Die a Hero

The Unexpected

I slowly woke up to the same 4 walls I was used to, and tried to sit up, only to find it a bit difficult. I looked down and there was some sort of bracelet on my wrist hooked up to a bag of saline I figured contained a low dose of paralytic. Smart, wouldn’t want me ripping my stitches out in my sleep again. I unhooked the bag from the weird-looking bracelet, and the slot it had been previously attached to disappeared. The paralytic quickly wore off and I sat up, only to see a face I didn’t recognise staring intently back at me. I yelped in surprise before remembering myself and jumping out of bed into a fighting stance, momentarily forgetting the injury on my foot, only to be quickly reminded again as a sharp pain shot through it. I ignored it though, too focused on the apparent intruder in my room and what their presence could mean. Did Charlie finally sell me out to a villain? Had HQ found us and sent a repairman to retrieve me, assuming I’d been held captive, or worse, joined the villains? Charlie was there a moment later, concern turning to exasperation on his face as he seemed to recognize our unwanted guest.
“Toxin, how did you get in here?” he asked in an annoyed tone. Toxin? The villain that could secrete practically any chemical compound out of their long talons? I had never actually seen them before, but they looked nothing like their description, with short, well manicured nails and standing much shorter than one would expect of someone the files had listed down as a giant.
“You know Toxin?!” I asked accusingly.
“Yes, we’re both villains after all. We met while casing the same house, some rich asshole exploiting child labor in China to make his fortune. I expressed my fascination with their ability to create chemical compounds, they expressed… other interests. We came to an arrangement where they would use their ability to help with scientific research and provide various other medical benefits in exchange for various favors,” he explained through gritted teeth.
Toxin smirked, “You make it sound like I’m holding you hostage or something. You don’t have to use my services if you don’t want to, and I seem to recall you enjoying yourself as much as I.”
“I have been trying not to,” Charlie bit back, “but sometimes you're a necessary evil.”
Toxin looked a little hurt, then walked over to the saline bag, gently grabbed it and said, “Like when you needed that paralytic, for this little morsel I presume.”
I was surprised at this, I hadn’t known that he got the paralytic from Toxin, and I didn’t want to imagine what he’d done in return for it. Probably something awful that I wouldn’t approve of. And I’d repaid that debt with merely my face and my name, something he gave me for free. I couldn't decide if I should feel guilty about that because I’d paid so little for him to do something awful on my behalf, or that I’d paid anything at all for him to commit whatever atrocious deed Toxin’s favor required.
“I see now why you’ve been too busy to come out and play with me lately,” Toxin continued, “if I were you I wouldn’t want to leave them alone for even a second, either. I feel a bit guilty now for taking you away last week.”
Just then, it clicked. This was the voice of the person who had come knocking on Charlie’s door just over a week prior. The person who he’d had to go out for about 3 hours with. A part of me wondered what they were doing during that time, but a bigger part of me knew it was probably best if I didn’t know, plausible deniability and all that.
As if reading my thoughts, Toxin addressed me and said, “Don’t worry, we didn’t break any of your human laws,” then paused for a moment, walked closer to me, just out of arm’s reach, and sniffed the air. “Or no, not human. Well then I’m going to have to humbly ask you don’t report what I assume you saw I did to our dear Frosty.”
“Frosty?” I asked, ignoring the look of concern on his face at Toxin’s mention that they knew I wasn’t human.“He won’t tell me his real name,” Toxin pouted.
“You won’t tell me yours,” Charlie retorted.
“How many times do I have to tell you? Toxin is my real name,” Toxin sighed exasperatedly.
“However many times you say it, it’s still not going to make sense to me. How have you not been caught if your villain name is the same as your real name?”
“Then I guess I’ll have to explain it to you again. You have it the wrong way around, my villain name is not the same as my real name, my real name is the same as my villain name,” Toxin’s frustrated sighs were ones I knew all too well, and I finally felt comfortable enough to take a seat.
“That makes no sense!” Charlie exclaimed, flabbergasted.
“Makes perfect sense to me,” I cut in, “Toxin is a badass name, by the way.”
They both looked at me, stunned for a moment, before Toxin piped up, “Thank you. Finally, somebody gets it. And what might your name be, gorgeous?”
Charlie looked astounded, and a bit hurt, as I replied, “Raven, but I prefer to go by Rae.”
“Well, Rae it is, then,” Toxin said, then, “Funny, I have an aunt named Raven. I’ve never met her, though, and it’s apparently been quite some time since my dad’s seen her.” Just then, a sheepish look crossed their face, and they began to apologize, “Sorry, I don’t always have time to stop myself before words come out of my mouth, I didn’t mean-”
I cut them off, assuring them it was fine. Just then, Charlie seemed to snap out of the apparent stupor he had been in as me and Toxin got acquainted, and the questions began falling out of his mouth before either of us had time to answer, “How does that make sense? How do you know Rae’s not human? Why did you tell them your real name, Rae? Why do you two seem all buddy-buddy all of a sudden?”
“Well, our real names aren’t always the ones we’re given, sometimes we have to choose them for ourselves, and they’re not always the ones on paper, either,” I started.
“I chose the name Toxin because it suits me. I haven’t legally changed it or anything, though, and I still use my birth name on official legal documents and stuff like that, which is how I haven’t been caught,” Toxin cut in.
“As for how they know I’m not human, they’re not either,” I paused to sniff near them, then scrunched up my nose. Succubus in heat was a scent humans typically went wild for, but not one I was particularly fond of, but there was also a mix of something familiar in there. “A mix of succubus and vampire, by the smell of it. By the way, you should really get that taken care of Toxin.”
“Why do you think I’m here?” Toxin asked.
“Oh,” I said, finally putting all the pieces together as to the nature of Charlie and Toxin’s arrangement. I chose to ignore that fact for the moment, as I continued, “As for why I gave them my real name, I saw no reason not to. It’s not like it’s the one on any of my current legal documents, anyways, and I don’t really have another name to give them.” That last remark I said with a stabbing tone towards Charlie, trying to remind him that, as far as Toxin was concerned, I’m just your everyday half-vampire.
“And as for why we seem buddy-buddy, as you say,” Toxin began to answer his last question.
“We can relate to each other,” I continued.
“In more ways than one,” Toxin finished, then turned to me. “Vampire dad, you?”
“Vampire mom. Is he still around?”
“Sometimes, though he comes and goes. What about yours?”
“Buried next to my dad, though technically still kicking.”
“She didn’t turn him?”
“No, late stage brain cancer. Besides, he didn’t want that.”
“Brutal. 1985, you?”
“1892. You’re still relatively young, and you look younger.” Despite supposedly being in their 30s, Toxin looked like they were barely pushing 20. They must’ve stopped aging a while ago.
“Don’t remind me, and the same could be said for how you look. You don’t look a day over 30,” they shot back
“Fair enough,” I replied defensively
While we talked, Charlie just stood there, dumbfounded, seemingly trying to follow our conversation. Suddenly, Toxin addressed him, “I’m hungry, will you help a friend out?”
“There’s food in the kitchen,” Charlie responded, a look of bewilderment on his face.
Toxin laughed, and I stifled a chuckle. “Not that kind of hungry, silly,” Toxin said with a smirk on their face, “Unless Rae here would like to feed me instead?”
“I’m good,” I replied quickly, “besides, I don’t think my doctor would approve.”
I looked over to Charlie and saw his face go ghostly white as he realized what we were talking about. “And what do I get in return?” he asked.
“You know what,” Toxin replied
“I want double,” Charlie insisted, seemingly emboldened by his newfound knowledge. Toxin looked extremely frustrated at this.
“You’re not really in a position to bargain,” I cut in, sensing how pent up they were.
Toxin sighed, “Throw in a blood bag, and you have a deal.”
Charlie agreed, and Toxin dragged him off through the living room. “I’ll make dinner,” I called after them, and headed to the kitchen.
An incredibly uncomfortable hour and a half later they emerged, Charlie looking dazed and Toxin trialing right behind him, blood bag in hand, with a satisfied look on their face. I was just taking dinner out of the oven. I had decided to make ratatouille with a side of potato mousse, it seemed like the kind of dish that would take just the appropriate amount of time.
“Smells delicious,” Toxin buzzed.
“It really does,” Charlie perked up, and we all prepared the table to eat. Toxin took a glass from the cupboard and poured their blood bag into it, Charlie set down glasses, plates and utensils, and I brought the food to the table. Charlie brought out a cheap bottle of wine, and we all sat down to eat.
As Charlie poured wine into my glass, Toxin asked, “You don’t want any blood, Rae.”
“I’m really not in the mood,” I replied, still shaken from my nightmare the night before.
“And they refuse to talk about it,” Charlie cut in.
“Oh, bummer,” Toxin pouted, and then, “Ooh, Charles gave you one of his special bracelets, too! Twinsies!” Toxin pulled back their sleeve, revealing an almost identical looking device.
“You told them your name?” I asked Charlie.
“They bullied me into it,” Charlie grumbled.
“I kept calling him Frosty the Snowman as I came,” Toxin beamed proudly. I wasn’t usually all that squeamish when it came to sex talk, but something about what Toxin said made me uncomfortable, and it wasn’t the reference to the beloved children’s fictional character.
“You know, you’ll heal much faster if you drink blood,” Toxin said, in a much softer tone this time.
“I know,” I snapped back, then I mumbled, “I had a nightmare.”
“What?” Charlie and Toxin asked in unison.
“Jinx!” Toxin blurted out, then slunk down as Charlie glared at them.
“I had a nightmare, okay,” I said a bit louder.
“What was it about?” Toxin asked.
“If you feel comfortable sharing,” Charlie added.
“The time I killed my best friend’s father.” Somehow, it was a bit easier to talk about with Toxin there. Sure, they were definitely insane, and I did not trust them, at least not fully, but having someone there who understands what it’s like to be born not-quite-human made the words come easier. “And the times he caught me feed-training. My mom would erase his memory every time.”
Charlie reached for my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Toxin was not so tactful, but somehow equally comforting.
“That’s rough, buddy,” they said, and I laughed. Charlie let go of my hand and looked at us like we were both insane.
Feeling more at ease, I recapped my nightmare for them as we continued on with dinner. When I finished, they both assured me that what I did in no way made me a monster.
“It’s just the nature of things,” said Toxin.
“You can’t blame yourself for the actions of others,” Charlie added.
“You know, that story sounds vaguely familiar,” Toxin continued, a thoughtful look on their face.
“Why did Jackson move away, anyways? It seems like him and his mom were very happy living with you.”
At that, Toxin’s eyes widened. “I was-” I started.
“Uncle Rae!” Toxin interrupted, and threw their arms around me
“-caught after drinking his blood one time. I’d fallen and broken my leg doing something I wasn’t supposed to, and, as if on instinct, he stuck his wrist out in front of me. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me that he had figured it out a while ago, and that my mom’s hypnosis was far less effective at blocking memories if you could create a memory anchor, something he had also figured out somehow. I protested at first, preferring to face the wrath of my mother than accidentally killing him, but he insisted. He even threatened to cut his hand open if I didn’t. Then he said, ‘Just listen to my heartbeat. I trust you.’ I did as he demanded, and I fed for the first time without my mother’s approval since I’d killed his dad. I don’t know if it was his words or that memory, but I felt in total control. Apparently, in all the excitement, I forgot to make sure the bite healed completely, and my mom later found it and made him confess. She decided after that point that we weren’t good for each other, and sent them back to England. I never did forgive her for that, especially after Jackson died,” I finished. 
Toxin was still hanging on to me, so I hugged them back and gave Charlie a confused look. He just shrugged, as if to say, “that’s just Toxin.”
“Papa J isn’t dead,” Toxin said, finally letting go, “he was turned in World War I.”
I sat there in stunned silence for a while, before asking what the hell this strange creature was talking about.
“Jackson Phillips, right?”
“Right,” I replied slowly, “how do you know that?”
“He’s my dad,” Toxin stated, far too nonchalantly for my taste.
“Your dad?” I asked, thoroughly confused at this point.
“Yup”
“But you were born in 1985.”
“Yup”
“Which means Jackson is still alive?”
“In a manner of speaking, yup”
“But if that were the case, he would be over 100 years old at this point.”
“Yup”
“Which would make him the oldest man alive.”
“If he were still human, yup”
“So he’s not human anymore?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying.”
“Which means I can punch him as hard as I want for not reaching out to me for all these years?”
“Hold on,” Toxin interjected, “that’s not fair. You know if your mom had found out, she wouldn’t have approved, and by the time he heard news that she’d buried herself with your father and sent a letter to you, you were long gone.”
“Why didn’t he just pretend to not be turned?” I asked.
“Because after he was turned, he was kidnapped, and so listed as missing in action. Your mom kept tabs on every member of the house, she knew he was listed as MIA. If he’d written you while she was still around, he would’ve gotten in trouble. After you left, you never really stayed in one place long enough to be tracked, so how could you expect him to reach out?”
“That's… Fair,” I admitted, “where is he now?”
“Probably out looking for you, or my mom, she’ll sometimes vanish on a sex bender, or whomever’s head currently has the highest price on it at the moment.”
“Your dad became a bounty hunter?” I asked incredulously.
“He gained a very particular set of skills while looking for you that come in handy for making money from time to time.”
“And yet he never did find me, despite the fact that I was in Mongolia, Japan, and here for around a decade each.”
“I never said he was any good,” Toxin smirked.
“That sounds about right.”
Charlie, who had been silent up until this point, clapped his hands together and said, “Who wants dessert?”
Toxin perked up, raised their head, and said, “me, me, me!” like a little kid. I just shrugged.
Charlie brought out a box of heat-and-serve brownies and some ice cream. He put the brownies in the oven and carried the ice cream to the table.
“You know, if you put it in the microwave it’ll go faster,” Toxin said impatiently.
“And you know the only microwave in this house is in the basement, and there’s no food allowed in the basement for several reasons,” Charlie snarled back, obviously insulted at the idea that he would use a microwave for food. Toxin grumbled, and I wondered where the heck this basement was, I hadn’t seen any stairs or entrances.
“You never answered my question earlier,” Charlie said suddenly, “How did you get into my house?”
He looked at the ice wall which was blocking off the area in which I assumed the door was. “I used the front door,” Toxin said.
We both looked at Toxin surprised. I didn’t even know there was another entrance, let alone that the one closest to my room wasn’t the front one.
“How did you even find the front door without my real name?” Charlie asked.
“I snuck into your ceiling, and in trying to find a way to get out of there and into your apartment proper, I stumbled upon the front door,” Toxin replied.
“Only you could do that,” Charlie sighed confoundedly.
Just then, the brownie timer beeped, and Toxin jumped up and scrambled out of the room. They returned a few moments later with a bag of blood and a scalpel.
“The deal was just one,” Charlie shot at them, a trail of frost beginning to form at their feet in Toxin’s direction.
“Oh, relax, it’s not just for me,” Toxin said, flitting about the kitchen collecting ingredients and dodging frost. Once they seemed to have all their supplies ready, they stabbed the bag into a pot.
“Hey!” Charlie exclaimed, obviously disgusted at the idea of blood in one of his cooking pots.
I looked at the ingredients gathered, and my eyes widened with delight. “Blood syrup!” I said excitedly. At that, Charlie seemed to calm down, and the frost dissipated. I hadn’t had blood syrup in forever. It was one of my favorites when I was a teenager, but I’d forgotten about it in all my travels.
“Your mom’s recipe,” Toxin said, “my dad pinched it before he left.”
My eyes widened with excitement. I wasn’t surprised, that was classic Jackson. If there was something that made others happy, he wanted to learn how to do it. I wondered how many skills he’d picked up in the past century in that pursuit.
Toxin finished up the syrup and brought it to the table. Charlie cut up the brownies and gave us each a piece, and we helped ourselves to the ice-cream. Then Toxin and I heaped generous portions of hot blood syrup on top. It was just as good as I remembered, and the brownies and ice cream paired with it nicely.
“So, sex isn’t the only reason I came over,” Toxin said abruptly. “The city finally remembered my hideout existed, and I had to clear out before they tear it down, which means I need a place to crash.”
Charlie grumbled, but then sighed and said, “Fine, but whatever you set up has to get Rae’s approval first, no guests, no going in the basement unsupervised, and keep your hands and all your other body parts to yourself unless given permission to do otherwise. You’re on the sofa bed.”
At the mention that all of Toxin’s decorative decisions had to go by me, I asked why. “Because I’ve had Toxin live with me before, I know all of their stuff and their antics, and I simply don’t care anymore. As you are my guest, though, I don’t want you to feel in any way uncomfortable."
After he finished explaining that, Toxin complained, “Why can’t I have the guest room?”
“Because I’m putting Rae in the guest room starting tonight,” he explained as if he were talking to a child. This was news to me, but I had no complaints. I was eager to get out of his office.
“Me and Rae can share the guest room,” Toxin suggested.
“That’s up to Rae,” Charlie said, “as their doctor, I can’t say it’s my favorite idea, but considering you two are apparently family, I have no valid reason to object.”
Toxin looked at me with the biggest puppy-dog eyes they could muster, and I gave in.
“Yay!” Toxin exclaimed, before running off.
“Don’t come crying to me if you wake up to find them humping you in their sleep, and don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Charlie said after they left the room.