Title: Tooth and Nail

Summary: Alex is tasked with a mission that he can finally enjoy - infiltrating his school's LGBT Club. But where MI6 is involved, a simple mission always turns into life or death - for millions. Post Skeleton Key.

Chapter 1

"I'm going to be blunt with you, Alex," Alan Blunt said… well, bluntly.

Alex Rider chuckled softly to himself, unable to keep his mouth shut. "I would hope so. I don't believe we've ever met under disguise." It was a bad habit in the face of authority, but at least the head of MI6 wouldn't kill him for his humor. Well, probably.

Alex had received the call this morning before heading to school. He was still recovering from his time at Skeleton Key, but he already knew the truth. MI6 didn't care. They needed his help and 'no' wasn't an answer. The only relief in all of this was that Mrs. Jones was smiling softly. He hoped that it was a sign that this mission would be less miserable than the ones in the past.

Regardless, he had no intent to make this easy for them.

"I don't work for you," Alex reminded them. "So go ahead and tell me the mission so that I can refuse. Then pretend to be nice while you blackmail me."

Blunt frowned. "Your assignment is hardly something that you will refuse."

"Not likely," Alex retorted.

Blunt ignored him. "Your mission will take place at Brookland."

Alex felt his heart stop. No. His school life was supposed to be separate and sacred. "What?" he growled. He didn't speak further as he knew that only swears would follow.

Blunt signaled for Mrs. Jones to take over. The dark skin woman took a step forward and placed a file in front of Alex. "We have been researching a man named Leonel Smith. We believe he wishes to harm a great number of school children."

Alex was quiet for a moment, angry with himself. He wanted nothing more than to be done with his spy life, but he couldn't allow school children to be hurt, particularly if Brookland was a potential target. As much as he hated to admit it, he was in. He gulped. "Tell me more."

Alex forced himself to ignore the almost sadistic grin on Blunt's face. Alex knew he was imagining it if for no other reason than the fact that Blunt wasn't capable of emotion.

"Smith was a staunch leader of the anti-gay movement in the 90s. Recently, he has attempted to right those wrongs by forming an LGBT Youth group here in London."

"Sounds like he has had a change of heart," Alex deadpanned.

Blunt grunted. "Intelligence doesn't like changes of heart. It is hardly unheard of for an individual to pretend to support a minority group so that he can get inside an organizations meant to help, and instead cause them harm. Naturally, we investigated and found information connecting him to an international crime syndicate - for your sake, I won't tell you more."

"And?" Alex asked.

"We would like you to investigate further for us. We know he has criminal ties, but no idea what his plan is, or for certain, that anything nefarious is occurring."

"You want me to go snoop out his offices?"

Blunt shook his heads. "Much simpler. If you are lucky, you won't have to do anything a normal student doesn't have to do."

"Where have I heard that before?" Alex grumbled.

Blunt ignored him. "Our plan for you is to join your school's LGBT club this week."

Alex frowned. "Brookland has an LGBT club?"

Blunt looked to Mrs. Jones. "Perhaps we have taken him away from school for too long… anyway, yes, Alex, Brookland has an LGBT organization. A bit behind the times with a title like LGBT club, but it will suffice for our needs. You are to attend and become a trusted member within two weeks. With your record, convincing your school mates that you are one of them should be easy - in fact, I imagine you want nothing more."

"How am I supposed to, uh, infiltrate?" Alex made a face. The thought of lying to his classmates pained him. His scowl deepened at the unintended pun.

"Attend, either as an LGBT student or an ally - meaning, you are a heterosexual male who supports your LGBT classmates. Take your pick. We trust your judgement." He paused for a moment. "In two weeks time, there is a conference in Central London held by Leonel Smith. All of London's LGBT organizations are invited, particularly those of youth groups."

"And if everything goes to plan, I'll just be a normal kid?" Alex asked, more to reassure himself than anything.

"If all goes to plan," Mrs. Jones said kindly. "I'll escort you down to Smithers."

Alex nodded and followed her to the elevator. Neither said goodbye to Blunt. After they got on the elevator, Mrs. Jones spoke.

"Is school going well? How are you after your last mission?"

"Fine," Alex said plainly. "I dream about it sometimes. His brains all over the ground."

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Jones said.

Alex snorted. "I was joking. Mostly." He left it at that, hoping to push the past behind him. He knew that MI6 would approach him again. It was almost a fact. He was just glad that this mission would allow him to be himself.

They got off the elevator and Alex led the way to Smither's office. He wasn't sure if he was leading to avoid eye contact, or if he wasn't sure that Mrs. Jones knew where his office was. Who knew how emotionally distant agents kept themselves.

Alex smiled as he entered the room and Smither's jolly face lit up. Smithers was always on his side, despite the hell that MI6 often caused him.

"Come on in boy - and Mrs. Jones! Welcome!"

"What do you have for me today, Mr. Smithers?"

"First, let's decide on your disguise. Are you heading in as a gay teen or a straight ally."

Alex thought for a moment. "I don't have any gay friends, to my knowledge, so I don't think straight ally would work. I guess I am okay going undercover as gay."

"Good, good. I thought this would be the best disguise, but I wanted you to decide on your identity yourself."

"Thanks," Alex said.

"Well, first up is this," Smithers said as he held up a book titled 'Coming Out As a Gay Teen.'

"What does it do?" Alex asked.

"You read it." Smithers grinned. "And, maybe, just maybe, it is a recording device. I took the liberty of placing your name on the title page - don't worry, we have your hand writing on record. Leave the book sitting around and it will record everything it hears. It will fit your disguise as a teen coming out so no one will question it. Better yet, they will return it to you!"

Alex gulped, the reality hitting him that this mission was in real life. He would be coming out at school and he wasn't even sure what he felt. He had never held anti-gay feelings and didn't find guys repulsive, but neither did he actively find them hot. Unless they were athletes… Wimbledon had been a fun experience in many ways. He had to wonder now if he had stared at the bodies of the tennis stars out of admiration or attraction.

"Anything else?" Alex asked.

"Just one," Smithers said, holding up a pen. "This pen behaves in every way like a normal pen, however, the tip is made of diamond. You can write with it, but press just a little bit harder and you can cut through anything."

"Fancy."

"Right it is! And one last thing about this mission that is special," Smithers said looking to Mrs. Jones. "She will serve as your guardian during the conference. You will be a child on an official school trip, so you will need a chaperon."

Mrs. Jones nodded curtly.

Alex frowned. "Why can't Jack do it?"

Smithers grinned. "Good idea, they can go together. It will better sell your disguise if you have lesbian mothers."

"From zero to none," Alex said under his breath. Then he turned to Mrs. Jones. "Are you trying to rewrite my life? Knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the real purpose of this all."

Mrs. Jones shook her head. "Hardly. I assure you Alex, the threat to these children may very well be real. It would cause untold harm to society and the civil rights movement if harm is permitted. The American gay rights movement is still suffering from missing twenty years worth of people due to the AIDS crisis of the 80s."

Alex nodded. "You don't have to convince me. I wouldn't forgive myself if I let harm come to people."

Mrs. Jones smiled faintly. "You are beginning to understand."

"Unfortunately."

Alex laid in bed flipping through the book that Smithers had given him. Never did he expect to be reading a book about coming out as gay. At first, it felt like a matter of research, but now the book was really getting to him. Ever since the thought crossed his mind that he found the shirtless athletes at Wimbledon attractive, the thought of being gay started nagging at him. He didn't mind, not really. Ian had never taken him to a particularly hard core church and always taught him to be open to all people and ways of life.

He couldn't deny that the way he felt for Sabina and the athletes were different. Sabina was someone he liked because he felt like he was supposed to. She was pretty, a year older than him, and held an air of someone five years her senior. She was probably experienced too, he remembered James whispering dirtily in his ear.

Damning for me, Alex thought. He had barely thought of sex with Sabina past jealousy of her interest in older men - the tennis players he liked as well.

He had never really had many feelings before then - a sign, according to the book. Where other boys had talked lewdly about girls for nearly two years now, Alex had barely thought about it. Porn did little for him… He would have to make sure to look up some gay stuff next time Jack was out.

He was still nervous though. He would be coming out at school tomorrow, more or less. He was going to show up to the Wednesday afternoon meeting of the LGBT club, and if he was asked, he was going to come out with it.

"I'm gay."

It felt weird on his tongue, and his eyes shot to the door to make sure that it was closed. He knew that Jack wouldn't mind, but it was still a scary thought to him. A part of him wanted to come out before the meeting tomorrow. It would make his disguise a little more realistic if he had practiced. He could tell Jack in the morning, and then Tom and James at lunch. Tom almost certainly wouldn't mind; he had mentioned that his brother dated a guy once. James was another story. He and James weren't as close as Tom was to either of them, but they were friends. It couldn't go that badly.

Alex sighed. Mostly, he didn't want Jack to find out some other way. She deserved to know straight from him. She deserved to know first.

Well, after him, of course.

A part of him wanted to crawl out of bed and go talk to her now, but they could do it in the morning. It was already after 11 PM. He closed the book and placed it on the nightstand, and turned off the lamp next to it.

He would think about it until he passed out. He would think about the hairless chest of the Wimbledon players and their chiseled abs…

He slipped his hands into his underpants and knew this was a part of the situation he could never tell Jack.

This is just an idea I wanted to write. I have the villain planned out and some other plot points, but other than that, I am writing this as I go.

This story will have the teen rating, primarily because of that last paragraph. Implied sexual content without any real sexual mention. There will likely be no further sexual content; there may be kissing.