Work Text:
It was going to be one of those nights again.
The thought came to Poppy as she washed her face, going through her nightly routine even though they already knew she would barely be sleeping. They were no stranger to irregular sleep patterns, but the pattern itself had changed. Two months ago, she'd already be in bed and would sleep until noon or if someone woke them up.
Who knew that going through a traumatic event would change parts of you? Shocking.
Once she deemed their nightly ritual satisfactory enough, she reached out to the bathroom door but paused. They shifted her attention back to the sink, observing the scattered objects on it. The four toothbrushes in a cup, the pack of bandages that someone had forgotten to put away. The half empty soap, the towels of various sizes and colors on the rack. Evidence that people are living. That this is part of someone's home.
And Poppy was a part of that.
... It already felt so natural.
"Poppy? Are you alright in there?" A loud knock at the door shocked Poppy out of her thoughts, the familiar voice continuing to speak through the door, "Sorry to disturb you, but you've been in there a while so I thought I'd check in!"
She rolled their eyes, although they couldn't find themselves getting truly annoyed at the concern. After everything, it was understandable. They'd never admit that the anxiety sometimes got to her as well.
They unlocked and opened the door, looking up to face a certain gardener. Cobyn beamed back at her, visibly relieved.
"Do you really have to take a shit that bad?" She teased, lightly elbowing them in his side, "Gross."
"There's nothing gross about pooping! It's something our bodies naturally do, and it's good for our bodies!" He replied back, a playful undertone in their words.
"Can you guys NOT talk about shit right now?" A different voice spoke up from behind Cobyn, the taller man shifting to the side to let Sandbag step forward, "This isn't what anyone wants to hear before heading to bed!"
Poppy stepped forward with a smirk, bringing her hands up and bending their fingers to be more claw-like. "Yeah, because the scary shit monster might get you while you're sleeping. If the smell doesn't get to you first."
"THAT'S IT! NO MORE SHIT TALK!" Sandbag moved past Poppy into the bathroom, annoyance clear on his face. It peeked his head back out, looking at the younger girl. "Good night. I hope you have sweet dreams that aren't about anything gross."
Its voice was fond, betraying the annoyed pout on his face. He couldn't even hold that expression for long, it shifting into a small smile before he headed back into the bathroom. The door was left open, an invitation for Cobyn to join him.
Cobyn turned back to Poppy, spreading his arms open in a silent question. After a moment, Poppy stepped closer, the two sharing a quick hug before she stepped away. Her comfort levels with physical contact constantly changed throughout the day, and the others were more than happy to respect that.
"Remember, you can—"
"Always come bother you guys if I need something," Poppy cut him off, having heard the same sentence every day since they'd moved into the apartment. They'd given up on reassuring Cobyn that they would be fine through the night, so she just let him remind her every night.
"It wouldn't be a bother! But yes, if you need anything don't be afraid to come knocking on our door!" Cobyn nodded, hand on the bathroom door handle, "Well then, good night!"
Poppy watched as Cobyn headed into the room, the door locking behind him. They stood there for a few seconds, hearing muffled conversation almost immediately start. Sandbag and Cobyn had bonded surprisingly quickly, the two deciding to stick together in the beginning for the sake of her and Sailor. It was maybe weird of her to think this after only living together for a little over a month, but they had kind of formed a family. It didn't help that the two adult men seemed a bit... closer than usual friends. Although they both denied any romance happening between them.
Poppy knew what they were.
Well, she had better things to do then stand there and eavesdrop. She walked down the hallway, passing shelves that were just starting to hold memories. Entering the bedroom, they instantly spotted Sailor chilling on his bed, laying on his stomach as he read what seemed like a pirate themed fantasy novel. He peeked above the book, smiling wide at her. Poppy gave a small smile back, letting themselves fall backwards onto her bed.
Due to the apartment size, there were only two bedrooms. Cobyn and Sandbag shared a master bedroom with one bed, which Poppy had already made many jokes about. The other bedroom was for her and Sailor, which luckily had two separate beds. For the first few days, they all had to share the one bed in the master bedroom as they were getting settled in. It was a rough start, having to leave Modos so they wouldn't constantly be recognized. But it had been worth it.
She reached over to the bedside table for their 3DS, one of the few things she was lucky enough to get returned to them from her old house. They were really lucky to get anything at all. While escaping, all the contestants shared the worry that they'd just be thrown back into jail. But the detective that had helped all of them, C.D, managed to somehow convince the government to let them free. It was honestly a confusing miracle, but they weren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
As they powered on the handheld console, she heard Sailor shuffling around. Then the sound of a book closing before being put down on his bedside time. They waited for Sailor to turn off the light, to wish her a good night, but nothing happened. After a minute, she glanced over, curious. Sailor had his knees pulled to his chest as he sat on the bed, observing Poppy.
"Are ye taking the night shift tonight?" Poppy had gotten used to the way he spoke, what his words truly meant.
She nodded, attention shifting back to her game. "It's one of those nights. Would just be wasting time if I tried to sleep."
"Then I'll stay up with ye!" He exclaimed, causing Poppy to raise her eyebrows, "I'd be a bad captain if I just let one of me crewmates stay up all by themselves!"
"You really don't have to do that—" It was too late for her to protest, as Sailor quickly made his way over to plop on their bed. "... I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this."
"Nope!" Sailor beamed, laying down and taking a look at what game she was playing, "Whatcha playing?"
"It's a Style Savvy game, basically you dress up customers based on their requests. They need fashion advice too, these fits are ass."
"That's rather rude!" Sailor playfully punched Poppy's shoulder, getting a grin from them. He watched as she played, occasionally making comments about the fashion choices despite his scolding earlier.
Poppy wasn't sure how long they had been playing, but a muffled yawn finally drew their attention away from the game. Sailor was obviously sleepy, but when he noticed the other's stare, he rubbed his eyes and smiled.
"Don't worry, your captain isn't falling asleep! That was... a yawn of being awake!" Poppy couldn't help but laugh, Sailor pouting in response.
"Really? I think that makes you the first person ever to yawn as a sign of being fully awake. Maybe you should see a doctor about that." They teased.
Her expression softened, reaching over to pat Sailor on his head. "You don't need to stay awake for my sake. I… appreciate the thought, but you need to sleep. I'll be fine."
It took a few seconds for Sailor to respond, Poppy watching him sort his thoughts out. "... Sorry if this is too personal, but why don't you sleep much? I remember... back then... you slept a lot."
The question didn't surprise her, they were expecting to be asked this at some point. She had done a good enough job of hiding it from Cobyn and Sandbag, but that's because they didn't sleep in the same room as her.
"... That's a part of the problem..." Poppy closed the 3DS, putting it on the bedside table, "This is gonna sound lame, but almost every time I manage to sleep, I feel like I'm... back there. Even though these beds are way comfier then whatever couch or bench they had there, I still can't help but be anxious when I wake up. I have to reassure myself that we did actually escape."
They fidgeted with the blanket, not meeting Sailor's gaze. "So I figured the best way to avoid it would just to not sleep as much. Some nights I get lucky and have a peaceful sleep, but that's rare. I guess you could say it's a gamble." She chuckled, but it sounded empty.
"Truth be told, my sea hasn't been the smoothest either," Sailor spoke up, staring up at the ceiling, "I've been trying to stay cheerful for everyone's sake. If their captain is down, that just brings the whole crew down! But... honestly I'm scared."
"I'm scared that one day all of this will be ripped away from me, from us... I'm scared that we'll be outcasts forever, that I'll never be able to find my place somewhere. I don't want to be known as Dappy Goon, I want to be known as Sailor. When people think of me, I want them to think of a capable captain, not a... criminal!"
Poppy noticed tears begin to pool up in the corners of Sailor's eyes. Cautiously, she placed her hand on his shoulder, him turning his head at the contact. "Look, I'm not great at motivational speeches. They're not my thing. But there's no reason any of this will disappear. This is easier to say than to believe, but we're safe. Actually safe."
"As for the whole legacy thing..." She gave him a small smile, "You're the bravest captain I know. Anyone who can't see that, I say you just shoot them with a cannon."
That got a laugh out of Sailor, the sound lifting a weight off of Poppy's chest. "I don't think our landlord will let us have a cannon here! Maybe I could get a cutlass or something of the sorts!"
The two shared a chuckle, the silence that followed more comfortable than before. Sailor's eyes suddenly widened as he shot up, panicked. "I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE COMFORTING YOU!! NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!!"
"Hey, a captain needs their crew to help them through rough seas. Plus, I don't think you could really help with my problem." Poppy shrugged, "I think what we all really need though is a therapist. Hopefully Sandbag and Cobyn can find one for us soon."
Sailor fell back onto the bed with a yawn, his tiredness returning full force. He sleepily turned towards Poppy, slowly putting his arms around them. "Is... this okay?"
Poppy nodded, embracing Sailor back. "I guess I can deal with it for tonight." She made sure their tone was very obviously lighthearted and joking. Sailor got the message, his hold turning more secure.
"Goodnight..." Sailor mumbled, eyes drifting closed. Poppy could feel herself also getting sleepy, which surprised them. But the warmth of another person, knowing they weren't alone... That helped ground her.
"Night..."
...
Sandbag was curious what had gotten Cobyn so excited this early in the morning. The gardener had made them all breakfast, which wasn't new, but they'd never been excited about it before.
It exited the bedroom, only to be confused at the sight that greeted him. Cobyn had opened the door to the younger ones bedroom, and he gestured for Sandbag to come over the moment they spotted it. They also put a finger to their lips, signalling to be quiet.
This was... strange, but whatever. Cobyn was a strange person sometimes. He shuffled over, peeking at what the other was so excited about.
Sailor and Poppy were both in Poppy's bed, cuddling as they slept peacefully.
Oh my god that was ADORABLE.