Disclaimer: I don't own Thunderbirds.

His hip hit something and he hissed, stumbling away from it. Who put a – a what, table? Probably a table. Who put a table right there?

"Shh!" his brother hissed quietly. He bit back a remark and instead gingerly picked his way around the obstacle. A light would be useful for avoiding errant furniture, but unfortunately a light would also ruin his night vision and therefore the entire reason for this little excursion.

Why hadn't Scott talked him out of it? This whole thing screamed "irresponsible and dangerous", two things Scott never let any of them do, but no, big brother had barged into his room after hearing him stub his toe on the edge of his bed, and instead of telling him it was a stupid idea – with a reminder that Dad had forbidden it, to boot – he'd decided that he'd go with him.

Dad was going to have an absolute fit if he found his two eldest sons sneaking around the villa at night. He'd go apoplectic if he realised they were planning on doing the very same night time excursion he'd vetoed scant hours earlier when John had approached him about it.

"No, John," he'd said, quite firmly. "The island is dangerous. Any star gazing is to be done from the villa, and the villa only."

But the villa was built into the volcanic peak of the mountain; just because the view ahead from the balcony was fantastic did not mean the rest of the night sky could be seen from it. John had already mapped everything he could see with both the naked eye and his portable telescope from the villa – he wanted the rest of the night sky.

Either Scott had gained a sudden appreciation for the stars, or he had some other reason for wanting to explore the island at night, but he'd taken one look at the backpack John failed to hide in time and declared that he was coming too.

The more John thought about it, the more it seemed like a bad idea. He considered telling Scott that he'd changed his mind, that he didn't want to go stargazing the other side of the peaks, but every time he opened his mouth he remembered the allure of the as-yet-unseen stars.

Just a short trip, he promised himself, stumbling over something else – a box, maybe. They were still unpacking, after all. Scott's strong hands caught him and his big brother guided him around the other obstacles lurking in the dark.

"Careful," he warned under his breath, barely audible over the distant sound of the sea. It reminded John of the times he'd climbed onto the roof to find his brother already there, looking at him as if to say what took you so long?

Of course – Scott had no real appreciation for the stars, not like John and Alan and once upon a time Mom, preferring the reflected light of the full moon to the further celestial intrigues, but what he did have was the unending patience of an eldest brother, coupled with a vicious protective streak that had only increased after they'd lost Mom. He knew them better than Dad did, at times better than they knew themselves; all he needed to have done was overhear John's rejected request to know that he was going to sneak out regardless of paternal permission.

Come of think of it, he'd already been wearing his outdoor shoes when he'd intruded on John's bedroom.

The moon was new, making it an ideal night to gaze at the stars. Not a single cloud in the sky meant that there was a curtain of glittering diamonds above them, pure and untainted by light pollution. It was the clearest John had ever seen them from Earth, and his doubts disappeared. The conditions were too perfect to waste.

"Mind the pool," Scott warned as they stepped out onto the patio area. John stayed well over to one side, having no interest in a late-night swim. Scott walked next to him, a physical barrier between them, until they found a narrow path leading away from the villa and into the darkness. Well, Scott found it; John hadn't known it was there, and let his brother guide him along.

Below them, water lapped calmly at the island. It was a loud sound in the otherwise dead of night, not even a breeze to stir the leaves of the jungle Dad had firmly told them they were not to enter. One day it would be the sound of home, a background noise that no longer registered, but they hadn't lived on the island – or near any stretch of water – long enough for that to happen, yet.

John wasn't sure he ever would. The villa on the island – Tracy Island, Dad had named it, somewhat unimaginatively – was to be their forever home, but also a base of operations. He cast his gaze up above him, where the stars shone brightly. His home would be up there; Dad had promised that as soon as he finished his astronaut training the space station currently under construction would be his. There was no water in space, a fact that mystified and bewildered his squid of a younger brother.

Lost in his thoughts, head facing up at the stars, he didn't notice the tree root creeping across the path until his foot caught it. He fell forward with a thud, a small cry of pain escaping him, and immediately Scott was there, checking him over thoroughly.

"I'm okay," he assured him, rolling his ankle. A minor twinge but nothing to worry about; his boots were designed for the terrain.

"Are you sure?" Scott pressed. "Sit down and let me-"

"It's fine, Scott," he protested, pulling himself to his feet and sparing a moment to be thankful his bag hadn't taken any of the impact; his portable telescope in its case would still be safe.

"If you're sure," Scott said dubiously, and John sighed, taking a cautious step forward. "We can do this another time."

"That would mean sneaking back in without being caught tonight and then sneaking out again on another day," John pointed out. "And the weather tonight is perfect."

"That it is," Scott agreed, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Okay then, onwards it is. Watch your feet not the stars this time, okay? They can wait until we get there. Wherever 'there' is."

John didn't know where 'there' was, either. He'd never been outside of the villa's immediate vicinity, on Dad's orders. Technically, none of them should have been, but Scott was navigating the path with a little too much ease for it to be his first venture out.

Big brother hadn't completely outgrown his own rebellious stage, huh? Still, it made John feel a little more secure in their adventure if the terrain was already known to Scott. Scott would never let him come out here if it was dangerous.

"Somewhere I can see the other stars," he shrugged. "But not too far from the villa, or we won't be back by dawn."

"And then Dad will have both our hides," Scott finished.

"Your hide, big brother," John corrected. "You're supposed to be looking after me."

"And you're supposed to be the sensible one," Scott retorted. "He'll know it was your idea."

"And he'll know that you didn't stop me-eeeeeeeeee!" Something gave way under John's foot and he lurched sideways, out of Scott's light hold. "Scott!"

"John!" Scott snatched for him, catching his wrist at the same moment John realised there was no longer anything beneath his feet. "John!"

In the pitch dark, John couldn't see anything. Scott had his right wrist clutched tightly, the only thing keeping him from dropping who knew how far. The roar of the ocean was loud in his ears – was he dangling off of a cliff directly above the suddenly unnerving ocean or was his mind playing tricks on him?

With his free hand he reached upwards, trying to find something else to hold onto so he could pull himself up. Something. Anything.

"John!"

Scott's hand was sweaty. Too sweaty. John could feel himself slipping and lunged upwards, trying to grab Scott's arm with his other hand.

"Scott!" he gasped as he missed, fingernails scrabbling at something soft and giving but failing to get a purchase.

They were heel to palm now, and the slide didn't slow at all. Palm to palm, fingers to fingers. Fingers to-

"JOHN!"

-air.

We're not quite done with Gumnut's SensorySunday yet! For a bonus round, we've got the elusive Sixth Sense to round off the challenge!

Thanks for reading!
Tsari