We Taught Ourselves to Smile

Part 11

Kobra

Kobra's head had been spinning since yesterday. What Sandman had said... it both excited and terrified him. He hadn't had any time to process it, what those words actually meant, how he felt about it. He studied Sandman from across the room as he talked to his crew. His face was bright, and it brought a warm feeling to Kobra's chest. The pink-haired boy glanced over at him and smiled, and the feeling in his chest sparked into something else. Maybe he did love him back. What were Poison and Ghoul like? They had said they were similar, maybe he could use them as reference. Ghoul said sometimes that seeing them smile at him made him happier than almost anything. He glanced over at his boyfriend again, at the grin gracing his features, and found himself smiling back. He was adorable when he smiled like that, it lit up his whole face and pulled a little more of the ever-present weight from Kobra's chest.

Ghoul and Poison walked through the door, the red head smiling brightly down at their fiance, leaning heavily on his arm. Ghoul looked happier than the day before, still a bit harried, sure, but happier. Poison's eyes met his, and they rushed over and threw their arms around him. He froze, unsure of whether or not they were okay, and glanced to Ghoul, who nodded. He pulled them closer, and they held on tighter, almost painfully so.

"I take it you're feeling a bit better then," he laughed, and they nodded roughly into his shirt. "That's great, you and Ghoul seem happier." They nodded again and pulled away, a smile growing on their face. They took his hand and squeezed it gently, then stumbled over to their fiancé.

They were riding one of the elevators up to one of the buildings the Underground had control of in the City. Sandman stood to Kobra's left, nervously bouncing his foot and tapping his fingers on the holster of his gun. Aside from his tapping, it was deathly silent. Kobra glanced over and took his hand, squeezing it gently. The shorter boy looked up at him and smiled softly.

"Whatcha thinking?" he said quietly, intertwining his and Kobra's fingers. Kobra blushed at the feeling, looking down to his feet before turning his head back to Sandman.

"I'm worried," Kobra stated simply. "About Poison, how they're gonna handle this, about myself and Jet, about... about you."

Sandman grinned subtly, looking back at his boyfriend's face. "Look dear, you've got nothing to worry about. Poison's got Ghoul, who you know would walk backwards into BLI alone, blindfolded, naked, and unarmed before he let anything happen to them. And the rest of us, well if anything happens, we've got Benze. He's the best medic the Underground's got and believe me, we've got some fucking incredible medics. So I guarantee you everything'll be fine. And if I'm wrong, you have my permission to take apart my bike and beat me to death with it."

Kobra snorted, pressing a kiss to Sandman's temples. "You're fuckin' wonderful, you know that?"

"Oh yeah, totally, it's one of my better aspects," he said playfully. "Second only to some other parts of me you haven't had the blessing to see yet."

Kobra smiled big, looking back at Sandman playfully. "You know what, I take that back, I fuckin' hate you." Sandman smirked and let go of Kobra's hand to grab his waist.

"I know you do, Dear."

"Hey Sunshine, can I see you for a second?" He pulled his boyfriend away from the others, his stomach twisting in knots. They were getting the last details ready, trading all of their neon clothing for the plain white suits everyone in Battery City wore. The suits had been easy to get, but their hair was going to be another problem. Benze and Beauty were the only ones with haircuts that would be even remotely acceptable. If their wigs slipped even a little... he couldn't think about that. "I'm just nervous. I don't understand why, I've never been so scared to go on a mission before, but pictures keep flashing through my head of you getting hurt, and I- I don't want to lose you." His voice shook a little, and Sandman cupped his face gently. Kobra's mind flashed back to what he had said the day before. He'd thought about it all night, replaying the moment in his head and trying to figure out what the fuck was going on with himself. He'd had a boyfriend or two before, but none of them had ever felt like this, like his heart was going to leap out of his chest every time Sandman took his hand.