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Jet Star heard the sound of approaching feet and turned around just in time for the kid to slam into them at full force. Jet stumbled back a step, sitting heavily onto the trunk of the Trans Am.
“Oof! Hey, kiddo.” Jet grunted, lifting them up to his hip.
“Jet! Party said I could come to the market with you today.”
“Did he now?” Jet asked, raising their eyebrows. The kid was probably five years old by now, and every day they were more eager to explore the zones.
“Yeah! Can I, can I, can I?” The kid bounced up and down slightly, grabbing Jet’s shoulder and shaking it as much as they could.
Jet pretended to think for a moment, “Well, if Party said it was okay-”
“They did!” The kid shouted.
“What did I say about interrupting?” Jet lightly admonished, ruffling the kids curls when they looked apologetic. “Yes, you can come to the market. But you gotta listen to what I say, okay? No running off.”
“Never!” The kid promised, crossing their heart and shooting Jet a gap-toothed grin.
Jet chuckled, “Okay, I gotta load up the last few boxes, do you want to let everyone else know we’ll be gone for the day?”
“Okay!” The kid ran back towards the diner, Jet watched them go with a soft smile before turning to finish loading the Trans Am.
Jet finished loading the boxes into the trunk right as the kid returned, clutching a handful of carbons.
“Where on earth did you get those from?” Jet asked as they climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Kobra said I could buy myself a treat if I wanted!”
“And where did Kobra get the carbons from?” Jet had a feeling they already knew the answer.
“The swear jar!” The kid smirked.
Jet chuckled and started the car, “That’s supposed to be for emergencies only.”
“Yeah, but Party closed his eyes while Kobra got them so it’s fine.”
“Well in that case,” Jet rolled their eyes. “Alright, you know what we’re looking for today?”
“Yeah, I’ve got the list right here.” the kid waved a crumpled piece of paper.
“Can you read it off for me?”
A long silence ensued. Jet sneaked a glance away from the road and saw the kid focusing on the paper with their tongue poking out from between their teeth, a habit they’d picked up from Fun Ghoul. After a few minutes, Jet put a hand on the kid’s shoulder.
“No worries, baby. Ghoulie’s writing is hard to read, even for me.”
The kid nodded, still looking put out. Jet felt a little bad, all five of them had been doing their best to give the kid an education but only them, Poison, and Kobra had actually gone to school for any amount of time, and none of them were too sure what a five-year-old was supposed to be learning anyway. The kid was bright, but got easily frustrated when things didn’t come to them as naturally as others.
“So, I heard you got to stay up late last night?” Jet tried to change the subject.
Luckily, the kid perked up quickly, and spent the rest of the drive rambling happily about the story Cherri had been writing for them, Show Pony’s attempts to teach them how to roller skate, and the latest mural Poison was having them help with.
“- And Ghoul said he was gonna give me a haircut, ‘cuz it keeps getting all tangled while I sleep and then it hurts.” The kid was saying as Jet parked the Trans Am outside of the market.
“I thought you wanted to grow your hair out?” Jet absently asked as they unloaded the boxes from the trunk of the Am.
The kid frowned, deep in thought, “Well, I-”
They were cut off by a blue-haired killjoy approaching the vehicle, “You’re Jet Star.” They said gruffly.
“Ah, yeah, that’s me. What can I do for ya?”
“You got any grenades? Looking for somethin’ a little flashy, a little loud. Somethin’ that would ruin a Drac’s day.”
Jet smiled, “I know just what you need.”
Fairly quickly, Jet and the kid managed to trade away everything they had brought. They’d managed to get most of the things off of their shopping list, but there were still a few items that Jet and the kid needed to go to specific stalls to find.
“Okay sunshine,” Jet lifted the kid up so they sat on their shoulders. “Let me know if you see anyone that’s got spray paint or sewing kits.”
After a minute, the kid tugged on a lock of Jet’s hair, “Over there! That way.”
Obediently, Jet turned in the direction the kid was pointing, heading towards a stall with a purple canopy. When they arrived, the kid slithered off of Jet’s shoulders and marched up to the stall owner.
‘Ex- cuse me!” The kid loudly got the pink-haired killjoy’s attention. “How much for the silver robot?”
“Aw, Kid, we don’t- Oh!” Jet stopped when they recognized the stall owner, “Box Set! Didn’t expect to see you here!”
The Killjoy’s eyes widened as they recognized Jet. “Jet Star! How’ve you been?”
Jet hugged the killjoy, laughing. “Good as can be, the rugrat keeps us all on our toes.” They gestured towards the kid.
“I bet,” Box Set laughed. “How long has that been a thing? He looks just like you.” They lowered their voice slightly and winked.
Jet blushed, “They’re not mine.”
“Oh, my bad!” Box Set seemed embarrassed. They turned back to the kid, “So you were interested in the robot?”
The kid nodded, eyes wide.
“Well, for a friend of Jet Star’s you can have it for free.”
“Thank you.” The kid was acting uncharacteristically shy, they reached out for the robot toy that Box Set offered but hid behind Jet once it was in their hands.
“So, Box, how’s the crew? Where’s Maso-”
“She goes by Mas Fina now,” Box Set corrected Jet quickly.
“Oh! My bad, how is she?”
Box Set and Jet chatted for a little while longer, touching on crew members and runs made to zone one and Did you hear about the clap outside of the old theme park? until the kid tugged on Jet’s arm.
“I’m hungry!” They interrupted loudly.
“Kid! It’s rude to-”
“No, they’re right,” Box Set laughed. “ I should probably pack up anyway, Mas told me I needed to be back by sunset and I don’t wanna cut it too close.”
Jet nodded, the two ‘joys said their goodbyes, and the kid led Jet back to the Trans Am.
“Guess we’ll have to get paint and thread somewhere else,” Jet mused as they slid into the driver’s seat.
The kid didn’t say anything.
Jet glanced at them, unnerved. The kid was gazing at the dimly flashing robot in their lap, eyebrows furrowed.
“Everything alright, corazón?”
The kid nodded, still unnervingly silent.
“What do you want to eat when we get home?”
The kid shrugged.
Jet sighed inwardly, the kid had inherited traits from near everyone in the diner, and had the tendency to go nonverbal, just like Kobra, when they were upset. Jet reached over to put a hand on the kids head, removing it as soon as they tensed up.
“Okay if I put on some music?” Jet asked cautiously. “I think Cherri said he was gonna do a broadcast tonight.”
The kid nodded slowly, still fumbling with the toy robot’s arms. Jet pretended not to notice the tears sliding down the kid’s face as they turned on the radio, fiddling with the dials until Cherri Cola’s even voice filled the Trans Am.
When the Trans Am pulled up in front of the diner, Ghoul and Kobra were waiting out front, sharing a cigarette on the front step. Kobra quickly stubbed out the stick when the passenger door opened, picking the kid up and swinging them in a circle.
“Hey sweetheart, how’s th’ market?” Ghoul asked.
The kid didn’t reply, burying their face in Kobra’s shoulder.
Kobra looked to Jet, a question clearly written across his features.
Jet shrugged, “I’m gonna unload this stuff in the garage, if you wanna get them some dinner.”
Kobra nodded and turned to open the front door, Ghoul remained outside.
“I think they’re tired? Maybe the market was a little overwhelming? See if Kobes can get somethin’ out of them.”
“Sure thing, spaceman.” Ghoul returned easily, saluting as he walked backwards into the diner.
Jet rolled the Am into the garage and carefully unloaded the boxes from the trunk. It took them several trips to get everything to where it needed to be, and by the time they’d finished, their stomach was grumbling loudly.
Jet found an opened can of Power Pup and a glass of bright orange liquid on the kitchen counter, they figured it had been left for them as there was an arrangement of empty cans left on the counter from, Jet assumed, the rest of the crew’s dinner.
Halfway through Jet’s dinner, Fun Ghoul pushed open the door to the kitchen and hopped up onto the counter next to Jet.
“So?” Jet asked anxiously.
“Gone t’ bed, Kobes got ‘em talkin’ again but they wouldn’t say wha’ was wrong.”
Jet swore. Ghoul reached over and began to give Jet a shoulder rub.
“Wha’ happened at th’ market?”
“Nothing,” Jet scrubbed a hand over their face. “We traded our shit, they got the robot for free, I ran into a ‘joy I knew in the city but-” Jet stopped.
“Jet?”
“I think I know what it was.” Jet shook off Ghoul’s hands and headed for the kid’s bedroom.
They knocked gently, and opened the door to see Kobra Kid curled protectively around the kid.
“Asleep?” Jet whispered.
The kid lifted their head.
“Hey baby,” Jet lay down on the bed next to Kobes. “You feeling better?”
The kid nodded slightly.
“That’s good.”
“Jet?”
Hearing the kid use such a small voice shattered Jet’s heart.
“Yeah, sunshine?”
“I don’t wanna be a boy.”
There it was.
The crew hadn’t talked to the kid about that. They knew what the kid would have been forced to be in the city, but no one in the crew was eager to assign a role like that to the kid. They’d tried to raise them without expectations, a common method in the zones, and it had worked smoothly, for the most part.
“No?” Jet tried to keep their voice even against the wave of emotion they felt.
“No.”
“That’s okay baby, you don’t have to be.”
“But that person at the market said-” The kid’s voice caught.
“They don’t know you. Don’t worry about what they said.”
The kid was silent for a long time. Kobes brought his hand up and lightly rubbed at Jet’s scalp.
“Jet?”
Jet startled slightly, they’d thought that the kid had fallen asleep.
“Mm-hm?”
“I don’t wanna be like you.”
Jet and Kobra exchanged a glance over the kid’s head.
“What d’you mean, baby?”
“I’m not a they. I’m a…” The kid struggled to find the words.
Kobra spoke up, “You’re a girl?”
“Yeah!” The kid sat up straight, “I’m a girl!”
“Okay, baby.” Jet sat up too, hugging the kid to their chest.
“Is that okay?”
“Of course it is,” Kobes insisted.
“D’you want us to call you she ?” Jet asked cautiously.
“Yeah!” She enthused. “I can’t wait to tell Party and Ghoul and Cherri and-”
“But tomorrow,” Kobra cautioned. “It’s bedtime now.”
“Wait, I want a name.” The kid sat up, all tiredness seemingly forgotten. “I wanna be The Girl. Because none of you are girls!”
Jet laughed, “Okay, well I think it’s time for The Girl to go to bed.”
The Girl lit up with a grin visible even in the dark bedroom. She rolled over onto Kobra’s chest, and pulled Jet closer, too.
“G’night Jet, g’night Kobra!” The Girl stage whispered.
Kobra ran a hand through her curls and murmured, “G’night Girlie.”
Tomorrow, the Girl would wake up before Cherri went to bed, crawl into his lap at the broadcast station, and whisper a secret into his ear that would have him grinning until he fell asleep that morning. She’d bounce around the diner as Jet made breakfast and coffee, barely eating out of excitement. When Poison tiredly dragged themself into the kitchen, they wouldn’t even have a mug of coffee in their hand before the Girl introduced herself, giggling, as though they’d never met before. Poison would pick her up, coffee forgotten, so that they could wake up Ghoul together. The Girl would crawl all over Ghoul, pressing cold hands to his neck until he groaned, rolling over to her thousand-watt grin and an eager announcement that he would remember for years afterward.