Hey everyone! Here's the second chapter of the Heather's!AU! I hope you all enjoyed chapter one. Apologies for not mentioning before, but my good friend auraflare has made some amazing drawings to go along with this story, I recommend you check them out! The link is
tagged/TAGHeathers!AU
I don't own Heather's or Thunderbirds Are Go!
I hope you enjoy and have a wonderful morning/day/evening/night!
WARNING: This chapter contains a lot of bullying and mild homophobia. If these make you uncomfortable, I recommend you do NOT go any further.
September 22nd, 2052. Ivy River High School, Kansas.
'Three weeks later I was hanging out with my brothers 24/7. Being a Thunderbird felt more like a job, where the requirements were being popular and shit.'
"Hey Gordo!" Alan greeted his brother while they waited in the lunch line. He seemed to still be on good terms with Gordon, the latter having not completely dropped him since his shot to fame as the latest Thunderbird.
"Hey!" Gordon grinned, turning into a grimace as he scratched the back of his head and sucked in a breath. "Sorry for ditching movie night last week. Just been real busy lately, y'know?"
"It's fine,." Alan shrugged. "You're a Thunderbird now, I get it." He glanced over to where Scott and John were sitting. When he was sure they weren't watching, he dropped his voice to a whisper.
"How you holding up?"
Gordon chuckled, whispering back.
"I'm surviving. Listen, this weekend, I promise we'll head down to the arcades. You and me."
"Really?" Alan squeaked excitedly. Gordon nodded.
"Gordon!" Virgil nudged his younger brother in his side. "Move your ass, Scott wants you at the table asap."
"Right. Catch you later bro." Gordon smiled at Alan and then headed over to the others. Virgil stayed a few seconds longer, and while his back was turned away from Scott and John, muttered an almost silent 'hey Alan' before following Gordon.
"Gordon! The hell have you been?" Scott barked. "Kayo's handwriting. I need a forged note. You'll need paper, and a pen. John! Gimmie your notebook."
John huffed, but said nothing as he handed Gordon his notebook, digging a pen out of his satchel. Scott grinned wickedly.
"Good. Now write this:
'Hey handsome,
I've been checking you out and remembering the old days.'"
John and Virgil snickered, but quickly stopped when Scott glared at them. He continued.
"'Hope you can make it to my house party this weekend. Would love to see you there. Miss you. Kayo.'"
"Who's this supposed to be for anyways?" Gordon asked curiously as he scribbled Scott's words down in Kayo's hand.
"Remember how Kayo used to hang out with our baby brother?" John explained, snatching his notebook back from Gordon once the note was finished, tearing out and folding the letter, shoving the book in his bag.
"Yeah," Gordon shrugged. "We all used to hang out together, what's the big deal?"
"You ever know that Alan kissed Kayo on the soccer field?" Virgil chuckled.
Gordon opened his mouth to reply, but stopped as he heard a familiar giggle from another table. Their conversation stopped as the Thunderbirds tuned into Kayo and Ridley's gossip on the next table with a few other jocks and cheerleaders. They were talking probably louder than they should have been, and half of the Thunderbirds cringed at their comments.
"Wouldn't it be hot to be in the middle of a Thunderbird sandwich?" One of the cheerleaders giggled.
"Oh definitely." Kayo purred, eyeing the two eldest brothers hungrily. She raised her fist to Ridley, who cackled and knocked her own fist against her companions. "Knock 'em dead."
Scott grinned wickedly, eyeing the two in a similar way to a cat eyeing a bird's nest before climbing the tree. He stood and wandered over to their table.
"And so it begins." John murmured, a glint of amusement in his eyes. Gordon's brow furrowed. His eyes widened as the pieces fitted together.
"Kayo! Just the girl I was looking for." Scott purred, slipping into the seat beside Kayo. She rested her chin on her hand, replying just as sweetly.
"The fuck you want Thunderbird?"
"Be a babe and this note to my baby brother will you?" Scott tucked the note into the gap between Kayo's fingers under her chin as he spoke. Kayo's lips curved up into a sneer, looking over the hastily folded note in her hands. Gordon stumbled over, knocking into Scott's side as he crashed down into the seat beside him. Scott glared at Gordon.
"Scott, what are you doing?" Gordon hissed. Scott said nothing, but grinned.
"Since when'd you talk to your loser brother? I thought you wanted him to grow a pair?" Ridley asked, leaning over to look at the two boys.
"Still do." Scott replied smoothly. He snarled as his hands clamped down over hers as she moved to open the paper.. "Don't!" He stopped, clearing his throat and speaking gentler. "Don't. Read it. Alan's been uh-" Scott hesitated, thinking on his feet. "Having some trouble with target practice. Wanted me to give him some pointers."
John cackled, having wandered over to witness the exchange. Ridley made gagging noises as Kayo almost threw the note back at the Thunderbirds, Gordon was the first to grab it, scarpering back to Virgil and their table. Virgil heard Gordon coming, slamming a small black book closed and burying it in his bag quickly. He looked up at Gordon, his eyes pleading with him to keep it a secret. While John and Scott's backs were turned, he nodded.
"That's disgusting! Forget it Tracy!" Kayo snapped, turning away from Scott and John. Scott shrugged, bidding the jock's table goodbye before returning to his own. John huffed indignantly and followed. When he reached the table, Scott was already challenging Gordon for the note.
"Please don't do this Scott." He pleaded. "Not to Alan."
Scott moved to reply, but John beat him to it.
"Why not? It'll keep his left hand busy for weeks!"
Scott turned on a dime, his frustration aimed directly at his next youngest brother.
"Shut. Your. Mouth." He spat. John knew when to pick his fights, this wasn't one of them. He glared at his older brother but remained silent, deciding to sit beside Virgil. Gordon continued, invoking more and more of Scott's wrath.
"Alan's my little brother. Our little brother. We all know he's had a thing for Kayo forever! This'll kill him!"
"Alan's always been Dad's favourite," Scott snarled. "He's had everything handed to him on a silver fucking platter. This'll be good for him, you'll see." He growled. "Now give me the note Gordon."
Gordon was shaking. Though the cafeteria bustled with noise, it felt like all eyes were on him. He glanced over to his other brothers. Virgil looked torn between getting up to defend him and cowering beside John, avoiding his oldest brother's fury. John had his nose buried in a book, the dust cover reading something about astronomy. Gordon was on his own. He looked back to Scott, his hand held out expectantly.
"No." Gordon told him firmly. Something snapped in Scott. He slammed his fist down on the table, grabbing a fistful of Gordon's blue blazer and yanked him forward, hissing in his ear.
"Eat or be eaten little brother. I practically raised you since Dad's fucked off into work and Mom's dead." Scott plucked the note out of Gordon's shaking fists.
"Don't you dare talk about mom like that." Virgil snapped, glaring at Scott.
"Shut up Virgil." Scott snarled, whipping around to face him and dropping Gordon back into his seat.. "You owe me. Both of you do."
Scott smacked his palm with the note down onto the pages of John's book, knocking Virgil on the head as he did so. Both brothers stared the other down for a long moment. Virgil looked away.
John stood, dusting himself off and disappeared into the crowd of students. Gordon felt the bitter taste of guilt rise up in his throat, threatening to make him throw up. Around ten minutes later John returned with a twisted grin on his face, settling back down into his seat and nodding at Scott. Scott smirked.
The Thunderbirds sat in silence, each absorbed in their own activities. John was reading, Virgil was on his phone, Gordon was still getting over what just happened and Scott was watching both his brothers and the room. Gordon heard Scott scoff as a nervous pair of worn trainers stopped in front of him. They cleared their throat. Gordon looked up.
"Uh- Can I talk to you for a minute?" Alan asked meekly, glancing over to Scott, who was ignoring them for the moment. He gulped. "It's important." He added. Gordon nodded, following Alan to the far side of the cafeteria.
Once they were safely away from the other Thunderbirds, the two youngest relaxed, sighing..
"What's wrong?" Gordon asked, more for politeness than genuine curiosity. He had a feeling he knew what Alan was going to say. Alan giggled excitedly and stuffed a crumpled note into Gordon's hands. Gordon could almost see constellations in his brother's starry-eyed expression as he bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet.
"Read-it-read-it-read-it!" He blabbered. "John just gave it to me, he said Kayo told him to give it to me! Can you believe it?"
"Really?" Gordon plastered a grin on his face as he glanced down at the paper. He looked up at Alan. He looked so happy, so innocent.. Alan's expression started to fall as Gordon realized he'd never given his younger brother an answer.
"...Y-You don't like it?" Alan asked quietly, the stars falling. Gordon shook his head.
"No! No! This is-"
'A joke. A cruel, manipulative, evil joke from your oldest brother.' Gordon wanted to tell him.
"Great!" Gordon yelped. "So great!"
"I know right!" Alan beamed, cramming the note back into his bag. "She invited me to her homecoming party this weekend! -I mean, the note already says that- But wow!" Alan sighed, a faint tinge of pink in his cheeks as he spoke. "She said I was handsome."
Gordon couldn't help but chuckle. Alan suddenly had a look of fear. He snapped his eyes up to Gordon.
"Don't tell Scott! Please?" Alan paused. "You know what he's like."
"I know." Gordon said. "I won't tell."
'Because he already knows.' He thought somberly, the ache in his chest from lying becoming more apparent.
"Thank you!" Alan sighed with relief. His eyes skipped behind Gordon for a moment. "Uh- Virg's coming to get you. I guess that means you have to go back now."
"Lucky me." Gordon murmured. "See you at home?"
Alan nodded, scampering away. Gordon wished that the ground under his feet would open up and swallow him, leaving him to drown in his guilt. Unfortunately, it didn't.. He flinched as a female voice spoke behind him.
"You shouldn't let the assholes and muscleheads bully into becoming one of them." She said idly, her British accent making her stand out from the usual conversations of the cafeteria. "They're going to break that kid."
"They're my brothers." Gordon growled defensively.
"And that makes it any better?" She scoffed. "Clearly out of the four of them, you've got a soul. Don't give the red one the satisfaction of draining it from you."
Gordon turned. She wasn't what he was expecting. Only an inch or so shorter than him in her navy heels, this stranger was well dressed in dark blue jeans and a black blouse. A number of silver necklaces of varying length adorned her neck, matching the bracelets on her wrists, half covered by the leather sleeves of a blue-black trench coat. Her hair was half pinned back in a messy bun. His brow furrowed her name eluding him. Her steely blue eyes watched him curiously.
"'Hell is empty and all the devils are here.'" She sighed, turning on her heel and walking away. Gordon perked up, he knew that quote.
"Was that Shakespeare?" He asked. "Hey- Wait! I didn't catch your name!"
"I never threw it." The girl replied, looking over her shoulder and never stopping her stride. She perched herself at the edge of one of the tables, pulling out a well-thumbed copy of Macbeth and starting to read. Gordon's cheeks felt like they were on fire as he watched her walk away. A hand grasping his shoulder stopped him from following her. He looked beside him and Virgil shook his head, guiding Gordon back to his brothers. From the jocks table, Kayo and Ridley watched the scene unfold.
"Who's the bitch in the hoodie think she is anyway? Gal Gadot?" Ridley huffed. Kayo snickered, gesturing to Gordon being shepherded by his brother.
"Squidless is into it no doubt." Kayo grinned, looking over to the mysterious girl, head still buried in her book. "Let's mess her up a little. Teach the exchange girl her place."
"Kay, we can't do that. We're seniors." Ridley argued. "We're too old for- Hey!"
Kayo had chosen to ignore her friend, standing and striding over, sitting on the table beside the girl, grinning predatory. Ridley got up and hurried after her.
"Hey posh bitch! What'd your daddy say when you told him you were moving to Kansas City?"
The girl made no move to retort, sighing and turning the page.
"Or did you not tell him you fucked off?" Ridley teased, sitting on the other side of the girl. Ridley kicked the girl's shoulder with her trainer. "Hey Kayo, doesn't the cafeteria have a No Fags Allowed rule?"
This got them a reaction. She snapped her book shut, glaring up at Ridley.
"However, they appear to keep an open door policy on arseholes."
Kayo and Ridley's mouths dropped open in a surprised 'o'. There was silence for a few moments.
"Grab her hair." Ridley snarled. The two launched themselves at her. A crowd quickly gathered around the brawl. Gordon, having heard Ridley snarl, had turned to see her lunge for the mysterious girl. He released himself from Virgil's grip and sprinted over to the fight, shoving his way to the front of the circle. He'd only just met this stranger, but something in his gut burned as the two jocks attacked her. He shifted, getting ready to join the fray himself, when Virgil's arms locked around his shoulders and hauled him back, forcing him to observe. His brother muttered something about their reputation, keeping his grip tight. Gordon's eyes narrowed as he watched.
The girl ducked Ridley's first punch, bringing her elbow sharply into the other's gut. Ridley wheezed and stumbled backwards, resting on her knees as she recovered. Kayo moved forward, swinging directly for the girl's cheek. For Gordon, seemed to slow down then.
The girl grinned, dropping down and avoiding the attack. He could hear her chuckle as she kicked her leg out, taking Kayo's feet from under her. Gordon felt that unfamiliar burn intensify as she grinned, almost excited. Something inside of him wanted her to smile like that at him. He gasped, he'd never seen anyone take down Kayo. At least, in the fights of hers he stayed to watch. Kayo fell hard onto her side. The girl kicked her in her exposed side as she stood to face Ridley, who had staggered to her feet and was attempting a second punch.
Gordon wanted to look away as the mystery girl blocked Ridley's attack. Something envied Ridley when the girl cupped Ridley's cheeks in an almost loving way, her hair flowing behind her like threads of gold. He wanted to be that close to her when the one girl's forehead collided with the other once, twice, three times, until Ridley went down like a sack of potatoes. Kayo hesitated, eventually backing down. She helped Ridley to stand and the two hobbled away just as the teachers showed up to intervene.
For the first time, Gordon understood the thrill of watching a fight. It was like a dance, the way the three twisted and moved around one-another. His mind started to wander as the crowd both cheered and booed. What would it be like if she decided to 'dance' with him? She'd win easily, of course, but a part of him wanted it. Wanted her attention. Wanted her.
Virgil's iron grip on his shoulders released, and Gordon did the same to the breath he didn't realize he was holding. An ache shocked through his chest when a teacher hauled the girl out of the cafeteria.
Before she left, the looked back. Her eyes locked with his. Hazel brown met ocean blue. She smiled, and was then led out of the room. Gordon was sure that he was redder than Scott's blazer as he grinned.
Meanwhile, Kayo and Ridley were nursing their wounds. Kayo growled as she dabbed the blood oozing from Ridley's head..
"Where the hell did she learn to fight like that?"
"Bitch fights better than the actual Gal Gadot!" Ridley whimpered. Kayo scoffed.
"What?" Ridley defended. "Haven't you ever seen Wonder Woman? Gal Gadot fights in like a corset and skirt and is pretty muscular for a girl."
"Dyke." Kayo teased, making a 'v' shape with her fingers and sticking her tongue through the middle. Ridley shoved her.
"Shut up!"
"Ridley's eating carpet tonight!" Kayo hollered, earning herself a harsh punch in the shoulder from her friend as she sprinted off, Ridley hot on her tail.