Straightening up, there he was. Neither smiling nor frowning, Johnny looked like he hadn't aged a day. It was odd how the concept of time had seemed to evade him, even more so how emotionless he looked now. "Hey Squee," he said simply, standing a bit awkwardly, like a guest that wasn't invited. Oh wait.
Todd was conflicted between running and hugging the only older brother influence he had ever had, and running out of the house screaming. He compensated by giving a terrified screech and running blindly at Johnny, squeezing the other tightly in a terrified hug. Johnny looked down at Todd, a mildly confused expression on his face. After giving the other a frightened hug, Todd let go and quickly backed away towards the bathroom door. "Are you here to kill me?" he asked, that same terrified little boy shining through his older body. Johnny smiled softly, though it was merely a gesture of habit rather than having any meaning to it. "No, not right now. I'm too hungry and this bleeding wound is really bothering me."
A few minutes later, the two were downstairs in the kitchen. Johnny had his arm bandaged up, and Todd was making something on the stove. "Why'd you just now come back?" he asked, looking over at Johnny with a cocked eyebrow.
Looking up from his glass of rather brown water, Johnny thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, honestly. I believe because the house sort of..." he made an odd thinking face, getting the words together, "called me back. Not because I'm still its slave, but... it sort of asked me to." He looked over at Todd. "Y'know?"
Todd was quick to nod, though he had suddenly remembered how insane his neighbor was. "Where were you this whole time?" he asked, looking down at the refried beans. Tacos seemed like a good choice for an early morning meal.
"I have to say... Earth," Johnny said, nodding. "Not really sure, though, I think some aliens might have picked me up at one point. There was... a tube involved." He shuddered, the experience apparently having been unpleasant. He then looked down at his spindly hands, saying, "The city feels different. It feels like the people have finally realised that this world is decaying. Society's becoming aware of its own accumulating filth." He looked up at Todd. "Do you feel it too?"
Quick to deny it, Todd shook his head. "I think it's just in everyone's head," he said, shrugging passively. In his head, however, he knew Johnny was right. Regardless to Todd's answer, though, Johnny said, "Yes, I'm sure of it. Looks like I might have been wrong about man never learning..."
Todd got out the taco shells, not having to scale the counter anymore, unlike his former child self. Johnny seemed to notice the same, saying, "You've grown a lot since I've seen you last. You're probably a lot smarter too, despite still being in school, I assume?" Todd shrugged with a smile, saying, "Well I don't know about that..." Johnny got up, coming over to Todd and looming over him in that same horrifying way Todd remembered. "You'd better have hot sauce, I'd KILL for some right now." In a surge of panic, Todd said, "We got some! Don't get upset, we have some..." Johnny had rummaged through the cupboard above Todd, glaring into it expectantly. "Ahh, so you do," he said, pulling out said item. Todd breathed again.
A few minutes later, the two were at the table eating, Todd having only a little bit of what he prepared, more tired than hungry, but not dare considering sleep now that Johnny was back. Said man looked up at Todd again, brows quirked in a questioning gaze. "I'm assuming you're on your own now? I saw neither of your parents..." Todd nodded, saying, "They just sort of left me one day. I don't really care, I had a feeling it would happen sometime." He looked down at his meal, realising he wasn't hungry anymore. Johnny's eyes narrowed. "Humans like to think they're different from animals... They're not. Once the young's old enough to care for itself, they feel no need to raise it any further. They're exactly like animals, your parents. Like... wombats." He picked at his wound wrappings idly, Todd mulling that over. "Humans are different, though..." Johnny glared. "B-but not that much so," Todd added quickly.
The house suddenly made an odd shifting, groaning sound. Todd stopped and listened, a bit frightened at first. It sounded as though wind wind was moving the frame slightly, though the window showed no trees moving. The sound had stopped as abruptly as it started, too. Todd hoped it was a small earthquake, even though he knew the floor hadn't shifted any. Johnny, however, glared at the ceiling. "I know that sound..." he mumbled, shooting a slightly accusing look at Todd. "Your drawings move around, you know," he said, "Especially the ones around where you sleep." Todd stared at Johnny, fear slowly coursing into him. "...What?"
"I was watching you sleep a few hours ago," Johnny said, as though that was as normal as taking a piss, "and I realised that the walls around your head were sort of shifting. Well, not the walls, moreso the drawings you've made. You draw a lot." The corner of his mouth twitched up. "Reminds me of when I was younger. Keep doing that." Todd held up his hands, though, interrupting, "Whoa whoa whoa, you're telling me drawings on the walls are moving? You're not hallucinating, are you? Have you started drugs or something?"
WHACK.
Johnny slammed his fist down on the table. "YOU CALLING ME A LIAR?! ME, WHO HAS TASTED THE SHIT-STEW OF THIS WORLD AND ASKED FOR SECONDS?!" He stood abruptly, giving Todd a glare that the boy had never seen, a look that only Johnny's prey had ever seen. Todd screamed and backed into the corner, shouting, "No! No, okay, I believe you!" He held his arms up, squeezing his eyes shut and hoping the other wouldn't attack him.
Johnny's glare softened, the man looking down at Todd. How that cowering, pathetic pose made him want to spiral into a frenzy, how he wanted to rip that boy apart... But he calmed himself, saying, "Get up. I want to see the rest of the house. You can't make the same mistake I did with my home, this place might get a lot worse a lot more quickly."