Chapter Text
September, 2019
Dr. D’s van was parked outside this desert evening after Poison had borrowed it for a quick adventure out to Zone 4. Poison laughed as they trudged up the ramp to Doc’s station. They had a kid on their back; little Styx. Styx was a bubbly child, a few years younger than Kobra, who had stumbled upon Doc’s station as a lost and lonely Killjoy. Doc had a lot of kids like that; young ‘Joys that needed a helping hand when it came to surviving the desert. Styx and her three best friends were some of Doc’s favourite kids. Poison’s, too.
“We’re back!” Poison called out to Doc the moment they stepped inside the station. Styx giggled and swung her feet, jostling Poison. The redhead smiled and crouched down, dropping Styx off on the floor.
“Hey, Poison,” another kid looked up and smiled from behind a shaggy mess of neon orange hair. H2O—or Hydro, as his friends called him—was on his knees, leaning over a raygun that he was actively painting. Poison grinned at him and sat down on Doc’s couch, watching the little artist work.
“Lookin’ shiny, H,” Poison hummed, and Hydro looked proud of himself.
“Thanks. I need it to match my first one,” Hydro said idly as he focused on the swirly blue details that decorated the barrel of the gun. “I wanna learn to shoot with both hands. Like Jet.”
“Shit,” Poison leaned back. “S’ pretty sweet, kid.” Poison really liked Hydro. He was young and innocent, and yet passionate and protective over the people he loved. He reminded Poison a lot of their younger self.
Styx flopped down onto the cushions next to Poison and curled herself into their side. She was a touchy one, that was for sure. It wasn’t the best trait to have when her electric touch powers were still pretty random, causing the people she touched to get shocked pretty often. Poison didn’t care, however. Not when that freckled face smiled up at them like that.
“Lemme see this,” Styx grabbed Poison’s left arm and pulled it into her lap. There, on the inside of Poison’s forearm, was the snake tattoo they got when they were fourteen. Kobra had a matching one in the exact same place.
“Like it?” Poison asked the kid.
“Mhm. I want one,” Styx nodded, dragging their fingertips up and down Poison’s arm.
Poison chuckled. “Maybe when ya older,” they said, and Styx glared up at them. She opened her mouth to retaliate, but got distracted when Doc rolled into the room behind two other kids.
“Ah! Back already?” Doc smiled at the sight of Styx cuddled so closely with Poison. “Ain’t even heard you come in. We were a lil’ busy with a minor medical issue,” Doc explained while Styx and Hydro’s two best friends got comfortable in the main room.
Nova Cane, the oldest of their little crew, always had a pair of headphones around her neck and a book under her arm. She sat down in an arm chair across from Poison. Maybe she looked up at them, Poison didn’t know when she kept her sunglasses on indoors. Nova was so much like Kobra, it blew Poison’s mind.
“Everyone okay?” Poison asked, sending Doc a concerned look.
“Yeah. I pierced Freak’s eyebrow yesterday,” Nova explained calmly. “An’ it got infected overnight.”
Poison glanced over to the kid who had sprawled himself out across Doc’s second couch. Freak Show, they called him. He was loud and out there, like Styx, but Poison barely knew a thing about the kid. It didn’t particularly like Poison. It even shot Poison a dirty look when they stared sympathetically at the new bandage on his face.
“All fixed up, though, ain’t we?” Doc smirked softly and patted Freak on the shoulder. The kid grunted and nodded. Doc redirected his attention to the redhead. “Poison, come to the broadcast room for a second?”
After removing Styx off of their body like a leech, Poison followed Doc into the back of the station. They were nervous about Doc’s sudden shift in demeanor; he got quiet and serious, and closed the door behind himself so the kids wouldn’t hear whatever he was about to tell Poison.
“What’s this all about?” Poison asked, sitting down on the futon Doc had behind his desk. “Everythin’ good?”
“Just shiny,” Doc assured them. “I just have a small favour to ask ya. ‘Cause I know how much ya love these kiddos…”
“Babysitting?” Poison asked immediately. “Doc, y’know I’d always say yes to that, you ain’t gotta make it such a big deal every time.”
“Nah, nah, not babysittin’ this time,” Doc shook his head. “Those kids out there. They real good, y’know? They gettin’ older, an’ m’ startin’ to see real ‘Joys in all of ‘em.”
Poison smiled. “Yeah, they’re awesome. I see Kobra in ‘em. Makes me feel like m’ raisin my lil’ brother again when I’m with these kids. I love ‘em.”
“I know you do,” Doc sighed heavily. “But look, Poison. There’s another kiddo I got. An’ she ain’t like the rest of ‘em. She’s stayin’ wit’ a friend right now, but they can’t have her for long. An’ I can’t jus’ give her supplies and send her on her way like I do wit’ the other kids, ‘cause, well…she’s six years old.”
Poison’s eyes went wide. “Six? What happened to her parents?”
“Dead,” Doc shrugged. “Y’know how it goes out here. Styx an’ the others? They all orphans, too. But I found this lil’ girl…an’ my heart hurts for her, an’ I can’t raise her. M’ too old for that shit. Besides, I gotta whole operation to run an’—”
“An’ you want me to take care of her?” Poison completed Doc’s train of thought, and their heart sunk when Doc nodded his head slowly. “Fuck, Doc, really?”
“Yer jus’ so good wit’ the kids, Poison,” Doc explained. “An’ I know ya’d do a good job. Jus’ look at how Kobra turned out.”
Poison crossed their arms and glanced out the small window in Doc’s broadcast room. They stared at the desert that helped raise the Kobra Kid, and wondered if they really could do it again.
“S’ a lot more than a babysittin’ job,” Poison chuckled humourlessly.
“An’ I’ll give ya whatever ya need for her,” Doc promised. “Food, clothes, I’ll help Jet wit’ her medical supplies,” he almost sounded desperate and it scared Poison. “This kid jus’ needs a fuckin’ home.”
Poison frowned. “Damn, Doc, ya really ain’t givin’ me much of a choice here.”
“M’ sorry,” Doc leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together. “Y’know how I get when I see a kid in need.”
“I do,” Poison nodded. “‘Cause I’m the same.”
They hadn’t even met the child yet and Poison's heart was already full to the brim with love for her. They had no idea who this kid was or what she was like, just that Doc thought that Poison should be her new caregiver. And Poison, well, they could only imagine Kobra at six years old, lost alone in the desert, and their heart shattered.
“I really wanna help you out, Doc. I wanna help her out,” Poison leaned forwards to rest their elbows on their knees. “But I live wit’ three other ‘Joys. I can’t just bring a kid home to ‘em.”
Doc sighed like he had expected Poison to say that all along. “S’ alright, Poison.”
“But I’ll ask ‘em!” Poison quickly added, desperate to help Doc. “Maybe I can convince ‘em?” They grimaced slightly. Convincing Kobra, Ghoul, and Jet that they should let Poison bring home a child was not something they were looking forward to. But they’d do it. For Doc and this kid.
Doc looked grateful for Poison’s attempts. “It’d mean the fuckin’ world to this little girl.”
For the rest of the evening, Poison couldn’t stop thinking about that kid. As they spent their night playing games with Styx and helping Nova and Hydro with rationing their new supplies, Poison decided that whoever that little girl was, she deserved to have this good of a childhood in the desert, too.
Ghoul picked them up in his truck that night on his way home from work. Poison was relieved to get away from Doc for a little bit. The way he watched Poison so closely all day was putting pressure onto Poison’s shoulders that they didn’t need. And while Ghoul had his usual CDs playing, the truck was unusually quiet the entire drive back to the diner.
“You good, Red?” Ghoul asked. His eyes didn’t pull away from the road, but his hand reached out and gently caressed Poison’s thigh.
They exhaled and placed their hand on top of his. “M’ okay, yeah.”
Poison could tell that Ghoul didn’t believe them, but he let Poison be quiet until they got home. All the lights were shut off in the diner—a usual practice for the team, it kept them hidden from any patrols—and when Poison walked inside, they almost didn’t notice Jet slumped over in a booth, surrounded by multiple empty beer cans.
“Destroya, Jetty,” Ghoul groaned. “C’mon, you should be asleep,” he muttered as he crouched down just far enough to haul Jet out of the booth and help her to her room. Poison quickly slipped out of there, letting Ghoul deal with Jet, as they quietly snuck into theirs and Kobra’s shared room.
“Kobes?” Poison whispered, only to be greeted by the quiet snores of their little brother. “Oh. ‘Kay, g’night, Kobes,” Poison sighed, disappointed. With both Jet and Kobra out for the night, that meant Poison would have to wait until the morning to discuss the new girl with them.
They quietly shuffled their feet as they made their way back to the main room in the diner. Ghoul emerged from Jet’s room at the same time, and he dropped down onto the old sofa with a gentle grunt. Poison giggled as Ghoul stretched out like a cat, taking up the whole length of the sofa.
The redhead didn’t ask before they flopped down on top of him. Poison fit comfortably lying between Ghoul’s legs with their face nuzzled into the side of his neck. Without any warning, Poison’s hands snuck underneath Ghoul’s shirt, and he yelped at their sudden ice cold touch against his warm skin.
“Witch, you’re a fuckin’ icicle,” Ghoul complained, but he stopped protesting the moment Poison left a gentle kiss behind his ear. He reached his hand up and combed his fingers through Poison’s hair. Poison sighed at the touch.
“‘Kay, what’s really goin’ on?” Ghoul asked. “Somethin’ ain’t aight with the kids?”
“Mm, no the kids are perfect,” Poison replied quietly. “It’s, uh, Doc…he’s gotta new job for me.”
“Oh yeah?” Ghoul smirked. “You ain’t abandoning me at the club, are ya?”
Poison huffed softly. “Not that kinda job, Ghoulie. Doc’s gotta lil’ kid. A girl, an’ she’s six. He wants me to take care of her.”
“No shit? Like another babysittin’ gig?” Ghoul sounded excited, and Poison felt a pang in their chest.
“Full time,” Poison corrected, and they felt Ghoul go still underneath them. “I know, s’ crazy, an’ ‘prolly fuckin’ stupid,” they turned, pressing their face up against Ghoul’s shoulder with a groan.
“S’ not stupid,” Ghoul swiped his hand through Poison’s red locks again to get them to look up. “You’re really good wit’ kids, y’know that?”
“That’s what I been told,” Poison frowned. “But m’ fuckin’ eighteen. M’ not a parent or whatever.”
Ghoul shrugged the best he could under Poison’s weight. “As far as I see it, ya been a parent since you were seven. An’ ya still do an awesome job at takin’ care a’ Kobes… An’ takin’ care a’ me …”
Poison scoffed. “Shut up,” they touched their ice cold nose to Ghoul’s neck and he flinched.
“Why the fuck do you got no body heat?” He asked, throwing his arms around Poison and hugging them tightly. Poison shifted so their head rested on Ghoul’s chest, and he pressed his lips to their forehead. Poison had been with Ghoul for only two months now, and yet when they were like this, Ghoul felt like a home that Poison had always known.
“Do ya think the kid would like me?” Poison asked so quietly, Ghoul almost missed it.
“Ya fuckin’ kidding me? Of course this kid’ll like ya,” Ghoul said into Poison’s hair. “Red, I know ya freakin’ out about this, but I get why Doc wants it to be you. You’re perfect for it.”
Poison grunted and squirmed awkwardly. “Yeah, but if I say yes then it means we got a kid runnin’ around the diner. You ‘prolly don’t want that. An’ Kobes an’ Jet ‘prolly don’t, either.”
“Hey,” Ghoul shut Poison up with another kiss. “I can’t talk for the other two, but I know that if ya bring that kid back here, Imma love her as much as you an’ I’ll have your back every step of the way, Red. Promise.”
“Hmm,” Poison felt something in their chest ease up. Just the soft, reassuring words from Ghoul were enough to convince Poison that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all. They were Killjoys, they looked out for each other. Who was Poison to refuse to look out for this new one?
“I love you, Red,” Ghoul sighed, his eyes finally slipping shut after a long day. “Don’t forget it.”
“Love you, too,” Poison let themself melt into Ghoul completely, hoping that Ghoul’s body heat would be enough to put them to sleep. “Thanks, Ghoulie.”
Jet woke up with a pounding headache and a knot in her stomach, but she dragged her ass out of bed regardless. In the bathroom, she tried to fix her sleep-matted hair as much as possible and rinsed the sour taste out of her mouth. Finally, when she felt awake enough, Jet joined the rest of the crew in the main room, where they were apparently waiting for her.
Poison had an idea. A stupid one, at that. To bring home a young, six-year-old girl who they’d never met, and raise her as their own. They pitched the idea to Jet and Kobra that morning, with Ghoul’s supportive arm around their waist, hoping everyone would be on the same page and let Poison bring home this girl.
“I dunno,” Kobra shrugged, rocking forwards slightly in the booth he sat in. “Huh— Do we have room?”
“Um,” Poison cringed, glancing at a big empty space in the corner of the diner where tables and chairs used to be set up. “Maybe? We can make it work, can’t we?” They asked, and Ghoul nodded eagerly.
“No,” Jet shook her head from where she stood. “No, are ya fuckin’ crazy? Whaddya know ‘bout raising children in the Zones?” She asked harshly, and Poison wilted.
“I mean, I been takin’ care of Kobes my whole life,” Poison shrugged, and Jet scoffed.
“‘Kay, but ya brother from the city is different. Desert borns are a whole other game, an’ it ain’t fuckin’ easy.”
Poison frowned. “Jet, you were raised out here,” they argued.
“Fuckin’ right. An’ it ain’t pretty,” Jet nodded and finally sat down in the empty spot next to Kobra. “M’ just sayin’. It’s hard not to fuck up a kid out here.”
Jet thought about just how hard her mother had tried when Jet was younger, and even after all that, Jet still came out the other end bruised, broken, and all kinds of messed up in the head. It didn’t matter what you did, desert borns were usually doomed. You either shelter them too much and they get themself killed when they’re older, or you expose them to it all too quickly and they end up like Jet.
“You don’t think I could do it?” Poison asked.
Jet huffed. Great, now she was the bad guy. “No, Poison. I think ya can do jus’ shiny, but ya way in over ya head here!”
“S’ a child, not a bomb,” Ghoul argued, resting his chin on Poison’s shoulder. “Let ‘em give it a shot, yeah?”
“Jet, if ya so worried ‘bout the kid, don’t ya wanna help me?” Poison asked.
“Nope, nah,” Jet nearly laughed. “No, if you bring that kid home, I ain’t helpin’ raise her,” Jet crossed her arms, sinking deeper into the cushions of the booth. “I’ll only fuck her up more,” she muttered.
And was Jet wrong? Shock and Acid ruined her. Jet wouldn’t even know where to start with raising a kid correctly. She only knew the best and fastest ways to make a complete fuck up. Her father taught her well.
“So, you’ll let me bring home the kid?” Poison’s eyebrows raised with the question.
Jet sighed. “I can’t tell ya what to do. But I ain’t think it’s a good fuckin’ idea.”
Deep down, Jet knew that Poison would be okay with a kid. They were fantastic at what they did. They were a natural born caregiver and protector. This little girl would be lucky to have someone like Poison look after her. Just as long as Jet’s toxicity didn’t bleed into her, that kid would probably be alright.
Poison considered Jet’s warning. She was right, afterall. Poison didn’t know what it was like raising a literal child in the harsh conditions of the desert. But Poison was nothing if not adventurous, and with Ghoul there as emotional support, Poison decided that this girl was coming home with them one way or another.
They pulled up to Doc’s station in the Trans Am late in the afternoon. Ghoul walked Poison to the door with his hand tightly interlocked with theirs. No one bothered knocking at the station. Poison let themself in and found Doc in his chair, sipping from a soda can. And next to him, in the arm chair, was the cutest little girl Poison had ever seen.
“Hey,” Poison’s voice cracked, causing Ghoul to squeeze their hand tighter. “I—I’m Poison.”
The kid—sitting there in an oversized t-shirt that definitely didn’t belong to her—tilted her head to the side and glanced up at Doc.
“They gonna let you live with ‘em,” Doc explained softly, in that same tone he used with all the kids he took in. “If ya want, that is.”
She thought about this for a moment while Poison stood there frozen. Silently, she hopped off the couch and walked up to Poison. Her too-big boots clunked against the floorboards as she moved. Poison held their breath and let go of Ghoul’s hand. Slowly, they lowered themself to the floor so that they were kneeling right in front of the girl. They smiled softly.
She had big, dark brown eyes that were filled with curiosity and innocence. Her hair was a mess of curls on the top of her head. Poison idly wondered if they could help her make that look better. Her little nose scrunched up as she seemingly assessed the redhead sitting in front of her.
“Party Poison?” She asked. Poison melted. Her voice was sugary sweet.
“Yeah,” Poison squeaked. They vaguely wondered if they were crying. This kid was precious. “That’s me.” She looked nervous. Fuck, had Poison scared her already?
But before Poison could even process what was happening, the kid threw her arms around Poison’s neck and hugged them so tightly, they could barely breathe. Poison gasped softly, but quickly reciprocated the hug like it was second nature. Her small body fit into their arms so perfectly. She was warm, healthy, and seemingly happy. Poison loved her already.
The girl didn’t let go, so neither did Poison. They held onto her with one hand supporting her back, and the other caressing her gorgeously messy hair. Poison glanced up, with tears in their eyes, and met Ghoul’s gaze. He smiled down at them with so much pride.
Yeah, Poison thought. This was the right choice.
One Week Later
Poison checked on the girl through the rearview mirror in the Trans Am and smiled. She happily hummed to herself and kicked her feet while the music from the radio filled the car. Poison had been trying to take her out pretty frequently to get used to the lifestyle of a Killjoy and meet plenty of new faces. So far, Poison had been having the time of their life with this little kid. But they knew that the shit would hit the fan at some point.
The girl took Poison’s hand and the two walked into the Zone 2 market together. Her pretty brown eyes got impossibly wider as she took in the scene happening around her. A sea of Killjoys moving around between pop up shops without any order, bargaining and trading until they could get their hands on what they needed. It was by far the busiest part of the Zones, save for maybe the clubs at night, and the girl hadn’t seen anything like it before. Poison could sense her initial panic and pulled her closer to them, sending her a reassuring smile.
“We gonna get ya some cute shit today,” Poison explained as they walked the girl up to a stand run by a friendly young seamstress. “Go ahead, pick a colour. Don’t worry ‘bout what anyone else thinks, babygirl,” Poison got down on one knee and hugged the girl from behind. “First ‘Joy lesson; your colour is real important. Make sure ya pick one that ya really love, ‘kay?”
“‘Kay,” the girl nodded and pressed up onto her tiptoes to see over the table.
“Ooh, ya pretty small there, kiddo!” The smiley young woman working the stand commented. “I think you should turn your eyes to the little jackets over here, yeah?” She motioned to a stack of kids’ sized leather jackets that were clearly hand made by herself.
“Um,” the girl dragged her little fingers over the stack of clothing, looking at all the different colours. Killjoys were so bright and colourful. The girl learned that right away, just by meeting Poison and the team.
There was green; cool and vibrant, just like Ghoul. Yellow; like the sun. Poison was a lot like the sun, the girl thought. Bright and shiny. Red; fiery and passionate, like Kobra. Blue; mysterious and comforting, like Jet. She thought long and hard about all of this. Which one was her?
“Purple,” she decided, pointing at the stitched together purple leather jacket with black trim. It was pretty, electric, and vivid. The girl thought that it looked pretty damn cool.
Poison grinned proudly. “That’s my girl!” They embraced her tightly and stood up to meet the saleswoman. “We’ll take the purple!”
All geared up in a shiny new purple jacket, the girl marched around that marketplace with a brand new pep in her step and a confident smile on her face. Poison could’ve cried. She looked like a real Killjoy, and most importantly, she looked like she found her own identity.
Poison made a couple other stops in the market, picking up supplies for Jet and a gift for Kobra, and the girl happily trotted along beside them. She smiled at a lot of strangers, feeling like she had to show off her new look.
Poison had turned their attention to a man selling first aid kits for a moment too long, and suddenly someone new had taken the little girl’s hand.
“Oh, you poor thing,” the complete stranger yanked the child away from Poison. She frowned down at the girl and started messing with her curls.
“Um, what the fuck?” Poison whipped around, dropping the medkit in their hands.
“Oh, sweetie, do you know where your mama is?” The woman asked sympathetically. “Where’d you come from?”
“Hey, let go of her!” Poison marched forwards and reached for their kid, but the stranger stepped in front of the girl, blocking Poison’s path.
“I won’t let you hurt her!” She yelled, like Poison was the villain here. She glanced over her shoulder and forced a smile for the little girl. “Is this guy scaring you?”
“That’s my fuckin’ kid!” Poison growled at her. “Let go of her, you’re scaring her!”
She scoffed. “Oh please. Your kid? What are you, seventeen? You think I don’t know you’ve kidnapped this sweet little thing,” she pinched the girl’s cheek and Poison just about punched her.
“Are you fuckin’ kidding me!? Kidnapped?” Poison was yelling loud enough to get a few eyes on them. “You’re outta your mind, bitch. Now let go of my child!”
“Sweetie,” the woman knelt down and held the girl by the shoulders. “Do you know this teenager?” She asked, and the girl nodded. “Did he tell you to say that?”
“This is bullshit,” Poison rolled their eyes. “Girlie, c’mon baby,” they said sternly, and the girl shimmied out of the woman’s grip and ran straight for Poison. The redhead wasted no time scooping up the kid and holding her on their hip, flipping the woman off with their free hand.
“Fuck you. Don’t ever come between me and my baby again,” they spat, turned, and left. Without even realising it, Poison had just defended their child . Not the kid they babysat, not the little sister who just moved in with them…this girl was Poison’s baby. They sighed shakily and pressed a kiss to the girl’s head.
“M’ sorry, kiddo,” they muttered. “We gonna go home now.”
After shopping with the girl for a while and getting into that awkward encounter, Poison nearly forgot that they had a shift in less than an hour and they needed to get the girl home as fast as possible before they were late.
Poison barged into the diner after speeding home. Ghoul must’ve already left, and Kobra was nowhere to be seen, meaning the only other person around was Jet.
“Jet! Please, please, please, jus’ keep an’ eye on her for a few hours!” Poison begged.
“Can’t do that, Poison,” Jet shook her head as she pulled on her jacket. Poison had barely been able to catch her on her way out. “We all got places to be.”
“‘Kay, well, what am I s’posed to do?” Poison stressed, dragging their hands through their hair.
“Take her to work wit’ you, I dunno!” Jet called out moments before she left the diner. “Not my problem!”
The diner door slammed shut, leaving Poison alone with the little girl that sat in a booth. Her wide eyes stared up at Poison patiently.
“Well, fuck,” Poison groaned.
People were at a loss for why there was a small child sitting on top of the back counter behind the bar while Party Poison was working. They were in a rush, fussing between attending to the ‘Joys ordering drinks, and the needs of the child who was far too young to be out this late. They were so angry at themself for not planning this out beforehand. Now both the customers and the girl were suffering at Poison’s hands.
They even had a glass chucked at them because they were taking too long serving orders. It shattered against the wall, startling the girl, and she burst into tears.
“Fuck, no, babygirl,” Poison stressed, pulling her into a quick hug. “S’ okay. You’re okay,” they promised. But the girl’s cries were getting louder than the music that was playing.
“I ordered like fifteen fucking minutes ago! Where’s my beer!?” Someone shouted, but under the neon dancing lights, Poison could barely figure out where the voice was coming from.
“Fuck! Sorry!” Poison let go of the child and quickly ran to the beer fridge. When they did, the girl let out a high pitched whine.
“Poison!” She cried, and Poison’s heart shattered just like that glass they had yet to sweep up.
“Witch, save me,” Poison gasped, nearly on the verge of tears themself. “One sec, kiddo.”
“Poison?” The voice of an angel came from behind them. Poison spun around in an instant, coming face to face with Ghoul.
“Oh my god,” Poison sighed heavily and dropped their head onto Ghoul’s shoulder.
“Woah, shit, you okay?” Ghoul immediately put his hand on their back, feeling the rapid breaths of Poison’s rising panic. “Thought I heard girlie.”
“You did,” Poison nearly sobbed. “I couldn’t—there was no one at the diner—I had to—”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Ghoul shushed them. “Okay, s’ okay. Breathe, baby. Imma take the girl wit’ me for a bit, ‘kay?” He kissed the top of their head. “You gonna be able to handle the rest of the shift?”
Poison sniffled, but they lifted their head from Ghoul’s shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, I can do it,” they sighed shakily. Destroya, they loved him.
“‘Kay,” Ghoul nodded slowly. “Lyte’s ‘round here somewhere. You tell her if ya need a break, aight? An’ don’t you worry ‘bout the kid, I got her.”
Soon enough, the girl was wrapped up in Ghoul’s jacket and comfortably curled up in his arms as he carried her out the back doors of the club, away from the screaming crowd, bright lights, and loud music. He felt the tension in her little body ease up immediately.
“A lil’ much, ain’t it?” Ghoul asked with a gentle smirk on his face. The girl’s hair blew in the night’s wind, and Ghoul brushed it back out of her face so he could see her smiling back at him.
“Is Poison okay?” She asked, and Ghoul’s smile weakened. She was so young, and yet the girl was so concerned about her family already.
“They okay,” Ghoul nodded. “They gonna be okay.”
By the time Poison stumbled out through the back door at the end of the night, sweating and on the edge of a panic attack, the girl was sound asleep in Ghoul’s arms with her fingers tangled up in the collar of his shirt. Ghoul turned around and gave Poison a reassuring smile.
“We all good out here. Ya ready to go home?” He asked, shifting all the girl’s weight into his left arm so his right one was free to pull Poison into a tight side hug. The redhead groaned softly, utterly exhausted. “C’mon, we all could use some sleep, yeah?”
Ghoul left his truck at the club because he didn’t trust Poison’s ability to drive. He got the girl settled in the backseat of the Trans Am, where she barely stirred before she fell right back asleep. Poison was slumped in the passenger seat. On the short drive home, Ghoul watched Poison shut down.
They lifelessly dragged themself into the diner. Poison hardly knew that Ghoul had carried the girl to his room and let her sleep there still wearing Ghoul’s jacket. Poison was so out of it, they couldn’t even register that Ghoul had walked them to their own bed until they were sitting on the mattress already.
“Fuck,” Poison whimpered. It was the first word they had uttered in a while. Ghoul sat down next to them, making the mattress dip, but Poison didn’t notice. Ghoul saw the way their eyes glazed over, unfocused on the wall straight ahead of them.
“Shit. Hey Red?” Ghoul grabbed Poison’s hand. Nothing.
Ghoul’s stomach twisted with guilt. He wished he had gotten to Poison sooner. He wished he had recognised the signs earlier. What happened today? Poison and the girl seemed to be doing great before the club… and now Ghoul had lost Poison to this overwhelming panic that had taken over the redhead’s system.
“Can ya hear me?” Ghoul whispered as he braved moving closer to Poison. With his body pressed right up against theirs, he could feel the tension they held. “Red? Please?”
Poison’s lip quivered. Ghoul didn’t know what they were thinking about, but he desperately needed Poison to know that he was there. He carefully pulled them into a hug and started rubbing soothing circles on their back. Ghoul somehow knew that he just needed to keep Poison right here; on the edge of breaking. Because when Poison got like this, there was only one person who could actually get through to them. And that person had only just walked in through the door.
“Kobra’s here,” Ghoul said quietly, still not sure if Poison understood. Ghoul held onto them tightly, sitting in this dark room, and waited for that sliver of light from the door to indicate that Kobra was back.
“Hm. Hey,” Kobra muttered softly, furrowing his brows together at the sight of his sibling in Ghoul’s arms. “Pois?”
Ghoul shook his head slightly, and Kobra’s concern only set deeper into his face. He dropped his bag and his jacket off on the floor and settled down on Poison’s other side. Poison still didn’t react. Not until Kobra’s hand landed on their shoulder.
Snapped like a rubber band, Poison nearly pounced onto Kobra. Their arms snaked around his thin torso like they had a million times before. Kobra yelped quietly, but that didn’t stop him from holding Poison close, leaning back until his head landed on Poison’s pillow.
Kobra didn’t want to ask what happened. Not now. That was a conversation for a different time. For now, he waited until he felt Poison’s tears begin to soak through his shirt.
“Kobes…” Poison sobbed quietly.
“Shh,” Kobra whispered into the dark and quiet room. “Sleep. You need it.”
Poison cried softly for almost an hour, but eventually the exhaustion got the best of them. With the help of Kobra’s relaxing touch, Poison finally faded into a deep and well deserved slumber.
Ghoul left the siblings to it and crawled into Kobra’s bed on the other side of the room. His eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Sleeping felt nearly impossible now.
“Hey, Kobes,” Ghoul muttered.
“Yeah?” Kobra yawned, shifting carefully so he wouldn’t disturb Poison.
“We’re gonna fix this, right?”
Kobra sighed heavily and hummed. “F’ course,” he promised. He looked down at his sibling asleep in his arms. “She’s all our kid. Not jus’ Pois’.”
“Damn straight,” Ghoul exhaled. He rolled onto his side, with his back to the sibling pair, and finally closed his eyes. He was pretty sure he had some babysitting to do in the morning.