Written for SpyFest 2018 Week 4 Fic-Exchange

Prompt: Behind Closed Doors

So, when I first received the prompt, it honestly took me a good ten minutes to really think about what the prompt means. It's sort of like 'secretive', 'sly', and 'cunning', so my first idea for the fic was 'Alex is a spy but can't tell his schoolmates' themed, but an hour later after binge-watching TV, it sort of turns into an 'Alex is not Alex but no one really cares' fic. And I spinned with it.

Here's my result. I hope you like it :)

"Good day, Doctor."

"Bad day, Alex, you couldn't have come at a worse time," Chase groaned as he sank into the comfortable chair in his office, pressing the chair back as far as it would go to relieve the stress in his aching spine. God it felt good.

His sixteen-year-old patient was lounging on the sofa leisurely in normal clothing, chucking his head back to dry swallow the aspirins previously cupped in his right hand, "How's the mission?"

"I'm a doctor, Alex," Chase glanced at him out of the edge of his vision, "I'm not a spy. And if the alleged top-secret agency still can't distinguish that, UK's screwed."

"I'm sure they are not alleged but very much real," Alex rolled his eyes, "Besides, you got all the good action. Here I am, trying to past my SAT and trying to get Tom to hang out over the weekend. He's got good video games…Oh right, Jack said dinner's ready, anytime you're ready to come home."

"What if I'm not returning till tomorrow? It's still afternoon, and I've got duties to perform."

"She's gonna save leftovers for your breakfast."

"You two are heartless bastards. The length I went for you, and here's what I receive in return: day-old dinner as breakfast."

"Can I play the migraine sick patient card?" Cheekily, the teen stood up, pressing a hand to his head as if he was in pain, "Ah, my head! My head! Do you feel sympathetic now?"

"Oh shuddup," Chase massaged his own temple with another groan, "God, is it still Tuesday?"

"Mhm, pretty sure. So, how was the mission? Did you skate down another mountain?"

God was that painful to remember, "As a doctor, I am very much against doing anything like that. No, I didn't, but nor was whatever classified mission I went on fun."

"They made you sign documents and shit?"

"Language, Alex. Yes, they did, but I'm not going to relive my painful memories just to entertain you even if I hadn't sign anything."

Alex had moved to the glass door, his hand on the handle, when he paused and turned, "I've been thinking…"

"Don't think too hard, you already have a migraine."

"When they snatched you at Ian's funeral, they didn't know it was you. Then they knew it was you, but they still sent you on the mission. Maybe you qualified to be a spy already and they just really needed your talent. Man, that would be so cool! It's like Daredevil except doctor by day and spy by night."

"I'm pretty sure I'm a spy by day too," Dryly, Chase waved his hands to gesture for the young man to get out of his office to let him brood in silence. Without looking, he knew he received a rolled eye in response, "Tell Jack I'll be a little late but I will be there. I'm not having heated dinner for breakfast."

"'Kay man, gotcha. I'll see you at the house."

The door swung shut, only to be barreled straight through by a stronger force moments later, forcing another sounding groan from him. He didn't need to look up to know who it was, and he didn't have enough energy to deal with him.

"Good afternoon, Doctor Chase," His boss said, slowing down to a stop before his desk, reaching over to jerk him slightly forward by his loosened tie, "Clinic duty, remember? As soon as you return from your mysterious rendezvous. You get off at seven, approximately four hours from now, so get your sorry arse to work."

"No worries Doctor Heath," Chase's eyes flickered open in exasperation to face the chiseled feature of his friend looming awkwardly close into his personal space, "Please take your hand off my tie." He did, "Thank you. Clinic duty, right? It's cold season, just hand out flyers with the symptoms and I'm sure you can cut the patient count by half."

"Are you hurt? Did you sprain a wrist? Broke your leg? Cracked your skull?" Heath asked.

"What? No."

"Then why are you still in your office and not downstairs treating the cold patients?"

Without a bid of farewell, his friend—boss, colleague—briskly strode out of the room the way he came. If Heath had thrown him a look over his shoulder, Chase missed it with a hard eye roll, an action he picked up from young Alex Rider. Ah, the things he did for that young man. The things he did for others. Couldn't he at least get a break? Emotional trauma was a thing, after all.

"Open your mouth wide," His first walk-in patient was a young girl, couldn't have been anymore than seven, "Say aah for me." Chase held her tongue down and shone the flashlight down her throat.

"Aah."

"She's got a sore throat. Warm or cold beverages will help sooth the pain. Drink plenty of water and she'll be fine."

The girl sneezed, and Chase gave a small chuckle as he turned back to the worried mother, "And a cold too. Don't worry, just keep her warm and again, plenty of water, and she'll be fine."

The mother came over, and pulled her little girl closer to her, "I, uh, I searched it up online. It says it might be a tumor in her throat. It might be cancer, right?"

Chase arched an eyebrow, "No ma'am, it's not cancer. Sore throat is a really common infection, and I've seen enough to recognize one on sight. Your daughter will be fine."

"There's no chance of it being cancer?"

"It's very very slim, ma'am."

"How slim is that?"

"It's highly unlikely."

"A percentage?"

"Less than one in a billion," Chase wasn't sure, but he threw it his best shot anyways, "If it doesn't get better in two to three weeks, come back in."

It took him another five minutes to fully explain to her just how utterly unlikely her daughter's sore throat was a tumor threatening her life, and that if she wanted to be adamantly sure, she could put her daughter in for a CT scan, and make her daughter spent more time with the 'really sick people' where she might actually get sicker than she already was. Five minutes later, the mother left with her bored daughter in haste.

God was people over-protective of their child.

Of his four hour duty, he spent half an hour lounging in his office under the pretense of using the restroom. The nurses didn't seem to notice his long absence but then with the string of walk-in appointments all regarding sore throats, cold, and similar, they were too busy reassuring worried 'daddy' and 'mommy' that their precious little snowflake didn't catch anything deadly. Like cancer, for example. It was the flu season, for God's sake, it wasn't the cancer season.

"Someone's in a foul mood," He must have stabbed his fork a little harder for Jack remarked snidely, "Want to talk?"

Chase snorted, "I'm good. Just the usual."

"So you're back to work tomorrow," Jack took his refusal in strides without comment, "I'm glad you're not hurt."

"Mhm," The younger Alex took a bite of his steak, "This is good, Jack."

"Come with me to visit my parents, Alex, we got barbecue everyday," Grinning at the appreciation, Jack offered before extending the same offer to Chase, "You should come too, Chase, it'd be fun. You know, a little 'off' time away from both works. You've already done a lot for Alex."

"You know I'd love to," Chase sighed at the ever-optimistic Jack, "But I can't ask for any more vacations. With the whole spy business full-blown on bad months, it's a miracle that Heath hasn't fired me yet."

"You should have fun with your parents," Alex nodded along, "You did a lot too, for us. This is your chance to be free from us at least for a little while. I'll stay to keep Chase accompanied."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow. I've already packed."

God, he missed a lot, "Ah. Well, I hope you have fun. I hear Washington's a beautiful sight during autumn."

"So, Chase."

"Hmm?"

"How's work?"

"Work's great, and don't try to distract me because my spy-eye can see through your ploy," Chase smoothly added as his character kicked Alex's off the grid into the endless abyss down below and the words 'Player 2 Won' flashed on the screen, "What am I on? Two hundred to zero?"

"I got at least one, and you don't have two hundred."

"My mistakes then. Three hundred to one. Great game," Chase set down his controller and leaned against the sofa with a loud sigh, "This is heaven."

"No this is a couch," Alex leaned forward to swipe a hand of popcorn from the coffee table, "How do you do that?"

"How do I do what?" He slanted an eye over to look at Alex, snorting as the young man's hand tilted accidentally and popcorn fell through his grip comically.

"How do you win so much?" Alex ignored his mess and kept eating, "Did you grow up playing video games?"

"I'm baffled as well, but I'm pretty sure you're just bad, that's all."

Alex rolled his eyes just as the bell rang. They let it rang for one more time before Alex turned to him, "That's not Jack."

"Nope."

"Wanna get it?"

"Tempting."

"I'll get it, your popcorn smell will scare the bible sellers off. It's a grave sin, young man," With a grin, Chase heaved himself off the couch and went over the door to peek through the hole. Ah, Fox and his buddies, "Alex, it's the big bad Wolves. You can leave the mess where it is."

"You sure?"

"Two hundred percent," Chase cracked the door open and poked his head out, "Hey guys. Sorry, the cleaner's here. He's cleaning up the mess Alex made."

"Are you talking about me in double third person?" Alex yelled. How he heard from all the way inside was a mystery.

"What the hell is a double third person?" Chase shot back, "Continue cleaning, please, or I'm not paying you!"

"You're a freeloader, man!"

"So, Chasie," Fox grinned slyly, rubbing his hands together, "Can we come in? I haven't seen little Alex for so long."

"Who the heck is little Alex?" The said little Alex pulled the door wider from Chase's unexpected grip, nearly causing the latter to tumble through the doorway, "Hey Eagle, can you teach me how to beat Chase in SSB?"

"Aw," Eagle squeezed past Fox, "Chasie, are you bullying little Alex again? No matter, today is the day we reclaim our former glory."

"Keep dreaming," Chase muttered as Eagle and Alex pushed past him, and the rest came in without invitation, "Yeah, welcome, please don't come in. You see the popcorn on the table, Fox?"

"Yeah, I'll take care of it, no problem."

"It's off-limit," Chase cut him off, "Second floor is off-limit. Kitchen is no-touch-zone. You can either stay in the living room or the bathroom." He remembered his thirty minutes of alleged stay in the restroom yesterday amid clinic duty, "And if you stay in for more than ten minutes, I'm kicking the door down."

"Someone's in a foul mood," Wolf rolled his eyes, giving him a quick pat on the back, "Glad to see you in one piece, Cub. Oi Fox, do you smell pizza in the kitchen?"

"Hey, that's my lunch!"

"Our lunch, don't be petty."

God were they self-righteous. Snake was the last to come in. Chase liked the unit medic the most out of all of the uninvited house guests. He gave Chase a once-over, "Looking not a day older than eighteen. I'm impressed, Chase."

"Seeing that I'm twenty-five, employed, and nothing like little Alex in there, I'd take that as an insult. Want something to drink?" He offered as he shut the door behind them.

"Do you have tea?"

"Yeah, Cub's got tea alright."

"Wolf, put down the kettle, I'm warning you—"

"Tea's ready. Who wants tea?"

"I would."

"Yeah, me too."

"I don't like tea, but I'd take one."

"Wolf you're not taking that cup! That's my cup!"

"I like the cup. Don't be possessive over a measly cup, Cub."

"Cup Cub, has a nice ring to it."

When K-Unit finished raiding his kitchen supplies dry and finally settled down on the sofa with their cup of tea in hand to watch Eagle destroy Alex on TV, Fox asked, "How come you're not at work today?"

"I told Heath I need a day to recover my mental stability."

"You did?"

"No," Alex's gratuitous reply to the question directed toward Chase was accompanied by a 'hah' in triumph, "It's their agreement. He stays till seven on his first day returning, but he gets the second day off."

"Nice boss."

"Nice friend."

"All of your friends are weird," Alex remarked dryly, pausing for a moment to take in the dreaded words of 'Player 2 Won', "Eagle you're supposed to teach me, not beat me! You're just like Chase."

"Okay little Alex, let big brother Eagle teach you the secrets to Chase's downfall."

"Does 'all of my friends' include you, Alex?" Chase asked dryly.

"No."

"Then what are you?"

"Your landlord—Eagle, that was so unfair!"

"It was."

"It so wasn't! You can't reach over and take my controller!"

"I'm sorry," Eagle rolled his eyes with a grin, "You were talking, I thought you wouldn't notice."

"I'm multitasking, I'm not blind! Chase stop talking to me."

"So Chasie's going back to work tomorrow?"

"It's Chase, and yes, I am. Don't come to find me, or Heath will fire me."

"Little Alex can go pretend to be your patient."

"He is my patient."

"Problem solved," Fox's light clap on his arm had Chase rubbing the bridge of his nose, feeling the start of another K-Unit-induced migraine coming, "I'll be Alex's cousin, and we'll come to visit you. Sounds good?"

"No, not at all."

"Alright, it's a deal then. How 'bout three tomorrow?"

"How 'bout never o'clock tomorrow?"

"That's a little late."

"That's the point."

"Well," Alex piped up as he took a mouthful of popcorn, "My appointment's right before lunch. You guys can come by for lunch? Food is amazing there."

"I don't want Heath having the wrong idea."

"Wrong idea?"

"That I'm part of a gang."

"What?"

"Because Chase usually sits alone at lunch. He doesn't have any friends," Alex offered again.

"For God's sake, Alex, just eat your popcorn in silence, will you?"

Loud munching was heard split second later.

"I was thinking…"

"You suffer from migraines, Alex, don't start thinking."

"Maybe you can let Mrs. Jones know that I'm interested in becoming a spy."

"You're underage."

"Aw, are you worried, Chase?"

God did the headache hurt, "I don't have enough money to pay for funeral service."

"How much does it costs?"

"Eighty grands?" Chase gave an approximation, "That's more than what I can sell you for. Can I sell you, Alex?"

"Jack's my legal guardian. You're my tenant."

"No body, no murder."

"No body, yes kidnapping."

"My head hurts."

"That's my card to play, Chase. Want an aspirin?"

"You take aspirin, Alex?" Wolf arched an eyebrow as he leaned back in the sofa, his arm around the back and invading Fox and Chase's personal space, "For migraines?"

"Extreme sensitivity to air," Chase dismissed the question, "He's a wuss."

"Thanks, Chase."

"No problem."

"Why migraines?" Snake, ever the medic.

"I'm very sensitive."

"His feelings get hurt very easily."

"Shut up, Chase."

"Yeah, shuddup, Chasie."

"Oh, for God's sake Fox, would you stop?"

"Want an aspirin?" Cheekily, his alleged landlord offered again, for the third time.

Just as Chase was about to say no thank you, someone tugged his head back by his hair. Not bothering to disguise his wince, Chase slapped Wolf's invading hand away, "Stop touching my hair, Wolf. Don't get all jealous just because you sport a buzz-cut."

"It's a requirement."

"Exactly. Jealousy, as I said."

"You think I'm jealous of your hair, Cub?"

"Yes. If you're not jealous, why are you constantly tugging my hair?"

"It's peculiar."

"Take your idiosyncratic mindset away from me."

"I'm wounded."

"Good for you, Wolf, good for you. Realizing what you're feeling is the first sign to a healing mind."

Chase's phone rang and he excused himself to answer it. He had to dart around the mess of popcorn Alex had deposited all over the floor in his rampage of SSB-ing. It was Heath. Of course it was Heath.

"Hey."

"You home?"

"Standing in front of my bathroom."

"Start packing."

"DEA knocking on my office door?"

"I wish."

Chase sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "What's wrong?"

"Is that your paranoia speaking? Nothing's wrong, we need you to go on a trip tomorrow. It's urgent."

"I'm not the only doctor in the house."

"You're the second in pediatric. Our sister hospital needs a hand with their department. Low on staff."

"There's something called hiring."

"You wanna tell them that?"

"Do I have to go?"

"It's the difference between getting fired and not. Meet me in my office before five o'clock."

"Today?"

"No, two years later. Of course today. You will be gone for about a week. It's 200 miles away, I don't think you'd be going home for that week, so your hotel has been arranged. You'd be sharing a hotel."

"Sharing? Can I bring a dog?"

"No, you're sharing with a fellow colleague."

God. No. Please no, "Who?"

"How 'bout Andrew?"

"...Heath, he still thinks I slept with his wife," Yeah, he needed that aspirin Alex offered.

"And did you?"

"God no, Heath! We had a formal business dinner together, alright? She got drunk, I dump her I her hotel room, and I left."

"You don't get to pick your roommate, Chase."

A sudden horrible thought crossed his mind, "Are you going too, Boss?"

"It's suddenly 'boss'?"

"Don't I always call you boss?"

"No, relax, I'm not going. I have business to attend to here. You will be going with a specialized team. Start packing."

The man ended the call without a goodbye, leaving Chase opened mouth ready for a reply that went into the toilet. God were people annoying sometimes. When he got back to K-Unit and his now-miserable patient, Fox had his feet in Chase's spot.

"Wassup?" Alex asked.

"Can I get that aspirin?" Dryly, Chase shut his eyes with a groan as he dropped into his seat. Fox last-secondly pulled his feet away, "I hate this world."

"The world hates you too. Mutual appreciation. Something wrong?"

"Thank you Fox. Yeah, something's very wrong. But on the bright side, I don't have to have lunch with you guys tomorrow and Alex you get a different doctor for next week."

"You have a mission?"

"Heath asked me to help out our sister hospital with their deficiency of staff in the pediatric department," Alex handed him a pill which he swallowed with a gulp from Fox's tea. Hmm. His tea-making skill was adept as always, "Said if I don't go he'll fire me."

"For how long?"

"A week or so. I won't be home so one of you can come over and cook for Alex."

"They can't cook."

"'Course I can."

"Eagle you're not touching my kitchen."

"We're getting takeouts then. Chinese Thursday, Indian Friday, Italian Saturday, Atlantic Sunday. Australian Monday…"

"Remember to take out the trash."

"Is that the only thing you're worried about?"

"Yes, Alex. Because outside the hospital, you're not my patient."

"Jeez, thanks man."

"No problem."

Chase eventually untangled himself from the trainwreck of conversations and went to pack. Six o'clock, he was on a plane to their sister hospital. Heath told him that he was one of the figures to show what their hospital is all about—the face of the hospital, got it—and if he messed up, he should be looking for a new job. It was all said with a smile and a handshake.

When he came back, one week and one day later, he was physically and mentally drained, and perhaps he had caught the flu as well. His one week had been filled with constant 24/7 walk-in patients inquiring about their angelic little snowball fluff's cold symptoms and that their face is sort of red. Oh for God's sake, they really needed flyers. The only interested case he got was when a five-year-old walked in himself, plopped down on the chair, and told Chase that his mother made him go because he got a cold and she thought it might be something deadly. He gave the genius the whole basket of toys and sent him home with a note saying that their son is perfectly healthy and is definitely an Oxford material.

Fox was sitting in the chair in his office when Chase returned. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he stood outside his door, contemplating whether or not it would be smart to risk a confrontation. God why did they built glass doors?

"Hey Chase," The spy said as he pushed the door open, "Welcome back. Did you catch the flu?"

"I think I did. Will you get me a coffin?"

"What kind?"

"Silver, with embroils."

"Okay. Words?"

"How about 'it's just for a week, they said'?"

"Mhm. That would be four hundred grands. Will it be cash or card?"

"Uh, card. Charge a Mr. Alex Rider, please," Chase dropped himself onto his couch like a sack of potatoes and slid sideways until his body took over the whole couch, "I want some sort of greenery too."

"Flowers? How about roses?"

"I was thinking more of…" Moment of exhaustion stole over, lethologica taking the rein for a second, "Wild grass whatsthename, weed, yeah."

"Will that be the green kind? Or our new ersatz purple?"

"Purple—Fox, what are you doing here?"

"That would be an additional two hundred grands—I'm here to tell you that lunch is ready."

"Purple weed, hmm, can I get a side dish of marble stones to go with that?—Can I not go?"

"That'd be another hundred grand—It's downstairs cafeteria. Everyone's waiting."

"Everyone?"

"Yes, the whole world. You coming?"

"Can I not?"

"I'm paying."

Chase's eyes flickered open, "I'm coming."

Fox bodily hauled him off the couch and ushered him out the door with a weird sense of excitement that lingered in the air like a saccharine amount of perfume. And God did he not like what he was about to face.

The cafeteria was oddly quiet when he stopped at the top stairs, and with his hands in the pocket of his white coat, he glanced suspiciously at Fox, "It's Wednesday."

"Mhm."

"There's no one here."

"Mhm."

"If I take another step, will I fall to hell?"

"Mhm."

"Can I go back?"

"Mhm no."

So he took the daunting step of stepping forward. Then the world erupted into clamorous chaos as confetti shot toward him from every corner—he thought they were guns at first for God's sake—and then the childish banner of 'Happy Birthday Alex Chase' dropped down from the ceiling.

"Um."

"Oh, he's totally speechless," Wolf grinned as he shot the rest of the confetti into Chase's face, "Happy birthday, Cub."

"I need a picture," Fox grabbed him and took a selfie, permanently saving Chase's confused unamused expression in his phone, "C'mon, it's your birthday. Don't think we forgot."

"What?"

"Well, your kind friend Heath," Eagle tugged his highly-amused boss over, "Said your birthday wasn't recorded in the hospital log so we went through your drawers and found your Starbucks card."

"My…Starbucks card?"

"You enter your birthday into your card, didn't you? It was little Alex's gift for you the first Christmas you guys spent together."

Oh right, that card.

"It's not my birthday."

"Don't be shy."

Chase reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and flash the seven cards he had in the pouch at the moment. They were all Starbucks cards, "I have a whole stack of cards, in addition to these. I made them so I get a free drink every day of the year," He paused, "I really shouldn't have told you that."

"Wait."

"Wait."

"...Yeah."

"Oh bloody—Chasie how could you?"

"So it's not your birthday?"

"I told you it'd be a waste of time. Chase's really secretive."

"It's not my birthday, but every day can be a cake day. Let's not waste the cake, should we?"

"You got the flu! Don't touch the cake!"

"You have the flu?"

"No, I don't."

"You have the flu!"

"Quarantine."

"Very funny, Heath, very funny…you're serious. Boss, I really don't have the flu!"

It took him thirty minutes to assure them of his physical health and that he didn't need to be strapped down—they insisted that he could be mentally unstable—and another ten to finally sit down and rest his weary feet.

The rest of K-Unit and Alex were creating havoc in the limited space as Heath came to join him, standing beside his chair with his hands in his pocket impassively.

"You have friends."

"God, you can see!… Sorry."

"You don't usually bring any to the hospital, besides your girlfriend. Jack, is it?"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Who's not your girlfriend?"

"Go away, Alex."

"Can I get a sip of whatever gossip you're cooking up?"

"No Fox, please go entertain Eagle, or Snake, or Wolf, or anybody."

"You're no fun, Chasie."

"Chasie?"

"Yes, they call me Chasie. Please don't call me that."

"It has a nice ring."

"No, boss, it doesn't."

FIN

Woohoo, this month has been a blast! Thank you all so much for your contributions to the fandom!