everyonelives | the ground could open, he could still say please

( Unlike Cooper, Mickey loves loud music. He'd prefer live music over whichever DJ is spinning tonight, but it's just what the doctor ordered. He'd like to get out of his head. Maybe under a guy. He tells himself to slow down. He's got impulse control issues as a vampire, following some poor soul to their apartment to have his way with them might spell disaster. He plucks the twinge of waiting too long (at least that's what he tells himself) as he looks away from Cooper and William.

The bar, he decides, is where he'll plant his flag for the time being. Yeah, he needs a drink. )

Double whiskey on the rocks, shot of fernet.

( He needs to loosen up. It spills out of him. Now that it's his decision, he wants to unwind. He's not on the front lines. He's in a dark, anonymous club. What better place to be when you don't know who you are, if you ever did.

He takes the shot as soon as it's set down, lets it settle just how a licorice apertif should - and smiles. To himself, mostly. But, he smiles. He doesn't know when the last time he really smiled was, not back at that awkward luncheon or at the rest stop - or in New Orleans. )

Can I have one more?

( He hasn't processed Cooper's death, either. Michael's eyes wanting to tear him apart, the desperate look in his eyes he only wishes his old man would ever give him about anything.

He sips the whiskey next, choosing to numb everything at the forefront of his mind.

When a second shot arrives, he lets his eyes settle on Wesley. He's tall, like tall, probably taller because it's a step down into the bar. He's Bohemian in the way that kids from the midwest don't get to see. He doesn't really know what to get from him, only that he knows he's attractive. Objectively. It's been a while since he's thought of a guy like that. He shoved it down for so long, blurted it out under duress about his best friend, and now something's stirring and all he can do is - stare.

He promises he was raised better than this.

Finally, he realizes the second shot has been poured and he snaps out of it. )

Thanks!

[Wes doesn't mind if he stares. That's the point of putting on a show after all. But there's something about this one that seems skittish (19), like he's been through a lot and he doesn't know how to be exactly anymore.

Wes can't say he hasn't been here himself. Can't hurt to start a conversation.]

First time at Verdant?

In Star City, been to the one in Dallas!

( It's the same light show there, less of a party this early in the day but no less fun (looking). No. He's here to let loose, to have fun! )

Is it usually this busy right after the sun goes down?

Verdant doesn't really have a slow time. It just depends on the type of clientele you're getting.

[The rich folks are the ones who come in early, who can afford to buy Verdant's liquor, while the pre-gamers who are only here to dance and not so much to buy drinks are spending their time getting drunk at home and will show up sloshed later.]

But no, I think some people are wondering if the Queen Princess will make her grand reintroduction back to society, and they don't want to miss it.

I know Mia!

( He looks around them, (14) spotting where she's currently engaged in conversation with Faith. )

And I think if she heard you call her the Queen Princess you might regret it. ( He looks back. ) She's small but mighty. ( And a slayer, he keeps back. He looks around again (13). ) Her brother's actually dating my -- best friend -- who hasn't moved from that spot. And now they're leaving. ( Again, he turns back to Wes. ) I may need to find a ride. I'm Mickey. Adler!

Wes. Butler.

[He tips his head forward a bit to see the back of Coop and William leaving.]

Guess your friend isn't really a club guy?

Guess not.

( He's never gone clubbing with Coop. They were always stationed by a quaint dive bar or local watering hole. It's good to know he shouldn't be locking in Cooper for Coachella next year. )

The more you know!

How long have you guys been friends?

[He's not asking judgmentally. He knows all too well how quickly relationships can be cemented, especially if they're born through intense situations. But it's clear that Mickey and his friend are still learning each other in some ways.]

Nearly a year. We work together. Worked. I guess it's new.

( A year is not a long time. )

[No, it's not, but again, he's not judging.]

So you're still figuring each other out. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes the best thing about new friends is all the ways they can surprise you.

Yeah, I think we surprised each other plenty the last year.

( That sounds suggestive. Really, he just means his vampirism, Cooper's double agent status, his short-lived death. )

Our -- outfit disbanded. Think he's going to stay here with his boyfriend.

[He nods. Outfit sounds ominous, but he's not generally on the radar of hunters as much. Benefit of people thinking your parents are fictional and generally not taking their presence seriously.]

What about you? Planning to stick around with him?

Don't know. I'm from Texas but I like mileage between me and my family.

( Maybe Christmas. )

This is going to sound really weird, but I'm in a place in my life where I can really do anything. Go anywhere. I finally have all this freedom and I don't know what I want to do with it. You ever felt like that?

Oh yeah.

[Immortality is a head trip that way. You become a vampire and suddenly there's no door that won't open to you if you know how to persuade it properly. It's a heady feeling and it took him a while to get used to it.]

In my experience, this is the time to do something you've always wanted to try, just because you can.

[Like skydiving. Scarlett loved that one. She had the full-on vapors.]

I didn't really have a lot of open doors. I joined up straight out of the army. That was supposed to be my ticket. GI bill, not that I know what I'd use it for. ( Not that he needs it. ) It's not pathetic if I stick around here because my buddy's here, just until I figure out my next move? Keep in mind I recently realized I was in love with the guy way too late. Also I don't think I'm his type. But, we were in pretty dire straights and I just came out with it. Like I didn't even know I was going to say it.

( Klaus' compulsion did a number on him. It feels like he had six months of tunnel vision with no end in sight. Now he's out the other end and - what. What now? )

[... Oh, buddy.]

I think if your friend hasn't told you to fuck off, then you're fine. But you might not want to be stuck under the same roof with the boyfriend. Just because your friend is understanding doesn't mean he'll be.

[No offense, William, he just knows that he wouldn't necessarily be okay with it.]

But are you sure you want to stay here?

I don't know what I want. I know I don't want Cooper. I'm - good with him. Love the guy, but he's in the middle of his happy - well, middle, I'm not fucking that up. Beyond that --

( He gestures with his hands. He doesn't know. )

I recently... transitioned into a new phase of my life and I'm still getting used to it. All this time.

[There's something about that "transitioned" that entices Wes to look down at the man's hands (13). The daylight ring stands out against the rest of his look and this conversation just got much more interesting.]

How's that working out for you?

Sometimes I think I only have the illusion of control. I learned I was being used, but only after my mind was changed for me. I feel like for the first time in a long time I have my own thoughts and needs and wants. And past Cooper I don't know what it means.

( Or what he should do about it. )

And I'm pissed. If I really think about it, it wasn't my choice. Life comes at you fast but -- ( Fuck the Salvatores. ) I should be talking to a therapist not bothering the jacked bartender.

First of all, thanks for that.

[He does like it when his physique is appreciated, he puts a lot of work into it.]

Second of all, it sounds like you've been through some fucked up shit.

[He's not quite able to translate all of this into vampire talk, but it's become obvious that he's been compelled at some point, which sucks. Compulsion is not one of the vampire tricks that Wes likes to use, and tends to only do it when he absolutely has to. Just because he's not on hunters' radar doesn't mean he wants to get there.]

But, the bright side about the world is that there's a lot of people around who have also been through fucked up shit. All you have to do is find your people who get that.

( The fucked up mundane shit and the fucked up supernatural shit. He's had a car ride, a surreal parental explosion they sidestepped and this time to think about it. It's early days when it comes to what would work for him next, he's just not used to what any freedom entails. He escaped Texas. He thought he escaped the army. He was captured all over again against his will and made in Klaus Mikaelson's image. He revealed something incredibly personal, something he didn't even know he was carrying with him. )

And if you thought you found your people, but it turned out the only thing you had in common was one big fat lie?

( This is far too complicated to go into right now. He downs that second shot and takes another sip of the beer he ordered. )

You know what, don't answer that. Just tell me about you. It sounds like you've been through some fucked up shit. I'd love to hear about it.

[The question about thinking you've found your people, and the thing in common being a lie resonates, even if his experiences don't explicitly reflect it. But when he asks about Wes's fucked up shit, well ... there's more than enough of that. He lets out a laugh before leaning back and trying to figure out where to start.]

Let's see. Disowned at sixteen, ran away, struggled for a while to find my place. Found a group of people that I thought could be a family, but they got me into something that ... definitely messed me up, more than I'd care to admit.

[But that's a conversation for when they're not dancing around the V-word.]

But eventually I did find my people. Better ones who actually gave a shit about me. Sometimes a little too much, but I'll take too much over not at all.

( It's striking how similar their beginnings are. He felt worlds away from everyone but in this moment in this night club, he feels closer to Wes. )

Yeah, I found people. ( Cooper. ) Coop's had my back from the jump. His father too to an extent.

( Maybe he found it. )

Maybe I'm not as lost as I think.

( It's not weak to embrace those who embrace you. )

I don't think we ever really are.

[It just feels like the world is crashing in on you sometimes, and that's a very valid feeling to feel. Or so his would tell him, if he managed to go to one for longer than a session.]

I think the world just feels far away sometimes. But it always comes back around, sooner or later. Live long enough, you figure that out.

Funny.

( Not that Wes knows why it's funny. )

Guess I don't know what I'm coming back around to. I didn't leave behind much. I'm from Texas.

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