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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
- 55
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- 57
Sublime Awakenings: Chapter 56

As they followed Rosemary into the Diablo house through the front door, Leon's clumsy steps became even more erratic, and Todd had to hold him up by the forearm when his weight lagged toward the floor. They made it a few more steps before he took a hold of Leon's other arm as well while Pepito closed and locked the door behind them. "Hey, Lee, you think you could wait until you're lying down to fall asleep by any chance?"

"Huh?" Leon forced his eyes open, gripping one of Todd's wrists to help sturdy himself. "Maybe." He yawned, then smiled in a drowsy way. "There might be a small chance."

"Great." He returned the smile as he used his hold on Leon's arms to move him from side to side, which had the effect of keeping him awake and probably making him more dizzy.

"Aww. Come here, sweetie. Are you ready for bed?" Kneeling on one knee, Rosemary put her arms out to pull Leon closer, even though he still clung lightly to Todd's wrist until Todd pulled it further away. "Pepi, could you be a dear and fold the couch out?"

"Sure, Mother." He clasped Todd on the shoulder on the way. "You can use the shower in my room if you want."

"What?" Todd was confused for a few seconds, until he followed Pepito's gaze and remembered that he had Johnny's blood on his clothes and skin. "Oh. Okay." He headed up the stairs, into the first bedroom on the right after the hall closet, and then into the bathroom, where he undressed with a shiver that wasn't entirely due to the cool bathroom floor on the soles of his bare feet as he waited for the falling water to warm. It was probably a bad sign that he could forget something like that so easily. It had happened too many times in the past, and this recent splattering was pretty minor in comparison.

When steam started to creep out from behind the curtain to make his skin sticky and moist, he pulled it back and stepped into the downpour, letting the hot water do what it could to ease the lingering stress and persistent worry that Johnny had left him with. Hung from a purple rope around the shower nozzle was a waterproof radio with clear plastic skin that showed it's inner workings, except the for dial that was set to a local rock station and the two red and blue dragons that appeared to be chasing each others' tails around the boarder. It made Todd smile, it and the shaving razor that was next to the soap he picked up. Apparently, the bathroom no longer needed 'Todd-proofing'. That or Pepito had just forgotten.

As he moved on to the shampoo, he yawned, then let the intake of air out in a long, lazy sigh. On his way to the bathroom, Pepito's alarm clock had read nearly two in the morning. It was no wonder Leon was ready to pass out really. His own body sure felt ready too, but his mind was another story. It would be hard to stop it from continuing to play out possible scenarios of what might happen next and of what had been happening with Johnny during the last few weeks.

Maybe this mess was his own fault and he should have paid more attention, but either way, all he could do now was hope that something turned up. Before they left the hospital, they had reported that the patient in room 406 was missing a young pet beaver that he had come in with, and left Elize, posing as Johnny's fiancé once again, in charge of making sure that security searched for it. Then they had followed Brian back to his place to pack a few quick bags for Leon and himself, and search for Waffles there. Todd distinctly remembered Johnny speaking with someone else after he had crashed through the window, but the search had turned up nothing, and Elize had yet to call. There was still the possibility that it was at Johnny's house, but that didn't seem very likely because if it was alive and if it was at Brian's house, then it would have to travel several miles back to that part of town.

"Ugh." Quickly, he rubbed conditioner into his hair, then rinsed it out in only a few seconds. After he shut the water off, it only took a few more seconds with a towel from the black metal rack to the left of the slower to dry as well, which was a nice change that had come with his current short cut. After he dressed in a fresh pair of loose sleeping clothes, he unlocked the door and emerged back into Pepito's bedroom to see Pepito sitting at his desk, already clad in his night clothes, and typing on the keypad to his computer. "Hey."

"Hey." Pepito swung his chair around to face Todd, picking up a pink breast cancer awareness mug from the left side of his desk and holding it out for him to take. "Mother wants to you drink this."

Todd took the drink, looking into the off-white mixture with a raised brow. "Is it milk?"

"Yeah. With honey and nutmeg. To help you sleep." He turned back to the computer as he watched Todd sit on his bed and take a slow, cautious sip. "Are you still okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little shaken up." He looked down at the warm milk, which he wasn't usually a fan of, for a moment before drinking more. It still wasn't the best thing ever, but the added ingredients did help the taste. "What are you doing?"

"Just emailing some people; canceling everything I was supposed to do this weekend."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's not you're fault Johnny's insane, Amigo." Pepito rested his chin on his fist as he sent Todd a quick smile. "Besides, now we get to hang out this weekend after all, right?"

Todd let out a laugh. "That's a nice way to look at it."

"Yeah. It's either that or I focus on how pissed I am that his issues put you in danger again." He raised a hand palm up when Todd started to protest. "Don't worry. I know that won't help."

"Thanks."

Pepito sighed. "You shouldn't have to thank me either. You did the right thing with Leon. It's just bad luck that Johnny found out."

"I know."

"Good."

"Do you think we should tell your mom?"

"About Johnny being his … sperm donor?" At a nod from Todd, he turned off the power to his computer without bothering to let it shut down like he usually did."I suppose we should. Tomorrow. It's going to come out when Johnny starts talking at the DHMI anyway."

"But we still don't know, not for sure, do we?"

"They'd do a paternity test, but it's not going to matter. One look at Johnny's life-style, even if the authorities can't see the killing, should be enough to rule him out as a suitable parent. And there's already a family lined up for him."

"Yeah, the Mathers. I … kind of need to talk to your mom about them too."

"Are you serious? What's wrong with them?"

"Shmee, he talks to Leon in his sleep, told him that they want to kill him. It could just be a ploy to get him to stay with me or something, but Shmee's been right about those things before."

"Damn." Pepito covered his upper face with a hand, then let it drag down to fall off his chin. "Okay. You're right. That might give Johnny enough time to make a case, and the Noodle Boy hype will appeal to some people, but the ambiguity spell from the System should keep the story away from the press, like how it toned down his public connection to Noodle. And he's still clearly incompetent. I doubt he even has enough presence of mind to file the proper paperwork."

"He has his periods of clarity." Todd almost laughed at the defensive tone of his own voice. It was stupid really, still wanting to defend someone who had tried to choke him less than a few hours ago … just as bad a how long he had held onto the belief that his parents really loved him deep down when he was a kid. Pepito's expression said it all, but Todd was thankful that he didn't comment on it.

"So, we're going to deal with all of this in the morning." Pepito stood up and pushed his chair closer to the desk. "You ready for bed?"

"I guess. Elize still hasn't called?"

"No, but Father did. She's going to the mental institution when they move Johnny, and Father and some of his demons and followers are out looking for Waffles." He went on when Todd looked confused, "Mother called him when we were at Brian's."

"So, your dad-Satan. Satan and the forces of Hell are out on the streets, scouring the town for a tiny baby beaver?" He tried hard not to laugh, but it was a losing battle.

"Yep. Turns out it's not from the System, so he thinks it might be a clue to the whole invasion thing." Holding out a hand to take Todd's and pull him to his feet, Pepito smiled too. "I'm glad you find it so amusing."

"Sorry, but I really do."

Pepito shrugged and patted his shoulder after releasing his hand and taking the empty mug. "Do you want the guest room?"

"With Karl Rove? Not really."

"Heh. Alright, Todd, I made that up so you'd stay with me because I thought I needed to watch you last time." He backed up toward the wall beside the door to set the mug on his bookshelf for the night. "If Karl Rove were to come here unannounced, it would be in demonic form and he wouldn't actually need to sleep."

"Oh."

"So, the guest room is safe."

Todd frowned. "And you'd … rather I sleep there?"

"I thought you wanted to last time."

"No. I was just kind of upset about that sucking joke."

"Ah. So, you want to sleep in my room?"

"Well, not if you don't want me to."

Pepito laughed a little, unsure why this conversation was so stiff and tense. "Todd, really, it's not a big deal either way."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, good night then." Uncrossing his arms from the position that they had found on their own, Todd grabbed the backpack he'd brought off the floor and walked the rest of the way across the room to open the door and step outside into the hall.

"Night, Amigo." This time it was Pepito who frowned as he slowly closed the bedroom door.

Todd leaned against the hall wall, willing himself to continue on to the guest room. At the same time, there was an ache inside that he thought might make him spend his night there crying. Deeply frustrated with himself and the feelings that he couldn't seem to quell, he stepped forward to knock on the closed door. A few seconds and the sound of shuffling feet later, Pepito opened it.

"Todd?"

"I changed my mind. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Do you need a sleeping bag?"

"I guess." He backed up against the door frame as he watched Pepito open the hall closet to pull the sleeping bags down from the top shelf. "Actually, I kind of need to talk to you."

"Alright. About Johnny?"

"Uh, no. About … us."

"Us?" Pepito tossed both sleeping bags onto his bed, then closed the door after Todd went back inside.

"Yeah." Todd looked down for another moment and forced himself to stopped fidgeting with his hands. "You know, well, maybe it's just me, but for the last couple weeks, it's felt like … kind of like it was when I was in the DHMI. Our friendship, I mean."

"Oh. Was it bad then?"

"Not bad. I just feel like you're holding back parts of yourself, and now that I'm aware of them, I guess pretending like they're not there seems sort of empty."

"Todd, I'm not really holding back; I just don't want to keep stressing you out. I told you that if you want to know something about my cause, you can always ask. And if you don't, then there's no reason for me to keep bringing it up. Not unless it's relevant to you, like with Dib and the Purists."

"Oh. Well, thank you."

"Is there something you'd like to ask me?"

"Yeah, there is, but it's not really about Hell and demons and stuff."

"Oh?"

"I mean, I do have questions about that stuff, but what I want to ask you now is … it's kind of personal."

As he leaned back against the wall of his room again, Pepito nodded. "Personal is okay."

After almost a full minute of silence on his part, Todd took a deep breath and then forced himself to start talking. "I'm confused about the thing with the kissing and stuff. I know you said you'd back off, but … we haven't really even talked about it since that time in the restaurant. Are we just going to forget all about that?"

"Is that what you want?"

"No. I don't know exactly what I want, but I think … maybe knowing what you want would help."

"It isn't really that simple for me either, though. The way I feel about you … it isn't some common adolescent crush. I don't mean that I'm in love with you; I mean that I actually really love you, as in you're my best friend and I want you to be happy. And if I'm not what makes you happy in that way, that's okay." Pepito smiled. "It's a little disappointing, but it's okay. I never really expected you to like me back."

"But you'd be happy if I did?" Even though his stomach fluttered with nerves, Todd found that the fuzzy feeling from before was back, and what's more, that it had started to seep out in his voice after Pepito's last words.

"Not if you're going to be afraid that I'll eat your soul every time I kiss you." He sighed when Todd's smile faltered because that special breed of adoring fondness was rare, and Pepito was usually of the opinion that rare things should be preserved. Still, this was something that he felt had to be said. "I know I might not talk about my feelings as much as you, but that doesn't mean I don't have any. When you assume those kinds of things about me, it actually does hurt."

"I wasn't … I didn't think that you would. It's a little creepy that you can, but I … I trust you. And you're right, I shouldn't keep assuming things. I'm just not really sure what to expect anymore."

"You can always ask. You won't always like the answer, but at least if you're afraid of me, it will be for a true reason. Maybe if you stop holding back with your questions, it won't feel so much like I'm holding back with the answers?"

"I know … and I'm sorry. I'll ask from now on … and I'll try really hard to assume less."

"Thank you." Finally, Pepito let the smile that had been knocking at his teeth free as he moved to sit on his bed. "So, you said you trust me. Really?"

"Yeah. I think I really do. I mean, in respect to me and our friendship and stuff. I'm still a little iffy about the stuff you do to other people sometimes. And I still haven't decided that Hell is the perfect afterlife destination."

Pepito nodded. "I can accept that."

"So, if I promise to try my best to not be afraid of you eating my soul and stuff, do you want me to like you?"

"I … yes. It's really no secret that you're my favorite person, so I guess you're my first choice for a lot of things, but I don't want to pressure you into thinking you need to like me back. I'm perfectly alright with platonic friendship if that's what you want. And I promise I can learn to keep my hands and lips to myself if I need to."

"I've noticed." Todd walked over to take a seat on the bed about a foot away from Pepito. "That nightmare thing with Shmee really freaked you out, huh?"

"Yeah. That and I realized that I wasn't really thinking enough about how all of this must be for you. You're … well, you haven't really had the chance to be a proper teenager yet. You probably shouldn't just jump into the first relationship that rears its utterly tempting head." His lips moved from a smile back into an almost flat line as his tone became more serious. "I don't want to lock you into something so soon, especially if we want it to have a chance to last past high skool. Plus, to be completely honest, I really haven't had a lot of experience with monogamy, and I'm not quite sure it's my thing."

"So, you don't want to go out with me?"

"Hey, I didn't say that. Let's say you're conflicted about it, right? You like me, but you're afraid of sex and commitment. Heh." Pepito nudged Todd's knee with his own. "Don't look at me like that. It's not that hard to tell."

"Fine. Yeah. You're right."

"And I like you. I really do. But I hate the idea of a perfectly fake relationship held together just for the sake of not failing, the possibility of us not being friends if it doesn't work out, of one or both of us forcing ourselves into certain roles just because it's what society says a relationship should be composed of … and the prospect of slipping up and hurting you because of it."

"Wow." Todd forced a small laugh. "And you call me pessimistic."

"It's not pessimistic; it's just that if we don't approach this carefully, it might not work. I really want it to work, but if it's not going to, I don't want to loose what we have now. You mean too much to me for that. Besides, you're still going to be curious about girls. And hey," he nudged him in the side with an elbow, "if your ancestry is any indication, the daughters of Adam should really go for it, huh?"

When Todd made a face and looked away after the last sentence, his fingers slowly unstrapping the sleeping bag closest to him, Pepito shifted closer. "Todd? I'm guessing that wasn't the best way I could have phrased that particular idea. I thought it didn't bother you."

"It didn't … doesn't." Todd looked back to Pepito after he'd freed the sleeping bag to unroll itself. "But that … does that mean that any human girls I might go out with would be … corrupted or something?"

"One can only hope." He shrugged. "Seducing them into corruption is the fun part really, but if not, there are always other fish tacos south of the boarder."

"What does that even mean? That Mexican women are easy?"

"No. They're quite the opposite in general. It wasn't supposed to be a geographical location, if you catch my meaning. It was just a joke. Maybe a bad one, but my other friends would have eaten it up. Get it?" He cracked smile when Todd started to blush. "At least I left off the guacamole warning for you."

"Eww."

"See." He smirked. "You'll want to avoid anything green, but sour cream is okay. Red sauce isn't bad, but it's an acquired taste for sure. I personally prefer it, but the timing has to be-ouch!."

"Enough with the taco metaphor!" Todd covered his ears for a few seconds after punching Pepito in the arm, even though he had already stopped talking. "I can't believe I followed that as long as I did."

"Me neither, but it was pretty sweet. Corruption, you know." Leaning back on the bed and bracing himself with his hands on the mattress, Pepito sent Todd a wink.

"Haha. Thanks a lot, Pep, but it was a serious question."

"Alright. Seriously then, it's possible, but only from a Christian perspective. Really though, who needs that kind of negative thinking anyway?" He dropped the grin when Todd gripped each of his own upper arms with his hands. "Amigo, listen. By 'corruption' the Bible means knowledge of all kinds: writing, art, medicine, magic, sexual techniques and, yeah, more advanced methods of war. That's civilization. It's what separates us from other animals, not for better or for worse, but for better and for worse, at the same time. It's only absolutely bad from the perspective that free thought is sin, and that the only moral humans are mental and emotional slaves. And that isn't so much a moral philosophy as it is an agenda for power."

"I guess that's true."

"I think you know it's true. That's what the Watchers were condemned for, bringing knowledge, just like the serpent. It's all in the 'holy' texts."

"That and breeding with the human population, right?"

"Of course, and if I ever meet one, I'll going to personally thank them for it because otherwise I wouldn't have my favorite Nephil."

Todd's dimples pressed back into his cheeks slightly, but he fought back the frown that the title provoked. After all, he had just denied being bothered by it. "I've been reading pieces of the Book of Enoch online, and some of the things it says about the Nephilim are pretty gruesome, like that they were giants that the community couldn't sustain and that they starting killing and eating the humans and then each other when they had eaten all the food. I know that sounds far fetched."

"That's because it's pure propaganda, Amigo. You have to remember that history is written by the winners of cultural wars. The giant theory is biologically pretty unfeasible. Also, the Book of Enoch is a lot newer than the quotes from Genesis, where the Nephilim are referred to as 'heroes of old' and 'men of renown' because that's what they often were to the older civilizations before all Cambions started to be painted in a bloody, negative light. As for cannibalism, that was present all around the world far before recorded history, as evidenced by the wide spread of genes for resistance to protein-based diseases that turn the human brain to Swiss." He gave Todd a worried, scrutinizing look. "That's not why you decided you want this, is it? Because you can't make me any more sinful than I already am?"

"No, Pepi. I wouldn't just use you, even if I believed all that, which I really don't think I do." With a reassuring smile, Todd scooted closer so that their arms were nearly touching. "Now you're the one assuming things."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I do kind of deserve it."

"No, you don't. I'm just not used to it yet. I haven't had any completely honest relationships of any kind with people who weren't already associated with Hell, and I never saw that kind of thing going very well. Also, I've had more sex than you probably care to know about, but I've only been in one real committed relationship before."

Todd nodded. "With Zita?"

"Yeah. And needless to say, that didn't work out so well."

"Why not? Er, if you don't mind sharing. You didn't really mention too many details before."

"Basically, we got too close, and I started feeling sort of guilty."

"Guilty?"

"Yeah. I cared about her, but I couldn't tell her the truth about me … and I started wanting to. I felt like the secrets were hurting the relationship and like it was unfair to her … which it was actually, because I was her first, and she thought we were being monogamous."

"But you weren't." Todd tried to look less disapproving, but his face seemed to demand a mild scrunching. "How's that related to the secrets?"

"Well, it's not completely. As I said before, I'm not so great with exclusive sex, but with Zita it felt like … like I was already hiding this huge chunk of my life from her, and that was just another part of it. I did stop hooking up with regular people from skool and the city, but not with demons and coven members. It felt justified because she could never really know that part of me. Looking back, I think I resented that the intimacy was so one-sided. It wasn't fair to either of us, so I told her I just wasn't cut out for it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was for the best, really. We both deserve more of certain things than we could give each other. Besides, we've become good friends since the break-up last year. Well, after she got over being angry at me."

"Does 'good friends' mean, uh, benefits?"

Pepito tilted his head to the side causally with a small laugh. "Yes, it does, among other things. But only when we're both free, which is practically always for me and almost never for her. We also have a lot in common: being part Latino, debate, student counsel, interest in global politics and affairs, a taste for Black Metal. After you, she's probably my second best friend. Oh, in case it comes up, she's the only other skool friend that knows about my Satanic leanings religion wise, and at some point she'll probably realize you know too. But I still haven't told her about my actually being a demon and all of that, so-"

"I won't tell her. Or anyone." A few long moments passed. "So, do you … you still have feelings for her, right?"

"Hum. That's a bit complicated, but I'm going to error on the side of 'no'. I think of the ideal romantic relationship as being companionship, sexual compatibility and commitment. Zita and I definitely don't have commitment anymore, and we never had anything like full disclosure, so the companion part can't be complete. And sexually, well, I've already told you why that didn't work."

"But you would have liked it to have worked out?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No."

"Does it bother you?"

"I don't know. I guess it shouldn't." Aside from a little uninvited jealousy, Todd thought it was probably a good thing. It meant that Pepito was capable of having deeply inmate feelings at least, unlike Gaz. And it meant that he knew how to let go and still be friends. Of course, his idea of friendship was a little different. "So, have you had sex with all of your friends?"

"Define sex."

"Wow."

Pepito grinned and nodded. "While true, that's a pretty broad definition there."

"Yeah, I think I can skip the definition part since your question already answered mine pretty well all on its own." Todd let his upper half fall back onto the bed, even though his legs were still dangling off where he had been sitting.

"If it helps, you'll always be my favorite."

"Even without the sex?"

"Even without … though that is kind of a pity."

"Ha. I'm flattered."

"As you should be." He nudged Todd's knee again.

"Oh, Pepi, you're so modest."

"I'm fully aware. And brilliant, charming, generous, brave, not to mention suave, original and irresistibly hot." With a laugh, Pepito leaned back as well, holding himself up on his elbows so that he could look down at Todd's face to ask a more sincere question. "Do you still like me?"

"... yeah." Todd looked away when he felt his cheeks heat up. "Although, I can't pretend that you being with so many people isn't kind of a deterrent, if only because of the health risks."

"I can understand that, but I'm always pretty careful and I get tested regularly. If you and I were going to try a committed relationship, we'd obviously have to agree on rules and boundaries. I'm not unwilling to compromise. With what you know, we'd have a better chance at it than Zita and me, but I'm still thinking that it would be best if we didn't just go straight for that option."

"That's probably true."

"So, how would you feel about trying causal dating?"

Todd rolled over to face Pepito and propped himself up on one elbow. "Define casual dating."

"Casual dating, as in you and me going out for dates with each other sometimes, with both of us able to to date other people. And, in this case, with no pressure or expectation for physical intimacy with each other … I'll let you set the bar for that one wherever you're comfortable with. This way, you can sort of test the waters, with me and with dating in general. And if it goes well, it will become more serious over time, and if that happens, then we'll decide the specifics of what we want it to mean. If it doesn't, then going back to our regular friendship won't be so hard either."

"It sounds like you've really thought this out."

"I have, actually, but only in the abstract. Feel free to object."

"No, I think it's good, at least in principle." It did seem like a pretty good fit for his own very mixed feelings of fears and wants. One of his eyes narrowed at Pepito. "You didn't read my mind for that, did you?"

"No, Amigo, just all the signals you've been giving out since that first kiss last month. It really wasn't that subtle, and when I thought about it, it was common sense for someone in your position … and in my own as well."

"Oh. Uh, I don't know what to say to that. I guess, I'm glad you figured it out."

"Me too. So, you wanna go on a date with me sometime?" He nudged a socked foot this time as his right hand crept over to to interlock with Todd's left.

Todd returned the grip as he smiled at the ceiling. "Sometime … but I don't know when. It'll probably have to be after Nny stops freaking out about Leon."

"My mother will probably watch him here while we're out, if we ask."

"Yeah, but that's kind of rude and wrong, since it's my fault we're here to begin with."

"Once again, so not your fault." Pepito shrugged. "Besides, she won't mind; she loves kids. Her original plan was to have two more after me, but she can't do that with with Father since he's not in the flesh anymore. And anyway, she already told Brian that she would be with Leon the whole time."

Todd frowned. "Couldn't she do it some other way? Or adopt, if she really wanted?"

"Yeah, but artificial insemination can take a long time to take if you do it the old-fashioned way, and Catholics aren't supposed to use lab-fertilized eggs."

"Oh, yeah. I've heard about that. It's based on research that shows that some genetic switches are flipped by the petri dish environment that can cause diseases, and those diseases get passed down the line after that … it's a process of epigenetics, and it's really freaky."

"Ugh. You mean the Vatican was right about something? I hate when that happens. Not good for the cause, you know." Pepito's smile turned a little bitter. "Actually, I think that's the real reason Madre hasn't adopted. When I was younger, she was afraid I would get jealous, but now I think it has more to do with her not wanting to risk getting anyone else involved in the family business, so to speak."

"Hum."

"What, you agree?"

"Well, not for all of the same reasons, probably, but … remember that thing you told me last time I stayed the night about you being initiated at thirteen? Do you really think that's a good age to decide something about the rest of you life … or eternity? Not to mention the sex part."

"I think it's the first permissible age, but, no, I don't think it's the best. And, like I said before, ritual sex is consensual. It's never required for initiation, but some people choose it. It's perfectly natural for a lot of young teenagers to want it. Even so, I'll admit that I did kind of pressure myself into it, and it wasn't as good as it could have been because of that. But most people do that to themselves their first time, not because they want it, but because they want it over with, according to mother anyway."

"So you wish you had waited?"

"Until I really wanted it, yeah. It probably wouldn't have been that much longer, maybe another year, but it would have been a lot more fun and fulfilling. That's a big part of why I don't want to pressure you into anything."

"Because you think I'm mentally thirteen?" Todd raised an incredulous brow.

"No. Some people just mature faster than others in different areas. I think, strictly when it comes to sex, that you're around where I happened to be at thirteen. You're a lot more emotionally mature, though. And in other ways too. I'm not trying to say that I think of you like a thirteen-year-old."

"Okay."

"Really?"

"That makes sense. And it's better than the twelve that Letta gave me."

"Twelve, huh?" Pepito smiled teasingly. "Maybe I'm just bumping the number up because it suites my own interests."

"Oh, please." With a roll of his eyes, Todd reached behind him to grip a pillow, then pulled it over his own body to hit Pepito in the shoulder with it.

Pepito grabbed the pillow and tucked it under his head. "Thanks."

"Sure." Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Todd blinked at the clock with tired eyes. "Pepi, it's like three-thirty."

"Mmm. We'll have to get up soon. Father will want to apprise us of the situation and … and things." He dropped his free hand over his eyes. "I don't want to move."

Yawning again, Todd climbed to his feet. "Come on." He pulled the hand that still held his own until Pepito was forced to catch himself when he nearly slid off the bed. After he watched him crawl back on and fix the sleeping bags, he turned off the light and slide into his own.

"Good night, Todd. Or what's left of it."

"Heh. You too." Todd closed his eyes, but something was still tugging on the curtails of his mind. He rolled over to face Pepito. "Hey, Pep?"

"Yeah?" Pepito pried his own eyes open by shear force of will.

"Does causal dating mean I can kiss you?"

One corner of his lip curved upward. "Todd, you can always kiss me. You get to set the bar, remember?"

"Always?"

"Any time you want. You don't have to ask."

"Okay." Even though he could feel himself blushing again, Todd leaned in to kiss Pepito once on the cheek and then once on the lips before laying his head back down on his pillow. He closed his eyes as a warm feeling flooded through his body when Pepito took his hand and kissed the back of it, entwining their fingers and letting their hands rest between them afterward.

When Todd's hand tightened on his own, Pepito scooted slightly closer to whisper next to his face, "'We are such stuff as dreams are made on.'"

Todd smiled without opening his eyes. "That's a nice quote, but you know it means we're an illusion, right?"

"Mm-hum. Not an illusion. Just in a short-lived, subjective reality, waiting to wake up and see the bigger truth. But in the mean time, there's no one I'd rather share my dreams with."

"Heh." Todd's smile widened. "Good save."

"I mean it."

"I know. Me too." As he shifted a little closer so that there were only about two inches between his face and their clasped hands, his breathing fell into a steady, content rhythm that would soon lull him to sleep. It struck him in a vague, fleeting way that he was happy, not just with the situation, but with himself. Even if it didn't work out, even if it proved to be a bad decision on his part, he was happy that he had stood up for what he wanted.

END CHAPTER!

Notes:
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on.” is a quote from “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare.
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Sublime Awakenings