Scott grabbed his brother, but as always, he was no match for the anger-fuelled strength of those heavy lifting muscles and Virgil dragged him towards their group of rescuees, heels digging furrows into the dirt. “Goddamnit, Virgil, stop!”
But his brother wasn’t listening.
Scott had no idea what had set him off. Setting Virgil off was rare enough before coffee, on the job…it…birds had more teeth.
“Gordon! Get over here and give me a hand.”
He used his height as leverage to pull the man back, but Virgil snarled and attempted to shake him off.
He almost succeeded.
Gordon appeared, wide-eyed and grabbed at Virgil’s other side.
“Let me go!” His brother tried to throw both of them off and almost succeeded.
It was Scott’s turn to snarl. He flung himself in front of his brother and forcibly brought him to a halt. He had never seen so much anger on the man’s face. “Thunderbird Two!”
Virgil hissed between his teeth, but brown eyes finally latched onto Scott’s and he watched as sanity clicked into place.
Thank god.
“Talk to me, Virgil.”
“I’m sorry, Scott, that was my fault.” John’s voice was unusually tense. “I shouldn’t have told him.”
In Scott’s arms, Virgil suddenly went limp. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fucking assholes.” His brother turned and shook both of them off and stormed back towards his ‘bird, cursing the entire way.
Gordon stared at Scott, eyes still wide. “What the hell?” Virgil wasn’t one for profanity most of the time.
“What was that all about, John.”
“I’d rather not say.” John cleared his throat. “I will report at debrief.” And his space brother closed the connection.
“John?” Scott punched his comms. “Thunderbird Five!” But there was no answer.
Scott pressed his lips together and Gordon joined him in packing up the pod they had used to pull the tourist bus off the side of the mountain and trundling it into Two.
There was no sign of Virgil.
When International Rescue took off, it was Two that took the lead, his brother obviously still agitated and accelerating to match.
It wasn’t until all their rockets had been packed away in their hangars and their uniforms replaced by harmless cotton and flannel that John told him exactly who they had saved today and the legislation those people were responsible for and exactly what that legislation meant for young girls, young transpeople and society in general.
Scott’s mind locked up, caught between his core beliefs and reality.
Gordon snarled beside him.
But it was Virgil’s quiet sob as Grandma held him, that brought the truth home.
Everyone was worth saving.
Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
-o-o-o-
Oh Virgil… I can’t blame you for that one little bit, but I’m still so sorry it hurt. ::hugs both Virg and Nutty::
Why do I get the impression that EOS might be about to make her feelings known…?
