A/N: An adaption of The Fat Controller's Bedtime Story, "Trouble in the Steamworks"! Enjoy!!
….
Victor winces at the resounding crash echoing from within the Inspection Pit.
Ignoring his assistant, who is anxiously hovering close by, Victor calls, "Are you alright, my friend?" He receives a litany of Welsh curses before a deep voice shouts back at him:
"You try being knocked down a bloody hole, Victor!"
Victor grimaces. "My friend, I got knocked off a ship on day one." He replies dryly.
"Oh, sorry, Victor, that was rather crass of me," the voice, now remorseful and sheepish, answers.
"No worries, Skarloey. We'll soon have you out of there!" he shoots a sheepish Kevin a pointed glare. Now he has to organise a rescue mission for Skarloey-and on top of their ever-increasing workload, too!
...
The Sodor Search and Rescue Centre are promptly contacted, and Emily and Rocky are promised to be with Victor within two hours.
Although grateful to have help on the way, Victor felt cross about the accident happening in the first place. Though, Kevin's mishap revealed a small act of negligence- Skarloey had had no brakes on. Victor resolves to discuss this with the team later.
"Victor, is Skarloey going to be alright?" Thomas asks in concern.
'Rheneas will kill me for that,' Victor thinks, before focusing on Thomas. "He'll be alright, my friend, once he's rescued and I can look him over for damage." He replies as coolly as he can manage, but he still grits his teeth at the last seven words.
"Good job you're here, Victor!" beamed Thomas.
'Right now, I wish I wasn't,' Victor thinks crossly. To keep his temper in check, he decides to finish a simple repair for Thomas. "Kevin, could you fetch Thomas's new boiler plate for me, please?" He asks politely.
"Sure thing, boss!" Kevin pipes up, eager to be Really Useful. He speeds off to the back of the Steamworks for it.
Victor groans, feeling exhaustion seep into his axles and pistons.
He bites back a groan as James suddenly bustles into the Steamworks, looking frenzied and flustered.
"Victor, I need a new coat of paint for tomorrow!" exclaims James. "I've got a very important job tomorrow and I must"-
'That's all I need.' Victor thinks in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, James, but my buffers are tied up at the moment." Victor interrupts, as politely as he can. Affixing a smile on his smokebox, he adds, "You could always come back later, there'll be time."
"Couldn't Kevin just do it?" James suggests hopefully.
Victor, still cringing at the memory of Kevin sending poor Skarloey falling into the Inspection Pit, is horrified by James's suggestion.
"He can't help you! I've been cleaning up his messes all day!" he bursts out, before he can think.
"VICTOR!" Thomas exclaims, shocked and horrified. "That's not very kind, or fair, to Kevin!"
"No one can deny the truth!" Victor wheeshes back.
...
Unbeknownst to the little red Works engine, poor Kevin, zipping back with Thomas's boilerplate on a pallet, hears everything.
Once the harshness of his friend's words sinks in, Kevin starts tearing up.
"He-heaving hooks, I never realised I made Victor's job that difficult." He sniffles. "Maybe I-I should just go away somewhere else, somewhere where I can't make his work difficult anymore..."
Sighing sadly, he places Thomas's boilerplate down on the floor, before trundling out, nearly in tears.
...
"... you're right, Thomas," Victor says, ashamed. "That was unfair of me, and cruel. I know today has been exceptionally stressful, but he always tries his best, and he sticks by me no matter what."
He sighs. "Kevin, have you found Thomas's boilerplate, my friend?"
A workman finds it on the pallet behind Victor, but no sign of Kevin.
Victor thinks this odd, but he has too much to do and not enough time to fret.
...
An hour and a half later, at half past four, Emily and Rocky rescue a grateful Skarloey from the Inspection Pit. Just as she leaves with Rocky, James returns, and the pair exchange greetings before Emily departs to return Rocky to the Search and Rescue Centre.
"Hello, Victor, I'm back for my"-
"Not now, James!" snaps Victor. Ever since he had asked him to fetch Thomas's new boilerplate, Victor hasn't seen or heard Kevin anywhere, and he's growing concerned.
Not to mention bloody stressed.
With no sign of Kevin, Victor had to retrieve parts and tools on his own and not having a hook or freedom of movement was seriously restrictive.
'Where could my little buddy have gone?' Victor ponders.
Unfortunately, he's so distracted by the chaos and concern for his young friend that he doesn't realise he's taking a bend too quickly, and he derails.
"Miercoles," he mutters crossly. "Kevin! Kevin! Where are you? Please, my friend, I need help!"
No response.
Workmen search for him; some remain indoors, whilst others venture outside. They are shocked when no one can find Kevin anywhere!
"He's not here, boss." A workman says in disbelief.
"Not here? Why wouldn't he be here?" Victor puzzles, confused.
"Perhaps he heard what you said earlier and ran off..." James suggests carefully. He watches his friend's face turn pale.
"Mierda!" Victor swears, feeling sick to his firebox at the thought. "If that is indeed true, James, I will never forgive myself..." He says guiltily.
"I'll go scope out the line, maybe someone has seen him." James offers.
"Muchísimas gracias, James!" Victor replies, relieved. "I shall, as you English say, 'man the fort'... not that I can do much else." He laughs bitterly.
"I'll be back as soon as I can." James promises. "And Kevin will be found!"
Victor watches James leave the Steamworks with a sickening dread.
"Oh, Kevin, my sweet, sweet friend, where are you?!" he frets.
"Hey, boyo, Kevin's a forgiving soul." Skarloey reminds him kindly. "I'm sure he'll forgive you in the end."
Victor gulps. "I still can't believe I said those horrible words, and then he..." trails off, unable to finish.
But before Skarloey could reply, they both pause as they hear a familiar, tentative... "...boss? You there?"
"Gracias, James, gracias!" Victor says under his breath before calling out, "I'm here, my friend!"
At long last, Kevin trundles into view. His arm is hanging dejectedly over a freckled, forlorn face, his movements no longer zippy and playful, but sad and languid. His paintwork, once cheery and bright like its wearer, is muddy and scuffed.
Victor's heart sinks.
"James told me you were in trouble." He mumbles. Though I'm not sure what use I am, I'm so clumsy..."
"Kevin, please..." Victor's voice cracks. "I need your help. I know you can help engines onto the line again. Please, help me…."
Kevin pauses, before grabbing Victor's buffer in his hook, and gently aids Victor back onto the rails again.
…
"Gracias, Kevin," Victor says quietly. He looks over at his best friend, scuffed and silent, and he speaks again.
"My friend, I am very, very sorry for what I said about your clumsiness before. I..." He falters, tears of guilt and shame burning in his eyes as he looks into Kevin's own.
"I never meant what I said-I was so frustrated at so much going wrong this morning, and fearing that we'd never get through our jobs fast enough. You are my best friend, Kevin, and I treasure our friendship. I hope I can make it up to you for my awful, cruel, unforgivable words..."
The tears overwhelm him.
...
A hook gently brushes his buffers, and when Victor looks at its owner, he is smiling kindly, his eyes glittering.
"I forgive you, boss." He says cheerily. "I still feel bad about earlier though..." He adds quietly.
"Thank you, my friend." Victor replies, with feeling. "Your mishap earlier did reveal, however, no one put Skarloey's brakes on."
"Accidents happen, boyo!" Adds Skarloey. "Besides, I'll be right as rain with you two looking after me!" he winks at Victor, who grins back.
"Work will be a lot easier with you here, mi mejor amigo." Victor says quietly to Kevin. "You're a valued team member, and that will never change." He coughs. "Now, let's say you and I work on James's new coat of paint and then move on to Skarloey's repairs?"
"Sounds good to me, boss!" Kevin exclaims in delight, happy to be back beside his friend once more.
"And you might need a new coat of paint yourself, not to mention a washdown." Victor winks at his little buddy, who smiles back.