[ idk how i've actually had this go on for this long?? idk i'm attached and don't want to end this but it'll probably have one or two more parts.

warnings: language

stay safe,
lew. ]

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Back at their hideout, sleeping arrangements were made, and more Zone-appropriate clothing was given to Ronnie, colorful- although a bit faded- rather than the grays of the clothes he already had.

"We'll let you have this room, me and Kid will sleep out in the living room," Lewis told the newcomer. "We'll just drag his mattress out there, you can have my bed."

It really looked like Ronnie wanted to protest, but he was just too damn tired. He thanked the other man, and as soon as he was alone in the room (other than Chase, who was powered down in the corner), he fell into a dreamless sleep.

The other four gathered around the table, having a serious discussion as Lewis helped Bailey dye his hair, and Logan checked the blaster burn again.

"How do you know Ronnie?" Bailey asked curiously, seemingly unaffected by the pungent scent of the dye.

"He's my cousin. And the informant from Battery City," Harry replied, wincing as Logan gently prodded the skin around the wound. "Looks like that source of info is gone now."

"I'm sure you'd rather have him alive, though," Lewis commented.

"Obviously."

"C'mon, guys. At least pretend you get along." Logan sighed, leaning his head against Harry's for a moment.

There was a tense silence before Lewis mumbled, "You might end up with hair like Cell's, Kid."

"Oh well. It could be worse."

——

That first night was strange.

Ronnie woke up halfway through the night from a bad dream. He then got out of bed and headed towards Harry and Logan's room, only to be stopped by Lewis.

Lewis was sitting up, Bailey asleep laying half in his lap. Even in the dim light given off by the flashlights they used, it was hard to miss the tear tracks down the youngest's face.

"Did we wake you up?" He asked gently. "Kid had a bad nightmare and woke up crying, he just now fell back asleep."

"You didn't, I promise. Bad dreams must be the trend tonight."

"Bad dreams are pretty common. Some people say it's just one of the weird desert effects. If you don't think you can fall back asleep, we can sit and talk, get you more accustomed to stuff out here," Lewis offered, absently stroking Bailey's hair.

"I don't want to keep you up-"

"It's fine. I don't sleep much anyway. I make myself too anxious to sleep on nights like this. And for the record, I think Neon and King are probably indecent, you don't wanna go in there."

Ronnie had to laugh as he sat down on the mattress. "You're not wrong. They ran from the city together, if you didn't already know. And somehow, he still managed to keep in touch."

"I'm glad. They're good for each other, y'know? And you seem like such a nice guy, I'm sorry for what's happened to you."

Ronnie didn't have a reply, other than nodding slowly. Lewis noticed, and decided to just start talking, because Lewis never knows when to shut up.

"My brother, a couple of guys he knew, and I all ran away together probably five or six years ago now. And within a year, all of them had been ghosted- turned into Draculoids or killed by SCARECROWS." He smiled sadly, still staring down at the boy in his lap. "Then, I found those dorks at the Nest- that place we were at. And Kid came to us later, but...

"He had ran with his boyfriend about a year ago. When his boyfriend got dusted, he was about five seconds away from meeting the same fate when someone else saved him and took him back to the Nest. We decided to take him in. I'm glad we did."

There was a long pause, until Ronnie finally spoke, still twisting the ring around his finger. "I want to apologize. My fiancé, Ezra, is one of the top SCARECROWs. There's a possibility that he's the one who killed your brother and all those others."

"Don't apologize. Fate works in mysterious ways. The Phoenix Witch will guide us all on eventually, and maybe I'll get to see them again."

"What's the Phoenix Witch?" He asked curiously.

He had to sit and think for a moment. "She's kinda like... Charon the ferryman from Greek mythology. He took people across the River Styx, and she takes people to their afterlife."

They were interrupted when the radio in the corner crackled, and then Cell's familiar twang rang out. "Y'all, this isn't our normal broadcast time but- Holy shit. Route Guano's got Dracs and SCARECROWS crawling all over it. I'm warning y'all, be fuckin' careful. Keep your zaps charged and your eyes open. Don't give away your friends, stay away from the Nest. Don't get ghosted on me, y'all."

"Shit," Lewis mumbled, shaking Bailey's shoulder. "Ronnie, go wake up the other two, please. I'll explain once we're all in here."

It was only a few moments before everyone was gathered around the table. Lewis was shaking as he gave a quick recap of the radio message.

"The main road's got people from Better Living swarming. Zaps are the rayguns. We were gonna do this when it was light out, but Neon, you gotta give him a crash course on how to shoot. Kid and me are gonna work on getting the android programmed to fight, and King, you could find him a mask, then help Neon and figure out a name? I dunno?"

"Calm down, okay? We'll be fine, we always are," Logan said firmly, holding Lewis' shoulders for a moment. "We'll get ready for a worst case scenario, but unless everything goes completely Costa Rica on us, it'll be fine."

"Sit down and take a breather, I'll work on Chase, you can hand me tools," Bailey told him sleepily, leaning on his shoulder once Logan let go.