Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The note sliced through the musty air – magical and biting to the drunken ears that worshiped it.
He had been doing it for sometime now, deliberately caressing the rim of the martini glass with a
tapered index finger. The finger dipped in and out of the glass, teasing the Green Dragon before
returning to the rim once more to let the mind drown in the song of alcohol.
Irritated looks found their way to him not recognizing who he was due to the smoke and darkness
of the bar. He heard their message very clearly despite the ringing in his ears…
Stop.
The Green Dragon licked his throat. He waved the bartender over displaying the empty glass. The
bartender grinned returning the glass - a Green Dragon was lurking within it once more, slithering
across the bohemian crystal. He lit Black Death and inhaled to further poison himself.
"You ought to control yourself," his companion said, turning to him with a smirk, "I would hate
for something to happen to you…"
The Green Dragon growled at the hand that lowered him gently onto the counter top. Black
Death hung from his lips.
"I'm sure it would be tragic for you." He answered back, taking another drag before blowing
smoke into the face that mirrored his own. Almost.
The other man chuckled, swirling his Cognac against a palm to warm it.
He did not see anything humorous about the situation. He lapped at Black Death and turned his
burning eyes to the other man – accusing and demanding at the same time.
Why?
Swish… Amber liquid making love to crystal. "We are very much alike you know… Far more
than you realize."
"I see no similarity other than appearance. We are on opposite sides of the colour spectrum." He
bit back.
His companion shook his head, "No," he said gently, as if to a child, "I willingly took the poison
that was offered. It took away my pain. You considered taking it too."
"Poison?" He raised his eyebrow furiously, "I would never sell my soul to such a fate. You are
the poison. You cause pain." The Green Dragon purred seductively. It wanted attention.
His companion snickered, "What was it you heard all those years ago?" Tapped a finger against
his chin, "Ah! I remember now! 'You could be great', the hat said. I heard those very same words
you know, and quenched my thirst."
He looked in disgust at the man. "I turned away from that path. You are no greater."
The other smiled. "This is precisely why I killed myself."
He grimaced over Black Death, "You are sitting beside me, alive."
"Only to a certain extent." Swish… Lips stroking crystal and sweet fire on burning tongue.
Delectable. "I am here. He is not."
"You were greater." He argued, watching the other man lovingly consume his drink. The Green
Dragon played with Black Death – the two mingled on his lips.
"I was poison." The man admitted. "I chose this." The amber liquid swirled again, savored, before
being put down on the mahogany bar that stretched before them. The man took Black Death from
him, twirled it in his fingers and smashed it in the ashtray. "You were on the right path. Stay on it."
He sighed. "This brings us back to where we started. Why Tom?" He watched the other enfold the
Green Dragon in his long sweeping fingers. The glass shattered effortlessly, sliding harmlessly
across the flawless skin.
A pale hand cupped his cheek, the thumb brushing over the lips which both the Green Dragon and
Black Death had kissed. "The world has changed because you are made of ivory and gold." It was
Tom's turn. "The curves of your lips rewrite history."
Tom was right. He would not consume that same poison. Instead he would indulge in a different
one.
Author's Note: The green dragon is a cocktail, it is ridiculously strong. Black Death is a brand of cigarettes. I applaud those of you who guessed that. I made it a little too confusing. The last thing that was said by Tom is a quote from Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". I highly recommend it.