A/N: Malevolent One.

Summary: Ten drabbles centered around Mal's 'relationship' with Zoe.

Chapter one: Mal.

Mike was the main personality, the one who lived day-to-day life and kept up an existence as a person. He was the owner of the body that Mal currently possessed, and Mal was nothing more than a entity, or maybe demon was a better term, that existed only within his mind, unable to make his presence known without a host body. That had always been the thing that frustrated the evil one most, and in a way its what made him envy Mike. The bug eyed doofus had always been the one that held the pendulum over the other's head, even if he didn't know it yet, and hopefully never would. If he had that much control, then Mal might as well just call it quits now while he was ahead.

"Nah... Quitting isn't my style." Mal thought out loud, smirking evilly and wringing his hands together at the thought of his only obstacle-

"Mike? Are you okay?" Well, at least one of his only obstacles, that is.

"What? I'm fine, Zo. Just- Being random?" He replied, slicking his hair up and off of his face and clearing his throat awkwardly until he voice was at the correct pitch once again.

Sitting beside him was that bloody red haired girl, still smiling her innocent smile as the couple 'relaxed' together that afternoon. This girl was the object of alter #1s affections, Zoe. She was another obstacle, as she unknowingly held the blade with Mike, and it was often her presence that forced the evil entity to retreat back into his quiet corner and continue on as the main personality again, snuffing out any chance he had of stretching his own legs. It was because of Mike's petty attachment to the girl that forced Mal to be this way, showing her forced kindness and love out of fear- or rather paranoia of being discovered and forced away again like he had been after his time in Juvenile Hall. He didn't plan on letting that happen again, so if it meant keeping up this act in order to please the executioner, then he would.

"You were talking to yourself again?" Zoe asked, biting her cherry red lip to play with a bit of skin there and raising a thin eyebrow curiously, not really buying into the man's bluff just yet.

Mal nodded with a the brightest smile he could muster, though he could feel the cold steel of the imaginary blade being dragged teasingly slow across his neck with every question the girl asked and every answer that he gave to her. Just one mistake would be all it would take to send that sword crashing through his skin and sever his existence forever. At this point, he just hoped he could keep the act up long enough for her to put her weapon down, even if just for a little while. Then at least he would be able to breathe a little easier and plot his next move.

"You've been doing that a lot lately." She giggled, though her eyes held a certain glow to them that revealed that she was absorbing every answer and tucking it away for later use. "Don't you like talking to me?"

He always felt like some sort of mythical creature whenever she spoke to him and looked at him like that. Like he was something less than human with his own and often strange customs for her to study and keep hidden from the world as her own personal secret. If she kept that look of interest up, Mal was almost certain that she would begin to dissect him with that blade she unknowingly possessed, piece by piece until she found what she had been looking for since the start. Any trace of Mike.

"Y-yeah! Of course!" His voice strained painfully to stay high and cheerful like his good counterpart. "I just like to be with my thoughts sometimes too."

With a nod, the red-head leaned against the other's arm, her sun warmed hair burning through his first layer of skin a little as she did so. The action would have been unwelcome to him if he wasn't still pretending to be Mike, but for now he would have to bare with it, until she either left the island or he until he was well out of the woods. With a gentle sigh, he looped his own scrawny arm around hers in a way that he though Mike might do and used his free hand to pet her hair a little. In response, she sighed happily and slowly closed her deep eyes.

"That feels nice." She muttered, the petting of her hair and the warmth of the mid-afternoon sun making her feel a little tired.

"I'm glad." Mal replied, still in Mike's cheery voice, and for once actually truly meaning what he said as he sensed the girl growing tired in his arms.

"Mhmm..." Zoe's attempt at a reply went unnoticed by the faker, as right now he was more so focused on her eyes and how wide they currently were, keeping up his smile until they began to close.

The lower her lids drooped, the further the sword pulled away from the demon's neck, soon giving him room to lift his head once again and look around at the funny little island with true disdain. Feeling the girl finally go limp was what brought the true Mal back to the surface, and he was now able to count the number of deep breaths he took into his lungs, feeling warm, summer air filling them now that the pressure was gone. Looking down at the now napping girl, he couldn't help but feel relieved as he idly knocked his bangs back over his dark rimmed eye.

"Sweet dreams, Zoe."