#a shadow of skayo

[edutainer2022]

This is a glimpse of my bosom future!headcanon timeline. Just 'cause (I came across a West Wing gif-set, probably why). It also features in Timey-Wimey and Piano Practice. Though, always in flux the future is... Virgil and Kayo have a chat - they worry about Scott. A lot. That's it, that's the story. Some things, old and new, hurt.

Warning: an OC death mentioned in passing (please, read the end note*, if you kindly make it that far).

WORRIES

A gust of wind ruffled his hair - still trademark styled, but more liberally sprinkled with salt and silver now - as Shadow landed on the pad. Kayo still used her trusty old bird for errands and investigative missions, although her flightsuit was a mandatory solid black of the Secret Service now. Ms. Kyrano, Chief of World President's Security Detail, joined him wordlessly at the railings of the rooftop terrace, overlooking the magnificent vista of the Alps, crystal blue sky and the beautiful city below. Virgil sighed.

"I need updates on his BP and heart rate stats twice a day, uploaded to my comm directly. Thrice a day if there's a... situation or Ambassador Lemaire shows up, or the First Lady starts a war or something..."

Kayo suppressed a smile and leaned sideways on the railing.

"Eos gleans his stats every morning and every night before bedtime from all the residences sensors."

"Yeah, but Eos doesn't have access to the situation room. Not that Scott knows of, anyway. And I can't risk..."

Virgil was short for breath and the last words came out as a croak. Kayo squinted and squeezed his arm.

"You don't approve?"

"That he had a cardiac episode after the memorial service and then went on to take the most stressful job in the world? No, I well damn don't approve!"

Virgil's knuckles went white from the grip on the railings. Kayo stayed silent, giving room to his anguish, a hand on his bicep an unwavering anchor. When dark brown eyes next turned back to her, they were glistening with a sheen of tears.

"How does he do it, Kayo? After we lost Jeffy Jr.*? I can't breathe sometimes, it hurts so bad! And I'm just an uncle."

The pain flared readily from an ever fresh wound. Virgil's voice hitched:

"Allie felt so guilty he left for that deep space mission! I'm so scared all the time. How does Scott even cope?!"

Kayo snorted at that.

"Have you MET Scott? He doesn't."

A wide arch of the black clad arm indicated the massive World President Residence and Offices all around and below them.

"He hoisted up the heaviest mantle he could fathom and let duty consume his every waking and sleeping hour, drowning out all other thoughts. There's nothing much heavier than the weight of the actual world, huh?"

"Guess not. That's what worries me most..."

Virgil's sigh was tinged with bottomless rue this time. Keeping busy with International Rescue is the one thing that keeps me from going crazy. The echo of the words biggest brother said to him so many years ago, on a dark, dark snowy night, rippled through memory. He hoped so much they were past... THAT stretch of self-destructive coping. For a blissful while, moreso after Dad got back, they were. Jeffy Jr. and Skye were born. It went unspoken between them all, but Jeffy was their golden chance at a Scott that was happy and carefree, encouraged and inspired by legacy, but not subsumed or crashed by it. But they were the Tracies, so the universe would never let them truly catch a break. Ever, it seemed...

Kayo, ever the psy-ops, ever the bereft family like them all, sensed a need to shift the subject to something brighter.

"Did you get to see Lucy rehearse?"

Virgil's whole face lit up immediately and he beamed at her.

"Oh yes! I was at the dress rehearsal, and she asked me to accompany her after lunch today, for vocal practice before the premiere! Though I think it's more of a courtesy - she's got world class concert pianists at her disposal."

Kayo was smiling fondly in return. Virgil's kids were as much a reflection of his kind and caring nature, and talent, as Scott's son and daughter were that of his consuming drive, focus, and dedication to duty. Okay, maybe not to go there at the moment! Kayo waved the imaginary wisps of hair out of her eyes to blink away unwarranted tears and regroup.

"Have you considered you're maybe Lucy's favorite world-class concert pianist?"

Virgil's smile was impish, yet full of love. A sudden idea occurred, as his glance fell on the Shadow, and made him gasp.

"Please, tell me he's not cowboying it here in Delta-One?!"

Kayo actually let herself laugh at the implication. They certainly wouldn't put it past Scott to ditch the entourage and take his augmented Thunderbird out for a spin.

"Relax! The Joint Chiefs requested an on-the-go meeting, so it's a scenic route across the Atlantic on a GDF bus. No Delta-drive jumps for our favorite Commander today. Besides, the whole media circus tagged along from NYC. Nobody would miss the World President's favorite niece perform Carmen at the Season opening of Vienna Opera."

"Scott doesn't have favorites!"

The response was automatic, which scored another of Kayo's smile. It wasn't quite a secret the family consensus placed Scott a higher ranking Dad in the overarching hierarchy of Tracy parents. Jeff Sr., the proud Grandpa, was more of a partner in crime and a co-conspirator to everyone's endless befuddlement.

Virgil's take-away from her previous statement was, however, unexpected.

"So there IS a situation?! Kayo, I need his stats THE MOMENT they land!"

"Nothing your Casey had warranted worthy of high treason to inform me about. Virgil, it's fine. He'll be fine!"

That was true. Virgil's second youngest was currently the Deputy Chief of Communications of the World President office and, besides Kayo herself, the family's trusty person on the inside. She virtually worshipped the ground her Big Uncle walked and would flag anything potentially too worrisome with regard to his mood or health. Besides, John would probably know in advance anyway if it were Bereznik or any number of regions giving grief du jour (something the World President himself probably didn't need to know about, for plausible deniability and a semblance of restful sleep).

Kayo made a point to amend her reassurance with a shoulder squeeze. Dark brown eyes turned to her were frantic again.

"Look after him, will you?!"

Kayo gave a firm nod in acknowledgement. A pang of an old heartache flared up. But it became a well practiced, tried and true spiel between them, through the years - he was burning himself to light up the world, she was the shadow.

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*[spoiler alert] The relentless narrative logic and poetic symmetry part of me dictates that Scott, in the later arch of his journey, would, very likely, have to loose a son to his own legacy and footsteps. The way Jeff dodged a bullet (just barely). But the regular bleeding heart part of me screams in agony in the face of such abject tragedy and comes up with elaborate scenarios in my head how it all could eventually be okay. Dad Jeff couldn't have used up all of Tracy limit of miracles.

#methinks i have astronomy #thunderbirds are go #virgil tracy didn’t subscribe to this #virgil tracy #kayo kyrano #scott tracy needs a hug #thunderbirds 2015 #lots of thinly veiled oc's #that bosom headcanon #my fic #a shadow of skayo

[edutainer2022]

Many thanks to @janetm74 for shifting me in a headspace, where Kayo decided to talk to me - I understood what was missing to wrap up a WIP. It's a ruminative little piece. It's Skayo... but not yet. And to absolutely nobody's surprise, it's an unapologetic love-letter to Scott Tracy. Kayo POV.

...blue, like she'd never known*

And just like that, she was in love with Scott Tracy. Which was a ridiculous place to be, really. Firstly, she'd have to get in line behind two thirds of the population of planet Earth, give or take, and roughly half of the rest - scattered across the solar system. Scott would have that effect on people - part natural charisma, passed down through genes, part radiant charm, unique to him, but mostly dimples, of course. Scott Tracy was, on average, the best thing to ever happen to anyone in a lifetime, whether sweeping down from the sky to lend a helping hand, lifting one's spirits with genuine, well aimed words, or just training  the brilliant blue gaze with kind attention. His father had never walked into a room he hadn't commanded, but Scott was yet to leave a room he hadn't inspired. They all loved him, of course, like a flower loved the light. Soaked in his warmth and passion, they flourished.

That is not to say she didn't know he was, also, a massive idiot. It was her job to know his demons by name, to know his pain, the shadows that haunted his despair, the exact shades of guilt that colored his self-destruction. The family consensus was it was Virgil's job to shoo those away. She'd be happy to chip in, prepared to throw hands with anything that could ever lung after his soul, but the shadows haunting her own were arguably deeper, hungrier. And you can't fight darkness with darkness. At the end of the day, it didn't matter. When the clouds lifted - he was the Sun.

Therein lied her other problem. The sun doesn't love you back. The sun doesn't even notice you exist, most of the time. Oh, he loved them, all right, with fond amusement and sacrificial devotion. He was in equal parts admiring them all -  quaint and precious to his gaze - on the seventh day of creation, and determined to climb the nearest available crucifix. She'd rather he noticed her lipstick. Not that she wore lipstick. Not since that one mission at a charity gala - too much evidence to clean up, she honestly didn't know how Penny did it. But he didn't notice. It stung more than she cared to admit. He would die for her in a heartbeat, but wouldn't really SEE her.

He drove her mad, of course. Up the wall belligerent. With his misplaced protectiveness, freakish need to control the risks they took, the obsessive desire to take risks himself and the penance of responsibility he piled on his shoulders. She ranted and raved, and sneaked from beneath the shield he tried to impose. It was her job to keep them safe so that they could save the world. In that order. It was nary possible to guard him and to prevent a threat, being smothered in return. She'd never forgive herself if she failed. But he didn't see a fierce protector - he saw a little girl, best friends with his baby brother, a ward in his charge - one of his father's many legacies. Frustration drove her to want to scream sometimes. Sometimes she did. Their shouting matches ended up in long stretches of exasperated silence. Sometimes she took it out on him in the gym through the training sessions. No, she was not above petty revenge. After all, it was her job to make sure he could protect himself, if he wouldn't trust her to do so.

She wasn't intimidated, of course, neither by his imposing hight nor the flaring temper. But she was afraid. Her fears varied from something they shared with all of his brothers - that one of these days, in his drive and dedication, and disregard, he would fly too fast, too far... and the sky would be drained of the color blue forever, leaving them all in the wake of cold shadows. Some fears were hers, and hers alone - that one day those blue eyes would behold someone he would SEE. Someone, who wasn't her. She decided a while ago that would be her cue to leave. She loved him enough to power through flings and dates, and an occasional girlfriend she knew meant little. It was her job to know. It was her job to know when it would mean something, too. She loved him enough to let him go.

But the one fear kept her up and chased her dreams. That one day he would look at her and see HIM. The most vile and hateful excuse of a human being. Her uncle. She couldn't bear imagine the shade of revulsion and betrayal in his eyes. The ashes. The Sun could burn, but the Sun extinguished meant damnation. No more than she could bear the pain she saw etched in his features every moment of every day. Every time the spectre of her uncle loomed over, haunting his grief, stirring deeper turmoil. She loved him enough to keep him in the dark.

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* Loving Him Is Red is such a Scayo song, I can't even!

#thunderbirds are go #scott tracy #kayo kyrano #pairing: scott/kayo #methinks i have astronomy #thunderbirds 2015 #scott tracy needs a cuff up his head #angst #ish #my fic