The Ghost Of You (Killjoy Frerard Oneshot)

***Someone requested this on instagram some time ago and I've showed it to them-but never posted it here. I just thought I should since it is done and it's just sitting here in my works :)***

Party was spending his night outside sitting on the hood of the Trans Am. It was cold of course but he was used to it. He'd spent plenty of nights outside instead of sleeping. He had to make sure nothing happened. Nothing could happen to them. Kobra always tells him that nothing will happen but Party doesn't believe it for one second. Especially since a few days ago...

"Poison,"

Party looks up from the sweeping desert sand and off to his side to find Jet giving him a stern but soft look, and Kobra giving him that and something else... It doesn't take Party long to realize what other look Kobra has in his eyes. It's the one he's been getting the past few days from him.

Sympathy. Maybe sorrow as well.

"You have to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." Jet says, his hair blowing slightly in the wind. Party just nods slowly, banging the heel of his boot against the car. "Yeah... Yeah, I know. Sorry," He huffs, running his fingers through his hair. "I can't sleep." He adds. Jet and Kobra don't know what to do- how to comfort Poison- because they hadn't been expecting this to happen either. It was so fast yet so slow.

"Try, Party. We need you on full alert tomorrow. Please." Kobra says, and Party sees the hint of desperation. He feels guilty because he knows he's putting Kobra through a lot- acting like this. But, Party feels as if he can't help it and he's honestly not even trying as hard as he should to slowly overcome the pain and heartache he's feeling. The two brothers make eye contact but Party is the one to look away again first. Jet claps a hand on Poison's shoulder lightly before he and Kobra walk away, back to their place of refuge. Party Poison looks up at the night sky, counting the stars he can see.

"Crazy how they need darkness in order to shine, huh? But, isn't cool how they're so fucking far away yet they shine so bright? And it's so cool how you can actually see them twinkle sometimes. That's gonna be us one day."

Party swallows hard because it feels as if something has lodged itself in his throat. He's been getting this feeling a lot and it ends up with him behind the diner, leaning against the wall and trying to be as quiet as he can. He can't get over it. He can't get over how fast it all happened yet time continued on so slowly.

There's no way they can take them all on. There's too many. Way more than they were expecting. "Get in the car!" Party yells, but his voice is drowned out by the alarm blaring throughout the building. Broken glass. Fallen Dracs. Computerized voices. Ray beams. Smoking guns. Party dodges a shot by a Drac that was behind Kobra. He fires and kills him before running across the room, saving Jet from a Drac aiming from the Surveillance room, and then forcefully pushes him towards the exit. Jet gets what he's saying and then tries to help Kobra.

There's one more person left, and he sees Ghoul turn and spin around to fire. "Ghoul!" Poison shouts, looking around him and quickly punching a Drac in the face as hard as he could. He turns back to see Kobra running to grab Ghoul's arm, pulling him along, and that's when it happens.

"Ah!" The scream is of agony and Ghoul falters in his actions. His arm slips from Kobra's gasp and his legs buckle, giving way. He falls to the floor, his gun slides across the glass. Ghoul is clutching the top of his arm, his teeth gritted in pain. "Shit!" Party hisses, running over to him. He and Kobra grab Ghoul and carry him out of the building while Jet helps them hold off.

Inside the car, Kobra is behind the wheel and the Trans Am is speeding across the desert sand, receiving various blasts from behind. Party is frantically calling Ghoul's name as his head rests in his lap, his face a full on grimace and his eyes squeezing shut. "Ghoul? Ghoul, you're gonna be okay, alright? I promise." Poison pants, his skin paling as he catches sight of where Ghoul was hit.

The blood is spurting. It's hot and sticky, warm as Party puts a hand over it to stop the worse. The sharp metallic and almost sweet aroma is the only thing the gang can smell. Kobra is shouting. Jet is talking loudly.

But Ghoul is groaning and taking labored breaths while Party is biting his lip. He can feel the blood trickling down his hand and seeping into his pants. Poison is no doctor, but once he quickly looks at the wound again- he knows. It's hit somewhere important. Ghoul won't make it.

Poison is still sitting on the hood, hugging himself in the biting wind. His eyes are closed and he's trembling. The memory is all too vivid; too much. He knows he won't sleep tonight and it's because he won't have Ghoul beside him.

"Party?"

Slowly, Party opens his eyes, wiping his face in the process at the warm tears that had broken the barricade. But what he sees is...unexplainable. He sees Ghoul. He sees Ghoul, standing there in front of him, inches away from his feet. He sees Ghoul, wearing his Demolition Stinga vest. Ghoul, with his long Black hair and tanned skin from living in the sun. He sees his lover.

Poison doesn't know how this is happening but he doesn't care. His heart is racing. More tears are falling and he's crying even harder- harder than he's ever cried before. He doesn't care. All that matters is that Ghoul is with him in this moment and hell- maybe Ghoul never died. Maybe Poison had been living this awful dream the past few days. Maybe he's in a coma somehow and he'll wake up soon.

"Ghoul?" Party whispers, his vision extremely blurry. He coughs and unwraps his arm to slide himself off the car, his feet sinking into the sand a little. He's so close now. So close to the man he loves. So close to the man that helped him through rough times. So close to the one person that took his heart when his stopped beating. And it's wonderful. It's a miracle. It makes Party's world spin and his breathing hitch. He wipes his eyes again quickly and he's still there.

"Party." Ghoul repeats, his voice a rough whisper. His hazel eyes are glistening in the moonlight. "It's you. You're," Poison reaches out a violently shaking hand and almost faints when he grips Ghoul's arm. "You're here."

"I never left." Ghoul replies, his other hand grabbing Poison's. Poison moves closer, his lips trembling as he lightly runs his fingers through Ghoul's hair, his eyes closing as he hears his own unsteady breath. His face is inches away from Ghoul's yet there is no breath coming from his mouth. He feels so real; real and solid. He has to be real. He's here.

"I'm sorry." Party chokes out. He holds Ghoul's face between his hands and gasps lightly when he wipes his eyes. "Don't be. It was a matter of time. I'm okay now, like you said I would be. I promise, I really am." He nods and closes his eyes too, both their foreheads against each other. "Are you real?" Poison whispers, searching the face of his supposed dead lover. "Are you really here?"

Ghoul places a hand over Party's heart and sends a very warm and comforting smile. "I'm always here. Always." And then he leans in to kiss Party. But Party doesn't feel it. It's only a warm brush of air against his lips. But he doesn't care. Fun Ghoul is right in front of him and that's what matters.

"I love you, Gerard." And Party goes rigid. Ghoul has never used his name in over 4 years. It's enough to bring on a new wave of tears and as Ghoul backs away, Party is desperately clinging onto him. "No! D-Don't leave!" He begs, his face as red as his eyes. Ghoul isn't smiling anymore. "Please! I - I need you. Don't leave. Don't leave again." But Ghoul looks up at the stars just as the wind picks up around them. "The stars - that's my house." He looks back down at Poison, who is watching in bewilderment as he sees his hand slowly grabbing onto...nothing.

Fun Ghoul is leaving.

"But my home... my home is with you." Ghoul gives a tiny smile before Gerard lets out a sort of whimper as Ghoul fades away. He obviously knows now that it was a hallucination. But it was real at the same time.

Party wraps his arms around himself again, not having the strength or tears to cry anymore. He just feels... weird. Almost a little at ease. He coughs and sniffles before looking up at the sky, and seeing one star shine brighter than the others.

It twinkles.

A/N Okay. I know nothing about the killjoy stuff first hand. Just from previous stories I've read and pictures and yeah. I've never read the comics and ugh... I really want too. If I got anything wrong, I'm sorry. <3