So it’s tennis season and John Tracy (when he’s been down from space long enough to stop dropping things and tripping over his own feet) has some pretty darn good dexterity (that man can monitor a million situations at once and still have attention spare for his latest astronomy project), and the Lady Penelope, with a wicked grin and a pastel pink tennis dress, is poised, waiting for him, at the gate of her tennis court (full size, of course, in a secluded, sunny corner of her country house’s sprawling gardens).
She’d decided long ago that he was the ideal man to thwack tennis balls at in the hopes of actually getting them returned, and so they’ve been playing on and off since their days at university. It’s nice to have a match against someone who actually poses a challenge - she’d discovered the hard way that Gordon is simply horrific at it and that, after last time, he should never again be allowed within five miles of a racket. The other Tracy boys are just so hopelessly American in their play styles, and Penelope simply has no idea how to convince Scott that the point of tennis isn’t just to hit the ball as hard as possible, so that it goes sailing out of the court and over the fencing. Really, aside from the local tennis club, dragging John down from orbit and across the globe is quite possibly her only hope.
Poor Parker makes a terrible ball boy, but Bertie is more than happy to endlessly fetch.
One of these days, when I have time again, I’d love to write one of the bros (probably Gordon, or for maximum schadenfreude John) taking part in one of those ‘I’m a celebrity’ style shows for charity and managing to show off his first-aid or general survival skills in the process.
What if a lecture hall collapses with Professor Tracy inside?
You know, I think I read a fic with that exact premise a while back. It was really good- Penny asked John to do an astronomy talk for some kids, and… I don’t remember most of the rest. I’m going to have to try to track that one down.
I am a big fan of John giving space lectures! I have a lot of pretty ancient art of him doing so, but I did also made art for and edited @burningcowboyhoagietaco’s fic A Way To Learn a Lesson(in which is John has a very bad time at a lecture Penny persuaded him to give)here:
spiritually nourished by listening in to the admin meeting and hearing that work is having trouble recruiting staff for their understaffed, very part-time afterschool positions. the peace that passeth understanding, etc.
their first two suggestions for improving staff morale and mental health were “have everyone attend a mandatory mental health seminar” and “ask the staff how things are going” bro at least have a pizza party…
bro I have been in therapy for years, if you make me sit thru a PowerPoint about journaling and taking time for myself when my top two stressors are 1) you and 2) also you but in a different way, I will shit my pants during the seminar, god bless <3
