Title: My Friend, My Brother
Summary: MOVIE-VERSE. "Ferm, don't worry, so long as I'm around, nothing can hurt you. I won't let it." – Alan. Prompt from Parimalik
Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds, Thunderbirds Are Go or the 2004 movie all characters and registered trademarks belong to the respective owners.
A/N: Written on request for parimalik. For her friend's birthday.
2nd A/N: I told myself, I'd stray as far from the movie as possible but this is on request. So NO FLAMES! Not accepted.
Alan Tracy was in a mood. And this mood was not unlike the other moods that Alan got in before going back to school. So his friend, Fermat, was used to them. But he hadn't really expected Alan to be in this kind of mood today of all days. Fermat, Alan and their friend, Tintin, had been in accepted into Alan's father's business – International Rescue – during Spring break just gone. Fermat and Alan had to leave their IR pins at home to avoid being found out, but it didn't matter to Fermat because he had always felt like part of the Thunderbirds. Fermat just didn't get why, with all that had happened, Alan was in such a mood. Scott flew the boys over to the mainland in Tracy One and helped them with their bags into the waiting taxi.
"We'll see you for summer, Al. Have a good term." Scott said, Fermat could tell the eldest Tracy was fighting the urge to hug his little brother.
"Yeah, whatever." Alan said and slid into the backseat of the taxi. Fermat gave Scott a smile and said he'd have Alan solved by summer if not before. Fermat had an idea what had put Alan in this mood. Despite now being a Thunderbird – Alan still had been sent back to school, wasn't even offered the same choice Tintin and even Fermat had been given. School or home-schooling. Tintin chose to be home-schooled like the past year. Fermat had chosen school because Alan would be going back to Warton's. He wasn't about to abandon his friend.
Alan was the only one who didn't make him feel bad about his stutter, except once during Spring Break. But that had been forgiven. Fermat knew that Alan hated the idea that his father still didn't believe that he needed school! Home-schooling would be just as good and what if they needed Thunderbird 4? Who would pilot it? It wasn't fair but he'd told his father if they needed to use 4 that he'd let Gordon and only Gordon pilot it. No one else.
"He's u-u-upset about the f-f-fact that your f-f-f-dad, didn't offer him t-t-the o-o-o-choice of being homes-s-s-schooled." Fermat told Scott later that term when he'd finally gotten Alan to talk to him. Fermat normally got Alan to talk very easily. But today had been hard. Alan either didn't hear Fermat or he ignored him. Alan never ignored Fermat, disregarded his concerns maybe but never ignored.
"Well, Dad thought it best if Alan stayed at school. If he can get his marks up to scratch – I think Dad expects As or better from Alan – then he'll consider home-schooling. Alan would do it by correspondence. As would you and as Tintin is doing. That is why he was sent back to Wharton's. But it's been months. Is he still fuming over it?"
"I d-d-don't know. He s-seems to be in a b-bit of a mood." Fermat replied his stutter settling. He seemed to be growing out of it, but it was taking time. Under stress it was worse.
"A mood? Like the one he was in first day? That's not like him." the eldest Tracy asked.
"No it's n-n-not. I'll t-talk to you l-l-later Scott." Fermat said.
"Bye Fermat." Scott hung up the call.
"Who was that?" Alan asked coming into the room as Scott hung up.
"Uh, m-m-my d-d-dad. He j-j-just w-w-wanted to know that we w-w-were s-s-settled back here." Fermat lied.
"Liar." Alan said he right thought it.
"It was S-S-S-Scott." Fermat admitted finding it hard to even try to lie again, "he was ch-ch-checking up again." Alan nodded slowly, he knew Scott would. He was a little too overprotective sometimes.
"Look, Ferm. I haven't been the best friend these last couple of months. I want to make it up to you. So tonight, you and I are going to have a movie night. You can pick the movie." Alan said, knowing that his behaviour hadn't been the best to Fermat these last few months, he'd been tetchy and callous and generally self-absorbed and not even talking to Fermat. Alan realized that Fermat was probably hurt and wanted to fix things. So by offering up a movie night he gave Fermat the chance to feel like Alan's friend again.
"To be honest, I h-h-haven't been feeling like your f-f-friend much. And I have felt a bit l-l-left out." Fermat admitted but busied himself with picking out a movie. Fermat's usual idea of fun things to watch included all the documentary type movies or TV Shows. But he knew what Alan's favourite movies were. So even though he was nervous about it he picked out one of Alan's favourites. He had quite a choice to make. Anaconda, Snakes on a Plane, Python, Snakes on a Train. Fermat looked over them all. He chewed his bottom lip, none of them were ones he liked to watch. He pulled out Snakes on a Plane and handed it to Alan.
"Really? I know this isn't your favourite."
"I know, but it is a c-c-classic movie and there's no r-r-r-reason why you should fall asleep halfway through one of my d-d-d-d-movies right?" Fermat smiled. Alan gave him a grin in return and set up the movie.
It was about halfway through when Alan noticed something was up with Fermat. He was flinching a lot and trying very hard to stifle his whimpers. Knowing that this always happens when they watch one of Alan's movies, he carefully slides closer to Fermat, and acting like a big brother – and doing what Scott and John had done multiple times with him – put his arm around Fermat's shoulders and pulled the younger boy into his chest to hide the images from him. Fermat instantly felt silly. He was only two years younger than Alan! This was ridiculous. Alan turned off the movie and let Fermat calm down.
"Why didn't you say something, Ferm? I would've understood."
"I didn't want you to think I was ch-ch-ch-childish! These past few weeks it's felt like you only f-f-f-feel sorry for me and you're only my f-f-f-f-friend because my D-d-d-d-dad works for your Dad and it's really h-h-h-h-hurtful when your b-b-b-best friend turns his back on you just b-b-b-because he's annoyed at his own f-f-f-f-father!" Fermat said. Alan frowned.
"I'm not your friend just because your Dad works for my dad. And yeah I was annoyed at Dad for sending me back here, but as long as I'm with you, it's ok. I'll survive." Alan said, "And being scared of something isn't childish. You know…Virgil is afraid of moths? And Gordy, he doesn't like clowns. Scotty hates frogs and Johnny, you know why he spends so much time up on Five? He hates Thunderstorms! Me? I'm afraid of spiders. I hate them. Scorpions aren't my favourite thing either." The boys laughed at that remembering the scorpion that had climbed up Alan's jacket back during Spring Break. After Fermat had calmed down enough and he started to yawn the boys decided that it would be better if they went to bed.
"You need us to do what?" Gordon asked when he spoke to Alan, via video chat the next day when Fermat was at study hall.
"We're coming home six weeks! Surely you can come up with something by then!" Alan said.
"Are you insane Alan?" John asked from his place beside his ginger haired brother, he was down while Five was being repaired.
"I'm hoping to help him! Isn't the best way to overcome a fear by immersion?" He said.
"Sometimes…but are you going to be put in a tub with ten thousand spiders to overcome your fear?" Scott asked.
"Are you going to with frogs? Or Virg with moths?" Alan shot back, he knew their answers would be no, "just get the pythons. The ones that aren't poisonous." He said.
"We'll see what we can do. Are you sure this is going to work?" Gordon asked.
"No. But what have I got to lose?" He said.
"Your best friend." Virgil snapped from the back of the shot, he had been woken by Alan's call – he'd forgotten the time difference – judging from his dishevelled appearance.
Summer Holidays. Finally! Fermat and Alan had packed the day before so when they were woken by someone knocking on their dorm room door they were ready to go. Alan opened the door and was lifted off his feet by a hug from his favourite brother. He had to admit he'd missed all his brothers but the medic he'd missed the most. His musical brother always got him even more than Gordon and Scott did.
"I missed you Squirt!" Virgil said as he placed Alan back on his feet. Alan accepted the affectionate ruffle of his hair too. He was used to it, despite being 17 now.
"I missed you too Virg!" Alan replied as Virgil and Fermat slapped high-fives, before the medic ruffled Fermat's hair affectionately.
"Everyone else on the Island?" Alan asked.
"Yeah, they're making sure everything ready for you two! We're 'Alan-proofing' the house." Virgil said but that answer also told Alan then the other had come through on their promise to help him with Fermat. At least he knew that his brothers were in on this and he hoped that Fermat would go with it. It was unlikely because of Fermat's fear of them but hopefully the snakes wouldn't be too bad. He didn't want lots just a few…about thirty or so. Alan bit his lip and crossed his fingers, this had to work. It just had to. Alan just want to help his friend and this was how he was going to help.
It was quiet on Tracy Island the next morning unnaturally so. Fermat knew that was unusual but he accept it. A rescue perhaps, but the Klaxon would have woken him. Shrugging he got up and stretched, he had a feeling this was going to be a good day. The day before he had found himself shy with the Tracy's again, he felt the older boys acted a little strangely even Virgil when he picked them up. But he didn't think too much of it. Nodding to himself he quickly dressed and after combing his hair and being satisfied with how he looked – let it be noted that Fermat isn't vain he just take pride in his appearance – he opened his door to be met with Alan, the older boy smiled at him and together they started downstairs. Alan seemed twitchy and nervous, Fermat was surprised usually Alan was so clam when he was home.
"Did Gordon put the rubber spider in your bed again?" Fermat asked, he knew that might make Alan this way.
"What? Oh yeah. Silly me, looking around the corners for the rest of the day now!" Alan laughed. He hated lying to Fermat, and Fermat couldn't tell when he was lying, not like Alan could.
When they arrived in the living room though, Fermat froze. In the living room there were about fifty snakes. All different lengths some just 12 inches others could be as long as 6 feet. Fermat felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. His eyes widened and he stared in absolute shock at the snakes crawling across the floor. He didn't stay for long, he turned and raced back up to his room.
"Fermat!" Alan called but the teen didn't stop. Alan turned back to the four older boys that stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"You tried Al. Let me talk to him." Alan nodded, at least maybe Fermat would listen to someone other then Alan.
"Fermat?" The knock on his door made the boy shuffle further into his pillow, but the door opened anyway. Those Tracy boys knew all the tricks to get those automated doors open even if they were locked.
"Go away."
"You can't hide up here forever." The voice said calmly sitting down behind Fermat. At least the voice was patronizing, "I understand you're scared. Alan didn't mean to scare you. The best way to overcome a fear is usually immersion. But for Ophidiophobia, it's a lot harder to overcome it with immersion. That's why we had all the snakes. We were trying to help you be ok with them. We don't want you to love them because no one does. But I can tell you that all of those snakes down there were pythons. They wouldn't hurt you with a bite. It would take them a long time to be able to hurt you.
And we wouldn't let them. Alan wouldn't let them." Fermat raised his head and his eyes met those of Virgil Tracy. The older boy smiled at Fermat. Fermat supposed that pythons weren't so bad. Virgil was right they took a long time to hurt you, but they were still kind of scary. It wasn't until Alan opened the door with a small python in his hands that Fermat nearly died.
"Ferm, don't worry, so long as I'm around, nothing can hurt you. I won't let it. Remember? If I can prevent it, I will." Alan said, he sat down but didn't move any closer to Fermat, nor did he put the snake down, "I'm not asking you to love them. But just tolerate them." Alan said. He watched Fermat carefully, deciding that Fermat wasn't going to order him to take the snake back down to the lounge he put the snake down on the bed spread. Virgil had hold of Fermat so the boy couldn't move, but Alan kept a hold on the snake too, to make sure he could move it if he had to. Fermat watched the snake as it slowly slid to where he'd been laying moment before and coiled itself up slowly and seemed to fall asleep.
"I d-d-d-don't h-h-h-have to l-l-l-love them?" Fermat asked, under stress it was getting harder for him to talk.
"Not at all. No one loves snakes. Just be able to see a snake and not totally freak out." Alan said. The python was now sleeping soundly on Fermat's bed. Alan carefully reached out and picked it up, it woke and wound itself around Alan's arm, he laughed and started uncoil it, even as it tried to tighten it's hold.
"Nothing to worry about. I'll take this one back down now." He said holding the snake properly before leaving, Virgil and Fermat again.
"See? Alan and I would never let it hurt you. You're like another little brother to us Fermat. We'd never let anyone or anything we could prevent hurt you. As long as we can stop it – it won't come within ten miles of you." Virgil said, Fermat smile. He loved the Tracys like a family and he viewed Scot, John, Virgil and Gordon as big brothers but Alan. Alan wasn't older or younger he was simply Fermat's brother. Best Friend, Confidant, and brother. As long as Alan was around nothing would hurt Fermat and for now that would suit Fermat just fine.