Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Venom Veil sighed, tossing her ray gun on the side table before walking solemnly over to the kitchen, and flipping on the faulty light switch. The bulb flickered and soon the kitchen was filled with a sorry excuse for light, as Veil began to pour herself a glass of (hopefully clean) water, before sitting down to ponder about her aching back.

“oh my god, that mission today was so ass” she sighed, sinking deeper into their beat up sofa, her partner Party Poison looked over at her and smirked

“Sorry that the zone’s ain’t exactly a palace princess”, he tossed her a quarter empty package of cigarettes, and a half drunken bottle of week old whiskey. “You know, for a killjoy, you’re pretty soft sweetheart”

He took a long drag of his own cigarette, sighing as he sunk into a chair of his own. He could see that Veil had a gash in her leg- but he was honestly to tired to care, and she was way to exhausted to complain.

“Yeah, Yeah- at least I’m not as soft as your dick has been in bed- what’s the matter? Don’t have the energy to spend on your little o’ll girlfriend anymore?” He rolls his eyes, he’s aware the bedroom life hadn’t been the most exciting as of late- but who could blame them? Both Party Poison and Venom Veil had pretty…eventful lives to say the least. They didn’t have time to fuck around- figuratively and literally.

“Alright, Alright”, he threw his hands up in surrender, “that’s enough out of you Viper” Veil smirks, particularly fond of the dotting nickname, “I think it’s time you get to bed” “Ah yes…must I escort myself- alone to the bed, again” Veil sighs, yes- she was being playful about the lack of lust…most of the time- it didn’t really bother her, in fact- she wasn’t too fond of doing it with him much anyways…but she felt like dragging it out a bit more today…something Poison picked up on.

“You’re really trying to get on my nerves today- aren’t ya sweetheart?”

He growls, walking over to her, his taller frame looking down apon her smaller, slim, and frailer body. Veil blushes, and her stomach does a stupid burst of butterflies and backflips. Yet…somewhere deep down, it also churns…and she felt provokingly nauseous..Despite the feeling, she tries her best to brush it off and she stares up at the man in front of her.

“Nerves? Weren’t aware you had any….I best be off to bed…” Veil turned around to make her way to the room, when suddenly she felt Poison pick her up bridal style, and carry her in there himself…as romantic as the gesture seemed- she also felt…trapped.

“P-Poison…?” “

Shut it, that’s enough out of you- just be a good girl for me, won’t ya sweetheart~?”

He pressed a wet kiss onto the corner of her neck right under her ear, and then proceeded to nibble and bite at the skin. This earned him small soft whimpers from Veil, who couldn’t believe her luck tonight…

Suddenly, Poison laid her gently on the bed, pinning her wrists above her head as he took a moment to appreciate his goddess of a girlfriend. “You missed this didn’t ya darling?” He asked softly, teasing her a bit more as he planted a gentle kiss atop her forehead, causing Veil to blush as a result…she was starting to feel wet and bothered from his advances…shameful even.

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t- who knows, hmm?” She smirks, her signature move was to throw back sassy remarks, it’s how she deflected feelings…dealing with the real world- the weight of her reality….suddenly…the heated passion within her stops, and she semi- playfully shoves Poison off of her- she was exhausted after all- he out of all people should know that…she just wanted to get to bed.

“As..fun at this is babe..I uh…I really just wanna get to bed” Poison backed off, taking the hint- but that didn’t stop his solemn gaze from staring at her like a man starved…

”heh…you can’t just tease me and then push me away babe”.

He was partly joking- but the other half of him didn’t find any amusement in her attitude. This wasn’t the first time Veil had blue balled him, and at this point it was starting to get annoying.

“Look, I’m sorry Pois- but I really don’t have the time for…this. Don’t get me wrong- I love spending time with you…it’s just…I just need some time to myself”

she sighs, what’s been wrong with her lately? She doesn’t know what she wants in this relationship anymore. One moment, she wants her boyfriend all over her, and the next, she’s pushing him away and telling him she’s too tired to fuck around.

“Yeah..yeah, I get it’s it’s fine” He drags his ass over to the kitchen and snatched up the cheap bottle of whiskey, downing whatever was left in the cracked bottle.

“Pois-“

“Why are you always like this…?”

“W-What..?”

“You’re always trying to work me up, acting like you want it, and then suddenly you pull away like I’m some damn vermin!” He spat- he wasn’t having her fuck ass attitude tonight, he was sick of her behavior.

“That's not true!” She protested, despite the fact that deep down she knew he was right…she wanted to say more to her defense, but she could tell he was heavily drunk, and she didn’t wanna risk anything happening

… “Do you even want this Veil? I’ve been trying to make this work- make us work for seven damn months, but it seems like I’m just an object to you- you just use me when ya want, huh? Is this how we’re gonna work out?”

She jumped at his words, taking a swift step back as he smashed the empty whisky bottle at her feet. The glass shattered into a million pieces, scattering across the diner floor in a flurry of different directions. She needed to find a way to calm him down…quick. She couldn’t do this tonight, not again.

“I do..! I do want this..! Please Poison…don’t say shit like that- you know I love you…It’s just..”

“It’s just what?”

He stared at her hard and expectant…waiting for a response, yet all she offered him was silence…they stood there…sizing each other up as she suffocated in his intoxicated presence….she hated to admit to…but deep down, she was fucking terrified. He scoffed, taking the time to shoot her one last glare before crushing the shards of glass with the soles of his feet, almost as a warning.

“That’s what I thought….”

And before she could get another word in, Poison turned around and headed towards his room- slamming the door so hard its vibration echoed through out the diner several moments after it had been shut…fuck, she was pretty sure Kobra, Ghoul, and Jet probably heard that…

she cursed under her breath turning heals towards her own room, she knew that what she just did maybe wasn’t the best move on her part- but who could blame her? She had a gash in her leg and was craving sleep like a mad man- she didn’t wanna have sex, she was sick of having sex- was it her fault he was guilt tripping her? She didn’t share a bed routinely with Poison, never have, maybe never will…despite the fact that they were adults and had been together for nearly 7 months.

She had been a part of the Fab Five for years now, sharing a home in the diner with the guys, Party Poison, Jet Star, Fun Ghoul, and Kobra Kid. The five of them had gone through a lot together, countless battles with dracs, sneaking around battery city in attempt to bring back scraps of food that Veil could fix up for dinner, even raising a few stray animals here and there before they’d unfortunately have to let them go. (Usually because they couldn’t afford to keep them)

Though she’d knew the guys forever, she had only started dating Poison within the past several months…the guys said they were perfect for one another- and she wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Poison- she was pretty sure she did…but she just…wasn’t feeling it like he was. He had been the one to ask her out- and in the heat of the moment, she has said yes. But they never really had time for one another, and when they did- she somehow always found a way to fuck it up. They’d get hot and bothered- she’d get cold, they’d wanna hang out- she’d shut him down. She was always yes and then no, hot and then cold. She never really knew what she wanted.

She groaned as she shoved her pillow over her head, being consumed by her conflicting thoughts. She figured it was worthless moping over her complicated love life- she’d just go with the flow and see where it takes her- that’s what she always did- right? She turned to lay on her side, the harsh quality of her thrifted mattress only aiding aid to the injury.

It was a makeshift room…nothing much, she had just fixed up an old abandoned spacious closet in the diner. She had re-painted the walls to be a crimson red with paint she’d found at an old convenience store. There were ripped up posters for old movies and nearby plays that she had thrown up onto the wall- anything to add some life back into her grim day. The only two things that were kind of nice about her room was the plush blanket she somehow was able to snag and the small window right at her bedside that she watched every night. Her favorite thing to pass the time was to stare at the window…she’d often reflect about her life choices, despite the fact that she never acted upon those reflections.

Not even 5 minutes into her much needed rest, she heard a firm knock on the door that made her bolt..she stayed silent for a few moments, wondering if she should pretend to be asleep…she knew it was probably poison at the other end- and the last thing she wanted to do was see him. Only moments later the knock occurred again…and despite the fact that she didn’t want to see her boyfriend, she figured telling him off would at least get him to stop knocking.

“Fuck off Poison- I’m trying to sleep”

“It’s Kobra- can I come in?”

Kobra Kid was Party Poison’s younger brother. Although he was closer to Veil’s age considering he was only a year older than her. Even though he could be more quiet and laid back, he was a pretty chill friend to be around- just not one she could vent to about her relationship issues. After a few more moments of silence, she decided that letting Kobra in couldn’t be the worst thing in the world. She supposed it was still better than sulking alone in her little corner.

“Yeah- come in”

Kobra entered the room, unlike his brother- who practically swung open doors with an unnecessary stage presence- Kobra calmly and graciously opened the door, walking inside with a gentle yet stoic approach. He was in his nightwear, which consisted of pale blue silk pajama bottoms he’d owned for years, paired with no shirt. He had a towel swung around his neck, with water droplets trickling down his abs, Veil figured he’d probably had just bathed in the nearby river. He held eye contact with Veil and frowned, he pushed back his wet hair out of his eyes, taking a few steps closer to her and sitting on the edge of her bed.

“What’s wrong this time Vi?”

Veil sighed, turning her aching body to face him. She knew he was concerned- and she didn’t want to worry him- especially since it was about his brother.

“Nothing Kobra- it’s just been a long day” She thought about forcing a smile with that- but she didn’t have any energy to fake one.

“I know you’re lying” He stated, matter a-fact-ly. He’d know Veil for years- she couldn’t fool him.

“So what if I am? I don’t see how it concerns you” She spat that out a bit harsher than intended, causing her to take a moment to look away, pondering what to say next without sounding like a fed up bitch.

“Is it about Poison?”

She froze- shit- why the hell did he think that? Did he know she was getting cold feet? Does he know she’s having second thoughts and conflicting feelings about their relationship?

“W-What!? That’s ridiculous! I love your brother- you know that- why would you-“

He cut her off immediately, raising a single eyebrow in hesitant suspicion. “I never said you didn’t like him…I know you love him. I was just wondering if you two got into a fight or something, that’s all”

She stays silent for a moment- not knowing what to say, she knew she had to be really careful with the way she worded her next set of words. “I…um”

Kobra sighs, still holding a sharp gaze “Just because I’m his brother, doesn’t mean I have to tell him everything I hear about him. I’m your friend Veil- you can trust me”

She inhales a sharp breath, one that semi pierced her lungs- she knew she had to say something.

“I mean..yeah- I guess it was kinda…a disagreement- not really a fight…we were just..uh tired today, and you know- it was really…like whatever-“

She wasn’t sure how else to word this to Kobra- what was she supposed to say? Oh, I tempted your brother into railing me and then I randomly backed out and he got fucking pissed that I was blue balling him? Nothing She could say would make the situation any better or worse than it already was.

“I’m sorry- so you two did or did not get into a fight?” Kobra raised and eyebrow, he knew she was hiding something.

“Well…it’s- it’s complicated-“

Before she could ramble off again- he cut her off and gasped…for a moment, the air in the room went stale, his gaze hardening as he noticed the large bloodied gash on her left leg.

“Did he hit you!?”

“W-What..?” She knew Poison hadn’t hit her- but she was too stunned to speak….why the hell would Kobra think that..? I mean- sure, there was a gash on her leg…but Kobra should know better than anyone that Poison wasn’t a violent person…

“THAT BASTARD HIT YOU- DIDN’T HE!? Tell me the fucking truth Veil- if that man hit you I’m gonna KICK his ass” Kobra questioned venomously, nearing closer to her. She could tell he was dead serious- and it was kind of starting to scare her.

“What..? No! No Kobra- he didn’t hit me, this gash is from a run in with the dracs today- Sure- Poison and I fight sometimes- but you know he’d never hit me”

She tried to reassure him, taking his hands in hers and looking into his eyes, hoping the gesture would add a level of sincerity to her rushed words- she’d never seen Kobra so defensive like this before….it was…unsettling. He was usually so reserved…he wasn’t really the type of guy to get all riled up. He stared at her a moment longer- trying to determine whether or not she was telling the truth, and when he realized she was, he let out a deep sigh. Removing his hands gently from her soft clasp, and looking at the random posters on her wall.

“Well…that’s a relief…”

“Kobra…Poison is your own brother…why would you ever think that he’d hit me..?” She tried to search his eyes, for some sort of signal that could give it all away…but she found none.

Kobra looked to the side, for a second, it looked like he was debating saying something in response until he suddenly stood up. The only lighting in the room was from the moon shining through the dusty windows…it illuminated the blue silk of his pants and his pale skin- but despite the momentary light- his expression was still shrouded in darkness

“No reason…just forget it Vi”

He dismissed her questions before turning to face the door. She looked up at him…with a somewhat pleasing expression in her eyes. What was it that he couldn’t tell her..? What had Poison been doing that she wasn’t aware of..? Was something wrong..? But before she could ask anything else, Kobra already had his hand on the little brass knob.

“Goodnight Veil”

“Night’ Kobra…”

She watched as he walked out, shutting the door firmly behind him…the room was still and quiet again, with only the faint sound of birds chirping outside in the cold desert sand…the sun had slept long ago, and she supposed it was time she did too.

I guess we both have secrets to hide...and one of these days...they’re going to destroy us.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Veil awoke to the sounds of birds chirping in the distant…the hazy sunlight rays beamed through the window, pouring out onto her rested figure and her solemn mattress. 

She groaned a bit, her body still aching from yesterday. Stretching as she remembered the awful conversations she had the night prior. Part of her just wanted to crawl into her blankets forever and never leave the solitude of her tattered blankets, but the reasonable part of her understood that despite her discomfort, it was her duty to get up and make the guys breakfast. 

She threw on her typical killjoy outfit, a fitted blood red crop top with a tear drop shaped cutout in the center, paired with a jet black leather jacket embroidered with her killjoy symbol and name on it. A pair of black ripped jeans and red heel boots that she adored so much. To top it off, she had a belt swung over her hips that fastened her ray gun onto it- the only issue is that her ray gun was still on the side table in the kitchen…

Well, guess she was going to have to go there either way- huh? 

She got up and made her way over to the kitchen, thankful to see that the only one up so far was Fun Ghoul- which was strange because he was usually the one who slept in the most out of the bunch. 

“Morning Vi! Was up?”

 Ghoul grinned goofily, despite the grim circumstances of being a killjoy, Ghoul never took anything seriously. His best and worst trait, honestly.

“Not much Ghoul, was just gonna make us some breakfast. Who was on scavenger duty last night?”

Scavenger duty was the most meddling out of all the tasks the Fab Five had to complete. Everyday, the group would rotate on who would have to venture out to battery city to scavenge for some food scraps and bring it back to the diner. As simple as the task seemed- it was extremely risky, and also unfulfilling. Sometimes, if the guys got lucky, they’d pass by an abandoned gas station and just raid what they had there. Saved them the trouble of having to sneak fresh supplies from that brainwashed city.

Ghoul smirked, looking pleased with himself 

“I was on duty yesterday, and I think I picked up some pretty good shit. I know Jet’s birthday is coming up, so I figured I’d get ingredients for a cake…I mean- I don’t really know what ya put in a cake- but I assume sugar and flour meets half the requirements”

Veil smiles and mentally slaps herself, Jet’s birthday was tomorrow- how the hell had she forgotten? It’s good that Ghoul had been able to pick up some useful ingredients though. Sugar and flour were pretty rare to come by, she would be sure to use it sparingly. 

“Thanks Ghoul, I bet I’ll be able to whip something up” 

“Yeah, no problem moonbeam- anyways, I’ll catch you in a bit” 

Ghoul hopped off the table he was sitting on, but before he could leave, Veil grabbed his hand- she was terrified of being alone right now. 

“W-Wait!!”

Fuck- why the hell did she do that..?

Ghoul looked confused, but he stopped moving away at least. He looked back at Veil, and eyebrow raised

“Uh….is everything okay?”

Veil sighs in frustration- how the hell is this supposed to come across? 

“Uh…yeah…no- not really, can you just…can you just come in the back of the kitchen for a sec so we can talk in private?”

She urges, trying not to sound desperate.

“Uh- sure, but this better not be some stupid love confession,  because if you could tell already I’m gay as hell” Ghoul laughs 

Veil rolls her eyes- Fun Ghoul being gay was pretty old news considering how obvious it was. But that’s what made him such a good person to talk to in this situation. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know dumbass, i'm not looking to express my love to ya- I just need to explain a situation to you”

Ghoul’s face lit up instantly as he led her to the back of the kitchen. 

“You’ve got tea? GIRL you know I love me some drama”, Despite what he said, he only appeared to be half listening as he rummaged through their semi-working mini fridge to check for any leftover orange juice.

“Look- Ghoul, you can’t talk to ANYONE about this alright?” Veil looked at him anxiously, twirling her fingers and rubbing her wrists, but Ghoul reassured her. 

“Of course babes, my lips are sealed”

She signed, pausing for a moment before deciding how to continue...“Good…well, you know how I’ve been dating Poison?”

“Yeah”

“Well…I…I don’t know- it’s been…it’s been a bit….rough as of late…I mean- its nothing to do with him…I just don’t really feel…well like its going well to say the least…”

She rambled, she was really bad at explaining this without making it sound she wanted to break up with the poor dude. 

“Oh? So things are stagnant? So like, you thinking of breaking things off with him?”

“NO! No no…I…I don’t wanna break things off”

Did she? She didn’t know…

“It’s just that- he and I…got into a tiny disagreement last night because I…I keep blue balling him- he didn’t say much- but his expression and silence said it all if you know what I mean”

It felt good to let it out…she just hopes he can keep his mouth shut. 

“So…” Ghoul draws in a long breathe. “You still love him?”

“Yeah-I do” Veil answered without thinking- not sure if that statement was rushed or absolute. 

“So…why are you panicking?” Ghoul raised and eyebrow 

She sighs, “because after that super awkward disagreement, or fight- or whatever the hell you wanna call it- Kobra came into my room last night and he had thought that Poison hit me” 

Ghoul hurts out laughing, “Poison? Hit you? Bitch- if you really wanted to I bet you could knock that twink over with a feather” 

Veil looks taken aback…she wasn’t really used to hearing her boyfriend be described that way…he was always so…aggressively masculine with her…describing him otherwise was almost painfully laughable..

”twink? The hell you on about Ghoul- Poison is anything but, all the guy does is manhandle everything”

“Well…I mean you know- it’s kind of obvious” Ghoul states, holding back a laugh.

Now she was not sure if she was just confused, or if she was actually starting to get getting pissed

 “…what’s obvious”

Silence.

Instead of giving her an answer, Ghoul's eyes widen, and her mouth opened slightly agape- as though he realized he had said something he couldn't quite take back...he quickly dismissed her, shiting his gaze to look in a different direction, “forget it Viper- its nothing, anyways, wanna remind me why I’m back here with you? I’ve got things to do ya know, I’m a busy man” 

he's hiding something

No...no..that's silly- foolish, Ghoul wasn't hiding anything...they were best friends...he would never keep anything from her. She sucked in a breath, staring him square in the face. “look…I just don’t wanna have to see Poison or Kobra alone right now- they’ll bring up last night, and I don’t wanna talk about it” she admits-as pathetic as it was,  it was the truth.

Despite this, Ghoul just rolled his eyes...for whatever reason, he seemed rather indifferent or pissed. “And? I don’t see how that’s any of my problem. If you don’t wanna talk about it, than just tell ‘em that, I ain’t body guarding you from your fucking boyfriend and his brother all day. That’s just plain stupid” 

He was right- it was stupid. Really stupid. She knew she couldn’t just hide from them forever like some coward, But she couldn’t help but wanna lock herself up in her room- she fucking hated confrontation.

“Ya…ya I get it, just beat it until I make breakfast alright?” She dismissed him, not caring to argue about the helpless situation any longer.

“Good- then I’ll catch ya later Vi- Oh, and if you make toast, I want some butter slapped on it too” he offered her a half smirk, but somewhere deep down, she could tell it was failing.

As Ghoul exited the room, Veil collected herself to view the ingredients she had to work with…a few eggs, some sugar, flour, some water from the river…there was even a loaf of bread and a couple of sun kissed and dirty berries to use. For a bunch of killjoys- this was as good as it gets.

She started by boiling the river water in a rusted steel pot  in an attempt to get rid of some bacteria- but after realizing she’d probably waste more water than she’d purify, she resorted to just using what she had  to clean the berries instead. Thanks to Jet, the old diner stove is now up and working again, so she was able to make some eggs and toast. She even checked in the back to see if they had some spare butter left over for Ghoul, but they had used up the last of it the week prior. 

By the time she was finished, she noticed that Poison and Kobra still weren’t awake- not like she cared. It was better that way anyways. She set aside four plates for the guys before snatching a pack of cigarettes and heading outside. She needed a smoke.

As she stood outside, she pondered about her life. She didn’t really know why, but for some reason she felt like she owed herself to Poison. After all, she had been the one to take her in and keep her under his wing. She remembered the days she would be sad and lonely…he made her feel so safe, but every good dream has come to an end eventually right?

She watched mindlessly as puffs of smoke arise from the blood of her cigarette. She began to blow some rings, chasing them with the tips of her fingers, swirling them around and watching them float away way out of her reach just like her grasp on reality.

She thought back to her conversations with Kobra Kid, and Ghoul….they both knew something about Poison, and for some reason- they just wouldn’t tell her. Despite the fact that the information they seemed to safeguard seemed apparently different- a secret was still a secret….what the hell was her boyfriend hiding from her? And why can’t the guys just open up about it?

 Before long Jet Star come outside to join her she was relieved that it wasn’t Poison or Ghoul that had come to accompanied her. They were the last people she wanted to see at the moment. Though it was a poor quality, Ville had a hard time when it came to confrontation, especially when it came to resolving issues among friends or relationships.

She offered Jet Star a cigarette which she took with a smile in a way Jet Star had always been like an older brother to her unlike Poison, he’d look after her without a sex tax. They held a mutual respect for one another, something that she extremely appreciated it.

After letting out a few puffs, Jetstar turned his head over towards Veil, noting how burnt out she looked. 

“So…how’s everything going Viper?”

“It’s….going” 

She offered the vague response, hoping deep down that he wouldn’t press further about it. 

“Is it about Poison again…? Is he hitting you?”

Jet offered, giving The younger girl a knowing look. 

Why the hell was everyone thinking that Poison was abusing her..? She hates that she keeps, having to set the record straight.

“He’s not hitting me, Jet. We both know that Poison isn’t like that, why the fuck would you even say that” The line was blurred between her being pissed and offfended, she was probably both. 

He gazed at her a moment longer, soaking in her appearance before adding his next detail “You’ve got a gash in your left leg, and bruises all over your arms, and you think I’m just going to look past that? Those weren’t there a few days ago…”

She rolls her eyes, taking another puff of her cigarette. “I ran into some trouble with dracs, that’s all. Poison never hits me”

Jet exhales another ring of smoke, watching it as it floats up in the air. “You want me to believe it was a bunch of dracs that screwed you over like that?”

“Yes! Because it was a bunch of dracs- god, why won’t anybody believe me?!” she threw her cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath her heel as she turned to face him angrily, she was so sick of this shit. 

“What is there to believe, Veil? If he’s hurting you, you should tell us-“

“He’s never laid a hand on me, okay!? Just back the FUCK off!” she spat, looking up at Jet in rage. 

“I’m not going to back off if your sorry-excuse-of-a-boyfriend is hurting you! You're like a little sister to me Veil, you think I’m just gonna let some punk hurt you?! Frankly I don’t give a damn if he’s my friend- it still doesn’t give him the right to be a douche!”

“Don’t say that. Don’t you ever fucking say that again! He’s not a douche, and he doesn’t hurt me. I love him, so just screw off would ya? Nobody EVER listens to me, I’m sick of EVERYONE in this damn diner, all you guys ever do is fucking bug me all the time, you killjoys can go and fucking rot for all I care- I’m DONE”

Jet’s jaw dropped, his cigarette dropping from his hand as he wore a pained expression. As soon as the words left her mouth, Veil instantly regretted them. Why the hell is she always fucking everything up? Why is she always snapping at people, what’s wrong with her? Her breath began to quicken, and her heart began to seize. She had to get the hell outta here.

 Before Jet could say another word, Veil turned heels and dashed out into the vastness of the zones. She didn’t know why she was running, if she couldn’t solve her problems, then maybe she could at least gain some distance from them. At first, she could hear Jet running after her and calling her name, but after a while she had outran him, and the only thing that could be heard was the wind thrashing upon the desert sand, the sound of her footsteps, and the screeching voices pounding in her head. 

As the hours passed by, so did the patience of her body. Eventually, her back began to ache, and her feet had grown tired. The sun had hazily set, making way for the moon and her stars to paint the sky with gleaming beams of nightlight. She was far from the diner now….though she was pretty sure that if she tried, she could navigate her way back home if she wished….short story, she didn’t. 

Though there weren’t any nearby structures to take coverage in, she did notice an old phone booth next to a mailbox and a cactus. It’s not a shelter, but at least it’s something. 

She sat down against the mailbox, using the metal frame as support for her weary body. But before she felt asleep…she acknowledged the nagging feeling gnawing at her in the pit of her stomach….she looked up at the abandoned, yet convenient, phone booth lying only a foot or two away from her. maybe it wouldn’t hurt to make one phone call home…at least to tell them that she was safe…..so far. 

She did a quick head check to make sure no dracs were lurking nearby. Before she stood up and entered the booth. She snatched the phone, and began to dial the diner’s home phone. The first time she rang up, there was no answer…the second time she rang up was just like the first, perhaps the phone booth was busted, it was all so pointless regardless-

But just for safe measure, she dialed a third and final time, somewhere deep inside her praying that someone would answer it. She didn’t care what guy picked up, she had fought with pretty much all of them before she left always to some capacity or another. 

Suddenly, she heard Kobra’s voice on the other end of the line, her mood was filled with joy…..until she heard his voice 

“Veil…? Oh Veil….thank god you’re okay,…”

“Yeah..I’m fine, I’m sorry for running off…”

“No..no don’t be…I…fuck, you had me so worried…I thought they took you to….”

Her heart stopped. ‘Took her too’ ?!  What the hell was he talking about….

“K-Kobra…what are you talking about….”

It didn’t take long for her to hear the sobs coming from the other end of the line, her heart and mind began to race a million miles per minute…what the hell happened? Was everything okay? Was everyone okay?

“They took them Veil…BL/ind has them….all of them”

Chapter Text

The rest of the night was a dreadful icy haze. The sun had long take its final bow, and the cold of the night laid like a blanket across the skyline, stars sprinkled about the scenery, twinkling like little beacons of light- screw the fucking lights, what Veil needed right now was a beacon of hope.

She was shivering against the telephone booth, Kobra had told her she’d be on his way, and as much as she would rather wait inside of the booth, Kobra insisted that she wait outside it so that he could spot her quicker. 

Her head and heart were raising at a million miles per hour, she was sure her pulse would stop or that her veins would combust at the same time. What the hell did Kobra mean the BL/ind had them? Was Ghoul and Jet okay? Was her boyfriend okay? She cursed under her breath- her friends had been captured by the most corrupt organization, with her luck, she’d never see them ever again, and the last time she’d spoken to all of them she'd gotten into a fight of some sort of varying degree. A bitter impression she was sure would never leave the heart as they suffered at the hands of the enemies, 

Before her thoughts could gut her out and sell her organs, she noticed a car pull up to her telephone booth, she’d notice that giant painted spider anywhere, he had arrived. Without wasting any time, Kobra Kid sprung out of his vehicle, running towards Veil with urgency, and pulling her into a tight embrace. 

No words were spoken between the two, and none were needed. 

She didn’t know anything, she didn’t know anything at all about the situation, didn’t know if her boyfriend was okay, didn’t know if Ghoul and Jet were okay, didn’t know where their location was, didn’t know if they were alive.

But she tried to seek solace in the things she did know…she knew Kobra was okay….she knew she was okay…She knew that because she was there with him, and that he was there with her. Maybe that’s all she knew, maybe that was all she’d ever know, but at least this tiny piece of information amounted to something. 

The moments that followed were a blur, Kobra ushered Veil to the car, she strapped herself into the passenger's seat, secure within the temporary security the car provided, despite this, she couldn’t help but notice Kobra glancing at her every few moments to ensure she was still with him- almost as if he was afraid that if he looked away for even a second she disappear from his sight. 

She tried not to cry. Tried not to think too much about the horrific and inevitable situation they were about to face. She gazed out the window, the scenery flashing by her, desert sand and tumbleweeds floating past her line of sight just as rapidly as they had entered them. She listened to the sound of the tires gripping the unmarked terrain and the comforting vibration it provided as the car shook gently over every passing rock. Rain descended upon the vehicle, droplets of water splattering across the windshield like a murder scene.  

She wanted to ask questions, she knew she needed details, she knew she needed answers, but at the same time she wanted to know nothing at all. 

And maybe that’s the reason why she drifted off to sleep

~      ~    ~      ~    ~     ~        ~       ~

When she awoke the following morning she was disappointed to see that it was not the sun rays that awoke her from her slumber, but rather the dark and looming clouds that hung above the skyline. 

It wasn’t long before she regained consciousness and understanding of her surroundings- she wasn’t in her room. She wasn’t in the desert either. She was in Kobra’s room- his bed specifically. Momentarily, a wave of panic rushed through her as she tried to hastily recount the events of the night prior, however, a sigh of relief washed over her as she turned to her side and realized Kobra had taken the courtesy of sleeping on the couch adjacent to her instead. 

Her boyfriend was already missing, the last thing she wanted to deal with was a slip-up with his brother. 

Not long after Veil had woken up, Kobra had followed suit. Just in time to see Veil reentering his room with two cups of coffee in hand. She handed one to Kobra as he offered her a weak smile in return, nursing the cup of black brew graciously between his weary hands. 

To say it had been a long night would have been an understatement, none of them got a wink of sleep, but they knew that the current situation didn’t allow room to rest either. 

“They took them Veil…BL/ind has them….all of them” 

She couldn’t stop thinking about that damn phrase, it was engraved into the deep corners of her mind, gnawing at her like a parasite. The only thing that was on her mind was her boyfriend, was he okay? Did they hurt him? Did they brainwash him? Did they kill him? 

After a few moments of painfully excruciating silence, Kobra drew a long sigh, taking a slow sip of his coffee before he began to explain the events of the night prior.

“It all started just before dinner….all the guys were in a pretty bad mood. That afternoon, Jet had came in telling us that the two of you got into a bit of an argument, and that you ran off. He said you figured you’d be fine, but I could tell in his voice that he was still a bit worried for ya…”

He said, shifting the weight of the cup in his hands, Veil seemed shocked…

“He…he was worried about me? He didn’t come after me…”

Kobra let out a tired chuckle, shaking his head,

“He did go after you, or at least he tried, but you’ve got some fast feet little miss” 

Veil huffs and rolls her eyes, it was sweet of him to try and make light of the situation, but she knew it was only a matter of time before their conversation would take a darker turn.

“So…then what happened?”

He sighed once again, picking up where he left off

“We all sat around the diner table…and it was awkward, not having you there. The four of us used to get a well so long before we meet you….but somewhere along the line we just stoped being close. I wasn’t quiet sure when…but you know, things change, people change, we changed. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but Poison has been having massive anger issues and substance abuse problems-”

Before he could continue, Veil cut him off venomously  

“Watch your mouth Kobra, I don’t wanna hear you talk about my boyfriend like he’s some wasted prick”, she spat.

He glared right back at her, “Ya, well before he’s your boyfriend, keep in mind that he’s my brother, I can speak about him however I damn please- not to mention I can admit his flaws because I actually want to help him, and I’m not so blinded by love.” 

Blinded by love?! What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did he seriously think she didn’t know her own fucking boyfriend well at all!? 

“What the actual fuck is that supposed to mean Kobra”

He held her gaze a bit longer, closing eyes for a moment to sip his coffee and calm himself back down. He knew better than to start a fight with Veil right now, she had already fought with every member of the Fab Five in the past three days alone- he couldn’t bare to be at odds with her right now…especially since he had already lost so much. 

“I’m sorry…just never mind- forget it Veil. If you want, we can talk about it later, but can I please finish up this story so you can at least be informed about what happened to him?”

‘About what happened to him’….

God…she really hoped he was okay, she tried to reign back in her anger, forcing herself to swallow down all the defensive emotions that threatened to rise out of her…she knew that if she pissed of Kobra, she wasn’t going to get any answers to what really happened to her friends and lover….If there was ever a moment she should swallow her pride, she figured this would be it.

“Yeah…you can continue..”

She looked away for a brief moment, until she heard his voice

“Anyways…the four of us had a hard time getting along since you weren’t there. Jet has talked about how he was worried for your well being, and Poison ended up getting defensive telling Jet he ‘didn’t have the right to talk about his girlfriend like that’. I eventually convinced Poison to chill out- but he just wasn’t having it. Apparently Ghoul had told him that I went into your room the other night to speak with you after your fight with Poison. I have no idea how he would have known that- But I guess it didn’t matter where he got the information from, because when he told Poison, he was livid”

Veil swallowed hard…her heart beating faster and her face going pale as she looked at Kobra. She had been the one to tell Ghoul that Kobra was in her room the night of the fight….she trusted Ghoul- he was her best friend, she figured he would keep his mouth shut…guess she was wrong…but before guilt could entirely consume her, Kobra continued his story.

“Ghoul had told Poison that I thought Poison hit you. A mouthful- I know. Anyways, after my brother found that out, he stood up right to my face and yelled at me for ever even daring to think he’d lay so much as a hand on you” 

Veil smirked, “I told you he’d never hit me”

Kobra frowned, his face hardening, “He then looked me square in the eyes and said ‘you wanna see someone get hit? You wanna know what it would look like if I hit someone?’ and then it happened, he choked me with his right arm and smashed a glass bottle right across my face. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed the bandage on my right cheek yet…or maybe you noticed and didn’t care”

Veil gasped, looking at his right cheek…and there it was. A large white bandage, covering a decent amount of it. Despite the thick layer, there appears to still be blood soaking the edges of the bandage….She couldn't believe her boyfriend would ever do something like this.

“He’d….he’d never do that- you have to be lying, you’re definitely mistaken” 

Kobra looked down at his feet, he opened his mouth, looking like he was going to say more, but whatever it was he had to say- he shoved that thought deep down into the back of his mind so that he could continue his story.

“...after that incident…We all spit up out of that room. Ghoul brought Poison to his room to help him “calm down”- what a whore. Anyways, Jet brought me over to one of the supply closets so he could help me search for some spare bandages for my wound. We searched for like an hour, and we couldn’t really find anything that would work. But right before we gave up, we heard gunshots and screaming coming from Poison’s room. My immediate thought was to go run over to my brother, But Jet shoved me inside the closet and told me to get the bandage and hide in the closet, when I protested he shut me up saying that if we were in a life or death situation- at least one of us needed to survive to go see if you were safe…”

Kobra looked like he was gonna cry, a lump hardened in his throat, and he took a shaky breath before continuing 

“I felt so fucking useless…wasting away in a damn storage closet while I heard my brother screaming for his damn life…between every scream was the sound of thundering bullet….and I couldn’t help but think if any of them were piercing through my brother….They took him Veil, they took all of them…I fucking know it was those fucking Scarecrows…I don’t know if they’re alive or dead, but the BL/ind has been hunting killjoys like we’re a bunch of wild animals. They’ve been targeting the Fab Five for years, I wouldn’t be if they planned to capture them alive in attempts to brainwash them…and If that’s the case, we’re gonna have to haul our asses over to Battery City before it’s too late….”

Kobra ends up tightening his grip on his coffee cup…the pressure is so intense that Veil has to remind him to ease on it a bit so that he doesn't break one of their only mugs…But saving silverware seemed to be the least of their problems at the moment…

If what Kobra is saying is true, then that means her boyfriend- and all her friends for that matter- were most likely locked in some confinement cell in a restricted facility….If they transported them via truck, than it may have taken them longer to reach the city- but it was only a matter of time before they would all be brainwashed. Veil knew she had to act- and fast 

“Look…Kobra….We should go now, and I’ll ask questions later- if we waste anymore time Poison is going to end up brainwashed or dumped in a landfill” 

And with that, Kobra sets down his coffee mug, and Veil straps her raygun into place- they don’t know how long they’ll be in Battery City, but it was still smart to pack enough for a few days trip. As Veil grabbed some food from the pantry, Kobra snagged some medical supplies from the supply closet, which didn’t stop him from making some comments.

“Ha…’If we see Poison alive’..Is he really all you care about in this situation? I haven’t heard you once express any concern for Jet or Ghoul” 

He states, he’s clearly annoyed, but he’s trying to go for a more lighthearted tune, hoping it’ll elicit a response out of her that isn’t just an incoherent string of screeching. 

“I never said I wasn’t worried for them- But Poison’s my boyfriend, and like hell I’m gonna let him rot in a BL/ind cell”

She tries to shove down her anger, tossing in the sugar and flour Ghoul had scavenged for them that week…To think those items may be the last items Ghoul would ever scanage for the team sent a chill down her spine.

Kobra continued tossing in some bandaids, finding a pocket knife as well and throwing it in their bag, because why the hell not? You never know when it may come in handy.

“Look, Veil, I love Poison to death, I mean, he’s my elder brother and all- but what the hell do you see in him? How can you see a person and not a wasted shell of a man?”

Okay….maybe ‘wasted shell of a man’ was a bit of an exaggeration, but it wasn’t entirely a lie….Poison was a shell, at least he was a shell of what he used to be. Sometimes, if Kobra shut his eyes real tight, he could still see the loving and innocent face of the brother that raised him, dyed red hair, shining eyes, and a wide smile….Descriptions that sounded so carefree and gleeful, that they were almost laughable in comparison to the man Poison was to day..bitter, angry…resentful…But he had always been like that, ever since the girl died.

Veil shoots Kobra a glare, tossing in a box of half eaten crackers into their bag.

“Poison isn’t a ‘shell of a man’ he’s the love of my fucked up life- alright!? He’s everything to me- and I’d be damned if anything ever happened to him!”

Once the bag is all packed, Kobra zips it up, and tosses it to Veil. They head outside to the car and he continues to mock her bitterly as he jams his keys into his car and starts the engine. 

“Ah yes- the love of your life, and does he treat you well Veil? When you’re all sad and alone, crying in your room, is he the one who holds you close and tight at night? Does he kiss away your tears? Does he make the boo boos go away?”

Oh, how she wanted to fucking kill this man. She aggressively throws their bag into the back seat as she sits in the passenger's seat beside Kobra. Watching as they speed away from the diner, away from safety, away from home.

“I swear to god Kobra…I don’t wanna fight right now- but if you don’t shut the fuck up right now I’m going to-”

“Going to what? No, seriously Veil- what are you going to do? You think that man loves you!? Are you fucking blind- god if only you knew what a-”

He pauses, taking a breath…No…He can’t tell her about that. He can call her stupid, and yell at her all he wants…but he can not tell her about that….

Lucky for him, Veil doesn’t press on any further, she shuts up and looks outside the window as they drive away…they marinate in the awkward silence, but he can tell she’s fuming inside. If they weren't cooped up in a car together right now, she probably would have told him to fuck off and run away. But that’s what she always did huh? Anytime she had a problem, she never solved it, all she did was look the other way or run.

That’s why she was in an abusive relationship, and that’s why she never resolved any fights she ever started. She was always walking on eggshells, but would pretend there weren’t any at all.

All she ever did was get hit…treated like trash, she’d get assaulted, cut up, fucked up, and abused, then she’d be left to bleed out physically or within her heart. And despite all the fucking shit that happened to her, she somehow still couldn’t see it. Still couldn’t understand why she was in her situation in the first place, still couldn’t see the monster he had become, still couldn’t see the irreversible damage that stains her body and mind…and Kobra sweared to fucking god, If Poison wasn’t his brother, he honestly wouldn’t mind letting him rot away in that BL/ind cell anyways…

Veil didn’t deserve any of it, she never did. All she ever did was help others, she’d always make the guys dinner, crack jokes, and loved to have a good time. It wasn't until the past three months where everything went for shit…When Poison started hitting her, tension spread across the Fab Five, and when Ghoul started to…

God, he can’t even say it in his head without feeling guilty

It was only a matter of time before she found out anyways…what he was up to…what they were up to. Kobra tried to remind himself that it was none of his business…that it wasn’t his place to say anything. But every goddamn day it just got harder and harder not to do so…Here Veil was getting physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by Poison every day, only for him to hold despicable nasty secrets behind her back.

He needed to have a talk with Ghoul and Poison when they got back.

Yet Veil seemed so…blind to it all, she didn’t seem to notice anything that ever happened to her- even the obvious. It was as if someone had wrapped a blindfold around her eyes and plugged her ears….She was just..deaf to all of it.

And somehow…deep down, Kobra felt a sense of deep responsibility for his brother. Despite the fact that Poison was older, Kobra couldn’t help but feel that in the recent months, it was his job to watch over him…Poison always came home from killjoy missions everyday, only to stumble to the pantry to smoke and drink, anything to take the edge of the pain, and frankly the man would kill if he needed to get high.

Everytime it happened, it was always the same. Poison would get high, Veil would come say hi, and then he’d either ask her for sex, fight with her, or hit her. Sometimes- he did all of It.

But for whatever reason, she was blind to the abuse that he did to her. It’s like she genuinely believed that he never laid a hand on her….it almost like the memory is so painful her system blocks it out….Kobra was no doctor, but he figured at this point it’s gotta be PTSD or at least something along those lines.

That sad part was, that at the beginning of the relationship, he actually thought that Veil and Poison made for a good couple….he treated her so well…hugged her at her lowest, would give her flowers, would worship her like she was a literal goddess….they were….they were perfect together….and sure, though he wasn’t the one getting lucky, he could be a decent enough person to be happy for his brother, right?

Until he couldn’t 

Kobra let out a heavy exhale, his fists gripping the steering wheel harder as he made a turn onto an abandoned highway that led through the back of the city. 

He glanced to his side, but it wasn’t a surprise that Veil didn’t say anything to him- she just stared out the window in silence…he considered saying something…but she still looked pissed, so he just went back and kept on driving. 

He just had to keep looking for what’s ahead….it was time for the killjoys to make some noise.

Chapter Text

“Poison….?” Veil’s heart pounded a million miles per hour as she stepped closer to him within the unknown terrain…she couldn’t tell the difference between the sky and the floor…everything and everyone around her was shrouded within a dark ominous fog that made her feel as though she was going to suffocate.

“Veil…Oh my love…” He walked closer, every step he took more gracious than the last….she couldn’t believe she finally found him, she couldn’t believe he was finally here. 

He came up close to her…tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and she blushed as he lovingly stroked her face….he brought a sense of warmth and comfort that nobody could compare to, he always found a way to make her feel loved and safe..fuck- she loved him so much…she began to sob, tears staining Poison’s striking blue jacket as he gently stroked her long silky hair…he hushed softly to her in her ear, holding her close…oh, how she wished she could stay like this with him forever…

“Veil…are you okay?”, His voice echoed across her unsteady reality like a heavy concern descending down to her ungrounded earth.

She looked up at him, tears forming at the corner of her eye, “Yeah- now that you’re here”, she leaned into his tender touch, nuzzling her face against the length of his neck, smiling into his soft skin, “I missed you so much baby…”

Suddenly, Poison jerked away from her, holding Veil at an arm's length as he stared at her almost in disbelief, “W-What…? Veil…Veil..wake up”

Wake up? What the hell did he mean ‘wake up?’

“baby…” , she giggled nervously, attempting to pull him back towards her, “baby stop being silly….” but despite her reassurance, he only stepped away further, causing a desperate panic to surge over her heart, and an overwhelming sensation of nausea pushing past her stomach.

Before she could say anything more, she noticed Poison raise a violent hand in her direction…her blood went cold and her heart stopped…he was going to hit her again…they were going to get home, he was going to get drunk, and then once he wreaked of wretched alcohol he was going to stumble over to her like a mad man and beat the living shit out of her until she was covered in blood, black, and blue. She’d have to make up a story and tell Kobra, Ghoul, and Jet, that she ran into some dracs…that Poison would never do that to her, that Poison would never-

Right before the slap could come into contact with her face, Veil woke up with a jolt to someone gently patting their hand on her shoulder…Though it was still dark..,she could now see definition within her surroundings…despite the fact that she felt majorly disoriented, after a few seconds she was able to identify that she was in a car…and that hand didn’t belong to Poison, it was Kobra’s…the moonlight seeped through the car windows, and casted a soft light onto her delicate frame. She was laying directly against the window, sprawled out over the passenger's seat that she slept in. In contrast, Kobra sat up straight and neat, looking perfectly composed and put together as he always did…not a crack through his appearance.

And when she looked into his deep and intricate hazel eyes…she could see the reflection of red and blue city lights blinking across the surface..buildings…and people..

That’s when she knew-

They were in Battery City

She couldn’t stop looking at him....God… was it just the lighting? Or had Kobra always looked like that—sharp lines softened by something deeper, something gentler beneath that usually unreadable face? He looked… stoic, yes. But there was a warmth there too, something quietly protective, almost tender—

“Veil..? You okay..?”

“H-Huh?! Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” she stammered, her voice a pitch too high as she quickly straightened up, trying to get ahold of herself. She turned her gaze away, willing her thoughts to settle—but then he reached out. His fingers brushed her chin, tilting her face back toward him.

His breath ghosted across her skin like a slow, steady breeze, warm and careful.

“You sure…?”

Her heart thudded in her chest, suddenly far too loud. Was this—was Kobra actually flirting with her?

No. No, this wasn’t right. It couldn’t be.

She was with his brother.

She couldn’t be with him like this…she couldn’t interact with him like this- it was fucked up, vile, and straight up sinful.

She should have pulled away.

Any rational part of her—any loyal part—was screaming at her to do just that. To lean back, to laugh it off, to pretend she hadn’t just been holding her breath since the moment his fingers touched her skin.

But she didn’t move.

Kobra’s eyes held hers, calm and unreadable, but there was something flickering beneath the surface—something dangerous, or maybe just… honest.

“I’m fine,” she repeated, softer this time. Almost a whisper.

He didn’t let go. His thumb brushed her jaw in a motion so gentle it sent a chill crawling down her spine.

“You don’t look fine,” he murmured. “You look like you’re somewhere else.”

Veil swallowed hard. She wanted to say something witty, to push him away with a smile or a joke—but her mouth had gone dry, her body frozen under the weight of his closeness.

This was insane.

This was so insane.

She forced a laugh—too light, too fast. “Maybe I just… didn’t expect you to be this close.”

His brows lifted slightly, but he didn’t pull back. “Do you want me to step away?”

She hesitated. That damn pause—just a second too long.

Then: “Yes,” she said, finally. “I think you should.”

He nodded slowly, something unreadable flashing across his face, and pulled his hand away like it had never been there at all.

The space between them felt too wide now. Cold. Empty.

Veil turned her head quickly, staring hard at the ground like it could anchor her to something solid. What the hell was that? What the hell was she doing?

“I think….I think we should get going” she exited the car, swinging the backpack over her shoulder and slamming the side door. He followed suit not long after.

For a fucked up city of brainwashed people and robots…Battery City never ceased to amaze her, it was always somehow breathtaking, despite how fucked up it all was…the rain decended from the sky again, little drops of rain fall to the dark ground bellow like tears pouring into a void. As she cast her gaze down to the gravel below her, her eyes caught a glimpse of various puddles, all reflecting a blurry image back at her like a fun house mirror. 

Kobra and Veil began to trek across the slums of Battery City, ducking through dark alleyways, and keeping track of vibrant neon street signs in case they lost their way. They had assessed many potential areas to stay the night, but no matter how tired they were, Kobra reassured Veil that they wouldn’t settle for less than safety. Eventually, Kobra spotted an abandoned apartment complex in the slums of the city, unsuspecting, dark, not electricity, no heat- it was a perfect hideout for a bunch of killjoys who didn’t wanna get snuffed out. 

As they entered the building, Veil cringed in disgust– yes, it’s true, she was used to living in an abandoned diner of her own, but ironically she couldn’t help but feel homeless when she entered the complex. I mean- at least the diner felt lively. This apartment had no color to the walls, chipped cheap plywood flooring, no lighting, no heat, a single window, and a bunch of rats running about. As for furniture, there was only a single dirty mattress and a blanket lying in the center of the floor- which Kobra insisted she take as he offered to stand and watch guard instead.

The night pressed in cold and sharp through the shattered window panes, wrapping the apartment in a kind of breathless stillness. The air smelled of rust, dust, and something sweeter—faint smoke from an old flare someone must’ve fired off in the distance. The only light came from a flickering neon sign three buildings down, casting pale pink hues across the cracked tile and exposed brick.

Veil sat curled in a corner of the mattress, her legs tucked beneath her, jacket drawn tight around her body. Her wine-red hair spilled in wild strands over her shoulders, catching the glow like coals under ash. Her breath curled in front of her in slow, uneven waves. God, the things she does for Poison are insane…it only made her wonder, would he do the same for her?

Kobra leaned against the opposite wall, half in shadow, his boots scuffing quietly against the floor as he shifted. His eyes stayed on her, though he tried to look away. Over and over again, like the wanting was too loud to ignore.

He’d watched her flinch too many times when his brother raised his voice. Watched her lie for him. Cover bruises with makeup. Laugh when she wanted to scream.

And now they were here—trapped in this moment before the storm. Tomorrow they’d break into a BL/ind convoy to pull Poison out, maybe alive, maybe not.

Tonight, they were just two people bleeding silently in the dark.

“You cold?” Kobra’s voice finally broke the quiet—low, husky, like gravel soaked in gasoline.

Veil glanced at him. “Freezing.”

Without a word, he crossed the room, shedding his jacket in one motion and draping it around her shoulders. She didn’t protest. It still smelled like him—gunpowder, sweat, engine oil, desert wind.

She looked up at him, her voice soft. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.”

Something in the way he said it made her chest clench. He crouched in front of her, their faces inches apart, and for a long moment, neither of them moved. Her breath hitched as she looked into his eyes, so full of quiet fury and something hotter, deeper, unspoken.

“Kobra…”

He shook his head. “Don’t. Not right now. Just let me… be here.”

Her fingers reached out, almost without thinking, brushing his jaw. He closed his eyes for a second, like her touch burned. Maybe it did. Maybe he wanted it to.

He looked up, eyes searching hers…he could tell deep down what she was thinking..she owed loyalty to Poison…god- little did she know what a rat that bastard was. “You don’t owe him anything, Veil. He broke you. I watched it happen, and I did nothing.”

“You were trying to keep your family together,” she whispered.

“I didn’t protect you. And I should have.” His voice cracked with it, rough with guilt and longing. “You’re the one I should’ve been protecting all along, dammit!.”

The air between them sparked—static, unrelenting. She leaned forward, forehead resting against his, and his hand came up to cradle the side of her face like she was something breakable, sacred. For a moment, all the weight they carried fell away.

Her lips brushed against his—not a kiss, not yet. Just a breath shared. Close enough to feel the shiver ripple down her spine. Close enough that he could taste the grief on her mouth.

“Kobra…,” she murmured, “You know…y-you know this is wrong, I mean- he’s still my boyfriend, and your older brother and-.”

“I don’t fucking care anymore”

Kobra closed the last inch between them, his lips finding hers. It wasn’t delicate—it was desperate, hungry, full of all the things they hadn’t said. Kobra pulled her closer like he’d been dying to feel her, and she let him. For one night, one breathless heartbeat of time, she let herself need him.

He tilted her head back for better access as he pushed his tongue deeper within her mouth, she moaned graciously in response, kissing him back with the same fever. She had never felt so alive before…so loved, so cared for, yet so so shameful.

When they pulled apart, gasping quietly into the space between them, she buried her face against his neck.

“This is so wrong…,” she admitted guilty, remorse dripping from her voice, loving him hurt..but she couldn’t pull away

“Then why does it feel so right?,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap, into the heat of his body, mentally cursing at himself as he did so.

Oh fuck…he was hard. A soft moan escaped her as she sat on his lap, the bludge of his pants pressing dilegently against her entrance, it felt so hot, so warm, so fucking inviting. Her face turned 15 shades of red as she felt herself begin to feel wet….she squirmed a bit, wondering if they were taking it to far, or if she should shift off of him, but just as she did, Kobra’s hands flew to the sides of her petite waist and gripped on to it tightly, pressing her down further onto his erection.

“Oh fuck Veil…” he groaned, his eyes rolling back as he turned his reddended face to turn a different direction….she turned him on like a fucking light switch but he tried to reign himself back in…he didn’t want to force himself on to her..not like Poison did.

“We..we don’t have to do this…” He offered, trying to keep a collected expression, but the pleasure he was experiencing made it nearly impossible to do so. As much as he wanted to keep going…he was hoping somewhere deep down she’d beg him to stop….fucking a girl was one thing, fucking his brother’s girl was another…even if he was a douche. 

Veil stared into Kobra’s eyes for a moment longer, almost as if she was trying to read his expression, hoping that she could search his mind and see what he was thinking. But he offered her no visual cues as to what he might want…and she reasoned that he probably didn’t even know what he wanted…with a heavy heart, she pulled away from Kobra, shifting off of his lap, and instead opting to sit by his side. She looked back up at him, her eyes filled with a sense of responsibility and remorse.

“We shouldn’t…I-I can’t I’m sorry…I can’t do this to Poison, I love him too much…” 

Kobra let out the breath he was holding, a sigh that he couldn’t identify as either relief or regret. At the end of the day, she knew she was right. They had already crossed a line by kissing each other senselessly- having sex would completely obliterate that line if it wasn’t demolished already.

She was his boyfriend, and he was his brother- that’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it always will be.

They shared a solemn look…a quiet, yet hearthattering understanding that whatever is uttered tonight must not be spoken of tomorrow. That as soon as the abridging dawn casts golden rays across the desert, so will secrecy be cast upon their sinful memories.

They stayed tangled together, her head against his chest, his arm wrapped tightly around her like he never wanted to let go. Neither of them spoke. There was nothing left to say.

The line had been crossed. In a mix of shame and surrender.

Tomorrow, they would face hell. But tonight, in that broken room full of ghosts and shadows, they chose each other.

And that was enough.

Chapter Text

When Veil and Kobra awoke the next morning, they barley acknowledged the night prior. Perhaps the two of them believed that if they didn’t speak of it, then it simply did not happen.

But it did happen 

Their wasn’t much privacy in that abandoned apartment, it was just a singular empty room and a small demolished bathroom with a broken shower and a cracked up mirror. Though the small wretched room wasn’t exactly a sanctuary, at least it could serve as a temporary place to clear her mind.

As she took a shower, there were only two things on her mind. The fact that there were roaches on the shower wall, and the distasteful fact that she kissed her boyfriend’s fucking brother.

She kissed her boyfriend’s brother

She didn’t protest- didn’t pull away, she let it happen. She sat in the arms of Kobra, and let him claim her lips as if they belonged to a lover of his own.

She was a cheat, she was unloyal- and now, she had to be a liar. Because no matter what happened, she was affirmative in the fact that she would never speak of this to Poison.

It was just an accident, a one time thing, a moment of weakness, and she would never, never, never, let that transpire again.

Kobra hadn’t said anything to her all morning, despite the fact that today was the day- the day they stormed into one of BL/ind’s most safe guarded facilities to try and bust out their friends 

To bust out her abusive boyfriend that she cheated on 

The shower didn’t really help either- the water was an awkward luck warm temperature that felt more like she was bathing in sweat rather than washing herself off. And no matter how hard she scrubbed, she couldn’t clean off that dirty feeling she held in the back of her mind and in the bottom of her heart.

She had never done something like this before, she wasn’t like this- this wasn’t her. Yet despite the fact that she had been un-loyal, she couldn’t help but feel an urging sense of arousal any time she thought back to last night.

The way he held her close, filling the still of the night with the sounds of soft moans and swirling spit. The way she had let him take control, the way she trusted him…it was all so perfect 

All so fucked up

It was a mistake- everything, all of it. She swore to herself she’d never let it happen again. 

Meanwhile, Kobra had finished getting dressed. He had showered in the early hours of that morning, He couldn’t stop thinking about it…he fucking kissed his brother’s girl…he really did it…after all those days and nights, judging Poison for a lack of his own fiedelity, he had just made a move that he could have never taken back….

It made him feel like he was there all over again, not the night prior- but a night that had occurred 2 weeks ago….

He couldn't help but think of what he was like

His brother Poison had always been a storm, he knew that.

Unpredictable. Loud. Charming when he wanted to be—but more often than not, reckless. He drank too much, made promises he never kept, and lived like consequences were just stories other people told themselves to sleep at night.

But if he knew anything about his brother, he knew this. 

he loved Veil.

In his own fucked-up, heavy-handed way, he did.

So when he saw her with Kobra—alone in the hallway, faces too close, silence stretched tight like a wire— Kobra knew he must have seen red. 

All Kobra had been doing was checking up on her, she was bruised again, right across her delicate face. He remembered grilling her with questions, asking her if she was okay- asking her who had hurt her as if he already didn’t know. 

But of course, Poison wouldn’t have known that. In his drunken state, Kobra was positive the only thing Poison saw was unloyalty. He remembered it like yesterday, Poison’s bottle of cheap whiskey was still in his hand when he staggered forward, voice slurred just enough to give his anger an edge.

“Well, well,” he said with a twisted smile. “Ain’t this cozy.”

Veil had jumped like she’d been slapped. Kobra just turned, slow and steady, jaw clenched tight.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Veil said quickly, eyes wide. And she was right- it hadn’t been what it looked like. They hadn’t done anything with one another.

Poison laughed—short, bitter, mean. “Oh? ‘Cause from here, it looks like my little brother is trying to fuck my girl.”

“Poison,” Kobra had warned, his voice low.

“Don’t—” he snapped, he stumbled closer to them, finger pointed at the pair. “Don’t give me that calm shit. I know what I saw. Hell, I know what I felt. You think I’m too drunk to see it? You think I’m stupid?”

“No,” Kobra had said sharply. “I think you’ve been too drunk to notice anything for a long time.”

The room went still.

Kobra regretted his words as soon as he had spoken them, all too much- yet all to little. Too much said with nothing at all. 

Veil had stared at Kobra, he remembers the terror in her wide and beady eyes. Poison’s mouth had twisted like he’d been struck—but the anger came first, fast and blinding.

“You think you’re better than me?” he spat. “You think just ‘cause you sit there with your cold little stares and your quiet fucking judgment, you get to play the hero now?”

More words he regretted, yet meant all the same- “I think she deserves better,” Kobra had said, quiet, deadly. “And I think you know that, deep down.”

Poison had stared at his brother blank…Like a lightbulb had been turned on inside his head..then he had looked hurted, as if somebody took his heart, shattered it on the ground, and ran in the shards into the solid. He would never forget the way he took a singular shaky breath. The bottle in his hand creaking as his grip tightened.

He looked at Veil. “Is that true?”

She didn’t answer.

That silence said everything.

Poison’s face had twisted—not anger, this time. Hurt. Raw, emotions, physical, aching, real fucking hurt.

He looked as though he might have cried- a surprise for Kobra, he hadn’t seen his brother cry since the death of the girl…and that made him feel real fucking guilty. He had shook his head and looked the other way, giving the two a glance before he turned to head towards Ghoul’s room…“You’re both fucking liars,” he muttered. “I should’ve seen this coming.”

Then he had turned and walked out, the sound of the bottle hitting the floor behind him echoing long after he was gone….that night, Kobra heard two things as he lied awake in his cold hard bed staring at the ceiling. The sound of his guilty conscience, and the sound of those two whores fucking- and he wasn’t talking about Veil.

He remembered the way she awoke that following morning, crying and devastated that her partner would genuinely believe that she would ever do such a thing…He took it upon himself to speak to his brother, to clear the air about that night’s misconception. Yet despite his pleads, the only thing that actually worked in shutting  him up was threatening to tell her about Poison’s own dirty little secret….

God- but after last night- was he any better than Poison in that department anyways? 

It wasn’t long before Veil had come back into the room, strapping her ray gun to her wait belt. She looked to Kobra, exchanging glances, but no words were said. He nodded his head, motioning to her to come follow him.

They exited the apartment, despite the fact that it was daytime, the slums of battery city were still shrouded in darkness. It stanch of trash and sewer rats- she hated that’s how the BL/ind viewed them- sewer rats

South of the slums was the BL/ind headquarters, but both Veil and Kobra knew that to be able to sneak in without getting caught, they’d have to get into disguise. Veil had suggested that they kill a bunch of dracs and snag their uniforms and masks, the masks would help them sneak in without getting identified, but Kobra said he had a better idea….

“Kobra? Are you sure about this?” 

She straightened up janitors uniform they had stolen- Yuck, it smelled like shit- and she was pretty sure he was doing this just to spite her, she gave him a glare as he smoothed out a S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W uniform they were able to snag off of a dead unit member. 

He looks her way, holding back a laugh- she looked ridiculous- and pissed, it was perfect. 

“Look, the plan is simple, alright? I’m gonna use this dead guy’s  key card to get us into the institution. Once we’re inside, I’ll make it appear as if I’m giving you instructions on how to tidy the place up…like an introduction tour if you will….while we’re there, I want you to wander a bit- look lost, see if you can hear any conversations between scarecrow units if there talking about were they’re keeping members of the Fab Four…once you get information, report back to me in the hall, I’m gonna try and steal a map from one of the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W offices if I can- try and act normal, if you’re a new janitor on the job- nobody’s gonna suspect you, especially because they won’t be familiar with your face- if anybody tries to ask you to clean somewhere, DON’T take them up on the offer, just politely  tell them you’re on a schedule, they should understand. Once you gather some info, and I gather a map, we’ll take our next steps- oh and also, watch out for the Director and Korse. I’m positive that dracs and S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W/S will recognize you, but they might- especially considering you hang around the Fab Four- well, Fab Five now I suppose”

Okay- well that was a lot. She drew a nervous sigh, looking away from the god-awful uniform she was wearing, and back towards Kobra. This was going to be a risky operation, but it was necessary, and for what they were working with, this was the closet they’d get to having their plan be bulletproof.

“Yeah, it sounds solid- but I’m gonna kill you later for making me wear this” she continues to glare in his direction, but it’s hard considering how ridiculous she knows she looks right now.

“Alright, alright, whatever you say Viper” Kobra rolls his eyes, using his keycard to open up a S/C/A/R/C/R/O/W unit vehicle he managed to steal on the outskirts of battery city, a member must have parked it when they were on daily patrol. 

They hopped in and sped towards the BL/ind institution. The drive there was more silent than productive. Other than clarifying nuts and bolts of the plan here and there, Veil and Kobra just primarily focused on trying to calm there nerves- they were stupid, they knew that if this plan was a bust, they could wind up dead. And if they didn’t get there on time, all their friends would wind up dead as well.

Even if they found their friends unharmed, there was no guarantee that they’d be able to escape the institution alive. There was so much uncertainty, so many ‘what ifs’ and ‘what thens’.

What if they were dead?

What if She or Kobra Died?

What if they were brainwashed?

What if She or Kobra got brainwashed? 

What if they ALL didn’t make it out alive? 

What then? 

The more she entertained herself with thoughts of failure, the less secure she felt with their plan. At some point, she even considered asking Kobra if he could turn the car around, if they could drive back to the diner and stay safe indoors, leave it all behind and forget any of this ever happened.

But realistically, she knew she could never do that. Not when her friends were being passed around like objects between the hands of the BL/ind and death. 

It wasn’t long before they pulled up to the BL/ind HQ- despite the fact that they had gotten ready for the mission in early morning, the drive from the slums to the Headquarters was so long that Veil could see the sun already setting in the sky.

Even the sun didn’t want to stick around to see this utter disaster play out.

Kobra glanced at Veil, who looked like a nervous wreaked. Instead of slapping her, or getting mad, he looked deep into her eyes, offering her reassurance.

“Are you ready?”

Was she ready? She didn’t know- she didn’t think so, but she knew she had to be. It was now or never. Every second she wasted being consumed by fear, she was a second closer to risking the impending deaths of all her friends.

She had to do this, for her friends, for Kobra

For Poison.

“Yeah, I’m ready” 

Kobra nods, pausing for a second, as if giving her time to change her mind before he moved on with his instruction. 

“So here’s the deal, I’m gonna pull up this vehicle to that check point. BL/ind employees are gonna check my ID card. For today, I’m going to be S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W Unit 312. Remember that number. And you’re going to go under the name Vanessa Matte, alright? I put together a fake ID for you last night. I’m not positive they’re going to check it, but there’s a chance. Once we get in, we’ll head along with the plan, alright? And I’m sorry if I’m gonna act like a cold dick- but I’ve gotta seem convincing, I swear to god those S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W/s have no souls-“

Veil smirks, “oh trust me- you’ll fit the part just fine, I doubt you’ll have to act”

He glares at her, unamused, “what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

She rolls her eyes, “eh, forget it. Let’s just get this party started”

They pulled up to the checkpoint. A BL/ind member barely offers them a proper greeting before asking to see Kobra’s company ID card. He showed them “his” card, making up a bulllshit story on how the company was still processing his “updated” BL/ind ID picture. and how he really had to make it to work that day to show the “new” “janitor” the ropes of the place.

The employee looked at them, a bit suspicious at first, but then sighed. Obviously, they didn’t get paid enough to really care about all the slip up and nic nacs at the company. After viewing “Vanessa Matte’s” perfectly “real” ID, they were let in without a hitch.

But getting inside was the scary part. Kobra walked the corridors of the institution with his head held up high, acting as though he worked here everyday. And Veil just followed him unsurely, glancing around the hazedrous terrain. She supposed that for someone trying to act as if it was there “first day” on the job, her obvious anxiety may not be half bad…

Kobra shoved a mop into her hand along with a bucket of soapy water. “I’ll show you the ropes Vanessa. But listen carefully, we don’t accept slip ups around these parts. We have sections of the building that must be cleaned at specific times, do not be late. We don’t tolerate tardiness within our company. There are several rooms spread across the 7 floors of the BL/ind. Your first assignment will be to mop in room 142. Meet me back in the hallway at 6:20pm sharp.”

Kobra wasn’t just speaking gibberish to play the part….he was speaking in code- and she could tell. Room 142 must be the place where she could pic up on some info about the Fab Four’s location….and Kobra was probably planning on snagging a map in a room nearby before 6:20. That only gave her 20 minutes to listen in for valuable info, but she was sure she could manage.

“Yes sir, I understand”

“Good, now go” Kobra commanded coldly, he then turned sharply the other way. She knew he was only acting- but ouch, a goodbye never hurt anyone.

With mop and bucket in hand, she located room 142 with ease. It wasn’t to far away from the hallway they were standing in before hand. She tried to mentally whisper segments of encouragement and reassurance as she made her way to the room, but all of her efforts to calm her undying nerves came to a halt when she saw several S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W members huddled around computers and import looking documents, sipping what she assumed to be coffee. They barley acknowledged Veil as she entered the room, mopping mindlessly in some corner trying not to seem too nosy

A member signed, scanning through some papers. “So…heard Korse managed to get them?”

“Yeah, captured them a day or two ago. My sources say that they were able to institutionalize their Leader, Party Poison, along with two of the Fab Four members, Fun Ghoul and Jet Star”

Another member takes a sip of coffee, budding in on the conversation. “What about the last one?”

“Kobra Kid wasn’t at the scene when they abducted the other members. We aren’t quite sure where he’s at. S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit members were sent back to their hideout last night, but the place was deserted. Korse is sending out a task force to search the zones for him. There’s no way he could have known about the attack before hand, so we assume Kobra Kid may still be in that general area, likely on a mission”

The unit member nods, clicking on the computer to open up the Fab Four files. “What about that woman? Wasn’t their rumors that a female killjoy has been hanging around with them for the past couple of years?”

Veil’s heart drops. Shit…they knew about her, what if they had a picture of her? What if they recognized her face? What if one of them spilled their coffee, asked her to clean it up, and before she knew it they were profiling her and locking her up in a BL/ind cell to rot for all of eternity? 

A cold sweat traveled along the back of her neck as she continued to listen in on the conversation. 

“Oh, that woman? Yeah, we haven’t officially profiled her into our data base. So far, we don’t have records of her causing major disturbance or issues. We’ve been considering adding her to our records, but there’s no evidence that she permanently resides with the Fab Four. The Director told us to keep an eye out, but said it’s likely she’s just a wondering sex worker from the city slums that bunks with them for convince. We doubt she’s anything more serious than that. 

Okay what the actually fuck. A fucking ‘sex worker’ really!? It took ALL her willpower and strength to not just storm over to those S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W members herself to set the record straight and slap the living daylight out of them. And if it wasn’t for the possibility of actually fucking death looming over her head- she might have done just that. 

She forced herself to reign in her rage as she listened in on the next part. 

“The only issue is that Korse isn’t allowing us to harm those blasted killjoys left…I heard he wants to keep Party Poison alive for at least a few more days for interrogation. I’m pretty sure he has plans to kill the other shortly however” 

Her blood ran cold…a few days? That wasn’t a lot of time…than god she and Kobra had come to the BL/ind tonight and not anytime later…a few days to late, and her friends could have been dead.

She glanced at the clock in the room, it was 6:19pm. She figured she had done her job, and quietly bowed out, she thought taking the bucket with her would cause to much noise. So she opted to just take the mop with her instead. When she exited the room and re-entered the hallway, she saw Kobra with a scroll in his hand, likely containing the map. 

“Kob- I mean, S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit 312 sir, I’ve cleaned up room 142 very well” she walked to his side, though he couldn’t offer her a smile, she could tell he was proud.

“Good. I’ve done what I’ve needed to as well, the next part of the tour we will be heading to floor 8 and enter room 1”

Veil looked at him confused, the BL/ind was only 7 floors…”um…sir? Isn’t there only 7 floors in this establishment”

Kobra smirked, flashing out a fancy looking keycard “there’s 8 now”

when they entered the elevator, Kobra waited for the doors to shut before he swiped the keycard he stole to unlock the 8th floor button. Veil didn’t know much, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that whatever would be on that floor must have been top secret….likely the location of their friends.

The ride up the elevator was suffocating, and though it was only a short minute or two, it felt like an eternity. She was pretty positive that her disguise as a “janitor” wasn’t going to go well on floor 8 of all places.

When the elevator doors opened, Veil was surprised that instead of it opening up to a hallway, the elevator doors opened up directly into a room….a dark mechanical looking room with bright lights of different colors illuminating the metallic walls and floors. Wires were hung in an array of different places, black, red, blue, green, some intact, and some sparking. It was eerily silent, accept for a buzz that could be heard coming from the back corner or the room, along with a blue glow…

But despite the stimulating scenery that surrounded her, only one particular thing caught her attention.

Party Poison

He was encased in a glass cylinder that was hooked up to wires and glowing buttons. His eyes were shut, and he appeared to be floating within an unknown clear liquid or substance that Veil couldn’t identify…for a second- she wondered if he was dead, but figured that if he was hooked up to equipment like that, he must be alive.

Forgetting completely about the roles they were playing, Veil ran up to Poison, and put her hands on the glass, peering in. They did it, she did it. They made it to her boyfriend, he was safe, and alive, and just a foot away from her…she called out to him, hoping he could hear her.

“Poison!! I’m here baby! We made it, we came for you- just hold on!” 

Kobra ran up to Veil, grasping her wrist and giving her a stern look as he whispered harshly. “Veil!! Shhh! We don’t know if we’re here alone. We have to be quiet- there’s got to be monitors hooked up somewhere in this room- they’re definitely onto us, and we’re not going to have long to bail him out”

Suddenly- a realization hits her… “Kobra…? If this is the only room on the 8th floor…and Poison is here…than where are the others?”

But instead of getting a response from Kobra, the two hear an eerie, deep, hollowing laugh coming from behind them. Followed with heavy footsteps and slow claps.

“Ha…congrats killjoys, never thought you’d make it”

Kobra and Veil whipped their heads around, and their eyes filled with terror instantly- it was Korse. Head of the BL/ind…the most powerful man in Battery City. Kobra stepped in front of Veil protectively, glaring at the corrupt man in front of them.

“Ah, Kobra Kid- I assume you came all this way for your brother? Next time, if you plan to sneak into a BL/ind base “undetected” don’t carry around the ID badge of a deceased S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit member, we make sure to deactivate the cards, and get alerted when they’re unlawfully used”

Kobra cured under his breath, he should have thought about that.

“Oh, and I assume this little ‘janitor’ over here doesn’t actually clean for a leaving? Its  awfully strange for a lowly cleaner to find her way to BL/ind’s most restricted floor, isn’t it sweetheart?”

Veil panicked, there was no getting out of this now. They were caught, and now- they were going to have to pay the consequences.

Kobra continues to stare down Korse, holding his ground. “What the hell do you want Korse”

Korse smirks, looking at the pair. “Your lives, if it wasn’t already obvious”

Kobra scoffs, spitting back at the larger man, “if our lives is what you wanted, then you would have shot all of the Fab Four point blank a few days ago. I’m not a fucking idiot, what do you really want?”

Korse raises an eyebrow, amused with Kobra’s confident talk back, “hmm, you’re smarter than I give you credit for little killjoy, but supposing your going to die here anyways, I’ll let you in on a little secret- I do in fact plan on killing you and all your cherished friends, but not before I milk all of them for what they’re worth. Facts, information, resources, and of course- the hideouts of other interconnected killjoy groups and rebels. I don’t just want to kill the Fav Four, I want to gut their operations from the inside out. We don’t tolerate rebels in our beloved zones and cities…”

Kobra is getting pissed, “you are never gonna get a word out of any of us. You could keep us locked up and torture us for eternity but our team will always remain strong- unlike you soulless bunch of dracs, we can rely on our team. We’ve got each other”

Korse laughs at Kobra like what he just said was the most ridiculous statement he’s ever heard, “ah yes, the ‘power of friendship’ what are you 5? And do you take me for a fool? I know your little team of swear rats wouldn’t crack an inch of their defense as long as they have each other, which  is exactly why they don’t. Each of your little killjoy friends are trapped in different facilities among the zones. Fun Ghoul is locked up in Zone 2, and Jet Star is projected to be executed tomorrow night, but for now he’s locked up in Zone 4” 

Veil’s heart began to pound…and a pit formed in her stomach, she felt nauseous. She couldn’t tell whether or not Korse was lying- but she could tell by the look on Kobra’s face, that Korse was indeed telling the truth.

“Why the hell are you telling us this?” Kobra asked daringly, unsure how to approach the hostile conversation.

Korse shrugs, offering the pair a smirk, “I said I didn’t plan on letting you lot leave alive, didn’t I? Doesn’t matter what I tell you now, it just gives you something to think about as you suffer in agony during your final moments”

Suddenly, he lunged towards Kobra Kid, the two fought, exchanging shots and bullets, Veil stood by in shock, mentally cursing herself for only having the equipment of a janitor. It didn’t take long before Korse grabbed Kobra in a headlock, choking him viciously and he suddenly pulled out a red button, laser beams around the room began to fire up a strong glow and buzzing sound growing louder and louder as they pointed towards Kobra’s direction. 

This was it, they were going to die.

Kobra began to panic, trying to shove the larger man off, but it was no use, “GET OFF OF ME YOU DICK!!!”

Korse just laughed, holding the smaller man in a tighter death grip “ah it’s a shame you have to die- but I guess I’m a kind enough soul to give you wretched killjoys what you wanted, always talking about how you want to ‘let this world explode’ I’m sure your world could-“ 

“EAT MOP ASSHOLE!!!” 

Veil yelled, lunging up behind Korse to smack him across the head hard with the mop just Before Korse could press the button, causing him to let go of Kobra and the button in the process.

“AUGH!!! You’re gonna PAY for that, you little SLUT!!”

Korse was enraged, pulling out his gun to shoot in her direction, but before she could even respond, Kobra ran up to Veil and grabbed her by the wrist. 

“COME ON VEIL, RUN!!!”

“NO!! I’m not leaving without Poison!!!”

Kobra panicked, tugging on Veil harder, Korse was starting up the laser beams again.

“WE CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW, DO YOU WANT US TO FUCKING DIE!!!”

He looked at Veil like she was insane- didn’t she understand how serious this was!?

“I DIDN’T COME ALL THIS WAY JUST TO ABANDON HIM!!!”

Those beams were gonna fire at them any second 

“GOD VEIL- IF WE DON’T LEAVE NOW WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!! WE’LL COME BACK FOR HIM, I SWEAR WE’LL-“

“NO!!!”

She tried to make a run for the glass containing Poison, but Kobra grabbed her wrist just in time and shoved her in the elevator. 

“AUGH!! What the hell!? Fuck you Kobra!!!” She spat venomously as she was shoved roughly to the floor of the elevator. 

“Don’t give me that- you’ll fucking thank me later idiot”

Kobra went to hit the elevator button- but it was jammed. 

“BLOODY HELL!!” He swore, punching the blasted buttons aggressively- but it was no use, they were fried, short circuiting at the touch. And it became apparent to him then that they were all gonna die. 

It wasn’t long before Korse began to gain on them, u leashing an array of bullets that piercing through the metal walls of the revelatory with ease, Veil screamed, scrambling off the elevator floor to try and dodge the onsault of bullets, desperately, Kobra made on final attempt.

“Give me the mop”

“What-!? Kobra- we’re gonna die!!! What the hell do you mean-“

“I SAID GIVE ME THE DAMN MOP!!” He snatched it out of her hand, and smashed the elevator window, glass shattered all of the place, a rush of cold unyielding air rushed into the elevator, reveling the darkness of the night and BL/ind helicopter patrols just outside- there’s no doubt that the company was in a strict lock down.

It was a long trip to the bottom- if they jumped- they would die. But if they stayed here, they’d perish all the same.

He looked at Veil “grab on to my shoulders” 

“What? Your not seriously thing of-“

He didn’t have time for this, he grabbed Veils arm, taking only half a millisecond to process the absolute and utter terror in her eyes, and then, he jumped.

Chapter Text

Everything after the jump was a blur.

Her feelings, her morals, her logic—all of it dissolved into chaos. All Veil could register was the icy night air biting at her skin as her limp body hurtled through the darkness. Kobra had tried to hold her close, anchoring her to some sense of reality, but the world had already spun out of control.

By some twisted stroke of fortune—or perhaps misfortune—they managed to catch a loose rope dangling from a S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit helicopter. Kobra, with the strength of desperation, hurled Veil inside like a rag doll, then pulled himself up after her, launching into brutal hand-to-hand combat against the BL/ind soldiers with nothing but his fists and fury.

The world tilted. Time slowed. Everything felt inverted, like she’d been shoved into another dimension. She was more alive—and more dead—than she’d ever felt. No drugs in her system, but she was high: figuratively, emotionally, literally. So high, in fact, she swore she might pass out.

She watched, frozen, as Kobra slammed his fist into a S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W agent, sending the body tumbling out of the open door into the night. One by one, he cleared the helicopter until they were alone. Running on pure adrenaline, Kobra didn’t even glance back to check on her before taking control of the chopper and steering them to safety.

Veil collapsed to the floor, cradling her knees in trembling arms, trying to catch her breath. The cold air filled her lungs, but she wasn’t sure her soul had followed her out of that facility. Then she saw it—the bright, terrible glow that made her stomach lurch.

The BL/ind facility was erupting.

Explosions shattered the night, each blast lighting up the darkness like apocalyptic fireworks. Flames climbed the sky, screams ripped through the air, and debris fell like shooting stars. On any other day—any other damn day—she would have been celebrating. Laughing, cheering, high-fiving the Killjoys as they watched their dream burn reality to the ground.

But not today.

Because he was still in there.

Party Poison.

Without a second of rational thought, without even considering how far up they were, Veil shot to her feet and ran for the open helicopter doors.

“POISON!!!”

But before she could leap, the doors slammed shut with a hydraulic hiss, locking her in.

“No—NO!” she screamed, pounding her fists against the cold metal. “Open up! Open the fuck up!”

Her sobs cracked through the roar of the rotors.

From the cockpit, Kobra’s voice bellowed back, furious and strained:

“VEIL! Have you lost your goddamn mind?! If I wasn’t flying this thing, I’d be back there dragging you away myself!”

The helicopter’s steady hum filled the silence between them, a low mechanical reminder that they were still alive—still moving—despite everything that had just happened. Veil sat curled against the wall of the chopper, arms wrapped tight around her knees. Her face was streaked with tears, and her hands still ached from pounding on the door.

Kobra finally turned from the controls, his voice sharp and furious.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he snapped.

Veil didn’t look at him. Her voice was raw, cracked with grief. “He was still in there, Kobra. Poison was still in there.”

“And you were about to jump ?” Kobra shot back. “From a moving helicopter, hundreds of feet off the ground? You really wanted to die that badly?”

Veil’s eyes met his then, wild and full of pain. “Don’t pretend like you understand. You left him. You didn’t even try to go back!”

Kobra’s face twisted, his jaw tightening. “Because it was too late, Veil! What the hell do you want from me? You think I don’t see his face every time I close my eyes? You think I don’t hear him screaming? I didn’t want to leave him—I had to!”

“Then you should’ve let me go back!” she shouted, her voice rising. “You made that choice for both of us!”

“Because you weren’t in any state to make a damn decision!” Kobra barked. “You were barely consciously functioning—I had to throw you in here just to save your life!”

“I never asked you to,” she said coldly, shaking. “I’d rather have died with him than live with this.”

Kobra took a step closer, fury in his eyes. “Then what the hell was the point of any of this? All the missions, all the close calls—every time we made it out by the skin of our teeth—was it just for nothing? You want to throw all that away because we lost him?”

She stared at him, silent, her chest rising and falling in short, angry breaths.

“This isn’t just about losing a leader, Kobra,” she said finally, her voice quieter, heavier. “He was more than that to me. He was my everything .”

Kobra’s expression shifted. The fire in his eyes dulled, replaced by something else. Something broken.

“He was my brother ,” he said.

The words hung in the air, hollow and sharp. Veil looked away, her eyes brimming again.

“I know,” she whispered.

Kobra exhaled hard and turned away, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Then don’t you ever accuse me of not caring.”

“I’m sorry,” she said after a long moment, her voice barely audible. “I just… I don’t know how to live without him.”

“Neither do I,” he said, quieter now. “But we’re going to. Because if we don’t… he died for nothing. And I refuse to let that happen.”

And then—there it was.

The silence.

Long. Twisted. Uncomfortable. The kind of silence that pressed in around them, heavy and unnatural, like the calm before a catastrophe. It coiled itself around Veil’s chest, squeezing.

Had Poison really died…?

The thought crept in like a disease.

What if he was still alive? What if—

No. No, that couldn’t be. There was no way they’d blow up the facility with him still inside. That would be suicide for their operation. Korse would never allow that.

…Would he?

If the building was destroyed, it had to be on Korse’s orders. And no other Killjoys had been seen anywhere near the place, which could only mean—

As if summoned by her thoughts, a cold, all-too-familiar voice crackled through the helicopter’s intercom.

“I know you two rotters managed to slip away this time… Hijacking one of my helicopters—how insanely rude.”

Kobra and Veil froze, heads snapping toward each other. Their eyes locked, wide with alarm. They didn’t speak. Responding would confirm everything—their location, the hijack, the blood they’d spilled. But the silence didn’t stop Korse.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he purred. “For what you did to me, I should have gutted that useless son of a bitch. But rest assured… Killjoy or not, that dipshit is still alive. After all, it’s only a matter of time before we put him to real use.”

At the mention of his brother, Kobra snapped. His voice tore through the cabin, raw with fury.

“You bastards! You better not lay a damned hand on him!”

A low, malicious laugh echoed from the intercom.

“Ah… I see. And did that same logic apply when you so brutally launched my men out of a moving helicopter?”

Silence.

The weight of it returned, this time laced with guilt and dread.

Korse’s tone shifted, colder now, final.

“Very well. Enjoy what little time you have left, Killjoys… Because trust me—”

A pause. Like he wanted them to hear him smile.

“—the worst is yet to come.”

Then the line went dead.