do you breathe the name of your savior in your hour of need
Shmee doesn't like Elizabeth.
She's (all the shes) are ruining him (Claire Nora Elizabeth their names are a litany in both of them, but dreamboy can't hate) and he can't tolerate that. He won't be forced back to what he was because of a couple of lumps of pretty meat and a pile of pathetic bricks.
Todd's not worth breaking over them, though, he could get away with making him hurt but not kill but that wouldn't get rid of them, and Shmee doesn't like this town that much anyway.
Really, he just wants Todd to get the hell out of Hell.
Get in the car.
*
Todd is nowhere.
Sometimes Shmee brings him here to talk. It's always too bright and smells like a bag of sugar, and the walls that aren't there squirm when he doesn't look at them.
Todd.
I think you should know that I didn't want to have to do this.
Todd blinks, looking up.
"What are you-"
*
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Claire wails, clutching what's left of her uncle's head to her chest. Todd stares at her and Peter (where's Nathan why kitchen why think that) and he runs across the room to help, dropping whatever's in his hand-
But he doesn't do that.
"Claaaiire," he drawls, softly, and his fingers tighten on the grip of the steel claw hammer, "Don't yell at me, Claire."
He decides not to put it through her face, just the back of her skull. He's screaming but nothing's happening. He's screaming and he's still walking across the room with stick-insect grace and a big bright grin on his face.
Everything melts like burning film in a projector she drips drips drips all over the place.
*
The oven dings, and he slides off the kitchen counter and opens it up.
"Huh. It didn't fix your hair."
Not all of him's in there.
*
He leaves bloody footprints up the way up the street, but his feet are dry when he heads into Elizabeth's apartment.
Lazy splatters from his sleeves mark the door before he pulls it open. He wonder if there're any cupcakes lying around. That'd be cool.
*
He drags her out into the garden when it's over and stands back to judge the effect. It'd probably look better if she had her left hand, but that's okay, mostly it's still good.
*
no did he say
but why? Make it
this isn't happening
so when sometimes he sucks on his fingers is that alright? Stomachs pop like balloons
is it his birthday?
wake up wake up wake up Yay. He likes birthdays.
No he doesn't.
This is very unsettling.
He didn't mean it.
Maybe. Please wake up.
*
He sobs into Shmee's fur in the nowhere place as he murmurs softly into his hair.
See, Todd?
Todd sees. Todd has blood in his mouth and under his fingernails and down his spine. Ticky tacky sticky sticky Todd.
So.
Leave.
"No."
"I won't do that. I'd never."
And he wakes up soaked in sweat and curled up around Shmee, who's very, very quiet.
*
He's HUNGRY and this ISN'T FAIR.