#because normal boys bathe fully clothed after fighting your double

[kaissauce]

obviously when you have a double who's equally matched with you, you'd fight them every now and then. them's the rules

(fanart of @voiddemon 's fic Damage Control)

[fallenfurther]

A break in the clouds - Part 8

Weeks after you proofread this chapter for me @willow-salix your boy finally gets to come down from Thunderbird Five and shine. This is the scene that inspired the fic, Babysitting, hence the similarities (because I refused to let Selene into this one). Enjoy some more cuteness. 

Scott, Virgil, Gordon, Grandma, Jeff, Alan, Kayo

******

The warm water cascaded around him as he stood beneath the showerhead. His fingers scratched against his scalp as the soap suds were washed down his back. John could feel the tension in his shoulders, the stress of the day tangled up in the fibres of his being. Its long tendrils threaded through his mind. Echoes of voices, now silent, still rang in his ears, calling out for help he could not give. That no one could provide. Even International Rescue had its limits. His brothers had done an outstanding job, dramatically minimising the number lost. Yet that number was still too big. It would weigh on the occupants of the island for a while. It would be a shadow behind them on their next rescue, and the rescue after that too. Slowly it would fade, but they each had their own ghosts that haunted their dreams. Faces or voices that wouldn’t leave them alone.

John rested his arm against the wall, his forehead automatically coming forward to press against the muscle. His other hand splayed out against the tiles as he took a long deep breath. The steamy air felt heavy in his lungs, almost suffocatingly so, but it was also a welcome change from the recirculated air on Five. He had scars, just like his brothers, although most of his were internal. Hidden from all except those who cared enough to take the time to know him. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his breathing, trying to ground himself and relieve some of the tension.

Finally, he turned off the water and wrapped the large fluffy towel around himself. The soft material had him dry in no time, allowing him to pull on fresh underwear and pants. John massaged his head with the towel, drying his hair as much as he could. His eyes fell on his reflection. Despite being in space for the past couple of months, his muscles were still toned, and he knew his body was ready if he was needed to aid his brothers on a rescue. His ginger hair was sticking up in all directions, but it was the haunted look behind his eyes that caught his attention the most. Gazing into their emerald depths he understood why Alan had insisted he come down. He was exhausted. Even the state-of-the-art bunk he had on Five was no match for comfort of his own cosy bed. Folding his towel, he hung it on the rail to dry before grabbing his shirt and guiding it over his head, and down his torso. John passed a comb through his hair, making himself reasonably presentable. It would be dinner time soon and John opened the door, hoping it wasn’t Grandma in the kitchen tonight. He had only taken one step into the corridor when a small form halted in front of him. The child was dressed only in a diaper. His nephew peered over his shoulder and John watched the little face light up.

“Johnny!”

John rolled his eyes at the nickname; one Gordon had managed to teach the boy. The child turned and quickly ran at John, but John was faster. He knelt down just in time, wrapped his arm around the boy and stood up in an almost seamless movement. The little boy wrapped himself around John’s neck, almost strangling him. John didn’t care as he returned the embrace, his eyes closing as the scent of the child’s strawberry shampoo filled his nose. His nephew’s damp hair was soft against John’s cheek. The boy pulled away as footsteps approached, and John turned to the intruder. A chuckle rocked his body at the sight of his elder brother, as his nephew laughed along with him.

“Did you join him in the bath, Scott?”

“Very funny, John.”

Scott’s clothes were more wet than dry, though he thankfully wasn’t leaving a trail of water behind him. His brother’s normally neat hair was a mess, though it appeared to be more windswept that wet. In the man’s hand was a small pair of pyjamas.

“How about I get him dressed and settled while you tidy up and get changed.”

“Thanks, John.”

John took the clothing Scott held out to him and carried his nephew into his bedroom. Kneeling, he carefully placed the boy down, steadying him on his feet.

“How about we get these on before I read you a book about space?”

“Space!”

The dimpled smile was accompanied by arms being flung in the air, which John took full advantage of. With haste, he slipped the top over one arm, while gentle pulling it higher so he could catch the other as well. Once caught, he slid the top down so his nephew’s head popped out. There was a cartoon plane on the front, though considering the clouds that patterned the bottoms, and the fact this was Scott’s son, it was hardly surprising. Thankfully his nephew stepped into the pants when presented and was now ready for bed. Taking the boy’s hand, John guided him towards the reading corner. There were shelves of books of varying size and thickness, although they were almost all about astronomy and astrophysics. John knew what they all contained, and thus which could be considered child friendly. Today, his eyes fell on the Hubble Legacy book. It was a classic, and although it lacked in depth information, it contained some of the most stunning photographs. It also had just the right amount of text for the little man he was about to sit with. He grabbed the book from the shelf.

John slipped an arm under both the boy’s armpits, pulling him close to his chest and lifting him into the air simultaneously. A twist and John fell back into the cosy embrace of his reading chair. A few giggles rose from his nephew as the child shifted to get comfortable. John slipped his arm out from around the child, opened the book and held it with both hands, encircling his nephew. He had slipped his finger into a random page, but it turned out to be a good one. Before them was an image of V838 Mon. It was a stunning photograph of the red star, clearly encircled by the surrounding nebula gas. It swirled around the star in such a way it appeared to be seated lazily in the gas cloud. His nephew’s fingers reached out and brushed the page, his miniature digits stroking the bright white dots around the red star.

“Star.”

“They are indeed, but so is the big red one.”

His nephew turned to gaze up at John, a questioning curiosity in those deep blue pools. A small smile crossed John’s lips as the boy turned back to the book, moving his little fingers so they were over the red star.

“Star?”

“Yes. It’s called V838 Mon and was discovered many years ago.”

John kept his voice low and soft as the child leant back into his torso. Warmth passed between them as he started to read the blurb beside the picture.

“In early 2002, ground-based astronomers discovered a previously undetected and rapidly brightening star in the ….”

His nephew sat quietly, occasionally stroking the page with his fingertips. The child’s head would flop about, periodically knocking against John’s rib cage when the boy decided to glance up at his uncle. It didn’t stop John, who kept reading, fully aware of his nephew’s struggles when it came to sitting still. As John neared the end of the paragraph the book wobbled as his nephew shifted his legs and grabbed his foot. John kept going, turning the page and presenting the next picture to the boy. It did the trick, his nephew releasing his foot and reaching out to the page again. The odd poke becoming John’s only distraction.

As he reached the end of the next page a large yawn came from his nephew and a small hand rubbed his eye. The innocence of the gesture struck John. With all that had happened that day, he was reminded that there were other children who would be doing the same as his nephew, thanks to the efforts of International Rescue. He had almost finished reading the text when the boy decided he wanted to turn the page. Multiple pages were skipped but they ended up landing on the spectacular image of the Cadwell 45 galaxy.

“Star.”

The voice was quieter now, softened by the tiredness that John knew the child was fighting.

“Not quite. It is a galaxy and is made up of many stars that are all close together. This is known as a spiral galaxy….”

John continued to teach the boy, certain it would be forgotten, but knowing it would allow him to repeat the facts at a later date. As he spoke the small boy relaxed further into him. The sporadic yawns came and went. There was a gentle flutter as John flicked to the next page, the white and red image of the Butterfly Nebula taking centre stage on the double page spread. There was no reaching out for the page this time. As John spoke about the nebula’s relative distance, his nephew's head dropped only to jerk back up. When he was describing the ‘wings’ of the nebula there was yet another head jerk. During the last paragraph, his nephew’s head slowly lolled to the side. John read the picture’s caption for good measure before carefully closing the book and placing it to the side.

There was a shuffle of bed sheets and John glanced away from his sleeping nephew to see Scott standing up. How long had his brother been sat there, John didn’t know, but he seemed content. Kneeling before John, Scott placed a hand on John’s knee and gave it a squeeze. Their eyes locked. Scott said more in that glance than words could. His brother was thanking him, while also letting him know he was appreciated and would be there for him, if required. John nodded, and Scott knew it was okay to take his son. The boy stirred as Scott pulled him into his chest, eyes half opening sleepily.

“Say Goodnight to John,” Scott whispered.

John received a small wave before those eyes closed again. He stayed in the seat as Scott left the room, the cool air slowly seeping in where the body of his nephew had been. Pausing, John leant his head back against the chair, his weary body crying out for rest while his brain seemed intent to stay awake. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d fallen asleep in that chair, though tonight wasn’t going to be one of those times. It was the grumble from John’s stomach that finally forced him out of the chair’s embrace.