DEMOLITION LOVERS

Dead Flies in the Summertime

The first thing Frank saw when he opened his eyes was Party, cuddled up close to him and snoring. And he couldn't help smiling at him.

He was still struggling with his memory, but he was more than grateful with the pretty man who was doing everything in his power to take care of him.

For the way he looked at him, as if he was the only thing in the world and his life depended on him. And the way his heart felt when he was with him, even if he still didn't quite remember things. He watched him sleeping, looking peaceful and adorable, and Frank knew that if he was going to wake up by his side for the rest of his life, he'd be the happiest man alive.

He had no idea how long they'd been driving, but he could feel the van still moving. It could be days for all he knew from how rested he felt. And having Party's arm around him helped him sleep better.

He could hear Kobra talking to Bob's friend. They were laughing.

The sun was hitting through the windows.

And it felt so nice.

'Guys, wake up!' Kobra called them from the passenger seat. 'We're here.'

The other two men slowly started to wake up, and got out of the van. Frank waited for Party, who still struggled to stay awake, and reached for his hand. 'Let's go,' the older man said.

Standing in the middle of the endless desert, Frank felt scared as hell.

He had no idea where they going now, or what would happen. There were no rules and no schedules to follow. Just the immensity of the world and a few friends to make things easier.

'Where are we?' he asked.

'Toxic Angel's Junk Shop,' Kobra replied. 'Zone 4. We may need some food to make it through the day until we go home.'

'And you guys need new clothes,' Party told Frank and Bob.

'What's wrong with this?' Bob asked.

'Everything. And also the fact that they'll shoot you thinking BLI sent you.'

They followed Kobra inside the shop, Frank not letting go of Party's hand. 'You guys are back!' the girl with the purple hair screamed when she saw them coming, running to hug the younger of the brothers. 'I thought you'd take longer.'

'Well – we found what we were looking for, so –'

That was when she noticed the short man next to Party Poison. 'You're Fun Ghoul,' she said, surprised.

Frank just waved at her, a little confused. Was he supposed to be famous? Were they supposed to know each other?

'This is Toxic Angel,' Party explained. 'She's our new friend. She gave us a room on our way to Bat City. Oh,' he then said to Toxic Angel. 'And these are Bob and Jamia.'

'Well, then you'll always have a place here!' the purple-haired girl said. 'You need a couple rooms tonight? Or you're looking for something specific?'

'Actually, yes,' Kobra said before anyone could answer. 'I think we all need some time to recover.'

Party didn't argue. He was tired, and he wanted some alone time with Ghoul.

'But, first – let's eat something!' Toxic Angel told them, and led them to her kitchen. 'I made cactus soup.' They all sat at the table, and Frank tried to control himself as he ate. It'd been so long since he ate something that wasn't highly processed. And it was so good.

In the meantime, their host asked Jamia what the Angel Services were. 'Well, we basically help people. Whether they need a place, or a way out of Battery City. We also have shipping services.' She seemed nice, Frank thought. At least Bob had friends in his absence.