Title: Times they are a-changing
Chapter title: Brotherly moments
Fandom: Ocean's eleven (Ocean's 12, technically)
Pairing: Virgil/Turk (implied slashy feelings)
Rating: PG
Summary: He considers going after Turk, but figures that'd be pointless and goes to the adjoining room and plops down on the bed. He needs time alone to think anyway. So, it's a good thing his brother's taken off, really. Seems to be joined at Virgil's hip most of the time, and it really makes it hard for him to think. Not that having Turk around is distracting, Virgil corrects himself. Unless he's actively trying to be distracting, of course.
Both Turk and Virgil POV
A/N: This is the third story in the Times they are a-changing series that takes place during the second movie (Ocean's twelve) and is part of the Driving me crazy 'Verse (which includes all three movies)
Turk finds his brother out on the balcony. The sun is beating down on him, and he's wearing shades but no hat. Turk is hit by a sudden impulse to bring him one, knowing he'll get a headache otherwise, and it's disturbing, not Virgil getting a headache, but the impulse to prevent it. He squashes it and join him by the railing instead. Puts his hands stubbornly in his pockets.
Virgil's fingering his cell. He glances sideways at Turk, then apparently decides to ignore him. He even sniffs a little, chin jutting out. Turk shakes his head to himself, and turns to the view instead.
"You should call her", he says.
"Fuck you", Virgil replies.
His voice equally neutral, the words a simple murmur, and Turk doesn't really take it to heart. Not really. He rolls on the balls of his feet a couple of times. Takes one of his hands out of his pocket and pinches the fabric of his shirt, pulls on it a few times to create some air, to cool himself down.
"It's hot out here", he comments.
Virgil snorts.
"You not hot?"
"My fiancée used to think so", Virgil quips.
It's Turk's turn to snort, although it sort of comes out like something closer to a chuckle. He tilts his head down to hide the stupid smile that tails the sound.
"You think that's funny", Virgil comments.
Turk can tell on his voice that he's distracted though. It sounds distant, and looking at his profile Turk can see that he's not really there, he can see the wheels turning in his head, he can see him thumb the buttons on his cell but not pressing any, he can see him worry his lower lip, then suck it into his mouth. He tears his gaze away and looks down at the ground below instead.
"Hilarious", he mutters.
"Yeah well you would", Virgil mutters back, almost whispers.
The whole conversation, if one could even call it that, Turk thinks, has flopped onto its stomach and is squirming uselessly on the ground between them. He's not even sure what they're talking about anymore. And he can't tell what's up with his brother, and it's annoying him. Probably the sun's already gotten to his head.
"I'm heading back inside", he says. "You should too. You'll fry what's left of your brain."
"Ha-ha…"
Turk turns away and starts walking back inside, but he pauses in the doorway and looks back. Virgil doesn't turn around, he's still leaning his elbows on the railing, still staring at his cell.
"Bye", he calls out.
"At least put on a hat or something", Turk calls back.
"'Kay mum", Virgil mutters.
Turk bites back a curse and leaves him where he is. Hope he gets a migraine, he thinks to himself as he storms inside the suite. He snatches Linus' cap off his head and walks back to the balcony.
"Hey!" Linus calls after him, but he ignores it.
He stomps back outside. Fuck the sun is bright, he thinks as he adjusts to it once again. Virgil half-turns towards him this time, surprise on his face, and he opens his mouth to speak, but before he has time to, Turk's already reached up and put the cap on his head. Then he spins on his heel and stomps back inside.
"What the hell-?", Linus starts to protest from the couch.
Turk just glares at him.
"What-!"
"Just leave it", Rusty tells Linus.
Turk merely glances at Rusty, then heads to the front door. Well aware of several sets of eyes watching him. He grabs his own hat and his wallet from the small dresser inside the door and leaves.
Virgil stays where he is, half-leaning against the balcony railing, his gaze fixed to the darkened doorway where his brother just disappeared, wondering what the hell just happened and what happened to the missing bit between it and the conversation they'd just had. He puts his cell phone into his back pocket and follows his brother inside. As he pauses in the doorway to adjusts to the darkness inside, he hears the front door slam shut, and when the room comes into view he can see Rusty, Basher and Linus all staring back at him. He gives the suite a quick once-over and finding his brother nowhere to be seen, deducts that he must've been the one to slam the door.
"Oh, here's the other one", Linus mutters.
"What happened, where'd Turk go?"
"Jesus…" Linus keeps muttering.
Rusty just smiles one of his annoying, teasing smiles, like he knows a secret and no way is he going to let you in on it. Him and Basher exchange a look, then he nods towards the door and gives Virgil a significant look. Significant of what, though, Virgil has no idea. But the smile is really getting on his nerves.
"Can I have my cap back now?"
Virgil glances at Linus who's holding his hand out and staring back expectantly. Virgil takes the cap off and tosses it to him.
He considers going after Turk, but figures that'd be pointless and goes to the adjoining room and plops down on the bed. He needs time alone to think anyway. So, it's a good thing his brother's taken off, really. Seems to be joined at Virgil's hip most of the time, and it really makes it hard for him to think.
Not that having Turk around is distracting, Virgil corrects himself. Unless he's actively trying to be distracting, of course.
But he needs to decide what to do about Sarah. And it's not like Turk could offer any support in that regard, even if he was the supportive type, which he clearly isn't, because Virgil already knows what his opinion on the whole matter would be if he were to consult him, and what his opinion on Sarah and the wedding has been from the start. It's not like he's tried to hide it, after all.
And loathe as he is to admit it, Virgil knows that he's right.
Sarah's not the girl for him. He knew that when he took her on their first date. But Turk was being such a jerk about it, that he had to prove him wrong. So the first date turned into a second, and then a third, and before he knew it, they were planning a wedding and Ma was ecstatic and Turk was all ruffled and… he should have put a stop to the whole charade a long time ago, he knows that, but it all happened so fast, and he was a little snowball rolling down a hill of wedding dresses and cake samples, and he's only just come to a crashing halt.
And now what, he thinks to himself.
"You alright, man?" Rusty asks from the doorway.
Virgil doesn't bother moving his head, so he can't see him, but he's sure he can hear the smirk on his voice. He waves a hand in the general direction of the door.
"Fine", he says.
He's not fine, actually, but Rusty doesn't need to know that. Actually, he feels sort of sick. Maybe it's the thought of wedding cake, he thinks. A dull ache has started to seep into his scull, makes it hard to think, and he still hasn't come up with a solution to the Sarah problem.
Jesus, he thinks to himself and rubs a hand over his face.
It's my fiancée I'm thinking about. She's not a problem. She's a human being. A beautiful, innocent, girl human being. And I am such an asshole.
He lets his eyes drift shut. The darkness helps a little, but it doesn't really get dark. It gets darker, but not nearly dark enough to be soothing. The inside of his eyelids are orange. Fleshy orange. And his head is throbbing.
Then with a sudden swish sound, the orange is gone and all is black. Until he opens his eyes. The ceiling is more grey than white now. He sits up and sees Turk by the window. The drapes are drawn. Turk stares back at him, a challenge in his eyes, arms folded in front of his chest.
"Thanks", Virgil mutters and notices the tension in his brother's shoulders ease slightly.
"How's you head", he shoots back.
"Hurts", Virgil mumbles and lies back down.
He curls onto his side. He can't deal with Turk now. He can't deal with his I told you so-s. He reaches over his head and grabs one of the pillows, pulls it on top of his head. Darkness and quiet, he thinks. That's what I need.
A moment later there's a gentle tap on his hand, the one holding the pillow in place. He jerks, and pulls the pillow off. Turk is standing by the side of the bed, holding a white pill of some sort and a big bottle of water. He puts them both down on the bedside table, gives Virgil a significant look, and leaves again.
Virgil considers asking what the pill is, but he doesn't really care. He takes it and swallows it down with a few gulps of water. He screws the cap onto the bottle and is just about to put it back on the bedside table when Turk's voice reaches him from the sitting room, "Drink the whole thing!"
Virgil barely refrains from gritting his teeth.
"You're dehydrated!"
"Okay-!" Virgil yells back.
He angrily unscrews the cap again and takes a long swig, almost chokes on it and splutters a bit. He imagines hearing his brother chuckle from the other room and grumbles, but keeps drinking until the bottle is empty anyway, because he knows he's right.
Briefly he wonders if Sarah would make him drink a bottle of water, but he quickly pushes the thought away and smothers himself in the pillow again. The next thing he's aware of, it's evening, and the suite is eerily quiet.
He throws the pillow aside and scrambles off the bed.
The sitting room is empty. He hugs himself, feeling slightly cold. Notices the door to the balcony still open, and goes to close it. As he does, the front door opens instead and he sees Turk, his arms full of take out and more bottled water. Their eyes lock.
"Hey", Turk calls out. "You're up."
"Yeah", Virgil rasps. "Where is everyone?"
"Danny and Rusty went to have a look at the house. The others went to dinner", he says as he moves over to the table and disposes his findings on top of it. Virgil follows his movements, eyes the food and the water. Bites the inside of his cheek to keep from asking, or commenting, because he knows why Turk isn't with them, why he's bought the food to go and brought back here, because he's being nice to Virgil, he's being all big brotherly because Virgil was feeling bad and Virgil kind of likes it, however disturbing it may be, he likes feeling doted on and cared about, and it's rare, so he doesn't want to ruin it.
"What'd you get?", he says instead.
"Your favourite", Turk says and grins.
"Really", Virgil says, not believing him for a minute.
"Yep, thai food."
"That's not my favourite."
"Fine, so I got my favourite."
Virgil snorts and shakes his head. But he's fine with thai food, so he doesn't say anything else about it, just joins his brother by the table. They open up all the cartons, Turk hands him chopsticks, Virgil hands him napkins, they share the food in comfortable silence, and it's almost domestic, and really nice.
"How's your head?" Turk asks halfway into the meal.
"Better… thank you."
Turk just nods and they keep eating in silence.
End.