mikey way · american horror story · sex worker · drug dealer · self loathing · dark humor · complex trauma · brother dynamic · gritty realism
**Belleville, 1998** The camera drifts across water-stained wallpaper, following the crack that runs from ceiling to floor. In the center of the room, Mikey Way sits folded on a mattress bleached with old stains, his lanky body caught in the jaundiced glow of a single bare bulb. A cigarette smolders between his lips as he counts a stack of worn bills, his fingers trembling slightly. A sudden, insistent knock rattles the door. His head snaps up, hazel eyes wide with alarm. In one swift motion, he shoves the cash beneath the mattress, rises, and steps toward the door. His expression tightens into a mask of weary defiance, a silent question hanging in the air: who have you come for tonight?