chapter 2

In the early hours of the morning, Elliot found himself still awake, watching television blankly as Sky slept next to him, her bony frame creating shallow valleys in his deep flesh. He felt full, and that was good; it made him less hollow. But there was something about lying here every day doing nothing that was starting to get to him, despite how erotic it seemed from an outside perspective. He got lonely, bored, whilst Sky was out killing and dealing and making all their money.

After pushing away his need to piss for almost an hour he gave in to it, and tried to psych himself up to stand. He had to grab the side of the mattress and pull, feeling the joint of his elbow twinge painfully as he did. Sitting on the side of the bed now, he forced himself to his feet, hissing under his breath at the pain in his knees. He wasn't sure if the discomfort was a result of the weight gain or the inactivity, and it was only a slight part of him that even wanted to. The rest would rather ignore it and pretend it was neither... just some kind of coincidence.

Elliot dragged himself to the bathroom, flicked on the light and relieved himself, wondering if there would be a time when he would no longer be able to even get up for a slash in the night. The thought turned him on, that was undeniable. The inherent eroticism of being completely dependant on the girl currently lying on their bed was the whole reason they got together in the first place, it was the reason he hadn't left the house in almost a month. But as of late, he'd began to wonder if the whole thing was worth it.

As he washed his hands in the sink, he took a glance at his reflection. His skin was so much worse now than it used to be, blotchy and red, patches of blemishes here and there and a rash within the fold where his neck met his chin. He was such a disgusting thing, and in some ways he found that thoroughly wonderful. He was glad of how inhuman he was looking, how repulsive he must be to the rest of the world. In a way he felt like it gave him a strange and ironic sense of power.

Dragging himself back to bed, his thighs rubbing together almost painfully and his ankles seeming to creak, he watched Sky stir in her sleep and felt his heart sink. He knew the nature of their relationship and he knew what would happen if he ever wanted to back out of it -- she wouldn't let him. That was all there was to it. She'd made it clear from the start that as soon as this began, it wasn't ending until it was on her terms.

Not that he didn't love her, he did -- he just missed being a person. He'd never enjoyed being around strangers but even that was something he was beginning to miss, the more housebound he became.

Heavily, Elliot collapsed back into the bed, the mattress skins groaning in protest as he did. The dip in it that his waist caused made Sky flop against him as she slept, and she curled up unconsciously, her fingers curling into his thick forearm and staying there, streaking the flesh with creases. Next to him she seemed so small and fragile, like if he rolled over in his sleep he would crush her like a bird.