Sympathy From the Devil
By Tinque Abelle
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Almight Tallest Jhonen Vasquez. I write this for no profit.
Chapter Four
"Aren't youse kids 'upposed to be in school or something? No one under eighteen allowed!"
Stepping up to the security guard, Pepito scowled at him poisonously, despite the fact that the guard was much taller and larger than him. "Let us in, mortal."
"Look, punk, I can't let kids in. Now scram before you miss History class!" He snorted in laughter.
"Do you know what I am capable of? Let us in before severity ensues from my hellish wrath! I would hate to bring you home to your family in a Ziplock bag. No, actually, I would love to, but I do have other things to attend to."
Staring nervously at the guard, Squee tugged on Pepito's sleeve and whispered, "Maybe we should just go ..."
"I doubt you can make me -- AAAGH!!!" The guard's blemished, hairy skin melted off of his bones, leaving his skeletal frame withering onto the ground. Stricken with horror, Squee stared at the pile of dust, backing away cautiously.
Rolling his eyes, Pepito clutched his hand and dragged him through the doors, entering a very plain and small white room. "Good thing no one was around to see that. I cannot see how you can live with these idiotic beings, Squee."
"I don't think that was very nice ..."
The imp paused in front of another set of doors. "Well, he was asking for it! That's why you get picked on, Squee. You've gotta stand up to people sometimes." He sighed, taking note of his upset expression. "Okay, Squee, I won't do that again ... around you, that is." He smiled.
"Do you think I'm a wimp? Tell me honestly."
"Well, you -- okay, you can be just a little but that's okay! I said I'd protect you, didn't I?" He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave his cheek a quick kiss that caught him by surprise. "I might not be there for you sometimes, though."
Squee nodded in comprehension. "Sorry for being like this, it's just ... my Mom ..."
"We came here to have fun, Squee! You like dancing?" Finally, they passed in through the second set of doors and Squee's jaw dropped in awe of the brilliant, multi-colored lights rapidly flashing on and off, highlighting the swarm of people as they danced to the fast, upbeat music. Fighting through the raucous crowd, they reached a bar that stretched out all the way to the other end of the building. Behind the bar were shelves of assorted beverages, illuminated by a black light. "You think this crowd is bad? You should see it at night." He spotted a nearby bartender. "Two beers over here!"
Squee blinked. "I don't drink ..."
"Oh. Oh yeah, er ... is a root beer okay, then? Ah, I'll get one, too. Make that two root beers."
Rolling his eyes, the bartender muttered, "Pffft, damn kids."
Pepito raised a finger to ignite him but stopped, looking at Squee shaking his head. "You're lucky I like you, amigo." Two foaming mugs of root beer slid over to them. They both took a big gulp and let out a sigh, the taste lingering on their tongues. The flashing lights began to alter colors as another song replaced the current one, almost making Pepito choke on his drink; he leapt from the stool with Squee's hand. "Come on, Squee! No way are we going to sit around during this song!"
"Why don't you go on ahead?" Squee suggested with a nervous smile, trying to wriggle his hand out of Pepito's clutch without much success.
"What? Why?"
"I don't really know how to dance ..."
"Aw, I'll teach you! Let us dance now," he said, dragging him onto the teeming dance floor.
The music was a hybrid of two genres, having the speed of rap and the intensity of heavy metal. Staring perplexedly, Squee's legs tingled as the imp's body seemed to flow with the rhythm, moving aggressively, fluidly, and mysteriously seductively all at the same time. For a moment, he was completely mesmerized by him, his mouth gaping until he realized that Pepito was watching him. Slowly, he began to mimic his moves, swaying his hips awkwardly and gradually bringing in the rest of his body into the tempo. He squeaked as the imp placed a hand on his rear, bringing his body up to his, maintaining his moves. Pepito stared into Squee's eyes slyly and licked his lips as he noticed how quickly he was actually picking this up. Squee stared back, his excitement heightening as he felt his body moving against his. The rush of adrenaline between the two of them only built up as the music grew louder. Impressed, Pepito grinned; it was like there had always been a mischievous, sexy demon residing in the boy and now it was finally awakening.
Squee hung his arms over the imp's shoulders and looked deeply into his bicolored eyes with the music still conducting his body. Pepito pulled in even closer to him to the point where they could both feel each other's heart beating within their chests and finally kissed the dark-haired boy. Their surroundings seemed to slow down, the music only a whisper ... he loved the soft, tender warmth of his lips, the same sugary flavor he tasted yesterday.
Squee just froze, shifting not a single muscle. He knew he should have shoved him away but he somehow did not want to. He knew he should have returned the kiss but he was too nervous to make a move. When Pepito's lips parted from his, a new song had started, sending them weaving through the crowd to return to the bar. He was too tense to utter a word or even to look at him.
"See? You are a natural," Pepito said, cooling himself down with a gulp of rootbeer.
"I am?" Squee beamed with his typical childlike innocence, making Pepito laugh as he contemplated the seemingly split personalities that he seemed to bearbetween the dancefloor and the rest of the world.
"You are," he responded, running his hand through his messy black hair and sighed. "You are unlike anyone else I've ever met, Squee. I forget that you are part of the human species sometimes; they are so inferior compared to you."
"Well, uhm ... thanks," Squee said, scratching his head bashfully.
"I mean it, Squee."
Squee felt himself blush and glanced around. "You know where the restroom is?"
Pointing towards the direction, he watched Squee leave and sipped his root beer.
"Well, he's pretty cute," said a feminine voice from behind.
Spinning around, Pepito faced a chocolate-skinned girl with spiked, magenta hair, wearing a short black dress and pink, striped stockings. "Jez?" he gasped.
"Yupyup! That's me!"
Pepito wiped a drop of root beer from his mouth. "Where have you been? Father's been wondering about your absence."
"Oh, I've just been here, really. Hell's been ... hell."
"Look, when you sell your soul, you make a irreversible agreement to remain in his service for all eternity. You can't just get up and go!"
"Well, I don't like it there!" She crossed her arms and pouted.
"You shouldn't have sold your soul for those shoes then! I mean, look! You don't even wear them anymore!"
"Seemed like a good idea at the time."
Pepito just sighed in exasperation and rolled his eyes.
"So who's the cutie you're with?"
"Watch it, Jez. His name is Squee and he's all mine. If you even think about laying a finger on him, you will have to suffer."
She stepped back and raised her eyebrow. "Alright, alright, no touchy-touchy, jeez. Have you nailed him yet?" Jez grinned.
"You know, this is strange, but no, I haven't ..."
"Wow. Why not?"
"I don't know ... he doesn't seem to be into that sort of stuff. I've tried."
"What's the point, then?! You usually get them into bed the first night you meet 'em!"
"Yeah, then they end up in a fiery pit the next morning." He snickered a bit at the memories. "But Squee's different. As bizarre and horribly clichéd as this sounds, I think I actually like him."
"Ah, so you're in -- what's it called? Love, huh?"
Pepito flinched at the sound of the word. "What? Me? No, that is highly improbable."
"Sure sounds like it. And you call yourself the son of Satan. For shame, Pepito, for shame."
"Hey! I am not in love! Definitely not in love, alright? So I like him -- so what? And I'll have you know that Father believes I am almost ready to bring the world to ruins! We're doing it on my eighteenth birthday."
"So you're not in love, huh? How do you know if you're not in love if you've never been? I've been with a lot of people; I know people who've been with a lot of people -- I know when people are in love or not and trust me, I am seldom ever incorrect." She smiled at Pepito's speechless reaction. "I suppose I should get back to your father, though, before I get in any more trouble, so ... taa-taa, Pepito!" Without another word, she suddenly vanished, leaving a ring of smoke.
Squee finally emerged from the crowd and sat down on his stool, looking weary. "Sorry about that ... had to fight the crowd to get here. Pepito? Pepito, what's wrong?"
"What? Oh! Oh, nothing," he answered, smiling. He felt a sense of completeness in him, like the feeling you get when you connect the final piece to a jigsaw puzzle, only amplified. Was it true? Was he ... in love?
...
Later in the afternoon, Pepito escorted Squee home and they talked and laughed throughout the way. Squee stopped before the front door of his house and turned around. "Thanks, Pepito ... I really needed that."
"No, the pleasure was all mine. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" He leaned in to steal another kiss but came to a halt when he felt a finger press up to his lips.
"Not here. My parents might be around. I'll see you tomorrow, though."
He nodded, his smile still intact. "Adios, then!" he said, walking down the sidewalk with his hands tucked into his pockets.
After watching him disappear, Squee entered his house, feeling exhilarated, his heart beating rapidly. He sauntered up the stairs and into his bedroom, feeling as if he were walking on air, and collapsed onto the bed, looking outside. The sunset had never looked so beautiful to him.