Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A strong gust of wind blew harshly as the words left Party Posion’s mouth. It was dark, and darkness in the desert meant cold. It was crazy how fast the temperature changed out in the sand. He’d had the air conditioning on in the car on the way to wherever he was now, but at the moment Party wished he had grabbed a coat or blanket before he stormed out. Of course it was too late now.
As soon as the words left Party Poison’s mouth, he should have regretted them. He should have found another way. He didn’t though, no other solution could come to his mind.
He watched, as if in a haze as Korse stepped aside and some of his goons pulled a struggling Missile Kid to stand in front of the van. Three more Dracs stepped out as well and all had their guns pointed at the red head.
It didn’t matter though, the moment Missile glanced up in confusion, a defiant look burning across her features, she locked eyes with Party. She tried to not let it show, but Party saw the relief and joy clear as day. It was worth it, one hundred percent, as long as she was safe. He’d already fucked up once, giving himself over might help to right some of those wrongs.
“This is how it’s gonna go terrorist,” Korse spat the word as if it burned his tongue to speak it, “ once my men have you in their arms, the others will let go of the child. If you try and fight, or escape we will shoot you both. Once you are in our custody, she will be free to roam the desert.” Korse removed his hands from their position behind his back. His posture suddenly became more balanced, he was readying himself for a fight. Party couldn’t help but smirk. He’d made a pretty good reputation for himself, but he knew that this time fighting back would only end badly.
Party purposely ignored Korse and turned his attention to Missile. She was watching him more intently now, her eyes trained on him. Her eyes were wide though, her hands shaking in their bonds in front of her. She was scared. Party was too, but this time it was okay. He was going to make the right decision for once. No one else would get hurt, and honestly it was worth whatever horrors BLI-ND had up their sleeves.
Party turned to face Korse, the smirk still on his face to see the Exterminator glaring at him. His eyes bored into Party with a look that could kill. Good, he’d annoyed him some.
Party nodded to Korse and handed over his gun, when had he brought that?, and glared at Korse.
“Let me see your jazz hands.” Korse seemed to barely be able to contain himself, having finally captured the rebel leader. As if Party was going to be a good little prisoner, no he would do everything he could to piss the Exterminator off. Of course that would be after Missile was out of harm’s way. In the meantime, Party raised his hands above his head. At that moment his still healing chest decided to make itself known again, a sharp pain erupting when he stretched the muscles by raising his hands. Party barely managed to keep a groan from erupting from his lips. He would not appear weak.
The Dracs grabbed him roughly by the underarms, hauling him towards one of the vans. He didn’t fight back, there was no point. Still, it felt like he was losing everything. It wasn’t in his nature to be submissive. But the thought of Missile and his crew being safe brought the rationality back. This was necessary; he had to.
“Free the brat.”
Party heard Korse grunt out, and watched Missile’s ties be cut roughly by a knife that one of the Dracs were holding. The Drac pushed her hard and she fell to the sand. Party was shoved back against the side of the van, still he craned his neck to see the girl. Her hair was in her face along with sand that had stuck to the tear tracks that he couldn’t see before.
What had she went though?
Party didn’t get time to ponder that because a laser beam hit the van beside Korse’s head.

Chapter Text

Doc and Pony rounded the corner to the living room once again. It was quiet. Strangely so, considering the yelling that had taken place only moments ago. Doc quickly did a head count, just to make sure no one else had stormed off. Thankfully, the remaining four including Phoenix were present.
Ghoul was laying oddly on the couch while Jet attempted to comfort him. It was obvious he’d been crying, though the small man seemed somewhat calm now. Kobra was sitting on the other couch, staring vacantly off into space. Phoenix on the other hand still looked shaken up but thankfully looked up to Doc in acknowledgement. Jet followed soon after with a forlorn look on his face.
“Look boys, I’m not gonna tell ya who’s wrong and who’s right. But what I am gonna tell ya is that Poison isn’t here.”
Various shocked noises chorused through the room; Doc grunted to regain their attention.
Before he could continue with his plan, Kobra interrupted him. Doc half wondered what ever happened to that kid never speaking?
“Where is he?”
“Look, I don’t know. I’ve got Pony checking to see if he took the car or if he’s just walking,” Doc was trying to handle this situation calmly, rash emotions were exactly what got them into this situation.
“He can’t have gotten far. Right?,” Ghoul whispered. His bandages had been replaced, though talking still seemed to bring him some pain. He was going to have one hell of a scar when this was all over.
But, he was right. Party wouldn’t make it far in the condition he was in, unless he took the Trans-Am. This situation was getting entirely out of hand, and the crew he’d called in for backup would still be a good ways away. He could really use more hands on dec at the moment, but it wasn’t the first time Doc had dealt with recovering killjoys and definitely not the first time he’d dealt with these four in particular.
He just needed to make sure that they stayed calm.
Of course at that moment Pony rolled back into the room, their expression said it all. He’d taken the car.
Slowly the boys’ faces relayed the apprehension that Party had ran off, with the car. In an attempt to stop things from escalating any further, Doc quickly spoke,” Look, the car’ll be easy to track ok? There’s only one road and if he didn’t take that we should be able to see some tracts in the sand. He hasn’t been gone for more than a few minutes so the tracts will still be there.”
“Yeah but that doesn’t change the fact that Party is outside, in the sand and sun with a still healing wound on his chest. Has his fever even broken yet?,” Kobra said, as he tried to sit up straight but winced half way through and gave up.
“Yes, his fever from the burn did break but I’m not gonna lie, it could still get infected so that why we need to be calm about this.Atta way he gets back here before anything goes wrong.”
By some miracle, five heads nodded in agreement.
“Alright, perfect. I’ve got a plan but we’re gonna ‘av to walk and talk boys.”
Again, everyone in the room nodded.
“One little thing, and I don’t want any arguing, Kobra, you and Pony are staying here.” As Doc spoke he glanced at the blond boy on his couch, Kobra’s head had snapped up and his eyes held such a fire behind them, Doc half expected the kid to argue. Yet, after a moment he too nodded.
“Good, rest of ya follow me,” and with a glance back to Kobra and Pony,”if he comes back just radio us.”
_______________________________________________
As Ghoul, Jet, Phoenix, and Doc climbed into the old beaten up van outside the world seemed to hold its breath. The wind wasn’t even blowing for once and there were only a few insects flying around. Despite Route Guano being eye distance from them, no cars or vehicles passed by. It was not as calming as one might have thought. The desert was supposed to be full of noise, and at times like this it definitely should have been.
No one commented on this though, too worried that speaking their concerns would make them real.
Ghoul however did break the silence, “ Looks like tire tracks goin’ thataway, towards Guano,” he said, pointing to the path clearly etched into the sand. It had been scattered a bit, but since the winds seemed to be taking a break the tracks were easy enough to find.
“Awesome, it’ll be much easier to follow him then. Hopefully he started turning before he hit the road though, if not we won’t be able to see which way Party went,” Jet observed as he climbed in the driver’s seat and bucked up.
Ghoul, knowing the fit Jet would probably have if he didn’t buckle himself up as well, quickly fastened the seat belt.
“Hey, uh I know you’re a good driver and all,” Ghoul started making Jet glance back to him from the rear view mirror, “but, you haven't had that patch for long, you sure you’re able to drive?”
Jet gave him an unreadable look and broke eye contact by looking straight ahead.
“Na, it’ll be fine. I’ve had it long enough, besides you and Doc are the best shots and if we run into trouble I want you two shooting, not driving. And Phoenix,” Jet turned to look at the kid in the passenger seat, “I need you as lookout and to shoot.”
Ghoul didn’t really have a good reason to continue the debate, still despite his trust in Jet, he wasn’t too keen on letting a half blind man drive. Especially since he’d been that way for barely a week.
Before Ghoul could stop himself his mouth was moving without his mind’s permission. As Party always called it, digging himself into a deeper hole.
“Well, I don’t think you’d be able to shoot now if you tried. Ya know, with depth perception and all.” Then, because his mouth hated him, “ we should have just brought Kobra, he’d be more useful in this whole situation.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment. In the meantime, Ghoul’s mind finally caught up with his mouth and Destroya he was a dick.
Thankfully, Jet had the patience of a fucking saint. Years of dealing with Ghoul and Party’s mood swings and bitchy attitudes made sure he knew that the younger man wasn’t really upset with him. No, Ghoul was frustrated and worn out and he just needed a rant of sorts. Jet was perfectly fine with that, he knew deep down that Ghoul was just worried for Party, and all of them really, and was talking out of his ass.
So, without answering, Jet gave Doc a knowing look and began to drive. The air was still tense, and Jet knew Ghoul was likely beating himself up over what he’d said.
This proved true moments later as the black haired ‘joy broke the silence yet again.
“Jet, I didn’t mean that. I- I just-”
Even though seeing him flail was kind of entertaining, Jet quickly interrupted him, making eye contact briefly again in the rear view mirror.
“You didn’t mean it. It’s fine Ghoul, honestly. We’re all just stressed and exhausted, once this is over I don’t know about you but I’m gonna sleep for a week.”
Jet was rewarded with a small chuckle from Ghoul and a smile from Doc, so ,all things considered, he was doing all right.
By this time, they had followed the tracts in the sand to Guano and they did in fact turn southward before disappearing. Party had went South, there wasn’t much that way besides old towns and rundown buildings so he’d hopefully be easy to find.
“Looks like he went that way,” Phoenix spoke quietly, his arm pointing in direction.
Jet nodded and quickly turned onto the asphalt, immediately gunning it. Ghoul and Doc, used to this kind of driving were not phased by their rough interaction with the back of their seats. Phoenix however, grunted as his head hit the head rest behind him forcefully.
A small part of Ghoul was amused.
________________________________________
Back inside the bunker, Pony was checking Kobra’s bandages. The bleached blond man sat on the couch, facing the wall with his back to Pony. Their brows were knit with concentration as they gently removed the, now stained, bandages. Pony must have sighed involuntarily because Kobra quickly assured them that he was, in fact, fine and that it didn’t hurt. Not really anyway.
“Ha! Yeah right Kobra. You’ve torn it in some places, and its started to bleed a little so we’re gonna ‘av to change these bandages.”
Kobra didn’t respond, so Pony kept working quietly. They made sure to clean all of the parts that were open again, though it made Kobra visibly wince.
“Sorry,” Pony muttered as they dabbed some more alcohol on Kobra’s back.
“ ‘s fine. Just hate being side lined is all.”
That Pony could understand, it was Kobra’s brother after all that was hurt and missing. Pony didn’t know what they’d do if the roles were reversed. They’d probably go after Party though, that much Pony knew for certain. That’s why they were so surprised when Kobra agreed to stay behind. It didn’t make sense. Pony had seen Kobra go to the ends of the world to protect his brother over the years, why now of all times would he stay put?
Maybe it was Phoenix, Pony thought absently as they began to wrap the fresh bandages around Kobra’s middle. The light bleeding had mostly stopped so Pony was glad that that worry was out of mind.
Maybe it was because Kobra felt worse than he was letting on. There wasn’t any internal damage like Party had suffered, but the laser burn covered a lot of area and had caused Kobra to have a fever for two days. Despite that being typical with a laser burn, it didn’t mean that the experience was pleasant.
Nevertheless, once Pony had finished and told Kobra to lie down and rest for a bit the most shocking thing happened. Kobra actually listened. No sarcastic remark, no eye roll. Nothing.
At that moment, as Pony made their way into the kitchen area to clean up their supplies, a car engine’s rumble made them stop mid way through.
Were they back that soon?
A loud knock echoed moments later at the entrance, then a pause for 3 seconds, and four more knocks in quick succession.
Not Doc then, his knock was different.
Pony rolled towards the door and opened it, knowing exactly who was behind the door, greeting him with a smile.
“Ah Pony my dude!” the brunet said, crushing them in a hug.
“How are you? It’s been forever since I’ve seen you King! You must be who Doc called right?” Pony asked as they pulled apart.
“Yep,” King said, bouncing a little as he spoke. Damn his never ending energy. Pony liked the kid,but he was damn near exhausting to talk to for any extended period of time. It was a miracle Queenie could handle him. Speaking of, she stood behind King with a similar grin plastered on her face.
“Pony, darlin’, how many times have I gotta tell ya? Kinky’s the first name.” King said, gripping Pony in a hug again.
“ And how many times do I have to tell you I’m never gonna call you that.”
_______________________________________
It was hours before they finally found a sign of the Trans- AM. One thing for certain was that Party was flooring it, Jet was pushing 80 and yet when the old car came into view it was dark.
On top of the speeding, which Jet made sure to make a mental note to lecture Party about when this was all over, they had much more important problems.
Problems such as a circle of BLI-ND vans surrounding said Trans-Am. Jet quickly turned off the headlights but kept driving towards them.
No heads turned their way as they quietly stopped about a mile away and began walking. Each had their gun ready while Doc stayed in the car, now in the driver’s seat. Just cause he was stuck in that chair didn’t mean he couldn't be a getaway driver.
With each muffled step on the asphalt Jet, Phoenix, and Ghoul began to hear snips of conversation. Something about a deal, and as they got closer, they were able to see Grace. She looked a little worse for wear, causing Jet and Ghoul to tighten their grips on the guns. Thankfully though, it looked like whoever was there was letting her go. They could see Party now, red hair vibrantly standing out from all of the white and black.
Next though, as they all crouched behind the nearest van, Korse came into view.
He was smiling smugly and speaking loudly, “Free the brat.”
Grace was freed and roughly pushed to the ground, Party was then pushed against the van. It was the final straw for Ghoul, he jumped out from behind the van and fire directly at Korse.
Grace smartly kept her head down and crawled towards where Phoenix was ushering her behind the van. Jet supplied cover fire, though Ghoul was right, he couldn’t aim for shit.

Chapter Text

Cursing under his breath, Jet stepped out from behind the van in the hopes that the closer distance would make shooting easier.
At that time, Ghoul finally made his way to where Party was. The redhead had knelt down by the van after Ghoul shot the Dracs that were holding him. His eyes were shut when Ghoul bent down beside him and for a moment Ghoul thought Party had passed out. There was blood visible on the front of his filthy shirt and his skin had a sheen of sweat. Thankfully though, Party’s eyes opened and met with Ghoul’s as the younger got lost in the hazel and green that gazed triedly up at him. He couldn’t help it, Ghoul should have been pissed, he had every right to be. But in that moment, with each of them so lost in each other it didn’t matter. Ghoul could visibly see the hurt that still lingered in Party’s eyes, the hurt that he had inflicted.
“Party, I never should have said those things,” he had to stop for a moment to shoot at a Drac that had gotten a little too close for comfort, “You mean the world to me, and I never meant anything I said back there. I’m just so sick of us getting the short end of the stick, of the people I car- the people I love, getting hurt. And I know that excuses are useless but I-”
Party cut him off by shoving his lips against his. It was hard and rough, full of teeth but it perfectly conveyed every word, every emotion that the couple felt. All of those words that are hard to say, hard to even form into sentences, they were all in that kiss. Even though it lasted for a couple of seconds, Ghoul knew he was forgiven.
As they broke away, Ghoul barely heard Party whisper, “I love you Frankie.”
All he could manage, as his tongue rushed to answer, he needed to let Party know just how much he meant to him. There were no words that could properly convey how Ghoul felt, but he had to try. Had to let Party feel the love he felt.
“Gerard, you are the love of my life,” Ghoul whispered as he yet again forgot the fight around them for a moment and leaned in to capture Party’s lips again like his life depended on it.
Of course though, their good luck never lasted for long. A whirring sound, accompanied by the cold press of a gun against Party’s head pulled them from the moment.
Ghoul looked up and saw the Drac that had the raygun held so close to Party’s head. Anger and rage fueled through Ghoul, he jumped from where he’d sat in the sand and aimed his gun.
“Back off,” Ghoul gritted through his teeth, and the Drac almost seemed to back off. That was before the voice belonging to the Exterminator boomed out.
“What are you going to do little Ghoul? All my man has to do is pull that trigger and Gerard’s brains will be fried. What do you possibly think you can accomplish? He willining gave himself up,” Korse continued as he saw the hopelessness of the situation flare across Ghoul’s face.
“His life for the brat’s. Rather poetic isn’t it?”
Glancing around, Ghoul couldn’t see where the other’s were. He prayed to any gods listening that they were alright.
More vans suddenly pulled in, and about 30 more Dracs rushed out, guns all pointing at Party and Ghoul.
“If you were looking for your friends, they left. Ran off without you I’m afraid.” Korse spoke with mock sympathy and it made Ghoul’s insides burn. He may be a little slow, but even he knew that they wouldn’t leave them behind.
Unless of course, they decided to get Grace out. It made sense and Ghoul hated the thought with every ounce of his being. But it made sense. Grace had been through hell and she did not belong in a fire fight.
A quick glance to Party showed he had a similar thought process.
Damn it all.
Something from the corner of his eye caught Ghoul’s attention. He again prayed, this time that Party would understand.
Ghoul steadied his hand, brining it from the Drac to Korse.
“ And what exactly do you think aiming that thing at me will accomplish? You shoot me, my men kill your lover. You cannot win.”
Still Ghoul didn’t move his aim, if they timed this right, no he shouldn’t think about it. Just trust them.
A laser blast whizzed past his face, so close Ghoul could feel the singe of it on the exposed parts of his face. A couple bandages fell, cut through by the heat.
But, the shot was true, the Drac with the gun on Party fell dead instantly, a burning hole in it’s mask.
Before anyone could breathe, Ghoul fired at Korse and all at once lazors were filling the air. Ghoul could tell he’d hit the Exterminator but he didn’t know if he’d killed him.
Didn’t matter, he needed to get Party and get the fuck out of dodge.
Thankfully, said man was where he was moments before. Though that was the extent of the good news. The leader was now completely unconscious, head slouched to the side and one knee bent as he leaned against the van.
Fuck.
Ghoul glanced up to see if any of the Dracs were near, thankfully Jet and Phoenix were covering them relatively well and he could see a possible clear path for their escape. But they had to move now.
Ghoul reached down and, as gently as the situation could provide, lifted the man up and over his shoulder, careful to not agitate the wound any further. He could feel the heat coming off of Party now that they were touching and it made pangs of fear shoot down his spine.
They needed to get out, now.
Taking a deep breath, and checking the charge on his gun, Ghoul began to run for it. It was difficult, considering the man he had over his shoulder and the Dracs all firing at him.
Somehow, he managed to make it to Doc’s van. He still hadn’t been able to see Jet or Phoenix and they weren’t already in the van when he slid the door open and laid Party across the second row of seats,just behind Doc.
“How is he Ghoul?” Doc said, turning a little to face the two.
“He’s burning the fuck up and unconscious so how do you think?” Ghoul snapped as he pulled Party’s jacket off of him to try and let some of the night time air cool his temperature.
“You seen the others?” Ghoul questioned after a moment.
“No, last I saw they were behind that van on the far right. But I lost visual a few minutes ago. I can’t tell who’s who in this mess,” Doc admitted.
“Watch him, and get the van running. Once I get them out we’ll need to leave immediately.”
Before Doc could answer, Ghoul was out of the van and slamming the door shut once again. A moment later he was gone into the night again. Doc cursed and pulled the lever that allowed him to spin his seat around and face the back.
Bending over a little, he used the back of his hand to feel Poison’s forehead. Before his calased hand even touch the kid’s skin however, he could feel the heat radiating off of Poison. He’d overdone it, just like Doc had worried the idiot would, and now he had to get the temperature down fast. But, of course as is their luck, they’re in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere with no water or medicine in sight.
Doc sighed and began searching for a stray water bottle, or canteen. Anything with water in it really. Poison was going to become dehydrated quickly if the fever wasn’t brought down soon.
“Damn it son, you need to learn how to take it easy once in a while.”
_________________

Back out in the desert, Ghoul wished he’d grabbed his mask when he’d left. The sand that’d been upturned in the fight was smothering, it also didn’t help him stay hidden as he attempted to find the rest of his crew. Occasionally a stray beam would pass by his head, though he paid no mind to them. His crew, no scratch that, his family was in trouble and Ghoul planned on dying himself before he let any one of them get hurt.
He stopped for a moment, shocked. He meant Phoenix too, he truly did not want that kid to be hurt. It was odd, Ghoul thought as he kept weaving around the vans and dead Dracs. He was pissed at the kid, he knew that for certain, but some part of him felt fond of Phoenix.
A yell caught Ghoul’s attention. One that he most definitely recognized as Jet Star’s. Turning the corner of the nearest van, Ghoul was able to get a front row seat to the shoot out. Korse was half behind a van door, shooting at where Ghoul assumed his friends were. He couldn’t see them, but all of Korse and the Drac’s fire was aimed there. Surprisingly, it seemed that the BLI-ND oprative and his minions hadn’t caught sight of Ghoul yet. How he’d managed that, Ghoul hadn’t the slightest, but forgetting about the whys he slowly began to creep along the line of vans.
As he made his way to where the others must be hiding, he found them in great condition, all things considered. Jet had lost his eyepatch sometime in the fight and Phoenix was trying to shoot left handed as his right hand blead heavily in his lap.
All in all, it could have been much worse. The thing that made it even better was Missile Kid. She sat in between the two ‘joys with a, presumably, stolen Drac’s raygun in her hand. Upon seeing Ghoul round the corner, Missile’s face went from fear, to determined, and finally to teary eyed as she realized who was crouching out from the shadows.
It wasn’t a hero entrance like in the old movies, but somehow, even though he was crouching awkwardly, the reaction from his crew was elated.
“Holy fuck,” Jet loudly whispered as he fired another shot over the hood of the van when there was a break in the stream of laser beams from BLI-ND, “it's good to see you alive. Where’s Party? Wasn’t he with you?”
Phoenix began to take over Jet’s spot as the curly haired man began replacing the battery cartridge in his raygun.
“He’s alright, Party’s with Doc. We need to get back to the van, we can get out of here,” Ghoul pleaded, pointing back the direction Doc’s van was.
“Ah! Damn it!,” Phoenix cried as he threw his now melted raygun down into the sand. His left hand was now burned worse than his right and he clutched it tight against his chest.
Ghoul looked down to the still smoking ray gun in the sand, looked as if one of the Dracs had hit the gun itself causing the battery to melt.
“Phoenix, you all right?” Ghoul asked, grabbing his bandana from his back pocket and using it to pick up the gun. Gingerly he handed it over to PHoenix who grabbed it with his right hand, but made no move to either holster it nor switch hands.
None of the Killjoys had noticed the lack of laser beams being fired at their heads until it was too late.
All at once, the three men realized this and looked up just in time to see Korse and his men surrounding them. There were only two Dracs left it seemed, one stood on each side of the Exterminator. Their guns were all pointed at the Killjoys, and with Phoenix not likely to shoot well with his injured hand, Ghoul realized they were screwed. He looked down at Missile Kid, her dirty face still held determination in her eyes, but he knew she was exhausted. No child should have to be in a firefight, and if Ghoul could help it, she never will again.
He knew what he had to do now. It was calming almost, knowing that she, and everyone else would be alright. They would be safe, the only thing Ghoul had to do was do this one little thing.
“Ghoul, I know that look. Don’t you fucking dare,” Jet whispered hoarsely. Korse was just far enough away that he likely couldn’t hear what they were talking about. Hopefully he just assumed they were discussing surrendering.
Well he wasn’t entirely wrong if he was.
“No, look, Ghoul that won’t work. Party needs you, we need you. I’ve got a plan, it can work but I can’t have you trying to sacrifice yourself,” Jet added, then looked over to Phoenix.
Missile stood so close that she and Phoenix were nearly touching, both had their guns aimed at the Exterminator and Dracs.
“What’s the plan then,” Phoenix asked without taking his eyes off of his targets.
Speaking of which, at that moment Korse got sick of their conversation and motioned for his men to follow him as he walked closer to the four Killjoys.
“Now boys, and little brat,” Korse added with a snarl, “ I think that’s enough talking for one evening. Don’t ya think? We’ve been here so long and we’re all exhausted. So why don’t you just lay down your guns and come quietly. Spare yourselves any more pain.”
With the Exterminator so close, Ghoul knew that there was no way that they would be able to hear Jet’s plan now. His first plan began to resurface in his mind, all he’d have to do it pull the trigger. Ghoul’s gun was already aimed at the Exterminator so as soon as he shot, all fire would be on him. His friends would be able to get away in the meantime.
“Ghoul, do you by any chance have a pack of smokes?”
Albeit, it took Ghoul a few precious seconds to remember their old code. They’d sense updated it with better ideas and things that would less likely end in their inevitable death. But when it did finally click, Ghoul was ready in an instant.
“Yeah I think I do,” he said, while moving his coat out of the way to act as if he was grabbing said cigarettes.
While the attention was all on Ghoul, Jet let out the first shot while simultaneously yelling for Phoenix to take Missle to the van.
It was chaos from then on. If Ghoul’d though it had been messy before, he was horribly wrong. The only good thing was that Phoenix didn’t yell, only nodded, picked Missile up and threw her over his shoulder. The next second he was gone, running into the pitch black, sand-filled desert air.
To safety.
_____________________________________
Phoenix didn’t look back, didn’t think, as he ran as fast as he could towards the direction Ghoul had pointed earlier. Praying to a goddess he didn’t believe in that it was still there and that Doc and Party hadn’t given up and left.
Missile was strangely quiet as they moved towards the van. She hadn’t protested to leaving her family, nor had she so much as moved since Phoenix had started running.
“Missile? You alright back there kid?”
All Phoenix got was a soft hum in reply, it sounded heart breaking as he realized she was crying.
“It’s gonna be alright,” Phoenix kept repeating that, over and over. A part of him hoped that those four words would fix everything, would save their friends. Though the realistic part of him knew they were screwed.
Finally, the van came into view and Phoenix knocked on the door a couple of times before sliding it open.
_______________________________
Jet and Phoenix were on their knees, hands restrained behind their backs by strange cuffs. Their guns lay just out of reach, though there was no way either of them could get to them. Korse, shoulder still smoldering where Ghoul had shot him, stood over them, face beaming in triumph and sick pleasure.
“Well, two is definitely better than one. Don’t you think?,” Korse asked no one in particular.
“Suck my dick,” Ghoul spat, glaring up to the Exterminator, “Go ahead and kill me, you’ll never get the others.”
Somehow, Korse’s smirk grew more disturbed. As if he were thinking of something that gave him great pleasure.
“No, No, little Ghoul and Jet, what I have planned for the two of you is much more fun,” Korse said, getting right into Jet’s face. Of course, Jet took that moment to spit right in the Exterminator’s eyes.
Korse drew away, fuming as he rubbed the spit from his eyes with his non-injured side.
“Ha. Ha!,” he mocked, “You’re going to regret that,” Korse said, singsonging the last bit.
Neither of the ‘joys felt the drugs entering their system until it was too late. As both of their worlds went dark, the last thing they saw was Korse’s face.

Chapter Text

As Phoenix, out of breath and exhausted, slammed the doors behind him two sets of eyes questioned him. He gently set Missile Kid down on the seat a row behind Party, who was the owner of one of the eyes staring at him. Though, his honey eyes were noticeably dull and glassy, even though the lights were turned on inside of Doc’s van.
Speaking of the doctor himself, he too glared at Phoenix, expression unreadable as the strawberry blond boy sat down beside Missile.
Doc, was the the first to speak, though his voice was weaker than usual. It didn’t hold its normal tone, it was nearing softly spoken.
“The others?,” Doc questioned from his position in the driver’s seat, still turned to face the three in the back.
“I-, they - it all just-,” Phoenix stuttered, unable to form the sentence. Hot tears ran down his face; he angrily wiped them off. Killjoys didn’t cry. Ever.
He made to start again, trying to form the sentence in his head before he began speaking. Thankfully, or perhaps even worse than his own words, recognition passed over Doc’s features.
“They used the “ smokes?” bit,” Missile supplied helpfully. Doc nodded his head quickly and turned the seat back around and they were turned and barreling down Guano before Phoenix was able to speak.
He hadn’t the slightest as to what “smokes” meant exactly but Doc had taken it as a definite answer so what ever it was, everyone but Phoenix seemed to know.
Party, though his fever and exhaustion was still being uncharacteristically quiet. A quick glance towards the redhead showed Phoenix that he was, in fact, still awake. Though, his entire attention was directed towards Missile. She was sleeping now, curled up tight against Phoenix’s leg. He couldn’t help the smile it brought to his face, despite everything they had saved her. Phoenix only wished that it hadn’t come at the cost of Jet Star and Ghoul’s lives.
“Thank you,” Phoenix looked up, shocked. Party Poison had just thanked him, after he’d let two of the four Killjoys be taken, he tried not to think that they’d been killed. Yet, here he sat, both hands badly burned, bone tired, and with a sleeping Missile Kid beside him while Party thanked him.
Phoenix didn’t understand why. He must have spoken some part of that part allowed, or Party just was really good at reading people because he felt the need to continue.
“You saved her, Ghoul ‘n Jet,” Party paused for a moment as he coughed harshly into his elbow, then continued, “ It’s an old code of ours, means ‘get the important thing out of the danger as the others create a distraction.’ It’s honestly a shitty plan, we have newer code words ‘n stuff. Must’ve been bad if they had to resort to that.”
Party made no move to say more, he simply flashed a small smile towards Phoenix. Though Phoenix was aware of how it didn’t seem to meet the leader’s eyes.
“All right, that's enough jabberin’ back there. All of ya, get some sleep.”
For once they all took Doc’s advice and fell asleep.
_______________________________________
Some time later, Grace’s eyes blinked open blearily. She couldn’t make out her surroundings for a moment and panic began to set in. Though after a frantic look around, she found herself still in Doctor Death Defying van. Grace felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up to see the Doc himself glancing at her through the rear view mirror. Worry shone in his eyes, and his brows were knit together as if he were thinking hard. He looked like shit, if Grace was honest with herself, and to save him any additional worry, she flashed a small smile to the man.
She couldn’t see his face but his eyes creased and brightened, telling her he at least
believed she was ok.
The thing was though,Grace wasn’t sure if she was ok. After being taken, they hadn’t beaten or starved her like she’d prepared herself for on the long ride there. She’d been cuffed and blindfolded, but not hurt. Oddly enough, BLI-ND was almost kind to her. Not in the sense that she felt safe, but the eire kind of hospitality; where she feared the food would be poisoned and the beatings were soon to begin.
Grace never found out about the food thing, she’d refused to even touch a bite of it. They’d brought her all sorts of meats and sweet things, but she let all of them sit untouched. In the week(s?) she’d been in their “care” Grace had essentially starved. She did have water, though only once or twice when it was forced into her because she had collapsed from dehydration. She was fairly sure though, no actual food had been eaten. As much satisfaction as it gave her that they hadn’t been able to break her, Grace also felt miserable. For one, she was quite literally starving. The hunger pains were returning now that the adrenaline had worn off, and she wasn’t sure that she could even lift her head from Phoenix’s shoulder.
Second, they’d tried to keep her alive rather than kill or torture her for information. Or even worse, for pleasure. Even in the state she was in now, Grace knew that that was bad. Whatever BLI-ND had planned for her, it was not going to be good.

Phoenix stirring lifted Grace from her thoughts. She felt his breathing become slightly uneven as he woke and turned slightly to look at her.
“Hey, motorbaby. How’re ya feeling?” he asked, lifting away and letting her lay down better with her head on his lap and her feet stretched out onto the rest of the seat.
All she could manage was a small whimper, her head ached, as did her whole body basically. Grace longed to drift back into unconsciousness, at least there she didn’t hurt.
At her answer however, Phoenix took the back of his hand and placed it on her forehead.
“Shit kid, you’re warm. Are you hurt?” he asked, panic bleeding into his words.
“Jus’ hungry,” she managed. Speaking hurt her throat, though and Grace doubted she’d be able to say anything more.
Nearly starving to death really fucking sucked she decided.
“Did they not feed you? Those goddamn assholes; I’m gonna fuckin’ kill every single one of those fuckers,” then, the anger faded slightly from Phoenix and he glanced down to Grace and continued, “ how long has it been motorbaby?”
She was too tired to answer, she’d been awake too long and honestly, Grace felt like she could sleep for eternity. Though, sensing Phoenix’s anger and worry she managed to shrug her shoulders. She honestly did not know how long she’d been gone.
___________________________________________________________________
“MOTHER- fuck, ok,” then quieter Phoenix asked Doc if he had any food or water in the van.
Miraculously, Doc pointed to the water still sitting beside Party’s sleeping form, hidden in the shadows of the van.
Phoenix thanked him an quickly grabbed the water and nudged Grace a little. Her eyes, which had been fluttering dangerously before, had fallen shut. He didn’t want her to go a second longer without at least some water in her system.
It took another nudge, but eventually Grace’s eyes slowly blinked open. She glanced around, confused again, through her eyes landed on Phoenix after only a moment.
“‘Ere, little one. You need it, but just drink slowly,” he said, lifting her head up to let her drink from the container.
Once she was done, Phoenix closed the container and let Grace snuggle closer. How he had not managed to tell how malnourished she was bothered him. Even if he blamed it on the heat of the moment and the firefight, looking at her now he could see the dark bags under her eyes and all of the other tale tell signs she was not ok.
Phoenix knew though, that she was going to be ok. She was with him and Party; she was safe. BLI-ND would have to go through him, personally, to even look at her again.

Chapter Text

So, this is not a new chapter but don’t worry I’m not discontinuing this work or anything. Whenever I see a chapter like this my mind always go to that so I wanted to make sure no one else thought that.
Anyway, I am not updating a chapter this week because my college classes have started back up again. This is my last year at this particular college so I need to focus more heavily on my work. That’s not to say I am never gonna update, but the updates will become biweekly or in some cases once a month depending on my stress level at the time.
Thanks for, hopefully, your understanding and I will see you next week!

Chapter Text

Sometime later after Phoenix had fallen back asleep he was woken up by the van doors being pulled open. He jumped, making to pull his ray gun on whoever the attacker was.
“Woah kid, it’s ‘jus me,” spoke a friendly voice whose arm was extended towards Phoenix. It took a few moments for Phoenix to realize that the arm belonged to Show Pony and that they were offering to help him out of the van.
With a little help, and quite a bit of discomfort, Phoenix was out of the cool van and back in the scorching desert. He held his right hand close to his chest, burning pain was shooting up his palm all the way to his forearm. Like a genius, he’d taken Pony’s extended hand and rubbed the still fresh burn.
“Shit, kid you’ve gone a bit pale. You shiny?”, asked Pony as their eyes found the cradled hand.
Phoenix simply nodded. He was fine, it was Missile Kid he was more worried about. He glanced back into the van but did not see the girl asleep on the seat like he’d last remembered. She wasn’t in the van at all; no one was. Had he hallucinated saving her? Did he fuck up again?
Thankfully, Pony seemed to understand his train of thought and pointed at the old building behind him. It was Doc’s base, Phoenix realized as he walked around the van where it was parked in front of the door. Phoenix was able to properly look at it now, but he paid little attention to it. The only thing he took in was the fact that it looked like an old convenience store in the sense that it was small and shaped like an ‘L’. Other than that, it was clear it was a broadcasting station. He didn’t pay any mind to the huge antennes that rose up from nearly every inch of the roof. They were all different shapes, sizes, and heights was likely the reason Doc was able to reach so many people with his broadcasts.
Now, you would think, with all of those antennas and being too close to Guano that the station was a well known location. Somehow, the actual location of this base was not well known. In fact, only a handful of people knew where Doc was based.
There were no windows around the outside and the building looked abandoned at a glance. It was an effective deterrent for any Killjoys who happened to pass through. Mostly.
It might not have looked it, but Doc’s base was a safe haven at that moment. Phoenix couldn’t have asked for a safer place to… well he wasn’t exactly sure what they were going to do. Were they gonna try and rescue Ghoul and Jet? He was fairly certain that the remaining of the Four weren’t going to simply forget about their crew members. Though the prospect of infiltrating BLI-ND or Battery City was a daunting one.
A guiding hand was on his shoulder and Phoenix was being ushered out of the sun and into the cool base. Despite being in the sun only for a few minutes, the controlled temperature was absolute bliss.
He didn’t let himself enjoy the cool air too much, knowing that there were much more important things he should be doing.
Like making sure Missile Kid and Party were alright.
“Pony?”, he asked as the rollerblade- clad Killjoy led him to the living room.
The other simply turned from where they were, halfway out of the door and looked at Phoenix.
“Are they okay?”, he said. Praying that Pony would tell him that they were perfectly fine and in the other room singing or something. He’d take weird over a difficult truth any day.
“Yeah they’re gonna be alright. Doc’s already got them back there in the bed rooms. Missile is awake, but Party is still out of it.” they said, giving Phoenix a small smile.
Just then, a man walked up behind where Pony was. Since they were still stood in the doorway, Phoenix was unable to tell who they were. All he could make out was the rough outline of the Killjoy’s face as it was hidden in the shadows. He could see the guy’s slightly disheveled hair, styled where his bands fell over his long forehead. Phoenix could see more as Pony moved aside and the man walked fully into the room.
“Ah, King, this is Phoenix Soul. He’s a friend of the Four.” Pony explained quickly and began turning to leave once more. He stopped half way and whipped around quickly as if realizing that he was forgetting something.
“King, can you and Phoenix stay here while we get everything sorted?”, they added as a last thought and were out of the room before either could answer.
Phoenix couldn’t help but laugh a little and soon the Killjoy Pony said was King began laughing alongside him.
It faded soon after, until both were sitting there silent. It was King who broke the silence, his energy instantly becoming apparent as the words left his mouth, lightning fast.
“So!,” the sudden conversation made Phoenix jump a little, nerves still wide open from the fight.
“You know the Four too?” King asked, his hand resting on his hip as he spoke. He looked to be a bit younger than Phoenix himself, though it was obvious he was a rebel. His faded leather jacket and bright pink t-shirt underneath were caked in dust and sand. King’s dark jeans were also old and worn down from life in the sand, though the same could not be said for his smile. It was all teeth and the sher sight of it had Phoenix nearly backing up.
The last person he’d talked to with this kind of energy was - no, he was not going to think of him.
Quickly, to make sure it hadn’t seemed like he’d been ignoring King, Phoenix answered.
“Yeah, I’ve known them for a little while. Only a month or so though.”
“Ah shiny,” King said, either not noticing or choosing to ignore Phoenix’s slow reply.
“I’ve known ‘em for ‘bout 4 years now. They’re good people, good guys to be friends with too.” King said, leaving Phoenix unsure of how to answer him.
Thankfully, King kept talking.
“ Yeah, this one time we fought off a whole fucking squad of Dracs. See they’d ganged up on us while we were fillin’ up the gas and thought we’d be an easy target. Well, let me tell you they weren’t feeling anything the next morning. We ghosted every one of ‘em. Man, you should’ve seen Pretty Odd. He was the best fucking shot in the Zones, just don’t tell Kobra, he’d have my ass for that.” He had begun waving his arms around as he spoke, eyes scrunched up as he remembered and let out a small chuckle at the end. He was clearly caught up in remembering, so only Phoenix had noticed Kobra Kid standing in the doorway.
“That so King?” Kobra said, arms crossed over his chest. The two stared at each other for a long moment. To Phoenix, it seemed like someone was going to snap and lash out. He kept waiting, time had slowed down as he waited for the fighting and yelling to begin. He’d been on Kobra’s bad side so Phoenix did not want to interfere. SLowly the bleached- blond Killjoy walked fully into the room. He was staring daggers at King.

Amazingly, the sound that startled Phoenix was not yelling or the sounds of fists hitting faces. Nope, it was laughter. Blinking slowly to try and understand what exactly was so funny, Phoenix could only stare as Kobra nearly doubled over and King was halfway to the floor. Both men laughing their asses off at a joke Phoenix just didn’t get.
“What is so funny?” he questioned once the laughter tapered off slightly.
King, who was now kneeling on the ground while wiping the tears from his eyes looked up at Phoenix. Well, it barely counted as looking up since the kid was so freaking tall. Even kneeling his head was at Phoenix’s chin.
“Its an old joke. Kobes and Odd always bickered ‘bout who was the best shot,” King explained.
Just then, another person entered the room causing all three heads to turn simultaneously. The Killjoy was a tall, slender woman who had her hands on her hips. Her features were long and beautiful and her dark hair was pulled back in an elaborate braide that cascaded down over her right shoulder.
Phoenix, despite his preferance for men, still found her extremely beautiful. She had an aura about her that told she was not a damsel.
“King, Kobra. Seriously guys? We’re in a very unique situation and you two goofing off is going to have to be saved for later.” She said matter of factly, leaving no room for objection.
Then, the woman turned to Phoenix and her expression softened.
“Hey, I’m Queenie. You must be Phoenix Soul right? Doctor Death has told me a little about you,” she said kindly, “Your hands are hurt aren’t they? Come with me, I think Doc’s got some burn cream somewhere around here.”
Phoenix found himself nodding and following Queenie out into the hallway. Burn cream really sounds nice right about then.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Later that evening all of the Killjoys, except for Party and Grace, were all gathered in Doc’s living room.
“Alright,” Doc’s voice boomed, quieting the chatter that had been taking place, “So, all of ya know that Jet Star and Fun Ghoul have been taken by Exterminator Korse.”
Kobra’s head fell, knowing that if he had been there things might have been different. He couldn’t keep himself from wondering what might have happened if he had gone.
“Before anyone starts any of that self pity shit, stop it. Now is not the time. If we act fast, we may be able to get them back before anything happens.”
Nodding heads filled the room as the Killjoys, all sitting on a couch or chair, at least attempted to do as Doc was asking.
Even without looking at Phoenix, Kobra could tell that he felt guilty. He had been there, and still had been unable to stop the others from getting taken. Doc was talking again and Kobra realized he’d missed some of what he was saying.
“- and Missile are at this moment, a top priority. We simply, even with King and Queenie, do not have the manpower to infiltrate BLI-ND and get them back. So, we need to focus on what we can do. And that is getting back to full strength. Once Poison is recovered, as are Kobra and Phoenix, then we will stand a much greater chance. Does everyone agree?”
Queenie was the first to nod, “ I agree, it’s smarter to wait than to act now.”
Then King nodded as well, but made no move to speak.
“Phoenix was next, “Yeah, I’m with you. We need to be more prepared this time. Maybe with more time, and an actual plan, we could pull this off.”
“You know Phoenix,” Kobra found himself speaking, “that none of this is your fault. I- I am sorry for the way I treated you. You had no way of knowing where Party was going, and so you couldn’t have called BLI-ND. At the bar, you saved us. And how did we thank you? By blaming you and calling you a spy.”
Kobra looked into Phoenix’s eyes, both men fighting back the water in their eyes.
He could still see the hurt, the pain that was present in Phoenix. It was Kobra’s fault.
“ If you’ll let us, I want to officially apologize for me and the other for what we said. You have won my trust, but it should have been there in the first place.”
Kobra couldn’t bring himself to keep looking at the other man, too afraid to see anger for what he’d done across his face.
“I forgive you. I- I probably would have thought the same if positions were reversed.”
Kobra couldn’t help but gasp at those words, the understanding tone that shook through him.
“We can make up, have a heart to heart if you really want, later. But right now we need to make a plan.” Phoenix said, his fingers playing with the thicker bandages on his right hand.
King, seeming to randomly remember something, shot his head up from where it was, looking at his hands.
“Yo, Doc, where’s Pony at? Shoudn’t they be part of this conversation too?”, he asked.
“No, Pony and I are have already discussed these issues. They and I plan to stay here, and protect Missile Kid while also proving radio cover for you guys once we come up with a solid plan.”
“You’d watch Missile for us?”, asked Kobra.
“Of course, she’s family like the rest of ya. ‘Sides, I don’t think you guys want her alone, or in the middle of the action again for quite a while. Am I right?”
“Absolutely, I doubt she could be in safer hands.”, Kobra said laughing a little.

Chapter Text

All he could hear was a soft rumbling, everything else was darkness. He wasn’t sure if it was dark outside, or if his eyes were still closed. Everything felt… soupy. He strained, trying to raise his head but it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. At the same time though, he felt light, as if he were floating. Struggling, he tried to open his eyes. Maybe then he’d be able to tell if it were day or night and why he felt like a truck had hit him.
Thoughts were difficult, each one taking long moments and hard concentration to form. Eventually, he was able to tell that the rumbling meant he was in a vehicle of some sort. He could feel his hands, the man realized belatedly. They felt stiff and sore, especially around his wrists. Wait… his hands were bound behind his back, up against whatever seat he was in. Warning bells began to ring in his head as pieces of memories began to surface as well. Party had ran, there was a clap, Grace was safe; that’s all he could remember. Everything else moved too fast or felt shrouded in the soup that was his brain at the moment. Had they drugged him?
The fuckers probably had.
Instincts told him not to try and move any more. It would be best if he remained “unconscious”. That is, if you could call the state he was in conscious.
For a long while he sat there, trying to remember what exactly had happened. Unfortunately no more pieces came forward. The background noise of the vehicle he was in provided little help. He could tell that there were others in it from the occasional shuffling sound and of course the fact that it was still running.
He was also able to remember that Fun Ghoul had been beside him when they were fighting, so he hoped that he was one of the others in the vehicle. He didn’t allow himself to think of the possibility that Ghoul had been ghosted. He felt that if that had... happened, then he would at least remember it.
Deciding to do a quick check of his own health, Jet found that he was uninjured. Aside from maybe a couple of bruises and the lingering effects of whatever drug they’d given him, he was unharmed. Jet was also fairly certain that his eye patch was still on, though that didn’t exactly do anything to help his current situation.
He sat there until all sense of time began to bleed together. Jet was unable to drift off again, and he was thankful that the effects of the drug began to fade slowly as time went by. This meant that sometime during the trip, Jet had no idea if it was day or night, a soft groan came from his left side and he was able to catch it. Someone shifted and brushed against his leg slightly.
Taking this as a good of a time as any to “wake up”, Jet too groaned quietly and moved his head to the right. He didn’t have to fake fighting to open his eyes. They felt glued shut, but finally Jet was able to pry them apart. Or well, it apart, seeing as he only had one eye he could open.
That thought only lasted a moment before he began to take in his surroundings. Everything was slightly blurry, but Jet was able to tell there was one Drac sitting deathly still directly in front of him. Beside them, there were two other Killjoys who he did not know. Both were awake and looking curiously at him. They did not look in too bad a shape, and there was no blood or burn marks on their clothing. One of them had curly, long hair like he did and the other had visible tattoos poking out of nearly every piece of clothing he wore. He tried to meet their eyes, but the blurriness of his vision made it difficult to focus on where their eyes were.
Whoever was to his left shifted again, causing Jet to nearly headbutt Ghoul as he turned his head. The younger Killjoy was sitting nearly on top of him, with their legs touching and barely an inch between the rest of them. Ghoul’s face was turned to face Jet and their eyes met. The other flashed a tired, if slightly dopey, grin at Jet as he blinked heavily. It seemed like Ghoul was having a harder time than he was coming out of the drug. Jet felt loads better than he had when he’d first come to, still like shit but definitely better. Ghoul on the other hand, seemed as if he had just woken up and Jet saw that he was still struggling to keep his eyes open.
Jet glanced back over to the Drac who was sitting parallel to him across the aisle. They were obviously in a Better Living van and he didn’t want to chance getting shot if he spoke.
Before he can decide whether or not to risk it and just ask Ghoul if he was alright, one of the other men in the van stopped him.
The one with the tattoos shakes his head, seemingly already aware of what Jet was going to do. The finally meet eyes and Jet can tell that the other man is silently begging him to stay quiet. Jet wants to object, to say screw it and check on his best friend, but there is something about the other ‘joy’s expression that makes him stay silent. This man, who is obviously athletic based on his well toned arms and legs, is slightly intimidating to Jet. Not that he himself isn’t that tiny by comparison, but Jet can reason that it would take something terrifying to make such a pleading, desperate expression to cross this man’s face.
By the time he’s decided to stay quiet and just see if he can spot any injuries on his best friend, Ghoul is already out of it again. His eyes are closed and his mouth is open slightly, telling Jet that he is just sleeping, not fully under the drug anymore.Though the fact that Ghoul is unconscious means the drug is still in his system and strong enough to take such an affect on him.
Upon further observation, Jet is thankful that there are no wounds visible or any signs of laser burns on the parts that are visible to him. He wonders why Ghoul is so heavily affected by whatever the Drac’s and Korse had given them.
It didn’t make any sense. Assuming they both were administered the drug at the same time, Jet was fairly certain that they both were knocked out at simultaneously. Yet, he had came to far more quickly than Ghoul. Not to mention the fact that he is seemingly fighting through it quicker as well.
All at once the van came to a stop and without a word the Drac stood and trained his gun on Jet. They motioned with their gun for the Killjoys to stand and Jet found himself struggling to make his feet cooperate.
With more effort than one would expect, he finally was able to hold himself steady. Jet worriedly glanced over to Ghoul, uncertain as to how they were going to get the unconscious man out of the van. He doubted that he would be able to support Ghoul, he still felt very weak from the effects of the drug.
Jet’s question was answered as the van came to a stop and the engine cut off. The quiet that came was erie, and he almost welcomed the slamming of the doors that came shortly after. The back doors to the van were wrenched open and two Dracs grabbed Ghoul by his underarms and hauled him up. Still completely unconscious, the two Dracs dragged him out first with Jet quick to follow.
Each step took more strength than Jet would have liked to admit. His head swam soon after they stepped into the desert sun so he trained his eyes on his feet. Watching as he took each step and focusing helped Jet to keep moving. He knew that as soon as he stopped he would not be able to start again.
When the Dracs in front of him stopped without warning, Jet barely managed to avoid slamming into them.
Confused, Jet looked up to see Exterminator Korse facing him. The man, if you could even call him that, smiled at him. Jet noticed that his shoulder had been bandaged from where he, or Ghoul, he couldn’t remember, had shot him. The arm was in a sling and Korse had his body turned slightly so that side of his body was away from the ‘joys. The, likely unconscious, fear that Korse showed gave Jet a small sense of accomplishment. Though their current situation just about smashed it, especially as Korse began to speak.
“Hello, Jet Star. So nice to see you again.”
The words sent chills down Jet’s spine. Korse’s fake smile unnerving as ever.
“Well, I hope your drive here was comfortable because,” Korse continued, now addressing the Killjoys as a whole.
“all of you are here for the rest of your lives. I don’t want you to entertain the idea that you will leave this place alive. However… if you wish your stay to be more… enjoyable, then I would suggest you to be prepared to cooperate completely. That being said, any attempt at escape or failure to comply will lead to some very… undesirable consequences.”
With that Korse turned on his heel and strode into the building in front of them. Jet hadn’t realized the other two men in the van were behind him, but he was thankful that they were. Korse was an intimidating man, one who no Killjoy wanted to face alone. His little speech had shaken Jet to the bone, but at least he was not alone in the feeling. When he turned to face the others, similar expressions lay on their faces. They had been scared too.
But, Jet had been a Killjoy for a long ass time. This wasn’t the first impossible situation he and his crew had gotten themselves into and it certainly wasn’t going to be the last. He easily masked his face of any emotions that it might have been betraying. Jet forced himself to display only his hate for BLI-ND, years of practice making it slightly easy. Though the lingering effects of the drug made it difficult to follow the Dracs in front of him when they began moving.
This time, Jet chanced a glance at something other than the ground. He was taken back by the lack of nothing. It was quite the opposite really. Buildings rose all around the group, each one’s roof touching the sky. Skyscrapers, what seemed like an infinite number of them surrounded the group. Distantly he could hear cars.
It all clicked at once.
Looking back down at the ground, Jet finally noticed that it wasn’t sand he was walking through, instead it was a well- kept sidewalk that cut through neatly trimmed grass.
Dread began to settle deep in his stomach, forming a knot that made him want to vomit. There was a reason Jet hadn’t seen grass in over a decade.
Grass, cars, skyscrapers, they all meant that Jet was in the one place he swore that he would never set foot in again.
They’d taken him right to the heart of Better Living.
Right into Battery City.

Chapter Text

Party’s eyes opened slowly. It was only after the fever and headache subsided that he even dared to try. He’d woken up once, sometime before, but it felt like he was laying on ice with a hammer going through his skull. He’d heard someone say something about a fever before he blissfully sank back into unconsciousness. Now however, Party felt better. He still felt absolutely disgusting, but he found that opening his eyes did not bring the headache back.
Blinking around blierly, Party saw Kobra sitting on a stool by the bed he was laying in. His brother hadn’t noticed Party was awake, he was too busy tinkering with something in his hands. Party looked around the room, noticing the soft blankets that covered his body and the soft glow of the sole lightbulb in the room. He could just barely make out where his brother sat, but the light was strong enough to where he could tell where he was. He was back at Doc’s place. Though Party was uncertain of what had exactly happened. All he could bring up were scattered moments.
Party tried to keep his memories of what happened at bay. What he did remember only made the dull ache in his chest worse.
He’d failed at protecting his family again.
Taking it as a good of a time as any to alert Kobra of his waking up, Party cleared his throat, causing his brother to quickly look up from whatever was in his hands.
“Holy shit! Thought I’d never get to see you awake,” Kobra’s grin was contagious and Party found himself smiling back.
He warily pushed himself up into a sitting position, surprised when little pain sparked from his actions.
“We had to keep you out of it for a while so that your body could finally heal,” Kobra said.
“How long?”
Party didn’t dare think about Jet or Ghoul, or much damage Korse could have done to them in the meantime.
“Little over a week. We all decided that starting out healthy would give a better chance of getting Ghoul and Jet out,” Kobra said with a sympathetic look. He knew how much his brother hated drugs.
Oddly, Party didn’t mention it, making Kobra a tad worried.
“ And you’re all healed up? What about Grace?” Party questioned.
“We’re both fine. She’s slept most of this week, and she’s made progress. Though it’ll be some time before she’s a hundred percent.”
Party nodded, glad to hear some good news.
“ You said there were others?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. You remember Killer King and Queenie right?”
Party nodded, fond memories of both crews fighting and partying together coming back to him. It’d been years since they’d spoken though. The death of Pretty Odd made King, understandably wish for isolation. It’d been hard on all of them, since they all were good friends.
Hearing that he and Queenie were in Doc’s base and working with them to save the others made Party relax slightly.

“ Course I remember ‘em.”
Party slowly pushed the covers off himself and scooted to the edge of the bed waiting, as if to see if Kobra would stop him. When his brother made no move to do so, Party stood. Now the younger did stand and walk over, hands out to steady the leader.
To Party’s surprise, his legs held him. He felt a little clumsy taking the first couple of steps, but quickly was able to remain upright and moving without his brother’s hand on his back.
“You shiny?”
“Yeah, actually. I feel pretty good, the others in the living room?” Party questioned, already headed for the door.
Kobra simply followed him out, remaining behind him as everyone in the room turned to look at them.
King and Phoenix were in the middle of some sort of card game; cards were scattered all over the floor where they sat. The former was sitting cross legged and leaning over his pile of cards to steal one from Phoenix. As he faced Party and Kobra, his face quickly morphed into a huge smile. King then jumped up, nearly tackling Party in a hug before Kobra put his arm out, stopping him.
King gave an apologetic smile, “Sorry dudes, jus’ got excited. Been a while since I’ve seen ya Party boy.”
“Not my name.”
“Fine, Party MAN. Happy now?”
“Not really.”
Party moved forward, enveloping the younger man in a tight hug.
Queenie and Pony, who had been talking quietly in the corner, also joined them in a hug. With so many of his friends around him, his brother had also joined, Party let himself relax for a moment. A second to not think, just feel. There were years of memories and friendship with each one of them. Party could feel all of their arms around him, protecting him. Comforting him.
He opened his eyes, feeling like something was missing
They landed on Phoenix, staring down at the floor. The kid didn’t even notice Party’s gaze, the pain he felt clouding his mind. He realized that Phoenix probably still thought that it was his fault, that Party blamed him.
“Phoenix?”
That got his attention.
“Whatcha waiting for? An invitation?”
Phoenix didn’t say anything, and for a moment Party thought he’d refuse.
Much to his surprise, the kid seemed to suddenly make a decision and he was wrapping his arms around the group in moments.
Party flashed him a small smile and closed his eyes once more allowing his friends to comfort him.

“What kinda fucking cuddle fest is goin’ on here?”
Doc said, entering the room and effectively running and enhancing the moment. Still, everyone pulled away and Party took an offered spot on the couch.
“It’s good to see you up and about again Poison. Try not to over do it again this time, or I’ll kill ya myself.”
“Yes sir.”
“Good, now since all of ya are up and about it’s time we all went over the plan.”
Kobra began first, mainly taking to Party since he’d been asleep when they’d discussed it before.
“So we’re planning on a raid. Not just any raid though, we’re gonna go right into BLI-ND and take them back. With the five of us, we think we’d have a pretty decent chance. That’s why we kept you out of it, if we’re all shiny, then we can really raise some Cain.”
Party only nodded; he understood the logic behind his brother’s explanation, but still felt like it was a suicide mission. Six people against Better Living, who had thousands of disposable minions, the odds were not in their favor.
“You don’t agree?” Queenie asked.
“I just can’t help but feel like it’s not enough. Enough people I mean. There’s only six of us, how are we gonna stand up against so many?”
“I hate to be that guy,” King interrupted,” but it’s just gonna be five of us. Pony and Doc ‘r gonna be here with the Girl.”
“Well that’s even better. How in Destroya’s sake do you plan on actually winning this fight we’re gonna pick. It’s obviously a trap, and you just want to walk right into it?”
“Well yes and no, since we know it’s a all a trap we have the upper hand,” Pony said.
“Exactly,” Doc continued, “ BLI-ND will expect you to go in guns ‘a blazin’, but now there’s an opportunity to actually surprise them.”
“Okay, so how are we gonna do that? They’ll be expecting us,” Party questioned.
“Another advantage to waiting so long. BLI-ND is on edge right now, they have no clue when we’re gonna attack. If you keep ‘em waiting long enough, they get nervous and will be more likely to make mistakes. Also, Korse is probably getting paranoid that his plan isn’t gonna work. We can use that to our advantage too.”
“Ah I see what you mean Doc. Since the Exterminator is on edge, we can easily make a distraction and he’ll be eager to send his guys that direction,” Party said.
“Meanwhile, we do the opposite and get the guys out,” Kobra finished.
Party couldn’t help but stare. Yeah he understood the plan, even agreed with it, but there where so many what if’s.
What was the destruction going to be? When do they go? Now, tomorrow? Where exactly were Ghoul and Jet even being held?
There was just too much that could go wrong for Party to feel confident about this plan.
“What’s the matter, sugar?” Queenie asked, concerned.
When Party voiced his worries everyone seemed to have just realized these possibilities. He felt a little bad for smashing their idea, but Party couldn’t justify getting them all killed in return for Jet and Ghoul. No matter how much their absence left a whole in his chest.
“Now, now kiddies. You really think me and Pony ‘avn’t came up with more details than that? I’m hurt that you think so little of us,” Doc joked.
“Yeah, we called in someone you may know Party. He’s not gonna help in the fight, more of a neutral guy, but he has a way with getting supplies and the like,” Pony said eagerly to Party.
“Who? Our runner? You sure the guy can be trusted with something so important? We don’t even know the guy’s name.”
“Don’t you worry your bleached little head, Kobra. I’ve known this guy for ages, I trust him,” Pony grinned, enjoying a bit of teasing at the younger.
Kobra just sighed and shared a look with his brother. They both seemed to come to an agreement as Kobra nodded his approval to Doc.
“Excellent. I’ve taken the liberty to schedule y'all an appointment with him in one week down at the Market in Zone 4,” explained Doc.
“That trip is only a couple of days at most, what’re we supposed to do until then?” questioned Phoenix. He’s spoken so little in the whole conversation that Party had nearly forgotten he was there. Again he wondered if the kid though he was still blamed for what had happened.
“Finish resting up. Party you may be up and about but I don’t want you to set foot out of this base until at least five days from now. You survived pushing your body to its limit once, I would not advise you to do it again.”
Party nodded at Doc, for once feeling no urge to run for it. They had a good plan, and if it all went accordingly, there was a strong chance they’d get the others back.
“Also, Kobra, you’re still not a hundred percent either. I want both of ya to rest up until we get ready to go. This will all work best if everyone is at full strength.”
________________________________________________
Party took a deep breath as he turned the knob. The door creaked slightly as he opened it and he winced at the high pitched sound it emitted. If she was asleep, he’d really rather not disturb her. From what Doc had told him, Grace needed her rest. During her time with Better Living, she hadn’t eaten a thing and it had really taken a toll.
Thankfully, the young girl was sitting up in her bed, coloring. The striking similarity to before when Grace had been stabbed left a pit in Party’s stomach.
Her hunger strike had left the small girl in quite a bad shape, he noticed. Her hair was thinner and had lost some of its shine. Party felt sick as he took in the still pale color of her skin and the tiredness behind her eyes.
To think he had done the same to himself willingly.
“Gerard!” Grace exclaimed, face instantly lighting up.
Thoughts pushed aside for the moment, Party quickly drew the girl into a hug. He could feel her breathing against him, each breath a testament that he was not insane; she was really alive.
“God, I missed you kiddo.
Grace’s face was pressed against his chest, angled so she could breathe of course, with Party’s arms tightly holding her close. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing back just as hard.
________________________________________________________
It was hours later when Party finally left Missile’s room. She had fallen asleep after a particularly exhausting game of pictionary. He didn’t mind though, she obviously needed to rest and he needed time to sort everything out in his head. There was too much swirling around in there for him to keep track of. Right at the front of it was Ghoul. He missed him terribly and each second away from the other man felt longer than the last. Party felt bad that he was so caught up on Ghoul, knowing that Jet was in the same situation. And he missed Jet, but for entirely different reason.
Ghoul always knew how to help him sort through the shit in his head and actually make sense of it all. Party missed his touch; the way that Ghoul would wrap his arms around his neck and sit in his lap. He’d just let Party hold him, to ground him so that he didn’t fly away.
Jet would try to help, being the mom that he is to their crew, but he was just that.
Ghoul was his… boyfriend? They’d never really labeled what they had, and therefore was able to take his mind off of things in other ways.
Too caught up in thought, Party nearly ran into someone as he entered the kitchen.
Phoenix had turned around and thankfully saw the other before they collided.
“Holy smokes, didn’t see ya there.”
Party just forced a smile and made his way over to the cabinet. His stomach was growling and he couldn't remember the last time he’d eaten. Had they fed him while he was out? How would that even work?
“Ya know, you’re gonna burn a hole in that cabinet if you stare at it any harder. Look, I know I’m probably not the person you want to talk to right now but… we’re gonna get them back. Jet and Ghoul I mean.”
Party sighed and grabbed the nearest can of Powder Pup from the shelf. Without turning to Phoenix he asked, “ Do you blame yourself?”
“Well- I,” he let out a shaking breath and Party finally turned to face him.
The kid’s eyes were brimming with tears and Phoenix was visible shaking so hard that he had to lean against the counter. Party watched him cover his eyes eyes with his hand.
He was unsure of what to do.
A strangled sob escaped the younger’s lips and he fell down, boneless onto the floor. Party was there in an instant, wrapping his arms around Phoenix and hoping that he wasn’t crossing some sort of boundary.
“You- you’re not mad?” Phoenix asked timidly, tears still streaming down his face.
“Maybe before, but no. You did every single thing you could. Thanks to you, Missile Kid is alive. You’ve saved her life twice now, I was horrible wrong to doubt your loyalty Phoenix.”
Neither Killjoy spoke after that. They stayed there on the floor for a long while, Party only moving to grab the forgotten can of food. His own exhaustion forgotten as he kept Phoenix company. It was partially his fault the kid took so much responsibility for what had happened and it was only fair that he do his best to fix it.
“I’m sorry,” Phoenix whispered.
“ For what?”
“I- I know how it… hurts to not know how someone you love is doing. You have to fight twice as hard for each breath ‘cause it physically hurts being away from them and not knowing where they are and if they’re ok. I have felt that pain every day since Decay and I got separated.”
“Does it ever get any easier?”
“No, never. The pain gets worse, I don’t know how long I can’t stand it,” Phoenix admitted.
“Hey, look at me. You will get to see Decay again. After everything that you’ve done to help us, once this is over we will find him. I swear on my colors.”
Phoenix gasped, to swear something on…
“I mean it Phoenix. I only have a glimpse of how you have felt this whole time, but I know how agonizing it is. I will do everything in my power to see that you get to be with him again.”
Fresh tears began to fall for Phoenix.

Chapter Text

The following five days passed quickly for Phoenix. After hearing that both Party and Kobra held no grudges against him he found that the tension was gone. In its place was something that felt like trust. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time, before his crew’s split. Before he lost Decaydance.
Now, Phoenix felt like he was actually a part of something. The other Killjoys in the room, while they did bicker back and forth, trusted each other with their lives. Simply being around the others had shown him that.
It was evident in the way King would glance over to Queenie, who Phoenix learned were married, as if he was afraid she wouldn’t be there. Each time that he noticed King doing this, Queenie would notice her husband too and give him a small smile. She looked like the type who wouldn’t need much in the way of protection, but from the bits and pieces he’d learned from Party about the crew’s past, Phoenix understood.
Pretty Odd had been a member of the Sinners, Kinky King and Queenie’s crew, for a long time. Rumor had it that the three had escaped the city together, then taken on the desert as a team. They were some of the most influential rebels of their time, just before The Four became a crew. After The Four’s metaphorical birth, the two crews became partners Phoenix learned. They had fought hand in hand for years against BLI-ND, leaving huge trails of destruction in their wake. However, after a run went south Pretty Odd had been killed and the Sinners stepped out of the limelight.
Phoenix had been in the desert for a long ass time. Or at least he figured he had; time and dates were hard to keep track of. Yet, all he had ever heard was rumors of The Four’s old partners. Now though, looking at King and Queenie as they relaxed on the couches in Doc’s base, Phoenix could see the age behind the pair’s eyes. There was an ancient look to the both of them once he actually knew to look for it. The way that they constantly looked to the other, seeking confirmation that the other was still there. The way that they both jumped to take care of the others. Phoenix’s hands had been bandaged and taken care of with no judgement. Rather, Queenie had quietly, efficiently, cleaned them and wrapped the fresh bandages on them. She would check up on him daily, to see if they still pained him, and he would once again say thank you. Because, how can you express to someone that you are sorry for a loss that you never knew?]
Phoenix didn’t know how. So instead he gave them space, knowing that after all of this time they likely wouldn’t want that wound opened again.
If he looked into King’s eyes for too long, the happy facade was easily distinguished from the ancient sadness in his eyes. The look in his eyes displaying the pain and loss that they had endured.

Growing restless, Phoenix pushed himself to his feet, nodding to the two eyes that looked at him in question, and made his way to Party’s room. After their talk in the kitchen, more of a breakdown on his end, they had grown more comfortable to each other. Phoenix didn’t know how to explain it, but Party would come in and say hi at odd times. It was random, but he didn’t mind. Their conversations would always start off with basic, how was your day?, things and then all of a sudden they’re talking about their worst fears. He learned a lot about Party in this way. Things from his life Before, to just how close he and Ghoul are, and even his name.
Phoenix had been surprised by that. He didn’t know that they had grown so close as to be on first name basis. So that night when Party just kind of blurted it out, Phoenix was so surprised that he didn’t even register that it was his name. When he asked Party what he said, the other wasn’t upset just quietly said,
“My name is Gerard. I- I thought you, ya know. You’re basically a member of this crew, and I honestly trust you, so.”
Phoenix didn’t answer; telling someone your name was rare and reserved for very close relationships. He didn’t know what to say, but he knew that he trusted Party. Taking a deep breath, Phoenix spoke.
“Mine’s Patrick.”
Party- Gerard- just gave him a reassuring smile and continued the previous conversation, leaving Phoenix a little confused.
Thats why, when Phoenix walked into Party’s room and he saw the man sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, he knew what to do. Nearly a week of heart to heart talks had led to him knowing how to help the older man whenever he was about to have, or in the middle of, an anxiety spell.
Phoenix gently closed the door so that no one could accidentally walk in; he knew that Party hated appearing weak in front of the others. The fact that no one in the building would judge or ridicule him made no difference. If he needed to calm Party down, he needed to make sure that he felt safe.
Ignoring the supplies, half packed, that littered the Killjoy’s room, Phoenix walked closer.
“Party?”
No response, then a whispered,
“Do you really think we can do this? Save them all I mean?”
“Yes,” Phoenix said quickly. He actually meant it, they had a well thought- out plan and five ‘joys to execute it. He told Party this, watched the other man lift his head and give a weak little smile.
“I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t get them back.”
To that, Phoenix didn’t know what to say. Ignoring the concerning undertones to that statement for a moment, he knew how much Jet Star and Ghoul meant to Party. He knew a lot about their past now, and could understand why the possibility of losing them was so terrifying to Party.
“ Then you will live for them.”
Party didn’t respond to Phoenix’s words for a while. Silence filled the room, the occasional noise from outside the door the only sound. Phoenix had learned from Kobra how much Party depended on Ghoul. He learned from talking to the leader how far Party had come because of the effort and love that Ghoul had put in. Kobra told him, one late night, that the only reason Party was still alive was Fun Ghoul.

Party, likely unconsciously, had told Phoenix nearly the same thing during their talks. He learned that Jet had kept him safe too, before he’d met Ghoul. That Jet had been the one to save both him and Kobra. From what, Phoenix didn’t know, but he knew how lost Party felt without those two. How hopeless and alone he probably was feeling.
“But you won’t have to,” Phoenix added, “ cause we’re going to get them back, and ruien Better Living’s day in the process.”
Party smiled, genuinely, and nodded. He wiped the tears, that Phoenix had kindly not brought attention to, and grabbed his jacket from where it lay in his lap. Party didn’t thank him, not out loud anyway, but his smile had said it all. Phoenix had said the right thing and Party was grateful.
The two quietly worked on packing up the remainder of Party’s supplies, though there were few, and made their way to the door. They had all been waiting on him, not really rushing him but ready to leave once their leader was ready.
He and Kobra had told Phoenix that when they were under their rebel names, they became that identity. All of the fear and doubts were replaced with confidence and a fierce desire to destroy BLI-ND, but that it was hard to switch like that when they were in a rough spot emotionally.
Phoenix watched to see Gerard actually become Party Poison, wanting to actually see it happen now that he knew about it.
It didn’t happen.
His hazel eyes remained soft, his posture slightly slumping still as he walked through the door and locked it behind them.
“I just wanna talk to Missle for a bit. I’ll be out in a sec,” was the only explanation that Party supplied as he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Phoenix confused. He was just going to have to wait to see the change.

That part really did confuse him, Phoenix thought as he walked back into the living room, how The Four were able to completely ignore their fears and weaknesses and focus on the needed aspects of their personalities. He and his crew did no such thing, they were themselves, nothing more, nothing less. When in the comfort of their base, they would mindlessly shift between their rebel names and their given ones. To them, it was like an old school teacher going by Miss or Mister and their last name rather than their first. They weren’t different people, just the same person with a different name.

Phoenix fully expected Party to take a long ass time saying goodbye to the girl, but in actuality, it was only a few moments after he sat down that the man in question strolled through the room. He had his bag on his back and his chin high, full confidence radiating off of the leader. This was Party Poison now, and he meant business.
All at once, everyone in the room stood and Kobra entered the room shortly. He mumbled an apology for being slightly late, but Party just nodded.
This time, Phoenix tried to watch and see if Queenie and King were going to change.
They seemed slightly different, eyes focused and no hint of humor in their features. He had grown used to King’s constant energy and jokes, the seriousness of the situation hitting him again.
They were really doing this.
Going on a supply run before quite literally breaking into BLI-ND; what on earth had he done to get here?
____________________________________________
Party nodded once everyone shouldered their bags and without a word they all filed out of the living room and towards the door at the end of the snaking hallway.
They passed Doc at his station, making a broadcast about the traffic, and then Pony later on in the kitchen. They waved at the rebels as they went by, silently wishing them all good luck. The next time that they saw Pony, Doc, and Grace would be either with or without Jet and Ghoul, and the possibility of failure set deep in their minds.

Oddly enough, the drive towards the Market in Zone 4 was quiet. Party drove, as always, with Kobra riding shotgun and Phoenix squished between King and Queenie. With five bodys in the car, there was only so much the air conditioning could do, and Party knew this, but still the stuffy heat of of the car was making him cranky.
He knew that they had only a day or two to make it to the meeting point with their runner, so they would have to go nonstop the whole way. Driving through the night wasn’t the hard part, no, not killing the four idiots in his car was the hard part.
Especially with King and Phoenix talking constantly.
They had apparently found out a love for some old band from Before that they both knew and that was all they talked about. For hours.
It was driving Party nuts, he probably would have snapped if Kobra hadn’t kindly told them to,
“Shut the fuck up, it’s too damn hot for all this talking,” and the car was quiet again.
It was still hot as fuck, but honestly Party was pretty sure that he was much less likely to stop the breaks and make them all hit their heads on the nearest object so everyone would be quiet.
Damn, he was violent when he was Party Poison.
Party turned the radio on a little while later, now feeling like the silence was too much. The rest of the ride went smoothly and the next morning they arrived on the outskirts of the Market.
From the sand dune they were all standing on, Party could see the miles of tents, cars, and Killjoys that stretched on ward in front of them. This market was the biggest in the entire Zones, every Killjoy either had to come here themselves or have a runner to do it for them.
Ever since The Four had gained the attention of Korse and their faces were plastered on wanted posters everywhere, they had decided to hire a runner to go for them. This guy, who they had run into a few times before they hired him, was a ginger man with short cropped hair and a lip ring. SInce he was a runner, meaning he often had to sneak into the city, he didn't wear much in the way of colors. Instead, everytime Party had seen the guy he was wearing a plain leather jacket zipped all the way up and old torn jeans.
Because of The Four’s infamy, they never exchanged names. The guy probably knew who Party was, the whole desert did, but the exact identities of his crew members had been kept a secret. He made sure of this by destroying every copy of the posters depicting his crew’s faces, only leaving himself.
Now however, Party couldn’t help but wonder who the guy really was.
“See that building to the east?” He asked the group, pointing at one of the few structures that wasn’t a tent.
“That's the hotel we’re gonna stay in tonight and we’re going to leave the car here so that there’s no suspicion.”
He motioned for Kobra to help him cover the Trans- AM with a sand covered piece of fabric, then began to lead the others down towards the tents.
It was nearly dark by the time they made it. Lanterns just being lit in most of the tents that scattered about the sand. There was no real pattern or anything to their setup, just wherever the merchant thought best was were they stayed.
This meant though that navigating the tents and trying to find the hotel would prove difficult.
Standing just on the outskirts of the furthest tents, they stopped.
“Masks,” Party said, pulling his red bandana over his mouth and the yellow mask over his eyes.
The others followed suit, quietly discsing themselves. Once everyone was ready Party motioned for them to continue.
It had been a long time since Party had been to the Market, years probably, but things were still the same. The merchants were all yelling to them as they walked by, proclaiming prices and good deals, while the other rebels that were weaving through the tents looked dirty and tired.
About halfway to the hotel Party’s alarm bells began to ring. He had seen the same rebel walk past them three times now, each time with their head down and eyes averted.
The fourth time Party had had enough, when the mysterious person walked by again he grabbed them by the arm, stopping them in their tracts.
“Hey man what the hell?” the person yelled, loud enough to gain a few looks from others nearby.
“You keep passing us. What do you want?”
Party growled when the kid in his arms didn’t answer and instead fought harder to get out of his grip.
“Who are you and what do you want?” he said slowly, the vice like grip he had on the person growing tighter.
“I just- I wanted to see if the rumors were true!”
He dropped the kid and they hit the sand with a thud. Rubbing their hand, they looked up at the five men standing above.
“I’d recognise that hair anywhere. But I thought, well the entire desert really, thinks that you’re dead. I mean it was from Doctor Death Defying himself, so we all believed it.”
The kid had removed their hood while they spoke, bright green hair poking out in tight curls around their head. Though, even though they had spoken, Party couldn’t tell if they were a guy or a girl.
“Believe the rumors. You’re mistaken kid,” he growled and walked around them. The others followed, only Phoenix turned to give them an apologetic smile, to only find the spot empty. The kid had ran off.
Thankfully the rest of their walk was uneventful.
Party walked in the front door, eyes scanning the room, and strode over to the main desk. There was one guy in front of them, talking to the man behind the counter.
Instantly suspicious, Party took in the guy’s features.
He was short, with spiky hair ratty clothes even for a Killjoy. There seemed to be old burn marks all over his body, both on fabric and in skin. Party wondered if the guy had gotten in a fight recently, though from the extent of the burn marks, he doubted they all happened at the same time.
The guy said something quietly to the worker, his voice too low to hear. However, the man behind the counter did not. He quickly began yelling, demanding that the short man leave. When the guy placed his hand on his gun strapped on his waist, Party intervene. The kid in front of them looked surprised as the red- head pulled him aside and made a “just a moment” gesture with his index finger.
“Kid the hell you tryin’ to do, start a gun fight?”
“I don’t have to answer to you asshole,” the guy spit back.
The kid was pissing Party off, it had been a long day and all he wanted to do is sleep. Of course some punk kid fighting a hotel keeper would be in his way. What else would he expect.
His men, and lady, were thankfully not interrupting. He could see all of them looking at him though from beyond the kid’s shoulders. They each had vaguely concerned looks but none made a move to stop the interrogation.
“Why won’t the guy let you in, huh?”
“CauseIdon’thaveanymoney,” the kid spit out so fast that Party barely caught his words. Taking a second glance at the person in front of him, he noticed how pale he was. He was slightly swaying on his feet and the kid looked like he hadn’t eaten or slept in days.
“Look,” the kid tried again, words louder now, “ I didn’t want trouble, I’m sorry. I’m just- I’m trying to get back to my crew. I’ve got some shit I need to take care of and-”
He couldn't finish, all of a sudden Phoenix had tackled him and was holding him out at arm length, a look of disbelief on his face.
“Decay?” he whispered, not able to believe that this scraggly person in front of him was his boyfriend.
“Who? Oh my god, Phoenix?”
“I- How- when?”, Phoenix couldn’t form sentences, he’d found him.

Chapter Text

Phoenix stood there, eyes begging Decaydance to say something. Anything.
It’d been so long since he had seen him, so long that he had to force himself to think of anything other than the possibility that he was dead.
“How did you even find me?”, he whispered to Phoenix, low enough so that no one else could hear them.
The others all stood, somewhat shocked, as the two reunited.
Party still had his hand on the ragun that Phoenix knew was under his jacket. They didn’t trust Decaydance, at least not yet. Before he probably would have been mad, probably made a scene and demand that Party get his hand away from the weapon. Now however, he knew that when things seem too good to be true, they probably are.
The chances of Decaydance being in the same area as he and his group were tiny, even more unlikely was that he happened to be in line right in front of them. The desert was a large place, you didn’t just run into people.
Suspicious now, Phoenix stepped back and released his grip on Decay.
“Phoenix?” he questioned, the hurt in his eyes hitting the younger hard. He didn’t give in though, too much had happened since they’d last seen each other. Too much could still go wrong if they trusted the wrong person.
A part of him felt horrible for thinking that way towards Decay. They’d known each other forever, hell they were still technically dating, but he couldn’t risk it. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure of how Decay had gotten away from those Drcas.
Why was he in the middle of Zone of 4?
Shouldn’t he have gone back to their base, the others were probably worried out of their minds.
Decay seemed to understand Phoenix’s hesitation, his confusion.
“I’ll it explain it all, I swear, but can we please just have this moment,” he said tirdly, making Phoenix nod quickly.
“C’mon kid, you can room with us,” Party said, motioning for them all to follow him as he paid the man behind the counter and the group made their way up the steps that led to the rooms.
Phoenix put an arm around Decay, half out of a need to make sure he was really there and half to make sure that he wouldn't fall.
Despite everything, he still wanted to take care of Decay. The years of looking out for the older man not easily forgotten, the affection not able to be ignored.
Party thankfully was walking slowly, probably quietly allowing the others to make their way ,leisurely, up.
He and Decay were pulling up the back, everyone else a bit ahead of them.
Phoenix was thankful for that,but all of his thoughts were stopped when Decay laid his head down on his shoulder. He could feel the other’s breath on his neck, he was breathing pretty heavily for the slow pace they were walking, and his arms were around him.
“Pete?” he whispered, brows creased in worry.
“I’ll explain when we get to the room.”
Phoenix wanted to protest, to demand his boyfriend to tell him exactly what had happened. He knew though that that would get him nowhere and he really was enjoying that moment, with them so close after being so far away for so long.
Too soon they were at the door leading into their room. They’d only been able to afford one, so that meant that six people would be crowded into one, probably tiny, room. Great.
Phoenix was so excited.
Once they were inside, King and Queenie claimed the corner to the right of the door, Party and Kobra went to the left corner in the back, meaning he and Decay could either have the same space or pick together. Phoenix didn’t have to decide which as he was practically yanked to the right corner by Decay.
The bare room, now only the middle was bare because everything but their sleeping bags were piled in the right corner, was quiet. He could tell that the brothers were talking about them from the way they every so often would glance their way during the conversation. He couldn’t hear exactly what was being said but he knew it involved Decay.
Any vulnerability that he’d shown to Phoenix on the stairwell was gone now, he was sitting tall, eyes focused on Party, ready to talk.
___________________________________________________
Party nodded, noticing Decay’s view being focused on him, and waited on him to speak.
Of course he didn’t trust the kid, not completely, not yet.
But, trying to learn from his mistakes, he was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. This was Phoenix’s boyfriend, who he hadn’t seen in Destroya knows how long.
If it was him, and he had just found Ghoul, and someone tried to integrate him, Party knew he’d be pissed. Beyond pissed really, and the interrogator would probably leave with a few new holes in them if they persisted.
So he waited, until Decay was ready to talk.
He had told Kobra to let them finished before they started questioning.
Both he and Party needed to keep a cool head, getting mad would do nothing.
That being said, if they found that they couldn’t believe Decay, or that he was lying then Party didn’t want to think of what would happen.
He just prayed that the truth would be told.
“So, if you uh don’t know who I am: ‘m name’s Decaydance, one word but most people jus’ call me Decay. I know my name’s a mouthful, but you get used to it,”
All eyes were now on Decay, waiting for him to continue. Party noticed Phoenix gripping his hand, features trying to suppress a grin at his boyfriend’s failing attempt at humor.
“I don’t know how much you guys already know about me, but I was taken by a bunch of dracs while I was out alone,” he looked to Phoenix.
“I should have listened and not gone alone, I’m sorry.”
“It’s over now, you don’t gotta apologize,”
He smiled at Phoenix before looking back at Party and continuing.
“I fought hard to get out, and even then I just barely managed to escape. I was nearly ghosted, but some random rebel found me passed out in the sand. They saved my life, I’ll never be able to forget them, or their fucking green hair.”
That struck Party’s memory, the kid that they’d run into on the streets, they’d had green hair. He wondered if it was a coincidence, but kept silent.
“We took some time off, hid away in their base while I recovered. Once I was able, I made my way back home, to my crew. But when I got there, it was abandoned. Rain Torrent and Kross Beam were gone and I had no clue where Phoenix was. I’d heard the Dracs make the call demanding him for me but I had told myself that he wouldn’t take the deal.”
“They’re gone?” Phoenix interjected, eyes wide and fearful.
“There was no bodies but- there’d been a clap, that much I could tell,” he explained.
“The Drac, or worse?” King asked.
“I don’t know, all I know was that there was a fight and they were gone. That’s why I’m here, I was looking for them. I managed to ask around and there was a runner who is rumored to have knowledge of their location.”
He seemed to be done, that the extent of his explanation.
Party still had questions.
“The person who saved you, where are they now? What was their name?”
“They stayed at their base, said they were not usually in the middle of things. I haven't talked to them since I left,” Decay said, still gripping Phoenix’s hand.
“Their name?”
“Sun Static, that's the name they gave me anyway.”
“Would they by any chance have curly hair?”
Decay seemed surprised by the question, brows rising as he paused.
“Yes?”
“We bumped into them in the street, they were following us,” Koba said calmly.
“Why would they be here?” Decay said, almost to himself. He seemed confused, but Party trusted him. Everything he said made sense and linked up to what Phoenix had told them the night Party ran.
The others in their crew being gone was a new factor though, even Phoenix seemed surprised by the news.
Party didn’t see a point in Decay lying about it though, he nodded for him to continue.
“I got mugged, about a week ago. They took my money and I barely managed to keep my gun, that’s why I’m here beggin’ for a room. I jus’ didn’t want to sleep outside.”
He looked directly at Party again,
“Thank you for letting me stay with you guys for the night,” he finished sincerely.
Party smiled, he was starting to like this kid. He was firey and a little weird, but he could see why Phoenix cared so much about him.
His emotions had been clear as he spoke about finding his crew missing, his disbelieving joy at having Phoenix by his side visible. The kid had to have been one hell of a liar to pull that off and Party doubted that there was anything untrue about his words.
“Why would Sun Static be here?” he asked.
Decay shook his head,
“I don’t know. From what I learned while I was with them, they don’t like goin’ places. Not for good reason.”
Party’s suspicion was growing now, the feeling that something bad was about to happen growing as well.

Chapter Text

Jet Star, in the many years he’d known his crew, had seen many things. They’d survived many impossible situations and came back stronger each time.
They were a family, bonded by more than blood that supported each member despite the media’s portrayal of Party as the only one of importance.
Sure, he was the leader and the face of the rebellion, but no one really seemed to understand how much they all relied on each other.
Jet hated to think of what Party was doing to himself now that he and Ghoul were captured.
Speaking of the fun sized ‘joy, Ghoul was finally awake. He was doing much better, even after considering the shitty cell they’d been dumped in. At least they were together; when Ghoul had woken up he had freaked out trying to find Party. Jet had barely calmed the man down without losing another eye in his flailing.
Now they just sat there, bored.
It was odd to think that they would be bored while being imprisoned, but there they were. There was nothing really that the two could talk about anyway, no polite conversations seemed fitting for after being drugged and kidnapped.
What made it especially true was the fact that they were inside Battery City, which Jet had cautiously told Ghoul for fear of another freak out. He really wouldn’t have been able to blame him, he still had nightmares from the last time they were inside of the City walls.
It was still sinking in, for both ‘joys, of where they were and the incredibly small odds of them being rescued. Even if their crew managed to track them, there was no way that two people could take on a whole city under the influence of BLI-ND.
Jet didn’t have to voice that thought aloud, he knew that Ghoul had already figured that out. Even worse was the little part in the back of his mind that told him that Party and Kobra would do anything, even something as stupid and suicidal as storming Battery City, in order to get him and Ghoul back.
What made it worse, was that the two men from the van ride had also been shoved into the same cell as them. They didn’t really talk to Jet or Ghoul, just sat on their side of the filthy room and whispered quietly to one another.
Not even the weak light that filtered through the lone window was enough to let Jet read their lips.
He wasn’t even really that curious of what they were talking about, more just bored and upset that they didn’t feel like he and Ghoul were worthy of their thoughts.
Of course he really didn’t feel that way, Jet chided himself, he was just tired and stressed. He couldn’t even say that he was hungry because they had fed them.
That was another thing that struck Jet’s attention; food had been slid under the door every six hours. It had always been enough for the four of them to eat a generous amount, and there even was clean water to wash it down with.
Jet thought about boycotting the food, it was probably laced with drugs or poison, but the two strangers ate first. They’d inspected it first, but soon began eating it, much to his surprise.
He turned back to Ghoul, realizing that he’d been staring at the strangers.
The other man was laying down on top of his jacket, arms crossed on his stomach but wide awake.
He still was a little pale, but Jet was mostly sure whatever they’d been drugged with had finally left his system.
Jet too felt better, though there was some lingering bouts of dizziness that stuck up every so often. Each time the spell hit, he had to lay down and wait it out. Weirdly, only Ghoul was experiencing similar bouts.
Jet wasn’t sure if it was because they both were still fighting the drug or if they were being fed more doses, but in lower amounts through the food.
It still didn’t explain how the other two guys weren’t affected though, Jet realized, suddenly suspicious.
“Hey, you alright over there?” the bigger one with all the tattoos asked, his voice not matching Jet’s impression of him.
It was high pitched and laced with concern, Jet was now really confused.
“Huh?”, he asked, dumbly.
“You’ve gone all pale like you’re about to have another one of them spells again but it ain’t time for that. You still got like another half an hour.”
Okay that was weird, this random stranger was timing his dizzy spells.
“The actual fuck is going on?” he said, half to himself and half to the tattooed stranger.
They guy’s friend still hadn’t said a word but he did begin to laugh, seemingly at Jet’s frustration.
“Hush, you’re gonna make them think we’re mean or somethin’,” the bigger one said, making the other straighten up.
Curly Hair, which Jet was going to call him from now on out of spite, sat up and reached out his hand towards him. ( the irony that he too had curly hair was not lost on Jet)
A friendly smile was on his face as he spoke.
“Hey, ‘m name’s Rain Torrent but most people just call me Torrent.”
Jet didn’t answer, still not sure if he should trust them.
“Yep, and mine’s Kross Beam,” the bigger one added.
The hell kinda names are those? Jet wondered, hopefully to himself. Thankfully no one cussed him out so he assumed he’d managed.
“You guys a crew?” Ghoul asked from his spot, half hidden by Jet.
“Yep,” Curly Hair (nope Jet would not use his real name until he apologized for laughing) said, popping the “p”, “ us ‘n two other dudes.”
He waited for more explanation, none came.
Well fair enough, he thought, because he didn’t plan on telling them a thing.
For once, Ghoul seemed to be on the same page. Once Curly Hair had finished he Kross Beam had shared a glance that Jet nearly missed.
“You’re both part of the Four, aren’t you?” Kross Beam asked, almost afraid the answer he received. Jet wondered which stories he and his crew believed about the Fabulous Four.
Some said that they were angels in neon colors that fought for everything BLI-ND hated. Others, thought that the Four were demons made of the endless garbage and wreckage that littered the Zones, spreading hate and war.
Fuck it, Jet thought, might as well admit it.
“Jet Star and Fun Ghoul, excuse us if the other half aren’t here.”
He was still bitter damn it.
Sue him if current circumstances didn’t allow for a little bit of venom on his tongue.
Kross Beam seemed happy with Jet’s admittance, so apparently they’d heard the angels theory. Or at least some variant of it that would at least buy them good standing with the other ‘joys.
“We heard you were dead,” Curly Hair stated.
“You heard wrong,”
Jet nodded to Ghoul’s words, not really feeling the need to delve into any further explanation.
“Fair enough, Torrent and I are in a crew called the Youngbloods. Honestly doubt you’ve heard of us though, we try and keep to ourselves.”
“ I can understand that,” Jet admitted.
After that the conversation fell, no one wanting to actually give away anymore information.
___________________________________________________________
The next morning, Phoenix was the first one awake. The only sounds that he could hear were the light snoring of the other Killjoys in the room with him. They’d all fallen asleep shortly after Decay’s story, to which he was thankful for. He needed time to process everything that listening to Decay had brought into light.

First and foremost in his mind was the news about Torrent and Beam. He’d assumed that they would have been smart enough as to not get captured like Decay and he had.
Well he must have assumed wrong.
Staring up at the dark ceiling, Phoenix wondered if they were even alive. Had they realized that they hadn’t been abandoned and that he and Decay were just idiots? He hoped that they knew to some degree of what had happened. It killed Phoenix to think of his friends being taken, or worse, while thinking that they had ran off.
The other thing that bothered him was what Decay said about him.
He’d heard the transmission saying the deal for Phoenix’s life in return for his and thought that he hadn’t taken it. Looking back, he didn’t see a single scenario where he didn’t say yes to the deal. Phoenix knew that he would do anything, even give himself over to BLI-ND, for Decay.
“Phoenix?” the body at his side questioned sleepily, startling him a little.
He hummed to let Decay know he was awake, still too caught up in thought to say anything out loud.
He seemed to follow Phoenix’s train of thought and soon whispered an invitation to follow him. To which the younger man was quite confused until Decay quietly untangled himself and left the room.
Of course Decay had been awake, did Phoenix really expect him to sleep after everything that had happened.
After waiting a few moments he too got up quietly and went outside, nearly bumping into Decay who had been standing right infront of the door.
He pulled on Phoenix’s arm, leading him down the hall and away from potential listening ears. They took so many turns that by the time they walked out onto the roof, the younger was hopelessly lost.
He didn’t dwell on it for long because as soon as he looked up, all of his attention was then on the sky. There were millions of stars that night, all faintly glowing in forgotten constellations among the empty blackness surrounding them.
It was one of the most beautiful things Phoenix had ever seen. Of course he’d seen the nighttime sky before, but never like this.
The Youngbloods kept to themselves, never really leaving Zone Two for anything. The sky there held no comparison for the one Phoenix was seeing now.
“It’s amazing isn’t it?”
Decay was looking at him, knowingly.
“God, yes,”
“C’mere. It’s still late, let’s sit down so we can see better,” Decay said, leading them to a spot in the middle of the bare roof. He seemed nervous, but Phoenix paid no mind. It’d just been forever since they’d been alone together.
“How’d you know it’d be this pretty?”
“I’ve slept under the stars a lot lately, figured I’d show ‘em to you.”
That pulled Phoenix’s attention away from the view.
“How long have you been staying out in the sand?”
“Uh, a month or so? I’m not really sure.”
“Destroya, how are you even alive Pete? Did you at least have somewhere other than out in the open?” he asked, disbelieving.
“Will you kill me if I say no?”
He couldn’t stop the exasperated laugh that found its way out. Of course Pete would have stayed out in the elements for this whole time, and it was no surprise that he was trying to downplay it all.
“C’mere,” Patrick said, pulling him in for a kiss. He didn’t care anymore. The whole suspicious until proven innocent thing could go fuck itself; Pete was right there and he would be stupid to not kiss him.
They moved in tandem with each other, slowly despite the underlying need that coursed through both of them. Pete seemed to savor every second, hands roaming all over Patrick to ground himself.
The warmth of his boyfriend’s body, pressed against his, almost made him forget everything that they would have to do once the sun came up.
The little breathy moans and hitches in Pete’s breath spurring Patrick on. He needed to hear more of them; couldn’t remember the last time they’d done this.
“Mmh- Trick,” Pete gasphed out between breaths, Patrick still attacking his mouth.
“Wait- stop,”
That had Patrick pulling back, suddenly afraid he’d gone too far.
The hurt must have been quite visible because Pete was pulling him back in for a soft kiss. This time when they broke apart after a few moments, Patrick stayed where he was, leaning up against Pete.
“I’ve missed you,” he started, making Patrick look up at him.
“And I want to take things further, god I really do, but I can’t. Not tonight.
“Why?”
Patrick hated the way he whined, but honestly he didn’t see why they couldn’t. They were alone and both into it, so all that left him was confused.
“Patrick, I-”
He made sure Pete could see his face, needing to let him know that he was listening as the other trailed off. Patrick tried to assure him that he could tell him anything through that look.
Pete looked away, and he tried to mask the way his heart broke when he did.
“I need to tell you something,”
“Okay, Pete you know you can tell me anything,”
Fear began to grow inside of Patrick. Would he tell him that he didn’t love him anymore, or that he was mad for the way that Patrick had left Andy and Joe by themselves?
He waited for Pete to speak, terrified more by each minute that passed.
Pete just brought his hand up, the one that’d been wrapped around Patrick just a moment before. At first he didn’t see what was being pointed out to him, just seeing an arm.
Then he noticed the tremors.
Instantly he jerked his head up, his brain now struggling to keep up.
It was all there: the shaking, the slightly sweaty skin, and the dizziness. It took all of Patrick’s willpower to not freak out. Instead he just used his own hands to wrap around Petes, easing their shaking.
Vulnerable brown eyes barely meeting his, shame and fear radiating off of his boyfriend.
“It’s okay,” Patrick said, praying that it was the truth and that Pete believed him.
“No- No it’s not. I- I can’t,”
He didn’t finish, breaking Patrick’s heart further.
“Hey, we can get through this. You beat it once-”
“Yeah? Look at me now Patrick, I’m without you guys for ten minutes and I’m already raiding the medicine stashes. You don’t think I’m ashamed of this? Do you really think that I could be anything else other than-”
“Yes,” Patrick said, interrupting him again by pulling him close and recapturing his lips.
Thankfully, Pete melted against him, tears now falling.
“ You messed up,” he said after they stopped for air, “ so have I. I lied to Party Poison himself because I was too afraid. If I can come back from that and have so much of his trust, then you can get clean Pete. I will always be here for you, no matter what and one day I’m gonna get you to see that.”
“ I messed up so bad,” Pete continued.
“I know you did, but you are still here and so am I which means we will get through this, together,” Patrick said determination in his eyes.
He could see Pete asking himself why. Years of knowing him, and loving him, made it clear which direction his boyfriend’s thoughts were heading.
“I love you.”
Pete’s head jerked up, knowing how rare those words were. Life was short in the ZOnes, you didn’t fall in love because everyone knew that it would be taken away in the end. Admitting you loved someone, outloud even, was seen as a death sentence. If anyone heard it, that’d be the end of it.
Patrick didn’t back down, didn’t take back his words because they were true and he suddenly felt overwhelmed by the fact that in all of the years they’d been together that he’d never spoken it aloud.
Well that was over now.
Pete still looked shocked, mouthing the words over and over to himself.
Patrick gently lifted his chin, making sure their eyes met.
“I love you Pete,”
“I- love you too,”

Chapter Text

Each day seemed to take longer than the last. Even with the small window up high on the back wall did little to help Ghoul keep his days in order. He wasn’t sure if it’d been a week or a month.
The last time he’d been in the City, which was where Jet said they’d been taken, there had been artificial lighting that stayed constant all year long. It had taken them a long time to get used to the natural day cycle once they made it to the desert. Ghoul wasn’t exactly excited to try and get back onto the schedule.
It was too artificial, too fake and his sleeping pattern was severely fucked. He also wasn’t sure how long they’d been asleep before the van. Jet told him that he’d been asleep when he’d woken up, but that they were drugged.
They could have been a sleep for a few hours or a week, Ghoul wasn’t sure. Though, whatever drug they’d given him had finally began to fade. He was still getting weird spells where he felt like the world was spinning around him.
Ghoul wasn’t sure why though. Every other effect of whatever they’d given them had worn off, so it didn’t make any sense.
He couldn’t stop himself from worrying about the others. Not to say of course that he wasn’t worried about Jet and the two guys who were in the same cell as them. As much as Party would argue, he does have some sense of self preservation.
The thought of the rest of his crew though is more troubling. He can see Jet, Torrent, and Kross at any time. Ghoul can check up on them whenever he wants.
Grace, Party, and Kobra though, he has no idea if they’re safe… or even alive. The last time he saw Party was not exactly in the best of circumstances and there was a very real possibility that he’d been ghosted.
Ghoul tried not to think about that part.
That was proving difficult though because every time he slept all he would see would be his boyfriend. Every time Ghoul woke, fresh longing filled him and he would have to fight back the tears.
He’d never missed someone as much as he did in those moments. Those seconds after he woke where the world around him was still blurry and his mind would be half asleep. Ghoul would hardly be able to control the ache he felt. The jacket he used as a blanket felt colder every time he woke and the familiar heat of a body asleep against him wasn’t there.
Each time he’d pull himself together enough to roll over and announce his consciousness to the others, Jet would look so concerned. It was like he knew exactly what Ghoul was thinking.
Of course, to make things worse, he also had no idea of Grace or Kobra’s well being. Neither of the two had been in particularly good shape the last time he’d saw them. He hated to think of what happened to them, if they were actually safe.
Then there was Phoenix.
He might not one hundred percent trust the kid, but he still found himself worrying. He had after all came to help them get Party back. Facing down Exterminator Korse for the safety of people who didn’t trust you was not an easy thing. Ghoul could admit that they probably were too hard on him. The kid seemed to only be a few years younger than he was, which as Party liked to often state: he was still a fucking baby.
Grace was honestly only a few years younger than he and Kobra, but age in the desert really was relative. Party might give his brother and Ghoul shit for being so young, but that's all it was: joking. The four of them have already been through so much, half of it he really would rather not remember. That’s what happens though when you’re imprisoned and have nothing better to do though.
You think.
Ghoul wondered how old Torrent and Kross were. They looked around his age, but he could never be sure. He almost wanted to ask, but thought better of it. The two had been mostly polite to Jet and him, though they were still strangers. He didn’t want to risk them being undercover for BLI-ND.
Speaking of those zombie faced assholes, two of them decided to barge in and break Ghoul out of his thoughts.
This was the first time they’d actively addressed them, normally the Dracs would just give them food and leave. Now though, the door was wide open and seven or eight BL-ND goons were standing stiffly.
The bright light from the hallway outside made Ghoul’s eyes burn as they tried to adjust. He brought a hand up to rub them, trying to avoid a headache.
Ghoul didn’t see the needles until it was too late. Out of nowhere there were hands holding him down and he realized that he was still not strong enough to fight back. Still, he fought hard to get out of their grip. Party might be the one deathly afraid of needles, but Ghoul still wasn’t too keen on the ones being pushed into his skin.
It hurt like hell, fire burning up his arm, and then there was nothing.
He slumped, unconscious, down onto the floor.
As the room fell silent, all of the rebels in a drugged sleep, two of the Dracs lifted Jet by his shoulders and dragged him out.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It was Kobra who found them the next morning.
Phoenix and Decay snuggled together, asleep on the roof. There’d been a mild panic when everyone had woken up and not been able to find the pair.
Thankfully, Party had been awake and heard them leave just before dawn. After the two groggy lovebirds were back inside, Queenie helped hand out their breakfast. It was shitty, if Kobra was honest, but he wasn’t about to turn down any food.
He’d had to eat only Power Pup while he was recovering so it wouldn’t upset his stomach, now he would never be ungrateful for stale bread again.
As they all ate, no one spoke. It seemed like everyone knew what the day would bring and were already getting themselves prepared.
Runners were notorious for being haggilers, and they often tried to sell their things for the highest price. It was honestly exhausting, but necessary if they wanted a chance in this mission.
As he ate the final piece of his bread, Kobra glanced over to his brother. The red-head was leaning against the wall, completely focused on his meal. Of course he took this moment to do a visual check up on Party.
He’d eaten most of his bread, which made Kobra proud, and he didn’t seem to be in any pain. After all of the things that had happened to them, he couldn’t help but feel a little part of himself want to lock his brother in a safe room. That way he would be completely safe from all of BLINDs shit and Kobra would not have to worry.
Kobra of course knew that would never be possible.
Party was entirely too stubborn for anything like that.
Still, the thought was nice.
Queenie tapped on his shoulder, slightly startling Kobra in the process.
“Sorry,” she said apologetically.
Kobra turned to look at her, a smile now on his face.
“It’s been so long since we’ve gotten a chance to talk. Probably should have done it before we got out here, but you seemed so busy.”
“No it’s okay,” Kobra made sure to insure her, not wanting her to feel bad.
“Wanna go on a walk?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said.
Kobra walked over to Party, not wanting his brother to worry if he didn’t notice them leave.
Thankfully, Party didn’t mind and they were walking out of the building in no time. He did decide to put on his mask though, if they were seen all hell would probably break loose. It was weird for everyone to think he was dead, Kobra decided. What was left of the world seemed to be going on with out them. Although, he was pretty sure he saw more bright red hair than there was before all the shit went down.
As the pair walked out into the sun, Kobra couldn’t help but bask in it for a few seconds. He’d been cooped up inside while he recovered, and it had driven him nuts.
Queenie giggled, obviously enjoying seeing him to relaxed.
“Ya miss the sun or something?”
“You have no idea,” he whispered more to himself, “what’d you want to talk about?”
He could tell that whatever was on her mind, wasn’t as innocent as their previous exchange.
“Its King,”
“Did he do something? Do I have to kick his sparkly ass?”
A ghost of a smile was the only response Queenie gave, and it was gone as soon as it appeared.
“I’m worried about him,”she said finally.
The two paused their conversation for a moment as a group of ‘joys got close to them on the narrow street. They were far enough away so that the vendors couldn’t hear them, but if people got to close on the walkway, they’d definitely know something was up.
When the other Killjoys finally were far enough away, Kobra waited for his friend to finish. He didn’t want to push her, it was obvious that whatever she was worried about was really bothering her.
“It’s just, we’ve already lost so much. I know he still gets nightmares about it, but then he goes and agrees to a mission like this one.”
“I was there when Doc broadcasted the message to him. I didn’t recognize his voice cause it's been so long, but he was only called in to keep us from running. Doc was afraid we’d all try and go after Missile. Which I mean wasn’t incorrect cause Party did go,”
He trailed off, not really sure anymore how it was helping.
“I know, but now we’re in the middle of all this and I can’t help but worry.”
“You don’t-”
“Absolutely not,” she said, cutting him off.
“This mission is too important for us to leave. The three of you would never make it if we left and I know that.”
She took a shaking breath, making Kobra second guess their decision to go outside for this conversation. The talking stopped for a few minutes so that she could continue when she was ready
“When we got there, you guys were in such bad shape. But at the time I just wanted to help, the thought of the possibility that it could happen to King didn’t cross my mind.”
“Queenie, you know we will protect you both with our lives, just like I know you would do the same for any of us.”
“Even Decay and Phoenix, I’ve already gotten attached to those two.”
Kobra couldn’t help the smile those words brought. He wasn’t going to go there because he figured she didn’t trust them yet. Apparently he’d had nothing to worry about.
“I know you will do everything you can to keep everyone on this mission safe. I know that. You and Party especially would probably die before letting anyone get hurt, but there is always that possibility.”
He couldn’t argue. Queenie was right, Kobra felt ready to die for anyone in that room back there. He also knew his brother felt the same, which he hated the idea of. Kobra knew that it was hypocritical of him to be upset that Party would be willing to die for someone else. The little brother in him hated the idea of life without him.
The logical, Killjoy side of him knew that that kind of loyalty and love was what made them so strong.
He still hated the idea, but Kobra just hoped it would never come to that.
“You’re right. I can’t guarantee that you and King will be safe. Honestly, this whole thing feels like a suicide mission. But what I can do is promise you that I will do everything I can to make sure we all make it back.”
She didn’t answer him right away, seemingly lost in thought. Kobra briefly wondered if Queenie had even heard him.
Finally, she looked over to him, stopping in her tracks so suddenly he nearly didn’t stop.
He turned to face her, slightly confused. Her smile let him in on what he’d been missing. They’d known each other for a long time, Kobra knew that look meant she was thanking him. He returned her smile, feeling slightly better about the mission himself.
“C’mon, lets head back before Party and King do something stupid,” Queenie said with a laugh.
___________
Kobra knocked on the door, four times quickly, and then waited. He knocked again, twice slowly, before he entered. They weren’t supposed to be in that Zone, let alone alive, so caution wasn’t an option.
They walked in and found Party and King with their backs to them. Decay and Phoenix were nowhere to be found though. Maybe they’d gone on a bathroom break, Kobra questioned to himself.
His brother and King were crouching down, full attention on whatever they were doing. Party had looked back when Kobra and Queenie entered the room, but now was ignoring them.
Queenie and him shared a look, daring the other to see what the two were up to.
Kobra gave in, making her smirk in victory.
“Yo, Party, whatcha messin’ with?”
“Oh! Kobes look what we found!”
His brother was way too excited as he whirled around and revealed an old radio. It had it’s back open and wires were running down his hands and through King’s.
“Okay?”
“We’re tryin’ to fix it up. It might still work ya know,” King added helpfully.
“Uh huh, and why are we wasting time on this?”
“Wanted something to listen to.”
Suddenly, as the two men stuck some wires together, Doctor D’s voice filled the room. Both Party and King were beaming as they pushed everything in the back of the radio and set it down on the floor.
“This is Doctor Dea- flying. I’ll be ya surgeon, your- tor, your helicopter-”
The broken broadcast stangly make Kobra feel more at home. Doc’s voice making him miss Grace even more.
Then, the static began to subside even though they missed the long Doc announced. Music then filled the air, half whispered/ half screamed lyrics coming through the old radio. Suddenly there were guitars and more sining, Kobra nearly fell down.
Party had the same look on his face, but Kobra wasn’t sure what he was feeling himself.
“Love it or leave it, you can’t understand, a pretty face but you do you”
This was their song.
There words.
It's been so damn long since Kobra had even thought about it that for a moment it felt like it wasn’t even his music coming through the speakers.
“What’s wrong dudes? Want me to change the channel or something?” King asked, confused.
Of course he was confused, it was before they’d met him.
“No! No, please don’t change it,” Party said, vision trained on the radio.
“You guys know the band or?”
Party looked to Kobra, silently asking if they should divulge such information.
Kobra nodded, King deserved to know.
“It’s us,” Party said, refusing to make eye contact.
“What do you mean?”
“Yeah, if D has this then its been out a while,” Queenie said, obviously confused too.
“It’s from Before,” Kobra answered, noticing his brother’s lack of a reply.
It hadn’t exactly been a good time in their lives when this song was written.
“Before we made it out to the dessert, before we met you guys, we were in the City. Me and Party lived in the slums, too emotional I guess for any other part. This song is from that time.”
No one spoke.
Party seemed to be lost in thought, clearly having been taken back to that time period. He’d been young, maybe 10 or 11 if Kobra remembered right, but that didn’t stop his brother from feeling way too much. His heart of gold had cost them their money and food many times. As was common in the slums, Party slowly began to drink more and more. Kobra hadn’t begun to worry until they’d nearly been ghosted by some asshole who’d barged into their apartment. Party had been too out of it to help him. That had been Kobra’s first kill.
That song, as the final notes were played, came shortly after they’d both gotten clean. It held so many memories, ones that the brothers had thought they didn’t have any more.

Chapter Text

The song was over.
It had been for quite a while now, but no one in the room spoke. Party kept his eyes glued to the radio, still lost in the past. Kobra was honestly in about the same state.
All of the memories, both good and bad, were resurfacing. He wasn’t that person any more, hadn’t been for a long time.
Yet, just listening to those notes and his other band members play made him feel 12 years old again. At that age he’d already felt grown.
The shit that he and Party had gone through didn’t allow for him to remain a kid.
“Okay, I’ll be that asshole- What the actual hell?” King said, disbelief in his words.
He watched as Queenie gently punched him in the arm, mouthing something to him that escaped Kobra’s ears.
“What? You two were in a band before you came out here?”
King’s continued questioning was beginning to get on Kobra’s nerves. However, he knew that if the positions were reversed, he too would be trying to make sense of it.
“Yeah, that was us,”
Kobra quickly looked back to his brother, surprised that he had even been listening let alone had wanted to talk about it. The two of them didn’t even talk about that time. They’d lived through it; it was in the past.
“Okay, but I know you can’t play drums or guitar for shit Party. So who’s the others?”
His brother seemed to shrink a little, if that was even possible, and kept his eyes down.
“Ghoul ‘n Jet too,” he added.
King opened his mouth to keep going, but Queenie quickly walked over and covered his mouth. He seemed upset, but after a particularly stern look from his wife, he nodded and she released him.
“Look,” he started, though he glanced at Queenie before continuing, “You don’t have to tell us everything man, I know how bad shit from the past can be. I’m sorry I pushed,”
Neither Kobra nor Party moved, or answered. It seemed to Kobra that his brother was lost again in thought.
Now, he knew that necessarily that was not something he should worry about. Party was a little spacy at the best of times, completely zoned out in the worst, and from what Kobra could tell, his brother was okay.
“We had a drummer too,” he said belatedly.
In the moments it took for King to understand which of his questions Party was answering, Kobra briefly wondered how much was going to be dug up.
There was a lot, and King had a pretty shit past himself, but he and his brother had attempted to move on. Hell, they had moved on.
“Par-”
“His name was Bob, he never got a rebel name,” Party said, interrupting King.
“Shit,” Queenie whispered to herself as she sat down onto the floor. Her husband followed suit, leaving Kobra the only one standing.
“We played in the City, before we got out. It was just our version of rebellion, before we realized that we could actually make a difference ya know.”
He nodded, Kobra had felt at the time that music was the only way to get back at BLI-ND.
“So we made noise in the only way we knew: we started a band. We were kinda popular, as much as you can be in the slums.”
Kobra wasn’t sure why exactly he was helping his brother tell this story. It still felt raw and too much like a live wire.
At the same time though, these were their friends.
He realized that he wanted them to know.
“We made a couple of albums actually,” he found himself continuing, “ up until about a year before we left.”
“Damn really?” King said, traces of excitement in his tone.
“Yeah, I’m not sure how much is lost now though. If Doc’s playing it, then there’s probably copies of some of it,”
Party almost sounded excited, the pride he’d had in them coming through.
“Ya know we could always ask him,” Koba supplied.
His brother nodded, seemingly thinking it through.
“Why did you ever stop?”
The voice came from behind Kobra, surprising him. It had been Phoenix, who’d been standing there for quite a while judging from the look on his face. He briefly took in the fact that Decay was literally attached to the younger’s hip and then turned his attention back to Party.
Selfishly, Kobra didn’t want to tell this part. That night still appeared in his dreams, even after all of the years that had passed. He knew Party too still thought about it. His brother always seemed to blame himself, no matter if he had any fault at all.
“We lost Bob, during our escape. There was this big… fence-thing that separates the city from the desert and we decided to climb it. Granted back then there wasn’t as much security but it was still stupid.”
He took a long breath, Kobra could see him trying to make the next words form.
“Bob got hit, right as he was coming over the top. He- he was… gone before he hit the sand.”
Kobra was surprised that he’d been able to speak, but the pain from the memories was making it a little hard to think. All his mind could do was replay that night. The way Bob had insisted on going last, so that all of them could get to safety first. That had been his downfall, his selflessness. It still rocked him to the core.
In getting the four of them to freedom, Bob had died without ever leaving the city.
“Destroya,” Phoenix muttered,
Kobra paid them no mind as they quietly went over to sit in their part of the room. His attention was on his brother.
“Party?”
His words had been quiet, gentle, afraid to startle the older man. It didn’t matter, his brother didn’t even look at him now.
Thankfully, Queenie moved out of the way, taking King with her, and Kobra was finally allowed to comfort his brother.
He crouched down, wrapping his arms around Party. Kobra, after a few moments, felt the older wrap his own hands around his middle and squeeze. Neither cried, they’d run out of tears for that night a long time ago. Instead, Party and Kobra just needed each other.
Being without Ghoul and Jet only made it worse.
Kobra tried not to think about that.
His brother needed him, bringing up other shit end sticks would not help.
“Gee?” he whispered, quiet enough so that the others in the room couldn’t hear him.
___________________________________________________________________________-
Party took a moment to just breathe.
The swirl of memories and emotions were overwhelming at first. He was a little surprised that he’d been able to say everything out loud. They never did that.
Never spoke about it after that night.
Saying made it real.
Not that he’d ever tried to pretend it never happened. No, who Party was now was solely a product of their escape. The sacrifice Bob made fueled everything they did now.
No one would be left behind, ever.
He heard Kobra whisper his name, the younger’s voice briming in concern.
Oddly enough, he was okay.
Maybe not perfect, but okay. He’d just been taken off guard by the past, and for once he was alright.
“Yeah, I’m good,” he said, breaking the embrace and giving a nod to prove his point. Kobra still looked worried but, Party thought, that was nearly his default emotion.
They didn’t have time for this, their runner was waiting on them.
“Alright, history lesson is over. We gotta get movin’, he’s gonna meet us at noon,” he said, standing up and shrugging on his jacket. Kobra followed suit and within a few moments they were all masked and ready.
Again, Phoenix and Decay stayed towards the back of the group. Party was mostly sure they weren’t talking, but it was getting a little suspicious.
He still hadn’t figured out where they’d gone while his brother and Queenie went on that walk. They hadn’t gone far, seeing as they took nearly the same amount of time.
Party made a mental note to ask them later. This time, he promised himself, he would not assume.
The group weaved in and out of the tents, the desert sun radiating blistering heat down onto them. Party was sweating underneath all of his layers and he longed to shed a few. He knew better though, the extra precautions were necessary if they didn’t want to be caught. The desert couldn’t know they were alive, not yet anyway.
So, they suffered.
Being a rebel was so fun.
Now though, as they walked people kept doing double takes. Party was a little confused by this, seeing as they all had their faces covered. Hell, his hair had begun to fade a bit at the roots so he didn’t really look like himself.
Maybe it was that they were all walking together, in the same direction. There weren’t many large crews so they definitely looked different. He contemplated having the group split up to avoid attention but thought better of it.
Let people assume, let them think what they want.
They arrived right at noon, or as close as possible given they didn’t have a clock or anything. The meeting place was a tent, big surprise, and it made the chances of them seeming out of place very slim. Everyone else filed into the tent, but Party remained outside as the entrance flap was shut.
As lookout, he needed to make sure their runner hadn’t been followed and that no one tried to enter the tent.
Honestly, Party wished he’d brought an umbrella or something at this point. The sun seemed extra pissed off today and he could already feel the sunburn on his nose and cheeks from where they were exposed.
Stupid radioactive desert wasteland.
He wondered if investing in sunblock would be a good idea. The shit was stupid expensive, like hundreds of carbons, but it would have come in handy. If he got a tan line from the mask and bandana, Party would shoot the sun himself.
And anyone who commented on it.
When had he become such a bitter old man complaining about sun burns?
It didn’t matter, soon he spotted them. The runner was moving, unnoticed, through the crowds and approaching their tent. Party prepared himself, despite knowing this guy for a long time, he still was wary of him. You could never be too safe.
Once the man was right in front of him, he nodded at Party. He didn’t nod back, waiting on their code word. If the runner didn’t say it, then they wouldn’t talk at all. He hoped that the bag slung over the man’s shoulder was full of their supplies.
He was getting impatient, the sun ever hot against his covered skin.
“You here for the party?” the runner spoke at last.
“Yeah, it's out back. You gonna join?”
The runner smiled, but Party didn’t return it. His mind was too focused on how close they were to being able to save the others.
When the runner realized his mood, he sobered and nodded for Party to lead him in. Everyone inside had their eyes on the pair as they entered. Decay, he noticed, seemed more surprised than anything. He cursed himself, he should have told him about the facade they used. They couldn’t show emotion, it was dangerous.
Thankfully, before Party actually had to say something to the kid, Phoenix nudged him with his shoulder.
He made sure the runner’s attention was on himself by already starting to speak, covering up Phoenix explaining things to his boyfriend.
“You got what we need?”
The runner nodded and pulled the bag off of his shoulder. There were no tables or chairs inside the tent so he just rummaged around the bag and handed Party the items. Extra battery packs for their guns, medicine, food, water, and new radios.
It was going to cost them a fortune, but Party knew it was worth it.
He watched from the corner of his eye as his brother moved to his side. Party didn’t look at him though, just reached into his jacket. Their money was in the inside pocket, the same side as his gun.
Maybe Kobra was just making sure the runner didn’t think they were about to shoot.
“How’d you do it?”
The man’s question was out of the blue, catching Party off guard. How’d he do what? His confusion must have been apparent because the runner began speaking again, a weird edge to his voice.
“Survive. How’d you survive? Last I heard you Four were all ghosted, and the kid too.”
With no further explanation from the runner, Party was beginning to have a bad feeling pool in his gut. Something was off.
Runners didn’t ask questions.
“Fine, don’t tell me. That part doesn’t really matter anyway.”
Party saw Kobra discreetly put a hand on the gun attached to his hip. He had half a mind to do the same, but refrained. Maybe the guy was just curious.
Not wanting to be accused of stealing, Party handed him the money. Relief that the supplies were theirs didn’t come. The runner didn’t leave, he stayed, the ghost of a smile on his lips.
“Good luck,” he said after a few tense moments, turning on his heel and leaving.
Party turned, shooting his brother a disbelieving look. Kobra looked just as confused, the hell had that been about.
Their attention was turned to the tent entrance again. This time, the green haired ‘joy from before walked in. Their face was covered in sand, and it looked like they’d just been in a firefight. Sun Static, Party finally remembered their name, seemed to shrink in relief.
“Thank Destroya, c’mon we gotta go. Now.”
They moved to leave, probably expecting the other Killjoys to follow. Yeah right, Party thought.
“Hold up,”
Sun Static turned, exasperated,
“Look, there’s not much time to explain but you were sold out. We gotta go right now.”
What the fuck?
Not again, Party prayed the ‘joy was wrong.
“How do we know we can trust you?”
“When you walked here, people stared right?”
“Yeah?”
He heard someone, probably Decay, take a deep breath. The anxiety in the room nearly overwhelming. Damn it, they were supposed to be professionals.
“Someone spread the rumor that the Four were still alive and that they were here.”
Of, fucking, course.
“Lets just say, BLI-ND got word and they’re on their way. We need to go,” they explained and quickly went outside, expecting the others to follow.
The group waited, it was Party’s decision.
Without looking at them, he followed the other ‘joy back out into the blistering heat. Kobra half jogged to Party’s side, their supplies in his pack on his shoulder.
“I’ve got a bad feeling,”
“Yeah me too, there’s something we don’t know,”
Their conversation was rudely interrupted by a bright green laser beam hitting a tent to their left. Quickly, Party stopped and pulled his gun. Instinctively he knew the others were doing the same. Sun Static stopped too, their own gun suddenly in their hand and pointing in front of them.
A lone rebel stood a little ways down the path. Party could tell their gun was drawn, but couldn’t see their face.
He stepped forward, past the others and moved towards the ‘joy.
“What do you want?” he asked, gun aimed at the man’s chest.
“Is it really you?”
What? What the hell was going on?
“Drop your gun, or I will shoot,” Party said, as he took another step closer.
“Ya know they raised the price, you’re worth a million now. I could really use that money,”
Before Party could react, the rebel shot his gun.
Rather than shooting at them, the gun was pointed towards the sky. Realization hit Party like a brick. The idiot had just let BLI-ND know where they were.
If there were rumors they were alive, enough to convince a majority of the rebels in the Market, then BLI-ND wouldn’t be far.
“Fuck,” he said, running back the short distance to the others.
“They’ll be here soon, we gotta go. This way!”
They took off, running for the dunes to the east of the Market. Maybe they could get back to the car before they caught up.
No such luck, the group had barely cleared the last tent before laser beams were flying all around them.
His lungs were aching and if Ghoul were there he’d probably be giving him shit for running so much after being shot.
Ghoul wasn’t here and if he stopped they’d die, but god cardio sucked.
Party stopped suddenly, making Kobra stop as well.
Reading each other’s mind, they let the others run past them and then they began firing. The group of Dracs were close, maybe a dozen of them, but they all had guns. He managed to take out a couple, his brother on the other hand took out close to half of the remaining ones.
Bless that man and his aim.
The brothers nodded to each other and fell back, still firing at the few Dracs. Somehow, they all made it back to the car and within seconds they were piled inside and speeding through the sand.
Party didn’t breathe until the tires hit the faded pavement of Guano, though his grip on the steering wheel was making his knuckles white.
“Is anyone hurt?” Kobra asked from the passenger seat, as he turned to the very crowded back seat.
King was sitting on Queenie’s lap, but despite the sweat plastered hair on both of their faces, they both nodded. They were okay.
Decay too was sitting on a lap, Phoenix’s to be exact. He seemed a little more winded than the others and didn’t answer or seem to notice Kobra’s question.
He was straddling Phoenix, with his head on the other boy’s shoulder. His eyes were open but they seemed a little glossy, making Kobra concerned.
“He’s okay,” Phoenix answered for him.
Decay didn’t look okay, from what Party could tell as he stole glances in the rearview mirror.
“He wasn’t hit, he just ran too much.”
That seemed to satisfy Kobra, for the moment anyway.
“I’m shiny,” Sun Static said, before his brother was even able to question.
“Explain,” Party said, words sounding a little harsh even to his own ears.
“That runner of yours, he’s a sell out.”
“How- how do you know?”
It's not that he can’t believe the guy would sell them out, it just that he needs proof.
“After Decay went to find his crew, I needed supplies. I came down here about two weeks ago, just to restock. People were talking, saying that the Four were still alive. I didn’t believe it at first, thought it was just gossip.”
“What made you change your mind?” King asked, worry written all over his face. Party had know the kid forever, he knew the anxiety going through his head.
“The runner, he offered me supplies and the truth for money. A normal trade really, but he said that he knew from the source, that you were alive. I did some more digging and found out he was your runner. Then BLI-ND released a new bounty on your heads.”
Party didn’t know what to say.
All this time, the person who’d given them up had been right under his nose. The information that the guy knew wasn’t everything, but he had been contacted by Doctor Death personally.
How much other information had the guy given BLI-ND?
“Party?,” Phoenix asked, and he was beginning to get sick of the concerned faces that always seemed to be pointing at him.
He was fine.
Pissed off, likely to shoot the runner on the spot the next time he saw him, but fine.
“He’s going to pay, I will make sure of it, be we don’t have time,” he said oddly calm, but meaning every word.
“Yeah,” Kobra added, seemingly reading his thoughts,” but we’ve got worse to think about now. BLI-ND, more specifically Korse, knows me and Party are alive. We need to move fast if we want to have a chance in Hell of getting the others out.”
Party nodded in agreement, pushing the pedal all the way to the floorboard as they zoomed down Guano.

Chapter Text

When Ghoul finally woke, the only thing he could focus on was the pounding in his head. It felt like his entire forehead had been hit repeatedly with a hammer. Needless to say, opening his eyes wasn’t really something high up on his to do list.
Maybe, he thought, it’d be possible to go back to sleep. Then, he might get lucky and the headache would go away.
“Hey,” a voice he didn’t recognize whispered,” you awake?”
No sleep for him then.
Fighting harder, Ghoul finally opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. Destroya he was getting sick of waking up confused.
Once all of this shit was over he needed a long ass vacation.
Preferably somewhere cold and isolated.
For the moment, he was still stuck in the same cell as before. The only difference was that there was only he and Kross Beam.
He and Kross Beam were laying only a few feet apart, close enough to touch if they wanted to. Jet and Torrent were nowhere to be found, adding to Ghoul’s anxiety.
When he tried to sit up and have a better look around, he found that his arms where now chained to the floor. There seemed to be no locking mechanism, the smooth edge of the chains blended seamlessly into the stark white floor.
The other Killjoy seemed to be in the same position, on his stomach with his arms chained to the floor above his head.
“What’s going on?” Ghoul questioned aloud. He was becoming more and more worried about Jet and Torrent. If BLI-ND had separated them, then they probably had nothing good planned.
Ghoul suddenly felt an intense wave of dizziness overcome him, making his stomach roll and twist painfully. He let out a groan as his eyes scrunched up in an effort to keep the contents of his stomach at bay.
“Ghoul?”
He really couldn’t risk answering, the room was spinning around him despite him not actually looking at it.
After what felt like forever, it finally stopped. Ghoul pulled in a shaking breath, too afraid to open his eyes again. In truth, he felt glued to the cool floor as his limbs suddenly weighed a ton.
He thought he might throw up, but fought hard against it. Who knew the next time they were going to be allowed to eat.
Distantly, as the uncomfortable feeling slowly passed, Ghoul wondered where Jet and Torrent were.
He hoped they were alright, but experience told him that that would be pushing their luck.
——————————————————
Kross Beam could only watch as the Killjoy known as Fun Ghoul suffered.
It was like he’d been drugged again, from what he could tell.
The dude had just all of a sudden went stiff and started making these pathetic little noises. They pulled at Kross Beam’s heart; he needed to help him.
No matter how hard he yanked on the chains holding his hands, they didn’t budge.
He wasn’t sure what was happening to Ghoul exactly; probably something to do with the extra doses of drugs the Dracs were pumping him full of. What was really weird though was that he had only had the one dose, as the others were taken. They hadn’t given him anything since and their ignoring of him was unsettling to say the least.
If it was because the drug was a slow release kind of thing, why wasn’t he affected too? They were all given the drug at the same time.
Ghoul let out another groan, making Kross Beam once again pull on his chains.
From where he could see, the other Killjoy seemed conscious but barely so. There was a thin layer of sweat covering his skin and his breathing was a little too heavy.
Why would they put Ghoul through so much but leave him virtually unharmed?
Kross Beam naturally assumed the worst. The only downside was that he wasn’t sure what the worst really could be.

From what he can tell, they separated them for an important reason. Maybe they think that they’ll be able to get more information out of them this way?
He’s not sure.
Honestly the only thing that makes sense in that moment is how much he misses his friends.
He’s not exactly sure why they all got so upset and looking back now, Kross Beam realizes that Phoenix was right.
Or at least he probably was.
Decay and him were always inseparable so in hindsight he probably should have listened to him.
He wondered if they’d found each other.
It seemed like they always had a knack for it, but with everything that had happened Kross Beam wasn’t sure.
They were most likely ghosted.
That much he couldn’t really deny.
If Korse had found he and Torrent then the chances of the others being safe were slim to none.
He couldn’t argue with facts, no matter how badly they hurt. And god did they hurt.
After all of the shit they’d been through, to be ghosted by some Dracs was almost funny.
Except it wasn’t.
With the staggering breathing of Fun Ghoul beside him, Kross Beam too felt the world spin just without the drugs being the cause.
The hopelessness of situation weighing down on him, making his breathing faster. He wasn’t sure if Fun Ghoul was even conscious but Kross Beam didn’t even try and hide his anxiety. It didn’t matter anyway.
Fuck, wasn’t Decay supposed to be the pessimistic one?
——————————————-
Doctor D. took a deep breath as he slid the cassette tape into the machine, knowing the effect of the song about to come through the Zone’s radios.
He pulled himself closer to his desk and flipped the switch that turned his mic on.
“Look alive sunshine. One oh nine in the sky…”
He began speaking, quickly and boldly as his words poured into the mic. Doc was aware of the door opening behind him but paid it no mind. Missile Kid often came in to listen to his broadcasts and he knew how bored she was being cooped up inside all the time.
“I’ll be your surgeon, your proctor, your helicopter, pumping out the slaughtermatic sounds to keep you alive,”
He continued, his words being carried to nearly every radio in the desert. Doc had a feeling that a certain group of ‘joys were listening too.
There was no way to know for certain, he knew this.
Yet, from what he knew about Poison, Kobra, and the others told him that they’d be listening.
“Killjoys, make some noise!”
Doc spoke the last words into the mic, the force behind them giving him chills. He quickly hit play, before he could talk himself out of it.
They needed to hear this song.
The Four, well Poison and Kobra, needed to be reminded of their goal. Not that Doc believed the two had forgotten about that time in their lives. Instead, he wanted them to see just how far they’d come.
The song was old, damn near ancient in desert terms, but it was from a time when the Four were just kids. It was before they ran, before they became the faces of the rebellion.
It was Before they were The Fabulous Four.
Poison had told him once about how and why they had started a band. Just from that conversation Doc had begun to understand how much of a tool music was for them. Their lives had been shit in the City, and yet music had kept their personalities and rebellion alive long enough for them to get out.
“Give me a better cause to lead!”
He genuinely liked this song, something about the beat and lyrics hit home to him. A nostalgic feeling filled him; pieces of his own past resurfacing.

“Doc?”
He had nearly forgotten about Missile being in the room with him. Doc spun around, putting on his best natural face that he could muster.
“‘Sup motor baby?”
She opened and then closed her mouth a couple of times, trying to find the words for something.
“ Kiddo,” he said warmly, “you can ask me anything.”
Missile gave him a small smile though she still seemed a little sad.
“That’s Party singing isn’t it?”
Great, now he was going to have to have that conversation with her. Doc wasn’t entirely sure what exactly the Four wanted her to know about their past.
He decided to play it safe, just the main facts.
“Yeah, the four of ‘em used to be in a band a long ass time ago.”
The answer seemed to satisfy her curiosity for the time being, but he could tell that she wanted to ask more. He waited, waited on her to work up the courage to ask.
Instead she just turned, the ghost of a smile on her face, and left.
Maybe one day he’d be able to convince Poison to tell her.
Grace deserved to know.
She was family to them after all.
_______________________________________________

They drove in near silence, the only sound being the engine. Party was flooring it, and he was thankful that Guano was straight because the car definitely wouldn’t be able to take turns at the speed he was going. Nearing a hundred miles an hour the seven of them blasted down the road, windows down and wind blowing into their faces.
It was honestly a little too quiet for Party, even with the wind; he needed something to distract him from the noise in his head. He had a sinking feeling in his gut that the dracs were behind them, slowly catching up.
Party wasn’t even a hundred percent sure where Korse was keeping Ghoul and Jet, let alone how they were going to rescue them. It had seemed to achievable, back in Doc’s base when everyone was going over the plan.
Now, he wasn’t so sure.
Even with the addition of two ‘joys, their odds were shit and he knew it. Party was sure everyone in the car knew it.
This, despite everything they’d done to make it easier, was a suicide mission.
Their goal was to get Jet and Ghoul, but the chances of them coming home alive were slim to none.
He was, finally, no longer out of breath from the running and Party ticked that as one positive thing. He was getting sick of feeling like shit all of the time.
It felt like he’d constantly been either injured or recovering. It was nice that he was able to function, despite the fact that he was still technically recovering.
The same went for his friends.
Kobra had been injured as well, quite badly if he was honest. The older brother part of him was relieved that he was better now. Worrying over whether Kobra was alright, which honestly this past time had only been after he himself was recovered, was tiring.
His brother was sitting right next to him, focused on the road outside his window, but Party could see how much better he was. Kobra sat, only slightly slumped over. He knew that it was not because of any residual pain from his wound, it was just the way he sat sometimes.
Another tick for the positive column.
They had, accidentally, found Decaydance. Phoenix had been so much more relaxed since they’d found him. It probably should have made Party at least a little jealous, seeing as his boyfriend was still captured.
It didn’t though.
Really, Party was genuinely happy for them. He knew just how much the kid missed Decay, seeing them together was heartwarming.
Sure, he still missed Ghoul. He didn’t think that he’d ever not miss him.
He missed the stupid shit too.
How Ghoul would always end up having to pull his long hair out of his eyes, but was too stubborn to cut it. He would always bitch when it came time to dye it, seeing as the sun would always bleach the natural dark color out of it.
He missed his laugh.
Destroya, he missed making him laugh.

Party felt only slightly better since he’d managed to at least find something to count as a success. He relaxed, still focused on the road, and turned the radio on.
The music filled the air, drowning out the roaring engine. The only way he could describe this feeling was:free.
Doc was playing some old song, the name of it was right on the tip of his tongue. His heart seemed to mimicking the beat and Party found himself bobbing his head along.
It didn’t last long.
Nothing ever really did for them.
All too soon, Kobra was reaching over and turning the radio off. The music stopped abruptly and the five in the back seats seemed a little startled.
“Phoenix?” Kobra asked, an unreadable tone to his voice.
Party stole a glance at his brother, seeing his arms crossed over his chest. He looked legitimately angry, something he never really saw in his brother. Kobra always seemed to have a hold on his emotions, often times the only one to have a rational point in the middle of a fight.
Now though, Party recognized the bitterness laced within Kobra’s words.
“Yeah?” Phoenix answered, obviously confused by the way the other ‘joy was acting.
“Feel like tellin’ us what you and Decay were doin’ when you were gone today?”
“Well- I- uh,”
Phoenix trailed off, obviously uncomfortable by the questioning.
Was Kobra really trying to get them to tell him that they’d snuck off for a quick makeout or something?
That was kind of low.
He looked back in the rearview mirror, Phoenix and Decay shared a long look. They seemed to be discussing something, but the rest of the car was in the dark over what exactly.
“Look,” Sun Static Spoke up, “why the hell does it matter? They’ve been looking for each other for Destroya knows how long, aren’t they allowed a moment or two to themselves?”
They had a point.
King, who had been napping against his wife, sturred a little at the talking going on around him. He’d slept through the music, but talking made him wake? Party couldn’t help the grin that formed while he watched the groggy ‘joy wake up.
“‘S going on?”
“I want to know. We’ve been betrayed and forgive me if I don’t take the word of two strangers.”
Kobra seemed really upset all of a sudden, practically yelling at the back seat.
“Whoa, Kobra calm down. There’s no-” Queenie tried, hoping to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.
“No, I want to know what was so important that you two needed to be alone.”
“What, you and Queenie are allowed to roam but we’re not?”
Phoenix had a point, Party realized as he once again stole a glance to the back seat.
“If you must know Kobra, we were discussing how long it’d been since I’d last drugged myself up,” Decay’s words were strong, coming out angry and aimed towards Kobra, “Happy now?”
He sounded defeated then, ashamed, as he whispered the last bit. Decay didn’t break eye contact with Kobra though, who had turned around in his seat in the middle of their argument.
It was over just as fast as it had begun.
Party literally watched the anger drain from his brother’s face, replaced with regret and sadness.
“Fuck, I-”
“No, you don’t have to apologize. We shouldn’t have wandered off, I just hadn’t wanted everyone to know. I was taking care of it.”
“Decay,” Party started but trailed off, unsure what to say.
“I’ve been clean for a little more than a week, but I’m still feeling the sickness that comes from quitting like that. I’m sorry I kept it a secret.”
“No,” Phoenix said, pulling Decay’s top half around so they were eye, “ you had every right to keep it secret.”
Phoenix looked to Kobra now, some of the anger now on his face instead.
“I kept it a secret too. Not because I wanted to lie or anything like that. No, I didn’t tell you because it honestly wasn’t any of your business.”
The car was silent again; no one even seemed to breathe as the words sunk in.
“You shouldn’t have had to tell us,” Party spoke up.
He understood, in a sense, of how Decay felt. He knew just how addicting self
deprecating habits became.
Party had barely told his brother, his boyfriend, when he had starved himself. He could imagine how his personal fights being forcibly told to a group of strangers would feel.
“I’m sorry, but I want you to know that none of us,” he glared at his brother, slightly out of spite,” will think of you any differently.”
“Yeah,” Sun Static spoke again,” I saw how determined you were to get out and find your crew. You snuck out on me a couple of times before you were strong enough; gave me a fuckin’ heart attack, but it proved to me the kind of person you are Decay.”
Decay had tears in his eyes now, their words seeming to help fix the situation, if only a little.
“I agree. I only just met you, but the way you look at Phoenix tells me how loyal you are,” Queenie added, finally making Decay smile.
Kobra still hadn’t said anything, but Party knew he was beating himself up over his out burts.
“We’re all stressed and exhausted and like I said, you should never have had to tell us until you were ready, but just know that we do trust you, Decay,” Party said eyes not leaving the road this time.
A chorus of “Agreed,” filled the van, but Kobra still hadn’t spoken.
“Kobra?” he asked, looking to see what was still bothering his brother.
“ I’m sorry,” he said at last, the guilt in his eyes like a punch in Party’s gut.
He turned around again to face Phoenix and Decay.
“I am so fucking sorry man. I- I don’t know why I got so mad, but I do trust you. I didn’t mean a word of it when I said I didn’t.”
Decay smiled weakly, the hurt still in his eyes, but nodded.
———— hours later———-

Party noticed that they had crossed into Zone 4, seeing the worn down sign pass by in a blur. His eyes were getting tired and he rubbed them a little to try and get the stinging to go away.
A quiet chatter came from the back seat, King and Decay talking about something in excited but hushed tones.
Party stifled a yawn, they still needed to drive a few more hours before they could break.
“Hey, want me to drive?” Kobra asked, the first words he’d spoken since the fight.
“No, ‘m good. My eyes are just a little tired.”
That seemed to satisfy Kobra and the blond turned to look out into the blackness that was rolling past his window. Distantly, to their right, there were lights. Probably they were from a camp but there was always the possibility that it was BLI-ND.
A bright light flashed through his rearview mirror, blinding Party as he struggled to see the road.
Kobra leaned out the now open window, pulling his gun as he tried to see who was behind them.
“The light’s too bright for just one vehicle,” he said, voice partially broken by the wind.
A laser beam flew past Party’s side of the car, hitting the ground somewhere in front of them.
“It’s BLI-ND!” Kobra yelled, now opening fire.
They were close, less than a mile away, but the lasers were very near to hitting the car. He quickly hit the button on his dash, knowing without looking that it made the top skylight open. Party watched from the corner of his eyes as the others in the back stood up and began firing as well.
Laser fire seemed to be coming from all around them, it was only a matter of time before they were hit. He tried to keep the car steady enough so his crew could fire at the vans, but Party also was at least trying to avoid the car being hit.
He’d went through a lot to get it back after the others had been captured. He would probably owe Pony one for the rest of his life so he was not about to put holes in it.

Suddenly the car was veering sideways, the front driver’s side tire having been hit, and Party pulled hard on the wheel. The car rocked as he fought to regain control and he barely was able to keep the car on the pavement.
“Get in, NOW!” he yelled over the noise surrounding them.
Thankfully, everyone listened and he was able to hit the button closing the top once more.
He finally had control over the car, they were no longer swerving but they would have to pull over soon.
“What’s the plan?” King asked from the back, his eyes blown wide.
Today, Party realized, was the first times he’d seen action since Pretty Odd. Queenie was attempting to calm him down, her arms holding him close, but she was scared too.
His eyes scanned over everyone in the car.
They were all afraid, with every right to be. The car was down a tire and Destroya knows how many Dracs were right behind them.
“We’re gonna run as long as we can. Then,” he said, making sure to get eye contact with everyone in the car,” then, we’re gonna fight. Ghoul and Jet are counting on us and the others in Phoenix and Decay’s crew too. Grace, Doc, Pony, everyone is counting on us. We have to show BLI-ND that we will not back down, that we will not give up, because the second that we do they will win.”
“I’m with you until the end, Party,” Kobra said after a brief moment.
“You’ve got us this far,” came Queenie and King’s reply.
Decay just nodded, the determination radiating off of him as Phoenix too nodded.
“Well, I barely know ya’ll, but why the hell not,” Sun Static announced with a smile.
Party allowed a ghost of a smile to cross his lips, too caught up in what he had to do to focus on anything else. His foot pressed the gas pedal to the floor and the car jerked as it sped up. The right side was pulling, making him have to constantly correct in order to stay on the road.
More lazer beams kept coming, getting closer to the car with every second. He really wasn’t sure how they were going to get out of this.
“They’re still right there,”
Party didn’t acknowledge his brother’s warning, already knowing that the Dracs were inching closer. It was about to be time to fight, running no longer being a safe option, when the back driver’s side tire was hit.
There was no time for Party to correct before the car was jerking to the side harshly. When he finally was able to act, he yanked the wheel in a last ditch attempt to regain control.
It of course backfired in his face as the car’s remaining tires left the road. They were rolling, some part in the back of his mind offered as his world spun.
The sound of the metal hitting and scraping against the pavement was defaning as they rolled. Party wasn’t sure how long or how far they went, each turn seeming like 20, until finally they came to a stop.
He groaned, his head spinning painfully. Something was off; he was upside down.
They’d landed upside down.
“Fuck,” he groaned, struggling to unfasten his seat belt.
“Party?” a voice that sounded like Decay spoke, too gravely for Party to be sure.
He took a second to do an internal once over of himself. Nothing seemed to be broken or cut, but his head was pounding.
Had he hit it on something?
The realization that there were six other people in the car hit him; people he was responsible for.
“Is everyone okay?” Party yelled, now fighting to get his seat belt loose.
“Here,” Kobra said from beside him, as he fell the short distance to what used to be the roof of the car.
Party watched as he maneuvered himself so that he was crouching, facing the back seat with worry.
“Phoenix is here too,” Decay added.
Sun Static replied as well, already out of her seat.
“King’s hurt.”
It must have been Queenie who said it, but Party was too busy trying to get the god damned seat belt undone. Weren’t they supposed to help if you were in a crash.
He cut his hand on some broken glass that had embedded itself into the straps, cursing under his breath as he finally was free.
“How bad?” he heard Kobra asking.
Party was focused in front of him, the glass that the windshield used to be now shattered everywhere.
“He’s breathing, but there’s blood,” he heard the conversation behind him but was too focused on how they were going to get out. The Dracs were bound to be there any second.
At last an idea hit him.
Party turned back to the others, all except King crouched onto the car’s roof and looking at him.
“We’re gonna crawl out, maybe we can make it to the sand before the Dracs get here. Phoenix grab the supplies, Queenie carry King, and everyone else follow me.”
He led them out, himself going first to make sure the Dracs weren’t already there.
Nothing was outside the car, but he could see the lights from the vans getting closer by the second.
“All clear, but we’ve gotta hurry,” he called through the empty windshield frame.
Queenie came first, King awkwardly flung over her shoulder, with Phoenix and Decay next. Sun Static crawled out a moment later, gun already drawn and instantly pointed behind them.
They didn’t fire, not sure if the Dracs knew that everyone had survived.
Kobra came out last, Party offered him a hand as he pulled himself out of the wreckage.

Party loved that car damn it and it physically hurt to see it so crumpled up like a tin can. He couldn’t dwell on it though, they needed to run.
Turning to face the others, Party quickly told them to start running. They were off the pavement and into the sand in a matter of seconds.
If they wanted any chance of out running BLI-ND, they needed to disappear into the sand.

Chapter Text

They ran for what seemed like forever, the only sounds being the soft noise of shoes hitting sand.
The sun seemed to have heard Party’s previous thoughts about its heat because the temperature around them seemed to raise by the minuet.
Party lead the group, jogging just a bit ahead of the rest. He was breathing heavily, their previous rest stop had only lasted less than five minutes before Queenie had spotted Dracs on the horizon and they had to move again.
Without looking back, Party knew that Queenie still was supporting King. He’d regained consciousness a short while before but was still having trouble staying upright. He had one arm slung over Queenie with the other clutching his gun.
The last time that they’d stopped, Static had quickly begun to clean a gash on his forehead. Blood had been streaming down into King’s eyes, making Party and everyone else nervous.
Static had been quick to inform them that head wounds bleed (a lot) and that while he probably did have a minor concussion, that King would be fine.
The part they added about rest being an important piece in that was forgotten when they’d had to move yet again.
By Party’s count, they’d tried to stop four time but each time the cloud of sand would appear on the horizon and they’d have to book it to get out.
Truthfully, (not that he’d ever let Kobra or any of the others know this) Party’s chest was aching near constantly.
Not to mention the fact that he wasn't the most athletic person in the world. Nor was he on the most nutritious diet.
Oh, and he’d just been shot in the chest only a few weeks ago.
Yeah, that’s probably it.
Even though the wound was only a light pink scar, the entire area gave off a dull ache. Party knew that the others probably needed a real break too.
Decay was still going through withdraws, though he hadn’t complained at all through the whole ordeal.
Still, Party decided to stop. Just a second to take in the conditions of his… group? Crew?... friends, he decided.
Just as he’d thought, Decay was pale and while he wasn’t leaning on Phoenix for support, he did seem quite relieved with the momentary break.
Both Phoenix and Decay glanced to Party, while Queenie gently helped King to sit down.
Kobra was looking at Party too, waiting on him to start talking.
He really didn’t have a plan yet. Most of this stopping idea had been just to give him and the others a bit of a rest.
Without realizing, Party’s hand had gone up to his chest, palm underneath the cloth of his shirt and was massaging the area where his wound had been. Now that he wasn’t running the pain had lessened and he barely felt it at all.
As they stood there in silence, Static took the opportunity to do a once over of King and once they found him in relative good shape( all things considered), moved on to Decay. Meanwhile, Kobra had taken charge of passing around water for them all to drink. Sometime during their endless running, his brother had taken possession of the bag of supplies that they’d gotten from their runner.
Party watched as Kobra walked around the group and noticed how stiffly he was bending down. Since everyone else had decided to sit in the sand while they took this well deserved break, Kobra had to bend over to hand them the water and or snacks from the bag.
Each time he bent, Party could see the grimace that he tried to hide. It seemed like he was hiding it well because no one else had noticed, at least not that Party could tell.
After everyone had gotten their refreshments, Kobra moved to stand by him and offered him a water bottle. Party took it gratefully but denied the small granola bar that his brother offered as well.
“Your chest hurtin’ ya?” Kobra asked without looking at him. Instead he just munched on the granola that Party had refused.
“Eh, little bit. Your back is killing you isn’t it.”
It wasn’t really a question, just a statement.
The others were quiet around them, everyone apparently too tired to chatter. Still, even though he couldn’t blame them for just wanting to catch their breaths, Party kept his voice quiet. He’d rather not have them worrying for nothing.
Kobra didn’t finish the conversation, too busy eating the granola bar to really continue with what they were talking about.
Not that it mattered really.
They had both been hurt and now they were feeling the lasting effects of it. But they were going to be fine.
There was nothing to do to stop the ache anyway.
“Yo, Party!” Decay called, pulling Party’s thoughts away.
“Hmm?” he said, jerking his head up a bit in a “sup” motion.
Gazing behind where Decay was sitting, Party didn’t see any clouds of sand meaning that the Dracs hadn’t caught up yet.
“We restin’ here a while?”
“Ah- I don’t know about that,” Party trailed off, debating whether or not to stay where they were and run the risk of getting ambushed.
The sun was going to set soon; a couple of hours of daylight was about all they had left. They wouldn’t be able to risk a fire but the cover of darkness would protect them so long as they didn’t make any noise or light.
The down side was trying to stay undiscovered until it got dark.
“Personally I’d like a bit more distance between us and them before we settle in for the night,” Kobra said before sitting down in the sand too.
“King and Decay need to rest, they’ve been runnin’ all damn day and they weren’t in the best shape to start with,” added Static.
“I’m down for whichever one will not get us ghosted, Party,” Queenie said, looking at Party and waiting on him to come to a decision.
He mulled it over.
On one hand, resting right then felt like a great idea.
One of them probably had a concussion and the other was ill so it made sense to give them a break after running through the night and most of the current day.
On top of that, every seemed to have at least a few small cuts and scrapes from the crash. They probably should get those at least cleaned.
Party’s own hand had crusted blood on it, the palm containing a jagged cut from the piece of glass that’d been embedded in his seatbelt.
On the other hand, the distance between them and the Dracs was probably nowhere near far enough.
Sure, they couldn’t see them at that moment. But that didn’t mean they were close behind.
If they caught up to them, there was no way that his group would be able to fight them off.
They wouldn’t be able to stand a chance until they’d slept and found out where they were.
He needed a second opinion.
“Kobra?”
“I say we stay here.”
“What about the Dracs catching up though?” Party questioned.
“There's a chance they’ll catch up either way. I’d rather us be well-rested than exhausted when that happens.”
Party agreed, but Phoenix seemed to question this logic.
“Yeah but the chances of ‘em getting to us while we’re moving is much more slim than if we’re stationary.”
“Okay, how about a vote. Those who want to stay here for the night raise their hands,” Party said, deciding in that moment to raise his hand as well.
All around him, five hands in total rose up.
“Alright,” he said, smiling, “ we stay here.”
From there they broke off into smaller groups. Phoenix and Queenie both grabbed their guns and stood guard around the others, one on the east and the other facing the near setting sun.
Meanwhile, Decay and King were instructed to “get some shut-eye” by Static. The two hadn’t complained and within moments had their eyes closed and were asleep.
That left Party, Kobra, and Static to handle the rest. There was plenty to do but three was enough people.
Party began filing through their bag of supplies in search of the radio. He wanted to try and get into contact with Doctor D. and see if word of the incident in the Market had already gotten to his station.
He had no doubt that it already had but Party was sure the story floating around the Zones was not going to be what really happened.
Plus, he really wanted to hear Missile’s voice.
Something about the quiet made him lonely despite the people around him.
Seeing Phoenix and Decay’s quick embrace before Decay had gone to sleep had sent nails through Party’s heart. He couldn’t bring himself to be jealous but it still hurt.
Not to mention how Party curious Party was about the blue, beaded bracelets that had appeared on the two’s wrists overnight. He wasn’t sure what they were for, but he assumed they were some kind of promise ring- thing- bracelet- that they’d given each other.
In that moment though, he couldn’t even think about asking them. Not when Ghoul was still gone.
He may never get to hug, kiss, or even see Ghoul again.
Party, despite what he told Phoenix, really didn’t want to live in a world where he couldn’t be with his boyfriend.
By the time Party found the radio and pulled it out to examine it, Kobra and Static were already grabbing the bag from his hands.
He let them take it and only watched slightly as they pulled the battery packs out and began checking their own guns’ battery levels.
Party barely heard his brother ask for his own gun but he gave it willingly. He was too busy making sure the radio hadn’t been broken in the wreck.
Thankfully, nothing seemed broken and Party pressed the button to turn it on. The square radio buzzed to life, already searching the air waves for any signal. He adjusted the dial a few times until he found the frequency he knew by heart and pressed the talk button on the handheld microphone.
“Party callin’ out.”
No answer, just static.
“Party callin’ out.”
He tried again, ignoring the looks he got from his brother questioning who he was calling at such a time.
“Doc. receiving your call,” D’s gravely voice finally spoke through the static.
Smiling, Party started talking again, “ we hidden?”
They had established a new code system some time ago but Party hoped that both he and D. were remembering it correctly. It’d be just his luck if they weren’t on the same page and Doc though he was asking about something other than whether or not they were on a secure line.
“Yes you are. It’s real good to hear your voice by the way.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s some strange talk going through my wanderin’ ears. Some are sayin’ the Four are back.” Party couldn’t help but grin at that. Hell fucking yeah they were back, “ Others say that you guys are leading’ the Dracs right to us.”
Well, that kind of killed the previous mood.
“Dracs found us in the Market. We found out who had betrayed us.”
Party saw no harm in telling Doc who’d been the one selling them out. If anything, Doc deserved to know.
For a while, D. didn’t answer and it seemed like he had for once not had anything to say.
“You kill the fucker?”
Party couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him.
He fucking wished he’d killed the runner.
“No, not yet anyway,” he said finally. “Hey, Doc, is Missile nearby?”
“Uh, yeah. Think she’s in the other room with Pony. Want me to put her on?”
“Yes, thank you Doc.”
Kobra had heard the whole conversation and decided to walk back over to Party. Really, Party didn’t mind; Missile probably missed the both of them like crazy.
After a few moments the radio clicked, meaning someone had pushed the talk button on the other side.
No sound came out though.
“C,mon kiddo. You gotta talk so they can hear ya,” came D’s voice like it was far away from the mic.
“Party?” Missile’s voice crackled through.
Grinning, Party was quick to reply.
“Heya Motorbaby. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. Are you guys alright? When can you come home? Do you have Jet and Ghoul back yet?”
Her hopeful tone made Party hesitate. How was he going to tell her that they’d made little to no progress?
“Missile?” Kobra spoke into the mic while Party was quiet.
“Kobra!”
“Yeah, it's me. We’re still workin’ on getting Jet and Ghoul back home safe. But in the meantime, how are you doing sweetie?”
“I’m good. Pony said I’m doing better every day!” she said, her enthusiasm spilling through the radio.
“That’s so good. I am so proud of you!” Party said, grinning.
They talked for a while with Missile, not really wanting to end the conversation just yet.

Chapter Text

Jet Star is pissed.
Not pissed at Party because he won’t stop purposefully singing offkey in the car pissed. No, he is currently tied to a chair and separated from Ghoul pissed.
He woke up a short while ago, after the effects of the drugs had apparently worn off. He probably had been asleep for awhile, judging by the stiffness in his neck and back.
After finding out that he had woken up in an empty, bright white room, Jet’s mind instantly ran through any way he could find to escape.
Just as before, the drugs had left him weak and dizzy and he doubted that he’d be able to get far if he tried to run for it. That of course was after he found a way out of the handcuffs keeping him in place.
He studied them again, seeing no downside to checking his work. They seemed electronic, or maybe magnetic?
The two pieces seemed to be made of metal but they didn’t have any ends to them. It was like they were a part of the chair.
Jet knew that he could get out of them by breaking his hands if he had to but would try everything else before he resorted to such measures.
He kind of liked his hands thank you very much.
They were important.
Hands were useful for playing guitar and slapping the idiots he calls his crew upside the head when they’ve done something stupid.
So, short of that, probably very painful, method Jet has yet to come up with a plan.
He huffs, letting his head fall backwards and rest on the chair behind him. There’s a headache forming and Jet really doesn’t have the energy to deal with it.
There are still so many questions he needs to know the answers to.
Things like: where is Ghoul? Are Party and the others alright? Why did the Dracs drug them again and separate them?
Too much was still unanswered.
But how was he going to get any answers out of an empty room?
____________________________________________
Rain Torrent was worried.
He’d woken up just a few minutes ago and when he opened his eyes he was met with a dark room. Blinking in an attempt to make his eyes adjust faster, Torrent had finally been able to see his surroundings.
Or well the lack of surroundings.
The room he was in was completely dark. He made to stand, wondering where the others were and if they were alright. The last memory Torrent had was of them being held down and injected something by a bunch of Dracs.
It had hurt like hell and he’d been out of it near instantly.
With some effort Torrent pulled himself to his feet; they felt like lead. Suddenly dizzy, he half-fell back onto the chair.
When the spinning finally subsided, Torrent was able to question a couple of things.
First was that he had not been tied to the chair, for which he was thankful. He was able to stand and walk around after moment. Torrent walked to the edge of the room and ran his hands along it, feeling only smooth, cold wall underneath his fingertips.
He didn’t seem to be hurt either.
Without any light, he wasn’t able to do a visual check of his condition but he didn’t feel injured. Still a little lightheaded, but fine.
Maybe BL-IND didn’t see him as a threat?
The second thing on his list was to figure out where he was.
It was obvious that BLI-ND had them locked up somewhere inside the city, but Torrent hadn’t recognized any of the buildings that surrounded them when they all had been led in. It had been a while since he was in Battery City, but he didn’t think it had changed that much.
Being in a lightless room was disorienting to say the least. Like how he knew his hand was touching a wall but his eyes saw nothing but blackness.
Then Torrent began to wonder if this was some form of torture. Some kind of technique to get him to talk.
Well it wasn’t working.
He was more confused and inconvenience than anything.
________________________________________________________
After ages of laying there in silence, the doors burst open. The noise of the metal doors being slammed into the wall as they were flung harshly open startled Ghoul. He didn’t remember falling asleep; his last memory was of being miserable.
He blinked rapidly, trying to figure out who was there and what the noises were. People were talking, saying things that he couldn’t process.
Someone else entered the room after a moment, the others parting as he walked in. That face he knew.
Exterminator Korse.
The man bent down, eye level with Ghoul and studied him.
He wished his mouth was working so he could spit some sarcastic remark about Korse having a crush on him or something.
“ How much did you give him?”
Korse didn’t even look at the Dracs, attention still unnervingly on Ghoul.
He didn’t hear the reply but Korse’s face twisted in anger.
“I’m surrounded by idiots,” he mumbled before standing quickly and stalking over to a nearby Drac.
“We wanted to INTERROGATE the prisoners, not drug them into vegetables,” he boomed, making Ghoul try and shrink away. It was useless, his arms were still chained and his body on strike after the abuse it had been through.
“Well, I uh.”
The Drac didn’t get to defend itself. Korse had his raygun against it’s temple in a blink and it was falling to the floor dead in the next second.
Ghoul could only blink in disbelief, BLI-ND didn’t kill their own. His brain tried to process what he had just saw.
Killing a member of BLI-ND’s “perfect” society was so against their rules that it led to immediate extermination. No one was exempt from that rule.
Korse must know that.
The next thing Ghoul knew, Korse was bending down beside him again and pulling something from his coat.
For a moment Ghoul feared that the Exterminator was going to kill him. If he thought he was not able to be interrogated, Korse might just kill him and move on.
He was too weak to even protest the needle piercing his skin, or the stinging pain whatever had been injected into him caused.
Squeezing his eyes closed, Ghoul waited for the drugs to kick in. He just hoped that it’d be over quickly.
He thought of his family.
Images of Party filled his mind first.
The leader smiling at him, holding a hand out to help him up when he fell on his ass. The feeling of their first kiss, stolen after a clap. Ghoul had been so afraid that Party was hurt that he instantly pressed their lips together, without second thought.
Grace crossed his mind next.
The crayon picture she drew for him on his birthday, pinned above his bed back at the diner. The smiling faces of stick-figure-them drawn carefully by the four year old. It was old and near falling apart, but it was one of Ghoul’s favorite possessions.
Kobra’s face appeared next.
The rare smile that he gave Ghoul. The smile he got when he’d found an old cassette tape of one of Kobra’s favorite bands from Before and given it to him.
Of Kobra telling him about Party and him as kids, before they’d met Ghoul and Jet.
Oh god, Jet.
Jet holding him still as he patched him up, eyes kind but tone stern as Ghoul tried to get up. The “god you’re an idiot, but you’re one of MY idiots” look he always got.
Newer memories of Phoenix.
The realization Ghoul had of just how loyal that kid had become. The way Phoenix had risked his life multiple times for him and those he cared about.
Ghoul wondered how much longer it’d be before the drugs ghosted him.
He wasn’t ready to go.
He couldn’t leave his family like this, broken and separated.
“Wakey Wakey.”
Ghoul opened his eyes, thoroughly surprised that he even could.
“Ah welcome back Sunshine,” Korse smiled down at him.
“Haha, don’t look so confused. I gave you a counter dose.”
So he wasn’t dying?
Strange relief flooded over him.
A part in the back of his mind knew that he’d only gotten in further shit, but mostly he was just relieved.
There was still a chance, a chance, that he’d get to see them again.
“Relieved are we?”
He was beginning to hate Korse’s voice even more the longer it continued to mock him.
“That’s alright Frank. Enjoy this moment, for there may not be any more like it.”
Gritting his teeth at the use of his real name, Ghoul tried to keep his expression neutral, not wanting to let Korse know the effect he was having.
“You see, I have a proposition for you.”
“I don’t- I don’t need anything you have to offer,” Ghoul spat, voice rough.
Korse simply smiled. He knew something Ghoul didn’t.
“Well of course it’s your decision, but I have a feeling you’ll come around.”
Ghoul didn't answer, not trusting himself to be able to speak clearly. He definitely felt better, but he was nowhere near fine.
“You for Ray.”
“What?”
Korse didn’t acknowledge him, making fresh anger bubble up inside of him. Instead the exterminator stood and turned his back to Ghoul.
“You heard me. You instead of Ray, or I suppose you’ll insist I call him Jet.”
“Explain,” he gritted out, trying to pull himself up so he was no longer on the cold floor.
“If you agree, I will let Ray remain unharmed. In return for this good will, you will allow me to do whatever I wish to you.”
Korse spoke calmly, but Ghoul was seething. The only thing keeping him from screaming at Korse was the fact that Jet was okay. He was okay, for the moment anyway, and Ghoul had the ability to ensure he stayed that way.
The way the Exterminator spoke had set chills down his spine. He really didn’t want to think about what Korse wanted to do to him.
“I see you’re considering my offer, good. Allow me to explain a little further,” Korse said, turning to face Ghoul again.
“If you agree to my terms, every day I will give you a choice to make. A comfort for you, or one for your friend. Things like food, a blanket, and physical pain can be traded. If you don’t want to go hungry, Ray will in your stead. If you do not wish to be drugged, should I decide to, you may be presented with the option to have Ray take your place.”
Ghoul could only stare.
It was insane, that's the only word for what Korse had just offered him.
Yet he wanted to say yes so that he could protect Jet. The man had done so much for Ghoul over the years that he knew he would always choose Jet to receive the “comfort” as Korse called it.
However, he needed to know more. There was something he wasn’t being told.
“And if I say no?”
Korse smiled again, something sinister in his eyes making it hard for Ghoul to keep eye contact.
“Then you both will be interrogated, non-stop until I get my answers. Then I will kill you. I am allowing you to limit the damage to just one person, you. I know how much you seem to care about those in your crew. What would Gerard do?”
“I agree,” Ghoul blurted. He couldn’t give himself time to second guess this decision.
Jet deserved to be protected.
“No,Ghoul! You can’t let him manipulate you!”
Shit, he’d totally forgotten about Kross Beam.
The other ‘joy looked at him, disbelieving that he’d just agreed.
Ghoul ignored him. He’d already made his decision.
Maybe Ghoul would be able to keep him safe until the others found them.
He wouldn’t think about how long that may take, nor the lingering possibility that they were not going to be saved.
“Very good decision Frank. Now, first choice: Do I give you the drug or Ray.”
Korse was too calm. It was clear he was enjoying this, but his emotions were tame, just barely showing through his facade again.
The Dracs surrounding them turned stiffly and left the room, apparently thinking that he was no threat to them.
“What does it do?” he found himself asking. As if he wasn’t going to take it himself so Jet wouldn’t have to.
“It’s slightly different than the one before. It keeps you from sleeping, though it only has a five day effect so it will not kill you.”
Korse had his lips drawn into a thin line, waiting to see Ghoul’s choice.
“Me. Give it to me.” he said, surprised by the strength in his voice.
“Very good Frank. You’re learning.”
Another needle was being stabbed into him, far more forcefully than the previous. There was no immediate effect, just a stinging pain from where the needle had pierced his skin.
“Have a better day,” Korse said, walking to the door.
As if just remembering something, the Exterminator turned just before he left.
“And Andy, do take good care of him would you. I’d hate to have to do anything to Joe.”
The door shut slowly, leaving the two in the quiet of their prison.
Ghoul still wasn’t feeling the effects of the drug, but he knew that it wouldn’t be long until it started keeping him awake.
“Why would you do that?” Kross Beam asked again.
“He’s one of my best friends. He’s saved my ass more times than I can count; I’m returning the favor.”
Kross Beam didn’t answer him, but the other ‘joy moved around enough to look at Ghoul.
“You don’t even know what he’s going to do to you.”
“I can take it. Korse should be afraid of me. Not the other way around.”
“That’s bold coming from someone chained up, drugged, and in the middle of Battery City,” Kross Beam huffed.
“The rest of my crew will be here soon. Party is too stubborn to let Korse win.”
“Yeah, two people versus the whole city. Forgive me if I don’t feel comforted.”
“Three people.”
“Huh?”
“There’s three of them actually. We kinda picked up a new friend, this kid named Phoenix Soul,” Ghoul said, trying to see if he really was feeling optimistic or just saying those things to make Kross Beam feel better.
“What?!”
He’d never heard Kross Beam talk like that. That single word was harsh and bold, his voice nearly breaking.
“I- I-don’t?”
“What was the kid’s name again?” Kross Beam asked, near begging.
“Phoenix Soul. Uh, he’s this little strawberry-blond dude, says shit like “holy smokes,” Ghoul said, confused.
“Holy mother of Destroya. I-I… he… we.”
Kross Beam was struggling to get his words out, eyes wide but full of relief.
“Do you know him or?” Ghoul prompted.
“Yeah, he’s one of the other guys in me and Torrent’s crew. We- we’ve been looking everywhere for him, but Dracs showed up and ran us off. It was only a few weeks later we were captured.”
“Oh god. My crew are helping him look for Decaydance; he said that he was missing. I didn’t know you were too.”
“Yeah we all got separated, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t know to look for us. Did you ever find Decay?”Kross asked, hopeful.
Ghoul hated to crush his hope, but he couldn’t lie either.
“No, we got caught up in so much other shit that we never got the chance to actually find him. I am so sorry.”
Kross Beam sighed but quickly looked back at Ghoul, eyes shining.
“Phoenix is okay though?”
“Yeah, that kid is loyal as fuck by the way. He’s put himself between my crew and danger multiple times already.”
“Thank you, Ghoul. I- you have no idea how much that means to me.”

Chapter Text

Hey Missile?” Party asked after a while.
They’d spoken about a lot.
At first she’d been hammering him with questions.
How he was feeling. If Kobra was okay.
Her endless questions made his chest ache. It felt like his family was so broken.
Everyone he cared about was separated and there was the very real chance that he would never see any of them again. Which made just talking to Grace painful.
She was young.
She didn’t fully understand how bad things were and it killed Party to know that if he or the others didn’t come back she would one day not be able to remember them.
Kobra was younger than Grace when he and Party’s parents were killed. Being so young, he didn’t actually remember their parents’ faces or voices.
On the other hand, despite only being 10 when their parents were killed, Party has vivid memories of their family Before.
He couldn’t hardly stand to think that Grace would one day forget them if they didn’t make it home.
A part of him desperately wanted to fight back, to refuse to be forgotten or allow his family to be forgotten. But the other part knew that it would be a miracle if any of them made it back. Their tract record so far only proved it.

“Yeah Party?”
Missile’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and it took Party a moment to remember what he was going to ask her.
“Can you put Doc back on the line? I need to ask him something,” he said quietly.
A new thought hit him. They were still being followed and yet he was talking loudly on the radio. He knew they needed to be quiet so he motioned for Kobra to come over again. His brother had gone back to helping Static with the inventory but Party didn’t want to risk being too loud.
“Aw. Okay,” the sadness in her voice made Party feel kinda bad for ending their conversation. Yet at the same time he knew they didn’t have time to waste. The longer Ghoul and Jet were gone the less chance they’d ever be able to get them back and the possibility of his worst fears coming true would increase.
“Doc listening in.”
“Hey Doc, you able to track this call?”
Another surprise about Doc was that he had some of the best signal blocks available out in the Zones and it was one less thing for Party to worry about. So he tried not to worry too much about prying ears.
“Uh yeah. Just a sec,” Doc said, the sound of him typing coming through the radio in Party’s hand. Doc also had one of two functioning computers that didn’t belong to the city. Sometimes how much influence he had was overlooked by other ‘joys who just write him off as a simple DJ.
“Okay, you’re somewhere in Zone 2,” Doc said at last,” Can’t make out yer exact coords though.”
“That’s okay Doc. Thank you,”Party said with a sigh.
They really weren’t that far away from the City. He should be relieved.
“ Oh, and Poison?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t you get pessimistic on me kid. I know these circumstances are absolute horse shit but-“ he sighed as he tried to find the right words.
“ Were you listening earlier? To the station I mean?”
Somewhat confused Party said that they had been listening back in the motel.
“Ah good,” Doc breathed in relief.
“Look Poison I know you don’t like thinking about back then but right now you need to suck it up. I mean that in the nicest way possible son. You guys have been through Hell, more times than anyone should, yet- yet you’re still here.”
“ You made it out before. You’ve made it out every single time BLI-ND have had you backed into a corner. You learned from your mistakes kid; you all have.”
Kobra’s hand found its way to his shoulder, the pressure comforting as Party fought to breathe.
The song Doc had played ran through his head for a moment. Every memory, good and bad, centered around that song came back to him. “Doc- I-“
“You don’t have to say anything. Just know that the Witch has protected you before and if you keep hope, she will protect you again.”
Religion wasn’t something Party thought of often, not really believing in anything himself, but Docs words still rang though to him.
“Thank you Doc,” he whispered, not trusting his voice to keep from shaking.
“And kid, whenever you need me, I’m here.”
Smiling for real felt weird. Still Party felt actual hope for the first time since Ghoul and Jet had been taken.
They would get through this because they had to.
Now they just had to find a way to actually get in and get his crew out. The loss of the car was definitely a setback.
That being said, an idea began forming in the back of Party’s mind. He would have to wait to talk it over with the others; to get their approval.
In the meantime-
“You willing to be a getaway driver?” He asked hesitantly, worried Doc would say no.
“Gladly.”
“Thank fuck. Can you keep the tracking system on our radio if we just keep it on?”
“Yeah I think I can do that. Why?”
“Once we get the others out of the city we’re gonna need a car. I doubt they’ll be in any shape to walk home afterwards and-“
Taking a deep breath, Party tried to get his emotions in check.
It was kind of scary how easy it was getting for him to slip like that. Usually he was able to keep a tight hold on himself, especially when he quite literally became Party Poison.
Being overcome with emotions was not something Party Poison should be doing and he needed to calm down. The increase in Kobra’s grip on his shoulder was an anchor.
“I’ll keep the tracker on. Whenever you guys get Jet ‘n Ghoul out just give me a call and I’ll be there. I’ll go ahead and get out into the sand, be faster that way.”
Party nodded and thanked Doc before carefully setting the radio down, still turned on.
“Party?” his brother asked, facing him in the dim light.
“Hm?”
“Let me see your hand,” Kobra said, not waiting on him to answer and already grabbing him by the wrist. He turned Party’s hand so that he could inspect the glass cut.
Trying to keep his expression blank, Party glanced off to the right. He could barely see the sun now, just barely a light line on the horizon.
“You should go see if Static has more bandages and shit. It’ll be hell if it gets infected,” Kobra said, softly. He wanted to argue. To say he was fine and that they needed to save their supplies, but he didn’t.
Party really didn’t feel like arguing. His hand did still hurt and his brother was right, they shouldn’t risk anyone else getting sick or anything.
“Ya’ll talking about me?” Static said, looking up from their inventorying a few feet away to give Party an expectant look.
The fading light made it hard to see them and yet again Party wondered if they should get a fire going.
“Uh yeah,” he answered instead.
“ I cut my hand on some glass tryin’ to get out of the car and I just wanted you to look at it.”
Party had to look away, embarrassment coloring his face. I mean what kind of leader asks for medical assistance over a little cut on their hand?
Static didn’t seem to mind though. They just set down what was in their hand and motioned Party closer, grabbing his hand to look at it much like Kobra had.
Thankfully his brother stayed close,
“You should’ve told me sooner. It’s not infected but it’s deep and you probably need stitches.”
“ Can you just clean it and bandage it for now?”
They looked at Party for a second but did nod their head and start cleaning his hand.
“Ya know, you’re lucky. Normally with cuts like this, on the top of your hand I mean, you’ll end up with nerve or tendon damage.”
Party’s eyebrows rose.
“You a doctor or somethin’?” He asked, wincing as they rubbed some disinfectant into the wound.
“Somethin’ like that.”
Well that wasn’t cryptic at all, Party thought. But soon his hand was clean and wrapped and he was told to not pick at the bandage.
Nodding his thanks, Party found himself looking over to the sleeping forms of King and Decay. They both seemed to be doing better, maybe even we’ll enough to start again in the morning.
He could very nearly have lost them though.
He could have lost every single person in that car.
He nearly did.
“I can hear you thinking from here Party,” Kobra said.
“I just-“
He really didn’t know what to say. How to put into words the responsibility he felt for these people.
“You feel like it’s your fault.” Kobra said simply, causing Party’s head to turn.
Was he that easy to read?
“Doc playing that song, it took you back didn’t it?”
“I- yeah. I know I can’t change the past but I don’t wanna repeat it either ya know?”
Kobra smiled, genuine and soft.
“Party, what happened then wasn’t your fault. Neither was the crash or Ghoul ‘n Jet getting taken. I know that I am absolutely safer with you, no matter what, than I would be anywhere else. These guys know it too,” they said, one hand waving to the shadowy outlines of his friends around them.
Party blinked, trying to keep the tears forming in his eyes from falling. He didn’t know what to say.
It was a little freaky at times how much Kobra seemed to be able to read his mind, but right then he was incredibly grateful for it.
“C’mon, it’s getting dark. We should settle down and at least try and sleep,” Kobra said

Chapter Text

They slowly walked towards the center of their makeshift camp.King and Decay were still asleep but Party could barely see them. The sun had set completely and the only light was from a small flashlight that Static had found in their supplies. They only had the one though and Party had agreed that they should save it. You never know when they might need it.
Even without the light, Party knew they were sleeping. Soft snores came from both men and it was honestly kind of relaxing.
Something as mundane as snoring was a weird thing to find comfort in. At the same time though, Party knew that this was probably the best sleep King and Decay have had in awhile. To know that they felt safe enough to fall asleep so deeply was comforting.
“We should risk it,” someone said to his left. He couldn’t make out their face, but he was pretty sure that it was Phoenix.
“Risk what?” Kobra spoke up to his right,” A fire?”
“Mhm. You know it's gonna get a lot colder before the sun’s up in the mornin’”
Not saying anything, Party tried to weigh the pros and cons. Now that Phoenix had mentioned it, he was absolutely getting cold. Even the residual heat from the sand was fading, leaving him chilled already.
He looked over to where he could just barely see the outlines of the sleeping ‘joys. They’d get cold fast too, seeing as they both weren’t a hundred percent yet. Though he did take a moment to be thankful that Decay was out of the vomiting state of withdraws. He wasn’t sure they’d be able to keep him hydrated through that stage if he was.
Despite that small blessing, it still wouldn’t be smart to let them, or anyone in the group, catch hypothermia.
“If the Dracs haven't found us yet, I’d say they’re far enough away for us to have a fire,” Party broke the silence that’d followed Phoenix’s answer, “ a small one at the least.”
“Are you sure?” Queenie’s voice sounded somewhere between scared and unsure.
“Yes. We’ll set up a guard rotation for the night to make sure we’re not spotted.”
No one argued any further, seemingly trusting his judgement. Party tried to not think about what would happen if he was wrong they got attacked.
“I’ll get the fire goin’,” Kobra spoke up, his voice already further away as he rummaged through their supplies.
Honestly they didn’t have much. Extra batteries, food, and medicine were good and all but Party wished they had some blankets as well. The extra layers would have proven useful for them keeping King and Decay warm.
He wished that Jet was there. He’d always been strangely good at taking care of sick and injured people. Better than Party was by all means.
More than that though, he missed Jet’s company.
They were like brothers. Jet felt like his older brother. He was always making sure Party was safe and reminded him to take care of himself whenever he began neglecting his personal safety again.
Jet had a way with people. It seemed like he was friends with everyone he met, even with the added suspicion that kept them alive in the desert
Shuffling sounds came from where Kobra was as he fumbled around in the shitty light for a bit.
Eventually, he heard his brother move again. After a few more moments of quiet, they saw sparks erupting. The small amount of light allowed Party to see his brother squatting down over the old papers and twigs and shit he was using to try and light the fire.
A few more attempts and he succeeded.
Instantly, Party was wary. He kept his eyes forward, searching for any signs of Dracs.
“Kay. How we dividing up the guard shifts Party?” Phoenix asked, face barely illuminated by the growing fire.
“I’ll take first,” Party said after a moment, focused now on the sleeping figures of Decay and King.
“Call second,” his brother replied. He was still messing with the fire, trying to make sure that it didn’t go out. Party could already feel a little of its warmth from where he was sitting and he got a little distracted by the comfort.
The heat from the small fire was already chasing away the chill that’d been settling under his clothes. He shivered a little as his temperature rose.
The source of heat seemed to be a comfort for more than just him. Decay sturred and half way sat up after a moment, eyes catching Party’s as he propped himself up on his elbows.
He tried to give Decay a warm smile, but given how tired he was it might have just looked like he was in pain.
Thankfully it seemed that the kid took well cause he sat up fully, catching the attention of the others. Phoenix reacted first, practically pouncing on the poor boy and wrapping him in a tight hug.
Party couldn’t tell what they were saying, but it was obvious that it was private. He could respect that, even though all he could think of was Ghoul.
Strangely, an optimistic thought crossed his mind. When he found Ghoul, Party could grab him and not let go until he felt like it. Hell, he was half tempted to wrap him up in blankets or something to keep him from getting hurt.
The thought was amusing but Party was honestly pretty serious. Once he got Ghoul back, he planned on doing everything in his power to ensure that he was safe and unhurt.
“Party.”
He’d zoned out again. Everyone was looking at him, trying to read his thoughts.
Kobra was kneeling in front of him, eyes wide with worry and hands on his biceps to grab his attention.
“Yeah, sorry. Got lost in thought I guess…”
His brother didn’t seem convinced but he did let it drop.
“We were sayn’ how since Decaydance is awake now, maybe Phoenix can take your shift so they can catch up n’ shit,” Queenie explained for him.
She didn’t sound upset with him for getting distracted, which was a plus.
“That’s actually a good idea,” Kobra said, though he kept staring at him,” Party, you probably should get some sleep. You look exhausted.”
It was decided then that Queenie would take third shift and Static after her. Party would get to sleep through the night, uninterrupted. It felt weird, wrong, like he should demand that they all get to rest while he stays up all night protecting them.
He had half a mind to say that. To pull the leader card and tell them all to shut up and go to sleep.
But, personal growth or some shit made him realize how dumb that idea was. If he even managed to stay awake the whole time, very doubtful, he still would probably be half asleep and less likely to catch any suspicious activity. It was best if the others took watch.
It didn’t make it any easier to agree.
Though the relieved smile he got from Kobra told him that his brother had expected him to argue.
Giving one last glance around the group, Party said his good nights and laid back against the sand. It was warm by the fire, they’d all gathered closer, but it wasn’t hot enough for him to take off his jacket to use as a pillow. Despite the uncomfortable sand underneath him, Party was asleep before he knew it.

_________________________
He wished he could say that he slept well, wished he could be optimistic as he was gently shaken awake by Kobra the next morning.
Party rolled over, facing the inside of their little circle camp, and saw that just about everyone else was awake.
Only Static, who’d had second to last guard shift, was still asleep. It made sense to let them get a few extra minutes as the rest of the group began packing.
Pushing himself up, Party thankfully only felt the slightest tinge of discomfort in his chest. He’d figured since they’d ran so much that his chest would be extra sore the next day but it seemed like luck was on his side for once.
“Today’s the day,” Phoenix said, walking over to where Party was still sitting. The kid had a small smile on his face but his eyes held a hesitant hopefulness that Party understood well.
They would either go home that evening with their friends or die at the hands of BLI-ND. The stakes were high but at least Phoenix was optimistic.
Party on the other hand was still pretty shaken by the dreams he’d had the night before. Only bits and pieces were still in his head but that was plenty for him to remember what they’d been about.
He’d seen flames, their blistering heat burning him from the inside out as he tried desperately to escape.
The worst though was the death. The people that he loved, dying in front of his eyes over and over.
Even though he couldn’t remember the fine details, it still was enough to make him want to curl into a ball and ignore everything.
He couldn’t do that, too much on the line, but god how he wanted to.
Forcing himself to put on his best “Hi I also believe that everything is going to work out” face, Party greeted Phoenix.
“How’re you this morning?”
“Ah, I’m pretty good. Me n’ Decay talked for hours, couldn’t sleep after my watch was over.”
Phoenix offered him a hand, which he gladly took, and hauled Party to his feet.
“I’m glad man. I know how much you guys missed each other.”
Something sad crossed Phoenix’s face but it was gone so fast Party wondered if he’d imagined it.
“They totally sucked face for like thirty minutes,” Kobra deadpanned before turning and walking to the others.
It looked like Queenie, Decay, and King were all packing their things up and passing around whatever was passing as breakfast. Party’s stomach rumbled quietly at the thought.
“We only made out for like two seconds,” Phoenix defended, waving his arms as his face turned nearly the same shade as Party’s hair.
“Whatever you say dude,” he said with a grin. Trust Phoenix and his brother to use others embarrassment to cheer him up.
“How is Decay this morning?”
“Ah, he’s much better,” Phoenix started, turning a little to look at his boyfriend,” We’re at the end of his… recovery so I think he’s just about over it ya know.”
Pretending to not have noticed Phoenix avoiding the word “withdraws”, Party answered sincerely.
“That’s really good to hear man. You two deserve to be happy and shit ya know.”
“Yeah, but is it bad that I sorta wanna wrap him in bubble wrap to keep him out of shit that’s not good for him?”
The similarity to his earlier thoughts about Ghoul didn’t ilude Party. All he did though was smile and tell Phoenix that that was up to he and Decay.
Soon though his hunger was too much to ignore and try and keep up a conversation so the two of them joined the others in breakfast.
Party was handed a granola bar, one that promised it had chocolate in it but he decided he’d be the judge of that. He ate so quickly however that he honestly couldn’t tell you what flavor it was supposed to be.
As the others savored the last moments of relaxation before they would head off, Party did a once over of everyone. He wanted to ensure that everyone that was on the mission was in as best shape as they could be.
Static seemed fine, a little tired but weren’t they all, and in a good mood. They were sitting cross legged beside Kobra and chatting about nothing in particular. His brother too seemed to be in good shape. Party hadn’t noticed any pain or discomfort in his features all morning so it was probably safe to assume that Kobra’s injury was very nearly healed.
King was his energetic self, sitting in his wife’s lap and talking animatedly to Decay about the first time he’d met Phoenix. Something about an argument that had never happened?
Party wasn’t too interested in the fine details, just glad that King was feeling better.
They were extremely lucky to have survived that crash. He honestly didn’t know how they did it but wasn’t about to question it.
Looking to Queenie, she seemed happy to have King awake. Her arms were wrapped tight around his stomach and her face seemed relaxed.
Phoenix beside him seemed about as tired as Party felt. Despite his grin at King’s story, Party could see the dark shading under his eyes.
It’d be hypocritical of him to bring up Phoenix’s tiredness so he simply turned his attention back to the others.
In their small circle, they all were safe, together. At least one set of eyes were pointed in all directions and the sun wasn’t hot enough yet to make the air uncomfortable.
Everyone seemed tense but it was hidden underneath the temporary calm.
“Listen up!” He said, loud enough to gain all of their attentions.
Six heads turned to look at him, already noticing the authoritative tone in his voice.
“We should leave soon. I want to get there today. This is your last chance to back down and know that I won’t think any less of any of you if you choose to leave.”
“All due respect Party, but I ain’t going any fucking where. I’ve sat on the side lines too long and its ‘bout time I actually make a difference,” Static said a little harshly but a ghost of a smile of their face.
“You can’t get rid of me Party. You should know that by now.”
Party felt more relieved that he’d like to admit at his brother’s words. He honestly wouldn’t know what to do without Kobra.
“You already know our answer Party. You guys are as close to family as we got out here,” King said as Queenie agreed behind him.
Surprisingly, Phoenix too agreed to go.
“If you guys hadn’t helped me out, I’d never have found Decay.”
Huh, he’d been sure that at least Static or Queenie would back out. Though being pleasantly surprised was nice, Party still had the voice in the back of his head reminding him of the responsibility he had for these people.
“Let's head out!”
He was never much for big emotional moments and the past few weeks had held more than enough of them.
With the sun behind their backs, they began walking.
Party made sure that the radio was still turned on but decided to carry it himself rather than put it in with their supplies. He’d rather have it himself and be able to answer or call out immediately than to not be able to.
It was just beginning to get hot again, though no one complains. Occasionally someone passes around their water and Party makes sure everyone gets a drink.
They don’t stop for lunch but a little after noon Party pressed the button to call out on the radio.
“This is Party, checking in.”
“Howdy kid. Everythin’ is running smooth on this end,” Doc’s gruff voice came through, more of a relief than Party had anticipated.
“We’re shiny Doc. Probably gonna be in the city by nightfall. How’s meetin’ us at the tunnel on the border sound?”
He assumed that the others were being held somewhere in the middle of the city, right inside BLI-ND headquarters. They were the most wanted after all.
If Doc met them at the tunnel the runners used to get in and out of the city, then they wouldn’t have to worry as much about anyone knowing their escape route. There were other ways out of the city, over the wall for example, but Party wasn’t keen on trying any of them.
The first time he’d climbed the wall, he’d lost one of his best friends.
Forgive him for wanting the safer choice.
“Can do. By the way Poison, Missile says hello and that she misses ya.”
“Tell her we miss her too,” Party smiled, already missing Grace.
“Okay, keep in touch Doc.”
“You too son.”
______________________________________________
He was getting bored of staring at the ceiling. There was only so much to take in of the blank, white celeling that loomed above him.
Ghoul wasn’t sure what day it was. Not that he’d really known before.
Now though he’d agrred to letting Korse pump him full of more drugs. The first one he had decided on was the one keeping him from sleeping.
He’d been staring at the celing for Destroya knew how long as Kross Beam slept. Sometimes the other Killjoy was awake and they’d talk.
Those were the best times because it helped Ghoul remember that he wasn’t alone, helped him remember that he alive.
When Kross Beam was sleeping things got bad. Sometimes it would seem like the silence was suffocating him, making it impossible to breathe as he waited for something, anything to happen.
The effect of his drug induced insomnia was getting harder to ignore. First it was just an all encompassing exhaustion that seemed to cling to his entire being.
He’d been able to twist around enough to see Kross Beam at first. Now though he doubted he had enough energy to turn his head.
That made it even worse when Kross Beam was asleep, him being unable to visually see the other person in the room.
At times he’d think he heard Party’s voice calling out to him, begging him to save him only for Ghoul to be met with empty room.
He wasn’t sure sometimes what was real or what wasn’t. Sometimes he’d work up the energy to roll his head over only to find that he was already laying on that side but his eyes were closed.
It hadn’t taken long for the attacks to set in. He’d never really had a nervous breakdown before, if that’s what crying and screaming into the void for hours could be called.
He’d lost the strength for screaming, or talking, a while ago.
It must be nearing the end of the drugs effectiveness though. Korse had said it wouldn’t kill him.
Now though he wasn’t so sure. Why should he believe anything the exterminator said?
At the moment though, he just lay there, watching the ceiling spin in weird circles. Sometimes it’d look like faces were glaring down at him, mocking his weakness.
They began to morph again in front of his eyes, now the screaming, angry and grotesque faces of his friends were fighting against an invisible barrier on the ceiling to get to him. Their hands were reaching out to him, faces twisted in rage as their skin melted around them.
“Ghoul! Whatever you’re seeing, it’s not real. You gotta calm down!”
Kross Beam’s voice somehow grounded him enough for him to close his eyes. With them closed the demons couldn’t get him.
Hopefully.
His throat hurt.
Had he been screaming again?
“Ghoul?”
All he managed was a groan, too exhausted to form a real reply and too afraid to open his eyes again.
“Oh thank the Witch. Can you hear me Ghoul?”
He should probably answer.
“Yeah,” he whispered, voice absolutely wrecked. How long had he been screaming this time?
“Good. Good. Listen you’re almost done, this is the last day the drug will affect you. You just gotta hold on okay?”
Well that was reassuring but Ghoul couldn’t help but keep all relief at bay until he actually got to pass the fuck out.
__________________________________________________
Torrent jumped in his seat as the lights suddenly turned on. He squeezed his eyes closed from the sudden blinding light that surrounded him.
He groaned as a headache began to form.
“Good morning Joseph.”
The voice had come from directly in front of him but his eyes were still trying to adjust and all he could see was blurry brightness.
How the hell did this person know his name?
Oh god was the torture about to start?
“Don’t worry. I am not going to hurt you. Quite the opposite actually.”
The voice was calm, definitely male.
Was it Exterminator Korse?
He’d only met the dude once so honestly he wasn’t sure. Still, the man’s words were unnerving to say the least. The hell did he mean?
“Here, eat something. I’m sure you’re starving.”
Blinking, Torrent could now see the room around him a little better.
Stood in front of him was Korse, hand outstretched with a small tray of food pointed at him. Suspiciously he reached out to touch the tray as Korse smiled a little.
“Why?” he said, despite his hand already grabbing the food and shoving it into his mouth. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been in that room but it’d been long enough for him to be starving.
“I assume you mean to ask why I am not bringing you any harm.”
Torrent nodded between mouthfuls. He wasn’t sure what he was eating but it tasted good so it didn’t matter.
“You are my bargaining chip. The other rebels are on their way, caught up in the illusion that they will be able to rescue their men from me.”
It didn’t answer his question, he thought in annoyance.
Who the hell were the “other” Killjoys? Who the hell were their men? Ghoul and Jet maybe.
Yeah that made sense.
But why then would his life matter?
They wouldn’t know he he was and they’d choose their own men over him.
So of course the Exterminator would leave without giving him any further explanation.
___________________________

Jet had had plenty of time to think.
The only human interaction that he got, if you could even call it that, was when the random Dracs would feed him. It was all kinds of humiliating to be finger fed while tied to a chair.
He didn’t complain though, he was being fed after all.
Still, the ample time between his daily meal was enough to allow him to track how long he’d been there.
He wasn’t sure exactly how long he and Ghoul had been in the van but he guessed that it’d been about a day or so.
Since then, it’d been eight days if he included the day or two that he and Ghoul had been together.
His math might have been wrong, but he doubted it. His sleeping schedule had oddly been rather consistent and he was sure he’d only slept for a few hours before he’d woken up tied to the chair.
Though, lingering doubt made itself known.
He really didn’t know for sure.

Chapter Text

Party ended the radio call, hands fumbling slightly as he did so. While he’d been talking, Decaydance had wandered up towards the front of their line. Well, to call it a line would mean it was uniform. In reality, they were sort of in a two by two pattern with Party in the lead, Phoenix and Decay behind him, Queenie and King after that, and Kobra pulling up the back with Static. As Decaydance fell into step with Party, he began humming. He couldn’t make out exactly what song it was but still, it was enough to lift Party’s spirits, if only a little bit.
Music always had that kind of effect to Party.
Listening to Decay’s tune, he imagined words to go along with it. Really he was just pulling it out of his ass but somehow they fit.
Sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls. Everytime that you loose it ~ ~ Sing it from the heart

~

___________
There was nothing but sand for miles, just the dull, boring colors of desert to keep them company. At first the wide open spaces of the desert was beautiful to Party, having always been in tight and cramped areas in the City. After years of knowing what could hide in those seemingly vacant rolling dunes though, he wasn’t too focused on the scenery. The artist part of him still appreciated the way the soft orange and pale yellow of the sand could contrast so harshly with the bright blue of the clear, desert sky. For once there were actually a few stray clouds here and there. It was definitely a rare sight, something each of the Killjoys savored but no one said anything aloud. Still, any moment without the sun’s blistering heat being beaten down on them was a blessing.
It was odd, how peaceful and serene everything was as they walked. They’d been walking forever, Party knew everyone was already getting tired but other than that, everything was going uncharacteristically well. Things weren’t easy in the Zones, easy meant danger.
Party, however, had a knack for sensing danger or at least situations that would probably not be good for their collective health. As they walked, he felt nervous, scared even for what they were about to do, but the peacefulness seemed real. The others seemed to be enjoying their small bit of good fortune, something Party was thankful for. If this was going to be their last day alive, Destroya forbid they don’t make it out, he was glad that the universe was giving them these few, fleeting, moments.
All good things do not last and all peaceful moods can hide anger and rage. To say Party was thinking would be an understatement. His thoughts, just like always, seemed to never end.
Everything that had happened to him and his friends, everything that might happen to them, it all ran through his head. Over and over.
He was so incredibly pissed, furious with the fact that Korse had, on multiple occasions, put the people that he cared about in danger. The hatred he felt for the runner who’d betrayed them held nothing to the red hot rage that flowed through him. Korse had fucked with them one to many times and Party knew that the next time he saw the Exterminator, he was going to kill him on the spot. No mercy, no second guessing.
BLI-ND had to learn that Party Poison was not the person to mess with and that if they threatened another life he cared about he would gladly burn the City to the ground.
Sobering slightly, he was not ashamed of his thoughts but knew that he needed to keep his anger in check, Party let his mind drift to Missile Kid.
It was insane to think that not that long ago he was taking Missile Kid on her first patrol. He hadn’t know that it’d go South, that she’d get hurt and Phoenix would enter their lives. There was no way he could have predicted his and Party’s friendship. Even still, Party couldn’t believe how quickly it had all gone down hill. He had gone from trying to find Decaydance, the kid was still humming beside Party, to trying to keep Korse away from the people he cared about.
He’d failed, a few times really, in keeping his family safe.
Party wondered what he could have done different to prevent everything from happening. Could he have not taken Missile out that day? That would have killed their neverending bad luck at the source. Looking discreetly to Decay, Party knew that he’d do it all again. He might change a few things, make a few less rash decisions, but Decay and Phoenix were proof that some good can come of horrible situations. The two of them might have never reunited if things had been different.
He didn’t have to look behind him to know that King and Queenie were holding hands as they walked. They were another good to come from the shitty past few months they’d all gone through. It’d been years since he’d spoken to them, too many memories had been overshadowed by pain and grief. Really, he didn’t blame them wanting to get away, to get out. Losing someone like that, Party could only imagine.
Weirdly enough, their little parade of death over the past few weeks had brought two couples into better situations. Decaydance had found Phoenix and Queenie and King had reunited with most of The Four. Maybe, Party would be lucky enough to get Ghoul back, to get his own happy ending.
Or, maybe, just maybe, they’d all make it out of this alive and he could have his family whole again. It just wouldn’t be the same without Jet there to mother hen them to death or Ghoul there to hold Party when it felt like the world was crashing down all around him.
A flash of blue caught his eyes. The little blue beads that hung loosely on Decay’s arm shone in the light, each swing of his arm as he walked making the light reflect.
Party had never been a man of much restraint. If he had a question or wanted to know something, more often that not he would poke his nose in and find out.
“Decay?” He asked, keeping his voice casual and low so that the others wouldn’t hear them but also to keep them from being suspicious.
“Yeah?”
The younger man turned his attention away from the sky, now focused on Party. He wasn’t sure how to word his questions and it’d be a big help if Party’s brain could actually find a way to form the sentences that he needed.
It wasn’t that big of a deal. He wanted, no needed, to know.
“Those uh- those beads that you ‘n Phoenix have are they…”
He couldn’t help but trail off. He’d guessed that the beads represented safety or something. At least, that’s what Party had always heard. It was stupid and impossible but at the same time he had to know. Inanimate objects didn’t make anyone any safer. Only, as Doctor D. said keeping your boots tight and gun close, gave the rebels any chance of surviving.
“You noticed them?” Decay asked, something close to shyness forming though his words. In the short while Party had known him, he’d never seen Decay act like that. Was he blushing? No, no it was just the heat from the sun because the clouds had begun to drift away.
Decay’s voice had been high, raspy, as if he was in disbelief.
Party was more than a little confused but he also felt like backtracking. He had no business knowing or even asking these sorts of questions, no matter how much he wanted to find out about them.
“Yeah I- I was just wonderin’ what they were for? They seemed pretty important and-” He stuttered, probably making a fool of himself.
“Ah I see,” Decay interrupted but Party didn’t mind since it kept him from looking even more like an idiot. “Yeah, they’re a big deal. I’m surprised you don’t know, if I’m honest.”
“Can you stop being cryptic and just tell me?” Party demanded playfully, one had casually resting on his hip now.
“I guess they’re like a promise ring of sorts, except they’re beads. Obviously.”
So his guess had been right. They were something important and they were definitely a relationship sort of thing. Before he lost his nerve, Party continued his questioning and hoped Decay wouldn’t ask him why he was asking so many.
“So it is like the Phoenix Witch thing then,” Party said, now unable to look away from the small, blue beads hanging off of Decay’s arm. They were so simple but Party had heard the tales, the ones the religious types told to motorbabies to keep the faith, to keep them running. In the past, Party had ran with a few people who believed in the Witch so knew how much weight those beads could carry in believers’ hearts.
“Yeah,” Decay said, not noticing or at least acknowledging Party’s weird fixation on the beads. “Legend says that the beads are blessed by Her and that they’ll protect two lovers’ souls as long as they both wear it.”
“Do you really believe that?”
He couldn’t help being pessimistic, he’d seen too many situations where the word hope had been nonexistent and safety out of the question. It was why he didn’t follow any of that Phoenix Witch crap because It just didn’t hold up. He’d seen too many people die, to many people he cared about die, for him to believe. It wasn’t practical, logical.
“Yeah,” Decay said, facing him sincerely. “Yeah I do. If there's at least a chance that wearing these beads will mean that me and Phoenix will be safe, then it’s worth it. He’s worth it.”
The fierceness of Decay’s words had Party pausing. He sounded so sure, so positive that those beads were worth any doubt, as long as they kept the man he loved safe.
Party could relate. Thinking about it, he realized that he would try anything, do anything to ensure Ghoul was safe. He’d tried the irresponsible ways, the hating and blaming himself coupled with doing stupid shit to get him back and now Party knew that those beads, if they held any truth, would be able to not only protect Ghoul but himself as well.
Decaydance wore his with pride, sleeves rolled up casually and the beads a bright blue against his tanned skin. Yet, Phoenix’s were hidden. Well, not hidden, more like casually kept from plain view but still worn with adoration. The only reason Party knew that Phoenix had them was because he often caught him, out of the corner of his eye, moving his sleeve up enough to see the blue and then quickly pulling them down.
“How do you, ya know, make the beads work I guess,” Party found himself asking. He needed these beads. He needed the hope they brought, regardless of his own reluctance to embrace the idea of the Witch.
“We made up our own little prayer and then said it over the beads. Then we just put them on.”

It seemed to simple. Something so easy to do and would promise to protect him and Ghoul from harm. Decay had a point, if there was even the slightest possibility that those beads could help keep them together, then he had to do it.
Maybe instead of bubble wrap, Party could use that instead. After they find Ghoul they could just make a meaningful prayer, it’d probably be easy since they’d written songs together before and prayers were sorta the same, and then exchange beads.
“Party,” Decay said, putting an arm over his shoulder despite the heat, “you should do it.”
Not having time to question why or how Decaydance knew what Party was thinking, he was more surprised that the other man agreed, that he supported this decision.
“Yeah? You think I should?”
The disbelief must have been pretty clear in his voice but Decay’s wide smile was nearly as blinding as the desert sun. Nearly.
“Absolutely. I mean it might be full of horse shit but you can never be too safe. ‘Sides, the look Phoenix gave me when I told him about wanting to make the beads was worth it.”
Maybe Ghoul would be excited too. It kind of felt like proposing in a way, not that there were marriages or anything anymore, but more of a hope than a legal thing.
Damn, that sounded nice. Proposing, asking Ghoul to marry him. Spending forever together.
The beads served the same purpose.
They were a promise. A promise, a prayer, that they’d both be there for one another, until the end, protecting and loving each other.
Party couldn’t deny that he wanted that with every fiber of his being.

By the time it was late afternoon, and despite the sun’s best efforts, the group was still going strong. Unfortunately, the clouds had vanished completely now, leaving only scorching desert sun in its place.The pace they’d set and easy trip had made it so that they had arrived early.
The sun was still pretty high in the sky but the seven of them were standing just outside of the City. They were on a decent sized dune in the sand, far enough away for them to stay unnoticed but close enough to watch the City.
In front of them sat Battery City, tall, looming, and unnatural. Walls, huge reinforced concrete, rose up and acted as a physical barrier that separated the city from the outside world. Or what was left of it anyway.
Cold stone and manmade metal was the only thing keeping the Killjoys out. For the time being anyway.
Over top of the walls, the highest buildings were just barely visible, their uppermost windows reflecting the sun out into the sand.
Strangely, it was beautiful, mesmerizing even, to see the high rises as they rose to touch the sky. Nothing in the desert was this tall, the only remaining structures were old and sand beaten.
On the inside, Party knew that they wouldn’t be as pretty. The beauty was a lie, a facade to lure in anyone the City didn’t already have their thumb on.
-----------------------------
The plan was simple really: go in through the tunnels, shoot their way into BLI-ND’s front door, find Jet and Ghoul, and haul ass back out to meet Doc. Simple, do-able, and yet the anxiety pooling inside Party didn’t waver. It was thick, floating over the group heads smaug. Everyone knew that this could be the end. The end of everything. Their friends, themselves, hell maybe even the whole rebellion if they really fucked it up.
Decay and Phoenix were off to the side, checking their weapons and snacking as they went. Another meal may not come for a long while and the energy would be needed for the mission they were about to finish. The occasional kiss was not forgotten though, the two often leaned over and brushed their lips together at seemingly random times. It was like saying goodbye but without the words. It broke Party’s heart, nealy made him wish that they could just pack up and go home. But they couldn’t and he knew it.
Other times, though, Phoenix would get this look in his eyes, like he was terrified, and would pull Decay close to him. He’d hold him against his chest, both of them breathing in the other and savoring each heartbeat. It may be their last.
The same worried Party could tell were plaguing King and Queenie. The two of them were helping Sun Static with the medical supplies and they had everything neatly packed into the bag that the group had been carrying. It wasn’t a lot.
If Ghoul and Jet were seriously hurt it probably wouldn’t be worth the space it took up, but the idea of it possibly helping, just a little, made them keep it. As they worked, King had his hand on Queenie’s, fingers laced together as they both worked with one hand. It didn’t matter that it slowed them down, they just needed to have proof, physical proof that at least for now they were together. They were safe.
Static watched them, a little sadness carefully hidden in their expressions but Party recognized it. He knew that they didn’t have someone, not like King and Queenie did.
No, Static was alone. It was by choice, but they were still alone and were walking into their possible death by themselves.
That is, until Party made up his mind and walked over to where they were sitting. He couldn’t help but stand there for a moment, unsure as to what to say or if he should say anything at all.
Running through his head were quite a few things he could say to try and help them. He knew that they’d had a hard time, just from catching bits and pieces of their conversations with Decay. Not in the normal way either. Not in the ‘shit I’m in the desert I’m gonna die’ way that to be expected of the rebels. No, from what Party knew, they were alone. Completely alone, by choice but still. They’d helped others over the years but no one, not until Decay, had stayed long enough to get to know them.
Decay had been the first, if Party was remembering correctly. The first to look at them and not see a weirdo. It was hard, when people refused to accept that you just don’t identify in the same way as most other people. Party could only relate second hand to that, through his relationship with Pony. He’d seen plenty of runners and other ‘joys flat out refuse to accept how Pony chose to identify themselves.
But, Party didn’t think bringing that up would help Static any.
The other option was talking about common ground. Decay had been different, both to Party and to Static. He was weird, jokes and humor constantly poured out of him but there was a sadness lingering in him that Party was sure Static saw. They’d saved his life after all. With no ulterior motive, Static had saved Decay. They’d mentioned before that they needed to get out, to make a difference but Party already thought that they were. Saving someone's life, a rebel that you don’t even know, and then helping out a group of strangers was making a difference. Now though, they weren’t strangers.
Even if they didn’t know everything about each other, other than Kobra and Party because they were inseparable, they were connected. Maybe it was the suicidal mission they were on. Maybe it was the stress.
And yet, Party felt closer to these people, even Kobra, than he ever had. The people he’d just met felt like family and he knew that he would die for them and that they would do the same for him.
But how could he word that into something helpful, something that would prove to Static that they weren’t alone.
As Party pulled Static up and into a tight hug, he felt them melt. All of the tension drained from their shoulders and they hesitantly wrapped their arms around his shoulders. It should have been weird, two rebels hugging it out in the sand, but it wasn’t.
Party should have thought against showing so much emotion. It would only get him killed, get them all killed.
But he did.
All too soon, but an eternity as well, Party pulled away, ruffling Static’s hair a little. The action brought a small smile, which didn’t even think was possible but it eased Party’s worries a little. Actually, he was a little more calm now. He hadn’t realized that he’d needed that hug too.
As he turned back, once again looking up to the high rise buildings looming above the City’s walls, Kobra took a spot beside him.
“I miss them.”
“I know,” Party said, sadness thick in his voice. Kobra took a deep breath beside him, shaky and filled with fear that he couldn’t let out.
“Jet will probably be pissed ya know.”
“Why?” Party asked, expression vacant as he stared outwards.
“Cause,” Kobra paused for a moment, “ cause we went on this whole mission. We barely survived the first firefight, then tested our luck again in the Market, and now we’re storming into the city. He’d be pissed.”
The laugh Party gave was too hollow, too broken.
“Yeah,” he answered, suddenly craving a cigarette even though he hadn’t had one in years. Maybe because he hadn’t had one in years.
It was just another thing Jet would lecture him on. Party half wanted to smoke one just to see if it would mean that Jet would stay alive out of pure spite, so that he could nag him about the dangers of cigarettes. If he was going to die, he’d like to do it with some nicotine in his system.
“This is it,” Kobra said, the sun now truly beginning to set. He laughed, hollow just like his brother’s a few minutes before.
Party turned, trying to figure out what had caused such an emotion. Kobra hid his emotions well, he had to, but Party had always been able to see through it. His brother felt a hell of a lot more than he showed. Right then though, Party couldn’t even begin to understand the emotions swirling inside of his brother. Was there even a name to describe it?
Was there a word to describe the sadness, fear, anger, and the billion others?
“Will you carry me until the end?” Kobra said suddenly, voice low and serious.
His brain instantly made the connection, somehow, to one of their old songs. That line in particular, Party thinks the name of the song was “To the end” but he isn’t sure, was supposed to be about a married couple.
Kobra’s words though made it sting even more. They were going into this together but they had no knowledge, absolutely no guarantee, they were both going to walk out of it.
“I promise, until the end.”
Was it wrong to quote your own music? To twist its meaning into a goodbye, just so you didn’t have to say those words?

This was it; the sun was now set completely. Party pulled a deep breath, trying to hone every ounce of strength he could.
The only thing that mattered was the people he cared about. Party would die, gladly, if it meant he could preserve theirs. It would be entirely worth it, every second of pain, if the people he loved came back alive, with their colors.
They hadn’t spoken about it, the fear that BLI-ND had simply wiped Jet and Ghoul. Turning them into something worse than dead. The Witch didn’t have sympathy for Dracs. Not only would they have lost their lives, their free will, but their soul as well.
Party would fight until his last breath to ensure that the light behind their eyes remained burning bright.
Turning around at last, everyone was already facing him. Their faces stone, all fear and doubt pushed down because it would only get them dusted. They were ready.
“Okay,” Party said loudly, “Everyone know the plan?” heads nodded in unison but no one spoke. Taking a deep breath, the last of his fear was pushed safely underneath.
“Good. Stay to the shadows, move fast, and keep each other running.”
______
Walking briskly, they were by the entrance to the tunnel in just a few minutes. The sun had set completely, meaning the chill was already settling in. Party tried to ignore how uncomfortable it was, standing there in the open with nothing but a leather jacket to protect him from the harsh cold.
Really, their way into the heart of the City was just a hole in the ground. To Party, itt sort of looked like a sink hole in the sand or like a tunnel dug by a dog to get underneath a fence. Once inside though, past experiences told that the walls would turn to concrete and the only light would come from green bulbs placed on the wall every few feet.
Without pause the group jogged into the tunnel as Party stayed behind, waiting until everyone else had gone in and then checking to make sure they weren’t spotted before climbing in as well. He flicked off the flashlight, no longer needing it and wanting to save the battery.
It was dark, cold, but safe. The tunnels were huge, possibly an old tunnel for cars or maybe even a subway. Whatever their use, they were excellent for sneaking into the City without alerting their enemies to their locations. With high ceilings and walls far enough for them each to run side by side, Party couldn’t help but feel at least a little better about their situation.
No alarms rang, no Dracs fired at them. They were unnoticed for the moment.
The stillness was unnerving as the only sounds were that of their boots on the paved ground beneath them as they ran. The only way was forward, a straight shot.
It wasn’t a long run, they hadn’t been going more than 20 minutes before they spotted the end. A flight of steps, made of old and cracked concrete started just as the tunnel ended abruptly. The steps went upwards, a double door visible at the top.
Climbing the steps and opening the door, Party took the lead once again while pulling his gun from its holster.
Just barely he heard the others bring their weapons out too and he was thankful for their quietness. They’d walked out into an alleyway, dark and dirty but definitely in the City. He could hear cars, could hear the quiet chatter of citizens as they walked past on the sidewalk in front of them. The people either couldn’t see them among the shadows or were so brain dead on BLI-ND’s drugs that they didn’t care.
Either way they were safe, for the time being. Party motioned for the group to follow him, Kobra taking the position to his right as always. It was comforting, having his brother close. It helped keep his mind off of everything.
They weaved through the allays, muscle memory helping Party know where to go. He’d lived here, long ago. He’d roamed through these allays as a kid.
They looked different now, somehow more dark and even dirtier than before. The people that they passed, stained clothes and distant looks, didn’t acknowledge them. It was surprising since they literally stood out like sore thumbs.
Party’s hair was bright fucking red and the amount of color the collective group was wearing was probably more than those people would see in their lives otherwise.
But no one said anything. None of the people even really looked at them, seemingly knowing that they were not going to hurt them.
It wasn’t long before they were standing in the alley across from BLI-ND’s headquarters. It’s location hadn’t changed at least and it still stood directly in the center of the city, tall and imposing. It was the only black building, all the others some shade of white. In all honesty, the bland black and white color scheme gave Party a headache. It was too bland, too dull and lifeless.
BLI-ND headquarters however, had been made to stand out and to overshadow all others.
Party had to take a deep breath. He knew that they were so close to his family but the moment they stepped foot out of that alley BLI-ND would start shooting. Merely seconds would be between that first step and the laser gun fire. The end was here and he wasn’t ready.
He didn’t want to think about loosing his friends but he did, his own brain a traitor to his wishes to remain professional. And yet, the anxiety in the back of his mind threw horrible questions into the frost of his thoughts.
Who would he lose on this mission? The chances of someone getting ghosted was high. It could be anyone, everyone.

Party’s earlier realization, that he would gladly die to ensure the others kept running made him take that first step. If BLI-ND wanted the people he cared about then they would have to go through him first.
He walked out into the fake sunlight with the others following quickly behind him.
People screamed as they now noticing the brightly colored rebels walking across their street, straight towards BLI-ND.
Party paid them no mind, let them think what they want about why they were there.
By some miracle, they made it to the front gate before anyone had even tried to stop them. It was kind of sad the security in the city being so loose. If they pulled this off security would probably get a lot more strict and future missions would get even more difficult.
One thing at a time.
At the gate five Dracs stood guard. Each of the guards were dead still but they faced Party’s group as they now stood on the sidewalk in front of the building. Out of the corner of his eye, Party saw that there was a small box attached to the brick, probably the motor used to open and close the metal gates. He also could tell that each of the guards had two guns, one in their hands and one badly hidden in their coats. There were also huge, looming with spikes on the top of the metal gates, just to add to the aesthetic probably.
Party watched as his brother broke from the group, making a beeline for the control box while everyone else opened fire in an attempt to catch the Dracs off guard. It worked, most of the guards weren’t paying attention to the scrawny blond already tearing the box appart to get to the wiring.
Even so, Party turned his aim towards the two Dracs closest to the control box, giving Kobra extra protection while he worked. His brother was freakishly good with technology when he wanted to be and that meant the gate would be open in no time as long as they kept the Dracs off of his back.

It was too easy, the five Dracs lay dead on the sidewalk in only a couple of minutes. There were no more people on the street, having all run away sometime during the shooting and once again everything was too quiet.
The citizens of the City may not be very high on his list of favorite people but he was glad they were out of the way. Just because he wasn’t too happy with their compliance didn’t by any means make him want them to get ghosted in a firefight he caused.
Party watched as finally the gates swung open slowly while Kobra still messed with the control box. He had bits of wire pulled out, the reds and blues tangling together as he plugged a few wires into different places.
As the group walked cautiously past the open gates, Kobra finished with the mechanism and joined them. The inside of BLI-ND headquarters was a bit surprising as they found themselves standing in the middle of a well-kept lawn. The grass was so green that it looked fake and there was concrete path that ran through the middle that branched off a dozen times to lead to different parts of the lawn and then around the otherside of the building.
There were Dracs everywhere, one by one turning to look at the intruders. For their part, Party and the others didn’t back down. They stood in a straight line with each of them pointing their guns in a different direction.
In front of them, stood the building, still a ways away. The law was probably about half a mile long and overrun with Dracs who were finally catching on and pulling their guns. They seemed to have been posted at various points across the lawn and some might have even simply been strolling on the beautiful, fake, day.
Party doubted they felt anything close to what the feeling of a warm sun above and grass below could bring. They weren’t human, not anymore.
A group of the goons had formed a line in front of the main door and it steadily grew in size as more joined.
They wouldn’t be able to get through there, not with only seven people. There were at least a hundred Dracs, all with their guns aiming at Party and his crew. They’d need an army to beat them.
Quickly, but as inconspicuous as possible so to not draw attention to his plan, Party looked around for another way inside. It looked like the lawn wrapped around the building and he wondered if there was a back door.
He probably should have dug around and found that information out beforehand but it was too late. If they tried to go through the front they’d get dusted. Around was the only way.
There was a problem though.
The Dracs weren’t going to let them just casually walk around to the other side; they needed a distraction. They needed to split up.
When Party voiced this, under his breath so that none of the Dracs could hear, he could feel the others’ gazes on him. He didn’t look, couldn’t meet their eyes.
Maybe this was what he was thinking earlier had really meant.
He should stay behind, keep the Dracs off of the others’ tail until they could get Jet and Ghoul out.
“I’ll do it,” Queenie said, startling Party and making him jerk his head towards her in surprise. She was stone cold and determined, only her eyes betrayed the uncertainty that pooled inside of her.
“Me too,”King replied, lacing his hand in hers with a similar expression coloring his face.
The two of them were already moving, guns now firing at the wall of Dracs. They were still too far away to really hit anything but it was a distraction. Party willed himself to not dwell on it, to do what they’d come here to do.
“Thank you. When you get through,” he couldn’t say if, “ meet us at the rondevu.”
And they ran.
A second later Party sprinted to the left, the remaining of their group not far behind him. No lazar fire came near them as they crossed the lawn which meant that King and Queenie were distracting the Dracs. He couldn’t bring himself to look behind and see if they were alright.
He didn’t want to see the dead, lifeless bodies of his friends.
He prayed that they were okay, that they’d get out and be at the meeting point when Doc got there.
For the meantime, Party’s plan seemed to have worked. No Dracs had followed them and there did seem to be another entrance.
It was just a small set of doors, obviously used for the people who worked there to go outside and enjoy the fake grass or some shit, but for Party and the others it was the way in.
___________________________________
(Third Person)
Somewhere inside of BLI-ND’s headquarters, Fun Ghoul slept at last. The effects of the drug had ran their course and his exhausted body was able to gain the sleep that it so desperately needed.
Now, that is not to say that his rest was peaceful. No, it was far from it.
In his sleep deprived, hallucinatory state, Fun Ghoul had agreed to take on a number of tortures so that Jet Star would not have to. It was quite likely that he would have no recollection of consenting to these things.
Yet, as the young man slept for the first time in weeks, numerous other drugs and chemicals flowed through his veins so that Jet wouldn’t suffer.

Korse was becoming reckless in his torture. Fun Ghoul had not broken as soon as he had thought. The Exterminator had assumed the rebel would give in, beg for it to all stop, after just a few nights without sleep.
From what Korse had been taught at the Academy, the rebels were weak little things, full of rage and fury which made them reckless, full of destructive energy. Yet for all of their destruction, the scum that had ran into the desert were just that. Scum.
They liked to play strong, to pretend that they weren’t starving or dying from heatstroke, but in the end they would break. Very easily.
Korse was not stupid, nor was he naive enough to believe such tales. The rebels were strong, they had to be to have gotten as far as they did. They had to be diligent, pestering enough to cause such trouble to BLI-ND and to fight their goal towards a Greater Good that the City provided.
So when he captured the rebels, he’d assumed that they would be strong, tough to beat. What he was not prepared for however, was just how strong they were.
Krose had expected a certain redhead to be at his door by nightfall the night after he’d taken Ghoul and Jet. It’d made sense; it fit the rebel’s profile.
Gerard Way, or Party Poison as he insisted to be called, was impulsive. He would constantly put himself in increasingly dangerous situations in the attempts to save his friends.
Korse knew Gerard’s weak spots.
Michael was probably Gerard’s biggest weakness, being his brother, only possibly shadowed by Frank.
Ah, Frank. Yes, Korse knew lovers when he saw them. Only the slightest bit of digging had led him to the overwhelming evidence.
For a brief, fleeting moment, Korse wondered what it would be like to have what they had. Another person. A connection.
Love.
He pushed those thoughts from his mind. BLI-ND did not allow such feelings to manifest, let alone be entertained.
His rage though, his jealousy, now that was something his higher-ups would allow him to use. So, Korse once again offered Frank a choice.
This was probably going to be the rebel’s last. He had close to ten different kinds of drugs in his system and Korse was growing tired of the game they were playing.
If Gerard and Michael did actually show up, though Korse doubted it highly, then they would find Frank dead. He planned on leaving Frank in his cell, body full of drugs and heart stopped, for the others to find. For Gerard to find.
Korse felt something close to pleasure, though he’d never admit it, at that idea. The idea of Gerard bursting in to find his lover dead.

The other rebel, Andy, would have to stare at his dead friend, fellow prisoner. Maybe Korse would be able to get him to talk after a few days alone with a corpse.
Maybe then Korse could take out some of his anger on the other rebels in his captive.
For the time being though, Korse leaned over the chained and still form of the rebel formerly known as Fun Ghoul. The kid was twitching in his sleep, probably nightmares, but Korse roughly shook him awake.
As Frank’s tired, glossy eyes met Korse’s, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Do you want the drug?”
Korse never bothered with actually giving Frank the name, it didn’t matter.
Andy was yelling hoarsely, begging Korse to stop. It seemed like he knew what was going to happen.
Good.
“Yes,” Ghoul said, eyes slipping shut as his lungs shuttered in attempts to pull in breaths.
So what if Korse had gotten a little extra angry and decided to kick the shit out of him, a few broken ribs were nothing compared to everything else.
Korse smiled again, pulling the long needle from his coat pocket and stabbing it into Frank without mercy or even a warning.
Instantly the kid convulsed, the binds holding him in place only doing so much to prevent him from hurting himself.
Andy screamed again; Korse didn’t listen. He watched the dying boy for a few more moments, then grew bored and left.
___________________________________________________________
(back to Party’s POV)
To say the inside of BLI-ND headquarters was confusion in physical form would be an understatement if Party had ever heard one. It was all white walls that blended into white floors and corridors that looked exactly the same in every manner.
They really didn’t have a general idea of where they were going, only that Ghoul and Jet would be kept in the lowest levels, away from all of the regular citizens. Somewhere Korse could do whatever he wanted with them
So Party led them down.
Avoiding the elevators, Party led the group through the endless stairwell. It was strange how loud their footsteps were in the silence.
Everything was holding its breath, waiting for something, anything to happen.
He didn’t allow himself to be taken by the anxiety, by his pure fucking terror. There were so many lives in his hands at this moment, this quiet moment of them running down the stairs. If he even paused for a moment longer to think of those risks, he would never be able to do this.
Party fully pushed away everything that wasn’t important to the mission. He only needed to be Party Poison, not Party, not Gerard,and most definitely not Gee. Those other fragments of his personality wouldn’t help him now.
If he had a moment, he might have laughed over the fact that he was basically multiple personalities shoved into one body. That might have led him to some kind of asylum Before.
But isn't that what everyone was? Just a bunch of emotions. You had to learn how to control them, to be what you needed. In his case it was to be what tomorrow needed. What the people he cared about needed.
So for the moment he was going to be Party Poison, no doubts or fear was allowed unless it was necessary. They had a mission and he intended to carry it out.

Sirens suddenly erupted all around them, so loud that Party Poison startled and nearly tripped.
“Fuck. They know we’re here, let’s go!” he yelled, running faster towards the bottom floor that they were approaching fast. Somewhere above them a door slammed open, the sound of footsteps, a hell of a lot of footsteps, loud and closing in fast.
They’d made it a pretty good ways before the Dracs had found them, they had King and Queenie to thank for that. No-
Stop-
he can’t think of them, how they’re probably-
Attention back on running, he skidded to a halt by a pair of iron doors. There were no more stairs and this was it, the bottom floor.
On the white, brick wall there was a plaque saying that the level was for ‘detainment’. It was all the information they needed, Jet and Ghoul were through those doors. Party moved to the side as Kobra began messing with the electronic lock keeping the doors closed. Standing guard beside Kobra, Party watched as Decay, Phoenix, and Static turned and pointed their guns up.
There was a lot more Dracs than he’d thought. Close to fifty, maybe, barreling down the steps, guns already firing down at the five of them. For the most part, none of the beams hit their group. The closest any came was the floor at their feet. They returned fire with fury, a few Dracs falling over the railing or down a flight or two, but more kept coming.
They had to get the door open.
The Dracs were getting closer, only a few floors above them now. Kobra was still working, eyes glued onto the wires he’s messing with. A stray beam hits one of the doors. They’re so close.
Party fires now. He begins taking out Drac after Drac. But they’re still coming.
“Hurry up,” he says impatiently and through gritted teeth.
If they made it this far for noth-
Ding.
The doors pull open and quickly they all file in. Kobra’s instantly at the wall, working on the inside lock so it’ll close again. Dracs were still closing in, the five Killjoys firing wildly into the swarm of them. Some fall, but more keep coming.
Finally, just as the first of the Dracs get to the door, it closes and locks with a loud click. Kobra breathes a sigh of relief and all but slumps against the wall. Party doesn’t allow anyone to stop. They only have a few minutes at best before the Dracs get through.

The hallway is long and dark, which is weird for BLI-ND, but he supposes once again that the aesthetic fits. It fucking stinks too, something like human sweat and sick fills the air, making Party nearly gag with the stench of it. Phoenix does gag, just a little, and honestly Party can’t be mad at him.
There’s just doors, everywhere. That’s all. Endless fucking doors in a nasty, filthy hallway.
Most of them are open, leading into empty rooms. In fact, every door they’ve passed so far has been wide open. He doesn’t want to think about why those cells are open, doesn’t want to imagine that Korse has moved his friends. That would mean they failed and Party doesn’t think he’d be able to carry on if that were the case.
“Party?” Static whispers, “they’re all empty.”
“Thanks for stating the obvious,” he bites back, more malice in it than he really intended. He can’t help it. Each door, each vacant room, that they pass makes the weight heavier.
They keep their guns high. At every door they stop. Decay and Phoenix stand guard while Kobra, Party, and Static investigate the room.
They find nothing.
Turning the corner, they find even more doors. This time though, they’re all closed and locked.
By the time there’s only a few more doors left. Party can see the end of the hallway now, the dead end steadily getting closer.
The next door is closed.
Using the same tactic as before, only difference being Kobra frying the door’s lock, and Party bursts inside.
“Fuck!” Someone yells from inside. Three guns point at the man but only for a second.
“Jet?” Kobra whispers in disbelief, his gun shaking in his hand.
“Kobra?” Jet sounded just as surprised.. Party had to blink away a few tratorious tears that began filling his vision. Jet must have noticed this but he said nothing. He and Party shared a glance, a million words filling the silence.
Jet was locked into a chair but the actual cuffs were simple mechanisms and Kobra had him free in moments. As Jet stood shakily to his feet, he ran a hand through his beard. It wasn’t long but still enough to show just how much time had passed.
“Jet?”
“Fuck I’ve missed you guys,” Jet said, pulling Kobra into a tight hug. After a long moment, he pulled Party into one as well. The grip Jet had was surprising considering he’d been imprisoned for weeks.
“Are you okay?” Jet whispered, close enough for only Party to hear. Of course he knew Party was struggling, really he wouldn’t expect anything else.
“I’ll be better once we get Ghoul.”
Pulling back, Jet nodded in understanding before facing the other two men in the room. The relief on Phoenix face said enough but Jet still wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He leaned on the other ‘joy, still not steady enough to walk on his own.
“The last time I saw Ghoul, he was in this cell with two other guys but we got seperated and I-” his voice broke and Jet couldn’t finish.
“It’s okay. Do you know which room?” Party asked gently.
“No. I have- I have no clue. They kept drugging us.”
A loud, pleading scream tore through the halls.
Decay and Phoenix paled as words began to take form but Party already was rushing them towards the sound.
“Please-” the person begged. “Please stop. He’s done everything- you said-”
It was hard to make out what they were saying, too many walls between whoever it was and them but the desperation in their voice was horrible.
“Who is that? Ghoul?” Static asked as they all slowly inched closer to the last remaining closed doors.
“No. No I don’t know who that is,” Kobra whispered with a shaking in his voice.
When they got to the door where the screaming was coming from it suddenly opened without Kobra touching the lock.
Exterminator Korse stopped dead in his tracks, suddenly facing five Killjoys as he’d been leaving. Party shot first, aiming for his head but missing when Korse ducked out of the way and pushed the hand holding his gun to the side. The shot still hit him, a deep graze went across the side of the Exterminator’s face. He groaned, one hand pulling up to cover the wound as he pulled his own gun.
Party quickly ducked to the side and dived into the room. He could hear the other’s punches connect with the Exterminator outside but he couldn’t move.
At his feet was Fun Ghoul, his body jerking like he was having a fit. His eyes were open but they stared into nothing.
Somewhere else in the room the screaming stopped and fell to ragged breaths as whoever it was tried to calm down.
Party dropped to his knees, ignoring the pain sparking up from the harsh impact, and tried to restrain Ghoul. There were bonds on his arms and legs, keeping him to the floor but not restricting him enough to keep his head from hitting the floor with every harsh jerk his body made. There was foam coming out of the side of his mouth and his eyes were rolling back even as Party gripped his neck and shoulders to keep him in place. The fit seemed to last forever.

He saw the others moving around the cell around him. They were talking, saying things that Party’s brain just couldn’t process. All of his attention was on Ghoul.
The fit or seizure, or whatever it was, slowed down. Eventually the body in his arms stopped moving, stopped jerking and lay deathly still.
At some point Party had pulled Ghoul’s head into his lap and began stroking his face in an attempt to sooth him. The fit seemed to be over but Party felt far from relieved. A still, pale, and unconscious Ghoul was not preferable.
Placing his hands on the other’s chest, Party felt every breath that Ghoul took. They were too fast, too shaky to be normal.
In the back of his mind Party knew, he knew, what caused this. He’d seen too many runners, too many ‘joys, in the same way. Sometimes the City’s drugs were a preferable option when you’d lost your entire crew. You’re family.
But this, Party was sure wasn’t Ghoul’s decision.
“Party,” Kobra’s question pulled Party from his thoughts and he watched as his brother squatted down beside them. “It’s stopped for now. I’m gonna try and get these restraints off okay?”
Nodding once, Party returned his full attention back to Ghoul. Nothing had changed, his boyfriend still laid prone on the floor. There was heat coming off of him, Party could feel it through his jeans.
“Korse made- forced him to-,” the other man in the room, who Party had ignored slightly, spoke up. Before he could finish, he coughed once into his arm. It was then Party noticed he was no longer in his restraints and that Phoenix and Decay were both checking him over. The man, strongly built and covered in tattoos, continued dejectedly.
“He made him overdose. Korse made Ghoul choose.”
“What do you mean ‘choose’?” Party asked, searching the other man’s face for any clue.
“He-” the man took a deep but shaky breath.
“He made Ghoul choose between himself and Jet. If Ghoul consented, Korse would give him the day’s punishment rather than,” The man gestured to Jet Star, who was leaning against the wall and watching the others tiredly. At the other ‘joy’s words however, a look of pure horror poured down Jet’s face and he turned in disbelief towards Ghoul.
Party did the same, looking down to the small man in his arms. Ghoul was dying, there was no sugar coating that, and he’d done so in order to protect Jet.
Fuck.
As much as Party wanted to be mad, wanted to be fucking furious with him, he couldn’t. In the same position he would have done the same in a heartbeat.
The quiet that followed was deafening. No one spoke, no one made a sound other than Ghoul. With no one talking, Party could hear each stuttering breath that he pulled. Every sharp intake of breath was a testament to his sacrifice, proof of what he’d done to save Jet.
“Damn it Ghoul,” Jet mumbled as he too sat down beside Party. He ran his hands over Ghoul’s arms, sometime when Party wasn’t looking Kobra had removed the restraints, and tried to wipe away the dried blood crusted there.
“Kross, did Korse say anything about an antidote or anything that might- fuck. I don’t -I don’t even know…” Phoenix said behind them, apparently addressing the other ‘joy.
“Hey guys, I don’t mean to be that person but Korse is gonna wake up soon and the Dracs are almost through that door. We gotta go.”
Static seemed the most calm of all of them, as they stood in the doorframe with their gun still pointing at a semi-conscious Exterminator. Party felt a little better at the sight of the beaten and bloody Korse that was propped up against the door frame. There was a large burn covering his chest and Party knew how painful that was. He felt no sympathy for Korse.
“Korse gave him an antidote once, or at least something close to it. Early on they went too fast with the drugs and he had to counteract them so Ghoul wouldn’t- wouldn’t…”
Kross spoke quietly, his voice hoarse but a little high pitched. Party could hear the despair laced within his words. He didn’t have to say it out right.
“You think he still has some on him?” Party promptly turned to Sun Static and asked.
They didn’t qustion him and began rummaging through the Exterminator’s many pockets before pulling out a variety of syringes in triumph. There were five needles in total, from what Party could tell and he wasn’t trying to look at them for too long, but only one had anything left in it.
“This could be it,” Static said, “or we could be wrong and this is just another drug.”
“His body is already shutting down, another dose of anything will ruen any chance we have of saving him,” Kobra added, looking to Party for the decision.
Fuck, why did it always have to be his decision.
Yet, the way he looked at it, things were pretty clear. Ghoul was dying, no matter how much they wanted to deny it, it was true. Either they let the drugs already in his system kill him or they do the only thing that could possibly save him but risk only speeding up his death.
No matter which of the two evils Party chose, Ghoul would die but if they guessed right and the last syringe was a cure….
The beads, those dumb blue beads that Decaydance wore so proudly. The ones Phoenix wore just as happily but kept guarded just a little more closely. Their promise of protection, of love.
Party wanted that so badly. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Ghoul, to safeguard him and to broadcast to the wold how much he loved that man.
God. He loved him.
“Risk it. It’s our only chance and he won’t make it out of the building if we don’t.”
Static nodded and passed the syringe to Jet, who offered it to Party. He couldn’t bring himself to take it.
Maybe it was his fear of needles but deep down he knew it was more selfish than that. He couldn’t bear being the one to inject Ghoul this last time and it killing him. He couldn’t keep that on his conscience. It was cruel to trade that with Jet but Party physically couldn’t will his hand to take the damn syringe. He was frozen in place.
Jet seemed to understand, no anger or frustration at Party’s inability to do this. Instead, he nodded and gently stuck the needle into Ghoul’s arm and pushed the chemicals into his veins.
Party couldn’t breathe as he watched the syringe slowly empty. The clear liquid disappeared inside of Ghoul but nothing happened. No dramatic gasp like in the old movies.
Nothing.
Really, it was a miracle that Party hadn’t broken down yet, but as they all stood in silence yet again the wall broke inside of him. Bending over overtop Ghoul and connecting their foreheads, Party sobbed. No sound escaped his lips, no proof but the shaking of his shoulders and the horrible, hot tears that streamed down his face.
He could not do this. He couldn’t- he wouldn’t live without Ghoul.
Prying his eyes open, Party desperately called his name. He begged Ghoul to open his eyes, to do something.
He could still feel Ghoul’s breathing but it was growing more shallow as time went on. It wouldn’t be longer until it stopped all together.
A loud crash echoed down the hallway. The Dracs had broken the door down.
They only had a few minutes tops before they’d be surrounded.
“Please Frank. Please don’t leave me. Don’t leave me here.”

“G- Gee?”
Party’s head barely lifted. He was sure he’d imagined the words and yet there was Ghoul, eyes glassy and confused but open all the same.
Pulling back more, Party pulled the strands of hair that had fallen down back behind his ear. He didn’t dare smile, didn’t dare to believe it.
“Gee?” Ghoul questioned again as he weakly searched for Party’s hand.
“I’m here. I’m right fucking here. Don’t you leave me now, okay,” Party pleaded, grabbing Ghoul’s hand and squeezing it tight.
No good things last though.
Ghoul grew confused, something unreadable flowing through him and suddenly he was screaming.
“NOOO! NO, you’re not- you’re not real… YOU-”
He kept repeating those words as he began to fight against Party’s hold.
“Not again. Not again-”
And then he started screaming.

Chapter Text

Ghoul’s cries were loud, heartbreaking as he begged pleading as he tried desperately to get out of Party’s hold. He screamed at the top of his lungs for everyone to just leave, to stop tormenting him. Party had to hold on with everything he had just to keep Ghoul relatively still as he thrashed and screamed.
What was worse than the desperate begging was Ghoul’s unintelligible screams. They were horrible, painful things that tore through him. Each one shredded Party’s heart.
“Ghoul. C’mon It’s me. It’s me.”
Nothing he said seemed to be helping, Ghoul kept fighting against him and screaming. Honestly, he was surprised that he had the strength left to put up such a fight. Fear or drugs must have been keeping him going. Ghoul kept turning his head back and forth, like he was clearing his head, refusing to look at Party at all.
“Kobra.”
His brother understood what he meant, his hands taking Partys’ place on Ghoul’s arms and legs. Meanwhile, Party gripped Ghoul’s face. One hand on his chin and the other holding his cheek, he tried to get Ghoul to look at him.
“Frank,” he said, probably way too loud. “Frankie it’s me. I’m right here. Please. Don’t fight us.”
Somehow, that seemed to work. His eyes slowly met Party’s as Ghoul stared up at him, terrified.
“Frankie?” he whispered, keeping his hands firm incase he tried to break free again.
“Guys we gotta go,” Static interrupted from the doorway.
Party could see Korse, propped up against the wall on the other side of the hallway. Static had their gun trained on him. He was beaten and bloody and Party felt pride well up inside of him for his crew’s work.
He didn’t answer them though, instead turning back down to Ghoul. In his arms, Ghoul looked pitiful. Eyes wide and scared as his hands grasped for Party’s. Connecting them, Party watched as Ghoul seemed to come around a bit more.
Glancing around the room nervously, Ghoul’s eyes fell on everyone in slow motion. He looked to Kobra, who was still holding his arms and legs down gently. But when Ghoul smiled tiredly up to him, his brother seemed to relax visibly. Nearly sagging in relief, Kobra looked down as he tried to get a hold of his emotions. His hands let go of Ghoul, no longer gripping, just resting on his arms and legs.
Kobra finally looked up to return the smile Ghoul sent him, tears in his eyes.
“Hey Ghoulie.”
“Kobes,” Ghoul slurred, the single word sounding thick. He blinked a few times as he breathed heavily in his search for Party. Really, he wasn’t that far away. Ghoul’s head was still in his lap and it was Party’s fingers mindlessly messing with the tangles in his hair.
Then, his eyes met Party’s again. Right then, with Ghoul looking so scared and small, Party nearly cried again.
As Ghoul looked up at him, he should have said a million things.
An apology was on his lips, as was an I love you and a harsh scolding. Yet no words escaped him. All Party could do was stare down at his boyfriend as his fear and sadness continued to build.
The fit and everything else seemed to have taken what little strength Ghoul had had left. He was limp now, barely moving his head as he tried to get a better look at Party. He kept trying to grip Party’s hand but all he was managing was a light squeeze. Party watched him try, and fail, to speak again. It seemed to frustrate Ghoul, each time he couldn’t make the words come out.
“Shh. Don’t try to speak, okay? Just save your strength,” Party nearly begged, his heart breaking even further as Ghoul’s grip slacked. He kept his eyes on Party though, even when he was barely conscious at that point.
“Party,” He turned to face the voice. Decay stood beside Static at the door. As the other ‘joy is slumped, Party thinks his name is Cross, and leaning on him while Phoenix hovers behind them. The tattooed man was awake but seemed to be having a hard time standing. “The other guy in our crew, he’s here. We- we have to get him back.”
“Go,” Party found himself saying. “Go, get him back.”
Decay gave him one last, long look before sneaking out of the door and disappearing down the hallway.
Party looked down at Ghoul and made up his mind. Without pausing, Party had his arms under Ghoul’s legs and upper back, lifting him with little effort. He was light, he realized, way too light and limp in Party’s arms. His heart sank a little at the low groan that escaped Ghoul’s mouth as he squeezed his eyes shut.
“Shhh. We’re almost out,” he mumbled under his breath, trying to pour as much comfort into the words as possible. Thankfully, Ghoul remained still and Party was able to easily walk to the door. Right as he was leaving though, Jet’s hand on his shoulder stopped him. Turning around, Jet had his head down, eyes trained on the floor.
“Let me.”
“What?”
Party had no clue what was wrong or what Jet wanted. He waited for his friend to speak, to clarify, but did run his eyes over him once, remembering that he too had been imprisoned for weeks.
“He’s like this ‘cause of me, least I can do it carry him.”
Having his heart breaking completely this entire time made Party think it couldn’t possibly be broken into any more, smaller pieces. He was so very wrong.
Jet was so guilty, Party could see it clearly now. He blamed himself.
“Plus,” Jet added, a ghost of humor on his face for a moment, “I still haven't gotten used to shooting with one eye.”
Honestly, Party would have let Jet carry Ghoul the moment he asked. He was in the process of transferring him over to him when Jet tried for the joke. Party might have laughed and teased Jet any other time but he couldn’t in that moment, not as he carefully passed Ghoul to him.
He smiled at Party, thankful and adjusted his grip on Ghoul.
“Fuck, he’s light,” Jet remarked, easily holding him just as Party had.
Party didn’t answer, couldn’t bring himself to, but motioned for them all to follow him.

Outside in the hallway, Party dug the barrel of his blaster into Korse’s side.
“Up,” he commanded.
The exterminator stood with difficulty and allowed Party to lead him down the hallway. With the others following quietly behind him, they made it to the second stairwell easily. He could still hear the Dracs banging on the door at the far end of the hallway but with any luck they’d be long gone by the time they broke through.
Static opened the door for him and Korse to walk through first. As they slowly made their way up the stairs, Party worried as to why they hadn’t ran back into Decay and his crew yet. Actually, Party realized he had no clue who their leader was. He made a mental note to ask them once they found each other again.
“Really boys, I think you should just leave me here. You don’t want me accidentally screaming and drawing the Drac’s attention do you?” Korse taunted. Party didn’t answer, just dug his blaster deeper into his side. Korse winced a little at the discomfort but kept talking.
“Now, Gerard. You’re smart; you used to live here. You remember how much weight I have over this city. Even if you get out, which you will not, you’ll never make it back to the desert.”
Party ignored him, trying desperately to control his anger.
“I think I still remember some of those horrible noises you four called music.”
Party was ready to ghost him on the spot, just to get him to stop talking. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Korse began to hum under his breath. Maybe one of the others had hit him really hard on the head or something because he actually was singing one of their old songs.
“- and if the sun comes up will it tear the skin right off our bones?” Korse sang out, gravely and condescending.
“Shut the fuck up or I will shoot you,” Party warned but his hands were shaking. How much did Korse know about them?
“Too much of a crowd favorite? How about this one? And dressed in red and blue I squeezed, imaginary wedding gown that you can’t wear in front of me.”
“One more sound and I will shoot you.”
Korse finally shut up, leaving Party to wonder just what the fuck had happened. He couldn’t question it long, the top floor door came into view and they were already walking through.

(Decay’s POV)
It only takes a couple of doors to find Torrent.
Opening the door is pretty easy, just shoot at the handle until it opens. Kobra was pretty handy with that fancy lock picking shit but they didn’t have time to go back and beg for him to come with them. They could manage on their own.
Kross Beam was still leaning on Phoenix and despite both he and Decay asking, he insisted he was okay. Decay was still suspicious. Kross had been locked in a dark, nasty cell for weeks while he watched another person get tortured.
That sent shivers down Decay’s back.
The thought of what Korse had done to Ghoul was horrible to say the least. He didn't even know the guy but watching him convulse like that on the floor was no easy thing. It was just going to be one of the many things about this little adventure that was gonna give him nightmares.
On track though, Decay knew that Kross at least needed to get something to drink. He fumbled through the bag on his shoulder before they entered the, now open, door. Pulling out a small water bottle, he handed it to Kross and gave him no room to reject it.
Thankfully, he took it and downed the contents in just a few seconds.
“Thanks,” he said, smiling a little.
Phoenix looked more relieved as well, though he didn’t smile.
“Okay let’s go,” Decay said, opening the door and bursting in.
It was brightly lit and completely white, nearly blindingly so. What really caught Decay’s attention though was the curled up form in the corner. He couldn’t really tell who it was, they were pressed too inwards on themselves.
At the sound of their entrance however, the person looked up and Decay was met with Torrent’s eyes. They bored into him, confused and pissed off looking.
“Torrent?” Decay questioned gently, worried he was about to freak like Ghoul had.
“Decay?” came a raspy reply.
“Yeah. Yeah it’s me. We’re here to rescue you,” he paused, “can I come over?”
He really didn’t want to spook Torrent because he had no clue of what he’d gone through. Torrent looked mostly okay, dirty clothes and wild hair but he wasn’t bound or unconscious so Decay took that as a small victory.
“Ye-yeah. I’m fine.”
And he seemed to be. Torrent met Decay in the middle of the room, gripping him in a tight hug.
“I am so fucking sorry man,” Decay said, not wanting to let go but knowing he had to soon. He felt horrible for leaving them, like it was his fault everything had happened the way it did. Honestly, he was surprised that they still wanted to be this close to him. After everything…
“Later. Later we can all apologize and agree how stupid we all were. I love you man,” Torrent said and Decay had a feeling that he’d figured out a lot of what had happened since they’d last seen each other.
The chuckle he gave as they broke the embrace was real though. Phoenix had tears in his eyes as he too did a once over of Torrent. The two shared a smile but it quickly fell when Torrent took in Kross’s slouched form.
“Kross?”
Kross lifted his head, his eyes bright and a half smile sneaking onto his face.
“I’m fine, just exhausted.”
Torrent seemed to believe him, which was good because Decay was still trying to convince himself that his friends really were right in front of him. The fear that this was all a dream was so strong that he just wanted to grab them all and never let go. As long as he could feel them, could touch them, he would know they were safe.
“Alright, let's go meet the others,” he said, turning on his heel and leading them out of the room. They didn’t have much time left, they needed to get out.
“Wait uh,” Torrent spoke up behind him, “the others who were in the cell with me and Kross, where are they?”
Decay heard Kross sigh before he answered sadness tinged in his voice.
“They’re alive, both of them, but Korse singled out Ghoul. He’s in really bad shape,” Kross explained slowly. It seemed like each word physically hurt him to get out and Decay winced a little in sympathy. He really didn’t know them, he’d barely known Party and Kobra a week, but seeing them reunite with their lost crew members did something to him. Decay couldn’t place it, couldn't figure out what he was feeling really. He was so fucking glad that Party and his crew were back together, glad that they were relatively safe, but at the same time his own reunion felt bittersweet. It felt fake. Like he was going to wake up any minute and be in the back of some shitty bar with who knows what in his system.
He would like to think that it’s just his brain being cruel, that he’s just afraid of losing them again. However, in those many nights were he filled his veins and stomach with any chemical poison he could find, he always saw Phoenix. He saw Kross and Torrent. They’d been there, whether in his mind or actually there, and had watched over him. Now, it was they who needed saving and he really didn’t want to believe it.
He wasn’t the type of person to be the savior and yet here he was, saving his friends.
“Decay, I can hear you thinking from here,” Phoenix’s voice pulled him from his inner monologue. Maybe he was spending too much time with Party, that dude always seemed to be thinking like crazy.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, not able to turn around and give Phoenix a smile. It’d be too fake, too forced, and Phoenix would catch on in a second.
He heard some rustling behind him but seeing as no one fired any shots, he assumed it was just his crew readjusting or something. Fiddling with the beads on his wrist, Decay let his feet guide him. He really didn’t know where they were going, other than the stairwell on the other side of the hall, but he assumed the opposite direction of the Dracs trying to bust down the door was the safest bet.
“Decay,” Phoenix hand was on his shoulder, pulling enough to make him stop walking and turn a bit. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Shit, he’d caught on.
Decay tried, he really did, to put on his best and most blinding grin. It didn’t work, even to him it felt fake and he knew for a fact Phoenix didn’t believe him.
“Pete,” he whispered, concern laced in the word, making Decay feel bad for making him worry so much. He never wanted him to be sad, never wanted him to worry over him, and yet he did. Constantly.
“I’m fine.”
Phoenix’s eyebrows rose and he looked at him in complete disbelief.
“I keep- I keep thinking that I’m gonna blink and I’m gonna be alone again. And you’re all trusting me with this mission when two weeks ago I was-”
Phoenix shuts him up with a kiss. Gentle and sweet as Decay feels him pour everything into it. After a moment, he realized he’s just been standing there frozen, he kisses back. Relishing in the feeling of his lover’s mouth against his, Decay finds himself rubbing Phoenix’s wrist. He’s messing with the beads and feeling his pulse at the same time, trying to convince himself that this is real.
All too soon they break apart, Phoenix breathing against him for a moment before pulling away. He looks at Decay, lips slightly red but all of his attention is on Decay’s face.
“I-”
He doesn’t know what to say.
Looking down, his hand is still on Phoenix’s wrist. He’s holding him so carefully, terrified he might be gone when he lets go.
“I’m here. We’re all here and you’re okay. I swear,” he whispers and Decay sees Torrent and Kross agree from behind Phoenix.
“I’m sorry,” he says at last.
“Don’t be. We’re gonna finish this later but for now we really have to go,” Kross says fondly. Decay nodded, opening the stairwell door and leading them up.
They make it to the top slowly, warily climbing each step in fear of Dracs busting through the doors they pass. No one speaks, too afraid of making any sort of noise and attracting unwanted enemies. None of them actually believes that they can get out of this without some confrontation, other than what they’d already dealt with, but they try to remain quiet nonetheless.
When, at last, they’re at the top they push the door open. It opens to a huge room, pristine and white with so many Dracs standing armed that Decay can’t even begin to count them. They’re are rows of tall, white columns that separate the room into three sections. The columns look big enough around for him and Phoenix to hide easily behind.There’s beautiful glass windows that act as the walls, letting in the fake moonlight where the sun is not yet risen. Honestly, Decay is a little pissed that it isn’t morning yet, it feels like this mission has lasted for days.
He doesn’t have time to complain to himself, all of the Dracs notice their entrance and aim their guns at them. In seconds, he’s diving behind the nearest column and dragging Phoenix with him.
His guess was right, they both were hidden behind the white cement and he watched two laser beams hit the wall behind where they’d been standing. Decay found Kross and Torrent to be behind the column closest to their right, having realized the Dracs were going to shoot the same moment he had.
Thankfully they were unharmed and the four of them shared one long moment of pause together. More lazer fire came soon though, hitting the wall behind them and the columns they were protected by. Decay gave them the signal and turned his attention in front.
He watched out of the corner of his eye as Kross and Torrent fired in intervals at the Dracs. Phoenix was shooting his blaster as well, hair matted to his face with sweat and brows drawn in concentration. Decay, as he too fired, albeit blindly, out towards the Dracs, could hardly take his eyes off of him. In that moment, despite everything, Phoenix was stunning. He was hitting Destroya knew how many Dracs with the sort of easy accuracy that comes from years of practice. When Phoenix noticed his stare, Decay knew that was also from years of having to watch the corner of his vision. Still, Phoenix gave him a small wave and turned his attention back to the task at hand.
Decay felt his heart flutter but he forced himself to focus on the firefight happening all around him. He’d barely done anything and his crew needed his help.
____________________________________________________
(Party’s POV)
To say they opened to doors to a shit show would not to the scene they walked into any sort of justice.
There were laser beams flying in all directions, smoke filling the room and making it difficult to see who was firing at what. Party searched for a moment, trying to figure out where his friends were in the mess. He wasn’t even sure if this was the end of King and Queenie’s fight or the beginning of Decay’s crew’s.
A blast came dangerously close to his head, singing the hair on his cheek and dissipating against the door behind him. He could feel the burning pain along his face where the heat had probably ruined a few layers of skin.
“To our left,” Kobra said, nudging him with his shoulder.
On their left was Decay and Phoenix, taking cover behind a large column-thing that was wide enough to protect them from the beams flying past. There were more columns in a row about ten feet away from the one Decay and Phoenix were behind. Party had to duck as another blast nearly hit him. They needed to take cover.
“I’ll go left with Korse and Kobra, you and Jet go to the right,” Party ordered, pressing the gun into Korse yet again to make him move.
The doors behind them burst open.
At the top of the steps was somewhere close to forty Dracs, all with their guns pointed at the Killjoys in front of them. Kobra and Jet moved first, sliding behind the column to their right. Party finally saw, he was going to blame it on the smoke if any one asked, Cross and another ‘joy taking cover behind the pillar he’d instructed his crew to hide behind.
He got caught up watching them fire at the Dracs behind them while Cross and the other man fired out towards the other Dracs.

Finally realizing that he should probably get out of the middle of a damn firefight, he too slid over to the nearest column. With five of them crowded behind there, it wasn’t as protective but Party had no problem holding Korse out in the open air a bit.
He couldn’t join in the fight, not like Static did beside him. His gun had to be kept on the Exterminator because he knew that he was waiting for any opportunity to escape.
The shots behind them faded into nothing, the group of Dracs finally taken out and his friends able to shoot forwards now. There were considerably more on that side anyway.
Party still couldn’t see how many were really there but he knew that it was a lot and his heart sunk a bit at the thought of them trying to get out.
To make things worse, he still wasn’t able to find Queenie and King. He prayed to the Witch, the one he still didn’t fucking believe in, that they were still alive.
He felt useless, standing there with one hand braced against the wall and the other keeping his blaster pressed to Korse’s side. The others were fighting hard, already killing innumerable numbers of Dracs while he just stood around.
To his left, Phoenix’s movements caught his attention. The kid spun around quickly from his spot on the opposite side of the column to fumble and change his battery pack. His hands shook but he had it replaced in record time.
Static stood beside Party, on the other side of Korse, and shot in slow but calculated bursts. They took down many Dracs, keeping the beams from getting close to Party.
Decay was in the middle of their shelter, breathing harshly while he tried to change his charge as well. When he finally got it, he went out on Party’s side. The idiot was standing in the damn middle of the wide open gap between the columns. By some miracle, not a single blast hit him.
Party could practically feel Phoenix glaring at Decay, without even looking, because he knew he’d do the same if it was Ghoul. That was exactlly the kind of reckless bulshit he would try to pull on Party.
His mind suddenly on Ghoul, Party tried to asses his condition through the smoke and beams filling the air. He could just barely see Jet in the middle of the other column, holding Ghoul tight against his chest as he sat on the floor. Cross was sitting too, head in his hands. Party wondered if he’d been hit or was still trying to recover from his ya know, imprisonment.
Kobra was shooting too, wholly focused on the task at hand.
Party was really fucking proud as he watched Kobra fire effortlessly. His attention never wavered, never broke and Party knew without looking he was probably hitting his mark every time.
The fight wasn’t loud, not really. Lazer guns don’t really make any noise and it wasn’t like Dracs felt pain enough to make a sound as they died. That being said, somehow Party completely didn’t hear the Drac stumbling out of the door behind them. It’s aim was on Kobra, white gun trained on his front as he kept his back to the wall and twisted to shoot around the column.
Party noticed too late that a beam was coming from the wrong direction. He watched in slow motion as it hit Kobra, burning a hole in his side and causing him to slide down the wall as his legs gave out. A scream broke from Kobra’s lips the same moment one did from Party.
Kobra slid to the ground, the gun still in one hand but the other gripping his side. The pain was written on his face and it took everything Party had to not run over there. Decay had saw the whole thing happen and was already on the other side and lifting Kobra’s jacket to look at the wound.
Party’s lapse in concentration was the perfect opportunity for Korse. He should have known but seeing his brother get shot made him forget about the man he had his gun pressed against.
Faster than he could realize, Korse had twisted away and was jerking the gun from his hands. He was up against the cool concrete with his own gun pressed under his chin and the exterminator smiling down at him with no time to blink.
He wasn’t breathing, couldn’t move as Korse pressed it up, deep into his chin. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he watched Decay give an affirmative looking gesture to Kobra and his brother turn back around and resume firing. The pain was still on his face but he didn’t look horrible. He’d gotten lucky.
A sharp press of his gun pulled his attention back to Korse sneering at him.
He was going to die. This was it.
It was okay though. Everyone he cared about could still make it out. It’d be worth it.
He schooled his face to remain blank, tried to hide the pure fucking terror coursing through every inch of him.
Korse pulled the trigger.
The beam hit the concrete behind him as Party was yanked harshly to the side by Static. They stood tall, gun pointed at Korse and pure rage flowing off of them.
Party couldn’t move from the floor, still too shocked that he was still alive, as Static shot the Exterminator in the head.
He fell, dead instantly, down onto the black marble floors, eyes vacant and unseeing. A bit of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, making a dark pool against the obsidian flooring.
“I-” Party breathed, a hand coming up to feel under his chin. There was an indention in the shape of the barrel but that was it. He wasn’t hurt. He was alive.
“You’re welcome,” Static said, bending over to grab his gun and handing it back to Party. He took it cautiously. It had nearly fried his brain mere moments ago.
“CLEAR!” someone shouted to their left, probably Decay, and Party finally pulled himself up off of the floor. Static stretched out their hand, helping him up.
Quickly, he tried to assess the damage.
It seemed like Kobra was the only one to get hit, but Cross was struggling to stand as Party joined the others. Everyone had gone over to the other column while he’d stood there. He was still in shock, fucking sue him.
Once beside them again, he instantly went to his brother’s side.
Kobra had his hand wrapped tightly around his side, a large, still smoking a little, burn covered a large portion of the area. He was breathing shallowly and he definitely looked to be in a great deal of pain, leaning against the column with his eyes pressed shut.
“I’ll live,” he grits out, already knowing Party is worried.
“Are you okay though?”
“Yeah, just gotta catch my breath. It hurst like a mother fucker.”
As Kobra does just that, Party lets Static take over and he tries to get to Ghoul. It’s sorta hard with that many people trying to use the column as protection but he does manage to get right beside Jet and Ghoul rather quickly.
“How is he?” he asks, squatting down.
This close, he can see how exhausted Jet is. They’re all fucking exhausted honestly, but Jet was bound to a chair for weeks and had just had to lug Ghoul around in a firefight.
“He’s burning up. I think it’s his body trying to expel the last of the drugs in his system, so we shouldn’t be too worried. But he needs fluids and actual rest,” Jet says, voice hoarse but sure.
“How are you?”
“I- me?”
“Yes you,” Party says, giggling a little at Jet’s confusion. “You’ve been carrying him for awhile now. Let me take him. Korse is- he’s dead so I’ve got hands free.”
It took a while, Jet not really wanting to let Ghoul go. Which Party totally understood to be honest but finally, Party had him in his arms once again.
Jet had been right, his skin was nearly on fire with how hot it was. Fuck. They needed to get him out, fast. Standing up with Ghoul, Party waited as the others got ready to move.
Cross was being pulled up by Phoenix and the other ‘joy he didn’t know, while Static helped Kobra to stand.
He rose less gracefully than Cross had. A groan turned into a whimper as he straightened out and Static hovered a little as he swayed. Kobra leaned a little against the column for a moment to rest.
Party surveyed their group, trying to find someone strong enough to carry his brother. The wound might not be life threatening but he didn’t look like he could run if they had to. The only person who looked strong enough was Static. They were tall, well taller than Party but lots of people were, and built strongly.
“Static, are you able to carry him? I don’t think he’ll be able to run with us.”
“Yeah.”
“No.”
Both Static and Kobra had spoken at once.
Kobra glared a little at Party, telling him that he was overreacting and that he was fine just with his eyes. To prove his point, his brother stood straight and moved away from the wall. He kept his hand covering his left side but his jaw was set like he planned on arguing when Party protested.
“Are you sure?”
Party couldn't help it. This was his baby brother who’d just gotten shot, could you blame him?
“Let him. He’d tell us if he couldn’t Party,” Jet soothed behind him, now standing as well.
“Okay, but the moment you need to res-”
“I’ll tell you, I know. I’m fine Party. Let’s go now before more Dracs find us.”
He didn’t know where to be pissed at Koba for cutting him off or relieved at his promise to tell him if he felt worse, even though it was laced with sarcasm.
There was no time to think though, they were briskly walking as soon as Kobra’s words had left his mouth.
Static took the lead, with Decay and Phoenix right behind them. The three of them were currently the strongest out of their exhausted little group so it made sense.
Party, Kobra, and the other ‘joy walked in the middle. Both he and the other man were holding/carrying their crew members. Kobra walked just a bit ahead of Party. He was still in the middle but his blaster was raised high and he Party had a feeling he wouldn’t miss when he shot. Cross was actually walking with his friend, still needing his support but looking a little better as time went on. Jet pulled up the back, no blaster but he acted as their watch man. If anything came from behind, he’d tell them.
It was odd, Party still had no freaking clue what the other guy’s, who was helping Cross, name was.
If they were breaking out of Better Living together, the least he could do was ask the dude’s name, right?
“Hey uh, this is gonna sound dumb but-”
“It’s Rain Torrent,” the man answered after his awkward pause.
Huh, that was a unique name. It wasn’t the weirdest he’d heard but definatly interesting. Not that he could talk about weird names. His was Party Poison after all.
“I’m Party Poison,” he offered trying hard to sound friendly and not bragging like he normally would be when giving someone his name.
It wasn’t often people didn’t know who he was.
He very much chose to ignore the snort his brother made, probably finding his awkwardness funny or some shit. It’s not like he enjoys socializing, his job just makes it a necessity.
“Pleasure,” Torrent said. Even though it sounded oddly formal and definitely should have been fake, Party knew that he meant it. That was nice, actually making friends who don’t want to kill you. He should talk to people more often.
Yeah probably not.
Back on track, Party was a bit surprised when they were across the room in just moments. It seemed so much smaller now that it wasn’t full of Dracs shooting at them.
In front of them was a literal wall of glass, the front entrance they’d bypassed. There was a single door leading out; they took it.
Meeting no resistance in the yard, they found themselves sinking back into the shadows of the allays in no time at all.
Had they killed every single Drac in the building?
It wasn’t possible.
Every shadow that wasn’t theirs seemed to leer out at him, taunting him. Ghoul was a comforting weight in his arms though. Each breath that he took helped Party take another as well.
He was sure, absolutely certain, that the fight wasn’t over just yet, he just had to wait and see who started shooting first.
______________________________________________________________________________
(Kobra’s POV)
Watching out of the corner of his eye, Kobra tried to assess how is brother was doing. Years of knowing Party told him that he was most likely freaking out below the cool surface thing he had going on.
Honestly, Kobra wouldn’t blame him. Ghoul was still very unconscious and he was trying to not notice the sickly grey tone of his skin the longer they kept lugging him around. He needed rest and probably Doc to take care of him. Kobra felt a little bad for all of the things they’d drug Doc into over the past few weeks. He’d saved them multiple times, housed them, fed them, and was now their getaway driver.
Party though, he looked nearly as bad as Ghoul.
He kept a calm demeanor, likely unconsciously doing so, as he walked with them into the allay. Party didn’t seemed to be hurt, thankfully, but he did look about ready to drop. They all were really but Kobra was a bit worried about his brother. If he was hurt, the chances of him telling them was slim to none. With his position in front of his brother, Kobra couldn’t really do a full once over but from what he could see, Party hadn’t been shot. That was a small miracle in and of itself.
“Hey uh, this is gonna sound dumb but-” he heard Party stutter.
It took Kobra a moment to realize who he was talking to but the other ‘joy seemed to catch on much more quickly.
Kobra listened, amused to their little exchange. Party never was good at talking to people, as confident his attitude may seem, he was a bit of a nervous wreck. He snorted a little when Party made a surprised sound after the dude told him his name. Like the dude, now Kobra knew it was Rain Torrent, was going to not tell Party Poison himself his name.
Then Party told him his name and Kobra realized that maybe Torrent didn’t know who they were.
That was a weird thought. With all of the wanted papers and the way news travels in the Zones, he would have thought everyone at least knew their names. Of course his brother would realize that, he was probably just surprised anyone was talking to him.
He meant that in the most loving way possible.
It was just sometimes Party would get a bit too lost in his head and assume things that just weren’t true. That’s why Kobra was trying to keep an eye on him. Party had just watched Ghoul nearly die in his arms, that kinda shit fucks up even the most stone cold people. Hell, it is still fucking with Kobra. Ghoul is like another brother to him, and once Party and him actually get their shit together he might finally be his brother in law.
Not that there’s a law anymore but the point remains.

The allay is dark, darker than before. There’s no people, no one hiding in the shadows quietly ignoring them as they pass. His grip on his gun tightens and Kobra tries to keep the shaking from his hands.
His side hurts, it fucking burns like someone’s holding a lighter against his skin. Every movement sends more pain across his stomach and nearly takes his breath away. Kobra knows that this isn’t life threatening, he’s had life threatening blaster wounds before. Very recently.
Still, his head pounds with every step and his hands are shaking for a reason other than nerves. He feels a bit lightheaded, nothing too bad really, just enough to make him slow his pace a bit.
“STOP!” someone yells behind them. A laser beam hits a little ways in front of him, scorching the smooth material and painting it black.
They all turn quickly, Kobra firing the moment he recognizes that it’s Dracs. He had known that they weren’t done fighting but he’d hoped that they’d give them at least some time to recuperate.
Still, he made sure that his aim was true. Years of practice made it easy to block out the others around him and solely focus on hitting his target. He lost count quickly of how many he took down. Just like before in the atrium, there were swarms of Dracs. All of them focused on his group, his friends, and they were going to have to go through him to get to them.
He did notice when Party shifted behind him, cradling Ghoul close and trying to shoot with one hand in the process. Somehow he did hit a couple of Dracs and honestly Kobra was more than a little proud.
There were more Dracs now, reaching numbers probably greater than had been in the building. He kind of wondered where they were all coming from but didn’t let his mind wander too far. He needed to focus.
Shooting with one hand on his gun, Kobra had to use the other to hold onto his stomach.The way he was standing shot fiery pain through him and was making him all the more light headed. If there weren’t only four or five of them actually shooting, he might actually have backed off and taken a moment.
However, Kross and Torrent had no weapons and Ghoul was still very much unable to fire a weapon. Not that he had one.
Kobra also knew that Party was barely getting shots out, Ghoul’s protection being his main goal, which was a good thing but inconvenient. Jet was behind him as well, helping Party keep Ghoul down and away from most of the stray shots. The injured of their group squatted down, while Decay, Phoenix, and Static shot over their heads at the Dracs.
Kobra was behind some crates, with Party and Jet behind him while it seemed the others had found a couple of trash cans.

It took forever, years longer than the other fight, before the blasts began to slowly become less and less frequent. Once again, when finally all of the Dracs were dead, the nine of them stood alone but together, surrounded by dead bodies.
Kobra knew that Dracs didn’t feel pain or have any real humanity left in them but it still made him sick to his stomach. They were once people and he’d killed a great number of them.
“Let’s go,” Decay called, keeping his voice quiet and calm and motioned for them to follow.
In a blur, they were climbing back down into the tunnels.
Kobra kept his eyes firmly on his brother and Ghoul. Party hadn’t said anything but he was holding Ghoul tightly and he could see him shaking as they walked. Something was wrong, Kobra couldn’t place what it was but he knew that something was about to go to hell.
Then, as if to answer his questions, Ghoul started coughing.
Horrible, wracking coughs exploded out of the small man, the force of them causing Party to stop walking. He was rubbing Ghoul’s back, trying to get the fit to ease.
“What happened?” Kobra asked, now helping Party with Ghoul. He placed a hand on Ghoul’s head but had to pull away at the heat burning from his skin.
“Fuck.”
Party didn’t acknowledge that he’d said anything, just continued to try and sothe Ghoul. Each time he coughed, his entire body shook and a horrible rattling sound accompanied his stuttered breaths.
The rest of the group had stopped as well, now all crowded around worriedly.
“Water,” Kobra said suddenly, just remembering the supplies they’d brought in. “Does anyone have any extra?”
“Yeah I do,” Static said, reaching into their bag and producing a nearly full bottle. It was luke warm but it would do the job.
“Ghoul,” he said, now trying to wake him up, “come on man. You gotta wake up.”
The coughing had subsided and Kobra tried to ignore the bits of red splattered along his lips. Thankfully, Party helped him to finally rouse Ghoul. He was blinking hard, confused and unfocused.
“Ghoul? You awake?” Party whispered, one hand pushing Ghoul’s bangs out of his eyes.
Ghoul nodded against his brother’s shoulder and groaned under his breath. He tried to speak but he quickly had to stop as more coughs began. This bout ended quickly but Kobra knew the others were getting antsy.
They’d stayed in one place too long.
He had Party hold Ghoul a bit more upright, keeping his head on Party’s shoulder, as Kobra coaxed him into drinking on the water. It took a while, and a few sputtering coughs, but Ghoul managed to take a good bit of the water.
Pleased, Kobra passed the bottle to his brother so that he could give Ghoul more if he needed too. Now turning to a very nervous Decay, Kobra gestured for him to lead the way.
Thankfully, no one noticed when he stumbled a little. His side was burning even worse now, if that was possible, and he was sure he already was running a fever. Maybe his body was still a little weak from nearly dying a few weeks ago.
But it couldn’t be helped.
They had had to get Jet and Ghoul.

They were outside in no time.
Kobra had never in his life been so fucking happy to get sand in his eyes. The sky was on fire with the sunrise, the desert burning in bright oranges and reds. It was hard to tell where the sand ended and the sky began.
If he’d had time Kobra would have marveled at the view. However, the moment their feet hit the sand and the door closed behind them Doc’s van was barreling towards them.
Kobra turned behind them as the van screeched to a halt, sand and dust flying into the air. He still didn’t see Queenie and King.
He absolutely refused to believe they had been ghosted. The two of them were strong, some of the strongest rebels he’d ever fucking met. They had a knack for escaping bad situations and he was sure that this time would be no different. Even as his headache reached a new peak and his vision began to swim around the edges, he continued to watch the door.
They’d lost Pretty Odd years ago and his death still kept Kobra up at night. He refused to believe that Queenie and King were ghosted as well. It wasn’t possible because he wouldn’t allow it to be.
“Kobra,” someone said, placing their hand on his shoulder from behind. “They- they’re not coming.”
He wouldn’t believe it. He couldn’t.
“Come on, we gotta go kid.”
It was Party, he realized, comforting him. He turned around, unable to stare at the unmoving door any longer. Ghoul wasn’t in his arms anymore and Kobra could see him being hoisted into the van. His brother stood slouched, consoling him as best he could while they were in public. But Kobra didn’t want to be consoled. They weren’t dead. He knew it. He didn’t know how but he did.
Everyone else was already in the van, the engine still running and waiting on them. He would not go. Not until King and Queenie got there.
“Mikey, come on. There’s no way-”
“Shut up,” he bit out. “Shut up. Don’t you fucking dare say they’re not coming back.”
His brother shrunk a little at his words, nearly shouted at him, but didn’t say anything else. Those damn sad eyes were all Kobra got for his outburst. He knew his brother wasn’t doing them on purpose, knew that he was just as messed up about King and Queenie but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize.
The creaking of metal made him turn around.
He nearly fucking cried as two figures, who were most definitely not Dracs, stumbled out into the sand. In the morning light, he was able to tell that King had Queenie supported with her arm around his shoulder. She had a nasty cut on one arm and her left leg was nearly dripping with blood.
He didn’t care. They were alive and their faces lit up when they saw everyone waiting on them. Party let go of his shoulder, jogging over to take Queenie’s other arm and guide her over to the van.
Kobra just stood there, in shock and unable to move.
They were alive.
Everyone had made it.
They did it.
He didn’t notice as his vision finally went dark and his knees gave out from underneath him. He hit the sand before Party could catch him.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Party’s POV)
Getting his brother back into the van, Party tried to keep calm.
The inside of the van had been gutted, only one row of seats remained and they were the last row. Ghoul was laid out on them while Doc, his chair locked in place, tried to strip the layers off of him and get more water into him. He was just barely concious, not moving or even acknowledging anyone or anything. It terrified Party.
The blood was now drying on the corner of his lips, telling of the coughing fit he had earlier.
However, Party nearly threw up when Doc took off Ghoul’s shirt. His entire torso was covered in huge black bruises and small, infected looking, wounds.
Doc pulled in a breath at the sight, pausing in his work for a moment. He recovered more quickly than Party, returning to using a damp cloth to fight Ghoul’s fever. Decay was helping him, using another piece of fabric to try and gently clean the worst of the wounds on his stomach and ribs. It looked like someone had tried to kick his fucking ribs in.
Party just barely managed to keep his stomach under control, hands balled into fists as he watched Ghoul wince with every bump of the van and touch of gentle hands.
He was right beside him, watching as Decay and Doc tried to get him stable. Ghoul looked genuinely scared and Party couldn’t blame him. So when the broken syllables of his name, his real one, fell from Ghoul’s lips, he was by his side and pushing Decay away in an instant.
“Shhh baby. I’m here.”
“I- I-” Ghoul stuttered, struggling to speak.
“Easy, easy, it’s okay.”
“I- I lo- I love you,” he whispered, tears in his eyes as he looked up at Party.
Party brought a hand up to his mouth as the realization of the words hit him. Vaguely he remembered them exchanging similar words but the memory was hazy and hard to pin down. It felt like a dream and he wasn’t sure it had really happened.
He knew Ghoul had been there the night he’d tried to surrender to Korse and was fairly certain he was the one to take him back to Doc. However every other memory of that night was too out of focus for him to know if it was real.
This though, this moment was real.
“I love you too. So fucking much,” he said at last. A few tears streamed down Ghoul’s face at his reply and Party had to fight back his own.
“Par-Party,” Ghoul whispered, eyes fluttering shut as he took a deep breath that seemed to cause him a good deal of pain. He winced and Party found himself placing a soft kiss to his forehead.
“Shh, rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
____
To make things worse, Kobra was still out of it.
He too was burning up and the burn on his side was torn open and bleeding in places.
Someone had handed Party a rag, probably when he’d gone over to help with his brother, soaked in almost cool water for him to try and control his fever. Dabbing it onto Kobra’s forehead, he watched intently, hoping for him to wake up soon.
Static was by his side now, pulling Kobra’s jacket away and then lifting his shirt to inspect the damage. The area around the burn was red and angry while the scorched skin was nearly black. Thin little trails of red ran in places where Kobra had torn the skin.
He watched, somewhat distantly, as Static took some antiseptic and dripped a generous amount onto a cloth. They then went to carefully cleaning the burn, pausing when the van hit a bump.
Pony was driving and while they were normally a very careful driver, when compared to others in the desert, the van was jerking from side to side violently. They hadn’t hit pavement yet, still trying to get over the uneven sand.
Kobra groaned, eyes scrunching up as he tried to pull away from Static’s hand.
“Shh,” Party soothed, dabbing the cloth over his head again.
Kobra’s eyes opened, instantly finding Party’s and relaxing against him. When Static went back to their cleaning, he flinched and groaned again.
“Fuck. I like it better when I was unconscious.”
“Stop whining ya big baby,” Party teased, earning a small smirk from his brother.

Not long after, the van fell quiet. Party, Decay, and Doc being the only ones awake. And Pony of course.
Around the van, everyone else slept.
Kobra had fallen asleep again soon after his burn had been cleaned, though Party did manage to get him to drink some water. He was sleeping hard now, head on Static’s lap as they too slept. Their head was leaning against the van wall and it looked uncomfortable but they were snoring loudly so Party didn’t try and move them.
Phoenix, Kross, and Torrent were all curled up in one corner. Korss, Party learned it was spelled with a ‘K’, had made sure everyone had eaten something before they fell asleep. He once again wondered who their leader was. Maybe they didn’t have one, they just all took care of each other.

Decay wasn’t asleep, he was up front with Pony. He said that he could never sleep in moving vehicles and that he got motion sick if he couldn’t see the road. Party didn’t believe it, not really, but let him go without questioning. He wasn’t obligated to tell Party everything. Though, he did wish that Decay would talk to someone. The other ‘joy looked torn by something, constantly checking behind him to watch his crew sleep.

Party was sitting in the back row. Jet was curled up in the floor by his feet, having rejected his offering of taking the spot he was currently in. Party had Ghoul’s head in his lap, watching him finally rest. Doc told him that the drugs were still running their course but it seemed the antidote they’d given him had done the trick. His body was able to finally get rid of everything that had been forced inside of it.

King and Queenie were in the middle of the floor, curled up together and snoring quietly. After a brief check from Static, they’d both been bandaged appropriately and allowed to sleep.
“Poison.” Doc’s voice was quiet and his smile kind. “You did it kid. You got them all back.”
“Shit,” he said, looking back down to his sleeping boyfriend.
How the hell had he managed this?
“I’m proud of ya. You managed to take on BLI-ND themselves and fuckin’ win. Korse is dead and the City is in panic.”
He hadn’t looked at it that way.
This was a win, but not only for them personally. For every single kid out there who rebeled at the risk of their own life and the lives of the people they cared about.
They did it for them.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ghoul woke slowly.
He felt warm, too warm and sticky. Frankly he felt gross but he had much bigger things to worry about.
His ribs felt like they were stabbing him with each breath he took and his head was a weird kind of foggy. Not the good kind that came from smoking certain substances that’d make Jet probably shit his pants if he knew, no this felt wrong and fake.
The last thing he remembered was being with someone he loved. He couldn’t remember their face or even their fucking name but he could clearly still recall the way they made him feel. Their love was strong and bright and-
If his memories could be trusted, they’d been together… somewhere.
He wasn’t sure.
He remembers being bound to the fucking floor while Korse offered him all of those ‘opportunities’ as he’d called them. Each one had been some form of drug and they’d all done Destroya knew what to him.
Really, his time there felt like a blur. A hell on earth with torture kind of blur. He should probably be glad he doesn’t remember most of it.
And yet, that begs the next question.
Where is he?
He feels warm, something he really didn’t experience while under Korse’s torment. Also, he swears that there's a blanket covering him and a pillow under his head.
It feels nice, comforting and secure.
So he might not still be in BLI-ND.
Ghoul still feels like shit though and despite his best efforts, he just can’t get his eyes open. They feel like ten ton lead blocks and there’s no hope of him getting visual confirmation of where he is.
And yet, if he is in such bad shape, which he feels like he is, why is he able to think so clearly?
He experimentally wiggles his toes and then his hands.
Something pulls at the top of his right hand, not stinging but uncomfortable when he moves.
Now thoroughly confused, he tries it again.
Moving his hand, he feels the same discomfort.
It feels familiar, like he should know what it is but can’t place it.
However, before he can try again, he hears something suffel in the room.
He’d assumed he was alone, everything deathly quiet around him. That is until someone takes his hand, the one he’d been trying to move, and squeezes it.
“Frank?” someone whispers and he knows that voice he knows it. Only a few people know his real name but at the moment he can’t remember who they are.
“Are you awake?” the person asks, their voice rough but soft at the same time. “Can you hear me?”
He fights again to open his eyes, the unknowing killing him.
This time, he succeeds.
At first the room is too bright and he has to close his eyes quickly as the light assaults them. He hears a chuckle and the hand is gone. There’s some more shuffling and a click, then the person is back and retaking his hand in theirs.
“Try again.”
And he does, blinking as the room comes into a shaky focus. Things are a bit blurry but the room is darker now, the person probably turning off the overhead light or something.
There’s someone sitting right beside him, the person holding his hand. All he can really make out is a blob of red and dark blue that’s probably a jacket or something.
He knows this person. He knows them but can’t fucking remember from where.
On the plus side though, he is most definitely not still in BLI-ND.
“Frank?” the person asks gently, squeezing his hand a bit as they speak. They sound scared, sad and he wants to answer them just to make them stop being so depressing sounding.
“Hmm?”
“Oh! Frankie? Are you awake?” the person exclaims and even with his blurry vision, he can see their smile.
Why does he know this person?
Blinking to try and clear his vision, he finally succeeds and gets an infocus view of the room.
It’s bare, just his bed and a wooden chair fill the small space.
The guy, who has bright red hair and beautiful hazel eyes that he knows, is smiling down at him. He tries desperately to remember who this is.
Looking down at their intertwined hands, he sees what was causing the discomfort. A tube, an IV his brain supplies, goes into his vien. There's tape holding it in place and a clear liquid flowing through the tubes and into him.
This does nothing to help his memory.
“Yeah, we had to. You were really badly dehydrated along with trying to recover from an overdose that nearly killed you,” the person took a stuttering breath.“and so Doc called in some major favors to get this for you.”
Doc.
That name sounded familiar too.
“But, thanks to him, you’re gonna be okay. All of the drugs are out of your system now and you’re showing no signs of addiction,” the man added. His face lit up as he told Ghoul the good news.
Ghoul. Oh right, that was him.
He was… a rebel?
Yeah that was it. That was why BLI-ND had captured and tortured him, so that he could keep Party and Jet saf-
“Fuck,” he said out loud.
All of the memories came crashing down at once, making his head spin painfully.
“Frankie? Are you alright?” Party, no Gerard, asked from his side.
“Yeah, yeah,” he answered truthfully. The spinning had stopped and now he was stuck with the memories of what had happened.
Gerard had saved him.
Fuck, the last time he’d saw him Gerard was recovering from being shot in the chest. And now, he’d saved him and-
it was getting too much to process.
“Hey, just breathe. It’s okay.”
“Fuck, it’s you,” he whispered. Being awake was fucking exhausting.
“Yeah it’s me,” Gerard said sadly, tinges of the fear still on his face.
“You saved me.”
“You saved me, Frankie. You saved all of us ya know,” Gerard said now smiling. “Ray especially.”
Oh. Right. He remembered now.
“He’s… ?”
“He’s fine. Not a scratch on him.”
Relief washed over him, he’d succeed in the one thing he had endured Korse’s torture for.
“I-” Gerard stuttered, eyes falling and hand playing with Frank’s nervously.
“What is is Gee?”
“I love you,” he whispered at last.
A huge grin broke out onto Frank’s face. They shared those words before, but both times had been exchanged in times where they were terrified the other was dying. Frank remembers the night he got captured, whispering those words to Gerard as he just knew he was never going to see him again. He just barely remembers Gerard saying them back to him after he rescued him.
“God. I love you too.”
Gerard smiles too now, happy and nearly bursting.
“I uh- I made you something,” he says, reaching down into his lap. There’s something in his hand when he pulls back up but Frank can’t see what it is.
“You don’t have to but I just wanted to ask-” he stopped, anxiously trying to finish his sentence. Frank watched curiously as he seemed to give up and just opened his hand again.
There in Gerard’s palm were two strands of blue beaded bracelets.
In an instant he knew what they were.
“Gee?”
“You don’t have to,” he says quickly, unable to meet Frank’s eyes.
As if he could fucking ever say no to Gerard.
He uses his hand, ignoring the shaking, to lift his boyfriends chin from where it’d fallen. Hesitantly, he met Frank’s eyes and he can see all of the doubt and uncertainty swirling around just beneath the surface.
“Yes,” Frank breaths, unable to do much more. He’s tiring fast but he doesn’t want this moment to end before he ensures Gerard knows that he feels the same.
“Yes?”
“Yes. I’d love to Gee.”
They’re both grinding now, tears brimming in their eyes as Gerard slips his onto his own wrist. Frank tries to do the same but his fingers fumble and he just can’t seem to do it. Amused by his struggle, Gerard happily helps him wrap the strands around his own wrist.
After he’s done, Gerard threads their fingers together once again.
Frank can’t look away. The beads are bright against his pale skin and are overtop of the tubing for the IV but they’re absolutely perfect.
He will never take them off.
Gerard’s are just as beautiful, if even more so, wrapping around his thin wrist and declaring their love to everyone. Frank has never been happier.
“I love you,” Gerard repeats, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
“I love you too,” he answers, letting his eyes finally shut and drifting off again with a smile on his face.
He’s home.

Chapter Text

Decaydance sat by the front door.
Even with the blistering heat and the sand blowing into his face, he didn’t feel like moving. Inside was too… too happy.
He just couldn’t deal with it at the moment.
He didn’t blame them though, the others, for celebrating and being so relieved that their family came home. He should be in there with them, since his own crew alive and well. But he can’t.
Someone came a little while ago and told him that Fun Ghoul was awake. That’d been hours ago though and he still hadn’t moved. His own relief that the other ‘joy was awake wasn’t enough to pull his body out of the sand and to go inside.
Decay was probably getting sunburned by this point.
He had too much on his mind to care about something like that though. It was too trivial.
The front door opened and a blast of air conditioned air blew past him. He didn’t allow himself to savor the feeling.
He didn’t look at whoever it was, just hoped they’d get the message and leave. The door closed with a click but the person sat down beside him instead of going back inside. Their shoulders brushed against each other, it was already too much contact for this heat, but he didn’t argue. It wasn’t worth it.
Decay kept his eyes down at the sand around his boots. It was dry and kept getting kicked up in the wind. His boots were filthy, dust and Witch knows what else covering them. He should probably get around to cleaning them, they were his only pair.
“Hey,” Phoenix said simply.
Now, Decay knew that the moment Phoenix asked he would spill it all. He’d never been any good at keeping things from him and this time would be no different. Still, Decay prayed he wouldn’t ask. He wasn’t ready.
“Hi.”
His own voice was a bit rough, slightly surprising him but he didn’t do anything about it. There was nothing to do about it other than probably go inside or something else that consisted of too much energy.
“Here,” Phoenix said, pressing a cool water bottle into his hands. It made sense that he knew Decay probably needed to drink something, he had been sitting outside for fuck knows how long. Still, the gesture was nice.
Decay nearly said no, refused it because there were two people inside who could definitely use it way more than he could. Ghoul had only just woken up and Kobra was doing better but still probably needed the fresh water.
He could tell just by the bottle that it was the good kind. Not the treated shit that tasted like metal and would burn a little on the way down.
So he listened, chugging the bottle quickly once he realized how thirsty he had been. He did feel better, nearly instantly.
“Better?” Phoenix asked once he was done.
His expression was soft but Decay could tell how worried he was. Connecting their hands, Decay tried to think of anything to say. He owed it to Phoenix to not hold anything back. After everything, he wouldn’t let them get separated again. Even if it meant admitting things he’d rather not talk about.
“Thank you.”
Phoenix smiled, brightening as Decay finally was able to acknowledge that he was beside him.
“Thank you and I’m sorry. I can’t really explain all the shit in my head right now but…”
“Does this have to do with what we spoke about down in the cells?” Phoenix questioned carefully.
“Yeah,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “I’m not exactly the best choice for the crew and you know it Phoenix. I was- I was not in the best place while you guys were gone and I can’t promise I won’t get like that again because-”
He was rambling, hands flying as he spoke way too fast. Pausing, Decay tried to take a deep breath, to calm himself down a little.
“Pete,” Phoenix whispered, leaning his head against his shoulder. “You will always have a place with us. No matter what, you are a part of our crew. We need you. I need you.”
He really didn’t have anything to say. No words would come out as he tried to speak a million at once. His head was going too fast, too worried and anxious to form any real thoughts that could turn into an answer for Phoenix.
“Hey, can we join?” came Kross’s voice from the door.
Decay felt Phoenix nodd against his shoulder and wave them over. Even with the heat, the four of them were quickly adjusting so they could all sit together, touching. With a little wiggling, Decay had Phoenix on one shoulder with Kross on the other and Torrent leaning on Phoenix. In that moment he felt it.
He was safe.
The contact somehow fought away his doubt, some not all. But hey, it was a start right?
“Ya know, Party has no clue who our leader is,” Torrent said lightly, making the four of them chuckle a little. Decay just held on tightly to Phoenix, his hand gripping the other’s wrist. He could feel Phoenix’s pulse, the slow, steady rhythm along with his laughing friends helped that final bit. He would have to confront this, completely, later but for the moment… he was okay.
“Should we tell ‘em Pete?” Kross asked though his laughter.
It really was funny if he was honest. He’d thought it’d been a bit obvious.
“Nope and that’s an order Hurley,” he joked, a legitimate smile breaking on his face.
______________________________________________________________

King and Queenie were sitting in the living room.
It had been a week since the fight, since they’d reentered the rebel fight in full force despite years of keeping away from it.
Everyone kept asking or hinting to the fact that they knew nothing of the couple’s own fight. After they’d split from the group, they’d been on their own.
To the others, they’d just appeared at the end of the fight and hopped onto the van.
Really, King would like to keep it that way.
While he loved Party and the others, he’d rather not go into detail about what had happened. Looking down at his wife, she was sleeping peacefully on his chest. Her long, black hair swept over her shoulder and nearly touched the ground. Running his fingers through it, King simply watcher her sleep.
Inside BLI-ND they had nearly died. They’d barely survived losing Pretty Odd. King still had dreams about him, and yet they’d gone right in to the heart of the City.
Weird thing was though, he didn't regret it. Not in the slightest.
Watching Party step out of Ghoul’s room with happy tears in his eyes as he told them he was awake had made it so worth it. King couldn’t imagine, didn’t even want to try, nearly losing Queenie like that.
She was the thing that kept him sane, kept him from doing dumb shit just because he was bored. Really, he was surprised he’d made it as long as he had before he met her. Not that they were all that old when they’d met. They had gotten married, legitimately, Before. The legal shit didn’t really matter anymore but they both still had the rings. They wore them constantly, as the old tradition, and King often found himself staring at his gold band in times like this.
In the City, they’d done something he had never expected to do again. They’d fought, one on one with who knows how many Dracs. Somehow, they’d won and managed to book it out.
Still, those moments of hiding in a random allay were terrifying. Even more so because his wife was bleeding on his arm all the while still asking if he was okay.
Queenie shifting brought his attention back.
She was peaceful, beautiful.
Soon the only thing he would have of this mission would be the scars and the memories. But hell, isn’t that all life is?
______________________________________________________________________________
Kobra was alone when he woke up.
His room was quiet and dark, the central air keeping everything cool, comfortable. He was going to miss staying with Doc once they went back to the diner. The place was home but air conditioning was a gift from the Witch herself.
Swinging his legs over the corner of the bed, he stood carefully. He was still a little weak from the fever, that had thankfully broken a few days prior, but each day it was a bit easier to get up and move around. Walking over to the door, he tried to determine if anyone else was awake. Since his room held no windows, he really had no idea what time it was.

The bunker was quiet outside his door but when he opened it, the lights were on. At least someone was awake.
It didn’t take long to find his brother. Party was in the one place he’d spent more time in than Kobra’s room. Not that he minded any.
He felt much better and didn’t want his brother worrying over him any more than he’d had to. Party deserved to be as stress free as possible after everything they’d just survived.
Ghoul was asleep as Kobra quietly stepped inside the room. The door had been open slightly and a soft light pouring out into the hallway.
Party was sitting in his chair, writing and sketching in a small notebook and not really looking up as Kobra entered the room. He watched for a moment from over Party’s shoulders as he wrote.
They were song lyrics, or maybe poetry?
His handwriting was a little messy from the lack of practice but Kobra could read most of it. Lines like ‘ there might be something outside your window but you just never know’ and ‘sing it for the boys, sing it for the girls’ filling the page. They were just snipits, not connected or anything but Kobra had to admit they were good. He hadn’t seen his brother writing lyrics in a long time.
There were little pictures as well.
A spider with a lightning bolt on its end was the one Party was currently working on. He watched as his brother sketched the crooked legs of the spider. There was a skull and crossbones looking thing too but with the BLI-ND happy face and pills. That one was a little creepy, completely in character for his brother though.
“Hey Kobra,” Party smiled, apparently aware of his presence. The one time his brother wasn’t completely zoned out. Of course.
“Hey,” he returned, motioning towards the notebook and prompting him to give it to him.
Party gladly handed it over and busied himself with checking over Ghoul while Kobra read.
“These are pretty good Gee,” Kobra said, smiling as he read the line ‘heart attack in black hair dye’. It didn’t take a genius to guess who that line was about.
“You think?” Party asked, changing the tape on Ghoul’s IV because it’d gotten a little dirty.
He watched his brother for a moment.
Party had a light to him, one that Kobra hadn’t seen in him for a long time.
His eyes were bright, happy as he went about messing with Ghoul’s pillows and tucking him in a little. Party was even humming quietly under his breath, probably melodies to go with the half written song lyrics scattered all over the paper in Kobra’s hands.
It might have something to do with the small, blue beads that now adorned Party’s right wrist. They lay on top of his jacket sleeve, bright blues nearly mixing together but Kobra had noticed instantly. He knew what those were.
A matching pair rested on Ghoul’s left hand, overtop of the IV line for the moment. That wouldn’t last much longer though. Each day Ghoul woke up stronger and by the end of the week, the IV wouldn’t be needed any longer.
They had finally gotten their shit together. About damn time.
“We should make an album,” his brother blurted, looking at him earnestly as he waited for his answer. This was so different than the Party he’d had for the past few weeks. This version of his brother was so close to the real him. The easy smile and light conversation was like a breath of fresh air.
Gerard was so rarely like this. Really, he’d only seen him this happy a few times in their life. The first was only barely a memory. Their life Before. Before the bombs and the war. Mikey had been three when everything went to shit. His only memories prior being his big brother’s smiling face as he read him one of his favorite comics.
“What do you think Mikey?” Gerard asked, noticing his spacing out but not mentioning it.
“You think we can?”
Really, he didn’t want to bring up the fact that they didn’t have a drummer anymore. He wanted no reason to end this good mood his brother was in.
“Yeah, definitely. Phoenix can play the drums so that’s covered and I already got some lyrics ready,” Gerard said, nodding as he explained.
Huh, maybe his good mood wasn’t as fragile as Mikey had thought.
“Why is everyone talking so loud?” Frank groaned from underneath the blankets. Laughing a little, Gerard motioned for him to take the seat by the bed. He didn’t need it, wasn’t that tired already, but took it anyway.
“Cause it’s the middle of the day, dumbass” Mikey joked, earning a middle finger from Frank.
He heard his brother laugh a little, probably watching the conversation with the same smile.
“How’re you?” Frank asked, taking him in with his eyes. He still wasn’t able to sit up yet, his ribs still very broken and his body not quite ready for that sort of movement. However, the strength behind his question was not easily missed. Mikey could see the worry written over his face. This was the first time they’d actually gotten to talk since…
“Yeah. I’m much better.”
“Good, I was worried,” Frank said quietly, one hand draped over his stomach lazily and he played with the beads on his wrist. He gave Mikey a small smile…
“Whatcha got there?” he questioned suddenly, serious moment over as he pointed towards the notebook still in Mikey’s hands.
With approval from Gerard, he passed it to Frank so that he could read over it.
“So we’re making an album?” He asked, excitement dripping off of every syllable.
“Maybe,” Mikey said, not wanting to promise anything so soon.
“Did I hear the word album?” Ray asked, poking his head into the room nosilly.
“Nope,” Ghoul answered with a chuckle, throwing the notebook at his general direction. It didn’t even come close to hitting Ray. The paper landed about an inch from Mikey’s chair, hitting the floor with a smack.
“Aw, damn it,” Frank pouted. He took a deep breath, probably trying to ignore the pain the actions sparked against his still healing ribs.
Ray was laughing as he walked in and picked up the notepad. He read over it quickly, nodding at the places he really liked and mouthing the words as he went.
“Hey, this is good. Are we really doing this?” Ray asked, looking up from the paper to Gerard.
“If you guys want… yeah?” Gerard sounded unsure now as he waited on the other’s input.
“I’m in,” Mikey started, “Bored out of my mind recently anyway.”
Snorting, Ray too agreed.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily Gee,” Frank said, grinning mischievously. With a loving eye roll, Gerard looked to each of them.
“We’re doing this?”
“Fuck yeah,” Mikey answered.
He wondered if they could teach Grace how to play? Maybe she could help on the album?
__________________________________________________________________
That same evening, Ray stayed in Frank’s room.
The brothers had ventured to the kitchen, something about needing a sandwich before they keeled over, and had left Frank in his care.
Really, he wasn’t doing much.
Their conversation around the new album, which Ray was freaking stoked for, had tired Frank out quite a bit. He was still awake though, holding on as the two of them spoke. Ray hadn’t wanted to keep him up but there were things that he needed to say. Things he didn’t want to wait any longer on.
So he’d started off easy.
He mentioned the bracelets now on Gerard and Frank’s wrists. That made him light up as he eagerly told Ray how Gerard had asked so shyly. He told him that Gerard had actually thought he’d say no.
That brought a chuckle from him, despite the guilt swelling inside of him.
The next question was harder to form.
“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly, the smile falling from his face.
“I’m fine, really. Doc is a freaking miracle worker and we don’t pay him enough.”
Ray felt a little better, if Frank was joking then things were probably going to be okay. Still, all he had to do was look and he could clearly see the signs of just how now fine Frank had been. The IV was still fighting to get fluids into him and Frank was still rather pale.
Ray had chosen to not bring up the screaming he heard in the night.
“Hey,” Frank said, turning serious all of a sudden. “This isn’t your fault. I’m fine; I promise.”
“But you’re not and it’s because of me. You suffered through this,” he waved his hand over Frank’s entire body, “ so that I wouldn’t have to.”
He knew Frank was selfless, even though he tried to hide it in front most people, but this was something Ray couldn’t really process. The fact that he’d willingly, nearly died just so that he wouldn’t suffer was eating him up.
“I would do it again,” Frank said quietly, voice weak.
“Frank…”
“No, no I would because I know if you’d had the chance you would have too. So would Gee and Mikey. We take care of each other, that’s what we do.”
He was right of course. Ray would gladly take on as much pain as Frank had if it meant the people he cared about were safe.
Frank yawned, a hand going up to cover his mouth. He blinked sleepily at Ray, waiting on him to say more if he needed to. Even now, he was making sure he was okay.
“Sleep dude. We’ve kept your old ass up past your bedtime again. Doc’s gonna kill us.”
“Fuck off, you’re older than me,” Frank replied, though he did listen for once. He fell asleep with Ray right beside him, a half smile still on his face.
______________________________________________________________
Grace was beyond excited.
When everyone had come home, she hadn’t been allowed to see them. Doc and Pony had rushed back in with Ghoul being carried by Party and Kobra leaning on someone she didn’t know.
There were a lot of people in the bunker that day.
Phoenix was one person she knew and she even gave him a hug when she snuck into the living room while Doc wasn’t looking. But the others she had no clue who they were.
A guy with short, dark hair was basically attached to Phoenix’s hip. At first the other guy had sat outside, alone, but soon he was inside with the others. The two of them were constantly together, holding hands or just leaning on one another.
She quickly made friends with Phoenix’s friends too.
The guy with the high pitched voice talked to her about music. He told her his name was Kross Beam and that he played music. That was cool because she loved music just as much as everyone else in the desert. The two of them talked for a long time and he even shared some of his snacks with her.
One guy, named Rain Torrent, he had hair just like her’s and Jet’s. It was big and curly and she touched it constantly. He didn’t seem to mind though, just let her boop him and carry on with the conversation.
Decaydance, which was a super cool name if you asked her, was her favorite though. Well other than Phoenix but she wasn’t about to tell them that. He was funny, always telling her jokes and helping her pull pranks on the others.
Really, she liked the new guys a lot.

The old guys, King and Queenie, she knew before. She’d been small the last time they’d saw her and she barely remembered them. The three of them talked for a long time, telling each other what they’d been up to over the years. She’d missed them. They were funny and really nice. Plus Queenie was super pretty and let Grace play with her hair.

There was one new person too.
She’d gone up to them the second day everyone had come home.
They’d been sitting in a chair in the corner for a while by the time Grace had gone over.
“Hi!” she said cheerilly, extending her hand for the other person to shake.
The person smiled, though Grace knew it was fake, but they did shake her hand.
“My name’s Grace,” she tried. She figured that all of the new people were friendly and so telling them her name wasn’t a big deal.
“Why would you…”
The person sounded surprised but Grace was determined to make friends with them. They looked lonely.
“Cause you seem really nice. Plus, from what I’ve heard you helped save my family.”
The smile the person gave her was real this time and she waited on them to tell her their name.
“Well, Grace,” they said gently, “ my name is Alex.”
She hadn’t expected them to give her their real name and she was more than a little shocked.
“You- you-”
“Shh. Don’t tell anyone okay? It can be just between you and me.”
She nodded quickly.
“But I don’t know what everyone else knows you as?” She says, trying not to sound demanding.
“Sun Static.”
After that, the two of them talk for a long time. Static is nice, they don’t talk down to her like most other adults do. Actually, most of the adults that try to be mean to her don’t get too far. Party normally kicks their butt if they try.
Speaking of him, after a little while he comes over and asks if she’ll come with him. Grace says goodby to Static, who waves as she follows Party out of the room.
____________________________________________________________________________
With all of the craziness of the past week, Party hasn’t had near enough time with Grace.
He knows she keeping herself entertained with meeting all of the new people but he still feels a little guilty for not spending time with her.
They’ve been separated for way too long already and he was not about to be the cause of any more time.
So, now they’re going to hang out. The five of them, in Ghoul’s room and are going to get in as much trouble as possible.
He’s got a few surprises waiting on her and he can hardly wait as he leaders her towards Ghoul’s room. It would have been nice to do this outside maybe, a little adventure or a long drive to set things in motion. However, current circumstances prevent that option.
Ghoul is by no means ready for leaving Doc’s bunker, let alone the bed. Neither is Kobra really, he should most definitely not go outside.
So, since Ghoul was the least mobile at the moment, Party figured a get together in his room would be the best course of action.
Opening the door, Grace runs under his arm and tackles Jet in a hug. She moves on to Kobra after a few minutes, hugging him gently, afraid of hurting him.
“You can hug me harder than that kiddo,” he teases, picking her up and swinging her around. She squeals and giggles as they spin, eyes squeezed shut with excitement. Kobra sets her back down, smirking as she continues to laugh. Party tries to hide his concern afterwards but his brother seems to be okay, standing and watching Grace as she goes to Ghoul next.
He’s sitting up in the bed, quite a few pillows propping him up, watching them all, and opens his arms for a hug too. Gladly, Party watches as Grace wraps her arms around his neck. She’s very gentle with him, not squeezing too tightly but Party can see the way Ghoul is gripping her. His face is a mix of sad and happy as he holds her. She’s small, even compared to him, but she means so much to them.
“I missed you Frankie,” she says with her face hidden by his hair. He squeezes her once more and lets go so she can pull back. A glimpse of her fear and loneliness comes through as she looks around the room.
“I missed you guys…”
“We missed you too kiddo,” Party said as he walks over. He pulls her in for a hug as well, needing the comfort himself but also knowing she did as well.
Shortly after, they pulled apart and easy conversation filled the room. With everyone distracted, Party went over to the corner and grabbed the bag he had hidden there a while ago. The others had caught on and were watching him intently, his back to them, as he pulled out the contents.
There was an old camera, that’s what came out first. It was beaten up a bit but it worked well enough.
“So, first, family photo time,” Party announced happily.
Ghoul rolled his eyes, Jet laughed uneasily, and Kobra groaned. Only Grace seemed excited. She bounced up and down, begging Party to go ahead and take the picture.
“Really, Gee? I’ve been stuck in this bed for a freakin’ week and you wanna take a picture now?” Ghoul asked, annoyance slipping out.
“Yep. Suck it up,” he said, motioning them to all squeeze into the frame as he turned the camera around so it’d capture himself and the others behind him. Smiling, he waited just a second for the shuffling to stop before clicking the button. The camera flashed, blinding him a little, and soon there was a little polaroid picture printing out of the bottom.
“Oooo lemme see!” Grace said excitedly, jumping off of the bed and nearly tackling Party.
“Hold on motorbaby, we gotta wait for it to develop.”
She groaned but waited, somewhat, patiently as the picture slowly showed up on the small piece of photo paper. Soon, their smiling faces began to take shape.
Party’s first, smiling brightly at the camera. He looked a bit disheveled, hair desperately needing a re-dye but happy all the same.
Kobra was next, a small smirk on display. His eyes were shining though and his body relaxed. Jet too looked happy, wide grin and all.
Even Ghoul, who really did still look like shit, wore an easy smile. Grace was on his lap, looking as happy as he had ever saw her. She was beaming, at the camera.
Party passed the picture around, letting everyone get a good look while he rummaged through the bag once more. Pulling out the next surprise, he turned to his friends with hands hidden behind his back.
His face must have given him away because Kobra rolled his eyes and told him to get on with it already.
Bringing his hands to the front, he waited as the others figured out what he had. It’d taken a lot of begging to Pony to get these and he’d promised them that he would owe them like a billion favors.
The pure awe on his family’s face was so worth it.
“Holy fuck-”
“Language,” Jet scolded, cutting Ghoul off but looking just as surprised.
“Is that what I think it is?” Kobra asked excitedly.
“Yep,” Party said, passing some to everyone. “Pony helped me get ‘em.”
When everyone had one, Party looked down to his own hand. The rectangle was bigger than his hand and wrapped in tin foil with a paper cover. Chocolate. Real, actual, chocolate.
This was a treat that he hadn’t had in years and honestly couldn’t remember when the last time was.
Grace was borderline freaking out as she slowly unwrapped the bar in her hands. When she got it open, it was instantly in her mouth. She hardly savored the first half and it was gone in less than a minute. The second half, she looked to them.
Taking that as their clue, the others too opened their candy.
Ghoul devoured his, making some rather inappropriate noises as he did so. Everyone was too involved in their candy to scold him and remind him of the small child literally right beside him. Even Kobra was lost in the deliciousness of real chocolate. He ate his slowly, savoring every bite, but still finished it far too quickly.
Party was the last to open his, wanting to watch the others’ reactions to the treat before eating his share. The first bite was the best, sweet and melty and perfect. He tried to eat slow like his brother but it was hard. They didn’t know when they’d get an opportunity again. The price tag alone was enough to give Party a small heart attack. Though, Pony had refused his money, saying instead that he’d just owe them.
“I like your surprises,” Ghoul said as Party tries to hold back his laughter at the chocolate covering his face.
“What?”
“You got a little-” Party motioned to his entire face, still laughing his ass off. Ghoul didn’t seem to be catching on so he did the next best thing. He leaned over and kissed him.
Using his mouth, as discreetly as possible because they did have an audience, he licked all of the chocolate off of the corners of Ghoul’s mouth and from the inside as well. Party’s hand came up to wipe the bit of it off of his cheek while he did so.
“Ewwwww,” Grace said loudly, laughing as someone covered her eyes.
Party pulled away, a happy feeling bubbling in his chest.
He should have been embarrassed but he wasn’t. Ghoul took his time opening his eyes and Party was able to admire him for a few moments. His boyfriend was less pale and much more of himself, though he could still make out the dark under his eyes from where he hadn’t been sleeping well. But his eyes opened soon and he smiled sweetly up at Party, melting his heart in the process.
___________________________________________________
That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Party stayed with Ghoul.
It had become their thing, a habit. No one else watched him as he slept, only Party.
In any other situation, Ghoul would probably have tried to do the very opposite of sleep if they had a room to themselves.
At the moment though, with Party’s hand gently holding his while he snuggles closer on the small bed, Ghoul wishes he could sleep. He swings, night by night. Sometimes he’ll fall asleep quickly, exhaustion catching up with him and putting him out in record time. Those nights though, are accompanied by nightmares.
He sees Korse most of all.
The exterminator’s face peering down at him, taunting him, and then stabbing him with needle after needle.
Those nights, he wakes screaming.
Party is always there though, holding him and protecting him as he shakes. Only after he cries himself back into unconciousness does the nightmares stop and only if Party keeps at least a part of them touching.
On other nights, Ghoul won’t be able to sleep.
Tonight seems like one of those nights.
He feels bone tired, the festivities of the day taking their toll on his healing body. His ribs hurt, a low throbbing that tells he’s sat up too long, and his limbs feel sluggish and heavy.
Ghoul should be able to pass out, instantly gain the rest he needs.
However, he won’t sleep.
He knows this because his mind is currently going too fast for him to even begin to think about resting.
Party is curled up beside him, playing with his beads as they share warmth under the covers. The room is cool outside of the warm bubble they’ve created and it’s perfect sleeping conditions.
Yet, all Ghoul can think of is the bad.
He made it; he’s home, but it doesn’t erase everything he’d been through.
The exterminator’s voice is still in his head, telling him that he’s weak and useless. Telling him that the others are never going to come for him and that he’s even failed at being bait. Telling him that no one loves him enough to save him.
He’s got his proof, right there in the bed with him, that someone does love him enough. But his brain keeps running over the word Korse, literally, beat into him.
He had very nearly given in. He’d wanted to.
Just to make it end.
There were many times when he’d wanted to tell Korse no, to just rest for a few minuets without the fear of another needle stabbing him and another round of chemicals in his veins.
“Frankie.”
Gerard is shaking him, disrupting his thoughts and brining him back into the dark room around him. Sweat is running down his forehead and he’s way too hot.
“Shhh, baby it’s okay. You’re safe,” Gerard whispers against his skin, pulling him close and trying to chase away the bad with the embrase.
He had never had a nightmare while awake before. Or well, that was more of a memory. So maybe it was a flashback?
“I-I-” he tries but breaks into a coughing fit. He’d been screaming again, he realizes as his throat and ribs burn.
Gerard is pulling him up, getting him in a sitting possition as he continues to cough.
“Shhhh,” he soothes, rubbing Frank’s back in small circles to help him breath more easilly. After a long few moments, he’s able to take in a full breath.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hush, don’t apologize. Don’t talk, just get your breath back first.”
He lets the calming hands on his back and the soft words pull him back into safety.
Gerard continues to hold him, even as he saggs against him like his bones have been melted. Frank feels like mush now, too sloppy and tired to feel bad about leaning so much on his boyfriend.
“Easy,” Gerard continues, voice still so quiet and calm. “Easy Frankie. I’ve got you.”
Frank takes one deep breath, despite the pain it brings from his ribs, and whispers an ‘I love you’ into Gerard’s hair.
He hadn’t even realized his face was buried in Gerard’s neck, breathing him in and being held tightly.
Gerard returns his statement, pressing a kiss to the side of his head while continuing to hold him close.
______________________________________________________________
It’s another week and a half before they can go home.
Queenie and King left first, three days after Ghoul had woken up,promising to come around more often before barreling off on their motorbike.
The next person was Static. They said that they were going back home to plan on trying to organize a medical camp of sorts. A place where injured rebels could stop in for help, provided by Static themselves, and then carry on with no questions asked.
Each goodbye was tearful, something special connecting them all after everything they’d gone through.
When it was Decay and the other’s time to leave, it was much harder.
Party pulled him aside, thanking him endlessly for all of his help and congratulating him on getting the crew reunited. He even asked him who their leader was but of course, Decay gave him nothing. Not even the slightest clue.
“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” Party asked, exasperated but smiling widely.
“Maybe just a tad.”

So when it was the Four’s turn to head home, there were only two people left to say goodbye to.
Doc gave them a long talking to. He sat them all down in the living room and told them that at the very least, they needed to give it a break. Their bodies, and his sanity, would greatly benefit from a little bit of a breather before the next life threatening situation came up.
They’d all agreed.
Pony had told them that as much as they loved them, they wouldn’t be patching them up any time soon if they could help it.

When they made it back, Party, feeling a little cliche and romantic, carried Ghoul inside the diner bridal style. The man in his arms was blushing and telling him to put him down as the others watched on with amusement.
Jet had gone in first to make sure no one had taken up residence while they’d been gone and watched with a smile on his face as Party set Ghoul down once they got inside. One hand lingered on his back, ensuring Ghoul was steady on his feet and not going to fall.
It was unnecessary but welcome on Ghoul’d part. He’d overestimated his recovery a few times already.
Grace ran inside soon after, pulling Kobra by his sleeve into her room. She yelled something about wanting to make sure no one had touched her things.
That evening, they all sat together for dinner.
Rather than everyone being strung about like normal, they all took a spot on the kitchen floor with their bowls. Party had fixed something that might be soup but for all of it’s terrible looks, it actually tasted good. They sat there, talking and eating for hours.
______________________________________________________________________
Two months later Doc got a call.
Party had excitedly told him about some music that Doc just had to hear ‘right now’. He’d already been on his way over, the others packed into the car as well. Their Trans-AM was sadly too damaged to fix but their current car was just as powerful and fast.
The Four, plus Grace of course, pulled into Doc’s place with a cloud of smoke. He waited at the front door, taking in the bright paint job covering the car. It had once been white but now there was a collage of paintings, all in blinding color, that decorated nearly any open space. Right on the hood was a hand painted spider with a lightning bolt on its end.
“Heya Doc!” Party called, jogging over while waving something in his hand.
When he got close enough for Doc to make out what he was holding, Party was already handing him the CD.
Hand painted on it was a picture of the sand, bits of blue sky towards the top but the same spider covering most of the frame. The spider was bright white, like an after image from looking into the sun for too long.
“This is what’s gotten y'all all excited?” Doc asked, taking in the very energetic ‘joys in front of him.
Party nodded for them, motioning for Doc to look at the disk again.
This time, he noticed the words written in bright pink font at the top.
‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys’
“You made an album?” he asked, more than a little surprised.
“Yeah and we want you to play it,” Party answered with a grin.
Doc ended up playing it of course.
That evening, instead of rotating through the same songs from Before that he did every other day, Doc popped the CD into the port.
“Do I even want to know how you managed to make this?” he asked the five kids crowded into his recording room.
“Nope.” Party answered behind him.
Doc hit the record button and began speaking.
“Look alive sunshine. One oh nine in the sky but the pigs won’t quit-”
He spoke fast, strong, just letting the words come to him.
“The future is bulletproof, the aftermath is secondary-”
Party leaned over him and hit play, loud guitars filled the speakers and Doc kept talking. Somehow he timed it perfectly with the beginning of the song.
“Killjoy’s make some noise!”
He said, right as the song kicked in fully, blasting the Four’s music to every corner of the desert. Blowing up speakers and making rebels bang their heads along to the beat.
It was rebellion in its purest form. Pure fun and adrenaline.

Chapter Text

Party paces back and forth, grabbing random items around the diner as Ghoul trails after him. The mid-day sun shines through the diner’s windows, curtains pulled back to let the light in. Ghoul was trying to get him to listen, to take a breath and actually think before he rushed out once again. He has delt with an impulsive boyfriend long enough to now that he needed to stop Party before he actually leaves. No good could come if Ghoul lets him out of the diner.
He loves Party, more than he loves himself, but the moment he gets into the sand, Party would burn heaven and hell to get to the runner who’d sold them out.
And while the dude deserved it Party would end up burning himself up in the process. Metaphorically. Maybe.

It’s been exactly four months since they rescued Ghoul and Jet from BLI-ND’s hold. A very long, healing four months but things still aren’t perfect.
Things probably won’t ever be perfect. Or back to normal really.
Ghoul still has night terrors and refuses to sleep alone, Party thankfully claiming the spot beside him every night. Together, they’re able to fight off the worst of the dreams and memories. Most.
Still, progress is progress and Ghoul wouldn’t trade it for anything.
They were all learning still. How to live after this.
Jet and him have become inseparable, doing everything from raids to joy rides together. The two of them often leave early in the morning and go on day long drives, ones where Party and Kobra had no idea where they go. It’s just one long, fast, drive through the desert to vent and escape.
Party’s trying his hardest as well. He knows this.
That’s why he’s listening to Ghoul right now. Mostly.
He stops in his tracts, a raygun in his hand, and lets Ghoul finish his rant.
“Really, Party, I know you want revenge, we all do, but you need to wait.”
Ghoul is trying to not get upset, knows how much this subject hurts for the both of them.
“Why?” Party asks quietly.
Their runner, or ex- runner he guesses, sold them out. It was his fault Ghoul and Jet were captured, tortured. It was his fault that Ghoul wakes screaming most nights.
It was the runner who condemned Ghoul to suffer. Jet to suffer. His family-
No.
Party doesn’t want to wait and Ghoul understands completely.
He wants to run, take their new car and book it to wherever the runner is.
But he can’t.
Sighing, Party drops the gun onto a nearby booth. He drops down into the seat, scooting over until there’s enough room for Ghoul, and lays his head down on the table.
“He deserves to pay,” Party says through his teeth.
“I agree but we should do it together. The four of us against him. I want to get revenge too Gee but we have to do it side by side.”
When Party doesn’t answer, Ghoul scoots closer, pressing their sides together and laying his head on his shoulder. He melts against Party, his warmth bleeding through their layers. It’s hot as fuck outside but he doesn’t mind the contact.
He nearly lost this.
Nearly lost him.
“You okay?” Ghoul asks under his breath.
“Yeah,” he answers, “I’m good. We’re gonna make him pay.”
“Absolutely. Very painfully.”
“Are you okay?” he asks, turning to face Ghoul a little.
“Yeah. I just- I wanna make him pay for what he did to us- to me.”
______________________
Ghoul slams the car door as he gets out, stepping out into the sand. His feet sink a little into the soft grains, making him twist his ankles a bit in order to stay steady.
The barn in front of him is old, falling apart. There’s a large hole in the wooden roof, rafters visible from where he’s standing.
Why their runner chose this place for their meet up, he wasn’t sure.
Party is beside him in an instant, not touching likely because they’re on a mission but close enough for comfort. If he moved his arm just the slightest their hands would be touching.
Kobra and Jet’s door slam next, the two of them moving to stand beside Party and him. Jet is to his right, giving him a silent question to if he’s okay.
Meanwhile, Kobra and Party are talking silently.
They all look to Party at the same time though and he nods for them to move forward.
Walking in together, Ghoul tries to keep his mind from wandering. The last thing he needs is to go into a full blown flashback and be unable to confront their runner.
So, he steels himself. His expression is blank but only just hiding his fury and terror. His brain is a mess right now but that doesn’t mean he has to show it.
Surprisingly, Party’s hand finds its way into his own. There’s a gentle squeeze as Jet knocks twice on the old, wooden barn door. Party doesn't pull away and Ghoul wonders if he knows how much he’s helping him. He feels better instantly, safe and protected just the way Party manages.
The door swings open, the runner's face popping out. He smiles when he sees them, ushering them inside.
“How the hell are you guys?” he says energetically.
Ignoring him, mostly because he can’t look at the guy in the eyes without shooting him on the spot, Ghoul looks around.
The inside of the barn is completely stripped, the only thing left is a few support beams that look nearly broken. There’s no hay or anything, not anymore. Sand lays everywhere though, piling in small dunes in the corners and wherever else it can get. So everywhere.
“Ghoul?” the runner says and Ghoul realizes he’s not been paying attention.
“Yeah?”
It feels forced but he keeps his expression blank, disinterested.
“I said, how’re you feelin’? I heard you went through some shit in the City.”
How fucking dare he?
It takes everything in Ghoul not to launch himself at the man. Ghoul may be small but he can tear him apart if he wants to. And fuck how he wants to…
“Fucking shiny man,” he grits, Party’s grip on his hand is nearing painful.
He relishes in it, shows him that he’s not alone.
This is by his rules. If he says shoot, they’ll shoot.
Jet also has heavy sway in this situation, or he would but he said that it’s entirely Ghoul’s decision. Of -fucking- course it is.
He wants to give the signal now, to have Party and the others tear the runner to shreds.
But more than that- Ghoul wants to know why.
Why he could sell them out, could condemn them to the shit they’d faced, and still be able to look at their faces and smile the way he is right now.
“Soo,” the runner starts awkwardly, “whatcha need t’ trade?”
“Just our normal things. Some food, battery packs, and a bit of info.”
Ghoul tries to keep his voice level, to not betray his mild fury currently encompassing his entire train of thought. He must do well because the man is once again grinning wildly, nodding like he knows exactly what they want.
“Ah. Well I give information if I get info. Ya get me?” he asks, pointing to Ghoul and Party’s intertwined hands.
“Nope. Not for sale.”
Ghoul can’t hide the grin from Party’s clipped tone. It’s good to know he’s not the only pissed off one. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Kobra with his arm ghosting beside his own gun, the same is true for Jet.
“Ah too bad. Them’s my rules.”
“Why are our personal lives important to you?” Ghoul demands angrily.
“Ooo. Sensitive subject I see. It dosn’t really matter but I was just curious. Ya know two… people... such as yourselves…”
The words hang in the air and Ghoul just about sees red. How fucking dare he-
“Got a damn problem?” Party questions viciously, one hand now hovering over his own gun.
Their runner takes a step back, hand up in surrender.
“Whoa man- I see it is a sensitive subject. Look, I know you went through some shit but to revert to this-”
“Shut the fuck up,” Ghoul growls, finally pulling his own gun.
Now the runner steps back more, right against a support beam. Good. He should be fucking terrified.
“Why?” Ghoul continues, his gun not even shaking in his hold.
He’s beyond pissed right now, all fear pushed so fucking far out the window.
“Why what?”
Knowing his game and not letting him play innocent, Ghoul pulls his t-shirt sleeve up a little, revealing his shoulder. Most of the administrations of the drugs were done on his right shoulder, Korse literally stabbing him with the needles. They’d scarred.
“Why?” he repeats, voice low.
“I-”
“Don’t play dumb. Why’d you fucking sell us out?”
The runner’s eyes go wide, his face filling with fear before forcefully shifting back into a neutral expression. Ghoul wasn’t falling for it.
“I didn’t sell anyone out.”
“Bulshit,” Ghoul counters the runner’s smooth words with his own bitter ones, pulling from Party’s hold and edging closer to the runner.
“Look-”
“No. No explanations. The truth.”
He’s going to give him a chance, a chance to come clean. As much as he doesn’t want to, he has to. At his words however, the runner’s facade drops. He grins smugly up at Ghoul, eyes shining now.
“Money.”
Ghoul is pressing his gun against the man’s temple in seconds, pushing so hard it’s bound to leave a mark just from the force. This man helped Korse, helped the exterminator to torture and nearlly kill him. His information is likely what got him and Jet captured and he can’t fucking forgive this.
Especially if it was for something so material as money.
“Wrong god damned answer,” Ghoul spits, his index finger now against the trigger.
“Whatcha gonna do Frankie boy? You gonna shoot me?”
His grip slackened at that, with the shock of his real name being spoken.
Using Ghoul’s temporary lapse in concentration, the runner pushes the gun away from his head and it lands on the floor somewhere behind him. Too soon for him to act, the runner’s own gun is pulled and aiming right at Ghoul’s chest.
“What, you don’t think Korse shared information too?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jet demands angrily, Ghoul nearly turning to look at him but deciding against it.
The blaster pointed at his heart is not something he should look away from.
“Drop the gun,” Party demands behind him.
His voice is strong but Ghoul knows him, can hear the fear creeping in.
“And why should I do that? You won’t shoot m-”
The runner falls, a bright laser beam passing right through his skull. Ghoul takes a staggering step back, partly in surprise as he tries to process-
Hands wrap around his shoulders, turning him away from the still smoking runner. Party wraps him in a tight embrace, holding him close to his chest and pressing his lips against the top of his head. He grips tight around Ghoul; both of them are shaking.
“Oh my god. Are you okay?” Party suddenly says, pulling out of the hold to check for any wounds or anything.
He’s fine.
He’s fine.
He’s fi-
Fuck. Isn’t he supposed to be breathing?
“Hey. Hey- no- Ghoul you’re okay. You’re okay,” Party pleads, pulling Ghoul right back against his chest.
Eventually, they get his breathing under control and avoid a full fledged panic. His brain is still moving too fast for him to actually think.
Korse is gone. The person who was the literal hand that tortured him has been dead for months. Static killed him themself, saving Party’s life in the process.
But now. Now the runner is dead too. He can no longer give out their info. He can’t sell anyone else out because his brain is currently burned to a crisp.
He’s- he’s oddly relieved.
They’re safe now.
No one can threaten the people he loves.
Party can’t be taken from him next. Neither can Kobra or Jet or-
Fuck. They’re actually safe.
“Oh my god I love you,” Ghoul mumbles, pulling himself partially out of Party’s hold and crashing their lips together.
He kisses back after just a moment, pressing Ghoul as close to him as he can. When they finally break apart to breathe, Party runs a gloved hand over his cheekbone.
“I love you too Ghoul,” after a moment’s pause he adds, “are you sure you’re okay? You just nearly had a panic attack and I-”
“Yes. I just- I realized we’re okay now. All of us. We don’t have to worry about him anymore. Or Korse and- we’re safe,” he finishes quietly.
Party smiles brightly, full of affection, down at him.
“We are. We’re safe Frank. You’re safe.”
He takes a deep breath, trying to dispel the lingering fear that’s still creeping around in his mind.
“I know,” he says at last.
Kobra hugs first, damn near tackling Ghoul in a hug from behind. Jet follows and Party just keeps his arms around his middle.
Being squished in with his family, Ghoul has never felt more safe.
He misses Grace, her taking a long weekend at Pony’s for their little trip. When he gets back, maybe he’ll have a whole day out with her. Listening to music and singing at the top of their lungs.
“So now we can write another album right?” Ghoul jokes, grin breaking at last on his own face.
It doesn’t feel fake or even forced. This is his family and it is- finally- safe.
“Uh- I don’t know dude,” Party starts, Ghoul feeling him shake his head.
“But you love screaming into mics!”
“Maybe after we play this one some more,” Kobra chimes in with a light laugh.
“Ghoul?”
He turns the best he can to face Jet, noting the seriousness in his tone.
“I love you dude.”
Ghoul smiles once again, knowing the weight behind those words.
He’s home. His family is safe.
Damn it- how is he so fucking lucky?
“Come on idiots, lets get home,” Kobra says, pulling away first and waving Party’s keys as he walks towards the barn entrance.
“Wha- how?” Party says in shock, patting his pockets down.
“Magic,” Kobra turns to say, a shit eating grin on his face.
“Dick!”
“Hurry yer asses up or I’ll leave ya’ll here!”
Ghoul laughs, connecting his hands with Party’s once more as they walk back to the car.
Safe.