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Sublime Awakenings	By : Kailean Category: Comics > Squee! Views: 1478 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Squee!, JTHM, or Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from these works. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Sublime Awakenings: Chapter 24

“Here you go, boys.” Rosemary Diablo smiled brightly at her son and his friend as she placed two steaming mugs of hot cocoa on the kitchen table in front of them. “I'll have some sandwiches ready for lunch in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Diablo.” Todd made an attempt at sounding merry before staring contemplatively into the swirls of cream and chocolate in his blue mug as if it might form a configuration that would tell him how to get out of the huge mess that seemed to compose most of his life. It didn't.

“Yes, thank you, Mother.” Pepito took a large gulp from his drink before scooting his chair closer to his friend's. He propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand so as to lean even closer to the other. “Drink the cocoa, Amigo. It's good.”

“Huh?” Squee looked up.

“It isn't made of the roasting souls of the damned or anything like that.” Pepito gave a small, amused smile, hoping to coax one from his friend as well.

“Aww. No soul-toast?” Squee returned the smile half-heartedly at first, but it soon grew as he got a good look at Pepito's mug, which was decorated with pastel clouds and similarly colored cartoon bears with the word “WUV” in rainbow colors occupying a prominent place around the bottom. “Nice mug by the way.”

Quickly looking down at his mug, Pepito felt his face tint a light pink. “Oh, uh… Mother got it for me.”

Rosemary smirked at her son's embarrassment as she set three plates with sandwiches and chips on the table. “Wuv Bears was one of Pepi's favorite shows when he was younger. Remember the Wuv Awot song, dear? You used to know it by heart.”

“Mother! I... I most certainly did not.”

“I have you singing along with the show on a home video in the attic, if want to see it.” She gave Todd a conspiratorial wink.

“I wanna see it.” Squee said with enthusiasm before swiftly looking away from the glare that he was sure his demonic friend was sending his way about then.

Sulking like the momentarily disgraced adolescent that he was, Pepito used his foot to give Todd's a gentle sideways kick that was more like a nudge, signifying his awareness of the other's weakened condition. “Just eat your sandwich, Todd.”

He bit into his own a little harshly. One would think that being the Anti-Christ would at least get him enough respect around his own house to avoid these embarrassing little trifles. As he felt Todd return his kick and his mother giggling softly at his typical, indignant reaction, he couldn't help but smile a little himself. It was a begrudging admission that what he wanted most from those closest to him wasn't really respect, and certainly not fear, but affection, even if it meant enduring his six-year-old self singing along, most likely off key, with the sickeningly cute Wuv Bear theme song. He still hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Ding Dong Ding. Ding Dong Ding

“Oh! Someone's at the door,” Rosemary announced. She rose from her seat, patting Pepito's shoulder to encourage him to sit back down. “It's alright honey, I'll get it.” Pushing in her chair, she brushed a few crumbs from her yellow, spotted sundress before padding out of the kitchen and across the living room to answer the front door.

As his mother left the room, Pepito turned to his friend, who had yet to touch his food. “Remember what I said about you having to do as I tell you? Well, I'm telling you to eat the sandwich. Right now.”

Squee gave him a questioning, affronted look before reluctantly lifting the turkey sandwich to his mouth to take a small bite. “Happy now?”

“Yup. Now, if you clean your plate maybe I'll let you have ice cream for dessert.”

“Yay.”

“Seriously, Todd, eating will help replenish your blood so that you won't feel as weak. Plus, you're kind of thin. How often do you eat anyway?” There was a hint of suspicion in the question.

“Just because I had my little 'accident' doesn't mean that I'm anorexic too. It just so happens that the food at the institute tastes like it comes from the Irritable Bowel Ward.”

“I can attest to that.”

Both teens looked up from their plates to see Johnny C. leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen. His hair had apparently fallen out again, leaving him with two blue stalks, one on each side of his head. He was wearing what appeared to be a fresh set of clothes, complemented by a long, black trench coat.

“Nny!” Squee's voice was full of joyful relief at the sight of his, living, homicidal neighbor, suggesting that perhaps there really was a first time for everything. He found himself fighting back a natural urge to hug him, something he would have done if anyone else that he cared about were in Johnny's place... and if he had not been the one to put them there. That definitely increased the awkwardness of an already tense situation. What exactly did one say in such an occasion? “Nice trench coat.” Oh, that was just what the situation called for!

“Hey, Squeegee.” Nny gave his, shockingly happy, little neighbor a lopsided smile that was intended to be friendly, but probably came out manically demented instead. “Huh?” Oh yeah. He was still wearing the trench. When he had finally made it home, traveling through back alleys in an attempt to avoid exposing his apparent nakedness to any more bystanding bags of human trash than necessary, he had changed into some of his rare, clean and nonblood-stained earthly clothes. He had left the trench coat on, figuring that it wouldn't matter if others couldn't see it. It's not like he wanted it for a meaningless sign of social status like the other morons in this city! “Oh! You can see it?”

Squee's brow furrowed in nervous confusion. “Ummm. Yes.” He wasn't sure why he shouldn't be able to see it, or whether Johnny would consider it to be a good or bad thing that he could.

Turning back toward the living room, Johnny shouted in a needlessly loud voice. “Elize!”

The slinky, dark-haired woman suddenly joined him in the doorway, wrapping a thin arm around his neck. “Johnny!” She screamed his name in a pitch similar to the one he had used for her own before dropping into a lower, sultry voice. “What can I do for you?” Her fingers lightly played at his neck.

“First, you can get the hell off!” He gave his ghostly “protector” a violent shove into the opposite side of the doorframe. “How many times do I have to tell you not to touch me!”

Elize smiled despite the impact, which caused her no harm. “At least once more, my delicious charge, as always.”

“Arrragg! Whatever. Look! Squee can see the coat!” He pointed dramatically at the boy at the table, who was staring at them with wide eyes, probably in disbelief that someone had just flirted with Johnny without being torn limb from limb. Oh, if only she could be...

“Yes. I told you that some mortals can see it. It would make sense that he could, considering his current predicament.” Pushing herself off the doorframe that she had been leaning against, Elize took a seat at the table, turning her attention to its occupants. “Greetings, Pepito. You're looking… well.” She emphasized the last word with a quick wink.

Having watched the conversation with mild interest until that point, Pepito put down his half eaten sandwich to give the damned woman a reluctant smile. “Hello, Elize. So, what are you doing with Johnny C.?” He could hazard a good guess as to what she was doing, but doing so would reveal his secret identity, not that he had much to fear from someone with the maniac's level of psychological stability. It was annoying, but not entirely surprising, that he was finding out about this from Elize instead of his father.

“The Dark Lord has assigned me to guard him. He isn't sure if it will attempt another…attack…on him or not, but we need to be safe until we have more information. The entity may require a certain amount of psychic ability in its hosts, and it knows where to find these two. Plus, it obviously has some sort of attachment to them.” She smirked at his exasperated look at her open talk of “The Dark Lord”, waving his concerns away before he could voice them. “Relax. He already knows.”

“He knows? How?”

The dead woman smiled knowingly at Todd, recalling the argument that she and Johnny had been witness to.

Pepito turned to his friend incredulously. “You told him?”

“No! Wait. Yes, but I was nine.” Squee was fairly certain that he had told Nny about Pepito being the Anti-Christ when he was younger, but the maniac's memory was like a patch-work quilt: made up of small segments in his history, few in honest chronological order, and many sewn to two or more pieces concurrently. Until that point, he hadn't really considered the possibility that Nny might still remember it. “Sorry?”

Losing his agitation, Pepito sighed in acceptance. He really couldn't blame Todd for telling anyone that long ago, especially in a psychiatric setting where it must have seemed like just one more distorted memory. After all, he had been the one to announce it to their entire second grade class himself.

“You knew that he was a demon that long ago? You told me?” Johnny looked to Squee in confusion, receiving a similar look in return.

Elize took it upon herself to explain. “He saw your little argument this morning on the All Seeing Eye. But not to worry, he has signed a contract with Senor Diablo stating that he will not reveal any of what he saw. It's good to see that you made up with your little friend. Speaking of which, aren't you going to introduce me?” She nodded toward Todd.

“No.”

“No? Why not? Ohhhhhh. You're jealous. The only question is, are you jealous of me or him?”

“I don't do jealousy. Todd's just been through a lot lately, and he doesn't need anyone like you trying to take advantage of that. So, back off.”

“Me, take advantage? For shame, Pepito. You know, your father would be disappointed in your lack of hospitality.”

The Anti-Christ rolled his eyes at this. “Elize, this is Todd Castil. Todd, this is Damned Elize. She is a discarnate human spirit who died in the late nineteen-nineties. She is technically a resident of Hell, but since she is less stupid than most human souls who go there, she works for the administration.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Todd Castil.” Smiling brightly at having gotten her way, and ignoring the mild insult to her intelligence, Elize offered her hand in salutation.

Looking back and forth between Pepito and Elize, Todd hesitantly shook the hand. “It's, uh, nice to meet you too.”

Johnny watched the scene unfold uneasily. He wondered if Mr. Satan had purposefully chosen Damned Elize because of her innate ability to make him uncomfortable. The bastard was probably watching him on his freaky eye in the sky thingee right now, laughing his ass off.

Mrs. Diablo passed, unknowing, by the maniac, into the kitchen. “Mr. ...C was it? Would you like to join us for lunch? I can make you a sandwich.”

For a long moment, Nny pondered the possibility of a sandwich as if it was a serious matter. He eyed Squee's sandwich suspiciously. He eyed Mrs. Satan suspiciously. The tension mounted. He shrugged. “Okay.”

After finishing the sandwich, Rosemary sat the plate on the table beside Elize. “There you are, Mr. C. Elize, dear, can I get you anything?” Though she already knew what the answer would be, asking was still the polite thing to do.

Giving his intended seat a hard look, Nny scooted it as far from Elize as he could before sitting down across from Squee to eat the sandwich. How long had it been since he had eaten? Just a few days this time, it seemed. Usually, he would wait longer before eating again, but something about resurrection made him hungry.

“No thank you, Rosemary.” Elize's eyes moved suggestively from Todd to Pepito, whom they landed on as she continued. “I don't think you could make me the kind of sandwich that I like.”

“No, I don't suppose I could.” Rosemary wondered if she should ask Juan about keeping a supply of food from Hell in the house. She was drawn from her thoughts when the phone rang. “Now, who could that be.”

Silently glaring at Elize with a red gleam in his eyes, Pepito waited until his mother left to answer the living room phone before speaking in a warning tone. “Elize, I told you to back off. Can't you ever give it a rest? And don't say things like that in front of my mother.”

“Jeez, Pepito, you're no fun outside the bedroom.” She moved her chair further from the Anti-Christ and closer to Johnny, ignoring his visible cringe. “So Todd, why does Johnny call you 'Squee'? Is it because you're so cute? When I lived, some of my nerdy friends used it that way.”

Johnny let the sandwich that he had taken a few bites from fall back onto the plate before him. He could feel his hands shaking. Oh, how he wanted to KILL her! That was it! He was going to stay right there until the Devil came back and demand that he be assigned a different guardian!

Blushing brightly because of all the things that she had implied, some of which disturbed him greatly, Todd attempted to make it all grind to a halt. “No! He calls me that because when he asked me my name, I made a squeaky sound that sounded like 'squee' because I was afraid. I used to do that a lot.” He looked down at his sandwich in embarrassment, not mentioning that sometimes he still did or that he had spent a whole year when he was twelve trying to get people to stop calling him that only to reinforce its usage and eventually give into it himself.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Pepito continued to glare at the damned woman. He was well within his rights to treat her however he wished after she disrespected him in his home with her obscene disregard for his authority. It was obvious that her main objective in that was to annoy Johnny, which in itself could be quite funny, but dragging Todd into it was going too far. He was just about to curse her horribly when his mother came back, phone in hand.

“It's for you, Todd.”

Taking the phone from Mrs. Diablo, Squee slowly raised it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Todd! This is Letta. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?”

“Because of the way you left work last night. That Vayowen girl said there was some kind of emergency. And I've been trying to call your cell all morning. And then I called your mother, but she didn't know who I was or who you were.”

“Oh. Oh, yeah.” He could tell by her tone that she wasn't telling him everything. “I left my cell phone in my locker at skool, during the whole 'cafeteria food accident' thing, so it's probably ruined. Sorry.”

“It's okay. Listen, is Johnny there?”

“Yeah. How did you know that?”

“I was working at the coffee shop this morning, and Johnny was there…naked! And he was talking to someone that no one else could see. And he was ranting insanely. So, I think he might really be insane. I called Dad to tell him, and he said that Johnny had just called him to get Pepito's address. So, I knew he was coming there, and with the way he was acting...I just thought I should warn you. Are you sure everything is alright there?”

“Naked? At the square? That's...odd.” He gave Johnny a slightly disturbed, questioning look, only to see the manic glare pointedly at Elize, who smiled widely. “He isn't acting...unusual...at the moment. Last night was just an exaggeration. He accidentally threw away some of my old stuff. It's not a big deal. Thanks for the concern, though.”

“Oh. Okay. That game that you guys are always playing must be getting to me. You know, the one where you pretend he is a psycho-killer. You'll call me if ...you need me?”

“Sure. Oh, Letta. I kind of caught a cold from being wet for so long after the cafeteria thing, so could you tell Brian that I'm not going to Church tomorrow? And I think I'm going to be staying at Pepito's for a while, so call me here if you need to.”

“You're sick? You know Dad wouldn't mind you staying at the house for a few days. I could skip Church tomorrow too, and make you some chicken soup.”

As tempting as her offer was, especially when compared to staying in the house of Satan, he couldn't risk putting Letta and Brian in the same danger that almost everyone he came into contact with, until he had been separated from Shmee, had succumbed to. “Oh, that's okay. I don't want to get you guys sick, and if I'm well enough I can get rides to skool with Pepito.”

“Alright. I'll call you later, I guess. Take care.”

“You too. Bye.” Pressing the “end” bottom on the cordless phone, Squee placed in on the table. He was annoyed by the quiet that had fallen over the kitchen during his conversation, and then confused when he noticed that everyone was staring over his head. He slowly turned around to see Senor Diablo standing behind him in full infernal form. He bit his tongue to suppress any sounds that might force their way out.

Senor Diablo smiled in greeting, revealing four sharp fangs in place of canines. “Hello again, Todd. It has been quite some time, hasn't it? That was a very good lie. My son could learn a lot from you in that respect. You see, Pepito, how there was no hesitation, no defensiveness, no added drama or emphasis on the parts that weren't true?”

Huffing indignantly at the semi-public lecture on his lack of lying ability, Pepito looked to his father with a bored expression as Todd stammered a brief “Hello”. “Yes, Father.”

Turning back around in his seat, Squee slumped down to make himself less noticeable. This was a very odd feeling. He had just been used as a positive example by Satan, to teach theAnti-Christ how to tell a proper lie! Maybe it was time he reevaluated the way he lived his life...though that lie was necessary and in the best interests of others.

“Hiiii, Muffin!” Rosemary gave her husband a quick hug before she was interrupted by an impatient Mr. C.

“Mr. Satan! This coat isn't REAL in this world! And Elize is a HORRIBLE guardian! I demand a refund!”

Senor Diablo's eyes narrowed slightly, but his voice remained pleasant. “Do you have a receipt?”

“Noooo.”

“Then no returns, on the coat or the guardian. Besides, your torment amuses me.”

“You're...you're just so MEAN!”

“Yes. I believe we've established that. Is that your only reason for being here?” He looked to Damned Elize.

“He wanted to check on the kid.” She gestured casually to Squee.

“Very well.” He looked to Pepito. “I take it he is staying with us?” At his son's affirmation, he went back to Johnny. “I'll have you know that this house is protected by several powerful spells. If you attempt to enter without invitation, you will find yourself, once again, in Hell. If you wish to visit him during his stay, you will do so as a proper guest.”

Fuming with homicidal rage, Johnny felt his hand instinctively reach for the knife attached at his belt. He held the handle tightly, consciously aware that he couldn't kill anyone there who currently deserved it, but still comforted by the familiar metal. He was being far too social today, and, of course, this was the natural outcome.

Walking to the head of the table so that everyone could easily focus their attention on him, Senor Diablo merely snapped his fingers to make a glowing scroll appear beside him in the air. On the scroll was a frozen image of the energy being from the night before, preparing to attack Johnny. Those who had yet to see it studied it closely.

“I suppose the nature of the entity known to us as 'Shmee' is pertinent to everyone here, so I will share with you what I have surmised about it purely from appearance and what I know of Johnny's experience last night. Keep in mind that this is merely educated speculation.

It seems to have a definitive personality with emotions that are, at least in some ways, similar to the ones experienced by humans and related beings. It is deeply attached to Todd, though I do not know if this attachment is physical, or emotional, or some combination thereof. It seems to have some built up aggression towards Todd and, even more so, towards Johnny. Obviously, it feeds off of negative energy; specifically fear.

Since this being appears to be made of energy, and energy is manifest in wave formations which are perceived by humans as colors, it is possible that the outer smoke-like color of this entity works like an aura, changing colors with emotions and physical conditions. The muddy red of this 'aura' indicates an inclination toward physical or material matters. That would make sense because it was about to merge with Johnny's body. It also suggests possible anger. The orange inside the being, making up what I assume to be the actual 'body', is probably a more permanent color than the red of the aura. It may represent a desire to control others. The black leads me to believe that those organs in the middle are used for absorbing and transforming energy, possibly for sustenance. The appendages are probably used for the actual energy transference; that is, to latch on to the host.

Now, if no one has anything to add...” He came to a stop mid-sentence, seeing Todd's raised hand. “Todd?”

“Ummm. I do think that Shmee's attachment to me has a physical component. I had this dream, and it wasn't exactly just a dream. It was...” He repressed a shudder at the memory, but suddenly felt embarrassed at the idea of relating his 'scary' dream to a group of people who rivaled it in their scariness. “Well, anyway, in the dream, I think he attached himself to me. Later, when he started talking again, he said that I needed him, just like he needed me. And he claimed to know everything I know...but I'm not sure if that part was true. I'm not sure if he needs me specifically, or if he just generally needs a host.”

“Excellent. That is most helpful.” The scroll vanished as Senor Diablo looked to Johnny and Elize. “You two are dismissed. Once again, I will be in contact if your presence is required. I suggest you do the same if you stumble across something relevant, or if you encounter the creature again.”

Johnny growled to himself at the Devil's arrogant domineering of the situation. WHY did he think he was automatically in charge just because he was the Devil? DAMN him! Oh, wait. Hehe.

“Yes, my Lord.” Elize rose from the table, nudging Johnny in the ribs. “Come on, Johnny. Feel like going out?”

Standing up at a leisurely pace, Nny contemplated her question. He most definitely was not in the mood for more socializing, and Elize would probably try to make him look like a fool again. On the other hand, he could kill some assholes to take out the frustration that had built up during this visit. “Yes. Let's go out.”

“Bye, Nny.” There was a small, almost hidden hint of fear in Squee's voice, invoked by the thought of being even closer to being alone with Satan. It was strange, and he only noticed it in rare circumstances like the one he was currently in, but even though he was in constant fear of Johnny, he also trusted the murderer to protect him from anyone else. Apparently noticing his unease, Pepito wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“Bye, Squeegee.” He narrowed his eyes at the Devil, still addressing the teen. “Don't sign any contracts with him. He cheats.”

“I cheat? Do not offend my honor, waste lock!” Okay, so he cheated sometimes...when it was fun. But, it wasn't as if Johnny had traded his soul for the coat. Besides, the human had been given a much more valuable offer and turned it down. Those who did not know the difference between indulgence and compulsion reaped what they sowed.

Before Johnny could argue back, Elize pulled him through the living room and out the front door.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:

--“At least once more, as always.” is a quote from Pirates of the Caribbean.

--The Wuv Bears thing was inspired by Pepito's shirt in JHTM, when his mother was buying a book in Devi's store..I think on children with behavior problems. The shirt had a bear on it and said "WUV". In this story, it kind of like Care Bears.
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Sublime Awakenings