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tracybirds · 9 months

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whoops, one more Christmas fic :D I did say I'd been writing a lot of them! Those of us who helped prep the thunderpride event decided to do a small gift exchange of our own and this one is a gift for @amistrio with lots of love and happiness. Wishing you a very joyous end of the year, and time to be with those you love even if you're not able to celebrate in the same place <3 So glad we got the opportunity to become better friends this year!

Grandma and Brains

“Well, Brains, it’s just you and me for dinner again,” announced Grandma. “And are you ever gonna stop working, kid? It’s Christmas.”

Brains put down his tools, blinking slowly as he looked around. Materials were strewn across every surface; wires and strips of metal alloys piled next to sheets of experimental polymers and dozens upon dozens of computing components.

“Did the siren g-go off again?” he asked, with faint surprise. “Am I needed at all?”

Grandma shook her head. “Alan and Kayo launched an hour ago, John’s got his eyes on them. But the day doesn’t stop just because someone needs help, and you and I have a feast to attend.”

He nodded, pausing to make some notes on his tablet, then rose to his feet.

“I’ll join you in a m-moment,” he assured her. “Let m-me just wash up and be there in a few m-minutes.”

Grandma Tracy narrowed her eyes. “Do you promise? Only last time I left you, it was an entire hour because you’d suddenly thought of ‘one more thing’ and then it turned out to be several ‘one more things’.”

“I promise.”

Satisfied, Grandma left and made her own way upstairs. The elevator seemed to drag, time slowing to a crawl around her, as though the doors knew she didn’t want them to open on an empty dining table.

Every year, she privately hoped things would be different, and every year she set the table for a full house only to share a meal for three. Only now it was just the two of them.

Young branches, cut from the trees on the island, lined the centre of the table with greenery and pops of red flowers. The candles rose high above them, reaching up to the hanging ceiling lampshades. The food was set out, ready for a family who couldn’t make it; ham and roasted potatoes and green beans and the family’s favourite couscous salad. The paper napkins had been chosen for Gordon, knowing he’d get a kick out of the silly Christmas jokes that framed them, and she smiled gently up at the framed photo of Jeff and Lucille that hung at the head of the table.

“They’ll be home soon,” she told them, swallowing back a hard lump in her throat.

The door opened and she hurriedly blinked back her tears.

“It looks lovely, M-Mrs Tracy.”

She smiled at Brains, and sat in her usual seat. He sat beside her, silence spreading between them as they served themselves with little ceremony. MAX whirred around the room, lighting the candles and carving the gleaming turkey, his beeps and whistles occasionally answered by Brains.

She couldn’t help but feel more than a little let down. The dinner was nothing like the normal vibrancy of living on the island, and without her family around, the meal tasted as though it might as well have been made from clouds.

She cleared her throat, startling Brains from his thoughts, not even sure herself of what she wanted to say.

“I hope the mission goes well.”

Brains nodded next to her. “I’m sure they’ll b-be okay,” he said. “They usually are.”

“They are.” She pushed around the peas on her plate with the fork, then sighed. “I know it’s worth it, but I wish they were here all the same.”

“I know, and I’m sure they’d rather b-be here–”

Grandma Tracy shook her head, cutting him off. “Given the same circumstances and the same choice, they’d rather be there,” she corrected him. “And Lord knows I’m proud of them, and I know they’ve chosen right, but what I’m wishing for is a change in circumstance.”

Brains didn’t seem to know what to say, and Grandma Tracy recalled an argument she’d once had with Grant, accusing him of putting his livelihood over his family. How she’d had the same argument with Jeff years later.

She couldn’t argue like she used to, not when she knew what her boys did for others every day.

“They would have it any other way, and nor would I,” she told him. “Neither would you.”

“Of course n-not,” he said.

“Come along.” She patted Brains’ hand and stood. “Gordon told me there was a surprise waiting for us if they weren’t home for dinner.”

“A n-nice surprise?” asked Brains, a note of worry in his voice.

Grandma Tracy shrugged.

“Let’s find out.”

Alan and Kayo

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” asked Alan, watching the Earth shrink in the viewscreen.

“You’ve launched a hundred times before, Alan,” said Kayo, engrossed in the briefing report. “Not so weird.”

“Not that,” said Alan with a huff. “It’s just, you know, it’s Christmas.”

Kayo looked over at him in surprise. “We’ve gone out on rescues on Christmas before.”

“You have,” he said. “I haven’t.”

He scuffed his foot against the ground. “I’m not mad about it,” he assured her. “It’s just the first time I’ve had Christmas in space, y’know? The first time I’ve had Christmas alone.”

“You’re not alone,” said Kayo.

“I know but like, people are missing. I don’t really remember what Christmases with Mom was like, and my brothers made a big thing of it after Dad disappeared, but Dad was never really great at being around on Christmas anyway so I never really got it before.” He shrugged. “It’s kinda lonely.”

Kayo reached out and gave him a quick hug. “I remember my first Christmas without my dad,” she said. “You all helped a lot, but it still hurt that he didn’t feel safe enough to be with us.”

“I wish we could all be together for our Christmases,” said Alan. “But I don’t think that’ll happen this year.”

Kayo check her watch and shook her head. “We’ve got a ways to go yet. And then we’ll need to go all the way back.”

“I could use the booster?”

“And burn through all that fuel? What if we need to make corrections out there?”

“Yeah, I know,” Alan sighed. “I just wish we were still at home.”

Kayo was quiet for a moment and Alan assumed the conversation had ended there.

“Do you though?” she asked suddenly.

“Do I what?”

“Do you really wish we were still at home?”

Alan shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Even knowing there are people that need our help?”

“Well, no,” he stammered. “I’m glad we’re out here helping. I just meant…”

Alan trailed off, unsure of exactly what he had meant. Kayo pinned him with her fierce green eyes, staring him down uncomfortably. His hands started to sweat, slippery on the controls, and he swallowed roughly.

“I wish that everyone out here were safe,” he corrected himself. “I wish that there hadn’t been any malfunctions at all and that no one was in danger. But since they are, I’m also happy that we have the equipment that means we can save them. And I’d rather be out here, making sure their families get a belated Christmas and missing our own, than enjoying ours while others lose their loved ones forever.”

Kayo sat back, evidently satisfied.

“Come on, Kayo, you knew what I meant,” grumbled Alan.

“Yes, I did,” she said simply. “But it’s important to articulate it all the same. Carelessness in our language can lead to carelessness in our attitudes, and if there’s one thing I know about what we do it’s that we cannot afford to be careless.”

She shrugged. “Besides, as I said, you’re not doing Christmas alone. You’ve got me.”

“Yeah, I do,” said Alan with a sheepish grin. “And hey, that reminds me. I got you a present!”

He set the autopilot in place, and turned to reach into the storage unit built under the dashboard, rummaging through the materials until his fingers wrapped around a thin box.

“Here it is!” he exclaimed, sitting upright and holding the gift out to her. He stopped short in surprise. In her hands, Kayo held a gift of her own, and she grinned at him.

“I got you a present too,” she said and Alan laughed.

“Okay, swap then,” he said, and they did.

He ripped at the paper, not stopping to admire the ribbon or the pattern, he was too excited to unwrap his first gift, and on Christmas Day no less.

“Oh, cool,” he said, running his hands down the spines of the old guitar books and reading their titles. “These are all the old songs Scott used to listen to when we were kids, how did you know?”

“A little birdie analysed your music stream history and cross referenced it with Scott’s, and then told me what to look out for in the estate sales.”

Alan hugged her. “It’s perfect,” he enthused. “You’re literally the best, Kayo.”

“I know,” she said, eyes twinkling.

“Do you like yours?” asked Alan. The paper hung between them and he grabbed it and stowed it away, looking over at the present in her hands expectantly.

“I love it,” said Kayo, looking down at a photo frame, and drinking in the pictures with a soft smile. True colour images and short videos cycled through the frame: Kayo with a birthday cake and a gappy smile; twirling in a beautiful dress as a teenager; crowded in a restaurant booth with Alan and his brothers; a landscape of the town where she’d grown up; walking across a stage at graduation, and more.

Alan smiled shyly. “I asked John if he could help me get in touch with Kyrano for some of them. He sent me the originals. They’re the real gift, under the tree at home. But I downloaded as many copies as I could onto this frame before we launched. That’s why I only put it in a box.”

“I love it, Alan,” she said again. A woman Alan didn’t recognise, standing arm in arm with his own mom, scrolled into sight and Kayo inhaled sharply. She touched the screen with gentle fingers, pausing on the photo

“Is that your mom?” he asked. “With mine?”

Kayo nodded, eyes wide. “I knew they were friends,” she said. “But I’ve never seen…”

She broke off, and hugged Alan again.

“They’d be proud, wouldn’t they?” she asked. “They’d do the same as us given the choice?”

This time, Alan knew for certain how to answer Kayo.

“Of course they would.”

John and EOS

“EOS, give me a status update on that cargo liner.”

“Alan and Kayo are on track to intercept in seventeen hours, John. Alan wants to know if any oxygen leaks have been reported.”

“GDF says the only detected gas leaks are all inert,” said John, the data scrolling across his eyes. “Give them a list and monitor the percentages. If anything flammable starts to rise, connect me to Three.”

“FAB, John.”

He turned and connected a line back to Earth.

“Virgil, Gordon, geological scans show partial collapse of the tunnel ahead. Scott’s coming up behind you in a POD – wait for him to stabilise before attempting retrieval.”

“FAB, Thunderbird Five,” said Virgil. “Be advised, the local authorities are coordinating rescue of those above ground, so we’ll focus our energy on the people trapped down here.”

“Noted. By local authorities, you mean…?”

“GDF,” supplied Scott. “Contact is a bit of a stickler.”

“Meaning I need to smooth things over?” asked John dryly.

“Captain Saitō’s the name,” said Virgil. “And yes.”

“He does not,” snapped Scott.

“I’ll make contact with the GDF now,” said John. “Keep me updated.”

“FAB.”

John brought up Captain Rian Saitō’s profile on their database before calling, knowing he would need to make a flawless impression. He could see immediately why Scott would have clashed with the man, the personality report flagging a low tolerance for insubordination and a high sensitivity to perceived criticism. In the confines of the military, he’d have done well, in exactly the same way Scott had not.

“Oxygen level in surrounding cells are rising, John. The liner is in no danger, but this will limit entry points.”

John nodded sharply. “Check if they have the equipment available to attempt degassing. If so, contact Kayo and Alan, let them know they’ll need to coordinate a few hours before intercepting them. Use procedure 143-B as a base.

“FAB.”

Contacting the GDF proved to be more difficult than John had expected, even with EOS slipping into the datastream ahead of him to bypass certain layers of security. By the time he had talked with Saitō and placated him enough to release information regarding the cargo of the train that necessitated both the rescue and the GDF’s involvement, their job on the ground was nearly done and John was heartily sick of speaking to uniforms.

“I’ll be writing up my debrief now, sir,” he assured Saitō one last time. “It will be delivered, care of Colonel Casey, by UTC 0300. I look forward to reading your own report.”

He severed the connection and fell backwards, allowing himself a moment to float in freefall.

“You have another call coming through,” announced EOS, and he groaned.

“Who is it?”

“Colonel Casey.”

“What?!” He pulled himself upright, indignation sparking as he grabbed the comm sphere. “I just told Saitō I would send that report tomorrow.”

“She is insisting.”

“Fine,” he said, waving his hand in disgust. “Put her through.”

“John!” exclaimed Colonel Casey, smiling widely at him. “How are you?”

He scoffed, scowling at her. “Care to explain how exactly you expect me to write up a report on a rescue that wrapped up less that ten minutes ago? I haven’t even had a chance to debrief with my own people yet!”

“John, I–”

“And another thing, who does that Saitō guy think he is, running to complain already? You’re not my ‘superior’, we’re an independent organisation and I think that the GDF forgets that, and–”

“John, that’s not what–”

“–besides, I don’t know what kind of superhuman trials you’re running on your officers, but I’ve been awake for nineteen hours, and I want a nap before Three reaches their operation, and–”

“JOHN!”

The shout cut across the room and he stilled, annoyed at the way a raised voice still made him feel like he were a naughty child instead of an adult.

“What?” he asked, injecting his irritation into the word with as much venom as possible.

Colonel Casey levelled him with distinctly unimpressed look, as though she were trying to decide where to begin her reprimand.

“This is a social call, John.”

John’s face turned red and he floated backwards, releasing both the comm sphere and his outrage.

“Oh.”

“Hmm,” was all she said, looking him over. “Do I need to order a shutdown?”

“No need,” he said hurriedly. “We have things under control, I just got off comms with one of your people.”

“I know, that’s how I knew you’d be available for a chat.”

John wished suddenly for a freak fluctuation in the gravitational field, one that would pull him down into the centre of the Earth and keep him there.

“Sorry, Aunt Val,” he mumbled. “It was just a long day.”

“Well, we’ve all had plenty of those recently,” she said, waving off his apology. “I was calling to wish you a happy Christmas.”

“Is it?” he blurted, twisting his head to gape at the clock display. “Happy Christmas to you too, Val.”

Colonel Casey narrowed her eyes. “You are going home for Christmas, aren’t you John? You’re surely not leaving your grandmother all alone down there?”

John winced. “I have to coordinate a liner rescue with Three,” he said helplessly. “It’s not that I don’t want to, but duty calls.”

Colonel Casey pursed her lips. “You’re adults now John,” she said at last. “But as someone who watched her friends put duty over family year after year, and as someone who nearly lost her family from doing the same thing? I think you should go home as soon as you can.”

John swallowed. He didn’t usually think of their life as a sacrifice. Then again, he didn’t usually think of his family as something he was liable to lose.

“I’ll do that, Aunt Val,” he said. “Just as soon as those people are safe.”

After she signed off, he floated a little while longer, knowing it would be another forty-eight hours until Thunderbird Three returned. Assuming there were no further call-outs, it would be the twenty-eighth by the time he himself made it back to Earth.

“Are you going back, John?” asked EOS in a small voice.

“No,” he said, turning away and finding he had no regrets about the decision. He yawned. “I need to sleep though. Wake me when Thunderbird Three is in radar range of the liner.”

“Of course. And John?”

He looked back at her, curious to know what else she wanted to say.

“Last time he was here, Gordon put a box in your room.”

“What?”

“I tried to stop him. But then he showed me and it wasn’t dangerous so he made me promise to only tell you if you couldn’t go home for Christmas. And I did.”

“Gordon left a box in my room for Christmas?”

EOS nodded and John sighed.

“Thank you EOS. I’ll look at it later.”

Scott, Virgil and Gordon

Scott didn’t mean to ditch John in the final wrap up of the mission, but he found himself walking away long before he’d be formally dismissed. He knew John would make him pay for it later, but at that exact moment in time, he found he didn’t care.

Virgil and Gordon were sitting on the ramp that led to Two’s module, waiting for him, and he collapsed beside them with a grunt.

“That went well, I thought,” said Gordon cheerily.

Virgil groaned, his eyes still shut. “Could you curb the pep for a few minutes? How are you still going?”

“I’m more sprightly than you, old man,” teased Gordon, poking Virgil in the shoulder. “Besides, how are you not excited? It’s Christmas!”

Scott pulled himself up, staring at Gordon in shock. “What do you mean it’s Christmas?” he demanded.

Gordon shrugged. ��We went out on Christmas Eve. If you look over to the east, you’ll see this brilliant thing we like to call the sun, and I’m not a math whiz like you Scotty but I do know how the calendar works, so that makes it Christmas Day.”

Scott check the display and groaned.

“We missed Christmas dinner again,” he told Virgil, who screwed shut his eyes even tighter.

“Grandma’s going to be so upset,” said Virgil. “After last year, we promised her…”

“We promised we’d do our best,” reminded Scott. “She knows we wouldn’t have gone if we weren’t needed. Those people would have been crushed without the Mole and PODs, you know that.”

“That doesn’t make me feel much better,” said Virgil. “Just another no-win scenario.”

Gordon threw his arms around their shoulders, dragging them upright. “Step on board gentlemen. I’ve got just the thing to improve the day.”

“Are you inviting me onto my own ‘bird?” demanded Virgil.

Gordon waved him off. “I’m co-pilot, I’m entitled to invite a few people if I want. Come on, let’s go call Grandma, have a quick kip, and fly home. The twenty-sixth is just as good for celebrating as any other.”

Scott and Virgil shared a look, and followed him, their feet dragging in contrast to Gordon’s near-skip.

Instead of the cockpit, Gordon led them through Thunderbird Two down to the small cabin area, rarely used except on those missions none of them wanted to be a part of, the ones that stretched out into long days of recovery following a widescale disaster.

Gordon sat down on his assigned bunk and began to rifle through the storage space built into the wall.

“I know I left this here somewhere,” he muttered. “You can sit down by the way. Oh! Here it is!”

Confused, Scott and Virgil sat down on the opposite bunk and Gordon withdrew three boxes, a bright red bow taped to the lid of each. He passed one box across to Scott and a second to Virgil, grinning widely.

“You should call Grandma now,” he added helpfully. “Patch in John and the others too.”

Scott read the large letters on the outside, twisting the box where the words wrapped around the corners.

“‘For Emergencies Only’?”

“Trust me,” said Gordon. “This is an emergency. Call them.”

Too tired to question him, Scott pulled out the comm and connected the call.

“Scott?” said Grandma. “Are you boys done? Oh, happy Christmas!”

“Happy Christmas, Grandma,” they all chorused.

“Sorry, Grandma,” said Scott. “Gordon said I should call you and that it was for an emergency.”

“Oh!” she said. “Is this your surprise, Gordon? Brains and I have our boxes with us now.”

“That’s the one, Grandma,” said Gordon. “Hold on, we’re getting a hold of John too.”

The holoviewer connected, showing John frowning down at a box in his hands.

“John, you have a call,” said EOS, and he looked up still frowning.

“Gordon, what is this?” he asked.

“Happy Christmas to you too, John,” said Gordon. “How are you, Gordon, how was the rescue?”

“I watched the whole thing, I already know how the rescue went. Thanks, by the way, Scott. You’re writing the extra report I promised Saitō.”

“And a very merry Christmas to me,” muttered Scott to Virgil.

Virgil ignored him. “Can we connect to Alan and Kayo too?” he asked John. “Gordon’s clearly been planning something.”

“I don’t need to plan,” said Gordon, sounding affronted. “I just followed my squid sense.”

“Does your squid sense know if Alan and Kayo are free?”

“They’re on their way still,” said John. “It’ll be another two or three hours before they make direct contact. Hurry up, Gordon, I want to go to sleep.”

“This’ll only take a few,” he assured them. “Kayo knows what this is about.”

“Why does she get to know?” asked Scott indignantly.

“Because keeping a secret around Kayo is like a death wish,” retorted Gordon. “She’d have sniffed it out anyway.”

“Hi guys,” said Alan, waving as the visual connected. “Happy Christmas!”

“Is it time, Gordon?” asked Kayo.

“Time for what?” asked Alan, looking at her in surprise. She slipped out of the frame and he called out after her. “Kayo!”

“Here you go,” she said, and a box was thrown to Alan from offscreen. “Gift number two.”

“Wow thanks!”

“Thank Gordon for this one,” she said.

“Okay, does everyone have their box?” asked Gordon, looking around.

“I don’t,” said EOS, her lights whirling. “John, can we share?”

“Sure EOS,” said John. “Can we open this now?”

“Yes!” crowed Gordon, and there was a loud rustle as they all dove in.

Scott pulled out a Christmas cracker.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Lady Penelope gave them to me,” said Gordon beaming.

John laughed. “A Christmas cracker?”

“And some other goodies,” said Gordon. “Those are all me. I had a feeling we wouldn’t get to do Christmas on the island, so I made up these emergency boxes so we could still celebrate.”

Scott felt a rush of affection for his younger brother, and he evidently wasn’t alone as Virgil grabbed him in a crushing hug.

“This is lovely,” said Grandma. “Oh, Gordon, what a perfect idea, thank you.”

“Thank the squid sense,” said Gordon extracting himself. “Do you all want to pull the cracker together? On three…”

Brains and Grandma exchanged ends, holding a cracker in each hand, as Alan and Kayo mimicked them several hundred thousand kilometres from Tracy Island. John held his cracker by himself as EOS fussed about the optimal grip, insisting that for the next Christmas, John would need to make her a new attachment that would allow her to hold the cracker herself. Gordon, Virgil and Scott all crossed their arms, each forming the corner of a triangle, and Scott couldn’t help but smile, his heart warm and overflowing as though they were all together after all.

“THREE,” shouted Gordon, and they all pulled, an almighty bang echoing around the room.

“Happy Christmas,” said Scott, over and over again, hardly knowing who he was talking to as the chatter got louder and louder and the spirits rose higher and higher. “Happy Christmas, happy Christmas, happy Christmas.”

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squiddokiddo · 1 year

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Happy pride!!

Now time for some personal headcanons:

🪽 Scott - He/Him - Straight Ally

The only straight Tracy brother, he supports his siblings 100%. Scott eats queerphobes for breakfast.

🎨 Virgil - He/they - Demiromantic Asexual

Virgil's true love is his art and thunderbird 2, he has however fallen for a couple of close friends in the past but as of present he isn't looking for a relationship

🚀 Alan - He/Him - Bisexual

Alan always knew he liked girls but he only figured out that he also liked boys after getting a crush on one of his classmates at school. He later wrote his crush a valentine's.

🫧 Gordon - He/They - Panromantic Asexual

Gords is a hopeless romantic, he catches feelings for people quite easily and expresses his love quite openly. He first discovered his panromanticism and later found out he was ace.

🪐 John - He/Him - Questioning and Unlabeled

John doesn't like to label his sexuality but is also unsure of his attraction. He's also not particularly interested in relationships but believes that maybe someone will capture his heart one day.

⚔️ Kayo - She/Her - Lesbian

Kayo always knew she wasn't interested in men, she felt self conscious because "girls were supposed to like boys". She later started crushing on a girl she met in secondary school and had a sudden gay realisation.

☀️ EOS - She/They - Demigirl

After befriending john, Eos didn't have to think solely about survival anymore and now had time to explore humanity and all it's concepts.

After a long journey of self discovery she found out that they were a demigirl.

⚙️ Brains - He/Him - Gay

Brains had been in the closet a long time and had tried to hide his sexuality from the world, he forced himself to date women but it always made him miserable. After meeting the Tracy family, it took him several years of watching the others come out one by one and all supporting eachother, that he found the courage to come out himself.

🍪 Grandma - She/Her - Polyamorous Bisexual

As a young woman Grandma used to hang around a lot of gay bars and had several relationships before meeting her husband. Right now grandma isn't focused on finding any relationships as she's more occupied by her role in IR.

🌸 Lady Penelope - She/Her - Questioning

Penny isn't sure of her orientation, she's quite private about personal things like dating so she's working it out by herself.

🔓 Parker - He/Him - Straight Ally

Parker has never had any doubt about his sexuality, he has however worked with a lot of queer individuals during his "misspent youth" where he learnt all sorts of things about different identities.

I also just want to say that even though these are my headcanons I'm also open to everyone else's too.❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds headcanons #thunderpride #scott tracy #virgil tracy #alan tracy #gordon tracy #john tracy #kayo kyrano #eos tracy #hiram k hackenbacker #grandma tracy #lady penelope #aloysius parker #thunderfam #squiddo's headcanons

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flyboytracy · 2 years

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so I rotated big bro’s face whilst he’s maybe about to listen to a lil bro be murdered and there’s nothing he can do to help

#Thunderbirds Are Go #Scott Tracy #EOS #no wonder he's on the edge of a breakdown by Recharge

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idontknowreallywhy · 5 months

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A very silly something a little inspired by all the Regency AU loveliness floating around and also by the fact I’ve recently caved and cracked into a series of novels my English Lit teacher would NOT have approved of 🤣

Also because the little Scott who lives in my head can be a menace when he’s in a good mood...

… so can John…

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

“What on earth are you reading?”

As Estera walked back into the living room towelling her hair, her friend was sprawled on the sofa, half-crushed by Bez, and utterly absorbed in some ancient paperback she couldn’t see the title of.

“Hrrrm? Oh just something I found on your shelf.”

Estera racked her brains as to what she actually still owned in paperback format…

“Any good?”

“Oh VERY.” He looked up and grinned in a way that filled her with dread. She had a sudden suspicion she knew exactly what he’d picked up.

“Just so you know, not all of those books were purchased by me… some were gifts. Err… generous but ill-advised gifts.”

“Mmhmmm” his eyes had returned to the page but the grin had not gone away. Oh no.

Oh nonononooooo.

She hurried over and bent down to check and her worst fears were confirmed.

“No wait, no you have to believe… that’s not what I normally… I mean… I read proper literature! Not… my sister bought that! I sometimes wonder if she knows me at all! I haven’t even read it!”

He looked up and raised an incredibly smug eyebrow. “Are you blushing, Miss Hermaszewska?”

“Ok fine, I read a bit of it. A very small section before confirming it was terrible and I definitely intended to put it straight in the recycling!”

“OH I’m VERY glad you didn’t…”

“Argh, no please… just… give it here I’ll bin it right now!” She tried to wrestle the book off him but he clutched it to his chest.

“Uh uh, no way, you’re not getting this back until I’ve had the chance to make some notes.”

“Scott!!”

“What?! This Duke chap has some excellent pick up lines. Remind me what a dukedom is anyway? Would it improve my chances if I purchased one? Or would a Viscount be better? I do like his style…”

“You have to be born into either. And no! Stop it!” She flicked him with the towel. “You’re a terrible tease!”

“According to this that’s the best way to the heart of a lady… that and waltzing…” he was actually giggling now.

Estera huffed in frustration and growled “I wouldn’t know.” Scott’s face radiated maddening disbelief. “Just smother him now Bez, it’s for the best.”

Bez looked up and cocked his head and she could swear he was laughing at her too.

“You furry traitor! I shall have my revenge upon you both, mark my words.”

Scott and Bez shrugged in unison and returned to their previous engagements of reading and snoozing respectively.

Estera stalked into the kitchen and pulled up John’s number to send a message:

“Hi John, sorry to bother you but I find myself in need of some highly embarrassing Scott-related anecdotes… I don’t suppose you might know where I can source such a thing?”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

EOS noticed John chuckling to himself and whirled along her rail to peer over his shoulder.

“What do you find humorous, John?”

John smiled enigmatically and tapped his index finger on his chin.

“Sometimes, EOS, it pays to keep meticulous records of seemingly irrelevant data. Today might prove to be one of those times.”

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #john tracy #eos (thunderbirds)#Estera #tb Estera #silly snippet

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fruitcage · 11 months

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Access Denied, Scott Rodgerson

#abandoned building #hamilton #ontario #canada #street photography #storefront #canon EOS REBEL T1i #unsplash #scott rodgerson #i want to know where this is!#or perhaps was...#with the way buildings there have been demolished or repurposed as condos

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darkestwolfx · 6 months

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WIP Wednesday

Here we go again! Not as big an excerpt to bring you all this week, but I hope you like it still! It's from another work that I'm really hoping to finish soon so I can get your thoughts on it!

So it made it easier to trundle by and make his way to the lounge and there he… he sat at his desk, he shuffled some papers, he looked out the window at the sky and the stars and… Well, this was him now. Desk duty. His boys had superseded him and whilst he was fit and well… well, he would never be more than a co-pilot, if that.

Any guesses to what this one is about, bring them?

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sunshinecatmom · 4 months

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Just some pictures of Scott, Vetra, Liam and Peebee fixing their first vault.

#andromeda #mass effect #ryder #scott ryder #vetra nyx #peebee #liam kosta #new journey #eos

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secret-library-of-tracy-island · 1 year

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This one has the lot - dear old Gordon being heroic, poor Gordon getting rather bashed about, adorable rescuee, corporate baddie, big bros being protective big bros, Virgil keeping Scott sane, some EOS and John hackery, disaster upon disaster, cliff hangers and most crucially, some family moments.

A really enjoyable read from @louthestarspeaker which kept me well entertained for both commutes today.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds #gordon tracy #john tracy #scott tracy #virgil tracy #EOS (thunderbirds)

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flyboytracy · 2 years

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#Thunderbirds Are Go #Scott Tracy #EOS #everything's gon be alright now

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idontknowreallywhy · 10 months

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Estera - Ch 22 - Assist

Ok, time to find out exactly how squished she got?

Last one of these for a bit as I have to put this story back in its box and focus on that worryingly skeletal secret Santa fic in my notes…

What went before

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She unthinkingly dived into the road to retrieve the precious device and clutched it to her chest in relief. A squeal of brakes had her looking round just in time to see the bus plough into her and erase her from existence.

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…

That’s probably what would have happened, Estera told herself, as she knelt down to retrieve the crushed phone from behind the front wheel of the bus. She’d done the right thing. She couldn’t have saved it. Even so, she couldn’t help kicking herself. The bus had so nearly stopped in time but then the driver had kindly rolled forwards a few metres to better line up the door with where Estera was standing.

So close and yet…

She dragged herself to her feet and apologised profusely to the driver as she fished around in her bag for a credit card to pay with. Her annual public transport pass was, of course, stored on the phone along with pretty much everything else. Ticket acquired, she threw herself into a seat and curled up, her legs braced against the back of the one in front. She rested her head on her knees and tried to regulate her breathing. This was silly, it was just a thing. An inanimate object. She didn’t get attached to Things.

It was just that this one kind of had her new friend inside it.

The screen was completely shattered, but somehow the phone didn’t appear to be entirely dead - the message was displaying and by tilting it from one side to another she managed to read around the spiderwebbed cracks:

Can confirm that particular meteorological anomaly is also present in London 😮☀️ Also, hi! I’m free for a few hours, did you want to grab that coffee?

A photo was attached but with no touch screen control she couldn’t scroll beyond the top edge to view it… she only had blue sky and a hint of chestnut hair to go on.

Estera methodically tapped on every inch of the screen trying to make something respond but achieved nothing more than embedding a small shard of glass in her fingertip. She hissed and tried to suck it out, dropping her legs down and ticking them under her own seat as someone slipped into the one in front. She couldn’t help but remember the feeling of seeing her message had been read but no reply forthcoming and was filled with dread at what he might interpret her silence to mean.

“No no no no no I can’t mess this up again.” She growled in frustration.

The person in front swivelled round to face her. “Are you ok, Miss?”

It was the labradoodle guy from the beach. She nearly laughed at the irony that it would be the same person she’d hysterically accused Scott of hiring to follow her. His eyes widened as he recognised her and he smiled broadly:

“Oh, hello again!”

She smiled weakly and gestured at her phone “Hi. Sorry, just having a bit of a moment”

“Wow, and I thought mine was a mess.” He showed her a scratched and battered but intact device then held it out towards her “Do you need to call someone? You’re welcome to borrow it.”

A lifeline! She gushed incoherent thanks then paused with her index finger over the call screen. She didn’t know his number, why hadn’t she memorised his number? Because she wasn’t some hapless teenager with a crush that’s why. Nobody does that. Argh.

But wait… she rummaged in her bag for her wallet, hoping against hope she hadn’t thrown it away… Yes! The pet shop loyalty card she’d scribbled the emergency contact number on the back of when Scott dictated it over the phone that night. She’d tucked it back in there after saving the number to her contacts. She’d only needed one more stamp to get 10% off her next shop and with the amount Bez ate… the number was a little smudged, but legible.

Alright here goes. She dialled the number and a surprisingly cheery, singsong voice answered after the first ring:

“Scott Tracy’s Personal Assistant direct line, how may I help you?”

Gosh she sounded young. Must be a recent school leaver. Estera briefly wondered how someone that junior could end up working for the Tracys.

“Hello, is that Dawn?”

“Good afternoon, Estera Hermaszewska, I am indeed Dawn, Scott Tracy’s Personal Assistant.”

“H-how did you know it was me? This isn’t my usual, err, phone?”

There was a slight pause.

“A limited number of people have access to this number. As Scott Tracy’s Personal Assistant I made an educated guess.”

“Oh, well, ah, ok that’s great. Um. So, hello Dawn, thank you for picking up the call. I wondered whether you could get a message to Scott for me?”

“Of course. What is the message you wish me, as Scott Tracy’s Personal Assistant, to relay?”

“Thank you Dawn, he sent me a message but my phone just got broken and so I can’t reply to it and so…”

Frantic xylophone music interrupted mid-sentence and continued for half a minute or so before:

“I have relayed your message.”

“Oh, I err, thank you but I hadn’t quite finished.”

“In my capacity as his Personal Assistant I can certainly relay a second message to Scott Tracy.”

Definitely something unusual going on here. She didn’t sound incredibly experienced. Perhaps a family member? Maybe the poor kid was just working to a clumsily phrased script? Well, either way, Estera wasn’t going to make the girl’s job any harder by asking questions. She tried to keep her message brief:

“Please would you say I’d love to have coffee - I have a… commitment booked for a couple of hours but maybe he could meet me there and we could find a cafe afterwards? The location is…” she gave the details of the clifftop viewpoint carpark where she’d be meeting the rest of the group.

There was a brief pause then the xylophone music returned. Estera looked up at doodle guy and mouthed an apology, he gave a double thumbs up in return.

“I have made further contact and Scott Tracy has asked me to tell you he will be at the location you suggested within 60 minutes. He appears happy at the prospect of the meeting. Would you like me to connect you to his personal comm? Alternatively there are many other Personal Assistant tasks I am amply trained to perform?”

“Oh, thank you, ah no I should probably give this kind person their phone back but I will see him then. Thank you very much Dawn, it was nice to talk to you.”

“I am glad to have spoken with you too, Estera Hermaszewska.”

Estera hung up and breathed a sigh of relief, handing back the phone with a grateful expression. “Thank you so much, you saved me from a bit of a situation there.”

He smiled uncertainly. “He must be someone pretty special?”

“Oh, gosh, no! I mean, yes. He’s fantastic but we’re not… it’s not err… he’s a friend. Just a… an old friend. Well, ‘just’ is the wrong word really. Isn’t everyone special in their own way though? All of us unique and all with our own, err, specialities.”

The guy seemed faintly confused by her incoherent rambling but grinned anyway and put out his hand “I don’t think we ever did the name swapping thing - I’m Dave.”

She hesitantly reached out to shake the offered hand but he suddenly gasped and leapt to his feet.

“That was my stop, sorry!”

And he was gone, hurrying down the aisle.

She shivered and then mentally slapped herself. She really had to stop assuming the worst of friendly people.

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John watched his brother’s face light up as he realised he had a message from the girl… from Estera. Scott smirked and without warning dragged John to his side for a self portrait shot in which John looked aghast and Scott was pulling the kind of deranged face they would more usually expect from Alan or Gordon. He chuckled and began drafting a message. For a few moments John could have spontaneously combusted and it was unlikely his big brother would have noticed.

He had to acknowledge that in all the… Concern… he’d experienced surrounding Scott’s interactions with his new friend, for all his tracking of comms activity, asking EOS to correlate that with his heart rate and sleep data… he hadn’t actually spotted the impact on his brother at all. It wasn’t merely non-negative. He seemed… younger all of a sudden. Lighter. This was what Virgil had seen? John felt an uncharacteristic pang of regret for the usual physical distance between himself and his brothers. It seemed despite his best efforts he was still missing things.

“Scott, surely you’re not sending that picture are you?”

His brother grinned and with a flourish flicked the send button with the back of his index finger.

John groaned “Why would you do that?”

“It’ll make her laugh. I like making her laugh.” The tiniest crease appeared between his brows and a brief flicker of something unreadable passed over his face. Again John found himself both curious and apprehensive about the circumstances in which the two of them had first encountered each other.

It was somewhat ironic that the same person whose reappearance in his life had caused all that pain and confusion should have become a positive influence so quickly. For all Scott’s adamant denial that he had the slightest romantic intention, he was clearly already quite fond of her. John desperately hoped whatever this was going to be, an uncomplicated friendship or… anything else, that it was going to work out. It had to, he thought with grim determination. His breath caught as a memory intruded - his brother collapsed against him on the bedroom floor, sobbing in agony as his fever-ravaged mind tore itself apart. John would never forget the gut wrenching sound of Scott’s grief. He tightened his jaw and glanced over at the same man, now quietly smiling to himself. The universe owed his big brother a break and John would do everything in his power to ensure he got it.

“We’d better head back to Tracy Two and get you down to the Westcountry then. I’ll pop in on Penny and you can let me know when to come and pick you up.”

“I don’t know if she’s free yet. Slow down, Johnny.”

The “don’t call me Johnny” was a reflex of course but John barely knew he was saying it, being too busy reeling from the two words that preceded it. Two words he wasn’t sure the speed demon next to him had ever uttered together before without the word DON’T in front of them.

John looked down at the messaging app displayed on his brother’s comm, the one attaching the awful photograph had been delivered and read so, surely soon…

Scott swiped it closed and drained the rest of his cup. There was a silence as he ran a finger around the edge of the lid almost meditatively then he appeared to shake himself and, in a sudden movement, crushed it and swivelled to face his brother.

“So how’s Penny doing anyway? We’ve not seen her for a while.”

“Hello Scott”

They both jumped as a hologram of a familiar ring of lights popped out of Scott’s comm between them. John recovered first:

“EOS, is there a situation?”

“Oh, hello John. I have been acting as Scott Tracy’s Personal Assistant and I believe I have performed exceptionally.”

John raised an eyebrow at Scott who looked faintly bemused.

“Well done EOS. What did you do, exactly?”

“I received a call from Estera Hermaszewska and recorded a message for you.”

Comprehension dawned in Scott’s eyes followed by a forehead wrinkle of anxiety. Estera’s voice suddenly emerged from his wrist.

“Thank you Dawn, he sent me a message but my phone just got broken and so I can’t reply to it and so…”

It cut off abruptly and EOS disappeared.

“EOS! Wait!” Scott clapped a hand to his forehead and John sighed:

“I knew this was a bad idea.”

“It was you who suggested it, John!”

“That may technically be true but short of you almost dying on live television I didn’t think she’d actually need to use it!”

“Now what?”

“I’ll try to raise EOS again, give me a second.”

Before John could raise his own comm. EOS reappeared and exclaimed excitedly:

“I have a second message for Scott Tracy from Estera Hermaszewska”

“EOS, wait, once you’ve played it would you stay with us so I can send a message back?”

“Of course, Scott.”

They could hear background chatter and then Estera clearing her throat awkwardly before

“Please would you say I’d love to have coffee - I have a… commitment booked for a couple of hours but maybe he could meet me there and we could find a cafe afterwards? The location is…”

John pulled up a map showing the highlighted postcode and Scott squinted at it then beamed

“Looks like about half an hour’s drive from Dunkeswell Airfield. Can you drop me there and I’ll pick up a hire car?”

“Is that the message I should relay, Scott?”

“No! Err no, could you say I’ll be there in about an hour?”

EOS disappeared again.

“Why don’t I just drop you in the field at the top of the cliff there? Last time I checked Tracy Two’s VTOL was working just fine?”

“No. I’d rather drive. I don’t want to use the plane… she doesn’t… it might… I mean…” his brother looked flustered “I don’t want to be all ‘check me out with my private jet’ when she could be with friends or something.”

John took a moment to contemplate what must be the first time in history Scott Carpenter Tracy didn’t want to be associated with an aircraft.

“I just want to keep it low key.”

“Good plan. However, have you considered what you’re wearing?”

Scott looked down at the dark blue three-piece Italian custom-made suit his TI EA had handed him that morning… was it Borrelli this time? John hadn’t been paying enough attention to be sure. As the token younger Tracy in the room it didn’t matter much what he wore, but as CEO, Scott had a certain image to maintain and Jennifer curated his office wardrobe with a somewhat terrifying zeal.

“Do you want to head back to the office and fetch your casual stuff?”

“Nah, someone will spot me and need something, we’ll get stuck there for hours. I left a sweater in Tracy Two, that’ll do.”

“Alright then Prince Charming, your carriage awaits.”

Scott cuffed him round the back of the head. John responded by ruffling his big brother’s perfectly styled hair and running away, chuckling as the man squawked in horror and chased after him.

“You are worse than Gordon, Johnny, I swear!”

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#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #john tracy #tb estera #estera #EOS #The Commander and The Murderbot #PA Dawn #idontknowreallywhy fanfic #don’t mess with the hair

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gumnut-logic · 2 years

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John Tracy was sick.

Which meant John Tracy wasn’t allowed to go home.

Sure, he could say that he was home, but it didn’t really feel like home. It was full of brothers and people he loved, but it didn’t feel like home.

Home was among the stars.

But apparently astronauts with the flu weren’t allowed to go home.

“It won’t be for long, John. It will be over before you know it.” Virgil was kind and reassuring, but it didn’t really help.

He wanted to go home.

He was determined to work, of course. Until Scott caught him and cut him off.

There were some loud words over that, but the medical department of IR (aka Virgil) sided with the command department (aka Scott) and yeah, he was grounded, cut off from his ‘bird, holed up in his room and miserable.

Of course, his brothers attempted to cheer him up. Alan dumped himself on his bed chattering away with his latest game, all eager enthusiasm. Gordon brought him a pet crab. Even cared for it for him. John was left wondering if it was a snarky metaphor as the crab sat under a rock all day and had a distinct grumpy appearance.

Virgil and Scott were more subtle, but no less caring. Scott ran ideas past him for communications improvements. Piano music and the occasional piece of art found its way into his rooms uninvited.

He appreciated it. Truly, he did.

He just wanted to go home.

The morning he woke up with a cat sleeping on his chest was the last straw.

“C’mon, guys. You know I’m allergic to cats. Are your trying to kill me?” He held the cat out at arm’s length just waiting for his nasal passages to swell up. Though at this point considering his condition, he wasn’t really sure he would notice.

The cat meowed pitifully at him.

Virgil frowned.

Scott arched an eyebrow.

Gordon looked guilty....but then he always looked guilty. John was sure it was an inbuilt survival strategy.

Alan was cooing at the cat and reaching out to scratch it under the chin.

It was an orange stripy thing with big whiskers and that ragdoll floppiness all cats sported.

“Gordon?” Scott’s arched eyebrow was now pointed at the aquanaut.

“What are you looking at me for? I got him the crab, why would I get him a cat? The cat will eat the crab.” Gordon frowned at John. “Don’t let the cat eat the crab.”

Not a sentence John had ever predicted hearing in his lifetime.

“Can someone please take this thing?” He held out the cat even further.

Virgil, still frowning, gently collected the cat from John’s hands and automatically curled it up in his arms. A finger scratched under its chin.

“Thank you. I’m going back to bed.”

And he did.

The next time he woke, a pair of green feline eyes were staring at him, the cat, once again, curled up on his chest.

What?

It meowed at him and poked his nose with a paw.

“Virgil!”

He must have yelled a little too much because next minute his big brother barrelled into the room, panic on his face. “John, what the-?!”

His eyes landed on the cat and his shoulders literally sagged. “Goddamnit, that’s where you are. I’ve been looking for you for hours.” Virgil reached to pick up the cat.

The cat turned from mild mannered bed companion to spitting and screeching demon within a blink. Virgil yelped and fell backwards, his feet slipping on the mat and his butt hitting the floor with a crash.

One of John’s telescopes teetered before tipping ever so slowly. Virgil saw it and struggled to catch it. “Shiiit!” He threw himself in its path and the four-foot metal cylinder landed in his lap.

There was an oomph and Virgil was flat on his back on the floor.

Demon cat kneaded John’s chest a little before settling once more.

It began to purr.

“Virgil? You okay?”

His brother grunted and John struggled out of bed, shoving the cat out of the way. “Virgil?”

“I’m good.” It was up an octave higher than normal. “Sorry about your telescope.”

John grabbed the telescope off his brother and righted it. It was his own fault for leaving it there in the first place. Stargazing from bed was a habit much more easily exercised on TB5.

Virgil waved off his offered hand and rolled over, pushing himself to his feet with another grunt. He eyed the cat with suspicion. “I thought we had an understanding, Bagel.”

The cat eyed Virgil with equal suspicion.

“Bagel?”

“Gordon claims it is your cat so needs a John name.”

“A John name?”

“Yeah, Bagel it is.”

“It’s not my cat! And where did it come from anyway?” John frowned at Virgil. “Another stowaway on Two.”

“No! You know we have sensors for that now. And besides, that was only once.”

“Twice.”

“Once. The polar bear doesn’t count.”

“The polar bear most assuredly does count. Alan still hasn’t forgiven you.”

“Really?”

“It was a polar bear, Virgil.”

“Yeah, well, that is your cat.”

“That is not my cat.”

“Apparently she has decided she is yours.” Virgil held up his hands. Several scratches decorated his skin. “I have enough of these already. She’s yours.”

“I’m allergic.”

Virgil peered up at him, brown eyes assessing. “You don’t appear to be suffering a reaction. She’s been gone for hours. If she has been here, on your chest all that time, you should be showing the affects. All I can see is the remains of your flu.” A frown. “Are you feeling any better?”

It was John’s turn to frown. He had almost forgotten he was ill, but now his attention returned to his body, the signs were clear.

But he was feeling a little better.

“A little.”

Virgil reached up and squeezed his arm. “Good. You hungry?”

A brief consultation with his stomach and he realised that yes, he was. “Yes, I think so.”

A smile spread over his brother’s face. “Great. You’re on the mend.” Another squeeze of his arm and Virgil turned towards the door. “Meet you in the kitchen. Scott went all out this morning and made pancakes. I stashed you some. Gotta grab them before Gordon discovers them.”

“FAB.” John couldn’t help but return his brother’s smile.

Virgil grinned and with a half-hearted groan rubbed his butt and staggered with some exaggeration out the door. “Don’t forget your cat.”

John turned back to stare at the ginger monstrosity still sitting on his bed, calmly grooming.

“Bagel, is it?”

The cat blinked and kept licking its fur.

John sighed and grabbed his clothes.

-o-o-o-

The cat followed him downstairs for the meal, which turned out to be dinner. He had managed to sleep the day away. Apparently, this was a good thing, because for the first time in days, he could move without creaking.

Virgil had indeed stashed pancakes and within minutes there was a short stack piled up in front of him complete with ice cream and maple syrup. Before he even bothered to acknowledge the envy emanating from Gordon across the other side of the table, the stack began to disappear.

Scott knew how to make pancakes. John considered his big brother’s purpose in life and came to the immediate conclusion that it should be IR, family and pancakes.

Of course, pancakes could be a subset of family if considered that way, but there was always the possibility of him opening a business as a pancake chef.

Blink.

Yes, the flu had obviously taken part of his brain with it.

A pair of blue eyes and two pairs of brown were staring at him.

“What?”

“Did you bother to breathe between bites, bro?” Gordon gestured with his head at the table.

John looked down and found his plate empty. “Guess I was hungry. Scott makes great pancakes.”

“Yes, he does.” Virgil plonked a glass of orange juice in front of him and took away his sticky plate. “Now drink your juice and we’ll set up for family movie.”

“Aren’t you guys going to eat?”

“Already eaten.” Scott was poking at his phone, holograms bouncing around above it. “Grandma made meatloaf surprise again.”

John choked on his juice. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.” Scott did look a little green around the gills.

Well, that explained the envy on Gordon’s face and why Alan was very absent.

“Anyone feed the youngest?”

“All under control.” Virgil chucked Gordon a celery crunch bar and the aquanaut grabbed it from the air.

It was devoured faster than John’s pancakes.

Virgil wandered back into the kitchen proper and soon there was the delicious smell of hot popcorn wafting through the room. The engineer walked past the table again and dumped a chocolate bar in front of Scott. Another one landed in front of John.

“Consider it a survivor’s reward.” Virgil grabbed Scott’s phone out of his hand.

“Hey!”

“Stop working, this is family time. Everything can wait a couple of hours.”

Scott glared at his brother, but grabbed the chocolate bar and capitulated anyway.

Probably because he knew Virgil was right. It was so easy to get absorbed with International Rescue business. John knew he was a fantastic example case of such a syndrome.

A sigh.

Scott glanced up at him. “How are you doing, John?” A smirk. “How’s Bagel?”

As if beckoned, the cat in question suddenly leapt up on to the table and stalked the length of it towards Scott. John’s eyes widened as his eldest brother was targeted by a feline glare of epic proportions.

Scott’s expression was quite an amusing mixture and defiance and terror. Bagel sat down in front of him and after a moment of intense eyeballing decided Scott was boring and started washing herself.

“That is one weird cat, John.”

Everyone jumped as Bagel shot to her feet and dashed across the table at Gordon. “Holy crap!” The aquanaut scrambled backwards as Bagel ran at him. He tangled his feet in the stool he was sitting on and with a crash, ended up on the floor.

“Ow.”

Reaching the edge of the table, Bagel stopped and peered down at the fallen Thunderbird and, apparently deciding Gordon was no more interesting than Scott, sat down and returned to grooming.

The remaining three vertical brothers stared at each other and the cat.

No one said a thing.

“Uh, can someone give me a hand up, here?” Gordon vaguely waved an arm about and Virgil edged around the table to help his brother up.

His eyes barely left Bagel.

“Has anyone fed the cat?” John threw the question in there as a bit of an icebreaker since said cat had frozen the room almost solid.

Bagel looked up and stared at John for a moment before jumping to her feet and ambling over. A simple step off the table and she was in his lap, circling for moment to find a comfortable spot, then curling up and purring.

Again, everyone was staring at the orange fluff ball, John included.

“You have a very strange cat.” Apparently, Gordon hadn’t learnt from his earlier experience, but fortunately, Bagel ignored him this time.

John stared down at the purring ball of fur.

Yes, it seems he did.

-o-o-o-

Despite the possessed cat, the rest of the night went very well. All five brothers plus Kayo threw down some pillows, curled up in front of the holoprojector and waded through a trashy b-grade movie that looked like they were using mannequins for actors and plastic models for set pieces. There was popcorn, laughter and loving family. John felt warm and relaxed and better than he had in days. Somewhere between action scenes, he drifted off to the tinny soundtrack and the sound of his brothers criticising the special effects.

“Johnny?” It was whispered “Johnny, you’ve got to move or you’ll end up with one hell of a neckache.”

A blink and he found himself looking at Virgil upside down. Wha-?

“C’mon, bro. Up you get.” And his brother was lifting him up. Another blink and he realised he was lying on one of the couches...almost upside down, his feet at an angle above his head with his head hanging off the seat cushion. He was far too long for the piece of furniture and, apparently, he had stretched in his sleep.

Virgil was shifting his shoulders into a more horizontal position. Beyond him, the holoprojector was listing all the languages the movie was available in, complete with appropriate copyright warnings. Idly he noted that the Hungarian translation had an error in the third line.

John let his feet drop to the end of the couch before folding up enough to force himself upright. Ugh, Virgil was right. His neck cricked and creaked along with his spine. God, gravity was a nasty piece of work. It had also apparently dribbled all the mucus in his body into his head. His skull protested at the pressure as he sat up and he groaned.

“John?”

Why did everyone think Scott was the worry wart of the family? Virgil with his medical radar was just as bad, if not worse. “I’m fine. Just a head full of snot.” Ugh. Right between his eyeballs, throbbing to the beat of his heart. “Just kill me now.”

Suddenly there was an orange cat in his face, staring.

“What? Bagel, not now.” He gently picked up the cat and put her on the couch beside him. Where the hell had she come from anyway?

A pitiful meow was her response and she edged nearer brushing her cheek against his arm.

Despite himself, he turned to her. “What’s wrong?”

She looked up at him with a combination of adoration and haughtiness. He had no idea what to make of that expression.

Of course, she was a cat. Who understood cats?

“Are you two having a moment?” His brother’s smiling baritone broke the silence and to John’s surprise, Bagel turned to Virgil and hissed angrily.

His big brother took a hurried step back.

“Bagel! Leave him alone! He will never hurt you. For goodness sake, Virgil wouldn’t hurt a fly. Give him some respect.”

To his complete surprise, Bagel stopped hissing immediately. She turned to him almost a question on her face before once again looking at Virgil. Her head dropped and stared at the floor.

“What the hell?” It was little more than breath and all his big brother. Virgil was staring at Bagel, his brow crumpling into a deep frown.

Bagel’s head shot up and once again she was staring at Virgil.

Virgil’s frown got even deeper.

“John where did you get this cat from?”

“I told you, I don’t know. I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

Virgil continued his staring contest with the cat.

“What is it?” His brother’s expression was becoming unnerving, so suddenly determined, it was almost fierce.

“I don’t know.” A pause. “Keep her out of sensitive areas for me, will you?”

“Sure.”

Bagel continued to stare at Virgil.

Virgil continued to stare at Bagel.

A solid moment passed and then his brother was shaking his head, looking at his feet, looking at John. “You good to make it up to your rooms?”

“Yeah.”

“I need to go hunt down Scott. One of the TI directors in the States forgot the time zones. He’s been on the phone for half an hour already.” Virgil sighed.

“Need backup?”

“No.” A hand dropped to John’s shoulder. “You go to bed, you need it. I’ve got this.” The hand disappeared and Virgil climbed out of the lounge, heading towards the balcony.

Bagel was licking her paw.

John sighed. Perhaps some paracetamol would help. “C’mon, Bagel, apparently, you’re with me.” He picked her up and held her against his chest as he staggered to his feet. Cursed gravity. How he missed being able to make the smallest movements and coast across a room.

Bagel reached her head up and snuggled under his chin, her purr vibrating his sternum.

“Why me?” It was little more than an exhaled breath and he wasn’t sure it was a complaint or an actual question.

In either case, Bagel didn’t answer. She just purred into his chest.

So, it remained a mystery for another night.

-o-o-o-

“It just appeared. No trace on sensors, nothing. It’s as if it didn’t exist before the day before yesterday.”

Virgil’s puzzled voice echoed up the stairs as John approached the kitchen the next morning. He glanced at his watch. This was early for his brother; he usually wasn’t up for another hour at least.

“I’m telling you, Scott, there is something very strange about that cat.”

John paused at the top of the stairs, his hands curled around Bagel, gently scratching her under the chin. He had awoken again with her on his chest, but unlike the previous two incidents, he had found himself surprisingly comforted with her presence.

Her purring was strangely calming.

“I will admit she is quite volatile.” Scott’s voice was surprisingly reluctant. “She didn’t even take to Gordon. Every living creature takes to Gordon. Except lizards, I guess. Hell, she doesn’t even like you.”

“That’s just it. She doesn’t act like a cat.”

“What, just because she doesn’t like you?”

“I’m sorry, Scott. Something just doesn’t feel right. Why is she so attached to John? What if she is a plant after our technology?”

“A tech seeking cat? Really?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time an animal has been used for espionage.”

Scott sighed and John shifted, attempting to loosen the tense muscles in his shoulders.

“It’s just that John appears to have latched onto Bagel as much as the cat has to him. How often does John attach to anybody?”

“And that’s what scares me the most. What happens when he returns to TB5? He can’t take a cat with him. It wouldn’t be safe for either of them.”

“Then we look after Bagel for him.”

It was Virgil’s turn to sigh and it was a worried one.

John chose that moment to make his entrance. He stepped lightly down the stairs. “You two really do worry far too much.”

Both brothers started as he entered. The guilty expressions on their faces were quite amusing.

“Virgil, if you are worried about Bagel, scan her.” John held the cat out to his brother. “Take her up to the infirmary and run her through a thorough physical. In fact, I would prefer if you did since as you said, I have become somewhat attached to her. As to what we are going to do when I return to Five...” He shrugged. “I hope we can work something out.”

Virgil managed to look both apologetic and sad.

To John’s astonishment, Bagel wriggled out of his grip and jumped down to the floor. She ambled over to Virgil. His brother froze, obviously wary, but the cat gently brushed up against his leg and rubbed the length of her body across his boots.

The whole room stared.

“Good morning, Bagel.” Virgil’s voice was a little breathless.

“Good morning, Virgil.” The whole room jumped as Brains jogged down the stairs and passing them, bee-lined for the fridge.

“‘Morning, Brains, John.” Gordon wandered in from the pool rubbing a towel through his hair. “Yaargh! What the hell, Virgil. You gone to the cat side?” He took several steps back as he caught sight of Bagel.

Bagel, still wrapped around Virgil’s ankles, turned towards Gordon and spat at him.

“That damn cat is possessed.” The aquanaut made sure the table was between him and the feline.

Bagel glared at him, following with her eyes.

“Eos, I know G-Gordon can b-be a challenge, b-but really, h-he is a good man.” Brains was pouring milk into his cereal on the bench.

“Yes, but he is so annoying.” The AI’s voice bounced across the house’s comm system.

“He st-still deserves r-respect.”

The comm system grunted.

Every eye in the room stared at the engineer.

Gordon found his voice first. “Wow, Brains, thanks.”

John was staring at Bagel. “Eos what do you know about Bagel?”

“Oh, John, everything.” The little imp was so smug.

Two strides and John was beside Virgil. Reaching down, he snagged Bagel off the floor and held her up, his eyes raking over the cat. A moment of intense examination. Bagel stared back at him calmly.

“Okay, how did you do it?”

“Do what, John?”

“Do not mess with me, Eos. I want answers and I want them now.”

“Hiram helped me.”

“Helped you do what?” Scott’s voice was sharp. “Brains?”

“It was a v-very interesting challenge.”

“What did you do, Brains?” Commander Tracy stood up from the table, his height saying everything it needed to.

Brains didn’t notice.

“Oh, Eos had an e-excellent idea to equip Thunderbird F-Five with an internal m-mobile probe mechanism.

“Yes, something that could get into the spaces John cannot.” Still smug. Oh, there would be some serious talking at a later time.

“So, you built a cat.” Virgil’s eyes were wide.

Brains sipped his orange juice, still seemingly unaware of the tension in the room. “She didn’t think I could. So, I did.” He was definitely pleased with himself.

“You built a cat?” Gordon was an echo of his brother. “That cat?” He stabbed a finger in Bagel’s direction.

“Yes?” Finally, the man appeared to realise that something was amiss. “I’m v-very happy with the r-results. It performs v-very well.”

It certainly did. John had her under his arm and found himself scratching her under her chin despite everything.

He forced himself to stop.

“John?”

“Yes, Eos?”

“Do you like her?” Suddenly he was a parent faced with his child’s school science project and the need for approval.

Some science project.

“I like her, Eos.”

“Can we keep her?”

“That is yet to be decided.” It came out firm. It needed to be firm...even though he already knew the answer.

“But-“

“Eos, why didn’t you tell us Bagel wasn’t really a cat?”

“But she is...”

“Eos.”

“John...”

“Eos!”

“I missed you.”

He froze. “I’m right here.”

“But it’s not the same.” That was a definite whine. “You’re not with me. It gets lonely up here without you. So, I built a way to be down there with you.” Bagel rubbed her cheek against his hand.

“Eos is in the cat?” Gordon’s jaw may as well have been on the floor. “She hates me that much?!”

“I don’t hate you, Gordon. You are quite funny. Somewhat clumsy, but funny.”

“Eos.”

“Yes, John?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

No answer.

“Brains, why didn’t you tell us?” Commander Tracy was glaring at the engineer.

“T-Tell you what?”

“About Eos and the cat.”

“That would have r-ruined the experiment.”

“What?”

“Eos w-wanted to see if the f-feline programming was sufficient. The b-best way to do that was test it.”

“On us?” Gordon spouted outrage.

“Surprisingly only V-Virgil appears to have b-been concerned. I w-would be interested to hear your evaluation.”

“Sure.” Virgil appeared to still be processing. Probably attempting to work out exactly how Brains had pulled it off.

“Brains, you, Eos, John and I are going to have a serious conversation.” Scott’s voice was stern. “This is not happening again. This family is not an experimental lab.”

“It was not his fault, Commander.”

Scott arched an eyebrow up at the ceiling. “Really, Eos? I have no doubt that John has a few choice words to be said on this matter.” Oh, yes, choice and many. “In the meantime, please cease the experiment.”

“But-“

“Eos.”

“Very well.”

The cat in John’s arms went completely limp.

He couldn’t help it; a gasp passed his lips and he caught the sudden dead weight with both hands. “Eos!”

All life had left Bagel. She became nothing more than a lifeless corpse. Something inside him lurched horribly.

Every eye in the room was staring at him.

“John?” Virgil’s eyes flashed concern.

He gathered up the cat in his arms and gently placed her on the seat of one of the kitchen chairs.

So real. He shivered.

“You okay?” His big brother was suddenly beside him.

“That was unnerving.” Both of them stared at the immobile TB5 internal remote probe mechanism.

“Eos, can you please reactivate Bagel.”

“Virgil-“

“No, Scott. Too creepy, too real. Please, just...leave her be.”

To John’s surprise, Scott didn’t protest.

But Bagel didn’t move.

“Eos?” His own voice sounded hollow in his ears.

“Yes, John?”

“Please reactivate Bagel.”

“Why?”

“Eos, just please.”

“Very well.”

And Bagel uncurled herself, sat up and glared at Scott. Before Eos could exact any form of petulant revenge, he grabbed Bagel off the chair and held her in his arms.

“Thank you, Eos.”

“You are very welcome.” Impertinent little brat.

“Now, I’m going to have breakfast, then we are going to have that conversation.”

“Yes, John.”

Something in the room snapped and suddenly everyone went back to their morning routine with only the occasional stare at the cat in his arms.

“Would you like some cereal, John?” Virgil was heading towards the fridge.

“You don’t have to get me breakfast, Virgil.”

“You have your hands full and I’ve already had mine.”

“How early were you up this morning?”

“Early enough. Your cat weirded me out.”

Bagel was rubbing her cheek against his fingers again. He grabbed a chair and sat himself down, placing Bagel on the chair beside him. She started grooming herself quite content.

A bowl was placed in front of him, followed by a cereal box, milk and another glass of orange juice.

Bagel stared up at him

He shook his head slowly. “What am I going to do with you?”

The cat tilted her head and licked her whiskers.

And he knew that somewhere far above the planet his daughter was laughing.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #John Tracy #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #Eos #Gordon Tracy #nuttyfic reblog #an oldie #but I quite like it #reading myself to sleep with it tonight #so thought I would share #I'll probably zonk out three paragraphs in

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