We Are the Kids From Yesterday

Look Alive, Sunshine

Another day and Party was on coffee duty, waiting for it to slowly drip into cups. "Are you almost finished?" asked a girl, walking up behind him. Her voice was slightly familiar but Party just turned and said,

"Oh, sorry, I'm getting it for three guys with me too," he said, turning around. Then he recognized the girl immediately and his eyes widened for a split second. She was the girl he had kissed at that bar and somehow she was even more gorgeous without the alcohol influence. He remembered his hands in her black hair, now styled in pigtails and the taste of her blood red lips... so sweet and soft.

"Ah, I can wait," she said, seemingly not recognizing him as easily as he did with her. They were quiet a few minutes before she said to him, "You're Party Poison, right?"

"Ye-yeah," he said, brushing hair behind his ear. "Why?"

"No way!" she said, laughing. "No way, you're from that bar, aren't you? We kissed?"

Party blushed about the same shade of her bright red lip gloss. "I-I remember."

"No. Way!" she said again, a smile on her face as she laughed. It was a pretty smile, Party wouldn't lie. As much as he loved Ghoul, he had thought about her. He had wondered where she was, how she was doing. And now, by chance, they had showed up at the same hotel. "How've you been?" she finally added. "That sure was... wow, a night to remember."

"Yeah," said Party with a small chuckle. "I've been pretty good. My crew and I finally broke away from the city. And--I never got your name while we were in that bar."

She smiled before saying, "Oh, right. Black Iris. Call me Iris."

"Black Iris... that's beautiful," Party said, holding out his hand. "I think it's time we had a formal introduction. Hello, I'm Party Poison, Party."

She took his hand and shook it, saying, "Nice to meet you, Party."

"You too."

Party finished off the last cup of coffee before saying, "If I run this up to the guys, would you wanna... talk for a bit? Get to know each other?"

Iris placed one of the throwaway paper coffee cups under the machine and started brewing a cup before saying with a pretty smile, "That actually sounds great."

So Party quickly but carefully ran four cups of coffee to their room, setting it down and seeming in a bit of a rush to leave once he made it back.

"Hey, why don't you stay awhile?" said Jet sarcastically as Kobra enthusiastically grabbed his cup of coffee.

"I met someone downstairs. Told them I'd be right back," said Party, already halfway out the door. It wasn't a full lie. He didn't even know Iris's name when he kissed her so technically he was meeting her for the first time. Plus they were both sober this time around.

So Party hurried downstairs where he saw Iris waiting, leaning against one of the couches in the waiting room. Her smile grew when she saw Party, taking another sip from her coffee cup as he walked over. "How long have you been here?" she asked once he got close enough.

"Not long," said Party. "A few days." Not long, but long enough for him to share an endearing bath and a first time with his lover and for his brother to go through hell and back because of him. For the Fabulous Four, this was an ordinary week.

"My crew and I just arrived here," said Iris. "Draculoids invaded our 'hideout.' It's crazy, BLI is having some sort of mass extermination anywhere Killjoys frequent. I've seen so many people I love bodybagged by them."

"We actually came here to hide from the Draculoids."

"So many people have. We've been staying in an old church right in the early areas of Zone 6. But they're stripping down the whole Zone for 'joys."