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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.

Chapter List
- 31
- 32
- 33
Sublime Awakenings: Chapter 32

Rosemary gave her only son's bedroom door a few soft knocks before daring to open it half a foot so that she might peek inside. She breathed out a relieved sigh at not finding Pepito and Todd in another compromising position. Both boys appeared to be clothed and they even occupied separate sleeping bags. Actually, she had to admit that they looked pretty cute holding hands like that.

Seeing Woofles raise her head in alert, she entered the room fully, taking a few steps towards the bed. “Good morning, Woofles.”

“Woof.” The hell-doggie yawned, rising to all fours before jumping off the bed to head down in hope of breakfast.

The shift of weight jolted the mattress, disrupting Pepito's dream. As the fog of sleep threatened to lift, he unconsciously tried to cling to its intangible substance. Unlike the other dream that he had had that night, this one wasn't a replay of finding Todd unconscious and bleeding to death on Johnny's floor. It wouldn't make him wake up in a cold sweat, on the verge of screaming the boy's name and in bad need of a cigarette that he wasn't willing to leave the other's side for. Rolling onto his side to face his friend, he pulled Todd's hand against his chest, draping his other arm over the boy. His voice was a groggy mumble. “Nuhh…quit moving, Amigo.”

His mother managed to stifle a few giggles, highly tempted to make a quick run for her camera. It seemed that she loved to collect blatantly human moments in her son's life. Her personal photo album, which was separate from the official family photo album, was almost a compilation of evidence; evidence that Pepito really was half human; that he really was half hers. It wasn't really that such moments were terribly rare, especially not since he had become a teenager, but being the mother of the Alter Boy of Doom was a very difficult position for a Christian. On the one hand, she did have certain duties as a mother and wife. And she did love her son and husband. On the other, they were, by definition, the adversary of humanity, if not her God.

She knew that this must be the preordained role that God had chosen for her, so she must have the strength to carry it out, but sometimes she felt that strength running thin. Sometimes, she wanted to cut and run, leave her whole life behind, maybe join a convent. Sometimes she was almost resentful of God for choosing her for that role. The Bible allowed a believing spouse to grant an unbelieving one, as well as their children, sanctification through their own faith and works, but she doubted that held true for her case. Sometimes, she thought that it was all just a terrible mistake or some great failing on her own part.

Sometimes, it seemed unfair that it was her Christian duty to give birth to the destruction of the human race; that in a way it was Pepito's as well, though she was sure he didn't see it that way, and that his duty would bring his own damnation. Like Judas, his role was a necessity in God's plan, and also like Judas, he would pay a hefty price for playing the role that would bring salvation.

Shaking the disturbing thoughts from her head, Rosemary made her way to one of the windows in the bedroom, drawing back the curtains to let the morning light illuminate it. “Pepi, honey, it's Mom.”

Rays of light seemed to pierce through his lovely fog, making him blink in awareness. He had to fight back an urge to bury his head under the pillow. “Mother? What time is it?” Rolling back onto his back to see his mother, he could also see Todd waking up and stretching out of the corner of his eye.

“It's nine-thirty. Unless you have an objection, a nontheological one, I'm about to leave for Church.” As Pepito begrudgingly sat up, she leaned over his bed to give him a quick hug. “Your father has already left for work and breakfast is on the table.”

“Oh. Okay. Have fun...” Pepito paused briefly to return the hug and raise a hand to his mouth as he yawned. “...or some overrated, repressed variation thereof.” It was a rather weak reprisal, but after her previous remark, he felt obligated to try. Besides, he figured he deserved some leeway for only have been awake three minutes. For some reason, neither of his parents seemed very inclined to let him sleep in on the weekends, even when he had no obligations which needed attendance.

Rosemary smirked as her hand rose from Pepito's back to smack him lightly on the back of the head. “Don't take that tone with me, young man, or you'll be helping your father rearrange the basement all next weekend.”

“Ouch, Mom!” The demonic teen rubbed the back of his head, trying his best to appear sullen, as his mother stood to leave. “You wouldn't really make me rearrange the basement just for that, would you?”

“Rearranging the basement” had become code for any major dealings with large groups of the Damned in Hell over the years. It was something that Pepito hated dearly. The problem with Hell was that not many people wanted to go there. The people who ended up there were usually people who believed, consciously or unconsciously, that Hell was a horrible place and that they deserved to be there. They were generally wretched, ignorant cretins, who basically supplied their own torture, as well as that of anyone else who bothered with them. Plus, they were already dead, so destroying them was an act in futility. It was like shacking a hornets nest.

“We'll see.” She dropped her serious facade at the door to give him a small smile, not wanting him to dread a fake punishment all day. “Oh, if you leave the house, leave me a note. And leave your cell phone on for once.”

“Alright, Mother.” Pepito returned the smile, leaning back against his pillow in relief.

“Bye, Sweetie. Bye, Todd.”

“Goodbye, Mother. Thanks for breakfast.”

“You're welcome, Hun.”

As Pepito's mother closed the door to leave, Squee finally sat up, having watched the interaction with amusement. Through it was argumentative, there was a playfulness to it that made it was obvious that the two loved each other. He hoped that Pepito knew how lucky he was to have a mother who actually responded positively to his existence, even if they did have their differences.

When the door closed, Pepito unzipped his sleeping bag the rest of the way, turning to his friend. “Morning, Todd.” He smiled brightly at the other's messy hair, aware of how fortunate he was to actually have his best friend with him in person after all those years of making due with mail and phone calls. “How did you sleep?”

When Todd only grinned dazedly, Pepito leaned closer, looking into his eyes as if trying to establish a mental connection. His brown eyes were a little lighter than normal and shinier too. “Want some breakfast?”

“Breakfast?” The smile grew as Squee meet Pepito's gaze.

“Yeah.” Pepito laughed a little. “You know, that meal that some people eat in the morning? Supposedly primary in both order and importance? Mother insists on making it whenever possible.”

The smile grew even more. Just as Pepito was starting to worry that Todd was having some sort of real mental breakdown, the other teen lunched forward, hugging him tightly. The worry boarded on fear. “Do they...uh...not serve breakfast at the institute?”

“Heh. They serve gruel for breakfast, but that's not it. I didn't have a nightmare.” Todd released his friend, settling back into his own personal space, smile still intact. “I didn't take the medication and I didn't have a nightmare! That's never happened before. At least not since I was really little.”

“Really? That's great!” Pepito smiled back, relieved that his spell had done its work and that Todd was still relatively sane. “And hey, you used both arms for the hug! Didn't that hurt?”

Squee looked surprised, staring at his left arm as if it would produce an explanation. “No, it didn't. Do you think...no. It couldn't have healed that fast...could it?”

Pepito shrugged. “There's only one way to find out.” He scooted a little closer to Todd, motioning for him to place the arm in his out held hand.

Taking a deep breath, Todd complied. He closed his eyes as Pepito unwrapped his arm, silently hoping that it wouldn't have mutated into something freakish and unnatural. When he heard the other gasp, he forced his eyes open to see that his arm had almost completely healed overnight. All that was left of the previous gash was a long, thin, red line: a scar.

“Incredible.” Pepito raised his free hand to gently run a finger down the scar, which subtly protruded from Todd's arm. It wasn't completely healed, because then it would probably be more white than red and lay flat against the rest of his skin. Still, that was one fast-acting healing ointment. Half way down, they locked eyes. “Does that hurt at all?”

As the tip of a smooth finger ghosted down his arm, Todd bit his lip. He took a deep breath to steady his voice before answering. “A little, but mostly it just...tickles...horribly.”

At this information Pepito's mouth formed a triumphant smirk that easily carried over into his voice. “Tickles? Horribly, you say?”

Todd's eyes widened as he realized his mistake, before narrowing on the other. His arm wasn't crippled this time, so he would have a fair chance...as long as Pepito didn't use his “super Satanic powers”. “Don't even think about it, Pepi.”

Smiling at the playful challenge, Pepito arched at eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do about it...Squee-Gee?”

Lowering his head in mock defeat, Todd let his arm lay limply in the grip of his friend until he felt that grip loosen. This probably wasn't a good idea so soon, but Pepito was just too smug, so it couldn't be helped.

“Todd?”

“This!” He quickly flipped his hand over, using it to grab Pepito's before pouncing him unto the bed. Because of the sneaky nature of his attack, he was able to get in a good deal of tickling before the other recovered enough to fight back, and by then he had to fight his own laughing as well as Squee's tickling.

Pepito laughed nearly uncontrollably at the unexpected maneuver, tickling back the best he could with his free hand, but still trying not to be too rough with the healing boy so soon. “Haha! Squee...hehe...you little...ha...cheat! Haha...hehehe!”

“Me? Ha! Yesterday...haha...I couldn't even fight back! Ahh!” It still wasn't really fair because Pepito knew where he was most ticklish! “Heh heh. Hey, where are you most...hehe…ticklish?”

Pepito laughed even harder at the bluntness of the question. “Haha. Hasn't...anyone…ever told...you not…to...hehe…give away...secret...battle...strategy...hehe...intel...hahaha.”

“Ha hehhah...noooooOOO! WhhooO...told you...that? Heheheeh...Carl
Rove?”

A hand rose from Todd's hips to fist in the front of his shirt so that Pepito could pull him down, closing the distance between their bodies and effectively stopping the tickling. They both continued to laugh reflexively, taking deep breaths for almost a full minute, foreheads resting against one another. Once he had regained the ability, Pepito smirked again. “It's somewhere that you probably wouldn't want to stick your hand.”

“What?”

“My most ticklish spot.”

“Oh.”

The Anti-Christ smiled widely, revealing two short, fang-like canines, as Todd blushed brightly. Suddenly, he gripped the other's hand that had held his own down, flipping them over so that he was on top.

Todd gave an exasperated sigh, throwing back his head to laugh a little once again before meeting the other's eyes. “I knew you couldn't allow it to end that way. Your pride just won't let you lose, will it?”

“Hey, I wasn't losing. I was just...uh...winning on the bottom. Besides, I know your weak spot. The way I see it, it was a draw. At best.”

“Oh, please. You're just in denial.”

“Am I?” The half-demon used his right hand that held Todd's left to the bed to loosen both their grips, smoothing Todd's hand flat against the bed, sweaty palms rubbing together, before once again running a finger slowly down the scar on his arm. As he did this, he voice dropped a little lower, almost to a whisper, as if sharing a secret. “I think you're merely afraid to find my spot.”

As Pepito's finger traced the scar, Squee's breath caught and he found himself holding it as not to laugh. When the finger reached his elbow, he let it out with a small laugh before somehow managing to speak in the same almost-whisper as Pepito, even as the other traced the scar back up to his hand, leaving goose bumps on the sensitive skin. “And I think you just want me to touch you in...places.”

When Pepito reached Squee's wrist again, his hand slid back up to hold the other boy's hand, fingers interlocking without conscious effort on either of their parts. His head moved down just a little lower, just barely brushing the sides of their noses together. This time his voice was a true whisper. “I think you might be right.”

The feel of the other's breath on his lips made Todd's heart beat faster and their chests were so close that he could tell Pepito's was doing the same. His grip on the half-demon's hand tightened without his consent as they both came closer and closer, ever so slowly. As it did, Pepito's thumb gently stroked his hand, sending ripples of warmth through his body. The other's fiery brown eyes were at half mast when his own closed, seconds before they touched. It was a gentle mingling of soft, warm lips that lasted only about ten seconds, but left his own lips tingling with a strange, ecstatic kind of energy.

Pepito took the kiss extra slow, wanting to give Todd every chance to back out and fully expecting it right up until their lips actually touched. When they did, he felt an odd heat bloom in his stomach, which spread throughout his body, up to his fingertips, which trembled slightly, and down to his very toes. That had never happened before. He had never been this excited about a simple kiss in all his life, and he had had more than his fair share of kisses, not to mention anything more. Somehow, he felt the same intensity, the same nervousness, as with his very first kiss, but in a completely different way.

Slowly, Pepito removed his lips from the others, leaning up and watching as Squee's eyes blinked open, then widened in shock. His blush faded slightly as his face began to pale, though his cheeks remained pink. Pepito swallowed a lump in his throat before speaking in a hushed, worried tone. “Todd?”

The sound of Pepito's voice helped to break through the shock and Todd forced himself to blink away the jarred stare. He felt a twinge of annoyance with himself. It wasn't as if he had never seen Pepito's demon side before. It had just been a while. Even so, during that time he had grown used to thinking of him as a human. The little demon-boy that he had met in second grade seemed almost unreal, like an old nightmare or a spooky fantasy, which was, in fact, just what he had thought it was until that very week.

Even though he now knew, intellectually, that Pepito was what he was, actually seeing it mere inches from his face somehow made it more real. Still, he couldn't allow himself to be afraid simply because of something that he already knew was true, something that didn't change who Pepito was. He refused to hurt him over that again, as he had done so many times as a kid and again just the day before. When he finally spoke, his voice, still barely above a whisper, shook only slightly. “It's okay. I'm not afraid.”

Pepito's brow furrowed in confusion until he noticed that his hand holding Todd's was glowing a light green, his mortal skin tone making it appear almost a soft olive. “Shit.”

He immediately sat up, releasing the other's hand and moving off of him. Automatically, his hands went to his head, feeling two horns, now almost three inches long and beginning to curve toward the back of his head. His infernal manifestation was showing. It must have been because of his overly emotional reaction to the kiss. But nothing like that had happened so completely in years! And Todd hadn't seen him like that since second grade. He removed his hands from the horns, looking back to his friend, who had sat up after him. “Amigo...I...I'm...”

Squee bit his lip in worry. Pepito rarely cursed unless he was really upset, another odd characteristic for the Anti-Christ, but one that made sense when one considered that both of his parents held good manners in such high regard. He got up on his knees, moving closer to the other before sitting back down on his own legs. “Please don't. Don't apologize. Don't be sorry.”

“But, are you..?”

“I'm okay.” Taking the other's hand, eyes lingering a little on the naturally black nails of the infernal form before seeking out Pepito's own, which were now two different shades of red, Todd smiled. “Better than okay.”

The red eyes stared back in uncertain surprise. “You're...really not afraid?”

“No.” As his free hand slowly moved up to touch Pepito's face, Squee moved closer, feeling the other's hand light gently on his own shoulder. The skin was still the same, soft and mostly smooth, though the temperature was a little higher. Pepito's eyes searched his own questioningly as he drew his face up, about an inch from the others. “I'm not afraid.” It was more like an intelligible breath than words, followed by a light, but sure, peck to the lips.

When Todd drew back slightly, still smiling, Pepito slowly smiled back. He could feel a strange warmness throughout his body that made his eyes moist, and he hoped that he wasn't going to cry. “Then I'm not sorry.” He used the hand on the Todd's shoulder to pull him closer, and then they were kissing again, arms wrapping around one another. They shared a sequence kisses that started out as soft and light as the first, but progressively grew in length and passion.

After several minutes, they finally broke apart, both panting a little from the lack of air.

“Pepito, what does this mean?”

“What do you want it to mean?”

Squee looked uncertain before shrugging and tilting his head to the side in a playful manner. “Something that's...not a mating ritual?”

Snorting in humor, Pepito made a pretend sad face. “I was afraid of that.” He smirked mischievously before continuing in an enticing voice. “Youare aware that I've learned much in that department from Incubuses and Sucubuses, right?”

Squee rolled his eyes, using one hand to gently push the other back a little by his shoulder. “You're such a slut.”

Pepito crossed his arms over his chest in mock offense. “Prude.”

“Seriously, this...this has been coming for a while now, hasn't it?”

“Yeah, I suppose it has. I know this is very poor timing...”

“What? Oh. Heh. Well, at least you told me about the whole Anti-Christ thing before the kiss.”

“Um hum. Otherwise, I might need a hearing aid now.”

“Whatever.” He wasn't that loud. Smile fading a little, Squee's face took on a more serious air. “I'm not really sure what I want this to mean. I...I've never really felt this way about a guy before. I mean, I've never felt this way about anyone before, but whenever I...umm. The asylum made it kind of hard for me, but the few crushes that I have had have been girls.”

Pepito smiled at the other's shy and embarrassed disposition. He usually despised that kind of innocence unless he was about to obliterate it, but on Squee it was actually sort of ...cute. It wasn't self righteous or sanctimonious like it was with most. And he didn't find himself wanting to annihilate it for the simple pleasure of doing so like he had done with others. He wanted to take it slowly, carefully. He wanted to savor it. “But, you do like me.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“I...Yeah. I guess I do.” Feeling little blossoms of heat sprouting up all over his face, Squee looked down for a moment. He liked Pepito. Maybe more than liked. God, was that better or worse than liking Gaz? If he was honest with himself, he would have to admit he did have small crush on the purple-haired girl, but that feeling paled in comparison with what he was feeling at the moment...for the Anti-Christ. Finally, he forced himself to look back up, meeting the other's waiting eyes. “What...do you want it to mean?”

“For me...” He paused to take one of Todd's hands back into his own. “It means that I care for you. A lot. And, of course, that I find you attractive. But, I think you already knew all that. I've felt this way for some time now, but that wasn't really planned or anything. It doesn't have to include any stipulations...it doesn't have to change anything...unless you want it to.”

“Ummm...” Todd stared down at their clasp hands. They fit so well. But, what would a romantic relationship with Pepito be like? What would it entail? There were things that he just wasn't ready or willing to give...at least not yet.

“It's okay. You don't have to decide now. In fact, you probably shouldn't.”

Squee looked back up, meeting the other's eyes in relief. “You don't mind if I think about it for a while?”

“Of course not.” Pepito gave the other a warm, sympathetic look before smiling a little wider and using his hold on Todd's hand to pull the boy to himself, wrapping him in a hug. “I'm sorry that I come with so much baggage, even as a friend.”

Returning the hug, Squee felt a soft, tingling, fuzzy sensation where the bare skin of their faces brushed together lightly. It was an almost static feeling, kind of like the way his foot felt when it fell asleep, except without the discomfort. He was tempted to comment on the strange fuzziness, but didn't really want to break the hug just yet. “It's okay. It's not your fault. Besides, would you still be you without the baggage?”

Pepito's embrace tightened even more, though it wasn't as desperate as it had been the previous night. “I don't know.”

After a few comfortable moments of silence, Todd managed to squirm his way out of the hug a short distance, taking it upon himself to try and lighten the mood a little. “Heh. Pepito Lite.” He was a little surprised to see Pepito looking “normal” again, with the horns and green skin no longer visible, but chose not to give it voice.

“Approved for the soul on a diet? Oh, I know. How about, 'I can't believe it's not the Apocalypse: less than seventy percent saturated sin.'?”

“Oh yeah. That would make a great marketing slogan.”

“You think so? Maybe I'll use it when I go into politics. I wouldn't even need the hidden subliminal messages because all the viewers would already associate me with food.”

“Actually...maybe not.” Squee's face scrunched up at the remembrance what Letta had told him a few nights ago about the group known as Resurrectionists. “That's kind of gross.”

“It wasn't meant to be taken literally.” Pepito laughed softly at the odd direction that the other had apparently decided to take the joke in. Then again, Todd had been exposed to Catholicism a lot during the last few years, something that he hadn't been particularly thrilled about.

“Yeah, but-”

His counter argument was interpreted by three solid scrapes to the bedroom door followed by a “Woof.”

“Woofles knocks?”

“When she remembers...or when she wants something. Mother probably forgot to feed her again.” Pepito leaned over to place another quick kiss on the other's cheek before pulling back all together and climbing off the bed. “Come on. We should probably go eat breakfast before it gets cold anyway.” When he reached the door, he pulled it open to see just what he expected, his dog sitting in the hall, waiting with restrained impatience. “Did she forget to feed you again?”

“Woof.” Woofles nodded affirmatively before rising to lead the way down stairs.

“You know, if you were home more regularly, that wouldn't happen.”

“Woof.”

“I know that there has been an influx of rabbits into the suburbs lately, but that's no excuse, especially if you still expect to be fed here. I'm beginning to think that you have a paramour.”

The half-Hell-hound paused in her descent to look over her shoulder, sending her boy a playful warning growl.

“Alright, alright. It was just a joke. I know you have no interest in the local canine population.”

Following behind the two, Todd watched as Pepito carried on a causal conversation, a two-way conversation, with his pet dog. That was just so cute...in a freakishly demonic sort of way. He wondered briefly if it was made possible because being half hellhound made Woofles more intelligent or if Pepito could commune with all animals that way.

When they reached the kitchen, Pepito opened the refrigerator, digging in the bottom drawers for something to feed Woofles. It didn't take him long to pull out a steak wrapped in plastic from the grocery. Making quick work of the wrapping, he held the meat up so that the dog could see it clearly, though he knew she could smell it already, before leading her to the large dog bowl beside the back door at the opposite end of the kitchen. “Here ya go, girl. Sorry it's cow meat. The city's Christian population is starting to dwindle.”

Woofles briefly lifted an ear in his direction before sniffing her offering and immediately digging in.

He gave a wide-eyed Squee a mischievous grin as he washed his hands of the meaty juices. There was an assortment of cold medicine on the counter beside the sink, no doubt left there by his mother for Todd. For some reason, she had always seemed more susceptible to his lies than other relatively intelligent people. After drying his hands on a near by towel, he picked one bottle at random, poring the recommended dosage down the sink. Even though he figured she would probably be more understanding of Todd's situation now, there was no point in making her worry needlessly...or telling her that he had lied to her.

“Please tell me that was a joke.” Watching Pepito at the sink, Todd leaned against the counter, arms wrapped around his torso to hide any possible unease. It had sounded like it was probably a joke, but with the son of Satan one never really knew.

Returning the bottle to the counter, Pepito walked past his friend to open the refrigerator again. “Sure, Amigo. That was absolutely a joke.” He smiled behind the fridge door. He had to admit that it was kind of fun to bait Squee sometimes, even at the expense of momentarily perpetrating a few stereotypes. He was just so excitable! “Hummm. Would you like milk, orange or grape juice?” Of course, there was also the coffee that his parents had left in the machine that morning, but, taking his last thought into consideration, he wasn't quite sure that he wanted to see Squee hopped up on caffeine just yet.

“Oh, orange juice, please.” It would have been a lot easier to glare at Pepito if he hadn't been in the process of being so helpful. And if he had actually been upset. The truth was that he was far too elated for that, maybe even if it hadn't been a joke. He couldn't remember feeling that...bubbly...inside ever before. It might have been the lack of nightmares or that he wasn't currently pumped full of medications that subdued his emotions. Or it could just be the way Pepito brushed against him when reaching for glasses in the cabinets above his back.

Pepito was pleasantly surprised when Todd actually ate a decent breakfast without prompting, talking amiably between bites. He had to admit that he had been a little jealous of Letta over the years for getting to see Todd relaxed, and sometimes even happy, like that on a fairly regular basis. Of course, after they had finally developed a real friendship, about a year after Todd had been admitted, he had had many a great conversation with the other boy through letters and later over the phone. But, for Todd most of those conversations had been from behind metaphorical bars, which naturally put somewhat of a damper on his mood. And Pepito had been denied the sight of that smile.

After breakfast, the boys had taken turns showering and then headed for the living room to watch reruns of Saturday's morning cartoon lineup on the big TV.

Walking around to the front of the couch, Squee's eyes were drawn to the mantel of the fireplace to his left, where several photos were displayed. There was one of a young Pepito standing between both parents. Another was an assembly of light haired, light-skinned, overly perky people. A pre-teen Pepito was the only one who really stuck out, standing in the front row with several other children, directly in front of his mother. Apparently, this was her family. Next, there was a prom picture of Pepito and Zita, when they had been ushers the year before.

In the very last photo, Pepito was about fourteen, seated on a bench somewhere in what appeared to be Mexico City. This time he stuck out because he was a tad lighter than the small group that surrounded him. This was obviously his father's side of the family and one of the trips that Pepito took to visit them every few years. But, that no longer made any sense to Todd. How did Satan have human family members? Where had Pepito's Mexican genes come from if his father wasn't even human? The human form that Squee had seen Señor Diablo in recently had blond hair! “Hey, Pepito?”

Looking over from the sofa as he sipped a newly opened can of Poop Soda, Pepito shot the other a curious look. “Yes?”

“How exactly are you related to the people in this picture? I mean, your father has existed longer than Mexican culture, so it wouldn't really make sense for him to be Mexican...” He hoped that wasn't a terribly rude question, but if he didn't ask, it would continue to eat at his brain.

Oh, he should have known that question was going to come eventually. Time for more weirdness! He'd be lucky if Squee still wanted to be his friend by the time all his questions were answered. But, he had told the boy that he would answer them. Sitting his cola on the coffee table directly in front of him, he patted the seat next to him. Once his friend was seated, he dove into the explanation. “Father doesn't really have any human ethnicity of any kind, but he is very fascinated with Mexican culture. When it was time for him to have a son, he decided that Mexican heritage would be interesting, so he took a Mexican body for the conception.”

“What do you mean by 'took' a Mexican body?” That didn't sound good, but then again, what had he been expecting?

“Well, even though he can change his appearance and project himself to humans quite easily, as a spiritual being, he can't produce physical offspring without a physical body, an incarnation. He can produce spiritual children. I actually have a large number of older, spiritual, siblings. But anyway, in order to have me, he possessed and partly transmuted the body of a Mexican man named Juan Diablo, a Satanist who willingly offered his body. He lived in that body until I was born and declared healthy, at which point he allowed it to die so that he could better carry on with his regular job. He can, and does sometimes, still manifest in Juan's form, but it is no longer physically alive and capable of reproduction.”

“So, you have three parents?”

“I suppose you could look at it that way.” But Pepito certainly didn't. “Satan is my spiritual father. Juan is my genetic father, if you want to put it that way, though the genes were altered somewhat to give me more power.”

“Ah. Do, uh,” He paused to gesture toward the picture of Pepito's Mexican relatives. “they know?”

“A few of them. Father has had associations with the Diablo family for quite some time. Actually, the name really isn't a coincidence.” He studied Todd carefully. At least boy didn't seem to be very upset by what he had just learned, like he had been the previous night. “Have any more questions?”

“Not right now.” Todd flashed the other a small smile before pulling his feet up onto the couch, letting them settle directly in front of him so that he could rest his arms on his knees and his head on his arms. He was currently wearing a black pair of Pepito's jeans and a gray shirt with purple strips and holes at the end of their long sleeves for thumbs to fit through, which fit him better than Dib's clothes simply because Pepito liked tighter clothes. Personally, he didn't like tight clothes on himself and even though he ended up wearing a lot of it for work, black really attracted too much lint. But, it did look good on Pepito. Still, the other boy had explained that it was mostly weekend wear for him because he had to keep a more “respectable” image at skool now.

Returning Todd's smile, Pepito retrieved the remote from the coffee table. “Cartoon time?”

“Cartoon time.”

Pepito turned on the TV, which immediately sprung to life with a CNN reporter speaking in a forced professional, urgent tone while footage of a horrible accident engulfed the screen.

“Folks, this is just devastating! This footage comes to us from the city of the famous Professor Membrane. Apparently, an indoor carnival ride malfunctioned late last night. The ride, known locally as 'The Inferno' began leaking deadly gas, which was trapped inside the building with at least twenty people, who were unable to escape the high speed ride to exit the building. I am being told that the vendor had taken a small break while the ride was in session, letting the passengers have an extra, 'free go' at the ride. Eventually, the ride came to a stop, releasing its victims. Three were confirmed dead on site. Another five were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.”

Grimacing at inadvertently exposing Squee to the footage that must have come from a seemingly useless security camera inside the building that housed the ride, Pepito changed the channel. When he ended up on a local news channel, which was playing the end of the same video, he prepared to change it again.

“Wait, they might know more.”

Pepito gave his friend a confused look, wondering why he, of all people, was suddenly interested in the destruction. Still, against is own better judgment, he set the remote aside.

“-but we were lucky enough to get an exclusive interview with one of the more fortunate victims of this tragic event.” A dark-haired, female reporter turned to face a young woman seated in an uncomfortable looking chair at a slight angle to her own. “Julie Rogers, this must have been the most traumatic experience of your young and listless life!” She went on without giving the other a chance to respond. “Please, share it with the home audience.”

The red-head brushed a tear from her cheek. “It...was...soo horrible. You have NO IDEA! There was this THING! This MONSTER! It had huge teeth and yellow eyes! And, and I was SO scared! Everyone was screaming! I know they were seeing it too! Are you listening? ARE YOU!”

“Yes, yes. That's nice, dear. Thank you for your time. Back to you, Tom.”

The scene was quickly replaced with that of a bland, but stern looking man behind an imposing news desk. “Thank you, Dina. I now have Professor Membrane in the studio with me, here to give us the answers that are so desperately needed by the flocking masses. Professor, can you tell us the cause of this catastrophe?”

“Well, Tom, most amusement park rides are still, unfortunately, powered by gas or diesel generators, which are capable of leaking deadly carbon monoxide. This gas is colorless, non-irritating, odorless and tasteless, making it difficult to detect without the proper safety equipment installed. The hemoglobin iron sites in the human blood stream have a high affinity for carbon monoxide, which it binds at around two hundred and forty times that of oxygen. This means that even small levels of the gas can replace the oxygen in our veins very quickly, causing suffocation. Carbon monoxide exists naturally within our bodies at very, very small levels, where it is a neurotransmitter. Because of this, increased levels affect the central nervous system and can cause hallucinations and heightened emotional states such as the one obviously experienced by Julie.”

“Very interesting! Thank you, Professor! Now,-”

“Wait just a minute there, Tom. I would just like to take this opportunity to state my SCIENTIFIC opinion that this is exactly the sort of thing that gives rise to 'ghost' sightings and other seemly supernatural phenomena. Because of our continued professional and communal irresponsibility, we are DEBASING SCIENCE! That is completely unacceptable. And if you people would learn more respect for Science, we would have mini-PEG generators running these rides by now! Think of the LIVES! Think of the SCIENCE!”

Slowly, a slightly trembling hand reached for the abandoned remote, lowering the volume so that Membrane’s loud ranting would allow him to think. “That Julie girl, she seemed terrified. And carbon monoxide raises the chances of seeing ghosts. Didn't you say that most people have to be in an altered state of consciousness or about to die to see spirits?”

“Yeah, Amigo, but-”

“It's him. It's Shmee. He needed those people to see him; he needed them to be scared.”

Pepito's countenance went from inquisitive to worried as he watched Squee's pupils get bigger and his slight frame begin to tremble.

“I've got to do something.” As soon as he went to stand, he felt Pepito's arms around him.

“Todd, you need to calm down. You can't do anything right now. Stressing yourself out isn't going to help anyone.”

“He's still out there. I can't just sit here watching TV while he terrorizes the city! There has to be something!” When the other showed no signs of letting him go, he tried to wiggle his way to freedom, but the other's grip on him only constricted. “Pepito, let me go! We don't have time for this!”

“You're not thinking clearly.” Sighing deeply, Pepito gripped the boy even tighter with his left arm, letting his right hand slip into his hair, against his scalp. “Relax.”

“I can't! I've...got...to...humm...do what?” As soon as the last word had left the demon-boy's lips, all the urgency had left his body and mind. Suddenly, he felt rather tranquil. His struggle weakened until he was just sitting...more like leaning...there against Pepito.

“See? Isn't that better?” Removing his hand from the other's head for the moment, he shifted so he could lie sideways on the sofa, pulling Todd to lay with his back against his chest and once again wrapping arms around him.

“Better? What...what did you do? I feel really...” How did he feel? Tired? Slack? Passive? He felt as if all he needed was a light blanket and a fluffy pillow and he could go right back to sleep, right there. Eh, to hell with the blanket and pillow. Pepito was pretty warm and soft enough.

“Slothful?” Pepito chuckled softly as he let his hand run serenely through dark brown hair.

“Yeah...slothful. Stop doing that.” His voice came out in a subdued, faraway tone, which lent absolutely no credence to his words.

“Why, so you can panic some more?”

“I can't just...humm…” He paused to find a more suitable position. “lay here.” Despite his words, he was sounding more than content to do just that.

“Amigo, we're going to stay like this until you either calm down under your own power or you learn to keep me out of your mind. Until then, you might as well get comfortable.”

“But, Pepi...I'm not sure I know how to do either of those.” He knew he was whining like a little kid, but he really didn't have the will power to muster anything more assertive at the moment.

Tucking the hair that he had been stroking behind the other's ear, Pepito moved close to it, so that his lips just barely brushed against the helix. “Then perhaps some motivation is in order?” He felt Squee shiver a little.

“I don't...what kind of motivation?” He shivered again when Pepito placed a light kiss on the lobe of the ear, feeling himself blush yet again. This was probably too much affection for their current best friend status, but right now he didn't care. Of course, that may have been the whole “sloth” thing. Then again, it did feel kind of nice, like Pepito's hand lifting his shirt up as it moved across his stomach...wait. That probably didn't need to happen. “Pepito...sssstop.” Ugg! It was a whine again!

“Make me.”

“What? I can't.” He was just too lethargic. Was it really even worth the effort?

“Come on, Todd. Fight me. You can do it. I know you can.” Pressing a kiss to his cheek, Pepito let his hand travel further up his shirt at a sluggish pace. “You know, I do believe I'm starting to develop a tickling fetish.” Lifting the hand from the boy's flesh, he let his fingers ghost along Todd's abdomen. He had to do something at least slightly annoying, and he really didn't want to take too much advantage of him in such a state.

“Uhg...nooo...I've been feeding it all this time. Heheheh. Quit it.” Gah! More tickling! He could very well believe that Pepito had a tickling fetish. At least it was forcing him to breathe faster and wiggle around a little. That was a start, right?

“You're not even trying. This is pathetic. I could pinch, you know.” When Todd didn't step up his efforts, Pepito did just that.

“Ouch...heheh...you're mean...heh.”

“What kind of lame reaction was that? That might have been even weaker than your reaction to the tickling.”

“I have high pain tolerance...from the tests at the DHMI...” Usually such a reminder of his ordeals there would have bothered the teen, but as it was, it didn't seem important enough. Not caring seemed a much better approach. Maybe not caring was the best approach for getting through life as well. He could just let the social gravity move him wherever it wanted, exerting no effort to change the prescribed course. He could have a normal life. He could be normal. Normal, complacent and sedated. But that didn't seem right.

Pepito could feel his mental grip on the other weaken drastically at that, but forced himself back to the present task. He might have to pay a visit to the Defective Head Meat Institute later, though. “Oh? Well, in that case, maybe I should pinch you somewhere more sensitive.”

Eyes widening, Todd finally managed to make one of his arms move to catch Pepito's as it headed further up his shirt. It wasn't so much the promise of pain that motivated him, but the sexual implications of the action. It would probably be nothing to Pepito, but that was way too fast for him, and really they weren't even together.

“No?” His hand came to a stop at the other's grip, weak as it was. The progress was really what mattered. “Okay. How about I summon some ice instead?”

“No.” Wow. That one actually came out somewhat authoritative. And he could fill his grip tightening on the other's arm. Maybe he really could fight this.

“Good, Amigo. Remember what we did in the basement.” There was a hint of pride in Pepito's voice as he let his hand fall flat against the other's upper stomach, but still maintained the mental control.

Not letting go of Pepito's arm, both out of paranoia that it might start moving again and out of a need for reassurance, Todd closed his eyes and took control of his breathing. Focusing on breathing in a certain pattern seemed to help him attain a natural calm. He had to fight the urge to nap, but other than that, he was more aware of himself and his surroundings. The News was now reporting something about a suicide and several football players being charged with rape.

Pepito's grip on his mind felt like a thick fog around his brain. Imagining his own consciousness to be like a giant wave of air, he willed it to blow the fog away. As he let this thought form free to work, he felt a surge of energy shoot through his entire body and he thought that maybe what Pepito had told him about particles of mass and waves of energy made more sense now. The energy made his whole body quiver, and as the fog was hit by his wave, he felt Pepito do the same. As the feeling dissipated, he realized that Pepito's fog was gone. Smiling widely, he pulled the lingering hand from under his shirt, turning over to face the half-demon. “I did it!”

Pepito mirrored his friend's smile. “You did. See? It's not so difficult.”

Suddenly, Squee pulled back his arms, crossing them over his chest in an angry posture. “I can't believe you did that to me!”

“Come now, it wasn't so bad.” Pepito gave him a sly smirk. “I only plagued you with sloth. The lust was all yours. And, you do need to learn this stuff.” When Todd's face turned an even darker shade of red, Pepito leaned forward to place a small kiss on his nose. “You're so adorable when you’re embarrassed.”

Todd huffed in a pouting manner. “I am not. And don't change the subject. That was underhanded and wrong.”

“It was tough love, and you know you needed it. Besides, the reason so many people are susceptible to the manipulation of outside forces, magical or mundane, is because they have no connection to their true will. Most of them don't even really know themselves, so they live on autopilot, simply going along with the herd. They're puppets already, so it makes no ethical difference who is controlling them. If someone doesn't have free will to begin with, can it really be violated?”

“Are you saying that I don't have any free will?”

“No. That's exactly the point, you do. I just wanted to make sure that you know how to assert it. Most people never get tested that directly, but your situation is...special. You did very well, by the way.”

Todd sighed in resignation to the other's point, though he was still a little perturbed. “Do you always have such noble intentions?”

“No. And my intentions weren't completely noble. I was sort of hoping to get to use the ice.” Pepito regained the sly smirk until Todd punched him playfully in the shoulder, making them both laugh.

“So, do you have command of all the cardinal sins?”

“Yeah. Pretty neat, huh? But don't worry. I won't use them on you, unless you want me to, but then it wouldn't really be manipulation anymore...”

Todd was just about to inform Pepito that under no circumstances would he actually want to have such powers used on him when he was distracted by a high pitched screeching sound. Seeking the source of the horrendous sound, he jumped in shocked terror when his eyes found the Scary Neighbor Man leering into the front window. The sound had come from a long blade that he was dragging slowly down the glass, leaving a thin trail of blood in its wake.

“Holy shit!” Before he even realized what was happening, his fear-prompted jump sent him tumbling off the couch, heading straight for the coffee table's sharp corner. He closed his eyes in anticipation of the coming impact, but the seconds seemed to drag on for much to long. Cautiously, he pried them open. He wasn't on the couch any more, but he also wasn't on the floor and he hadn't hit the table. He was just floating there, in the air. “Pepito?”

The half-demon smiled at him from the sofa before standing and offering him a hand up.

Immediately taking the hand, Todd allowed Pepito to pull him to his feet. He was a little jittery from the adrenaline that his near fall, and Nny's sudden appearance, had caused. “Th-thanks.”

“Not a problem, Amigo.” His smiled faltered as he looked back to the window, where Johnny was still watching them. Of course, Elize was there too, and she looked much too happy. Either something else really embarrassing had happened to Johnny or they had just been witness to the little game the two had been playing. He started toward the door, but stopped when he felt Todd tug on the hand that he was apparently refusing to let go of. “What?”

“Can he hurt you?” Quickly, Todd glanced toward the window and back cautiously. Over the years, he had grown used to many of Johnny's odd quirks and learned how to avoid dying by working around them, but a situation such as this had never come up. He wasn't really sure how Nny would react or how to deal with his reaction.

“Only if I allow him to. No worries, Squee. We're both quite safe. He can't even come in unless I invite him, and if he tries then it's back to Hell again.” Squeezing the hand in reassurance, he led the way to the door.

Just a few seconds before, Elize and Johnny stood outside. Elize stood to Johnny’s right, looking over his shoulder and into the window. She was much more pleased with what they were both seeing than he was, but knowing of his aversion to human affection just made it all that much better for her. “Alright, Johnny, you're my witness that I totally called this one. 'I don't do jealousy' my ass, Pepito. HA! That is just too cute!”

“Cute? Perhaps disgustingly so, like...Waffles...horrible, little, indestructible, buck-toothed mortality dictator! And so CHIPPER!” Nny's face drew up in revulsion as his short attention span was once again caught by the scene unfolding in Mr. Satan's living room, where the Devil's son had his hand up his little neighbor's shirt and his lips way too close to his face. Intimate human contact was so disturbing, and it was weird that Squee was old enough to want something like that from anyone, though maybe Pepito was better than the scary, obsessive fan-girl from the mall. Maybe. He was only half human, after all, and being human was not something that Nny could say he was fond of. Although, he wasn't particularly fond of the Devil either.

“I can't watch this anymore.” While he had been lost in though, Squee had turned over to face the demonic teen and they were still terrifyingly close. WHY didn't they close the fucking curtains anyway! It HAD to stop before they started sharing bodily fluids and he was forced to hurl his internal organs into the Diablo's flower bed, though maybe the Satanic flowers would feed on them...Eww. OKAY, time to end this hormone induced display of reproductive and sentimental futility! Leaning forward, so close to the window pane that he was almost touching it, he brought forth his one of his trusty knives, dragging it slowly down the glass to maybe make nearby ears bleed.

He chuckled lowly to himself when Squee jumped in fear, reminded of old times when he would wake the little boy by breaking into his bedroom via the window. When the boy didn't hit the floor, he continued to watch, intrigued. He finally looked away from the window when the front door swung open.

Todd stood just on the inside of the door, to the left of Pepito. “Johnny, what are you doing?”

Instantly, Nny went into rant mode. “What are you doing! I am here as the arbitrator of well deserved DEATH for those who engage in filthy, useless, DISGUSTING actions that infest the minds almost every putrid human vermin on this spinning ball of SHIT! Until now, Squee, I have spared you my wrath because of your innocence from such self-defilement. You used to be such a nice little Squee, but NOW! Now, I have no choice but to put an end to your meaningless, empty and vomit soliciting life!” Thus saying, Nny launched himself toward the two boys, knife still in hand, only stopping inches from the door way. Behind him, he heard Damned Elize mutter something that sounded vaguely like, “Oh God, not again.”

“Alright, you crazed, psychotic, hypocritical lunatic, take one more step and you will be back in Hell! And I will make sure that your visit isn't all fun and leather jackets this time!” As soon as the maniac had made his move, Pepito had stepped in front of Squee, whose fingers were currently digging into his shoulder. His own right hand hung ridged at his side, and he was sure that both the other boy and the waste lock could see it glowing with energy, ready to introduce Johnny to the true meaning of pain.

To be honest, he didn't know why his father found this man so amusing. Then again, many of the things that his father found amusing just pissed him off. Like Johnny. One minute he could be self-righteously condemning the materialism and shallow, self-centered disposition of the people of that city, or Hell, and the next he was more concerned about keeping a coat than about his own integrity or self-knowledge that might help him improve his mental condition. Or he was going to kill himself because he couldn't have a brain-freezy. He had almost no self-control, letting compulsion lead him to killing huge masses of people, some of whom were hardly deserving, for insanely minor infractions. That was horrid and pathetic, not funny. Oh well, he supposed that was what his father’s semi-friendship with “God” was for: laughing at people like Johnny and Job. Maybe there was something about being immortal that made it funny.

Nny stood there for a few lingering seconds, staring at the angry, red face of Satan's offspring and the pale, large-eyed, distraught face belonging to Squee. Then, just as quickly as he had sprung for the door, he stood up straight and proper, tucking the knife safely away and smiling in humor. “Heh! No, I only kid. You two should have SEEN your faces! Heh heh. Seriously though, that was pretty disturbing for me. Don't do it again. Or at least close the drapes.” His smile shrunk some when neither of the boys laughed with him, though they had both relaxed some. It appeared that Pepito was no longer about to blast him with a fire ball from Hell, even if he did still look pretty pissed. Squee wasn't clinging to the other teen's shoulder anymore, but was instead blushing a bright red. “What? You didn't think that was funny?”

“Not especially, no. Now hear this: If you ever threaten Squee or talk to him like that again, I swear by my own father's unholy name that I will-”

“Pepito, please!” Squee pulled him back a little by the arm, stepping back up to stand beside him in the doorway. “It was just a joke.” Even though in all probability neither of the two could kill the other for more than a few hours, he really didn't want them to start fighting every time they were in the same room from here on in. “I thought you wanted me less stressed out.”

Pepito let out an aggravated huff, but relented to Todd's wish. Maybe he was overreacting about the “threat”, but some of the things that the man had said to Todd in that little joke had been highly offensive and completely uncalled for. “Fine. How may I help you, Johnny?” There was a slight lingering edge of hostility left in his voice, even though he tried to curb it. No one talked to his Todd that way. And his parents would probably make him clean the newly bloodied window too!

Eyes narrowing at the Anti-Christ, Nny's posture became more rigid. Socializing definitely wasn't his forte, and, somehow, lately he kept bumping up against people and energy beings that he couldn't kill. It just wasn't FAIR! How was he supposed to channel all the aggression, all the built-up stress! Maybe the little beaver would have some suggestions. NO! Oh, dear God, he was starting to loose what little was left of his coherent mind!

Which was why he was here, not to pick a pointless fight with some spoiled, adolescent abomination! He needed to remain as calm as possible if he was to have a chance at getting rid of the newest pest to take residence in his house. Besides, he would be the first to admit that there was a small, but ever present, possibility that someday Squee would need protection from him, like Devi and the others. Hell, there had been a few precious, nearly perfect moments over the years, which had made him feel an almost desperate urge to preserve a rare, nearly familiar connection with the kid, lest it pass and be forgotten or degraded by some future falling out. Still, Squee's current condition of being alive suggested that maybe over the last decade, Nny actually had gotten a little better at managing his damage.

But that was hardly a guarantee that the boy was safe. At least with Pepito, Squee had someone else to look out for him, someone who would actually believe him, unlike the well-meaning, but all too blind Brian and Letta. His parents weren't even a consideration at this point. “Is your father around?”

“No, both of my parents are out at the moment. May I take a message?”

“You tell him that I am VERY unhappy with my new figment and that I STILL want a refund on Damned Elize!” Nny cocked his head to side in contemplation. “Is there really a receipt?”

“O-kay. But I don't think that my father has any control over your psychosis induced imaginary friends. They probably manifest according to whatever you feel you need at the time.” The demon-boy shrugged. “There might be a receipt if Elize was part of your agreement. You should check the clothes you got in Hell.”

“But Waffles said that he was 'sent', meaning sent by someone!”

“Waffles?” Pepito raised an eyebrow.

“The new figment! He's a cute, little, magical, baby beaver! He says that he wants to help me become a good person!”

“And that's bad?” Todd interjected.

“It's horrible! Just HORRIBLE!”

Pepito shook his head. This wasn't his problem. And it was a really stupid problem. “Alright, look, maybe the Administration is trying to work out some of the kinks in the wastelock system. My father should be home by nine tonight, but if he's not here and anything bad happens to my mother you will face the full fury of Hell's torment.” This time the threat wasn't scathing at all. It was a simple statement of truth. Surely even Johnny knew not to mess with Satan's wife.

Before another argument had a chance to break out, Todd decided to change the topic. “Uh, Nny, why is there a Hot Dog on a Stick car in the driveway?”

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Notes:

-1 Cor. 7:14: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife: and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband. Otherwise your children should be unclean: but now they are holy.” -Catholic Bible: www. newadvent . org/bible/1co007 . Html (without spaces after periods).

--Squee's sexuality: This was originally going to be Gaz/Squee and I haven't really changed his character or sexuality much since then. In this fic, he mostly likes girls, but I just can't see him being the “dominate” partner in any romantic relationship, as opposed to Pepito, who does strike me as the “dominant” type, no matter the sex of his partner. Anyway, I like that even though Squee generally likes girls more than boys, he's more the uke type, and even though Pepito is “more gay” that Squee (I always imagine him being kind of Pansexual), he is more the seme type. They fit together in a way that really isn't what most people would expect based on their preferences.

-“Pepito Lite” refers to the ICBINB Advertisement: “I can't believe it's not butter!”

-The “Normal, complacent and i sedated /i ” bit was inspired by the song “Normal Like You” by Everclear.
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Sublime Awakenings