Poison and Ghoul [Frerard]

4.) Doctor D

Frank's POV

The desert sun beams down on me, my sweat causing my yellow and black shirt stick uncomfortably to my back and the back of the lawn chair that Jet Star set out for me. My leg aches from the shooting yesterday, and my sunglasses have left bruises on the bridge of my nose. Despite my pain and discomfort, I'm the most relieved that I've been in weeks. For the first time since leaving Battery City, I slept on a real mattress- granted it was ratty and probably found in a dumpster, but it sure beats the hell out of sleeping in the sand. I finally felt like I could sleep through the night without having to be worried about waking up to a Draculoid. I watch contentedly as the Killjoys speak to Ali.

They stand patiently around her, pointing to the crate-supported cans they want her to shoot. I can't quite make out the words they're saying, but a few words reach my ears. Kobra Kid rests his hand on her shoulder, bending over slightly so his mouth is level with her ear, and points toward a target. He laughs slightly as he speaks, presumably at something funny he had said, causing Detonation to smile and chuckle

Detonation nods at Kobra Kid's instructions and takes her aim. The killjoys all step back from her and wait. After a deep breath and a moment's hesitation, Detonation fires at the can, hitting it dead on.

Party Poison nods curtly, trying to seem unaffected, but the smile on his face gives away his satisfaction. He places a hand on Detonation's shoulder, startling her and causing her to spin around quickly and take aim. Party Poison retracts his hand in a blur as Jet Star laughs at him. The inklings of domesticity between us all, even so soon after Ali and I being here, brings a smile to my face, as the new sensation of "being home" hits me yet again.

Party Poison collects himself again, pointing to a can further back and giving Detonation instructions. Without hesitation Detonation spins around and shoots, once again hitting the can dead on.

Kobra Kid smiles excitedly at Jet Star, laughing giddily as he exclaims a "fuck yeah" and high fives my sister. Jet Star bends down a bit to look at Detonation as he says something to her, inaudible to me.

She glances over her shoulder at me, nodding with an uncharacteristically serious expression painting her features. Her mouth moves, but I can't make out the words. I smile at her, and she returns the expression, grinning broadly back at me. The Killjoys exchange a glance, and address Detonation again, briefly.

Nodding and stepping aside, she shoves her pink gun into the back pocket of her grey jeans, walking over to me and smiling widely.

"Did you see that, Ghoul?!" she exclaims, pumping her fist in the air. This is the happiest I've seen her in so long, even before we left the city.

"Yeah, you did great," I smile, holding my hand up for her high-five. "What'd they say before they stepped off?"

She hits my hand hard, still smiling. "Just that they needed to discuss something important. They asked me to come keep you company while they figured it out."

"You seem to like it here."

She sits down on the sand next to my chair, unhooking her sunglasses from the neckline of her shirt and putting them on. Looking at the sky, she answers, "yeah, I do. I mean we haven't been here that long, so who knows, but we finally got to sleep on real mattresses, and the Killjoys seem like they're really nice. Kobra even apologized for pulling his gun on me."

"Yeah," I turn to look at the sky with her. "I think I like it here, too." After a moment of gazing at the pale blue sky, I look back at the Killjoys. They're huddled together, speaking in hushed tones, but their body language suggests that they're relaxed. Party Poison runs a gloved hand through his bright red hair, further messing up the already disheveled locks. They seem to reach the end of their discussion, disbanding and joining Detonation and I again.