She knows they’re staying at the motel she and Zero sometimes stay at when it’s just the two of them and they’re looking to get away for a little bit. A miniature “stay-cation” or whatever. It’s out on the edge of Zone Three, not that far from the shack but far enough that it took them a while to even realize it was there.
The moment Zero is gone, Crash grabs Bandit and piles into the Mustang that Grease built for her. She doesn’t get out and drive it much because she much prefers the safety and security of her yet-undiscovered shack as opposed to possibly being chases by Dracs, but this is a special occasion.
It’s only a matter of minutes before Crash slams the car into park in front of the motel. Her blaster is at her hip and Bandit is hanging out the passenger window of the car as she steps out and slams the car door shut behind her.
“Missile Kid!” She shouts. “Missile Kid!”
She doesn’t shout for Mad Gear, because Zero’s told her about Blurryface and she’s seen the bruises and she’s dealt with the pyschological damage Blurryface hit him with, and she doesn’t know if she can handle that. She doesn’t want to confront Mad Gear and risk finding out. Regardless of if Missile Kid is there or not.
Missile Kid comes scrambling out of the motel a moment later, closing the door tightly behind him. He can tell what she’s here for by the look on her face, and she knows that he knows by the look on his.
“Crash,” he says, slowing his gait as he approaches.
“How dare you,” she hisses, spitting the words before he even has a chance to begin explaining himself. She can see bruises on him, too, cuts, scrapes, signs that he was damaged in the scuffle too--but nothing like the damage that’s been done to Zero. Not that she can see.
She doesn’t know what he deals with daily. She doesn’t know what goes on in that head of his. She’ll never know the irreparable damage Blurryface has caused Missile Kid, or the relationship between Missile Kid and his best friend.
“I know,” Missile Kid says, voice quiet, hardly a whisper. He glances back over his shoulder at the hotel. Mad Gear is there. They can’t upset Mad Gear. And then he turns his gaze back to Crash Course. “I know. I know. Look, I never meant to get anyone else involved, I just--”
“I don’t care if you meant to, Missile Kid,” she snaps, stepping closer and pointing at him accusingly. “You dragged the two people who mean the most to me in the Zones into your mess, and one of them almost didn’t walk away. Do you understand that? Do you understand that Zero almost died? Because he wanted to help you, because you dragged him into something he should have had nothing to do with? I don’t give a fuck who you are--I don’t care if you’re the most goddamned celebrated people in the Zones--I don’t even care that your music is the reason I survived on my own for so long--if anything happens to either of those boys because of you or Mad Gear or Blurryface or whoever, you better pray a certain radio host doesn’t spill what she knows to keep other Killjoys safe. Because if it comes down to the lives of people I care about and those of other Killjoys who have a hard enough time trying to survive as is or your little secret, I will put the lives of other before your comfort.”
Missile Kid hangs his head. He knows these accusations are right. Zero got hurt, Zero almost died, on his behalf, because he wasn’t strong enough to deal with Blurryface alone anymore. He got tired and he got scared and he reached out for help, and people got hurt because of it. Blurryface won that round. Even if nobody died, even if Blurryface didn’t succeed in killing anyone or isolating Mad Gear, he still won.
He still won because Missile Kid’s resolve was breaking. He couldn’t play this game much longer, he knew it, and he knew that Blurryface knew it.
Crash runs a hand through her hair, counting her breaths out to try and calm herself before she did something stupid. She was here to yell at them, to make sure Missile Kid knew that someone was holding him accountable for what happened to Zero.
“We better not have any more problems.”
Missile Kid nods, shifting his gaze to the ground between them. His mouth is drawn taut because he knows there will be more problems. Blurryface has seen Ground Zero. Blurryface knows he got to Ground Zero.
And really, that puts Zero in more danger than ever before.
“We won’t,” Missile Kid states. He can’t risk it. He can’t risk people getting hurt, and he can’t risk the Zones knowing, and he especially can’t risk word of Blurryface getting back to BLI.
“Good.”
And she turns on her heel and heads back to her car, and Missile Kid turns on his and heads back to the hotel, praying Mad Gear didn’t hear the details of their little confrontation. He’s not sure what would be worse; the guilt that Gear would feel over knowing how bad Zero had it, or the possibility of that guilt, anger, and fear unlocking Blurryface yet again.
He’ll have to deal, whatever happens.
