We Taught Ourselves to Smile

Part 9

Kobra

Kobra didn't know how to feel. He didn't want to mess up his relationship with Sandman, but if what Poison said was accurate, what he had said was getting to them and Ghoul. He was pacing his room, twisting his fingers and mussing his hair. Poison had asked him to talk to his... boyfriend? Could he be called a boyfriend? Was that what they were now? What the fuck was going on? A soft knock pulled him out of his reverie, and Kobra turned to see Sandman standing in the doorway.

"You alright?" His brow was creased with worry, and Kobra didn't know how to respond, standing helplessly in the center of the room. Pushing himself off the door frame, the shorter boy came to stand in front of him and took his face in his hands. "What's wrong, Dear?"

"I- uhh... I need to talk to you. About Poison and Ghoul. And how you've been." Kobra cursed his voice for shaking so much, he was trying so hard to keep his composure, to hide his anxiety about the conversation.

Sandman cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean?" Kobra stared at him, eyebrows raised.

"'What do you mean?' Sandman, you've been on Ghoul's ass this whole time, and according to Poison it's not as harmless as he's making it out to be." Sandman still looked a little confused, so he continued. "They said he's close to falling apart."

"I wonder how long he'll last," the shorter boy mused, stroking his chin in mock thoughtfulness. Kobra stared at him for a moment, stunned, then slapped his hand down.

"No! I mean a literal, full on breakdown. I'm pretty sure there's already been at least one, judging by how clingy he's been and how worried Poison was when they told me." Sandman didn't respond, and the last of Kobra's façade of calm fell away. "This isn't some fucking game, dammit! You don't know what it's like out here, shit gets bad, and it gets bad fast . Ghoul's the love of their life, if he falls apart, so will they. It would completely shatter them. They don't like to think about how much they rely on him just to get through the day, but they do. Sometimes he's the only thing keeping them going, keeping them alive. They need him, or they'd be in ruins. And guess what'll happen if Poison breaks? Take a wild fucking guess." He was pacing again, faster now and moving his hands around much more than before. If Ghoul broke down, Poison would have lost not only the love of their life, but also their best coping mechanism. It needed to stop. Sandman was still in the middle of the room, tracking his progress with worried eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked hesitantly, and Kobra spun around.

"I'm not the priority here! I don't know how to undo what's happened, or fix it or whatever, but I need you to think about what's happening and the effects you can have on people. You don't know what they've been through, " He paused and took a breath, trying to calm himself down. "Just... try? Please? For me?" The pink-haired boy stood frozen, mouth hanging slightly open. Kobra watched him expectantly, and finally he nodded slowly, and Kobra smiled softly at him. "Thanks, Sunshine."

"What happened to 'love?'" he said with a mock pout, and Kobra ruffled his hair.

"Ghoul uses it for Poison and it feels weird now, plus Sunshine suits you so much better, don't you think?" Sandman shrugged, the pout falling apart and being replaced by the bright smile that always made Kobra's stomach flip. He really was adorable when he smiled, it lit up his whole face and the space around him. "You're so cute when you smile like that." Sandman's smile brightened even more, bringing one to Kobra's face.

"I'll try and be better, Dear." The shorter boy held out his hand and Kobra linked their fingers together.

"Thank you. They've both been through so much, they deserve so much better than all of this." Sandman nodded and stood on his toes to kiss the blonde's cheek. Maybe things could get better after all.