Disclaimer: I don't own Thunderbirds.

Characters: Scott, Alan, Gordon. Rating: K. Warnings: None

Drabble challenge from tenjounotora: "Giving them a piggy-back ride" with Scott and Alan.

There was scheming afoot. Scott hadn't been a big brother for a quarter of a century to miss the signs of little brothers planning shenanigans, no matter how subtle they thought they were being. Not that this occasion classified as subtle in any way, shape, or form. Two blond heads pressed together, whispers meshing into a continuous hiss, was about as obvious as his youngest two brothers could get.

Whatever they were planning, they clearly didn't care if they were caught, interrupted, or overheard, which meant it probably wasn't anything they'd get in trouble for. For his part, Scott decided he didn't need to know what was going on in their heads, and returned the majority of his attention to the paperwork he was once again having to compile.

Half an eye was left to regard the brewing trouble, just in case - it never paid to completely ignore scheming little brothers, otherwise he'd end up on the receiving end of it even if he wasn't their originally intended target; that was a lesson he'd learnt the hard way. Beyond that, however, he left them alone.

At least, until they approached him, snake-impressions finished and faces that promised butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. Scott wasn't fooled for a moment.

"Scottyyyyyyyy." The wheedling came from Gordon, unsurprisingly, amber eyes wide and innocent in a way they only were when there was something to be wary of.

"I'm busy," he told them, trying not to look at the disappointment in Alan's eyes. At least some of it was genuine, his youngest brother never happy when he didn't have the time for him, and it always made Scott feel terrible.

Gordon huffed. "Spoilsport. Come on, Alan. Let's find Virgil. He'll have time for us."

Alan made a quiet noise of displeasure but didn't protest, and Scott's shoulders slumped as Gordon stalked off in the direction of the stairs. Sometimes he hated the responsibilities that prevented him from giving his youngest brothers the attention they asked for, but Tracy Industries wasn't going to run itself, and International Rescue had to keep on top of all the rescue reports in case anyone tried to challenge their handling of situations. If he didn't do all that, his brothers might lose the carefree freedom they enjoyed outside of rescues.

It was a necessary evil.

The sound of something heavy falling, followed by a squawk from Gordon, in the direction of the stairs had Scott out of his chair in a flash. Had Gordon- No, he wouldn't. But had he-

He skidded to a stop just short of the top of the stairs, staring down them in disbelief as his heart thudded far too fast. At the bottom was an amalgamation of what looked like bedlinen stuffed with rocks. Next to him, Gordon was sat down, looking decidedly unruffled and indeed a little smug.

What the hell?

"What is that?" he demanded, fighting the instinct to press his hand to his chest, where his heart still seemed to think it was Gordon who had fallen, not… whatever that was.

Gordon beamed up at him.

"A distraction."

A-?

"Oof!"

A familiar weight slammed into his back, skinny arms snaking around his neck as equally slender legs wrapped around his waist. Instinct had him reaching back to steady Alan as he staggered forwards a step.

"Alan!"

"Hey, Scott!" His brother was entirely too sunny compared to his earlier disappointment.

"What are you doing?" Something told Scott this was the scheme he'd sensed hatching earlier, although there was no way they'd set up the prop that quickly.

"Getting you away from the desk," Gordon shrugged, unapologetic as he made his way to his feet. "Mandatory break time, Scott."

Scott rolled his eyes. "There's no such thing for paperwork," he pointed out, shifting Alan's weight so that he was more securely on his back. The grip his youngest brother had on him was tight; experience told him that even if he let go, Alan would just continue to cling like a monkey until Scott enlisted Virgil or rarely Gordon to peel him off. Something suggested Gordon wasn't going to be peeling Alan away any time soon.

"There is now," Alan chirped in his ear. A bony chin dug into his shoulder. "Come on, Scotty."

"Clean that up and put it away," he told Gordon, pointing with his own chin to the mess of sheets and stones at the bottom of the stairs. "Before Grandma sees."

"F.A.B." Gordon beamed. He put a hand on Scott's shoulder for a moment. "Enjoy your break."

Scott rolled his eyes. As if there was any other choice when he had a little brother clinging to him. "Just tidy that up, Gordon."

With a self-satisfied smirk, Gordon jogged down the stairs, and Scott turned his attention to the limpet on his back.

"So, you want a ride, huh?" he asked. Alan squeezed him in response and Scott let out a fond chuckle. His brothers were ridiculous, but while the responsibilities were still calling him from the back of his mind, he was always much happier spending his time with them. "Okay, hold on."

Out of habit, he checked Alan was secure on his back - the teenager was heavier than the small kid he used to carry around, after all - before trundling down the stairs and past Gordon, heading for the pool and beyond.

If they were going to force him to take a break, he might as well stretch his legs while he was at it. The little brother on his back was just a bonus.

Yes, the number of chapters has gone down. When I started posting these, they were all short snippets that I didn't want to post individually because of how short they were, but as time's gone on I seem to have been getting longer and longer, and the line was blurring over what counted as Behind The Scenes as opposed to a work in its own right. I've done some thinking, and some cleaning up of my archive, and come to the decision that this collection will only contain works that are less than 1000 words. Anything longer will be posted separately - to that end, any that were 1000+ have been removed from this collection and will be posted in the upcoming days as independent works.

I always make a point to save people's reviews, so don't worry - nothing anyone's said has been lost!

Thanks for reading!
Tsari