Flufftober Day 7: Meddling Friends

'Hey, Scott. Have you given any thought to how you're going to ask Kayo to marry you?'

Scott promptly sprayed the coffee he was drinking over the desk, the datapads, himself and Gordon.

'Wha…what?'

Gordon wiped coffee off his face and perched on the desk. Then sprang up when his shorts became wet.

'How are you going to ask Kayo to marry you? Surely you've given it some thought!'

Scott sat back and wiped a hand down his face. Sure, he had thought of it in passing, but it wasn't something he had given serious thought to, they were still pretty new to the relationship for all that they had known each other for years.

'Why do you want to know, Gordon?' Suspicion made Scott frown. There was something else behind the question. His brother looked all too innocent.

Butter wouldn't melt, right?

'I was just thinking that Kayo is Penny's best friend, and maybe they would enjoy a double wedding?'

Gordon timed it perfectly, just as Scott was drinking the last of his coffee. The resultant inhalation had Scott gasping for breath so badly there were tears streaming down his face. Trying his best not to laugh, Gordon was very helpful in slapping his brother on the back until Scott could get his breathing under control.

'Thanks, Gords,' Scott said dryly. Gordon responded with a huge grin.

'You're welcome, Scotty!'

And Gordon breezed out as Scott rose to get cloths to clean up.

Virgil was playing softly when Scott entered the lounge with two plates of sandwiches and two coffees. He placed Virgil's on a table nearby and sat on the desk chair, ignoring the paperwork in favour of listening.

The soft strains of classical pieces washed over him, and he happily munched his Swiss cheese and ham on rye. Liszt, Brahms, Beethoven…before long Scott had been listening for an hour.

Taking a break to finish his now cold coffee, Virgil looked at his eldest brother, eyes closed and almost asleep to the soporific music. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Gordon, who waved and nodded.

Scott stirred – and just when did he drop off? – to the sounds of Schubert's Ave Maria. He frowned, sure that there was something about the music he should be upset about, but it was such a beautiful piece of music.

It wasn't until Virgil morphed into Mendelssohn's Wedding March that Scott twigged what was going on, and with a roar he shot out of his seat. Virgil was quicker off the mark, but he was also laughing too much, so that when Scott caught up to him it was easy with an extra hard shove to push him into the pool.

There was no comfort in that action, however, because Virgil continued to roar with laughter. Scott turned on his heel and stalked back into the villa.

Scott was now on alert. Two brothers down, two left. He was pretty sure that at least John would say something. He was virtually guaranteed that. Alan…he wasn't too sure about his youngest brother. If Alan did say something, it was not likely going to be of his own initiative.

He didn't have long to wait…

'Scott, when you go to the mainland, can I come with you?' Scott put his papers down and turned to his brother. He frowned at the look on Alan's face. He was altogether too innocent-looking with his wide, earnest blue eyes and bright smile.

Suspicion mounting, Scott crossed his arms.

'Why am I going to the mainland?'

'Shopping.'

'Shopping? I hate shopping! Why on earth do you think I'm going shopping?'

'Don't you have a jewellery store to go to?'

Alan looked genuinely perplexed, and for a moment Scott felt a little guilty at his suspicions until Alan's face lit up in a smile.

'Gordon said…' Scott held up a hand and Alan stopped.

'I don't want to hear anything more. I am not going shopping for a ring. And I would really appreciate it if you didn't spread Gordon's misinformation around.'

Scott turned back to the reports, missing Alan's smirk.

'So, do I need to go and by a new suit, or will one of my old ones do?'

The holograph of his immediate brother didn't hide the wide grin, nor the twinkle in John's eyes. Scott groaned.

'What is it with you all? Kayo and I have barely begun to be a couple, and you all seem intent on marrying us off already!'

John shrugged. In truth, he'd heard Gordon's discussion the other day, seen Scott's reaction and just couldn't help but add to the ragging. It wasn't often that the four youngest Tracy brothers had something to tease their eldest brother over.

Plus, this one had the added benefit that all four brothers were fairly safe. Safe from the wrath of Kayo – they'd been pretty sure that Scott wouldn't be able to tell her what was going on without implicating himself.

Getting an opportunity to rag on their eldest brother with little comeback – priceless.

'Just want to know if I need to go shopping before long, that's all.'

Scott balled up a piece of paper and threw it through John, to his brother's laughter.

Scott disappeared for a couple of days, TI work necessitating his presence. The two days went smoothly and gave him a break from all the wedding questions. But he knew that the teasing, the meddling, would start again the minute he would be home.

He would be waiting.