21. Open
Sweeney Todd's eyes are the doors to his mind. His face never portrays emotion, but his eyes do.
God, those eyes.
Nellie sees everything in them, an open door to a misunderstood home. She sees the fury flicker there when he's thinking of the judge, the insanity building up until he has to release it—usually on her. She sees the cold indifference for the rest of the world. The mourning for his lost love, his beautiful Lucy.
And she sees the fear. Fear of himself. Of what he's become. Enough of Barker still exists at times for his eyes to show open terror. These times are rare. But they're there.
Nellie loves every part of the barber irrevocably and loyally, but deep down she is sure that she loves Sweeney Todd so much because of his eyes. So expressive. So wonderful.
And now he wants them to be together.
They're waltzing around the room, their voices harmonising as they sing of dreams, hopes aspirations…she beams up at him, joy radiating from every bone in her body, eagerly searching for the same thing in his eyes that she knows will be shining in hers right now…
It hits her then, with a blinding jolt. Clarity. His face is smiling, but Mr. Todd's eyes aren't filled with love as they're meant to be at this time. No.
They're full of hate. A hatred so raw it burns, a madness unlike anything she's seen before; she wants to step away, but she can't…
Not from him. Never from him.
She accepts it then. Perhaps she deserves his hatred. So she closes her eyes to imagine all she wants to see, relishing this last chance to be close to the only person she's ever loved.
And, as she's thrown into the oven, unimaginable pain devouring her body, she thinks perhaps she deserves this too.