Disclaimer: I don't own Kid Cosmic!
Title: Big Favors
Summary: Papa G asks Jo a favor.
...
The ride home is long and awkward. Rosa conked out first, but only by the virtue of mere minutes. Kid slept flopped backwards like a fish, while the toddler curled into Jo's lap, accepting the gentle head scritches with a happy murmur.
"Your hands are shaking," she says absentmindedly.
Papa G tightened his knuckles around the steering wheel. "Side effect of gettin' older." He patted Kid's head. "Musta been tuckered out, poor thing. He hates sleeping in cars."
Not surprising, Jo thinks, but knows not to say. "Your back alright? You hit pretty hard."
"Aw, it's just a scratch. Nothing serious." Papa G took his eyes off the road to look at his grandson a moment, just a second, before turning back to it. "Jo, I gotta ask a mighty big favor of you."
"What kind of favor?"
"Paperwork type favor."
"Oof."
He chuckled, but didn't really sound amused. "Way I see it, no parent should ever outlive their child. Already did it once. Don't wanna do it again."
"Papa G," Jo warned. "No."
"Face it, Jo. I'm old as sin, and all these moonmen comin' along with their fancy death rays and dictatorship propaganda aren't exactly helping. And even if they wasn't, I ain't gonna be around forever. Might not even be around for his high school graduation." Papa G sighed heavily, no doubt harboring these fears for a long while now. "I know it's asking a lot, but he needs a backup."
Jo's insides were doing a less-than-stellar impression of the mamba, listening to him. This was a lot of responsibility in a normal life, let alone a life where aliens were out to kick your butt and potentially eat you. "Aren't I a bit... young? Like, I can't be a godparent before I hit eighteen, right?"
"Age of reason, not adulthood," he corrected gently. "You've got a steady job, a second steady job, and a place all your own to sleep-"
"It's a hotel room, not like an apartment or anything."
"Still counts. Courts would rule in yer favor." The old man gently kneaded his forehead. "I know I'm askin' a lot. You don't gotta say yes, Jo. I won't hold it against you or anything."
She sighed out her nose, pressing her cheek against her window. Jo hated how much sense he was making. Who else could do it? Flo was far from Kid's biggest fan. The Flores' had their hands full with Rosa. And Tuna Sandwich couldn't exactly go buy a house and go to parent-teacher conferences. No one else knew about the rings.
Jo was reasonable. Jo was fairly reliable. Jo wasn't going to die of old age in ten to fifteen years.
"Fine," she relented. "But we're only doing this legal-wise. No telling Kid. This is an end-of-the-world last chance necessity only situation."
Papa G relaxed into his seat- Jo realized, with a sudden clarity, that she hadn't noticed him that loose before- and smiled. His eyes were a bit misty. "Yer good people, Jolene. Thank you."
Author's Note: Another one from Ao3! I can't wait to see more of Jo and Papa G- the closest thing to adults in this group.
-Mandaree1