#Not that this isn't already long ksdjfnsdk

[roboraindrop]

What? Rain writing for the first time in over a year??

Here's the first part of my fix-it fic for Virgil! I have more planned, but right now this felt like a good place to end. So, here's me getting too emotional over an obscure horror anthology character :'D

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"Frank and Jesse James never planned an ice cream warehouse robbery…" Virgil muttered to himself as he waited outside for the next truck to load. He always hated waiting, especially when he knew he had something important to do that day. His brother Billy had plotted his revenge against the man who had reported him for robbery and sent him to prison two years ago, but Virgil just wasn't sure why he had to be a part of it… At least until he'd messed up a part of the plan in his recount the day before.

"We're brothers," Billy had been so quick to remind him after a swift, sharp smack to the face, "You and me are all each other got! Forget about your damn Jesse James comics, forget about the nothin' runnin' through your head all day, and think about me. Who's always lookin' out for you?"

"You are, Billy." Virgil had responded, looking down at his hands, "You're the best."

He always caved when Billy brought up their bond. Ever since they were kids, it had been the two of them. Billy was the one who got him his job at the warehouse, Billy was the one who went to jail trying to steal for the two of them to have a better life. His whole life was thanks to Billy. If his brother wanted him to do something, who was he to argue? If he got smacked around a little, called an ableist slur or two, that was just what he deserved for not being able to contribute like his brother could.

"Let's go over the plan one more time."

They had recounted again and again, and as Virgil stood outside, he mouthed his plan silently. First, he would tell Tom to go pick up a delivery from the distric supervisor. After he left he woudl wait for Cooter to take his break, then… Then…

"Excuse me…?"

Virgil looked up quickly at the sudden voice, his bright blue eyes meeting briefly with another pair. He hadn't been expecting anybody- Well, that wasn't true. He was expecting the next truck, but he had been so long in his own thoughts of the robbery that he had entirely forgotten that fact. The eye contact didn't last long as both he and the other party looked away swiftly. "U-um, hi. Can I help you?"

The person before him wore a bright yellow dress, something that greatly contrasted the overcast day. It was almost too bright to look at, like they were the sun. When they spoke, it was with a woman's voice, but the facial hair they sported was saying otherwise.

"Actually I uh, have an order. I'm here to pick up for Rain Badd."

"Oh! Oh, yeah, Miss Badd! Or u-uh… Mister…. Um…"

"Mx, actually. I use they/them pronouns."

"R-right! Mx. Badd. We've got your order, just go ahead and sign-" As Virgil pulled out the clipboard, he couldn't help but notice the comic book that Rain carried under their arm. "Ain't that a Jesse James comic?"

"Hm? Oh! Yeah. I actually just picked it up, I'm a collector! Kinda silly, someone my age reading comics, but…"

"I don't think that's silly at all, Mx. I'm a big Jesse James comics fan!" The smile Virgil felt on his face was the first genuine one he'd had in what felt like ages, and he didn't even realize it. "Would you mind if I looked at it?"

"Not at all, go ahead!" They untucked it from its safety and handed it over. Still brand-new in a sleeve to keep the dust off was a copy of Jesse James Great Train Robbery. "This is the last comic I needed to complete my collection! I mean, of Jesse James at least. I'm still starting out, but someday I'd love to have a full collection of all my favorites."

"That's incredible!" Virgil handled the comic with care as he turned it over in his hands, then looked up with wide eyes. "I guess if you collect 'em they just sorta sit there, huh? You don't read 'em or nothin'?"

"Y'know, you'd think so, wouldn't you? See, I've got this thing… I just can't keep things up! I love to read and reread them. That's what they were made for, after all."

"Wow," He breathed as he handed the comic back, "I never knew you could collect stuff and still use it! I wish I could read all the Jesse James comics- He's my hero!"

Before he had the chance to apologize fully, the heavy footsteps of Ms. Grafungar, his boss, approached. "Virgil!" She screeched, "You quit talkin' that lady's ear off and you get her truck loaded right now, or there'll be big trouble!" She hesitated just a moment, "And wipe that stupid smile off your face, this ain't a damn funfair."

"Your hero robs trains," Rain teased lightly, but smiled so genuinely at him that it was contagious, and he couldn't keep the smile off his face as well. "You mind if I go ahead and sign the slip now?"

"O-oh, yeah, right! Here you go." Virgil scratched the back of his head nervously, "I'm real sorry about that, I just get carried away--"

The smile disappeared right quick off of Virgil's face, and he nodded quickly. "Yes ma'am, but uh, Mx. Badd ain't no lady, Ms. Grafungar."

"You keep that smart shit to yourself, dammit! That's a woman if I ever saw one! Tryin' to tell me that's a man…"

Virgil frowned, his brow furrowing. He didn't understand her reaction. "I didn't say that…"

"You gonna stand there like a brainless idiot or are you gonna load the truck?" She snapped, but when she turned back to Rain, her tone was as polite as ever. "I'm sorry ma'am. He's a little slow- He's usually workin' in the back freezer and not allowed to talk to the customers." At this, Virgil shrunk in posture and shuffled his feet. It seemed as if this were a common occurance by the way he took it in stride, quickly getting to work loading the truck to avoid getting reprimanded futher.

Rain looked up to the manager and tilted their head with eyes narrow. They didn't even bother to correct her on their title; They had something more worrying on their mind. "Why not? There's nothing wrong with him- He's been a delight to talk to!"

"What- Did he talk your ear off about those damn comic books?" She spotted the one in Rain's hand and quickly crossed the gap between them, snatching it in one swift motion. Rain, taken by surprise at the audacity of the woman, allowed it to happen… For the time being. It wasn't until Ms. Grafungar stomper her way over to Virgil with it and raised it as if to strike him that they snapped out of their shocked state.

"Now what the hell did I tell you about bringing these goddamn picture books to work with you?"

The cornered stock boy flinched at the raised hand, and it was obvious to any bystander that this wasn't the first time he'd been threatened with violence- And even worse, it wasn't an empty threat.

"Now you wait one minute!" Rain hurried over, placing themself between the two. If there was going to be an impact, they were dead set that it would fall on them and not the innocent Virgil. "For starters, that comic book belongs to me, thank you very much!" They plucked the book from the raised hand of the woman, "Second, who do you think you are, talking to him like that? Don't you realize you're talking to a human being?"

"We're the only vendor in town- You'll need to drive three towns over before you find another ice cream vendor of our size! You're just starting out in this business, you need us!"

The fire in the gaze of the supervisor wet out as quickly as it was lit, and Rain's chest ached to think of the hell her employees must go through on a day-to-day basis. "Oh my, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that literature was yours!" She quickly straightened herself up, ignoring the comment about her cruelty to her employee. "I didn't damage anything, I hope. To make up for it, how about I add an extra box of ice cream for your truck? No charge!"

Rain shook their head, "That won't be necessary, thank you. After witnessing how you treat your own employess just because they're a little different from you, I won't be placing an order with you again."

"At the prices you're offering, I think you need my business more than I need you. What I do need, ma'am, is for you to take a good, hard look at how you treat your employees. You turn it around and maybe I'll reconsider."

Fuming, Ms. Grafungar turned on her heel. "Have a good day, Miss Badd."

Virgil nodded, but still had that kicked puppy look in his eyes. "I hate her. She's always mean to me, and insultin' me and my brother…" He remembered his brother, and their plan. He started going over it once again, but another thought crossed his mind, as if he had just put it together. "You stood up for me… Nobody ever did that before…"

As soon as she turned her back, Virgil made a face at her, and Rain raised their middle finger in what was an accurate description of just where she could put her bad attitude and shitty business practices. After a moment, Rain approached Virgil.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I did! You don't deserve to be talked to like that. You especially don't deserve to be hit." They knew it was stepping over some boundaries, but they felt a strange desire to protect Virgil, and they leaned in slightly, placing a hand on his arm, "She's done it before, hasn't she?"

Starting to get nervous, Virgil shook his head.

"N-No, she hasn't…."

"…But someone else has." Rain finished for him, and he looked at the ground.

"Just my brother Billy, but he don't mean nothin' by it. He just gets angry sometimes, that's all. See, its true, like what Ms. Grafungar said. I'm a little slow. Sometimes I deserve it. "

Rain's heart nearly shattered on the spot at this, and they frowned deeply. "I don't know you, Virgil, but I know that you don't deserve that. Nobody deserves that. I'm sorry that you've had to live with that."

"You don't gotta be sorry or nothin'," Virgil said softly, the kindness in Rain's eyes making his stomach feel all fluttery. Nobody had ever looked at him like that before. He was experiencing a lot of firsts today! "I'm used to it. Besides, it don't do no good to stand up to Billy like you did Ms. Grafunger. She backs down, but Billy don't. It'd be big trouble if you ever talked to Billy like that."

"Big trouble, huh? For me, or for you?" When his expression fell and he began to shrink into himself again, Rain spoke softly. "Hey, I know that I don't live your life, and I'm just some stranger you met at work, but… I want you to know that there is more out there for you. You don't have to take the abuse. You're worth more. Don't forget it, okay?"

Falling silent, Virgil felt a few tears prick at his eyes, which he didn't dare let fall. Billy said tears were for wussies, and the DeLuca brothers weren't wussies. "… You're really nice, Rain. You said things to me that nobody else ever has… I sure won't forget you, or what you said."

"Good." They smiled, and the warmth that spread through the quiet stockboy was more than he ever imagined from something as simple as a grin. He was so distracted by this warmth that he harly even noticed Rain taking out a small notepad and scribbling something down. "If you ever need anything, and I mean anything…" They tore out and handed him the page, their phone number scrawled across it, "Give me a call. I may not be able to do much, but, well… Everyone needs a friend now and then. Maybe we can read comics together sometime."

"I'd like that…" Virgil smiled again, feeling the paper crinkle under his clumsy fingers. "I'll give you a call, promise, I will!"

With that, the vision of the sun climbed into their ice cream truck and drove off. Now, Virgil could focus on what he was supposed to- His brother's plan.