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Not for the first time, Ghoul grappled with the fact that his partner was physically stronger than he could ever imagine.
“Party, y’gotta let me go, I gotta help Kobes.”
“No,” Party didn’t tighten his grip, didn’t need to, it wasn’t like Ghoul could extract himself from his embrace. “You’re injured.”
“So is he!”
“He’ll be fine, he’s dealt with worse.”
Shock froze Ghoul. He looked at Party, who was covering their mouth with one hand as though they’d just realised what they’d said.
“I mean— He’s— You’re hurt.”
“And I’ll heal on my own but he won’t. I’m not leaving my best friend to suffer like that!”
Party’s grip shifted. He slid his hands around Ghoul’s waist and pressed his forehead to Ghoul’s collarbone. “Please, Ghoulie.”
“I’ll be quick, ‘n then I’ll come right back and you can fuss over me t’ your heart’s desire,” promised Ghoul. “Don’t make me do nothing when I can help him.”
It was obvious how much this conversation was hurting Party, but Ghoul thought about Kobra, and the shot that he’d taken to keep Ghoul alive in the middle of the clap. Ghoul remembered the static buzz of the gun firing and the way Kobra had screamed when the plasma blast ripped through his shoulder. The shot would’ve hit Ghoul in the head, and he knew that Kobra was the only reason he was still alive.
A fact that he reminded Party of, and finally succeeded in detangling his partner’s hands from around him.
Ghoul grit his teeth to keep from wincing when he put weight on his ankle. He hadn’t escaped the clap completely unharmed, but he wasn’t out of commission in the same way that Kobra was and Jet wasn’t in the diner (this had to happen the one day Mad Gear took them out on his day off).
Party sat up carefully, a hand at the back of their neck keeping their charger secure. They reached out to snag Ghoul’s hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.
“I just wish I could help.”
“I know,” replied Ghoul. He leaned down to press a kiss to Party’s forehead. “It’s not your fault.”
It wasn’t. Party had spent enough of his battery life just getting Kobra back to the diner in one piece, doing some… android thing to give his brother the strength to keep his motor running until they could get back to the diner and plug him in. Now Party was spent, and so was Kobra, so Ghoul was the only person in close to good enough shape to do any work.
“I’ll bring ‘im in when he’s up and moving, okay? Promise we’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” Party muttered reluctantly. They swung their legs back up onto the bed and lay down.
Ghoul watched Party’s eyes flicker in the low light before he closed the door behind himself.
“Kobes? Y’still alive?” Ghoul called down the hall to where he’d left Kobra.
“Unfortunately.”
“Ha ha,” snarked Ghoul, following Kobra’s voice to the other bedroom. “Don’t let Party hear you sayin’ that.”
“I did!” Called Party.
Ghoul hid a smile and grabbed his toolkit.