A/N: My first venture into the Thunderbirds world. Any mistakes are mine. Reviews are appreciated.
Scott Tracy didn't remember the last time he'd been this glad to finish a mission. He felt sorry for pushing Brains so hard and hated that they'd had such a close call with the passenger train. His comm-link lit up and he had John in his ear. "I'll take a look at what's left of this program and call tonight with an update. I'm glad you're safe," John said. "Me too. How did you know to engage the thing like a game?" Scott asked. "That was Alan. Game theory was on his list of lessons today and he figured it out," John answered. "Guess I owe him some praise for that," Scott said. "Definitely worth a little quality time with you," John agreed. It surprised Scott to hear that. "You think that matters?" "Of course. He worships you. Spend a little time with him and give him props for his idea." "Will do." "Spank him first if he lied to me about having his lessons finished," John added. Scott laughed. "Sure thing, little bro."
Alan met Scott as soon as he stepped away from the wall. "Hey, Sprout." "Hey, big brother. Glad you made it," Alan said. He wanted to hug Scott, but he knew he was too old for that stuff. "John tells me I have you to thank for that." "It was just an idea. I never would've been able to engage the thing." "That's why we keep John," Scott smiled. "That's why?" Alan smirked. Scott nodded. "Did you finish your lessons?" "Yes, sir." "Alan," Scott pressed. "Honest, Scott. I'm all caught up." Alan showed his big brother. "Good. You told John you were done and you know better than to lie." "I didn't care much for being benched to catch up on school work. I'd hate to actually end up grounded. That's too literal for us," Alan admitted. "I wasn't thinking of grounding you, Sprout." Alan cocked his head. "What else is there?"
"Think about it, kiddo. What happened the last time you told a lie?" Alan considered for a second. It dawned on him and he winced. "You mean I'm not too old for that?" "Afraid not. No age limit," Scott promised. "You were really going to spank me?" "If you'd lied to John." Alan shuddered and stepped away. He'd really thought he was making progress with his big brothers, but it was clear they still thought of him as a dumb kid. "I didn't lie," he murmured. "And I'm not going to spank you. I'm proud of you, Alan. You did well today. Very well. You managed to get caught up on your lessons and you helped us figure things out. Try to do a little better job of balancing your lessons with our missions in the future and I will let you fly." Alan turned back to look at his oldest brother. "Promise?" he asked. "I promise. Come here, Sprout." Alan obeyed Scott and the older Tracy hugged him. "Good job, tough guy."
T-birds T-birds T-birds
A few days later, they got a call for a big rescue. Alan had kept up with his lessons and Scott... still benched him. It was almost more than the youngest Tracy could take. Virgil and Gordon both gave him a quick conciliatory pat, but didn't speak to sway Scott. To his credit, Alan didn't pout while his brothers' were gone. He stayed looped in, helping John as best he could. It wasn't until Scott, Virgil, and Gordon returned that Alan felt his anger surface. "Why did you leave me behind?" Alan managed to keep his voice steady, but his big brothers knew him well enough to sense his anger. "Not your day, kid. Sorry." "Scott," Alan protested. He was surprised when Scott turned on him. "Hey! I am not having this argument with you every time." Scott grabbed Alan by the elbow, turned him sideways, and gave him three smacks on the behind. "You need to learn to do as you're told," he scolded.
The second Scott released him, Alan cowered. His eyes were full of hurt and betrayal. "I didn't disobey you, Scott. Please don't treat me like I did." Alan's words were tight and almost too quiet to hear. He fled as soon as he got them out. Gordon moved to go after him, but Virgil caught him. "You need to fix that, Scott." "Go to bed," Scott snapped. "Scott, you've got to—" "I won't say it again, Virgil." Gordon tugged his big brother's sleeve until Virgil followed him. "You go to Alan, I'll talk to John." Gordon nodded once, "Okay." Virgil tapped his watch-comm and sent a transmission to Thunderbird 5. John answered almost immediately. "Virge, you okay?" "I am, but you need to talk some sense into Scott." "What happened?" Virgil recapped it for him. "That doesn't sound like Scott. He hates to spank. I'm not there, Virgil." "Exactly, John. You can't be shushed or spanked," Virgil pressed. "Fine."
Gordon had slipped into Alan's room to find his baby brother in the shower. He suspected the running water was more about covering Alan's tears than washing away any dirt. Gordon had hesitated to knock, wanting to give his brother a few minutes. Now he tapped on the door a couple times. "Sprout," he called. The water shut off and Gordon touched his wrist-comm to the keypad by the door. It opened to reveal Alan with a towel wrapped around his waist. He ran a comb through his short blonde hair and stepped out into the bedroom. Alan pulled on clean boxers and a t-shirt, then got into bed without a word. That was not a good sign. Gordon was a little worried.
Scott had just finished getting undressed for the night when a transmission came through. He pulled on some clean boxers and answered the call. "New mission, T5?" "Actually, I'm just checking in." "Hold, please." Scott opened his bedroom door. "Virgil, come here!" "Scott..." John said. Virgil appeared, but stopped a few paces from Scott. The oldest Tracy brother crooked a finger and then pointed at the spot directly in front of him. For once, Virgil considered listening to his self-preservation instincts. Then he saw the look on Scott's face and scrambled to the exact spot his big brother was indicating. "Little hard to go over my head, brat, when he's my little brother too." "You're not usually such a jerk." Virgil expected the slap that came. "Scott!" John barked. Scott ignored him. He caught Virgil by the chin. "I will discipline Alan however I see fit and if you want to interfere with that, you'll share the punishment. Do you understand me?" "Scott!" This time it was Gordon's voice and he sounded almost desperate.
"Let me guess, he's crying for me." Scott released Virgil and stepped back with a sneer. "He's not crying at all," Gordon answered. "That's not good," John said. "Really not good," Virgil agreed. He and Gordon moved back toward Alan's room, but both stopped when Scott didn't follow. "Scott?" Gordon asked. Virgil moved back to his big brother and took him by the shoulders. "What's the matter, Scott?" "Nothing, Virgil. You two go snuggle Alan between you," Scott dismissed. He went back into his bedroom and shut the door. Virgil and Gordon didn't know what to do other than go back to Alan. Scott leaned against his door and scrubbed both hands over his face. "Maybe you'd better get in Thunderbird 1 and come to me," John suggested. Scott snorted. "Sure, John. Let's swap places," he snarled softly.
"Come on, big brother. You know Virgil's right. Swinging at Alan always makes you feel like a jerk. Come visit me for a few days. You'll get some love, bro." "I need to get some sleep, John. I'll talk to you in the morning." "Scott, go hold him." "I will." "Love you, Scott." "Me too, John." They closed the link. Scott took a minute to breathe and then pulled on a t-shirt. He padded down the hall to Alan's bedroom. His youngest brother was tucked between their other two, but he wasn't cuddling with either one. Gordon had been right to worry. Scott reached out and slipped his hands under Alan's arms. He picked his baby brother up and settled Alan against his chest. "My fault, Sprout. I blew it tonight, tough guy. I'm sorry." Alan relaxed against his big brother. He didn't speak, just hugged Scott tightly. For a few minutes, Scott just rocked him from side to side.
Virgil was cheering silently. He knew calling John was the right move. Once in a while, Scott let John carry some of the weight he always shouldered. It let him breathe a little bit easier. Gordon pressed close to Virgil and Virgil kissed his forehead. They moved out of Alan's bed so Scott could tuck him into it. The youngest Tracy brother had fallen asleep in the eldest's arms. Scott leaned down to kiss Alan's forehead. As he straightened up, he kissed Virgil's cheek as well. "My fault," he murmured. "Yes, sir." "Despite your smart mouth, I owe you one, V." "It was nothing, Scott." "You weren't going to let me scare you off, pup. That's worth a little extra." "In the future, Scott, hit me. Just me," Virgil said. Scott pulled him close. He brought Gordon into the embrace as well, proud of them both for sticking up for Alan. "Let's get some sleep, guys." Scott tapped his watch-comm and gave John a view of Alan sleeping peacefully. "Well done, International Rescue." "Visit soon," Gordon said. "Sure thing, kid."
T-birds T-birds T-birds
The next morning, Alan arrived in the kitchen to find Scott already there. Everyone else was still sleeping. "Morning, Sprout. Come here, babe." Scott boosted Alan onto the kitchen island so they'd be eye to eye. "We need to strike a compromise. When I choose to leave you here, I'll tell you why. I'll give you a reason, but you'll have to respect that reason. I promised you I'd let you fly and I won't forget that. Hang in there, Sprout. You're T3, heart and soul." Alan nodded his agreement.
It was painfully clear to Scott that his words hadn't solved anything. "Talk to me, Alan." "I tried that," Alan answered. "Babe, I lashed out. It was a couple of swats. I know it caught you off-guard, but you don't need to be worried. I promise," Scott reassured. Alan met his eyes. Scott kissed his brother on the forehead, once on each cheek, and then on the tip of his nose. It had always gotten a smile out of Alan and Scott saw him bite down on one now. "Trust me?" Scott asked. "Always." Alan hugged Scott. "Promise me something?" Scott pressed. Alan nodded. "Grow up all you want, but never get too old for snuggles." "I promise. You know I like being picked up," Alan admitted. "Come on, let's go wake our lazy brothers." Scott turned so Alan could hop on his back. He settled his brother there and took off down the hall to wake their middle brothers.
Scott chose Virgil's room first. He was surprised to find Gordon there as well. Usually when the older boys needed to share a bed, they did it top to toe. The way Gordon cuddled close to Virgil told Scott that the second youngest Tracy sorely missed the second oldest one. Gordon needed a visit from John. Scott needed a visit from John. Given that Virgil and Alan had both been on the wrong end of Scott's temper, he was guessing they needed a visit from John. That pretty well settled that. Scott set Alan down on Virgil's chest. "Stay here, Sprout." Scott stepped back into the hallway and tapped his watch. "Thunderbird 5," John answered. "Come home, John. Today," Scott said. "You guys okay?" "We're fine. They need to see you. I need to see you." "I'll be there soon."
It wasn't a short journey, but Thunderbird 5 had plenty of small crafts that flew fast. Once Scott hung up with John, he got into bed with his three youngest brothers. They knew John would let them know if IR needed to deploy. Every once in a while, things were genuinely quiet. Scott hoped it lasted long enough for them all to get some time with John. The second eldest Tracy arrived on the island in record time. He was startled to discover his four brothers dozing in Virgil's bed. Though it was Alan and Virgil who'd gotten a little roughed up, John had a feeling Gordon was the reason Scott had insisted on today.
John slipped his hands under Gordon's arms and picked him up. He settled Gordon against his chest. John had no way of knowing he was mirroring Scott's move with Alan from the night before. Honestly, the two youngest Tracy brothers were too old and too big for the two oldest to be scooping them up, but time together was so precious to all five. Gordon and John had always been super close. Whether it was thousands of miles below the ocean or just as many above the Earth, they both sought a unique solitude when the world proved too much. Their ability to understand that in each other connected them deeply. John was stunned to feel Gordon's tears through his flight suit. "Hush, pup. You're all right. I'm right here. Don't cry, Gordo." John started rocking him gently. Scott woke and stepped closer. He rested a hand on John's back, leaving Gordon to John. Virgil and Alan were awake now too. They'd sat up and Alan had settled in Virgil's lap. Before another word could be spoken, John's watch came to life. "Submarine down off the Pacific coast," he reported.
Gordon released John and disappeared down the passage to Thunderbird 4. "C-coor—" Gordon's voice shook a little bit and he paused to clear his throat. "Coordinates, John." His big brother gave them. "Gordon," Scott said. "Thunderbird 4 is go." The house shuddered with the take off and the transmission link closed. Gordon was gone.