The Only Hope for Me Is You

Poison had his arm around my shoulder, holding me close to him, and our lips moved together. I was smiling, feeling the fire rushing through me again. If no one else was here, I have a feeling things would have been much more intense, so right now we told each other mentally to keep it PG-13. He leaned back, catching his breath, smirking,

"Hi," he said. I smiled.

"Hi," I replied, and we just stared at each other for a while, until I saw Joker walk back inside with Kobra, arms wrapped together. Joker was wiping her eye when I nudged Poison, who nodded, and let me stand up. I walked over to Joker.

"Everything okay?" She shook her head.

"No...." she said, looking up at me, eyes shining. "She's so young...I don't understand..." Kobra leaned down and kissed her cheek, and she turned to face him and hugged him tight, burying her face in his chest. He rubbed her back, comforting her, and looked at me.

"You should talk to the two of them," he said. "They still look pretty scared." I nodded, and walked back over to Poison, grabbed his hand, and dragged him off the couch. Kobra and Joker walked into Kobra's room. I heard Fun Ghoul wolf-whistle from over by the record player, and I sneered at him.

"Hey." I said, pointing at him. "Shut up." He just chuckled, and put the needle down on the record player.

""Now this could be the last of the routes we take....So hold on tight and don't look back..."

The record played, and Fun Ghoul nodded, and sat across from Jet Star at the table, and they started playing cards, lighting a cigarette. Dr. D and Show Pony had apparently left not too long ago, but I hadn't noticed because I was...busy....with Poison. I shook my head, pulled Poison off the couch, with him grinning at me. I scoffed.

"NO! Poison, you hound dog!" I hit him in the chest, and he chuckled, but still looked slightly disappointed. "We have to talk to Atomic and Exploder...they're still terrified..." I looked out the window to see them standing by themselves, hugging each other. Atomic was crying. I looked at Poison, who took a deep breath.

"Alright...." he said. "Later, though?" He grinned, his small teeth showing. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine." I pulled his arm and started walking. "Now come on." He walked behind me, smiling wide, and we walked out into the sunset to see the brother and sister still close together. I walked up to them, and tapped Exploder on the shoulder. He turned around, looking angry.

"What?" He asked, rubbing his sister's head. I hesitated, biting my lip, looking at Poison for support. He nudged my shoulder, and I started.

"Guys...." I said, looking at the ground. "We are so sorry about your friends..." I looked up. "Really, we are." Exploder blinked.

"If you were sorry, you would have came sooner." I looked up at Poison, and he spoke.

"Look, we just got back from a mission before we got your message, all right?" He was stern, and Exploder winced slightly, trying not to show it.

"We did all we can, Exploder," Poison continued, turning around and walking back into the shack. In the doorway, he turned around again.

" You're lucky we came at all." He added, and waved at me to come back inside. I frowned at the two of them, and ran back inside, Poison wrapping his arm around me, and we sat back on the couch. I snuggled up next to him, and looked at him. His jaw was jutting out slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

"What's on your mind, Poison," I asked. He shook his head.

"That ungrateful little rat," he said, putting his hand on the back of my head, stroking my hair. "We saved him and his sister, and he's still angry at us." I frowned.

"Wouldn't you be mad, though, if you lost Fun Ghoul...." I said. "Or Jet Star...or even worse...your brother?" I heard him squeak slightly, and he looked down at me, putting his chin on my head.

"I see your point..." he said slowly. "If I lost Mikey....shit, I would go mad. If I lost anyone, for that matter. Even you." He took his chin off my head, and lifted mine up with his thumb on my chin, and kissed me again. I felt tears swell out of my eyes as this happened. I had finally found someone who loved me for who I was, and would do anything for me. I smiled, thinking this, and just as I had moved to straddle his lap, I heard someone clearing their throat from in front of us. Poison jumped, biting my lip, and to be honest I didn't mind one bit. I turned around, still sitting on his lap, and looked up, and Exploder was standing there, holding hands with his sister.

"EEW!" She said, pointing at us. I burst out laughing at this, burying my head in Poison's chest. I felt his chest rising and falling with laughter as well; Atomic was so young, she still didn't know how the world had gone to shit. She was just a normal little girl, disgusted by adult activities.

"Atomic, stop," Exploder said, and she put her hand down, looking at him. He looked at us.

"Sorry to...um...interrupt," he said, embarrassed. "I just wanted to apologize for the little shit I've been." He held his hand out, and Poison hesitantly shook it, stopping laughing immediately.

"You were mad, I understand," Poison said. "Sit down, let me hear your story." He looked over to Jet Star and Fun Ghoul, and waved them over. They nodded, and Fun Ghoul leaned on the beam in the middle of the room, and Jet Star stood, arms crossed. Exploder let Atomic walk in front of him, and she sat next to me and Poison on the couch, and her brother sat on the coffee table. He didn't talk for a second, looking like he was blocking out painful memories, and then he finally spoke.

"Me and my sister...." He started. "are from the North...Portland, to be exact. When BL/ind took over, they told us our house was on BL/ind property, and that we were to move out immediately, or be exterminated. Our parents refused, so Korse had them ghosted right there on the spot." he winced. "Right in front of us. Me and Atomic managed to escape, and we ran as fast as we could, eventually getting out of BL/ind's grasp, somewhere in the middle of Oregon." he paused, looking at us.

I looked around the room; Fun Ghoul had stopped leaning on the beam, hearing Exploder's story, and put one foot on the coffee table, leaning forward on his elbow to hear more closely. Jet Star shook his head, disgusted. I looked at Poison, who was stone faced, but I could see the pain in his eyes. Hearing this story...I could relate.

"We met up with the others on our way here," he concluded. I saw Kobra walk into the room with Joker, both smiling, and they stopped as soon as they saw this scene.

"What's going on?" Joker asked.

"Exploder's telling their story," I explained, and she nodded, sitting on the arm of the sofa next to me and Poison, and Kobra wrapped his arm around her. Exploder continued.

"Anyways..." he said. "BL/ind took our family from us. Murdered them, right in front of our faces." he closed his eyes, reliving the terror, and Atomic ran up to hug him. It was silent for a minute, then Joker spoke, quietly.

"BL/ind took my mum and dad away too..." She said. "I'll never forgive them," She sobbed, and Kobra hugged her tight, her cries muffled by his jacket. I started tearing up too.

"I don't even know where my parents went," I said. "I hated them. I left them before this all started and moved down here..." I looked up at Poison, wh o looked confused. I continued,

"I'm from Washington state originally," I explained to him. "I was tired of the shitty weather, my parents judgmental attitudes towards everything, and got up and went." I hung my head. "I didn't even say goodbye..." I started crying, and Poison hugged me so close, I could feel his body heat on me. I let it all out; the pain, the anger, the regret, the hatred, all of it, feeling Poison lightly rub my back.

"Shhhh...Cyanide, it's all right...you're here now, that's all that matters..." I heard him say. I looked up, and kissed him on the mouth, harder than ever before, my tears falling on our lips, and I tasted the salt on them. He kissed back, pushing his head into mine, our lips moving as one. I opened my mouth, and felt his tongue slide into my mouth, and we started Frenching, breathing hard through our noses.

I didn't even care what everyone else was thinking. I needed this comfort right now. Poison was my one thing in the world that made all my troubles go away.