[ are y'all ready for shit to go down?? unrelated but my new favorite thing to call someone is a human trash fire

warnings: uh language and guns and blood and violence and the most trash-fire way for this to go down

i'm choosing yes on all the options bc i had ideas—

psa: for ages, lewis is the oldest at 23, then logan is 22, harry is 21, and bailey is 19. just wanted to have that stated somewhere bc i feel like i've infantilized bailey but he is a legal adult in this au

stay safe,
lew. ]

————————

Logan and Harry elected to eavesdrop on Lewis and Bailey's conversation. Mostly because apparently they'd never heard of closing the goddamn door completely.

"I just wanted to explain why I've been freaking out on you for leaving in the middle of the night," Lewis said softly, voice barely carrying to the door.

There was a dull thud like Bailey just threw himself down on his 'bed', which was what probably happened. "Then say it. I wish you'd stop treating me like a kid."

"Before I started running with Neon and King, I stayed with my brother and this other guy. They kept on leaving our hideout in the middle of the night, and the next thing I know, I'm hearing their names on Doctor D's death list. So, when any of you aren't here when I wake up, it scares the hell out of me."

The beds creaked, presumably as Bailey got up and launched himself at Lewis. His next words were somewhat muffled. "'M sorry. I didn't know."

"Next time, if you're restless, just wake me up and we can talk or find something to do. All you gotta do is talk to me, buddy."

There was a silence, long enough that Logan got a little closer to the door and nudged it open further. He could see that Bailey was on Lewis' lap, curled so his head was resting on the older man's shoulder.

Only a few seconds passed before Bailey lifted his head and stared at Lewis' face. "Stop me if I'm being stupid, but..." And then he brought their lips together. Lewis made no move to stop him, even going as far as moving his hand from the youngest's side to the back of his head to keep him there.

And of course, it was at that point that Logan accidentally knocked the door open all the way, leaving the two to pull apart. "What the fuck, Neon?" Lewis cried out, Bailey still in his lap. Bailey buried his face in the other man's shoulder again, and Lewis could feel the heat coming off of his face.

"Um... Congrats?"

——

That next morning was the first time in a long time that Logan was awake before Lewis.

Of course, it wasn't long before he got up, joining Logan at the table. "I know you're bursting to ask some questions, so go ahead," Lewis sighed, resting his head on his folded arms as he leaned against the surface.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

That obviously wasn't what he was expecting, because it took him a moment or two to reorient himself. "Yeah. It got kinda cold last night, Kid asked if we could share a bed. It was... really nice."

"What's going on between you two?" Logan found himself asking, mirroring his friend's posture.

He groaned, covering his eyes. "I dunno? We haven't talked about it. He kissed me and I didn't hate it, so..."

"For the record, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

Before Lewis could respond, the door to his and Bailey's room opened, the Kid walking out and joining them. Instead of grabbing his own chair, he pushed and manipulated Lewis so he could curl up in his lap again.

Logan looked on with an amused smile, despite the overwhelmed look on Lewis' face. "Morning, Kid. Still tired?"

Bailey nodded. "I could sleep for another few hours but someone had to get up and forget to put the blanket back," he accused, poking Lewis' stomach.

"To be fair... last time I shared a bed with someone was like four or five years ago. Plus, you're worse than me about taking blankets from people, buddy. I got cold and I almost went to Neon and King's room."

"Vines," Bailey whined, putting his arms around Lewis' neck.

"Kid," Lewis mocked, carefully ruffling the younger's faded hair. "While we're at the Nest later, I'll see if I can find you some more hair dye."

"You two are cuddly this morning," Harry commented when he walked in, taking a seat next to Logan. "I'm just glad neither of you are shouting."

"How's the bandage?" Lewis asked, fingers still tangled in Bailey's hair. "I'll see if I can get some meds when we trade shit in, it'll probably help out a lot."

"It doesn't hurt, but the bandage might be stuck to the burn?" Harry sounded uncertain, pulling his shirt off to inspect the bandage.

Logan gently ran his fingers over the cotton, then kissed his boyfriend's forehead. "We'll get it taken care of in a few, baby. Then we'll get shit loaded in the car to head out."

Bailey still looked half asleep as he softly kissed Lewis' cheek. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

By the time he left the room, Lewis' face was burning up, a stupid little smile on his face.

——

"Okie dokie, Killjoys. Sad news this morning- The Future Violents had a clap with an exterminator- and got ghosted. That's Rebel Radio, Alpha Dog, Rhinestone Eyes, and June Gloom."

"Let the Phoenix Witch guide you on through the night. We'll see you again when we've given up the fight. Lay down your guns. You don't need to run. Our days might be numbered, but we'll live them twice as well for you."

——

"I'll help," the android girl murmured. "Fuck this city. Any time you ask for help, they just take away whatever you love and call it 'helping'."

"You've lost someone close?" Ronnie found himself asking.

She nodded. "Yeah. My girlfriend, if you think us 'droids can have relationships. I tried to get her a new battery but they called her an obsolete model and just picked her up for recycling."

"I'm so sorry. That sounds horrible." His right hand started messing with the ring on his left, then he told her, "The man I love could be taken from me at any moment, or I from him. Just because he's not supposed to have relationships because it'll comprise his judgement."

"What can I do to help you?" She asked, reaching out to touch his arm.

"Are you okay with a little... modification?"

——

The next day, they met up again, this time with Ronnie bringing a bunch of tools stashed away in a briefcase.

Once the procedure was over, Ronnie wiped the sweat from his face, leaving behind a smudge of grease. "You're ready. Good to go."

"Are you sure it'll work?" The girl asked fearfully, reaching around to touch the new panel on her back.

"It should. You're the first one I've done this to, though."

"I- Thank you. Really. This is a chance to start over." She wobbled a bit as she got to her feet, carefully using part of her discarded shirt to wipe the grease from his face.

"What's your name? I realized I've never asked."

"Officially, it's Blue. But people- 'friends'- call me Chase."

——

"Ezra. Your kill counts are down."

"Those rebels are getting more and more cautious. It's not my fault."

"Remember- don't let anyone get in the way of your job. Emotional attachments and emotions in general are detrimental."

—————————

[ wow plot!!

bailey and lewis are tossing around the idea of getting together, ronnie's modified chase the android, and ezra's boss thinks there's a reason he's not at 100%

let's hope i keep writing !!

this or umbrella academy?? ]