Okay, this was supposed to be for @flashfictionfridayofficialâ. This was also supposed to be finished before 7.30pm and less than 1000 words.
It is now 10.20pm and the fic is 2362 words long, so I pretty much failed on all fronts other than actually finishing it.
Many thanks to @onereyofstarlightâ and @katblu42â for putting up with my ramblings and for reading and egging me on :D
Even though it didnât make the cut, I hope you enjoy this low key, slightly humorous, a single instance of slash mentioned, celebration of who we are. Oh, and there is a bucket of self indulgent Tracy dressing in here, as well. Oops.
Oh, and Sam and Liam from the Kermadec AU have a brief mention also.
-o-o-o-
Most would have thought it was Gordonâs idea.
But it wasnât.
That didnât stop Gordon from embracing it and having the time of his life.
They took Thunderbird Two, but for once Virgil wasnât her pilot â Scott declared that there was no way in hell he was piloting while wearing that.
The reason for taking Thunderbird Two was because while everyone knew of Tracy Industries, EVERYONE knew about International Rescue and they wanted to make a point.
And have a little fun on the side.
According to Gordon.
Virgil just wanted to make sure they were seen.
They were.
Hard to miss a 406 tonne cargo plane landing in Oxford Street, Sydney.
It was February so the city had been roasting in summer most of the day, but according to Gordon who claimed to be very knowledgeable about the weather hereabouts, that only made the nights a great time to party.
Sam and Liam had hitched a ride.
Sam was about to lose his mascara simply through vibrating in excitement.
He had grabbed Gordon quite roughly and expressed his amazement at getting a ride on a âreal Thunderbirdâ!
The fact Gordon had actually taken him down in Thunderbird Four earlier in the week with much less reaction had the aquanaut frowning fit to bust a blood vessel.
But! There was fun to be had.
Heâd roast him later.
As Two touched the tarmac with the barest of thumps, Scott ran through shutdown procedure before turning to his family and friends.
âOkay, weâre doing this with style and with as much impact as possible. Keep it decent.â He frowned at Gordon and Alan who shrugged innocently. âBut shout loud. We need the world to know our opinion on this and that both Tracy Industries and International Rescue support this all the way.â
âFAB!â It was said unanimously and with many grins.
Scott rolled his eyes, but stood up with the rest of them.
This was going to be GREAT! Gordon bounced in his seat.
It took quite a bit to get themselves all down to the module. Grandmaâs feathers got hooked on the hatchway between, but they managed to straighten her out.
Outside the crowds were swelling. The media was already there. Scott had arranged publicity for this arrival and theyâd timed it perfectly as the sun was just hitting the horizon.
The city was buzzing.
Scott lowered the module and Two rose onto her struts.
As the ramp lowered, the thick curtains Virgil had hung behind it fluttered as the evening heat wafted in.
And yes, curtains in a cargo plane had prompted Gordon to declare that Virgil was finally a full-blown soccer mom with the van to match.
Virgil clapped him up the ear.
Gordon still helped him string them up in module two.
That was why they were more spangly than when Grandma first sewed them up. Whatâs a bit of glue, glitter and a few sequins between family?
Besides Scotty said to shout loud.
Gordon was good at that.
His eldest brother was the first to step through the curtains and into the spotlight shining down underneath Twoâs nose. They had their own stage, Eos had it streaming to the networks and Brains had hooked up their collar comms to Twoâs speakers.
The crowd muttered into silence; eyes wide.
Scott was dressed to the nines. Black tie, expensive everything, shoulders broad, expression as suave and energetic as ever.
He held his arms wide. âI am Scott Tracy, President of Tracy Industries and Commander of International Rescue. We are here to show our support of our LGBTQIA+ community.â He smiled. âAnd to have a little fun.â
He stepped back and to one side. âIâd like to present my family.â
Kayo took the first step. Dressed in heels and a slinky deep blue-grey dress, she slipped between the curtains and out into the spotlight. She said not a word, but her expression held threat and several in the crowd took a step back.
And were equally startled when she smiled and stepped over to stand beside Scott.
He whispered. âKeeping them guessing?â
Cherry red lips curved mischievously. âAlways.â
Next was Grandma, not one for the spotlight and rarely seen by the public, she stepped through the curtains in heels as high as Kayoâs, but her dress was more purple feathers and sequins than anything else. She had the headdress of a Las Vegas showgirl and she wasnât afraid to shake it around. Her hair had been curled beautifully on top of her head and its silver was echoed throughout the trailing dress.
A roar rose in the crowd and a grin as powerful as Kayoâs lit up beneath a pair of sparkling glasses.
A touch of a curtsey and she moved to stand beside Kayo.
Next came Dad. Where Grandma was the matriarch, Dad wasnât afraid of his patriarchal duties. He stepped out in a dark pin-stiped suit and a full-on top hat. He could have owned the Las Vegas casino his mother was playing at, rainbow hat band included.
His grin was fit to burst as the crowd erupted into an even bigger roar â everyone knew Colonel Jeff Tracy, barely anyone had seen him since he had come back from the dead.
And he was just dapper.
He twirled his cane and stepped over to stand by Grandma.
Gordon couldnât wait any longer and burst through the curtains.
Unfortunately, his plans involving sequins and glitter foiled his entrance a little as they caught on the sequins and glitter all over his body. There was a struggle for a few moments and the loss of several gold sparkly bits, but a large hand reached through from behind and finally King Neptune was free.
And mostly naked.
But then Gordon was used to being mostly naked and hey, he had extra sequins and shimmering body paint.
Glittery trident in hand, he danced into the spotlight and wiggled and jiggled, and hands raised yelled out âGood evening, Sydney!â at the top of his voice.
Sydney answered back with a roar.
It took a long time to die down. In the meantime, Gordon made a point of rushing to the edges of the crowd and shaking as many hands as he could, grinning like a loon. As soon as he stepped out of the spotlight, it became very obvious that he also had LEDs strung amongst the sequins and he glittered like the stars on the ocean.
Well, those were Virgilâs words, not his, but he was going to run with it anyway.
âOkay, so I guess you all know my brother Gordon.â Scottâs voice had a grin in it.
Sydney answered with a wave of laughter.
Sam and Liam used this moment to slip out between the curtains. Neither were dressed much out of the norm. Sam had his usual pink board shorts, but had put on some mascara and lippy for the occasion. Liam was sporting a smooth fedora and some of Samâs lippy prominently on his neck.
It was fifty-fifty he was aware of it.
Gordon voted he was.
Liam was a quiet one. Like John.
Which is why you had to keep an eye on both of them.
Speaking of which, John followed them out. His space brother was being extremely tolerant for the cause.
He was simply wearing his uniform.
In truth he needed it having only come down from space a few hours earlier. It had been iffy any of them could make it and it had been close. Two was leaving a little bit of mud on the pavement tonight as Virgil hadnât had a chance to clean her footings from the last rescue in Peru.
But he was determined they should all get there.
And they did.
But it meant John had to wear his uniform. In Gordonâs opinion it had been partly tactical. It wasnât that John didnât support the cause, it was more the glaring attention and âGordon, if you think Iâm wearing that, youâve got another thing comingâ.
John wasnât really the costume wearing type.
Or it might be he wasnât really the Gordon-type-costume wearing type, but Gordon hadnât had a chance to experiment because Virgil had intervened and told him leave John alone or heâd pull his sequins off one by one without the glue dissolvent.
The glare from under those monstrous eyebrows got the point across clearly.
But despite everything and especially despite the uniform, John looked magnificent. He wasnât wearing his familiar golden baldric. In its place was a voluptuous swath of billowing and glittering rainbow material. It was wrapped across his body, around his thigh, and pinched tight on his shoulder with a large silver pin sporting the IR logo. The material then swept over his back, billowing out behind him as he walked.
And to Gordonâs surprise, John had actually also put on some mascara, eyeliner, and swept his red hair back with some gel, smoothing it to his scalp.
If anything, he had an ancient Egyptian air about him, austere and regal.
Gordon approached him as he stepped away from the spotlight. âNicely done, bro, nicely done.â
Johnâs lips twitched to side with a smile and Gordonâs eyes widened when he realised there was also lipstick and a little foundation happening up there on his big brotherâs face.
âWorth the effort.â John smiled and turned to stand side by side with the rest of the family.
Gordon arched an eyebrow and smiled.
He didnât miss the murmurings of the crowd either as the words âthe voice who answersâ and âeye in the skyâ bounced around the darkening street.
Gordon smiled even more. The world knew all his brothers.
Which is why the crowdâs reaction was a surprise when Brains slipped through the curtains, possibly pushed gently from behind. He looked out, wide-eyed, through a pair of glasses Virgil had bought him specially for the occasion.
Dad had taken Brains shopping as well, and he was nicely dressed in a deep burgundy three-piece suit. He smiled hesitantly as Sydney rumbled and whispered about the creator of the Thunderbirds.
The internet had a way of leaking news into the world at large, and informally, many knew of Doctor Hiram Hackenbacker and his amazing achievements.
Rarely seen outside a lecture theatre, this was a rare opportunity for eyes to be laid upon the quiet man.
Surrounded by ferocious Tracys.
Of course, that was the moment Alan decided to jump through the curtains and turn ferocity into something more like a terrier chewing on ankles.
Dressed head to toe in a glaringly bright red suit, he had Brandon on his arm, dressed in an equally glaring white.
Gordon was getting Lewis Carroll vibes, complete with playing cards.
Alan wore no makeup and his hair was its usual pale blonde mess, but Brandon had obviously had a date with a comb and his red locks were tidied.
They were both wearing sunglasses at night.
Really, guys?
Brandon, likely with help from Alan, had upgraded his holocam and it was hovering at a distance no doubt broadcasting to several million followers.
Scott had allowed it. Scott wanted as much coverage as possible, so he wasnât going to say no.
Brandon hadnât shut up for over an hour after that.
Scott had left the room within five minutes.
Gords quite liked Brandon.
Alan and Brandon swept around the edges of the crowd swapping hoots and catcalls. Scott was seen to roll his eyes at least once.
But the crowd suddenly fell quiet as the light shining down from Twoâs undercarriage dimmed all of a sudden.
In the module the curtains divided slowly to reveal shadows.
Multicoloured flame flickered in the darkness.
And Virgil stepped out into the night.
He was unrecognisable. Gone was the quiet brother Gordon knew and, in his place, stood a creature of fantasy.
All this was Virgilâs idea. He was the one who thought it was important they take a stand and support the cause. He was the one whose eyes lit with fire while watching the news.
Scott had had to intervene on several occasions which was not only weird because it was Virgil getting angry, but once the reason for that anger was communicated to Scott, the argument flipped and ninety-nine percent of the time Virgil then had to stop Scott from doing dastardly things.
Gordon suspected Virgil hadnât intervened on all of Scottâs actions and there were a few Gordon actions that neither brother was ever going to find out about.
Certain things had to be done after all.
But tonight was about celebration and Virgil had gone all out.
Engineer plus artist plus heavy lifting?
Equals Virgil.
His brother was dressed in a flowing dress of iridescent green scales. Interspersed with billowing satin and tulle in varying shades of green, the skirt leapt out into an amazing train that rustled as he walked.
It all thinned at his hips and wrapped around him like a serpent, the scales following the flow of its body. It disappeared up and over Virgilâs left shoulder only rear above him.
Virgilâs right shoulder was bare except for a scattering of viridian sequins that Gordon was far too familiar with.
The green dragonâs long prehensile neck terminated in a beautifully detailed head with eyes of light and breath of rainbow fire. It ducked and hissed around Virgil, brushing across his fully mohawked hair.
Which glittered as much as the rest of him.
Virgil was also wearing makeup, lining his already dark eyes and bringing their edges to points. He stared out at the world with pools of sharp shadow and whispered with lips of green.
The crowd murmured as he shrugged his shoulders and two deep green, massive reptilian wings unfolded behind him. His arms glittered in the light from the flame above and as he stepped forward, the whole apparition moved with him.
He stood beneath his âbird, body ramrod straight, dragon hissing around him.
âThe Tracy family supports Pride in all its forms. You should be proud to be who you are.â
Then he smirked and spoke into the silence suddenly possessing the Sydney Mardi Gras.
4.  Throwing their arms around the other person, holding them close while they kiss.
It was their anniversary, not the first one they had but the first one they celebrated outside Tracy Island. Alan had asked Scott for a few days off to spend together in small cabin in Alaska, and the commander of IR agreed as long as they didnât do anything stupid that could get them hurt or arrested (they were both public figures with reputations and responsibilities Alan, you represent International Rescue wherever you go, and Brandon represents you).
So, after a long week of rescues and meetings with the Lemaires, they managed to run away together for a romantic weekend in the freezing, cold and frigidly lovely Alaska.
 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 They had been snowboarding all day long, taking advantage of the empty slopes and lack of people (given the season it wasnât really a surprise). Thankfully, no one appeared to be aware of their presence there and everything had been peaceful so far.
Going to their cabin and taking turns in the hot shower to warm up their bodies, the two of them ordered dinner through room service and watched some reruns of an old TV show that the holoprojector was playing.
Turning down to look at his boyfriend, looking just about ready to fall asleep, Brandon tightened his hold around the blond and pulled him closer, feeling Alanâs arms tighten their hold around him as well.
Kissing the vlogger softly, the blond closed his eyes and relaxed against the warmth that Brandonâs body offered, completely ignoring the other half of the king-sized bed and sticking to his boyfriendâs side.
Falling asleep on his bedroom floor would never be this comfortable.
I have had a HUGE craving to write these boys over and over and over in the past couple of weeks so Iâm finally scratching that itch! @hedwigstalons @hodgehegposts @eirabach Iâve been having some fun with your boys again!
đ đ»â€ïž
*****
A sigh.
Brandon looked up just in time to hear a repeat of the same frustrated noise. He looked around to the only obvious source.
âEverything okay over there?"
âYeah, fine." Accompanied by another sigh.
"I told you I had loads of work to do."
"Yeah, I know but I just thought...â
âThat maybe you could distract me?"
âAt least a little, yeah.â Alan was laid out on the couch in Brandons "office" (a strong word really since it was just a room separate from his bedroom to put the computer in) with his legs changing over one end, well within reaching distance of the back of Brandons chair.
âAs much as I like you being here, I need to get this done today. We can have some fun later."
"When did you get so responsible?"
âSays the guy who is one of the worlds five most responsible people.â
âThat's not the point."
"If I take a five minute break to shower you with attention, will you leave me alone to get finished after that?"
Alan lifted his head and looked at him.
âMaybe.."
âIf your answer is anything but yes, then the offer is off the table."
"Fine. Yes. Okay. Five minutes of never ending affection and I will leave you alone for the rest of the day until you are finished."
"I said attention not affection." Brandon smirked.
âWell, those are my terms."
âTerms accepted." Brandon stood up from his computer chair and moved to the couch, sitting in the empty space by Alans head.
Alan immediately flipped around, and Brandon put his legs up on the couch while Alan draped himself over him.
"Bet I can make you stay longer than five minutes." Alan muttered as Brandon wrapped his arms around him.
"Oh yeah?"
Alan buried his face in the crook of Brandons neck. He nuzzled his nose against his jaw, and pressed a kiss to a willingly exposed throat.
Look what arrived!!! This piece of perfection arrived and absolutely made my birthday. I can't stop grinning. The super talented @willow-salix crocheted me a SpaceBear
i breathed you in you filled my lungs / a bitter taste / surrender / waste / another weakness / you and me are like drugs and candy / take one down for the young and easy / you get me out of my head / i fill a space in your bed / high on the beat of a breakdown / breakdown
