The sound of feet crunching gravel was what woke me. I rubbed my eyes and looked around the camp fire to see Kobra Kid and Jet-Star in their sleeping bags but not Party Poison. Looking past Jet-Star's sleeping form I saw my red haired companion restlessly pacing about. Immediately I recognized his signs and wriggled out of my sleeping bag. Party Poison heard the noise and watched me with anxious eyes as I came over.
"You feelin' shaky on the inside sweetheart?" I asked gazing at him with sympathy; Party knew what he would see and so automatically responded
"Everything Is Perfect." Before looking out into the star littered night not seeing my wince at his slight relapse.
"Why don't you come lay down with me that'll make you feel better." I suggested knowing better than to touch him or try to get him to look at me. It wasn't that Party hated affection or comfort, the man loved to smother me with hugs, but he clammed up when he got his anxiety attacks. Party Poison's month long stint being trapped in Battery City hadn't helped his locked up emotions.
I shuddered at the image that memory conjured up. BL/ind had given him back to us but not until they had done their worst of course.
They had cut his hair, giving him a buzz cut and to mock us had washed his clothes. But none of that mattered when I had caught sight of those listless eyes.
"Party Poison?" I cautiously had asked tipping his bowed head up so that I could see into those eyes that had then been drained of hope. As soon as my gaze had caught his he was back in the pure white room they had imprisoned him in, and this time I was right along with him. A scream rang out and a cold sweat bathed my body as I felt my face pale. Party Poison who had been curled up in a ball bolted to his feet. "Jeanette!" he roared pounding on the door that seamlessly blended into the white wall. "Leave her alone!" he wailed as Jeanette again screamed and this time he could hear Kobra Kid too and the sounds of thrashing. "Kobra!" he screamed re-doubling his hopeless efforts to try and get out. One moment Jeanette and Kobra were screaming the next there was dead silence. It was the kind of silence that pressed upon the eardrums and made them ache from want of hearing anything at all.
"Jeanette? Kobra?" he called out a quaver in his voice, as he stopped hammering on the door to try and hear something. "Kobra answer me!" Party demanded again pounding on the door but with less vigor. "Jeanette? Please….answer me." he brokenly pleaded leaning his forehead against the door, red hair making a curtain on either side of his face as the tears began to course down his cheeks. "Please…" he hiccuped as he sat, pulling his legs to his chest and setting his forehead on his knees.
Sobs had wracked me when I had returned from his memory, horrified by what they had done to my beloved. And after that trip I had sworn to destroy BL/ind. The thought of Korse made my fists clench in rage, and made me feel like I radiated hatred. They could give a shit about how much they messed up Party Poison as long as they got their message across.
Defy us and you'll end up like him
It didn't matter to them that for a year afterwards Party Poison woke up sobbing or screaming for them to stop hurting us. We of course had been (physically anyways) safe since we had not gone into Battery City to retrieve a Killjoy who had been captured (a lie). But Party Poison had not known this since he had been trapped in his white prison.
It didn't matter to them that it took Party Poison two years to even partially rid himself of the slogans they had raped him with till he had grown submissive.
The first week he was back with us he had spent it in withdrawal from the pills that they had force fed him. He had cried when describing to me, in between heaving spasms, how they had restrained him, making him gag when he refused to swallow their colorful pills.
I was drowning in past memories when Party Poison's amazingly baby soft fingertips touched my jaw, bringing me back to the present. I gave a shaky sigh to anchor myself. Now wasn't the time to be lost, I had to be strong for my beloved Party Poison.
Opening the eyes that I'd not realize I had closed I meet the gaze of my companion. Eyes that had once been hauntingly empty where now filled with concern.
"Everything is…not perfect?" he whispered struggling and partially failing against saying one of BL/ind's slogans. But I knew he couldn't help it, not when he was having an anxiety attack.
"No but we'll get through this." I confidently stated relieved when he nodded clearly believing in me. "Wanna to go for a ride?" I offered tipping my head towards the fire engine red Convertible.
"What about gas? I know it's hard to find any." He questioned anxiously biting on his lip though it was clear he wanted to go.
"Don't worry about that sweetie we'll be fine." I assured him. Upon hearing this, a smile of relief came to his thin pale pink lips.
"Sure!" he exclaimed.
"Go get in I'm gonna tell Jet-star we'll be back." I stated to which Party nodded and galloped off to the car. Turning I walked back to camp and shaking Jet-Star awake told him I was taking Party Poison for a ride. He groggily nodded before closing his eyes and falling back asleep. A grin plastered on my face I myself happily ran to the car and hopped in.
With a crunch of gravel I spun the car around making Party Poison squeal and laugh his well known feminine laugh, something I hadn't heard in three years. I grinned and stomped on the gas making his laughter all the louder as we sped into the crisp night, the wind tearing at our hair and sweeping away our anxiety.