"Sooo."
"Spit it out Virgil."
"Marion Van Arkel, huh?"
They were finally home, draped over the sofas. There was no one else home or, at least, no one else up. Who knew getting stuck in a uranium mine was so tiring.
"What about her?" Scott knew exactly where Virgil was going with this, but he wasn't going to make it easy for him.
"Nothing, you two seemed pretty…y'know; I mean she was literally sitting on you. I was 90% sure I was going to have to break out the mind bleach."
"Come on, you know the rules."
"Oh yeah," Virgil rolled his eyes. "Flirting is fine, especially if your name is Scott, and you can't not flirt literally all the time. On the other hand, fu-"
Scott flung a cushion at him. "Language!"
Virgil dodged with a grin. "I think she was into you."
"She tried to kill me."
"Yeah, she was totally into you. Anyway didn't Emmie Cameron try to kill you?"
Scott pointedly ignored that, stretched out on the sofa and closed his eyes. Emmie Cameron had been his girlfriend for about 48 hours when he was 15. She didn't try to kill him. Technically. She had been drunk. He had too, if he remembered rightly. Though honestly, he didn't remember much from that particular relationship.
"Marion's pretty, she's clever, she's badass."
"Do you want to set me up?"
"Maybe." Virgil shrugged.
"I referred her to Colonel Casey, I thought she could do with a proper job."
"Ooh, so you're owing each other favours now?"
"Virgil?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
Virgil was silent for thirty-one seconds. Scott counted.
"I'm just saying, from what I saw she's a pretty good match for you. And not just for a one-night stand-"
"Hey, we don't talk about that!"
"Come on, she endeared herself to you, eventually."
"Maybe a bit." Quite a lot, actually.
"Mm, and you think she's attractive."
"I'm never going to deny when a woman's attractive." And she definitely was attractive.
"She can handle herself and we know that's important to you."
"Yeah." With enemies like the Hood it was vital.
"And since she's not just a pretty face you want to get better acquainted with her."
Scott groaned. "You sound like John."
"Not now. Look, when was the last time you went on an actual date with woman? A real date date."
Scott opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, this conversation seemed to be happening whether he wanted it to or not.
"December with that oceanographer-"
"That wasn't a date date."
Officially it wasn't a date date, it was a fake date for reasons that would remain classified. Unfortunately Virgil knew those reasons.
"I was seventeen, Georgie Whitehall."
Virgil gave a low whistle. "That's nearly ten years. No, I'm not trying to make you feel old, and I'm not trying to force you to find someone and settle down, but don't you ever get bored of not really getting to know anyone?"
Yes, sometimes. That would have been the honest answer. But there wasn't time to get to know anyone, it wasn't safe to get to know anyone. One-night stands were easy, they were safe, they were fun. And maybe actually dating as an adult was scary. But he wasn't going to tell Virgil all of that.
"It's just, I already have major commitments, with International Rescue, and the company, and my family. I can't drag someone else into it, it isn't fair. And," he sat up and looked Virgil in the eye. "Mom and dad had the best marriage; how can I ever compete with that?"
"You don't have to compete with it, it's not a standard they set to intimidate you. Why don't you call her? Go to a bar or a restaurant or something, and don't sleep with her afterwards. See what she's like as a person and a friend before you find out what kind of lover she is."
"Maybe. Call me a commitment-phobe but-"
Virgil groaned. "You are a commitment-phobe. Get to know her and if you think you won't work out just be friends."
Scott waved a hand in the air and slumped back on the sofa closing his eyes again. "I'll call her when I get some time off and see if she wants to meet up."
Because if he was honest, he did want to see Marion again. And he did want to get to know her, as a useful contact or as a friend. Obviously, if he wasn't worried about being irradiated he probably would have taken her up on the offer to get a drink at the nearest bar. He needed a drink right now. Scotch. A scotch would be good.
"Hey Virgil."
"Yeah?"
"You know how I'm the best big brother ever and I've been through an ordeal today."
"What do you want?"
"Scotch. It's in the bookcase by the piano."
Virgil got up with much grumbling and rummaged in the bookcase.
"Scott, you are really terrible at hiding things."
"I'm not."
"You really are."
"Thanks." The tumbler was pushed into his hand.
"And you know I saved your ass today so…"
Scott glowered without bothering to open his eyes.
"I know that you're not drinking that."
"I'm not." Liar.
"Do you even like scotch?"
"It's okay. This one's pretty good."
"You better not tell the others about it."
"Nah, I don't want those two getting their hands on it. Kayo knows by the way."
"Kayo doesn't drink scotch."
Which was good, because she probably would have depleted his supply.
He savoured the drink and the silence for a moment.
And only for a moment.
"International Rescue, we have a si- are you drinking?"
Shit.