Mimicry

"Whispering 

Morning, keep the streets empty for me 

Uncover our heads and reveal our souls 

We were hungry before we were born"

 -- "Keep the Streets Empty For Me" by Fever Ray

--

"Mimicry," he says. "A defense mechanism. A mantis hidden among the gnarled twigs. A milk snake masquerading with the colored bands of a venomous coral snake.

"This is what you are. You cloak yourself in frost. Metal and ice, you want to be untouchable." The last word hisses from his tongue like hot steam. "In reality, you're nothing of the sort. A good girl in the guise of a bad girl. You're a sheep wearing the skin of a wolf."

 She chuckles, tracing the jawline before marking a line across his throat.

"Mimicry," she says. "A predation tactic. The nectar-guide web of a Silver Argiope spider. Female Photuris fireflies luring male Photinus fireflies to their demise.

"This is what I am. I wear you upon me--the same jaded scowl, the leather and chains, the frost on my demeanor. How do you think the sheep captures the wolf?" The question lingers in the air--a breath between them. "They say lovers become more alike with time. I took it one step further. I thought, if I became like you--perhaps then, you would become mine."

 As he descends upon her, she laughs. "Silly boy. Who did you think was the prey--you or I?"