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“I don’t see how this is gonna help us,” Ghoul stood in the center of an empty stretch of sand just outside of the diner with the rest of his crew. “What’s wrong with blasters?”
“If someones comin’ atchya quick enough, you ain’t got time to draw your blaster,” Jet answered simply, sliding a pair of fingerless leather gloves over her hands. “I can’t let ya be totally helpless if we ever piss off the wrong people.”
“How hard can it be?” Ghoul waved his arms out with question. “S’ just punchin’ and shit.”
Without a warning, Jet pounced. Grabbing Ghoul’s arm, she knocked him off of his feet and flipped him onto his back. Ghoul hit the ground with a grunt, blinking rapidly as he tried to process how Jet’s boot ended up on his chest, pinning him down in the sand.
“Just punchin’ and shit,” Jet repeated with a smirk, dark eyes glowing under the desert sun when Poison started cackling from afar.
“Oh, let’s see you do better,” Ghoul yelled in their direction, squirming under Jet until she finally let up and pulled him back to standing.
“Hey, it ain’t my turn yet,” Poison put up both of their hands in defense. They were seated cross-legged on the ground, a few feet away from where Motorbaby traced drawings in the sand. “M’ on babysitting duty.”
“We’ll work on them later,” Jet stepped in front of Ghoul to block his view of the redhead. “I’m not done with you.”
“Aight,” Ghoul sighed, stepping back. “Let’s do this again. I’m ready.”
Jet stared at them in disbelief for a beat before shrugging. “If you say so.”
“Hell yeah, I say so. You’re not all that—”
Ghoul didn’t even get one swing in before Jet’s foot took out his knees. In one swift motion, Ghoul found himself on his ass again, Jet towering over him with a victorious smile.
“Hey, Ghoul?” Poison called, waving when he glanced over again. “You fuckin’ suck at this.”
Flipping them off, Ghoul reluctantly grabbed onto Jet’s hand and hauled himself to his feet again. “It’s just cuz she’s crazy good,” Ghoul insisted, consciously ignoring the soft chuckle Jet let out. “I could take you like that, Pois,” he added, snapping his fingers.
“Your stance is the first problem,” Jet critiqued. “Among many.”
“This is so stupid,” Ghoul rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve won more fights than you can count!”
“Uh-huh. And how many did you use explosives in?” Jet asked, unimpressed.
Ghoul opened his mouth to retaliate, snapped it shut, then said, “It doesn’t matter!”
Poison stifled their giggles again, laying back in the sand as they continued to watch Ghoul repeatedly get his ass handed to him by Jet. They shouldn’t have been laughing, Poison knew well that Jet could take all three of them in record time, but it was amusing seeing Ghoul knocked over like that.
“Aight, okay, watch the hair,” Jet smacked Ghoul when he started playing dirty and grabbed at Jet’s curls.
“You never said there were rules!” Ghoul protested. The only reason he didn’t have Jet beat by then was because Jet was at least eight inches taller.
“Get away from me,” Jet pushed Ghoul aside with a smile on her face, almost tripping over her own feet as she scrambled away from the smaller killjoy. Ghoul was surprisingly fast, they were able to keep up with Jet as they chased her across the desert.
Ghoul dove the second they got close enough, wrapping their legs around Jet’s hips as they hung onto her back, keeping themself up with their arms around her neck.
“Agh! Okay, okay,” Jet jumped in an attempt to shake Ghoul off his back. “You’re done!”
“Fuck yeah,” Ghoul beamed, running to collapse into the sand next to Poison. “You’re up next, Red.”
“Nuh-uh,” Poison shook their head. “I told Jet m’ goin’ last. That means it’s Kobes.”
They turned to their younger brother sitting alone by the diner, where he originally was watching Jet and Ghoul, but had since traveled to his own little world.
“Kobes! You’re up!” Poison called a little louder, huffing and rolling their eyes when the blonde still didn’t respond. Bright red headphones covered his ears, and the music was playing so loud Poison could hear it blasting as they marched towards him.
“Kobra,” Poison snapped their fingers in front of the boy’s face, though apparently he had his eyes closed behind the dark sunglasses.
When Poison had suddenly ripped the headphones from his head, Kobra almost shouted. His whole body flinched as he was pulled back into reality, neck jerking back before he could realize that it was Poison.
“Hey! Give those back!” Kobra pushed up onto his knees and tried to swipe them back, but Poison held them out of reach.
“You weren’t listening to me,” the redhead pointed out, earning an eye roll from Kobra. “Where’d you get these stupid things anyways?”
Poison was really sick of constantly being ignored by their brother because he was too busy drowning out the world with old music that predated the Helium Wars.
Kobra jumped to his feet and snatched his headphones out of Poison’s grip, an easy task now that Kobra was getting taller.
“Cherri gave ‘em to me,” he mumbled, returning the headphones to their usual spot around his neck.
“Of course,” Poison paced away from Kobra. Why didn’t they know it was about Cherri? Everything was about Cherri. Jet had introduced the crew to Doc and the rest of WKIL after only a few weeks of living at the diner, but lately, Kobra had been spending a lot more time over there.
Poison didn’t understand what the appeal was. Jet’s friends were great, don’t get them wrong, but after a while anything Kobra talked about was Cherri this and Cherri that . Kobra really trusted the guy, and Cherri seemed to understand the little things about Kobes that only Poison used to get. With the headphones and all, Poison was starting to get a little jealous of this guy. Not that they’d ever say that out loud.
“You’re trainin’ now,” Poison said simply, kicking up dust with their foot before dropping back down with Ghoul and Motorbaby.
There was something up with Cherri Cola. Poison didn’t dislike him, by any means, but something was off. He was quieter than the rest of his crew and their loud personalities, which Poison supposed was why he got along with Kobra so well. But they were so used to their baby brother clinging to their side at parties, and now he was always running off with that boy with the blue streak in his hair.
The worst part was that Cherri seemed really good for Kobra. He saw Kobra for more than just the tics and sensory hypersensitivity. He saw Poison’s little brother; a funny and lovable face hiding behind the tinted glasses. Poison hadn’t seen Kobra this calm and this happy in forever.
The Fab Four and WKIL were quickly blending into one big family. It was mostly Dr. Death’s doing, he had a tendency to hold lost and rebellious teenagers close to his heart, no matter how many times they drove him up the wall. Jet’s at the radio station almost every day to see Newsie, and Poison loved nights out with Show Pony, but you didn’t see them disappearing with Pony at every party. Not like Kobra with Cherri.
Poison wasn’t jealous. They always said they wanted Kobra to be more outgoing and have more connections. Poison just never thought it would ever happen.
*****
Doc’s wheelchair barely had enough room to get through his own living space. Pony and Chimp had made a mess of it while organizing the cluttered storage room, not knowing what to do with the leftover junk. With that plus a pile of boots near the front door, Doc struggled with reaching the main room where his friends and family were hanging for the day.
“Move your shit, Pony,” he snapped playfully, chucking a plastic blue disk at the skater.
“Ow!” Ae exclaimed as it bounced off the side of aer head. “I told ya I’d find a place for it all later!”
From where they were sitting on the floor, Poison looked up curiously at the disk Pony held in aer hands.
“What’s that?” They asked innocently, their brother nodding from his spot on the couch as he shared their confusion.
“You guys seriously don’t know what a frisbee is?” Chimp stared at the Venom siblings, jaw dropping as they both shook their heads. “Witch, what do they teach you in the city!?”
“It’s a game,” Pony chimed in, perched in an armchair, leaning over their knees. “The suns still up, we can show ya.”
In an instant the party was outside the station. Chimp ran far out into the open desert, holding her hands up as Pony gracefully flung the frisbee towards her, causing it to spin in the air until Chimp caught it, cheering as she tossed it back.
“So it just moves like that?” Poison asked when Pony offered the frisbee to them.
“Well, you gotta make it move like that,” ae tried to explain, guiding Poison’s motions as well as ae could. Poison’s first throw was awful, it skewed off to the side and hit the ground right away, causing Ghoul to start laughing at them.
Poison’s eyes lit up like a fire, running to grab the discarded frisbee and flinging it towards Ghoul. It went soaring over his head. The short killjoy failed to catch it when he couldn’t jump that high, and instead Cherri, a few paces behind him, caught it. Poison beamed and flipped Ghoul off.
In the shade of the radio station, Doc relaxed back in his chair as he watched the kids play their own zone-rendition of a frisbee game with a soft grin on his face. In good old Doc’s fashion, he had music playing at all times. A jumbled playlist of pre-war and new wave rock blasted from the speakers outside. Loud enough everyone could feel the beat under their feet.
While Poison and Ghoul were attempting to outdo each other with their frisbee skills (neither one of them were very good, still), Jet hurried back towards the station where Newsie sat comfortably cross-legged on the ground. He sunk down behind her and put his arms around her, giggling softly at her surprised gasp.
“You don’t wanna join ‘em?” Newsie asked, aware of the flying blue disk and bodies speeding past under the sun.
“Nah, m’ good,” Jet murmured, resting her chin on Newsie’s shoulder. The two swayed softly to Doc’s music, sharing whispered conversations while Jet watched Pony help Motorbaby in their game.
It was hot, and Jet was grateful for the time in the shade with Newsie. The ones on their feet in the sun were already sweating and panting, shedding layer after layer of clothing. How Cherri was still in a jacket, Jet would never know.
Jet glanced over at the other killjoy who preferred the shade. Kobra sat on the other side of Doc, his usual headphones were around his neck so he could also enjoy the doctor’s tunes.
“Kill me first,” Kobra’s head bobbed. He seemed content by himself, mesmerized by the frisbee game happening in front of him. Although shades covered his eyes, Jet knew exactly who he was watching.
Kobra didn’t smile unless it was Cherri who caught the frisbee. Didn’t laugh unless Cherri tripped or missed his target. Even after the game, Kobra would visibly hold his breath whenever Cherri came near.
Darkness took over the desert night shortly before Poison and Ghoul took Motorbaby back home to the diner. She didn’t even put up a fight this time because she had fallen asleep in Ghoul’s lap after what was probably a sugar crash. Chimp and Doc had an evening broadcast scheduled, so everyone said their goodnights and left Jet and Kobra with the remaining three members of WKIL.
“I wanna go on a vacation,” Newsie sighed, pulling out her hair ties and falling backwards to lay across Jet’s lap. Her teal blue hair sprawled out over the sofa.
“A vacation?” Pony lifted their head as they lay flat on the carpet. “The fuck you on about?”
“Y’know, like how the rich people used to just go out to places they’ve never been and just… be there. For like a week,” Newsie’s pink painted lips curled into a smile as Jet combed out her hair.
“We ain’t rich people, News,” Pony rolled onto aer stomach.
“Oh, but wouldn’t it be so fun to go to the ocean?” Newsie’s gray eyes sparkled as she stared at the ceiling, imagining her family in the ocean with her.
“It is really beautiful,” Cherri agreed. He was sitting sideways on the opposite couch, facing Kobra sitting next to him.
Kobra’s head whipped around. “You’ve seen it?”
“Mhm,” Cherri nodded, smiling at the way Kobra’s mouth fell open. “I got around when I was younger.”
“Aye—” Kobra’s neck jerked back. “That is so sick.”
“Well if Newsie’s takin’ us all, then you’ll get to see it too,” Cherri joked, shifting closer to the blonde and resting one arm across the backrest.
“Jet’s drivin’,” Newsie giggled, hands trailing up the details on Jet’s jacket until she felt his hair and twirled it around her finger.
“Thanks for volunteerin’ my services,” Jet chuckled, glancing up and catching sight of Kobra’s face, which had blushed a bright pink since Cherri moved closer.
“I think we should jus’ run away,” Pony kicked aer feet as ae propped aerself up on aer elbows. “Leave the rest of these fuckers behind.”
“We’d be lucky if the diner was still standin’ when we got back,” Jet said, and Kobra exhaled a soft laugh as his nose scrunched up.
Cherri leaned into Kobra, face about two inches away from his ear as he whispered something. Jet didn’t know what he said, but Kobra giggled like it was the funniest thing he’d heard all day, humming at the back of his throat. Neither boy realized that they had shifted so they were almost laying on one another at that point.
The youngest killjoys, Newsie and Kobra, were both halfway asleep when Jet decided they probably should be going home or else Poison was going to lose it.
“No,” Newsie protested, wrapping her arms around Jet’s waist in a death grip. “You’re not allowed to leave.”
“Kobes is gonna fall asleep if we don’t,” Jet told her, causing Cherri to look down and see the ‘joy, who was almost snuggled in under his arm, suddenly sit up straight.
“S’ not true,” Kobra’s hands seized up, fists meeting his own legs. The yawn he let out did not help his case.
Jet scooped her arms under Newsie’s back and legs, lifting her up without a hitch and spinning around to drop her back on the couch.
“Agh! Jet!” She shrieked as she landed on the cushions.
“I love ya,” Jet said, grabbing her hand. Newsie followed his lead and stood up, planting a quick kiss on his cheek.
“Love ya, too,” she smiled, and Pony added in a quick, “See ya!”
With her helmet under her arm, Jet waited at the door for Kobra to get his shit together. The two were almost out when Cherri swooped in and stole a bone-crushing hug with Kobra.
“Drive safe,” he said softly, pulling away. It had clearly sent Kobra in some sort of haze because Jet had to drag him out by the collar of his jacket towards the two bikes parked outside. It wasn’t Jet’s favorite ride, but Poison went home with the ‘Am hours earlier.
Kobra stared at his feet as they walked. His face remained that blush pink color while his hands jerked and he whistled.
“You’ve gone pastel, Kid,” Jet messed up his hair before swinging her leg over her bike.
“What?” Kobra asked, eyebrows furrowing.
“You an’ Cherri,” Jet smirked, though she quickly realized that Kobra had no idea what she was talking about. “Ah, forget about it.”
“Wait, Jet—” Kobra started, cut off by the sound of Jet’s engine starting up. “Bitch.”
“Hurry up,” Jet told him, ignoring the look of utter confusion on the younger ‘joy’s face. When both bikes had revved up, Jet didn’t let Kobra have another word and decided to race him home.
*****
“What’s pastel?”
“Destroya!” Jet jumped. She didn’t know how long Kobra had been standing in the doorway watching her before finally speaking up.
“Hmm,” Kobra marched himself closer, standing a couple inches shorter than Jet and staring up. “Last night you said I was pastel. What’s pastel?”
“Uh,” Jet opened her mouth for now words to come out. “S’ nothing. I probably spoke too soon, anyways. It don’t matter.”
Kobra’s neck jerked back. “But what does it mean?”
Jet sighed and leaned back against the counter. She felt really bad jumping to conclusions like that. Maybe she was totally mistaken, maybe Kobra wasn’t even like that. It was pretty hypocritical of Jet, too, considering Jet wouldn’t fall in love.
“I guess I just thought you liked Cherri,” Jet shrugged, eyes dropping to the floor in embarrassment. She really overstepped this time.
“Of course I like Cherri,” Kobra blinked. “Fuck off— Why wouldn’t I?”
“Right,” Jet shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Kobra’s head tilted to the side like a curious puppy. “What then?”
Inhaling slowly through his nose, Jet finally blurted, “I thought you had a crush on Cherri.”
“Oh,” Kobra muttered awkwardly, eyebrows furrowing as he blinked rapidly.
Jet wanted to die right then and there. She had clearly freaked Kobra out—he was just a kid, for Witch’s sake. She had no place saying things like that.
“How would I know?” Kobra asked suddenly as Jet was attempting her escape. Following the taller killjoy down the hall, Kobra ended up having to keep her door open with his foot. “Jet— hmm.”
“I dunno, Kobes,” Jet sighed. “That ain’t my thing, and I never shoulda guessed it was yours.”
“Fuck off—bitch— But what if it is!?” Kobra asked loudly, finally making Jet turn on his heel to face him again.
Raising her eyebrows, Jet asked, “Is it?”
“I—I dunno,” Kobra whimpered, humming in the back of his throat. “Maybe?”
How would Kobra know? He knew what love was, and he knew what it was like when a killjoy got a crush. Hell, Kobra was almost certain that Poison’s crush is the reason Ghoul moved into the diner in the first place. But that sort of stuff didn’t happen to Kobra.
Cherri was really pretty. He always had brunette hair covering his tanned face that Kobra often found himself staring at for too long. One streak of it was dyed a bright blue, something he had done to match Show Pony. He gave good hugs, and was just so easy to talk to. Kobra never wanted to be around someone as much as he wanted to be around Cherri. He didn’t drain Kobra’s social battery like other people did. In fact, he recharged it, if anything. Because they both knew what it was like when the world became too much to handle. He gave Kobra those headphones he never went anywhere without. Cherri cared about him. A lot.
And Kobra,
Well, Kobra had a huge crush on him.
*****
Jumping out of the backseat of the Trans Am, Kobra searched for Cherri’s truck to know if the WKIL crew were already inside the booming club. He was pumped full of adrenaline, having never felt so pretty in his life. The skinny jeans he wore were covered in glitter, and he stole one of Poison’s shirts that they had cut the bottom half off. With sunglasses shielding the neon lights, Kobra smiled as he followed Jet inside, whistling.
“Hey,” Poison’s hand gripped around Kobra’s wrist, tugging him aside. “If anything happens, let me know, yeah? No matter what, if you wanna go, we’ll go.”
Kobra rolled his eyes. “Yeah, got it.”
Poison’s concern for Kobra’s safety was usually appreciated, but Kobra felt good that day. He wanted to just have fun at this party like everyone else without having to take breaks from the loud music or busy crowds. He didn’t need his sibling watching over him like a hawk.
“Hey, y’all,” Pony skipped over to the siblings hanging out by the door. Ae was already a few drinks in. “Was I right or was I right?”
“You were right,” Poison grinned, their hand resting on Pony’s shoulder to stop aer from swaying too much. “This party is sweet.”
“Then stop acting like it ain’t!” Pony pulled Poison by the elbow further into the club. “Dance with me, Pois!”
Kobra followed until he eventually lost Poison to the sea of dancing killjoys. He naturally gravitated to the edge of the club, nervously picking at the bandages on his fingers while his eyes scanned the room for… no one in particular.
Everyone looked the same under the flashing purple lights that were tinted by Kobra’s glasses. Someone in that crowd was Poison. Kobra could see Jet and Newsie taking shots in the lounge area, and he thought he could join them for a while. Or maybe he’d find Ghoul to hover behind him like a ghost while he flirted with strangers. Kobra could—
“Hey!”
Two hands gripped Kobra’s shoulders from behind, causing him to jump, head jerking back as he shouted, “You fuckin’ slut!”
“Sorry,” Cherri grimaced, pulling his hands back so Kobra could turn around and meet his face. The cool purples and blues of the lights danced across Cherri’s warm skin, flushed pink with intoxication. He was glowing.
“Hi,” Kobra grinned back at him, relieved to finally find someone he knew.
“I’ve been lookin’ for ya,” Cherri’s voice could hardly be heard over the music. “Whatchya doin’ over here?”
Kobra shrugged. “Dunno yet.”
Cherri’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Then you’re comin’ with me.”
Without another word, Kobra was being dragged onto the dance floor by Cherri. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of Cherri in the center of it all. It was the only thing distracting Kobra from the strangers he was bumping into. With Cherri in arms reach, Kobra could lose himself in the music, letting it take over his body and suddenly it was just the two of them. The strangers faded away and all that was left was Cherri smiling and dancing with him.
Never in a million years did Kobra see himself here. This was always Poison’s thing, that social life. Kobra much preferred to be on the sidelines while his sibling was surrounded by sweaty drunk killjoys. Here, Cherri had eyes on Kobra at all times. He was safe. The glitter that dusted off every bit of colorful decorations and costumes decorated Cherri’s features until he glimmered under the lights.
Someone close by was knocked over, their drink spilling everywhere. Almost as a reflex, Cherri’s arms wrapped around Kobra’s thin waist and tugged him out of the splashzone, simultaneously pulling their bodies flush together.
“Thanks,” Kobra blushed, neck jerking back. Cherri just softly smiled back, and Kobra got lost in his eyes. They were two different colors, Kobra noticed. One green, one hazel, each sparkling as neither boy broke the contact.
“Um,” Cherri started, pulling his hands away from Kobra too slowly. Kobra could feel his delicate fingers brush against the skin of his waist exposed by Poison’s shirt. He shivered, teeth biting while his bandaged hand tensed up and flipped off no one. Cherri’s hands hovered there for a beat longer before he took Kobra’s hands and pulled him out of the crowd.
Kobra followed without much question, and he found himself far outside of the crowd now with Cherri. His head kept shaking as he whistled and muttered, “kill me first. Fuckin’—”
“Kobes,” Cherri pulled Kobra around to face him. “Sorry, is the crowd too much?”
“Hmm—you fucker—” Kobra whistled. “What? Nah, s’ okay. Really.”
“Okay,” Cherri said, relieved.
“Okay,” Kobra returned the soft smile painted on Cherri’s face, even if it wasn’t intentional. Kobra hardly even realized that Cherri’s hands had returned to his waist; he was far too focused on the way Cherri kept opening his mouth, searching for something else to say.
He settled on saying nothing, and instead closed the gap between them, pressing his lips against Kobra’s.
Kobra’s heart raced. As Cherri kissed him, he just stood frozen. Cherri’s lips were gentle against his own, and they felt better than Kobra could’ve imagined. He held his breath until Cherri pulled back. Blinking at the older boy, Kobra watched panic quickly set into Cherri’s eyes.
Before Cherri could get a word of apology out, Kobra reconnected their lips, this time kissing Cherri back. With Cherri’s hold on Kobra’s hips, he pushed Kobra’s back against the wall of the club, and Kobra’s hands found Cherri’s shoulders.
The music faded away, and Kobra was alone with Cherri again. Feeling Cherri smile against his lips, Kobra couldn’t help smiling back until they were hardly even kissing anymore. Just holding each other close and breathing heavily. Both of them were blushing hard, finding themselves lost in one another’s eyes again.
*****
Kobra tried to stop staring at Cherri while he was supposed to be driving. Kobra could tell that Cherri was finding it hard not to get distracted, too, struggling to keep his eyes on the road rather than on the cute boy next to him.
They hadn’t talked about the night at the club, but they both knew this was something they didn’t want to give up yet, even if neither one of them were brave enough to say something. When Dr. D asked the pair specifically to pick up BLi batteries from an old friend in Zone 5, Kobra and Cherri set off in Cherri’s truck without question.
“Aye,” Kobra’s hands pushed his chin up and his shoulders hiked up to his ears. “Witch fuckin’ slut—kill me first.” Route Guano was a rough ride on a good day, the crates in the box of Cherri’s truck rattled with each bump he hit. The music blasting from the radio drowned most of it out, and they’d be back to Doc soon.
They were driving West into the sunset, which meant the orange glow of the evening poured into the truck cab, making Cherri’s tan face sparkle like it always did. Kobra found himself getting a little too excited about it.
“Hmm—” Kobra’s head shook and he whistled. “Pretty.”
Ducking his head down, Kobra clamped his lips shut and blushed. Crossing his fingers, Kobra hoped Cherri just brushed it off and ignored it like he did the rest of Kobra’s tics, but the driver was smiling too much for that to be true.
“Are Doc’s friends kinda weird, or is that just me?” Cherri asked suddenly, and the grin on his face remained.
“Yeah,” Kobra chuckled quietly. “They’re crazy. Hmm.”
The older woman, around Doc’s age, with metallic purple hair and blotches of scars over her face, didn’t believe Cherri when he told her he was a friend of Dr. Death-Defying. It took him and Kobra almost an hour to convince her to give them the battery shipment. The two were lucky to even make it back to the station before dark.
Dracs were on high patrol that night, so Chimp and Pony created a sort of assembly line to get the shipments inside as fast as possible. Kobra and Cherri stood in the box, passing every crate to the two below to carry inside.
“S’ that everything?” Pony asked, checking the back for the last of the shipment.
“Um, mostly,” Cherri nodded, flashing Pony a quick thumbs up. “Just one more thing to carry in.”
He promptly bent at the knees, wrapping his arms around Kobra’s upper thighs and lifting the blonde up as he shrieked.
“Cherri!” Kobra gasped, gripping onto the other boy’s shoulders for balance before his whole body was tossed over Cherri’s shoulders. Holding him like a sack, Cherri squatted down again—this time with Kobra’s weight over him—and gracefully jumped off the tailgate without shaking Kobra too much.
Kobra was suddenly hit with the realization that Cherri was really, really strong. Lucky for him, his face was hidden so Cherri couldn’t see him turn red again. When it became apparent that Cherri wasn’t putting him down, Kobra started swinging his legs a little.
“Jus’ hold on,” Cherri giggled, running faster when Kobra started squirming against his hold.
“Lemme go,” Kobra laughed, trying to get a grip on any part of Cherri’s back that he could, settling on just bunching the jacket in his fists so he felt like he wouldn’t fall off.
Cherri hurried through the radio station, carrying Kobra into an unfamiliar room before dropping him down on a bed, then collapsing onto it himself. Still laughing, Kobra had to pull himself from staring at Cherri to look around at where the hell he was.
“Is this your room?” Kobra questioned, blinking at the posters and vinyl records littering the place.
“Yeah,” Cherri nodded. “It’s cool, I got my own as the only boy in the place,” he explained, lying flat on his back, still watching Kobra.
The blonde’s eyes trailed over the room from corner to corner, but eventually settled on Cherri again. Propping his head up with one arm, Kobra leaned over Cherri just a little as his nose scrunched up against his will, which made Cherri smile again.
“S’ cool,” Kobra agreed softly.
“You’re cool,” Cherri’s eyes flicked to Kobra’s lips for one second before they darted back to his eyes, but Kobra caught it anyway.
Kobra had no idea how much time he had left at the station, but it didn’t matter in the moment when he leaned down to press his lips to Cherri’s for the second time ever. All his doubts that maybe the night at the club was a one night thing washed away when Cherri’s hand gently cupped the side of Kobra’s jaw, pushing himself up in order to pull Kobra towards him. Sitting on his knees, Cherri moved one of his hands to the back of Kobra’s head, fingers threading through his grown out brunette and blonde hair. Breath hitching at the touch, Kobra slid himself impossibly closer.
He wasn’t sure if he was good at this. Kobra didn’t have the experience. He knew what it was supposed to look like, having been forced to wait at clubs for Poison to finish making out with a complete stranger. But he had no idea how to do it himself. The boys’ teeth clacked together occasionally, and neither one of them could ever stop giggling for longer than a few seconds. But, by the Witch, it felt right .
“Kobes, where you at? Doc said you’d be—”
Poison stopped dead in the open doorway of Cherri’s bedroom. Kobra pulled away fast , head snapping back in the process. He met his older siblings icy glare and shrunk, his arms curling close into his own body.
The redhead didn’t say anything. They just stared at Kobra as their hands slowly curled into fists at their sides. Poison didn’t look at Cherri, just kept burning holes into Kobra with their eyes as they tried to come up with something.
“Am’s out front,” they mumbled. “Let’s go.”
Turning on their heel, Poison stormed out of the station, leaving Kobra to scramble after them. He barely said goodbye to Cherri, fearing that Poison was actually about to drive away without him. Although, Kobra had a second thought that maybe being left behind wouldn’t have been so bad. The tension in the Trans Am on the way back to the diner was so high, it made Kobra’s skin crawl.
“Aye—aye! K-Kill me first, slut,” Kobra’s hands flipped off the dash in front of him. “You don’t belong here, Witch fucker.”
Poison kept their mouth shut. Both of their hands gripped the steering wheel so hard, their knuckles were turning white.
“M’ sorry,” Kobra mumbled eventually, doing anything to break the quiet game his sibling was playing with him.
“Why are you sorry?” Poison asked sternly, not even bothering to glance in Kobra’s direction.
“You seem mad,” Kobra shrugged, sinking lower into his seat. “Slut.”
“M’ not mad,” Poison said with an edge in their voice.
“You’re mad,” Kobra argued.
“I’m not fucking mad,” Poison retorted, unconsciously speeding up the ‘Am.
“Why’re ya bein’ such a drama queen, then?” Kobra snapped, fist hitting his leg. “Fuck off!”
Poison’s eyes were constantly moving and searching the desert night, so afraid of getting caught by a team of dracs before they made it home. The drive couldn’t feel longer, both siblings were tired and just about had it with each other.
“Is it Cherri?” Kobra spoke up again, fists clenching when Poison stayed focused on driving as if Kobra wasn’t even there. “Well!? Aye— What is it, Pois?”
“No, Kobra! I’m not mad at Cherri,” Poison barked. “Though the fact that it’s him doesn’t help anything!” The interior lights of the diner glowing dimly in the distance finally came into view and Poison floored it, desperate to be done with driving for the night.
“Fuck off! What does that mean?” Kobra almost yelled at his sibling, feet kicking against the floor of the Trans Am. Suddenly, the car was way too small and Kobra wanted out .
“It don’t matter, forget about Cherri,” Poison grumbled, finally reaching the diner and slamming on the brakes, scaring the shit out of Kobra.
“Kill me first!”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend!?” Poison’s head whipped around to face the blonde, their threatening glare trapping him inside the car.
“F-Fuck off,” Kobra’s head shook. “I don’t—what? Pois, is that what you’re pissed off about?”
Poison scoffed and smacked the steering wheel. “Yes! Okay? I’m pissed that I had to figure it out by walking in on Cherri shoving his tongue down your throat.”
Kobra coughed, neck jerking back. “Okay, that’s not what happ—”
“Whatever,” Poison cut him off. “Were you ever gonna tell me?”
“Yeah, probably!” Kobra’s voice cracked, confusing the both of them. “I just— I didn’t even know I had a boyfriend yet, okay?”
Poison sniffled, making Kobra realize that the darkness hid the tears that had been pooling in Poison’s eyes.
“It’s fuckin’ cold,” Poison muttered, kicking open the door. “M’ goin’ to bed.”
Kobra let them go, waiting in the Trans Am for who knows how long. There was enough time for Poison to get to bed before Kobra followed, covering his mouth with one hand as he made his way through the diner trying to be as silent as possible.
In their shared room, Poison was curled up on their mattress, body facing the wall. Their arms covered their face when Kobra walked in, but the blonde didn’t miss the sniffles they were still letting out.
Humming at the back of his throat, Kobra collapsed onto his bed after kicking his boots off. He stared at the ceiling above him while his neck jerked back. He couldn’t figure out why Poison had been so upset about all this, it’s not like Poison told Kobra about every hookup they had. And even if they did, Kobra didn’t want to hear about it.
But Poison was seventeen when they left Battery City. If Kobra’s fuzzy memory of that place was anything to go by, Poison had their fair share of girlfriends in high school. Kobra never felt much, but he loved the days when he and Poison would sit alone in his room and Poison would talk, and talk, and talk until they fell asleep. Kobra, numb on pills, was told every last detail of Poison’s first girlfriend when they were fifteen, even if they weren’t all that thrilled about her. And when that ended, Poison dished out the details of the breakup to Kobra the same night it happened.
Kobra let out a shaky sigh, blinking up at the diner ceiling. Poison had let their little brother in on every part of their life, no matter how drugged and absent he had been. It was selfish of Kobra to be so distant just because they lived in the zones now. Poison wanted a second chance at being the older sibling they couldn’t be in the city, and who was Kobra to tell them otherwise?
“That was the second time he kissed me,” Kobra blurted out into the dark room and waited for the sound of Poison rolling over to face him. “The first time was at that party Pony invited us to.”
“Yeah?” Poison asked, voice squeaking.
“Yeah,” Kobra exhaled, face scrunching up. “He got me to dance, believe it or not. In the middle of that crowd, too.”
“Really?” Poison softly chuckled. “Did you dance, like, together?”
“I mean, maybe? I didn’t let go of him because I was scared,” Kobra got excited just retelling that night with Cherri. With his eyes adjusting to the darkness, he could see that Poison had sat up right on the edge of their bed.
Kobra sat up himself just enough to shift towards the wall, leaving room on the left side of the mattress. He whistled and motioned to the empty space. Poison hardly hesitated before getting up from their bed to snuggle in next to Kobra.
With Kobra lying flat on his back and Poison curled up into his side, he vaguely remembered waking up like that in the city. During the hardest nights when Poison would sneak through the house to cuddle with Kobra.
“Did he take you on a date yet?” Poison asked, their arms wrapping tightly around Kobra’s middle.
“Uh,” Kobra’s head rolled to one side. “Maybe? I mean, one time he grabbed a buncha snacks from the station and we drove out to this nice spot with a lotta cactuses. Sat in the truck box and just… talked.”
Poison’s head lifted slightly. “Dude, he totally took you out on a date.” Even in the night, Kobra could see Poison grinning at him.
“Yeah, I guess he did,” Kobra chuckled, barely containing his excitement. “Bitch—”
The grip Poison had on him had loosened as they started to drift to sleep, but Kobra felt the need to keep going.
“I tried holding his hand,” he said suddenly, getting the redhead’s attention again. “Didn’t work. I ended up ticcing a lot and tried to lick his hand, like, four times.”
Poison buried their face into Kobra’s shirt, attempting to stifle their giggling. It shook Kobra slightly, and he had started laughing himself.
“You’re such a dork,” Poison teased.
“I really like him, Pois,” Kobra sighed, letting one arm rest above his head.
“S’ good,” Poison snuggled in closer. “M’ happy for you.”
Kobra grinned, even if Poison couldn’t see it. “I think he likes me back.”
“Sure looked like it,” Poison quipped without even opening their eyes.
“Oh, shut up,” Kobra nudged their head with his shoulder just enough to make them laugh again.
“I love ya,” Kobra heard Poison mumble after both of them had fallen into silence as sleep took over.
“Love ya, too.”
*****
Cherri was over at the diner all the damn time. It was cool, he knew Jet well, Ghoul liked him, and Kobra really liked him. Poison had nothing against the kid, either, but they did find it a little annoying with the constant unannounced visits.
Because sometimes Motorbaby would be having a bad day, which automatically meant Jet was having a bad day, too. Or there was some issue that needed all hands on deck, and Poison would have to drag Kobra out of Cherri’s arms in order to get him to help. Ghoul was still healing from his accident, and oftentimes he didn’t want to see Cherri when he kept mentally going back to bad memories.
When it’s a rough time for one of them, it’s rough on the rest of the crew. They were always there for one another, even if it meant setting their own needs aside for a moment.
So when Ghoul had a particularly bad night filled with nightmares, they all stayed up together because even the thought of Ghoul waking up screaming again had Jet, Poison, and Kobra tossing and turning.
The mornings after weren’t ideal, but the team made it through. Motorbaby usually kept the energy pretty high, and Jet couldn’t get mad at her when she started jumping on the beds the minute the sun was up to wake them all up.
Poison was falling asleep in a booth, but the sudden rattling of Kobra’s fist banging on the table spooked them awake. Their eyes snapped open to see Kobra’s head swing backwards, hands stuck on his own jaw.
“Hmm—” Kobra grunted, shoulders seizing up. “F-Fuck—Fuck off.”
Ghoul, who was next to him but barely there, had to stick his arm out to stop Kobra’s body from rocking into the table.
“Fuck off,” Kobra hissed towards Poison, then his head shook with enough force that his sunglasses fell off. He flinched at the sudden light, humming at the back of his throat as his eyes squeezed shut.
Without a second thought, Poison just picked up the glasses and passed them to their brother, signing to Ghoul, “I think we should call Chimp. I don’t wanna cancel, but it’s better if we stay home.”
Ghoul tiredly nodded in agreement, glancing over at Kobra once more to see his whole body seizing up, every muscle in the Kid’s body strained and it looked painful.
“Hey, you okay?” Ghoul signed before he tried grabbing one of the hands that was flapping and flipping no one off.
“Poison?” Kobra whined, body rocking forwards again. “F-Fuck off. Fuck. Off.”
Underneath the table, Kobra’s legs weren’t cooperating as they kicked and bent at weird angles. Poison felt his foot hit their knee and they jumped up to be at Kobra’s side.
“We should move ya,” Poison rested one hand on their brother’s shoulder. “Y’ want help? Or I can get Jet, she can carry ya.”
Poison felt Kobra’s glare pierce into their soul. The Kid hated being carried when he was helpless, and Poison knew this. But sometimes they had no choice.
“Aight. What if we jus’ move to the couch, yeah?” Poison hooked their arm under Kobra’s, hoisting the blonde up into a wobbly stance the best they could. “A couple of steps. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
Ghoul ended up swooping in and holding up Kobra from the other side, helping him across the room where he collapsed onto the couch and ducked his head down in embarrassment.
The sounds of little feet speeding through the diner told Poison that Motorbaby was up. Right as she ran into the room, Poison scooped her up into their arms before she could tackle Kobra, who was having a rough time keeping his mouth shut.
“F-Fuck off, Witch fucker. Aye!”
“I-I-I w-wanna g-go on the b-bikes again,” Motorbaby talked as she climbed all over Poison, grabbing any part of their arms she could to pull herself up onto their shoulders.
Poison sighed. The team had started taking Motorbaby out on Ghoul and Kobra’s bikes rather than the Trans Am. If they kept her in front of them, her tiny hands on the bars, she was kept pretty safe. Plus, she loved it.
“Maybe if ya ask Ghoulie nicely,” Poison offered, grunting when Motorbaby almost pulled at their hair. They turned to find Ghoul back in the booth, almost passed out and definitely not paying attention. “...Or not.”
“Hmm,” Kobra’s head snapped back again and again. He winced when the sudden burst paused, rubbing at his sore neck before it happened again.
“Okay, sweetie, go find Jet,” Poison wrestled with the girl draped over their back until her feet were on the floor again. She obediently ran off to look for Jet, and Poison went the other way towards the open spot next to their brother.
Kobra was doubled over with both hands on the back of his neck. Poison gently placed their hand on his back and they could feel his body tensing up while he whistled and hissed.
Carefully, Poison started moving their hand and they asked, “Y’ okay? Y’ need anything?”
Kobra shifted closer to Poison, just until he could see the redhead.
“I’m— fuck,” he whistled. “Slut—s-slut—fuck,” he spat, head bobbing forwards repeatedly.
Like shockwaves were sent through him, every muscle in Kobra’s body was straining. He grunted in pain when his neck jarred back for the hundredth time as he shouted more profanity, barely able to get a word of his own out.
“Should I get the headphones?” Poison knew everything was worse when Kobra was tired. Poison themself wouldn’t have minded shutting out the world with music for a few hours.
Kobra shook his head, humming at the back of his throat as he declined Poison’s offer. “S’ bad, Pois,” he squeaked out softly, followed by his teeth biting at the air.
“Kay, it’s okay,” Poison assured him. “Don’t gotta worry. We’ll just,” they looked around frantically, grabbing the first pillow they could find and positioning it on their thighs. They patted it gently, coaxing Kobra to lay across it with his head in their lap. “Yeah?”
Poison would smile down at their brother, breathing in and out slowly in hopes of grounding Kobra a little bit more. On the inside, Poison was freaking out as always. No matter how many attacks Kobra went through in his life, Poison was never any less scared. The tears that trickled down the sides of Kobra’s face were like a knife to Poison’s heart, a stinging sensation they’ve come to know well while Kobra hurts himself against his will. His arms and legs were useless to him, every last drop of strength was drained out of him. For the Witch knows how long, Poison didn’t move. They felt themself sinking deep into the cushions under Kobra’s weight, watching their brother struggle and listening to his voice go hoarse after hours of grunting and shouting.
It wouldn’t stop. With the hand that wasn’t threaded through Kobra’s hair, Poison held both of Kobra’s hands down because he kept biting, and his fingers were already swollen and bandaged from the last time he bit into them.
By hour two, Kobra was sobbing. His face was beet red, blood rushing to his head from over exertion. He sometimes fought against Poison’s touch, hating the strangled feeling of someone pinning his arms down. Other times, Poison had to shut themself up before they whined in pain because Kobra grabbed at them for support, nails digging into their hips and biceps.
Jet came in to check on Kobra a few times. She couldn’t do much but deliver Poison some water or offer more pillows to make Kobra’s tics softer against himself or his sibling. Kobra was generally absent, barely making any indication that he even heard what was being said around him, only murmuring something to Poison occasionally when he wanted something moved.
Poison was overwhelmed with the unfairness of it all, as usual. Kobra shouldn’t have to go through this, and Poison was getting angry at the universe and whoever else cursed their baby brother with this kind of burden. And it all came crashing down when the diner door slowly pushed open and in walked Cherri Cola.
Kobra’s head was pressed into the pillow while his neck jerked back and he forced out a series of grunts and whines, so he didn’t see Cherri walk in. But Poison shot him a death-threatening stare the second he stepped inside.
“What are you doin’ here?” Poison spat, arms unconsciously wrapping tighter around Kobra. Cherri’s eyes trailed down from Poison’s furious glare to Kobra’s distressed position below.
“Shit, Kobes, are you okay?” He asked frantically, not that Kobra was paying attention.
“Don’t you dare think about comin’ any closer,” Poison warned him at the same time Kobra’s arms tensed against Poison and he let out, “Fuck off.”
“Is he—”
“He’s fine,” Poison interrupted, and it wasn’t entirely a lie. Kobra would be fine, he just wasn’t too hot at the moment.
Poison wanted Cherri to leave, and they didn’t hesitate to let the guy know. They wanted him out of the way and out of their damn home. Kobra may have been head over heels for him, but Cherri didn’t know Kobra like Poison did. He didn’t have fourteen years with the Kid. He didn’t spend countless sleepless nights trying to help Kobra when his brain didn’t let him rest. Everyone Poison knew—even Jet and Ghoul, as hard as they tried—got scared. Because they weren’t good with that stuff, or they didn’t know how to help. In other words, they were weirded out by Poison’s little brother. And Poison didn’t expect anything more of Cherri.
He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. His worried eyes stayed fixed on Kobra, wincing sympathetically every time the blonde cried. Slowly, Cherri moved to the floor. With his back against the wall and his knees pulled up to his chest, he watched. He waited for Kobra to be okay again, and it looked like he wouldn’t be leaving until he knew.
Absolutely drained of any energy he had to begin with, Kobra whined and turned onto his side so his face was almost entirely hidden by Poison’s body. While he didn’t stop moving or hissing entirely, Kobra eventually quieted down enough that the redhead could feel him beginning to relax again. A few more minutes of petting his sweaty blonde hair, Poison heard Kobra’s breath even out and hoped the Kid had finally fallen asleep.
It was a careful dance trying to keep Kobra’s head steady while Poison wiggled out from underneath, laying Kobra back down on the couch before they walked through the diner to stretch out their legs. Poison had almost forgotten that Cherri was there until the boy came running after them.
“Is he alright?” Cherri asked, panic still very clear in his voice.
“Yeah,” Poison sighed, too tired to come up with some snarky response anymore. “He’s okay, he’s just—that was a big one.”
“That happen often?” Cherri’s hands naturally clasped together as he started to nervously pick at his nails.
“Kind of,” Poison let their eyes droop shut for a moment as they exhaled heavily again. “Nothin’ any of us can do about it. But it’s over for now. We just gotta let him sleep, leave him alone for a bit until he gets his strength back.”
“Wait, Poison,” Cherri caught their shoulder before they could turn and walk away. “Can I stay here?”
Cherri Cola always wanted to stay at the diner. It usually took Poison dragging him out the door plus a radio call from Dr. Death to get him to go. But the look in his eyes this time was something different. It wasn’t dumb puppy love that made Kobra and Cherri attached at the hip. Poison recognized the way Cherri hovered with one foot ready to make a run for the blonde asleep on the couch. The way he kept glancing back, as if someone could hurt Kobra and it was Cherri’s job to protect him. Poison knew that reaction because it was the same way they felt about their little brother. Cherri shared Poison’s passion for wanting to keep Kobra safe and happy. Cherri shared that love.
“Yeah,” Poison nodded. “You can stay.”
They waited around the corner to see Cherri hesitantly return to Kobra, who hadn’t moved yet. He sat in a booth, busying himself with the bracelets he fidgeted with, just waiting to make sure Kobra was alright.
Poison dragged their feet to the bathroom, leaving Kobra and Cherri alone so they could take a cold shower to wake themself up. The only reason they could was because they knew Kobra was with someone who loved him. Even if that someone wasn’t ready to say it yet.
*****
Kobra woke up in a dark room. His head hurt and he couldn’t quite remember what had happened, but after pulling himself up so he could look around, Kobra realized that he had almost slept through the whole day.
“How ya feelin’?” Poison’s voice came from somewhere. Kobra glanced around before finally catching sight of his sibling, sitting on the other end of the couch.
“Sore,” Kobra mumbled out, dragging both hands over his face.
“I figured, that was rough,” Poison spoke softly, moving to sit closer. Kobra blinked and started to remember the almost three hours of agony he endured that morning.
“How long was I out?” Kobra asked, feeling himself leaning towards the warmth of Poison’s body.
“Hours,” Poison shook their head. “And Cherri waited the whole time.”
“Wait,” Kobra suddenly sat up straight. “Cherri’s here?”
“Cherri’s always here,” Poison remarked, causing Kobra to roll his eyes.
“Did he see…” the blonde trailed off, eyes dropping to his fidgety hands.
“Uh, yeah, he did,” Poison pressed their lips together and nodded awkwardly. “He’s with Jet right now, if you—”
Kobra didn’t let his sibling finish. He was on his feet instantly, realizing just how tired and light-headed he was. But he still went after Cherri, who he found having a quiet, almost whispered conversation with Jet down the hall.
“Kobes,” Cherri’s eyes lit up with both excitement and worry. “You’re awake.”
Jet crossed her arms over her body and quietly asked, “You okay, Kid?”
“Mhm,” Kobra nodded. His eyes were unable to avoid looking back to Cherri, which Jet must’ve caught onto quickly because she immediately mumbled some excuse and disappeared.
Kobra shifted his eyes to the floor and made for his and Poison’s bedroom, dropping down onto his bed because he knew Cherri would follow.
“M’ sorry,” Kobra mumbled once he felt the mattress dip under Cherri’s weight. He still refused to look up at the other boy.
“For what?” Cherri inched closer, leaning forwards as he tried to meet Kobra’s dodgy gaze.
“Y’ had to see that,” Kobra’s arms instinctively hugged around himself after his sore neck jerked. “S’ weird and you’re probably so freaked out now.”
“What?” Cherri said a little louder. “Kobra, I’m just happy you’re okay.”
“But it’s scary, an’ loud an’ y’ shouldn’t have ta deal with it ‘cuz my fuckin’ brain is broken—”
Cherri’s firm hand on his arm cut him off. Kobra finally glanced up to see the fearful look in Cherri’s eyes and fuck Kobra’s scared him.
“Kobes, m’ not freaked by it,” Cherri assured him softly. “I know you have tics.”
Kobra shook his head, blinking rapidly. “Not like that. Attacks are different.”
“Clearly. But they don’t make you any different to me,” Cherri’s hand tightened as he moved even closer until their legs were almost touching. “S’ just another part of ya.”
Kobra gazed up into Cherri’s glistening eyes. “You’re not scared?”
Cherri shook his head. “ You look scared,” he whispered, bringing one hand up to Kobra’s face to wipe away the tears Kobra didn’t know had fallen. Cherri’s hand stayed there, resting gently against Kobra’s jaw.
“M’ sorry,” Kobra whispered back. Again.
“Don’t be,” Cherri’s forehead was almost touching Kobra’s. “Don’t be sorry for the things that make you you.”
Kobra couldn’t help himself. He swooped in and connected his lips to Cherri’s, reveling in the way Cherri met him halfway. Even after pulling away, Kobra kept his eyes closed, feeling Cherri sigh against his lips, hand trailing down the back of his neck.
“Hmm, Cher?” Kobra asked breathlessly, eyes fluttering open to meet Cherri’s blush-pink face.
“Yeah?” Cherri replied with a soft grin, taking one of Kobra’s hands in his own.
“Hmm—” Kobra’s nose scrunched up. “Will you be my boyfriend?” His voice sat barely above a whisper, and if Cherri wasn’t curled up so close, he would’ve missed it.
But he didn’t. Because his eyes sparkled at the question. He pressed another quick kiss to Kobra’s lips before smiling and nodding excitedly.
“Yeah,” Cherri giggled. “Yeah I’ll be your boyfriend. If you’ll be mine.”
Kobra grinned back, pulling on their connected hands. “Yeah,” he echoed, stomach buzzing with butterflies. “I’d like that.” And Cherri pulled him back in to kiss him again.