A/N: I'm quite aware the element of OOCness in the first chapter and probably chapters to come. I'll try not to suck too bad...promise!
Parents
Devi smiled as she watched Todd carry the bag of groceries. She was used to being alone and hadn't had much food. So she took the kid out shopping for some extra.
She was glad the kid didn't mind avoiding the mad rush of a big super market and just going to the side-store down the street.
"Almost there." She said shifting the bags she held to one hand so she could get her keys.
SQUEAK!
She froze. "Oh, fuck." She winced.
"Hi Devi!" Tenna called bounding towards her friend. "Hey, who's the shorty?"
Todd sidestepped closer to Devi peering at Tenna carefully.
"Tenna, this is Todd. Todd this is my friend Tenna. He's staying with me for a while."
"Oh, what a cute teddy bear!" Tenna squealed poking Shmee who Todd had under one arm. She held out Spooky towards Todd and squeaked him. "This is Spooky! Who's that?"
"Shmee." Todd said quietly.
"Hmm? What's that Spooky?" Tenna held Spooky to her ear. "Uh huh, I see, really?"
Todd had horrible flashbacks to the night he met Nny.
Tenna went oddly silent and looked down at Todd. "What's a Trauma Sponge?"
Devi interrupted them when she finally got her door unlocked. "C'mon Todd, we need to get this stuff put away."
Todd followed her and Tenna bounced in after.
"Oh holy Cheese Tonsils! It's clean in here!" She crowed admiring the now visible floor. "Hey! You have carpet!"
"Ha, ha, very funny. Todd cleaned for me."
"Oooh, can I borrow him?"
"No Tenna, you can't 'borrow' him." Devi said opening a package of cookies and handing a couple down to Todd and tossing a few at Tenna.
Tenna ducked the pelting of cookies catching one and munched on it. "Mmm, cookie." She watched Todd disappear into his room. "So what's the story with the kid?" She asked absently squeaking Spooky.
Devi pulled her farther into the kitchen. "His parents died in a crash. Johnny dropped him off here." She glanced in the direction Todd had gone.
"Johnny? As in the infamous 'Nny'?"
"Yes."
Devi was quite surprised that Tenna could mimic Spooky like that.
"Tenna I have no clue how to take care of a kid!" Devi said as loudly as she dared.
Tenn seemed to be lost in thought a moment. Then her eyes widened in hopeful glee. "Are you going to keep him?" She quite simply shook in joy at the prospect. "You're going to be the best mommy!"
Devi clamped a hand down on Tenna to at least keep her in place. "I don't know if I CAN keep him!" She let Tenna go seeing her calm down visibly. "But it would be nice. He's a great kid, and I'd hate to see him in a foster home." Her eyes drifted back to Todd's door.
In that room Todd sat on his bed talking with Shmee.
'That Spooky is one to avoid Todd.'
"Why?" He asked.
'He's an amplifier. Sucks one emotion out of the person and pumps up another. Looks like he feeds off her depression and fills her with sickening amounts of happiness.' Shmee said in that 'inside' voice of his.
"Why would that be bad?" That sounded like a good idea to him.
'It only works that way for some people, usually it sucks the joy out and amplifies the sadness. I don't want you to get to close to him.'
"If you think it's a good idea Shmee. I'll be careful." He hugged the old bear.
'And that reminds me. There's another one. Just like the ones I told you that 'you know who' has.'
Todd froze. He looked out the door. He could hear Devi and Tenna talking but couldn't make out the words.
'She's dangerous if she listens to the creature.'
"But she wouldn't hurt me. She likes me."
'Just like your parents did?'
"The loved me too, somewhere, deep inside. Devi doesn't have to like me or take care of me and she does. Doesn't that count?"
There was a silence from Shmee. 'I suppose. But be careful Todd. And remember, I only say these things because.'
"I know, you're only looking out for me."
Todd hopped off his bed and made enough noise to alert Devi that he was coming out of his room. He didn't want to accidentally hear what she and Tenna were talking about, that was private.
The went into the main room to turn on the TV when an envelope slid in under the door. He inched closer to investigate, clutching Shmee close.
On the front of the envelope the word 'Devi' was scrawled in a shaky handwriting.
"Hey Devi?" He asked cautiously.
"Yeah?" Devi called from the kitchen.
"There's a letter."
Devi came into the room wit him, Tenna hopped around to the side like she was dancing with Spooky.
He handed the envelope up to her. She opened it and her eyes went wide. She shut it and blinked a lot then opened it again.
"What is it?" Tenna asked noticing the reaction in her friend.
"Money!" She pulled a ragged piece of paper out of the envelope.
On it was more of the same shaky writing.
It read:
Devi,
Here's something to help with Squee. Don't ask where I got it, but it's just been lying around and I thought you might get more use out of it than I would.
Nny
"Oh how cute!" Tenna cried. "Child support!"
* * *
Devi reached out to open the door to Todds' new room and stopped. There were voices within.
"Did she get what I put under the door?" A frighteningly familiar voice asked.
"Uh huh." Todd replied.
Devi was torn between letting the two talk and barging in to try and scare Johnny away from the boy. Ultimately she remained where she was listening attentively.
"Hey Johnny?"
"Yeah Squee?"
"Um, do you think, that maybe, that I could pretend, that Devi. That she's my mom?" Todd asked tentatively.
"I don't see why not."
"Then, can I pretend, also, that you're my dad?" The question seemed to have been forced out of the boy.
There was a long pause.
"Of course you can."
Devi bit her lip. This was utterly heart wrenching. She held her breath and grabbed hold of the doorknob. "Todd?" There was the sound of the wind blowing and she found the boy leaning on the empty window, his teddy bear propped up on the sill. "W-who were you talking to?" She tried to sound normal.
"Shmee." Todd said looking a bit guilty. But she overlooked it.
"Okay, you can talk to Shmee but you're getting in bed while you're at it. Tenna agreed to watch you while I'm at work tomorrow and you'll need your energy."
"Okay." He crawled under the covers as she sat on the bed.
She reached over the bed and shut the window. "Alright then. You sleep tight."
'And don't let the flesh eating babies bite' flittered through his head for a moment.
She smiled down at him. "Night Todd." She flicked off his light, and left his door cracked to allow light in.
He curled up in his blankets with Shmee and smiled to himself.
Parents
Devi smiled as she watched Todd carry the bag of groceries. She was used to being alone and hadn't had much food. So she took the kid out shopping for some extra.
She was glad the kid didn't mind avoiding the mad rush of a big super market and just going to the side-store down the street.
"Almost there." She said shifting the bags she held to one hand so she could get her keys.
SQUEAK!
She froze. "Oh, fuck." She winced.
"Hi Devi!" Tenna called bounding towards her friend. "Hey, who's the shorty?"
Todd sidestepped closer to Devi peering at Tenna carefully.
"Tenna, this is Todd. Todd this is my friend Tenna. He's staying with me for a while."
"Oh, what a cute teddy bear!" Tenna squealed poking Shmee who Todd had under one arm. She held out Spooky towards Todd and squeaked him. "This is Spooky! Who's that?"
"Shmee." Todd said quietly.
"Hmm? What's that Spooky?" Tenna held Spooky to her ear. "Uh huh, I see, really?"
Todd had horrible flashbacks to the night he met Nny.
Tenna went oddly silent and looked down at Todd. "What's a Trauma Sponge?"
Devi interrupted them when she finally got her door unlocked. "C'mon Todd, we need to get this stuff put away."
Todd followed her and Tenna bounced in after.
"Oh holy Cheese Tonsils! It's clean in here!" She crowed admiring the now visible floor. "Hey! You have carpet!"
"Ha, ha, very funny. Todd cleaned for me."
"Oooh, can I borrow him?"
"No Tenna, you can't 'borrow' him." Devi said opening a package of cookies and handing a couple down to Todd and tossing a few at Tenna.
Tenna ducked the pelting of cookies catching one and munched on it. "Mmm, cookie." She watched Todd disappear into his room. "So what's the story with the kid?" She asked absently squeaking Spooky.
Devi pulled her farther into the kitchen. "His parents died in a crash. Johnny dropped him off here." She glanced in the direction Todd had gone.
"Johnny? As in the infamous 'Nny'?"
"Yes."
Devi was quite surprised that Tenna could mimic Spooky like that.
"Tenna I have no clue how to take care of a kid!" Devi said as loudly as she dared.
Tenn seemed to be lost in thought a moment. Then her eyes widened in hopeful glee. "Are you going to keep him?" She quite simply shook in joy at the prospect. "You're going to be the best mommy!"
Devi clamped a hand down on Tenna to at least keep her in place. "I don't know if I CAN keep him!" She let Tenna go seeing her calm down visibly. "But it would be nice. He's a great kid, and I'd hate to see him in a foster home." Her eyes drifted back to Todd's door.
In that room Todd sat on his bed talking with Shmee.
'That Spooky is one to avoid Todd.'
"Why?" He asked.
'He's an amplifier. Sucks one emotion out of the person and pumps up another. Looks like he feeds off her depression and fills her with sickening amounts of happiness.' Shmee said in that 'inside' voice of his.
"Why would that be bad?" That sounded like a good idea to him.
'It only works that way for some people, usually it sucks the joy out and amplifies the sadness. I don't want you to get to close to him.'
"If you think it's a good idea Shmee. I'll be careful." He hugged the old bear.
'And that reminds me. There's another one. Just like the ones I told you that 'you know who' has.'
Todd froze. He looked out the door. He could hear Devi and Tenna talking but couldn't make out the words.
'She's dangerous if she listens to the creature.'
"But she wouldn't hurt me. She likes me."
'Just like your parents did?'
"The loved me too, somewhere, deep inside. Devi doesn't have to like me or take care of me and she does. Doesn't that count?"
There was a silence from Shmee. 'I suppose. But be careful Todd. And remember, I only say these things because.'
"I know, you're only looking out for me."
Todd hopped off his bed and made enough noise to alert Devi that he was coming out of his room. He didn't want to accidentally hear what she and Tenna were talking about, that was private.
The went into the main room to turn on the TV when an envelope slid in under the door. He inched closer to investigate, clutching Shmee close.
On the front of the envelope the word 'Devi' was scrawled in a shaky handwriting.
"Hey Devi?" He asked cautiously.
"Yeah?" Devi called from the kitchen.
"There's a letter."
Devi came into the room wit him, Tenna hopped around to the side like she was dancing with Spooky.
He handed the envelope up to her. She opened it and her eyes went wide. She shut it and blinked a lot then opened it again.
"What is it?" Tenna asked noticing the reaction in her friend.
"Money!" She pulled a ragged piece of paper out of the envelope.
On it was more of the same shaky writing.
It read:
Devi,
Here's something to help with Squee. Don't ask where I got it, but it's just been lying around and I thought you might get more use out of it than I would.
Nny
"Oh how cute!" Tenna cried. "Child support!"
* * *
Devi reached out to open the door to Todds' new room and stopped. There were voices within.
"Did she get what I put under the door?" A frighteningly familiar voice asked.
"Uh huh." Todd replied.
Devi was torn between letting the two talk and barging in to try and scare Johnny away from the boy. Ultimately she remained where she was listening attentively.
"Hey Johnny?"
"Yeah Squee?"
"Um, do you think, that maybe, that I could pretend, that Devi. That she's my mom?" Todd asked tentatively.
"I don't see why not."
"Then, can I pretend, also, that you're my dad?" The question seemed to have been forced out of the boy.
There was a long pause.
"Of course you can."
Devi bit her lip. This was utterly heart wrenching. She held her breath and grabbed hold of the doorknob. "Todd?" There was the sound of the wind blowing and she found the boy leaning on the empty window, his teddy bear propped up on the sill. "W-who were you talking to?" She tried to sound normal.
"Shmee." Todd said looking a bit guilty. But she overlooked it.
"Okay, you can talk to Shmee but you're getting in bed while you're at it. Tenna agreed to watch you while I'm at work tomorrow and you'll need your energy."
"Okay." He crawled under the covers as she sat on the bed.
She reached over the bed and shut the window. "Alright then. You sleep tight."
'And don't let the flesh eating babies bite' flittered through his head for a moment.
She smiled down at him. "Night Todd." She flicked off his light, and left his door cracked to allow light in.
He curled up in his blankets with Shmee and smiled to himself.
