Title: Cities of Night/Semiotic Love

Pairing: Sweeney/Lovett.

Warnings: Hopefully sex? Not sure. Murder, of course, but that's a given. Still. Again. More so. Even now.

Word Count: 614

Rating: I'm going to go with R and leave it at that.

Spoilers: Heh, it's Sweeney Todd.

Disclaimer: Sweeney Todd belongs to…oh, god, this is complicated. Um, not me. How about that? We could say Tim Burton, or we could say Edward Lloyd, or the people of London. Take your pick. Cities of Night and Semiotic Love belong to Blaqk Audio.

Author's Note: What happened? Everyone was reviewing, and then they stopped…Kudos to valmontmerteuil, Lady Charity, melbar23, sweeneylover16 and smashing. I love you all, but really. Reviews are what keep me going. More this time? Pretty please?­

Cities of Night/Semiotic Love

Mr. Todd woke up confused and in pain. He didn't like it. He groaned, struggling to open his eyes and sit up.

"Mr. T! Thank god you're awake. You almost died, you know." She paused. "Again." An arm came around his back, helping him to sit up. "Here, eat." A plate was handed to him, and he looked at it blearily.

"What is this?"

"Judge. Eat."

He managed a wan smile, but pushed it away. "My stomach hurts too much to eat. Save it for me." He rested a hand on the bandage. "My hands hurt, too. Do you have anything?"

She handed him a glass of what looked like milk. "Drink this. It'll help."

He drowned it in two gulps; the longer he was awake, the more he hurt. She took the glass back from him, looking concerned.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes." His face was blank, and it worried her.

"Are you alright, love?" She tightened her hold on his shoulders, squeezing gently.

He shook her off, not saying anything.

"I'm worried about you." She really was, and she didn't know what to do about it. She had found him passed out by the docks, lying in a puddle of his own blood. It was easy enough to figure out what happened, and while she was glad Anthony and Johanna had gotten away, she didn't know what Mr. Todd was going to do with himself. Killing the judge and getting Johanna back was all he had, and now…

He looked up at her, and a strange expression washed over his face. A sort of smile lingered, and he actually seemed to be seeing her for the first time. "Don't worry about me."

She looked at him, confused. He almost looked like he was trying to reassure her as well as he could. "The medicine you took will make you tired," she said eventually. "Sleep. Besides, I've left Toby alone the past few days, trying to keep him out of your way. Call if you need anything." She left, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He watched Mrs. Lovett go, studying her. The way she always had her hands on her hips, the bounce of her curls, the ruffles of her skirt. We could have a life together, she had said. With everyone else gone, she was all he had left. It was strange, thinking about her like this. And he hated himself for doing it, especially this quickly. But he needed something to fixate on; that was how he was.

"Mrs. Lovett!" He flinched; maybe yelling hadn't been the best idea.

She came back in, staying by the door. Her hands were covered with flour, which she wiped on her corset. "Everything alright?"

"I…" He trailed off, not knowing what he was feeling, let alone what he wanted to say.

She smiled. "The medicine'll make you groggy. Try to get some sleep, dear." She left again, gently closing the door behind her.

Maybe it was just the drugs. He lay back down, staring at the ceiling. That strange calm was still there, the certainty that everything would be okay. He didn't understand it, and he didn't necessarily like it. It should've been a comfort, and he knew that, but it was disquieting. It was like the world finally caught up to him, only for him to discover that he didn't actually like it, that it wasn't who he was. He didn't want the judge alive, but he didn't want this, either.

Against his will he felt his eyes closing, his brain slowing down as the medicine put him to sleep. He let himself go, hoping he'd feel better after he rested.

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