The rain came a little faster than he'd expected. By the time Pyre had returned to the school building to grab his tattered backpack over by where he'd left it, it was already starting to drizzle. A chilly wind was also whipping his thin jacket as the storm blew in, making him hurry toward the bus station. It wasn't his first choice, but it was the closest. 

He ran the last two blocks, stepping beneath the large overhang right as the sky opened up completely. Several of the benches were already taken by sleeping drunks or the homeless, but there were quite a few left, too. 

Walking over to a free one, he set his bag at the end to use as a pillow, then moved to lie down. He considered changing into his one spare pair of clothing he had with him, but decided against it since he hadn't gotten too wet. 

Pretty soon, he was out cold. 

Unfortunately, his peace was short lived. Someone had touched his hair... and that was a big no-no. He swung his left arm up and grabbed the person's own hair with a vise-like grip, not giving a shit about the pained grunt he heard as he used his meager weight to throw them off balance. The person fell partially on top of him and partially off the bench, but he'd gotten what he'd needed... which was his other arm hooked beneath their neck in a chokehold. 

While his reflexes were nearly perfect, his mind was still taking a few moments to comprehend the situation. In that time, the person leaning against him slowly changed, in both body shape and weight. In fact, it didn't stop until his mind cleared, his eyes blinking away the fog of confusion to reveal the snake now coiled up on top of his right arm. 

"It's you again..." 

The snake seemed to give him a frustrated look before it slowly began descending to the ground. There, Pyre noticed a set of clothing and a pair of shoes. 

"Oh, shit. You really are a person," he said as he hurried to his feet and gathered up their items. 

He easily deduced that it was a guy, judging from the style and size of the clothing, but besides that, he didn't have too much too much to go on. Nor did he really care to dig about, except... he quickly found the man's wallet in the back pocket of the pair of black jeans. After taking a glance at the address on the license there, he tucked it into his own pocket, then stuffed the rest of the guy's things into his backpack. Finally, once everything was put away, he picked up the remaining shoes, and the snake, then began heading for the address since the rain had slowed down a bit. 

"I'm not sure how you found me, but you really should be careful waking someone up who's sleeping outside. They've seen some things... and had to deal with other things. It's not a smart idea." 

The snake had wandered its way upward and ended up coiled around Pyre's neck as he spoke. The few people that were actually out and about, with umbrellas, of course, all gave him a wide berth with horrified expressions. 

"Stupid people afraid of you. Even if you were just a regular snake, there's rarely anything to worry about... at least when you don't give a shit about life," Pyre said with a laugh toward the end. 

The snake didn't seem interested in laughing with him, so he quickly shut his mouth. 

After about eight blocks he knelt down and fished out the coat the man had been wearing. It was made of heavy leather and lined with faux fur. It also swallowed his frame, but that was no surprise. He could stand to gain about twenty or thirty pounds, but again, no reason to bother. Food wasn't something that was easily accessible. 

Of course, he'd visited the local food bank a few times, but his father had beaten him for taking such handouts. He also ate the extra sandwich he'd brought home from it afterward, too. 

He thought about going again and just making sure to eat it all there, but his stomach was still surprisingly full from the berries, and he still had to get Snaky home. 

His attention turned at that point to the snake that had coiled itself a little closer against his skin once he'd zipped up the jacket. He had no doubt that it was uncomfortable in such dreary weather, which was why he was taking it home instead of leaving it where it had shifted. 

It took them about an hour and a half to get his new scaly friend back. 

"Don't suppose I could just set you and your stuff in your mailbox and hightail it the hell out of here, could I?" he asked, completely serious. 

He'd stopped at one of the priciest condo buildings in town. 

"I'm sure they're heated. Because you clearly have the money to do that," he said even as he stepped inside the main entrance. To no one's surprise, the guard at the front immediately walked up to him with a fake smile. 

"Excuse me, young man. How can I help you?"

Well, if you really want to know, I'll take fifteen sandwiches, a pair of new shoes, and some brass knuckles. 

"I came to see Fen. He's one of your residents." 

He'd thought about just showing the guy the man's I.D., but then that would have likely opened a very prison-esk can of worms. 

The man eyed him suspiciously, and then backed up a few extra feet when he noticed the snake around his neck. He watched as the guy walked over to a phone and dialed three numbers as he glanced back at him. 

Right. I probably look like a lunatic. 

Sighing, he quickly hurried from the building. After a two block run, he heard a siren heading his direction and quickly ducked into an alley to avoid being seen. He reemerged after a few minutes, and it was no surprise when he looked down the street to see a cop car parked in front of the fancy condo place. 

"I guess you're coming home to meet my dad, then. Maybe he'll even have the heater on so you don't freeze," Pyre said with a fake cheery tone as he began heading back the way they'd come. 

That walk took them quite a bit longer, mainly because he just really didn't want to go, but he knew that a snake left out in the cold wouldn't fair too well. Of course, he could just take it back to the woods, but then he'd have to leave the guy's stuff out there, too. Considering the fact that the dude hadn't changed back yet, he didn't think that was a good idea. 

As they walked, he took out the driver's license again and took a closer look. 

"Fuck, you're hot." 

He also noticed that the guy was the one he'd seen in the ice cream shop one of the days he'd gone with Fox a few months ago. There was no way he'd forget such a hot piece of meat.  

"I don't really care what your personality is like, but if you ever want to bend over for me, I'll take care of you," Pyre said with well-earned cockiness. 

He felt the snake constrict around his neck tighter and quickly backtracked. 

"Not that you have to, or anything. It's just an offer. I've heard from quite a lot of guys that I'm the best they've ever had... and there's an expiration date on it, so I wouldn't want you to miss out," he said with a shrug. 

It took the snake a few moments, but it eventually calmed down and relaxed its hold on him right before Pyre turned into a trashy mobile home park. The front couple were the newest models and tried their best to look presentable, but there was no hiding the partially boarded up windows, caving in roofs and, of course, the decapitated lawn flamingos. 

"Sorry, it's a little less classy than your place, but I'm sure you'll hate it just as much as I do," he said as he walked all the way to the back lot where a disgustingly-dirty, vine-choked immobile home sat partially lopsided and screaming for help. 

Trudging up the steps, Pyre hesitated one last time before reaching for the knob. It fell off in his hand, unsurprisingly. He nonchalantly dropped it and walked inside. He'd hoped that his dad was out, but it was always impossible to tell since he didn't own a car. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side, but as his drunk ass father stumbled into the main living area from the hall, he was thankfully aware of the little friend he'd brought home with him. 

It didn't seem to process in his mind exactly what it was, though, considering the look on his face. Just that he shouldn't run right up to it and start beating on the person carrying it. 

"His name is Snaky," Pyre said with a fake smile before he darted past his father, taking his chance while the man's intoxicated brain was still processing the fact that he had a rattlesnake in his house. 

He managed to make it to his room and shut the door before he heard the sound of his father puking up whatever cheap ass alcohol he'd spent his faked disability income on this time. Thankfully, he never dared come into his room anymore. Not since he'd boobytrapped it with a bunch of dirty knives he'd found during the days he hadn't bothered coming back to the house. 

Speaking of which, he walked around his uneven room, keeping away from the worst of the sagging floor as he reset each of his traps. When that was finally done, he took in a deep breath of stale air, then blew it out as he fell back onto a pile of dirty jackets... also things he'd picked up while wandering the streets. 

He felt the snake make its way farther beneath the coat, and his shirt, before it finally curled up against his belly. The just-barely there flick of its tongue every so often against his skin was an odd sensation, but he didn't really mind it. 

"If you want any mice, there are a few dead ones in the kitchen corner of the living room. They had been alive, but yeah... can't live if there's no food to eat." 

A muffled rattle was the snake's response, which made Pyre chuckle lightly, rocking the snake on his belly the slightest bit. 

"We should be good until we have to leave, but I'm thinking that through the window is a viable option when that happens." 

He was honestly considering never coming back, too. The streets weren't that bad, and he could take care of himself. He'd also be able to eat at the food pantry whenever he wanted.

Just the thought of it sounded so relaxing. He'd also be able to live in an area closer to his mother's house so that he could perhaps visit a little more often. Of course, he didn't want to intrude on her amazing new family, but one day a month or so, just maybe, he could walk through her door and into a hug.  

Those thoughts, and the added weight of his new scaly friend, lulled him to sleep in no time.