi in today’s world? To navigate preconceptions and biasses and have everyone judge you on your looks? In time, things will get better, but Josh is lucky and he knows it. He’d never even been in a fight until this autumn...”
Remembering that fight - and the aftermath - Allison was suddenly struck by the memory of Josh... expecting Alex to fix things. As well as the way he’d quite shamelessly manipulated Alex, until he’d got what he wanted.
“You’re his... miracle maker,” she said slowly, as that evening’s conversation came back to her, and Alex nodded.
“That I am. Troy never had one, and had to fight battles harder than Josh ever had. Troy, now, is the result of that. But it’s not too late - I'm pretty sure I can fix him.”
Abruptly looking bashful, he dragged a hand through his hair.
“It’s all my Uncle’s influence, that. Finding broken things and wanting to fix them - he’s not called ‘the Doctor’ for nothing. But then - if you can... It’s a constant balancing act, but I figure Troy could do with a miracle maker too. He’s off to a flying start with Toby, but Jack and I... We could smooth the path, give him the tools he never had. That’s not... That’s not interfering too much, is it?”
Swallowing against the sudden lump her her throat, she could only shake her head, before adding, voice still wobbly:
“No. No it isn’t. I think it’s rather lovely.”
How Alex could see straight through someone’s exterior to the damaged centre she didn’t know, but it was a wonderful quality. Even moreso, because he just wanted to help.
Sadly, it didn’t make her own appreciation of Troy any easier.
It wasn’t until the evening of the 22nd that they had a bit of a breakthrough. They were all in the front room, watching the end of one of those Christmas dramas that unfolded over consecutive evenings leading up to the big day, when Alex decided he need to double check something to do with her present - some sort of issue that had just occurred to him.
Letting him go, more frustrated and curious than ever, Allison debated whether she should make use of the whole of the two-seater sofa while he was gone, when Troy suddenly came and sat down next to her.
“Can we talk?” he asked, voice low so as not to disturb the rest of the family, and she nodded cautiously.
“Right,” he began, “I know we haven’t exactly hit it off on the best foot, so do you want to start over? I could be the gay best friend you never had.”
Slightly put off by the implications in his words, she couldn’t help but bristle slightly.
“How do you know I don’t have one already?”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Have you seen your hair?”
She could feel her jaw dropping as she stared at him.
“My god, are you always this rude?”
He smiled winningly, eyes dancing and full of challenge as he gave a perfect camp little shrug.
“Pretty much.”
“But... why? I’m sorry if I’m dense, but...”
His eyes narrowed, and the smile faded.
“People hated me anyway. Might as well give them a reason.”
And as if by magic everything in her mind decided to topple over and make sense.
“Oh. Oh. I see...”
It was what both Toby and Alex had tried to explain, but somehow their ‘you should feel sorry for him’ spiels had only registered on a rational level, not further down. But now she had a key she could understand, and whilst it didn’t make him any easier to like, it explained why he was the way he was.
“Think we could be friends? I’ve never had a proper girl friend, and I like you Allison. You don’t sugarcoat things, and I... appreciate that. Plus, I think we could probably help each other out. The things I could teach you...”
“What do you mean?” she asked, expecting more comments about her appearance, but instead he shot the rest of the room a swift look and, satisfied that they were all engrossed in the events unfolding on the screen, bit his lip before leaning in to whisper in her ear, eyes full of mischief.
His suggestion made her stare at him open-mouthed, and he watched her in triumph, almost leering.
“Alex would thank you for taking me up on the offer I’m sure. I might not know much about astrophysics or anything like that, but I... have other talents.”
“You- you are dating my brother, I can’t know this!” she finally managed, fighting hard to somehow erase the information she’d just been given. And she’d thought last year’s conversation with her mother had been awkward...
Troy only shrugged, not put out in the least.
“Well the offer is there.”
Allison slowly shook her head, knowing one thing for sure: Whatever else Christmas would bring, it was definitely not going to be dull.
***
The next day Amanda arrived, her gorgeous family in tow. Allison had - ever since Amanda had first brought him home as a ‘friend’- had something of a crush on her husband. Not a debilitating one, but one that refused to budge, no matter that she now had a proper boyfriend of her own.
But then Kingstone Ncube was... quite something. Raised along with his three brothers by a single mother he’d carved out an illustrious career as a City banker, and yet somehow retained his charm and humanity. He looked a good bit like a darker version of Chuka Umunna, and when he smiled, dark eyes twinkling, she had to remind herself to actually listen to what he was saying and not just nod.
Of course, their two children - Ronia, aged nearly-five and Senwe, three - were too cute for words, and (it went without saying) far better behaved than Ella’s (admittedly younger) monsters. Alex visibly brightened at the sight of children, before proceeding to talk at great length about Astrid Lindgren, and how his favourite book was The Brothers Lionheart. (It was something to do with Jack. Of course. Allison tuned him out automatically and concentrated on watching Toby introduce Troy to Amanda.)
They had ended up in the front room, the children quietly colouring in the new books grandma had got them as a pre-Christmas present, and all the ‘grown-ups’ were catching up, Amanda quizzing Troy and Alex about any- and everything, and both of them withstanding the process rather well - neither of them being outrageous in any way, slightly to Allison’s disappointment.
Amanda then, to Allison’s horror, proceeded to dip into childhood stories. First Troy was treated to the story of Toby going for a walk on his own, aged three, and causing the entire family to panic, and then it was Allison’s turn to cringe as she brought up ‘the Saxon story’.
“No one has told you this story yet, Alex? Goodness, I find that hard to believe. I was rather surprised when I heard she was dating you, everything considered...”
“Amanda, please stop-”
“Shush Allie, I’m sure Alex is curious.”
Alex tilted his head. “Well now I am...”
Amanda - always with that slight hint of superciliousness - turned thoughtful.
“Well... It does involve your father. I wouldn’t want to upset you.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Try me. I’m not easy to upset.”
After which Amanda, with relish, launched into The Story of the Day Saxon Shot President Winters, with the very special twist that in their family Allison (only a few months old at the time), had gasped out loud in surprise before bursting into hysterical tears the moment the President had been shot and the TV screen went blank - and then didn’t stop crying for nearly 20 minutes.
It was a story that had been told repeatedly over the years, and Allison still found it horribly embarrassing, especially the way people would laugh fondly and look at her as if she was still four months old. It was the story equivalent of baby photos in the bath, and she cringed in anticipation - except the expected laughter from Alex never came.
Oh Alex smiled, and said something suitably banter-y in response, but Allison knew him well enough by now to see that somehow Amanda had hit one of those impossible to predict tender spots. And for once she was grateful.
When Kingstone cut in with a story from his childhood, Alex - whilst still pretending to pay attention - brought out his phone and silently sent a text. When Allison leaned over to have a look he shook his head, then nodded towards the window where snowflakes were now softly falling.
“Want to go for a walk?” he asked, not waiting for her to answer as he took her hand and dragged her from the room with a brief excuse about a romantic walk in the snow, and Allison winced again at the fond laughter.
After wrapping up warm they set off down the street - it had gone almost dark by now, and the combination of houses lit up with Christmas lights, and the softly falling snow, was creating a perfect Winter Wonderland...
Alex had taken her hand, and almost without noticing Allison could feel the tension draining. Snowflakes were dancing through the air looking like tiny dots of pure light under the golden cones of the street lamps, their feet were crunching on fresh, just-fallen snow and she turned to Alex, smiling, as she wasn’t even sure how to express the pure - almost childish - joy she was experiencing.
In response he stopped, studying her in silence for a long moment, her own feelings seemingly mirrored on his face... Except then he spoke and she forgot everything she had been thinking.
“Allie,” he said carefully, “you do know that I love you, right?”
Her breath seemed to catch, and she stared at him wordlessly, flakes settling unnoticed.
“I’ve tried not to,” he continued, for a moment looking like he was about to cry. “I’ve tried so hard, but I can’t help it. And I’m sorry if that sounds horrible, but I... I’ve seen what love can do. How destructive it can be. How painful. But then tonight- that story your sister told. I realised that you... could have died back then. If my father’s plans hadn’t been foiled. And I wouldn’t even know you. And I can’t-”
He bit back the rest of what he was about to say, and she could feel her heart beating, trying not to shiver. Swallowing against his emotions, tears still in his eyes, a smile blossomed on his face instead.
“So I need to tell you that I love you. Despite everything, despite all the heartache that might come... I love you. To an extent I am struggling to comprehend. I want...”
He tilted his head, watching her as if mesmerised by what he saw. It was the same look as was on his face when looking up at the night's sky.
“I want to wreathe your head in stars and make the sun dance in your honour. I want to lay galaxies at your feet and stop time so we can never be parted. I want...”
He shook his head, cupping her face with a cool hand, and she was grateful for the touch, as she’d been unsure whether she was actually awake or dreaming. ‘Not poetic’ he’d said, once upon an eternity ago. Well, she was thoroughly enchanted.
“Alex,” she began, but he swiftly moved his hand and put a finger across her lips.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said, more earnestly than she could ever recall. “I’m not expecting anything in return.”
He stopped briefly, then continued, searching for the right words.
“You know me well enough to know that I have too many issues to count. This is one of them. And remember we broke up once already... Those issues haven’t gone away.”
Carefully she reached up, took hold of his hand, and briefly closed her eyes. A week could be a surprisingly long time, and she realised that things had... changed. Or rather, her perspective had.
“Alex - don’t ever worry about that again. Apparently- apparently people sometimes do stupid things when they feel protective.”
(His hand around the paparazzi photographer’s throat. Her own hands on Troy’s face. Toby’s fury... Like he had just said - love was dangerous. She still didn’t agree with what he’d done, but then he hadn’t agreed with her either, and she still wasn’t sure she trusted Troy with her brother’s heart. So she figured that they were probably about even...)
And just like that the huge major stumbling block that had been in their way seemed to evaporate. She nearly laughed from sudden joy.
“Which is my stupidly convoluted way of saying that I love you too.”
“Allison!” he exclaimed, looking genuinely distressed. “It’s not funny. I’m so scared... More scared than I’ve ever been. My beautiful, amazing Allie - I’m falling, and don’t know what to do.”
Her impossible, confident love, the cleverest boy in the world - yet faltering at this oh so simple hurdle. She tilted her face to look into his eyes.
“What you do, is that you let me catch you,” she said. “That’s how love works.”
And she pulled him in for a kiss, letting actions speak more clearly than words ever could, as snow flakes softly fell around them, and it was the most perfect moment ever.
They were teased again when they returned, but she barely noticed. Somewhere inside a little voice was singing, the same three words over and over... ‘He loves me, he loves me, he loves me...’ It wasn’t that she’d had any worries, but to have him say it - declare it even, in such a serious manner - it made her both breathless and tingly.
'He loves me.'
The rest of evening seemed strangely unreal, like she had somehow ended up in a different universe where everything was new and oddly brighter than before. People were talking and doing things as normal (there was tea and Amanda’s kids were put to bed and then telly) but somehow she was still in her happy little bubble. (He loves me...)
She wasn’t really jolted out of it until a small child burst through the door to the front room, heading straight for Amanda’s arms.
At Amanda’s exclamation, Ronia merely buried her head in her mother's lap and cried something about ‘the aliens are going to get me!’
Amanda’s brow furrowed, and she looked at their mother.
“You know that Panorama programme that was on last week, about alien invasions and how prepared we are? Some people apparently let their children watch it, and now the whole of the Reception class has been whipped into a frenzy of terror - you know how kids are...” She sighed. “OK, let’s get you back to bed.”
“Want to sleep with you Mummy! Scared of the aliens!”
Amanda shot Kingstone a look of near-desperation (Allison hadn’t thought Amanda - the ever capable Amanda - to ever be in need of such looks), but it wasn’t Kingstone who came to her help.
Before she knew it, Alex had crossed the floor and was kneeling by the sobbing girl.
“Hey there little girl... Not all aliens are bad. Trust me, I know.”
A half-surprised, half-angry eye appeared, studying him with smudged tears.
“Have you heard of Luke Smith?” he asked, and after a moment she nodded.
“Luke Smith is a good friend of mine and his mum used to babysit me when I was younger. Her name is Sarah Jane Smith and she has lots of alien friends.”
A whole face was now staring at him with undiluted astonishment and scepticism.
“Alien friends?”
He nodded firmly.
“You only hear about the bad ones on the news, but that’s a little like how you hear more about terrorists and burglars and political scandals than nice things. There is a whole universe out there, and most of the species are wonderful and marvellous. And they might look a bit funny, but I’m sure your mum and dad have made sure to teach you not to judge people by what they look like, right?”
A cautious nod, as Ronia tried to take in this monologue, and Amanda finally found her voice.
“Alex... I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but...”
Alex looked up, and for a moment Allison could have sworn that he looked genuinely hurt. Or maybe hurt wasn’t the right word... As she tried to put a name to the emotion, he shook his head.
“I would never lie to a child, Amanda. And you never know - in the future inter-species marriage will probably be as ordinary as interracial marriage is now.”
Allison stared in astonishment. Had Alex just smacked down Amanda? This never ever ever happened...
Indeed, Amanda seemed speechless too, and Alex focussed on Ronia again.
“Here - what do you say that I take you back up to bed and tell you an alien fairy tale?”
“Alien fairy tale?” she asked, her tears forgotten, and Alex nodded. “It’s called Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday. Your mother should approve of it - unlike the traditional story you know, it has a very strong female character.”
“Does she have a sword like in Snow White and the Huntsman?” Ronia asked, a smile appearing as she detangled herself from her mother’s arms and readily took Alex’s hand, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
“She doesn’t need weapons,” he said, voice rather dismissive. “She has something much better.”
At the look on Ronia’s face he bent over and tapped her forehead. “She has brains. Come along, and I’ll tell you the whole story. It takes place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...”
“Like Star Wars?” Ronia asked, breathlessly, and Alex nodded.
“A bit. Except this planet has red grass and an orange sky. Can you picture that?”
The two of them trotted off together, and Allison felt everyone’s eyes fasten on her.
“Well,” Amanda said, clearly trying to regain her equilibrium, “your boyfriend certainly is something else, Allie.”
“He is rather, isn’t he?” Allison replied lightly, trying to scale back on the smugness she felt. Her boyfriend was brilliant, and he loved her.
***
Christmas Day came and went without any incident; although, to be fair, their family was odd and Boxing Day was the main thing. Allison had impressed this upon Alex a long time ago, and he now responded by refusing to give her her present until the 26th.
She didn’t find this funny at all.
However, the 26th eventually came, and with it the hordes descended. Allison wasn’t exactly sure why the entire extended family always turned up, the origin of the tradition lost in the mists of time, she just knew that Boxing Day was possibly her favourite day of the year.
By 3 o’clock in the afternoon the house was bursting at the seams, food and people in every room and every nook, children weaving in and out of the groups of grown-ups, the Great Wii Bowling Tournament just about to commence, and Allison - busy restocking bowls and plates and bringing out more bottles and loading the dishwasher inbetween catching up with all her cousins - caught a glimpse of Alex and Troy, sitting in the smaller sofa. Troy seemed rather shellshocked, whereas Alex looked so happy she was mildy worried he’d strain something.
However, it wasn’t until 5 - when it had gone properly dark - that he decided to ‘do his thing’ as he called it.
Gathering everyone into the front room (there was space, just) he switched off all the lights except the Christmas tree, and the curiosity grew as everyone began noticing the large festively wrapped box on the coffee table.
“OK, everyone,” Alex began, “this is sort of just Allison opening her present, but as it’s a present that I think you will all enjoy I wanted to make a big thing of it. You might wonder what it is that she and I are studying, what ‘Astrophysics’ is - or rather, why we would bother. I hope this will help you understand, and help inspire Allison in the future.”
By now thoroughly puzzled, Allison stepped forwards and carefully unwrapped the box, which turned out to contain a strange machine.
Taking it out and gently setting it on the table, she looked at Alex bewildered.
“What is it?”
He grinned.
“A model of the universe. To scale. Here, let me turn it on.”
He leaned forward and pressed a button she hadn’t noticed, and suddenly the front room turned into a galaxy. The assembled family let out an “Oooooooh” sound that probably made Alex light up like the Christmas tree, except Allison wasn’t paying attention to him. It was a planetarium. In her house. Stars all around her, slowly moving and spinning, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she was still breathing or touching the floor.
After a moment she realised that she might be crying, as Alex put an arm around her and gently wiped away the wetness on her cheeks.
“You like it then?” he said, and she turned to him and unceremoniously kissed him until she had no breath left, ignoring the hooting and whistling from the family. Best. Boyfriend. Ever.
When he’d got his breath back, he put a remote into her hands.
“Here, let me show you how it works.”
Perfect boyfriend, and perfect Christmas.
***
Spring 2027
Josh wasn’t sure what had happened during the winter holidays, except that both Alex and Allison had declared it ‘The Best Christmas Ever’. Whatever it was, he approved.
There had been that worrying moment in the summer when they’d broken up, and although they’d patched things up somehow, there’d still been tension - which, for him, had conjured up the worrying prospect of Alex being single and unhappy for the remainder of their university stint, something Josh was apprehensive of not just for personal reasons, but also because Alex was his friend, and he’d rather see him happy.
But thankfully 2027 was off to a fantastic start. Mind you Alex hadn’t actually told Allison the whole truth yet, but surely that couldn’t be far off now? Josh was beginning to be very tired of secretive aliens.
(He’d gotten in touch with Jack at the beginning of January, just to make sure that everything was actually OK with Alex, something Jack had swiftly confirmed before starting to ramble on about some boy called Troy that Alex had steered him towards. Josh didn’t catch the whole story, but Jack obviously had a new pet project.)
Plus, Allison was very, very good for Alex. Seeing them all content again was marvellous, especially as he had brought Jamie home for Hanukkah and everything had gone well.
His grandmother had approved very much of his ‘beautiful and beautifully polite girlfriend’ (there was no point in explaining what Jamie was, his grandmother wouldn’t believe him anyway), and his mother seemed mostly relieved that he was in a properly committed relationship and not turning into his father after all.
Winter had changed into spring, and Josh felt as if life was unfolding almost too perfectly. Not that he minded. He loved his studies, he loved Jamie, he loved his friends, and the future seemed to be beckoning him with pure delight.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in April, and there were plans to go out punting at lunchtime. Josh was lounging in bed whilst Jamie was already standing in front of hir wardrobe, trying to work out what to wear, the morning sunshine filtering through the half closed curtains and illuminating hir, giving the whole scene a magical feel.
Watching from the bed as sunlight carressed shoulders and hips, outlining his beloved against velvet and silk, hir slender curves begging for a touch, Josh felt a sudden sensation of utter certainty. This was what he wanted. This, exactly this, was everything he had ever dreamed about, everything he could ever wish for. The feeling settled down to solid conviction (he’d only felt this way once before in his life, but he still remembered it vividly), and it only took the space of a heartbeat for him to voice his newfound truth.
“Marry me?” he said, happiness like a physical thing he could reach out and touch. This, the two of them, always and forever.
Then Jamie spun around, staring at him in pure shock, before mutely shaking hir head. And Josh could feel his perfect moment shattering into a thousand pieces.
Chapter 15 (Interlude featuring Jamie).
And you can read Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday (the official version) here and here.
Fic index here if anyone wants to catch up, or just follow the tags. And on AO3 here.
Summary: Allison had always thought that university would be an adventure. But she'd not imagined that she'd end up dating Harold Saxon's son.
Setting: Christmas 2026 (AU post-Sound of Drums)
Characters: OCs (Alex, Allison, Allison's family + others)
Rating: Teen.
Wordcount: 4500 words approx.
Feedback: *looks hopeful*
Chapter 14
Christmas 2026 (cont.)
The next few days were spent getting the last presents, meeting up with old friends, wondering what on earth Alex could be getting her that kept requiring him to go and ‘tinker’ and... slowly learning to adjust to Troy.
Her brother’s angry words had been a bit of a shock (‘You have no idea what Troy’s been through, how shitty a life he’s had. By rights he should be in therapy, except he refuses. And do you know how hard it was to get him to come here - I had to practically force him, to explain that my family was better than that, that they’d just accept him. And then you go threatening him!’) - it hadn’t been a fun moment, oh no.
That evening she’d mentioned it to Alex, who’d smiled softly, and nodded.
“Yeah, even without all the extra stuff, just the basics aren’t good. Born to an unwed single teenage mother in rural Ireland... He’ll have been ‘The Only Gay in the Village’ without the laughter track.”
“He told you this?” she asked, stunned, and he looked at her with that surprised look which meant he couldn’t understand how she was so slow.
“Oh no, but it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
“But... unwed teenage mum...”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“She called him Troy? No way was she older than 16 at the most.” A pause, as he seemed to confirm something to himself.
“Seriously, so much like what Josh could have been.”
“Josh?” she asked, by now thoroughly thrown. “Troy is nothing like Josh!”
Josh was... charming, courteous, and quite captivating if he wanted to be. Flirtatious, true, but in such a gallant way that it never grated. He never overstepped a boundary, never put a foot wrong stylistically. The very opposite of the in-your-face-ness of Troy.
Alex smiled again, but it was a sad smile.
“Josh started out better - his mother is smart and highly educated, he grew up in London - but without Jack to mentor him, and me to look out for him, he could have ended up very much like Troy...” A tilt of the head. “You think it’s easy to grow up bi in today’s world? To navigate preconceptions and biasses and have everyone judge you on your looks? In time, things will get better, but Josh is lucky and he knows it. He’d never even been in a fight until this autumn...”
Remembering that fight - and the aftermath - Allison was suddenly struck by the memory of Josh... expecting Alex to fix things. As well as the way he’d quite shamelessly manipulated Alex, until he’d got what he wanted.
“You’re his... miracle maker,” she said slowly, as that evening’s conversation came back to her, and Alex nodded.
“That I am. Troy never had one, and had to fight battles harder than Josh ever had. Troy, now, is the result of that. But it’s not too late - I'm pretty sure I can fix him.”
Abruptly looking bashful, he dragged a hand through his hair.
“It’s all my Uncle’s influence, that. Finding broken things and wanting to fix them - he’s not called ‘the Doctor’ for nothing. But then - if you can... It’s a constant balancing act, but I figure Troy could do with a miracle maker too. He’s off to a flying start with Toby, but Jack and I... We could smooth the path, give him the tools he never had. That’s not... That’s not interfering too much, is it?”
Swallowing against the sudden lump her her throat, she could only shake her head, before adding, voice still wobbly:
“No. No it isn’t. I think it’s rather lovely.”
How Alex could see straight through someone’s exterior to the damaged centre she didn’t know, but it was a wonderful quality. Even moreso, because he just wanted to help.
Sadly, it didn’t make her own appreciation of Troy any easier.
It wasn’t until the evening of the 22nd that they had a bit of a breakthrough. They were all in the front room, watching the end of one of those Christmas dramas that unfolded over consecutive evenings leading up to the big day, when Alex decided he need to double check something to do with her present - some sort of issue that had just occurred to him.
Letting him go, more frustrated and curious than ever, Allison debated whether she should make use of the whole of the two-seater sofa while he was gone, when Troy suddenly came and sat down next to her.
“Can we talk?” he asked, voice low so as not to disturb the rest of the family, and she nodded cautiously.
“Right,” he began, “I know we haven’t exactly hit it off on the best foot, so do you want to start over? I could be the gay best friend you never had.”
Slightly put off by the implications in his words, she couldn’t help but bristle slightly.
“How do you know I don’t have one already?”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Have you seen your hair?”
She could feel her jaw dropping as she stared at him.
“My god, are you always this rude?”
He smiled winningly, eyes dancing and full of challenge as he gave a perfect camp little shrug.
“Pretty much.”
“But... why? I’m sorry if I’m dense, but...”
His eyes narrowed, and the smile faded.
“People hated me anyway. Might as well give them a reason.”
And as if by magic everything in her mind decided to topple over and make sense.
“Oh. Oh. I see...”
It was what both Toby and Alex had tried to explain, but somehow their ‘you should feel sorry for him’ spiels had only registered on a rational level, not further down. But now she had a key she could understand, and whilst it didn’t make him any easier to like, it explained why he was the way he was.
“Think we could be friends? I’ve never had a proper girl friend, and I like you Allison. You don’t sugarcoat things, and I... appreciate that. Plus, I think we could probably help each other out. The things I could teach you...”
“What do you mean?” she asked, expecting more comments about her appearance, but instead he shot the rest of the room a swift look and, satisfied that they were all engrossed in the events unfolding on the screen, bit his lip before leaning in to whisper in her ear, eyes full of mischief.
His suggestion made her stare at him open-mouthed, and he watched her in triumph, almost leering.
“Alex would thank you for taking me up on the offer I’m sure. I might not know much about astrophysics or anything like that, but I... have other talents.”
“You- you are dating my brother, I can’t know this!” she finally managed, fighting hard to somehow erase the information she’d just been given. And she’d thought last year’s conversation with her mother had been awkward...
Troy only shrugged, not put out in the least.
“Well the offer is there.”
Allison slowly shook her head, knowing one thing for sure: Whatever else Christmas would bring, it was definitely not going to be dull.
The next day Amanda arrived, her gorgeous family in tow. Allison had - ever since Amanda had first brought him home as a ‘friend’- had something of a crush on her husband. Not a debilitating one, but one that refused to budge, no matter that she now had a proper boyfriend of her own.
But then Kingstone Ncube was... quite something. Raised along with his three brothers by a single mother he’d carved out an illustrious career as a City banker, and yet somehow retained his charm and humanity. He looked a good bit like a darker version of Chuka Umunna, and when he smiled, dark eyes twinkling, she had to remind herself to actually listen to what he was saying and not just nod.
Of course, their two children - Ronia, aged nearly-five and Senwe, three - were too cute for words, and (it went without saying) far better behaved than Ella’s (admittedly younger) monsters. Alex visibly brightened at the sight of children, before proceeding to talk at great length about Astrid Lindgren, and how his favourite book was The Brothers Lionheart. (It was something to do with Jack. Of course. Allison tuned him out automatically and concentrated on watching Toby introduce Troy to Amanda.)
They had ended up in the front room, the children quietly colouring in the new books grandma had got them as a pre-Christmas present, and all the ‘grown-ups’ were catching up, Amanda quizzing Troy and Alex about any- and everything, and both of them withstanding the process rather well - neither of them being outrageous in any way, slightly to Allison’s disappointment.
Amanda then, to Allison’s horror, proceeded to dip into childhood stories. First Troy was treated to the story of Toby going for a walk on his own, aged three, and causing the entire family to panic, and then it was Allison’s turn to cringe as she brought up ‘the Saxon story’.
“No one has told you this story yet, Alex? Goodness, I find that hard to believe. I was rather surprised when I heard she was dating you, everything considered...”
“Amanda, please stop-”
“Shush Allie, I’m sure Alex is curious.”
Alex tilted his head. “Well now I am...”
Amanda - always with that slight hint of superciliousness - turned thoughtful.
“Well... It does involve your father. I wouldn’t want to upset you.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Try me. I’m not easy to upset.”
After which Amanda, with relish, launched into The Story of the Day Saxon Shot President Winters, with the very special twist that in their family Allison (only a few months old at the time), had gasped out loud in surprise before bursting into hysterical tears the moment the President had been shot and the TV screen went blank - and then didn’t stop crying for nearly 20 minutes.
It was a story that had been told repeatedly over the years, and Allison still found it horribly embarrassing, especially the way people would laugh fondly and look at her as if she was still four months old. It was the story equivalent of baby photos in the bath, and she cringed in anticipation - except the expected laughter from Alex never came.
Oh Alex smiled, and said something suitably banter-y in response, but Allison knew him well enough by now to see that somehow Amanda had hit one of those impossible to predict tender spots. And for once she was grateful.
When Kingstone cut in with a story from his childhood, Alex - whilst still pretending to pay attention - brought out his phone and silently sent a text. When Allison leaned over to have a look he shook his head, then nodded towards the window where snowflakes were now softly falling.
“Want to go for a walk?” he asked, not waiting for her to answer as he took her hand and dragged her from the room with a brief excuse about a romantic walk in the snow, and Allison winced again at the fond laughter.
After wrapping up warm they set off down the street - it had gone almost dark by now, and the combination of houses lit up with Christmas lights, and the softly falling snow, was creating a perfect Winter Wonderland...
Alex had taken her hand, and almost without noticing Allison could feel the tension draining. Snowflakes were dancing through the air looking like tiny dots of pure light under the golden cones of the street lamps, their feet were crunching on fresh, just-fallen snow and she turned to Alex, smiling, as she wasn’t even sure how to express the pure - almost childish - joy she was experiencing.
In response he stopped, studying her in silence for a long moment, her own feelings seemingly mirrored on his face... Except then he spoke and she forgot everything she had been thinking.
“Allie,” he said carefully, “you do know that I love you, right?”
Her breath seemed to catch, and she stared at him wordlessly, flakes settling unnoticed.
“I’ve tried not to,” he continued, for a moment looking like he was about to cry. “I’ve tried so hard, but I can’t help it. And I’m sorry if that sounds horrible, but I... I’ve seen what love can do. How destructive it can be. How painful. But then tonight- that story your sister told. I realised that you... could have died back then. If my father’s plans hadn’t been foiled. And I wouldn’t even know you. And I can’t-”
He bit back the rest of what he was about to say, and she could feel her heart beating, trying not to shiver. Swallowing against his emotions, tears still in his eyes, a smile blossomed on his face instead.
“So I need to tell you that I love you. Despite everything, despite all the heartache that might come... I love you. To an extent I am struggling to comprehend. I want...”
He tilted his head, watching her as if mesmerised by what he saw. It was the same look as was on his face when looking up at the night's sky.
“I want to wreathe your head in stars and make the sun dance in your honour. I want to lay galaxies at your feet and stop time so we can never be parted. I want...”
He shook his head, cupping her face with a cool hand, and she was grateful for the touch, as she’d been unsure whether she was actually awake or dreaming. ‘Not poetic’ he’d said, once upon an eternity ago. Well, she was thoroughly enchanted.
“Alex,” she began, but he swiftly moved his hand and put a finger across her lips.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said, more earnestly than she could ever recall. “I’m not expecting anything in return.”
He stopped briefly, then continued, searching for the right words.
“You know me well enough to know that I have too many issues to count. This is one of them. And remember we broke up once already... Those issues haven’t gone away.”
Carefully she reached up, took hold of his hand, and briefly closed her eyes. A week could be a surprisingly long time, and she realised that things had... changed. Or rather, her perspective had.
“Alex - don’t ever worry about that again. Apparently- apparently people sometimes do stupid things when they feel protective.”
(His hand around the paparazzi photographer’s throat. Her own hands on Troy’s face. Toby’s fury... Like he had just said - love was dangerous. She still didn’t agree with what he’d done, but then he hadn’t agreed with her either, and she still wasn’t sure she trusted Troy with her brother’s heart. So she figured that they were probably about even...)
And just like that the huge major stumbling block that had been in their way seemed to evaporate. She nearly laughed from sudden joy.
“Which is my stupidly convoluted way of saying that I love you too.”
“Allison!” he exclaimed, looking genuinely distressed. “It’s not funny. I’m so scared... More scared than I’ve ever been. My beautiful, amazing Allie - I’m falling, and don’t know what to do.”
Her impossible, confident love, the cleverest boy in the world - yet faltering at this oh so simple hurdle. She tilted her face to look into his eyes.
“What you do, is that you let me catch you,” she said. “That’s how love works.”
And she pulled him in for a kiss, letting actions speak more clearly than words ever could, as snow flakes softly fell around them, and it was the most perfect moment ever.
They were teased again when they returned, but she barely noticed. Somewhere inside a little voice was singing, the same three words over and over... ‘He loves me, he loves me, he loves me...’ It wasn’t that she’d had any worries, but to have him say it - declare it even, in such a serious manner - it made her both breathless and tingly.
'He loves me.'
The rest of evening seemed strangely unreal, like she had somehow ended up in a different universe where everything was new and oddly brighter than before. People were talking and doing things as normal (there was tea and Amanda’s kids were put to bed and then telly) but somehow she was still in her happy little bubble. (He loves me...)
She wasn’t really jolted out of it until a small child burst through the door to the front room, heading straight for Amanda’s arms.
At Amanda’s exclamation, Ronia merely buried her head in her mother's lap and cried something about ‘the aliens are going to get me!’
Amanda’s brow furrowed, and she looked at their mother.
“You know that Panorama programme that was on last week, about alien invasions and how prepared we are? Some people apparently let their children watch it, and now the whole of the Reception class has been whipped into a frenzy of terror - you know how kids are...” She sighed. “OK, let’s get you back to bed.”
“Want to sleep with you Mummy! Scared of the aliens!”
Amanda shot Kingstone a look of near-desperation (Allison hadn’t thought Amanda - the ever capable Amanda - to ever be in need of such looks), but it wasn’t Kingstone who came to her help.
Before she knew it, Alex had crossed the floor and was kneeling by the sobbing girl.
“Hey there little girl... Not all aliens are bad. Trust me, I know.”
A half-surprised, half-angry eye appeared, studying him with smudged tears.
“Have you heard of Luke Smith?” he asked, and after a moment she nodded.
“Luke Smith is a good friend of mine and his mum used to babysit me when I was younger. Her name is Sarah Jane Smith and she has lots of alien friends.”
A whole face was now staring at him with undiluted astonishment and scepticism.
“Alien friends?”
He nodded firmly.
“You only hear about the bad ones on the news, but that’s a little like how you hear more about terrorists and burglars and political scandals than nice things. There is a whole universe out there, and most of the species are wonderful and marvellous. And they might look a bit funny, but I’m sure your mum and dad have made sure to teach you not to judge people by what they look like, right?”
A cautious nod, as Ronia tried to take in this monologue, and Amanda finally found her voice.
“Alex... I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but...”
Alex looked up, and for a moment Allison could have sworn that he looked genuinely hurt. Or maybe hurt wasn’t the right word... As she tried to put a name to the emotion, he shook his head.
“I would never lie to a child, Amanda. And you never know - in the future inter-species marriage will probably be as ordinary as interracial marriage is now.”
Allison stared in astonishment. Had Alex just smacked down Amanda? This never ever ever happened...
Indeed, Amanda seemed speechless too, and Alex focussed on Ronia again.
“Here - what do you say that I take you back up to bed and tell you an alien fairy tale?”
“Alien fairy tale?” she asked, her tears forgotten, and Alex nodded. “It’s called Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday. Your mother should approve of it - unlike the traditional story you know, it has a very strong female character.”
“Does she have a sword like in Snow White and the Huntsman?” Ronia asked, a smile appearing as she detangled herself from her mother’s arms and readily took Alex’s hand, and he chuckled, shaking his head.
“She doesn’t need weapons,” he said, voice rather dismissive. “She has something much better.”
At the look on Ronia’s face he bent over and tapped her forehead. “She has brains. Come along, and I’ll tell you the whole story. It takes place a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...”
“Like Star Wars?” Ronia asked, breathlessly, and Alex nodded.
“A bit. Except this planet has red grass and an orange sky. Can you picture that?”
The two of them trotted off together, and Allison felt everyone’s eyes fasten on her.
“Well,” Amanda said, clearly trying to regain her equilibrium, “your boyfriend certainly is something else, Allie.”
“He is rather, isn’t he?” Allison replied lightly, trying to scale back on the smugness she felt. Her boyfriend was brilliant, and he loved her.
Christmas Day came and went without any incident; although, to be fair, their family was odd and Boxing Day was the main thing. Allison had impressed this upon Alex a long time ago, and he now responded by refusing to give her her present until the 26th.
She didn’t find this funny at all.
However, the 26th eventually came, and with it the hordes descended. Allison wasn’t exactly sure why the entire extended family always turned up, the origin of the tradition lost in the mists of time, she just knew that Boxing Day was possibly her favourite day of the year.
By 3 o’clock in the afternoon the house was bursting at the seams, food and people in every room and every nook, children weaving in and out of the groups of grown-ups, the Great Wii Bowling Tournament just about to commence, and Allison - busy restocking bowls and plates and bringing out more bottles and loading the dishwasher inbetween catching up with all her cousins - caught a glimpse of Alex and Troy, sitting in the smaller sofa. Troy seemed rather shellshocked, whereas Alex looked so happy she was mildy worried he’d strain something.
However, it wasn’t until 5 - when it had gone properly dark - that he decided to ‘do his thing’ as he called it.
Gathering everyone into the front room (there was space, just) he switched off all the lights except the Christmas tree, and the curiosity grew as everyone began noticing the large festively wrapped box on the coffee table.
“OK, everyone,” Alex began, “this is sort of just Allison opening her present, but as it’s a present that I think you will all enjoy I wanted to make a big thing of it. You might wonder what it is that she and I are studying, what ‘Astrophysics’ is - or rather, why we would bother. I hope this will help you understand, and help inspire Allison in the future.”
By now thoroughly puzzled, Allison stepped forwards and carefully unwrapped the box, which turned out to contain a strange machine.
Taking it out and gently setting it on the table, she looked at Alex bewildered.
“What is it?”
He grinned.
“A model of the universe. To scale. Here, let me turn it on.”
He leaned forward and pressed a button she hadn’t noticed, and suddenly the front room turned into a galaxy. The assembled family let out an “Oooooooh” sound that probably made Alex light up like the Christmas tree, except Allison wasn’t paying attention to him. It was a planetarium. In her house. Stars all around her, slowly moving and spinning, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she was still breathing or touching the floor.
After a moment she realised that she might be crying, as Alex put an arm around her and gently wiped away the wetness on her cheeks.
“You like it then?” he said, and she turned to him and unceremoniously kissed him until she had no breath left, ignoring the hooting and whistling from the family. Best. Boyfriend. Ever.
When he’d got his breath back, he put a remote into her hands.
“Here, let me show you how it works.”
Perfect boyfriend, and perfect Christmas.
Spring 2027
Josh wasn’t sure what had happened during the winter holidays, except that both Alex and Allison had declared it ‘The Best Christmas Ever’. Whatever it was, he approved.
There had been that worrying moment in the summer when they’d broken up, and although they’d patched things up somehow, there’d still been tension - which, for him, had conjured up the worrying prospect of Alex being single and unhappy for the remainder of their university stint, something Josh was apprehensive of not just for personal reasons, but also because Alex was his friend, and he’d rather see him happy.
But thankfully 2027 was off to a fantastic start. Mind you Alex hadn’t actually told Allison the whole truth yet, but surely that couldn’t be far off now? Josh was beginning to be very tired of secretive aliens.
(He’d gotten in touch with Jack at the beginning of January, just to make sure that everything was actually OK with Alex, something Jack had swiftly confirmed before starting to ramble on about some boy called Troy that Alex had steered him towards. Josh didn’t catch the whole story, but Jack obviously had a new pet project.)
Plus, Allison was very, very good for Alex. Seeing them all content again was marvellous, especially as he had brought Jamie home for Hanukkah and everything had gone well.
His grandmother had approved very much of his ‘beautiful and beautifully polite girlfriend’ (there was no point in explaining what Jamie was, his grandmother wouldn’t believe him anyway), and his mother seemed mostly relieved that he was in a properly committed relationship and not turning into his father after all.
Winter had changed into spring, and Josh felt as if life was unfolding almost too perfectly. Not that he minded. He loved his studies, he loved Jamie, he loved his friends, and the future seemed to be beckoning him with pure delight.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in April, and there were plans to go out punting at lunchtime. Josh was lounging in bed whilst Jamie was already standing in front of hir wardrobe, trying to work out what to wear, the morning sunshine filtering through the half closed curtains and illuminating hir, giving the whole scene a magical feel.
Watching from the bed as sunlight carressed shoulders and hips, outlining his beloved against velvet and silk, hir slender curves begging for a touch, Josh felt a sudden sensation of utter certainty. This was what he wanted. This, exactly this, was everything he had ever dreamed about, everything he could ever wish for. The feeling settled down to solid conviction (he’d only felt this way once before in his life, but he still remembered it vividly), and it only took the space of a heartbeat for him to voice his newfound truth.
“Marry me?” he said, happiness like a physical thing he could reach out and touch. This, the two of them, always and forever.
Then Jamie spun around, staring at him in pure shock, before mutely shaking hir head. And Josh could feel his perfect moment shattering into a thousand pieces.
Chapter 15 (Interlude featuring Jamie).
And you can read Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday (the official version) here and here.
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– smacks forehead for not realizing that.
Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.
– smacks forehead again. I am so, so glad I started clamouring for DVD extras in comments. This mini-meta (?) is beautiful.
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LOL
– smacks forehead again. I am so, so glad I started clamouring for DVD extras in comments. This mini-meta (?) is beautiful.
And I am ridiculously pleased to get the opportunity to go into this much detail. (I get to write meta about my own fic. It's like the most indulgent thing imaginable...)