one part of me

The bar was more welcoming than most back in New Orleans, which tended to be full of drunk tourists and served overpriced drinks. At least that was how it was two decades, but everything could be different now. Mikey didn’t even give himself the chance to explore his hometown when leaving prison, rather hopped on the first bus out of there, determined to never look back. The city was nothing more than a faded memory now. A bad memory mostly. There was nothing left for him back there. Not even his own parents wanted to see him, although he’d still not broken the news he was out. He wasn’t prepared to deal with that level of rejection yet, but maybe if they knew he was with Chase they would visit. Unlikely, but not impossible.

The brunette gave him a small smile. She’d seen him now so he couldn’t dash out of the bar without saying hello. A quick drink before scurrying back to Chase’s apartment, but then what? His brother comes home to find an oversized lizard crawling about his apartment.

The mere thought of it was turning his stomach, but at least his heart wasn’t slamming hard into his rib cage during this encounter. He slid into the seat next to her, a short laugh at her comment about his clothing. “I’ll try my best” Although his mind was more focused on the night ahead and he hated that he was considering asking a stranger for help.

He watched as she looked forward on the table, a smirk on her face as his face remained blank, “Yes, I can feel it” But there was nothing exciting about it, at least in the way she was describing it. All he felt was dread and anxiety, building by the second. Like something inside of him was clawing to get out, which it would eventually. “I… um” He tried to settle back into the seat, the leather feeling uncomfortable against his skin as he awkwardly shuffled around. Mikey glanced down at the table, his left fingers drumming on the wood slightly, “My masters dead” Dark eyes shot up to the female, “And before you ask no I don’t know what happens now” His tone was snapper than he intended, his jaw clenched, as the drumming of his fingers increased.

ROXANNE BRASCHI

He’d had two decades to plan for this day, but his release date was snatched away each time it crept close so eventually he accepted he was going to be behind bars forever. Then when they finally kicked him out in the world he was focused on getting to his brother.

Dark eyes darted away from the fox as she snapped back at him, louder than he expected. He offered no apology but stopped drumming his fingers against the table immediately. What was his fucking problem? The list was a long one. He was keen to jump ahead of her on the questions, after all, she was the one who asked him to show his scales in the wood. Expose his true self, as she reached up to stroke them before they disappeared again.

“Unlike you, I know what my species entails━or… my first one...”

He looked back at the female as she huffed, “I think I know what happened to you” Mikey added emphasis on the word think. He was only putting two to two together, from what Rayna told him. It was either those so called doctors or a huge fucking coincidence. Part of him wanted to keep the information close to his chest, use it to his advantage but that would make him no better than the gang. Plus there was nothing the female could offer him in exchange

Chain himself to a tree or run wild? Both were pretty bleak options. “I haven’t thought that far ahead” A few hours ahead. Realistically he wanted to be locked away from the world. Somewhere he could hide until the following morning.

Help? From a stranger? “No” He let his hands slide from the table and drop into his lap as he ran his tongue along his bottom lip. He looked away from the fox once again. Asking for help wasn’t on the list of things he enjoyed doing. “Maybe. Are you offering to help?” His eyes shifted around the bar, trying to focus on anything but the female. The last time he asked for help he was bit by a wolf.

Eventually, he looked back at the female as she asked him about his deceased master. “I just felt a bit off, like something inside of me died, but the bastard was on his way out a long time ago” Rodolpho’s death was long overdue, but it offered Mikey minimal comfort. He hated this shitty card he’d been dealt in life, but it was a bitter pill to swallow knowing he was the one who chose it. He chose to run with Agnelli’s and he was the one who set off down that darkened path towards crime and violence. If only he’d listened to Chase as he begged and pleaded with Mikey not to sneak out, but by that point, he was in too deep. He’d descended so far into the darkness that it was impossible to get out and in the end, he was doing whatever he could to keep himself and Chase safe.

“You never told me your name. I’m Mikey”— If he was going to let her help him then he wanted to know her name.


ROXANNE BRASCHI

It would have been cruel of him to keep the information a secret. Use it as a bargaining chip. You help and I help you sort of situation, but the woman realistically had nothing to offer him. He edged back a little as she almost launched herself across the table, demanding answers from him. “Like I said. I think” He reiterated, not wanting her to run away with whatever explanation he’d received from Rayna. It might not even be a one size fits all situation. “I met a woman and she was part kanima, part vampire. She was a vampire, to begin with, but then some people kidnapped her, did some weird experiments and now she’s half and half” As he repeated the story back to her he realized how far-fetched it sounded. Oh well, it wasn’t his story. “It sounded a bit like the story you told me”

Of course, he’d thought that far ahead, but his plans were lacking. Trying to ignore it until the last hour. Until his bones were cracking, his body was transforming and the moon was present in the sky, maybe then he’d assess his options (or lack of). He looked unimpressed as the female rolled her eyes, blaming his lack of planning on the fact he was male. A comment that he was screwed, with an added flirtatious dig. “Clearly” Why did she care anyway? He was just a guy she met in the woods.

It had been on the tip of his tongue to tell his brother about her, but he had no idea how to explain. He went out for a morning stroll and ended up having sex with a stranger in the woods before midday? It sounded like some story a teenager would tell his friends to make him look cool. It sounded like bullshit and there would be too many questions lingering in the air, like why was she naked in the first place?

Chase didn’t need to know about the world of the supernatural. It was just more trouble his brother didn’t need to be involved in. Mikey had dragged Chase into enough shit over the years, but things were different now. His brother had too much to lose this time and he was determined to keep him out of this unknown world. A world the Agnellis' had had unwilling pulled him into him. They did present him with some kind of choice, though it didn’t feel like one at the time. Die or be bitten.

She was offering help and Lord knows he needed it. “Okay” He muttered. A thank you hiding somewhere within the comment. Anything sounded better than being chained to a tree. Out the open for anyone to find him.

Seemed a bit ironic saying ‘Nice to meet you Roxana’ when he’d already explored every part of her in broad daylight. Instead, he offered a short nod as he made an attempt to store her name away somewhere in his mind. It helped it wasn’t a common name, easier to remember, with an Italian ring to it. Prior to his release, there wasn’t a lot bouncing around his head, due to sheer lack of autonomy. On the outside, he had to actually think for himself. It was a stranger concept at first, but slowly he was fitting back into society. At least in his mind.

He watched as Roxana slide out of the booth, ready to leave the bar. Thank fuck, Mikey was growing restless in the bar as though his bones were about to snap any minute. “Fine let’s go” He hadn’t even had the chance to order himself a beer, but there were no complaints from him. “A murderous lizard?” He too manoeuvred himself out of the booth, “I might be one of those chilled ones you see in the pet store. Just sitting on a rock waiting for the morning” It was difficult to say what type of lizard he was when he had zero control over his actions once the transformation was complete. “After you” He gestured towards the door. Not even because he was a gentleman but because he had no clue where she was taking them.

ROXANNE BRASCHI