Disclaimer: I do not own South Park, its characters, or anything else that seems to be copyrighted.

This story will have sexual content, however it will be edited out of this version. If you would like to follow the entire story- with nothing taken out- I would strongly suggest you find me on AO3 as "Mynx." I hope you enjoy!

It sounded like the house was coming down around his ears.

Tweek had never heard such an ungodly crash like he did a moment before. His heart jumped into the bottom of his throat, and a hand actually came up to clutch his shirt over where it was beating wildly. "Molly?" he called as he hurried out of the kitchen- where he had been preparing her dinner- and into the hallway leading back to the bedrooms. "Molly!?"

He had pointedly not gone into Craig's room, because he figured the man deserved some kind of respite. He now had a twitchy blond who lived with him, as well as his daughter who seemed to permeate everything. Tweek was still trying to organize her toys with little to no success. He reached out and pushed Craig's door open, glancing around the frame to peer inside. It was dark- not just because the lights weren't on and it was evening, but also because he kept it painted a dark green with heavier accents scattered about.

"Molly!" he hissed as he took a step inside. It felt wrong to be invading his employer's room like this, but he really had no choice. He had to grab his charge and drag her back out into the living room, maybe chastise her for being a little shit. It was only his first week! He hadn't thought that children could be this hard to pin down and handle! He now felt a little more ashamed for the crazy ways he acted in his youth to his own parents.

But… what had that crash been?

In a corner of the room is where he found his answer. A large bookshelf- what had once been a large one anyway- had tumbled over and crashed to the ground. Somehow a few of the shelves had been broken out and laid scattered on the floor, in a manner that made it look like someone had tried to shove them back into place. "Molly," he said and dread was pooling in his stomach.

"It was an accident!" said the dark haired girl, who had turned to stare rebelliously up at him. "It just tipped over out of nowhere!"

Craig's things were strewn around the room from the force of the fall, some knick knacks outright shattered and beyond repair. Tweek stared quietly at each of them, before looking back at the little six-year-old before him. It had been a week so far, but it was only just now dawning on him how chaotic and stressful this new job was going to be.

"Molly, what did you do?"

"I was only playing! It wasn't me!" she cried out and looking indignant that Tweek would seem to think this was her fault at all. "It didn't have to go flying over like that! Daddy is gonna be so upset, but it wasn't my fault!"

What had Tweek gotten himself into…?

Around One Month Ago

There's a rustle from the corner of the office.

At first, she attempts to ignore it. She had agreed to help only as a favor to his brother, but so far he's only been an annoyance, more of an inconvenience than anything. She hadn't realized he was quite as bad as her friend was always hinting towards. Annie keeps her eyes on her paperwork as she diligently marks off any notes in a spare notebook. She has a lot of au pair applications to go through, and not nearly enough time in her days to get through them all.

Another sound of shifting legs comes from the corner of the office, and she just barely tamps down on her impulse to scowl at the person.

They might be a good addition to the program, Annie tells herself, tapping her pen against her bottom lip. They seemed to mesh well with the ideals of the company, and they were a hard worker. She had already called and checked all their references, and hadn't detected an ounce of lying about her character. I'll have to add Miss Coalwell to the list then.

Again, the sound of a restlessly moving body reaches her ears and Annie closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath before opening them to glance in that direction. "Is there something the matter, Mr. Tweak?"

"O-oh!" The blond, nervous male cries out, as if he was surprised that Annie even remembered he was there. "N-no, I. No."

"No?" Annie tries again. No one can fault her if she snaps, because she's really trying to be very patient with him. Pip had begged her last weekend to take his slightly older brother under her wing and guide him through this process. "It'll be good for him," he had said. "He needs to get away from our parents and their smothering!" She was kind of regretting being so nice to all of her friends. She hadn't thought she would have to literally hold Tweek's hand to get him through the au pair application process.

"U-uh." Tweek's eyes glanced down at the papers he was currently shuffling through, biting his lower lip. "I don't…"

"Don't?" She verbally prods him after he falls silent for a good minute.

"I don't think I'd be a good… uhm, ah pair?" He completely butchered the pronunciation. She supposes she should fix that, first off, then move onto his other worries.

"It's au pair," she says breezily, forcing a smile she doesn't quite feel, if only to put him more at ease. "A lot of people are nervous at first, Mr. Tweak! It's very natural, you know. I deal with it on a daily basis."

"I…" His eyes dart up, connect with her own, and then flit away. One hand releases his paperwork and tugs at the front of his buttoned shirt. "I don't think… I'd be very good. With kids. Or anyone. U-uh! B-because… I can barely take care of myself, you know!?"

Annie nods along as he blabbers, an expression of polite interest and sympathy on her face. "Are you really that bad with taking care of yourself?" She glances at the beginning of his paperwork- all the pertinent data she needed to input into the system- and spots his birthdate. "I mean, it says here you're twenty-two. I suppose living with your parents may have inhibited some of your aging process over the years..?"

"I do my own laundry!" He bursts out with, like this is the most awe inspiring thing he can think of from his daily life. "M-my mom doesn't do it for me anymore. I do it. Pip says… he says that's r-really good?"

"I see," Annie says. She feels like sighing. Honestly, she feels like going out after work and grabbing a drink. It's been two hours of this man waffling back and forth on whether he's really going to take the job or not. She's going to have to use all of her influence just to get him an assignment if he decides to go through with it. "Do you think you'd like to speak with your parents on this matter? Before we proceed any further?"

The blond looked away, back down at his paperwork. He shuffled it again, looking at each page in turn, before sighing. "N-no," he finally answered a moment later, right when Annie had given up hope of continuing the conversation. "I." He stops, then shoves his arms out to quickly stuff the papers right in front of her on the desk. "Here! I… I'm done. I filled t-them all out."

Annie feels a bit discomforted, processing these and knowing that he's a bit of a mess. She looks down at the paperwork, and then back up at him. "I'll process this over the rest of the week," she tells him. Time for the same old spiel. "You probably won't hear back from me until the end of next week, or the beginning of the one after that. It's all very normal, and you don't have to worry if you don't hear from me for a bit. I'll be sure to contact you if we have a match, or… well, I'll be in contact with you."

Tweek nodded along, his green eyes wide in his pale face. "O-okay," he said and picked at his jeans, before jumping to his feet. It seemed like he was electrocuted, he got up so fast and swayed a bit, but he forced a smile to his lips. "T-thank you, Ms. Nelson!" With that being said, he practically fled her office without another word or glance.

God, she really needed that drink.

"How did it go?" was the first thing that greeted Tweek upon his return to the shop. The blond wrung his hands together fitfully, and ducked his head to stare at his feet. "Bad?" His adopted brother asked, a sympathetic frown on his face.

"I-it was o-okay?" Tweek had to remain positive! He always psyched himself out. Tweek glanced up at Pip and shrugged. "She said she would c-call next week sometime, m-maybe. If everything goes okay."

Pip nodded his head and clenched a fist in front of him, a perfect model of optimistic thinking. "You'll get it!" he said cheerfully. "You just have to remain positive!"

There wasn't much more to say on the matter after that. Tweek shuffled into the backroom to grab his apron, and then came out to help man the coffee machines while Pip did the register. Their parents frequently left them to man the store on their own, so this wasn't anything new. Actually, Tweek rather liked it whenever he was left to his own devices in the store. It was almost calming for him to be in his own element and to know what he was doing, to be totally confident that at least in this he could do things right.

It wasn't like Tweek hated this life, either. He liked working here part time at nights, after he finished doing his homework for his online classes and fiddling around his room at home. He enjoyed the life he was leading, but… he just felt like something was missing! Ever since he had brought it up to his brother a month ago, Pip hadn't let it go and had begun suggesting different things Tweek could try to see if it would fill the void. It wasn't like the void was large! It was… Tweek was missing something. There was something that needed to be in his life that wasn't there yet.

"Where would you want them to send you?" Pip brought up thirty minutes before closing time. Tweek was out from behind the counter, mopping the floors and cleaning the tables, while Pip counted up their tips and divided them evenly.

This was something that had never crossed Tweek's mind. Where would he want to be sent? "D-do you think they're g-gonna send me somewhere bad!?" Tweek asked, aghast. He hadn't even thought about all the awful places he could be sent! God, why hadn't he thought of that!?

"No!" Pip said and laughed cheerfully. "I'm sure they won't send you somewhere awful, Tweek. I just meant, if you got to choose, where would you want to go for your job?"

Tweek continued swiping the mop back and forth over the floor, his eyes gazing down at the streaks of water as they were maneuvered around, but not really seeing any of it. "Canada," he finally answered, probably after enough time had passed that Pip had given up waiting for a response. There was more silence, before Pip finally seemed to open his mouth to speak again.

"Canada?"

"Yeah," Tweek said and stopped mopping. He had been done for a minute or two now, and had just continued to do it for the comfort of having something to do. "I hear everyone is really nice there!"

"There are nice people everywhere," Pip pointed out. "There are nice people here in Britain, you know."

"I guess…" Tweek said, but his face screwed up a little in thought. "It's just… I don't know. C-Canada would be nice, dude!"

"What about the United States?" Pip asked, and Tweek could hear a note of something in his voice. Glancing over towards his brother, he saw that Pip actually looked excited by the prospect. "I've always wanted to visit! If you were there, why, I could come visit you!"

Tweek tilted his head a bit to the side as he thought about it. "Y-you just wanna use me for f-free lodging, man!"

"That too," Pip agreed, and both of them laughed a little. Tweek brought the mop with him as he went to the backroom, his chores done. His thoughts swirled in his brain as he went about getting everything in order for the next shift in the morning, able to go on autopilot and get his tasks completed without too much thought.

"It'd be nice," he finally said as they were locking up, their coats wrapped snuggly around them as they stood outside. The glow of the lamplight cast half their faces in light and half in shadow, as Pip finished locking the front door. When his brother gave him a blank look, having probably forgotten the previous conversation, Tweek prompted with, "Going to the United States, I mean. I-I was born there, after all, before mum wanted to move back here to be with her family, and dad agreed."

"Oh!" Pip said, catching on. "It would be nice, huh? To finally see your birth place?"

"Mmm," Tweek agreed, nodding his head and burrowing it in the scarf wrapped around his neck. The winter chill in the air nipped harshly at their faces, but Tweek was too caught up in his own thoughts to notice now. "I always wondered what it would be like. W-we get a lot of tourists here in London, but… I-I don't know, dude, I think it'd be different to be there, you know?"

"I guess new countries can feel like that," Pip agreed. Pip always agreed. Tweek couldn't remember the last time Pip had ever argued with him over something. It just didn't seem like something that was in Pip's nature. "Do you think you're gonna tell mum and dad soon?"

"I-" Tweek hadn't thought of that. "I think I'm g-gonna wait. Until I know! For sure." He paused again and his fingers fiddled with loose strings in his coat's pockets. "I don't want to tell them and then n-not be accepted." For the most part his stuttering was to a minimum, but sometimes he'd become self aware and hate the sound of it wobbling in his voice. Right now he had no reason to be nervous, but it was still thrumming lowly in his veins, an anxious energy that never fully abated. Even with all the medications he had to take, and the fact that he had cut down on his coffee by half over the years, it was still there, restlessly waiting in the background of his head for a spare moment to break free.

"Good idea," Pip murmured, and then they were home, standing on the front stoop. Pip rummaged to bring out the keys again to unlock the front door, and they both slipped inside. There wasn't a sound from within the house, but that wasn't exactly out of place. Their mum usually went to sleep around 10, which was the time that they were closing up shop. Their dad might be upstairs reading a book, or in the den watching the TV with the volume set as low as he could manage to hear. There was no glow coming from the family room, however, so Tweek assumed he was upstairs too.

Both boys quickly discarded their coats on the hooks by the door, and slipped out of their shoes for good measure. In the dull light from the bulb above the stove, Tweek could see the entire place had been cleaned recently. Probably one of his mother's manic episodes where she needed everything in order and put in their proper place. She'd been having those a lot less often once she had agreed to see a professional, but they still came upon her suddenly from time to time. It was like she was a human hurricane, except instead of causing chaos, she supplied order and cleaning supplies.

"Do you think they left us something to eat?" Pip asked, but he was already on his way into the kitchen, intent on answering his own question. Tweek's stomach rumbled, and he padded along behind his brother, curious as well. The fridge was peered into quickly before Pip sighed and closed it. "Nothing," he whispered. "We could make something…?"

"Mum hates it when we cook at night," Tweek pointed out. Pip sighed again, heavily and with much weariness, before nodding. He turned towards the cupboards and began to shuffle things around. "What are you looking for?"

"Poptarts," Pip said as he came back out with the box clutched in his hand. "It's better than nothing!" he shot when Tweek gave him a look.

"That's not gonna fill us up, dude," Tweek muttered, but took two packages for himself as well. There was no use fighting it. Tweek knew there wouldn't be anything better in the fridge, at least not something he could quickly put together without much mess or work. Their mum didn't do the grocery shopping until tomorrow, so they were pretty low on options and supplies. "Thanks," he told Pip. Without another word, Tweek headed to the stairs to go up to bed. He'd eat these poptarts while watching something on his laptop, maybe. It was almost the time when he took his nightly doses and dozed off, so there really wasn't much else to do.

"Oh no," he muttered once he reached his room and glanced at his desk. He had forgotten about that homework that was due tomorrow in math! His spare hand reached up to grasp his blond locks loosely, tugging at the ends and biting his lower lip. It had completely slipped his mind that he needed to bring it with him so he could do it at work! Dammit. Now he definitely wasn't going to be able to go to sleep on time. He shoved one poptart into his mouth while he sat down in his chair, sighing and flipping on the lamp that was there.

He wasn't gonna be able to enjoy the next episode of Game of Thrones tonight…

For the rest of that week- and most of the next- the au pair program flew from Tweek's mind. His life was a flurry of homework, working at the coffee shop in the evenings, and hanging out with his and Pip's friends on the weekend. Tweek didn't really have time to think- or worry, even- about what might happen. That was probably a good thing, otherwise it would have plagued Tweek's thoughts every day. Tweek was a worrier- always had been- and no amount of therapy and medication was going to change that.

He only remembered that he had even applied to the program when Annie Nelson's name came up on caller ID on his cell. He had a brief moment to ponder why she was calling him- she was only Pip's friend, one of the few that he and his brother didn't share- before it all clicked into place. "Hello?" he asked hesitantly as he answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello, Mr. Tweak!" she greeted in a cheerful voice. He could even hear the smile she was forcing across her lips! "How have you been since we last spoke?"

"Oh," Tweek said and fumbled with his phone, trying to balance it between his shoulder and ear, while juggling the cups he had been cleaning at work with the other. He finally abandoned that a moment later when he realized he just couldn't multitask right now. "Fine!" he told her quickly, realizing he had paused for too long. "I've b-been okay. You?"

"I've been well," Annie responded. "Thank you for asking! Alright, so your paperwork came back today, Mr. Tweak. It's my pleasure to tell you that you've been accepted into the program!"

A moment passed where Tweek had no idea how to respond. His stomach was clenched up with anxiety still, and hearing the news didn't seem to do anything to release it. "I… I was accepted?" He still couldn't wrap his mind around it! He had been sure that, somehow, something would go wrong and he would still be stuck here in Britain for the rest of his life. He'd end up doing what his parents wanted- taking over the coffee shop and running it when they retired- and would never get anywhere in life, never find out what he liked, what he wanted to do for himself.

"Yes," Annie said, and for the first time her voice turned soft, almost like she knew what was going on. "I know it's a bit of a shock- most people think they won't be accepted, but they've found a good match for you, and think you'd do wonderfully! The next time you have a chance, you should come in and we can talk about it more."

"W-when can I come in?" He would make time to go as soon as possible. He was willing to drop everything and run there.

"Well," Annie said and paused. Tweek could hear the clacking of her nails against the keyboard as she looked at her calendar. "How does tomorrow at ten in the morning sound?"

"T-that works!" Tweek agreed. "I'll be there."

"Okay, Tweek!" Annie responded, using his first name for the first time since he had began this process. "I'll see you tomorrow! Have a good night."

"Thanks! You t-too!" he told her, but she had already hung up. Tweek allowed his hand to fall and he stared blankly at his cell phone, the news settling over him and making itself at home. He would have to talk to his parents as soon as possible. Today was Thursday, so that meant that he only had to work two hours, instead of the usual six. He'd be off in another hour once his replacement arrived to take over, and then he'd go home to have dinner with the whole family. That… he would have to tell everyone then. There was no putting it off or ignoring it now.

The rest of his shift practically flew past. Now that he was dreading the confrontation with his parents, he had figured the wait would be over in the blink of an eye. Damien wandered in around five minutes before he was scheduled, looking grumpy and tousled, like he had just rolled out of bed. He was Pip's best friend, and had agreed to work at the shop part time. Damien was the only outside worker their parents had hired, otherwise only family members were employed.

"S-see you," Tweek told him as he shuffled towards the door, backpack in hand. Damien barely acknowledged him, raising a hand to wave in both greeting and farewell. Tweek hurried outside into the brisk afternoon air, and began the short walk home. His insides were knotting up with nerves, but he managed to swallow some of it and ignore it for the rest of the walk. Tweek always enjoyed his walks! He loved feeling the air against his cheeks as he headed home, and humming to himself along the way. He had forgotten his iPod, otherwise he probably would have used that to distract himself a little.

"I'm home!" Tweek called as he entered the house, only fumbling with his keys once this time. His hands were shaking pretty badly, but at least he didn't drop them this time! He usually dropped them and had to wildly try to catch them on their descent. A greeting came from within the kitchen- muted, but clearly his mum- and there was some shuffling from the dining room. Pip was probably setting up the plates and silverware for dinner.

"How was your day?" his mother asked as Tweek wandered over towards the dining room, intent on telling Pip the news before he had to confront their parents. Tweek paused in the doorway to the kitchen, fidgeting and picking at the bottom of his coat. "Your math class went okay? Work wasn't too hard?"

It was really too bad that the years had worn Mrs. Francine Tweak out like they did. She wasn't old, by any means, but life had been a little hard on her and it showed in her face. There were premature wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, and her hair was a duller blond then from her youth. Tweek still remembered the one picture he had seen of his mother when she was his age. She had been standing next to Richard Tweak and beaming, their first date to their Senior Prom. Her hair had been the same shade as Tweek's at that age, but it had become darker with the years.

"Work was fine," Tweek answered, "and my class wasn't t-too stressful today. W-we had a quiz! But I did okay."

"Oh that's good, honey," his mother said and barely spared him a glance as she flitted from pot to pot, checking on everything. "Go help Phillip in the dining room, won't you?"

Tweek didn't need to be told twice. He hurried away in search of his brother without another word, finding him in the dining room just finishing setting out the silverware. "Tweek!" Pip greeted with a smile. "How was that quiz?"

"O-okay," he said, but he really had no time to spare towards his math grades right now. He was almost into full on freak out mode. "Dude, A-Annie called today! I got i-in, but I h-have no idea how to tell m-mum and dad!" Tweek hissed this all in one breath, practically vibrating from all the nervous energy bouncing around inside of him. Pip blinked and then a smile bloomed on his face.

"You did? You got accepted!? That's great!" He said it a bit too loud for Tweek's tastes, so the frazzled boy took it upon himself to hush his brother. Pip looked properly contrite. "Sorry," he whispered. "I'm sure it'll go okay, Tweek. You just have to stay calm."

"M-me? Stay calm? You do know w-w-who you're talking to here, r-right!?"

"Yes," Pip said and then took in a deep breath, before blowing it out gustily. It was clear he was trying to show Tweek what to do. Tweek followed suit, closing his eyes for a moment and trying to find the calm within himself. It wasn't really working.. "It's like a bandaid," Pip offered. "Just get it over with, then once it's out, you don't have to worry anymore! The bad part is already over!"

Tweek guessed Pip had a point. All those interviews and papers he'd been filling out for the past few weeks, those were pretty hard and now thisshould be easier. It was just telling his parents what he planned on doing, and then doing it. They couldn't really lock him up and keep him from doing something he had set his mind to. Tweek was paranoid, and sometimes thought they could easily keep him from doing things, but… that wasn't really true. His mom could be a little whacked out, but his dad was a sensible person. Even if he had a horrible sense of humor.

Ugh. Dad humor. Tweek was twenty-two and he didn't think he'd ever understand his dad's form of "dad humor."

"Well hello there, sons," came a voice from the entrance of the dining room. Speak of the devil..

"Hi, dad," both blonds chimed in unison. Pip went to give his dad a hug, but Tweek just sat down at his place and nervously fidgeted in his chair. Their mother soon came in carrying the main course, and quietly asked Pip to help her get the others. Tweek was no longer asked, mostly because his mother still remembered that time he had broken Grandma's old china dishes. Even though Tweek was much better than he was some years ago, his parents still didn't treat him- nor view him- as an adult. This was one of the many reasons he had decided to apply for the au pair program. He had to prove to them he was an adult and could handle himself like one!

"How was your day?" Tweek's mother asked as soon as everyone was settled at the table and dishing out the food. Pip and Tweek didn't bother to answer, because they knew the question was directed at their father.

"It was very nice, thank you," Tweek's dad responded. He did part time work as an accountant when he wasn't swamped with the coffee shop. "Numbers were good today! I thought about going on an all-almond diet today… but that's just nuts!"

"Oh that's wonderful," came the response from his wife. There was a long silence. It seemed she hadn't caught onto the joke at all. Pip was looking at Tweek expectantly, and the frazzled blond tried to ignore his brother. He wasn't ready! He didn't know what to say or how to bring it up!

"What about you, Tweek?" Pip asked. What a sly dog! Tweek wasn't ready for this! He felt like he needed to excuse himself and get more medicine, because a panic attack was definitely building. He could feel the flip-flops in his stomach, and it was all rather unpleasant.

"U-uhm," Tweek stumbled, his tongue refusing to cooperate, his lips feeling numb. All eyes were on him now, his mother furrowing her brows, but his father looking concerned and interested. "It… it went good! I, uhm. I got a call today!"

"Oh?" Richard Tweak asked, raising both brows. He didn't say anything else. It was clear everyone was waiting for Tweek to continue.

"It was from…" Tweek glanced away from his family and moved the peas about on his plate, trying hard not to look at his parents as he blurted out the next part. "It was from the au pair program!"

"Gesundheit," his father said as if on autopilot, joking without realizing what he was saying. Tweek had kind of slurred his words together. Other than that though...

Silence. Nobody moved or said a word. Tweek glanced up after a full minute of this, looking first at his mother and then at his dad. Both of them were frozen and staring at him with partially agape mouths. His mother looked horrified, while his father just looked stunned.

"The au pair program?" His mother was the first to collect herself enough to speak. Tweek nodded. "Why would they call you, honey? You certainly wouldn't have applie-"

"I did," he mumbled. "I, uhm. I did… apply." More silence followed, and Tweek was starting to really hate this! Somebody needed to say something! Pip was just staring at the parental units as well, expectant, waiting. Tweek tore his eyes away from his brother to look at his mother and father again. His dad looked very calm and collected, but his mother's face was flushed a light pink. Uh oh.

"You applied to the au pair program?" she asked, voice quiet as she forced the words from between her stiff lips. She set her fork down and focused her entire attention on her son.

"Y-yes," Tweek whispered softly.

"Why would you do that?" she asked. "That was such a horrible idea, Richard." God, Tweek hated it when she used his actual given name. It was so… He glanced at his father to see he was just calmly moving his food about on his own plate, letting Tweek's mother do all the talking. This was how it usually was anyway. "Why would you apply to something like that? You're a child! And without talking to us first! You can't handle that kind of-"

"Yes I can!" Tweek suddenly burst out with. He clenched his fists but managed to keep himself from throwing some kind of tantrum. He just felt like yelling and hitting his fists against his thighs and begging his parents to admit he was an adult! He was twenty-two years old and, believe it or not, he was able to take care of himself! He worked part time at the shop, and he went to one in person class on his own, and he had two more online classes. His homework was always done on time, and he took medicine now so he very rarely had panic attacks or nervous breakdowns! He was ready, he was ready to go out and see the world and do something! He still had no idea what he wanted to do as a career, but it certainly wasn't what his parents wanted: taking over the store when his father retired and keeping the business going.

"Richard Tweak, Jr., don't you dare take that kind of tone with me," his mother said and now she was flushed red, full out angry at her son. "You could not possibly handle taking care of a child, you can barely take care of yourself! You are going to have to call that program and tell them you're turning it down. You certainly can't leave this house, let alone quite possibly the country! How would you ever be able to fend for yourself?"

"I can," Tweek said, and it took a lot of effort not to stutter out his words, "and I will. I'm going to accept. This is something I want to do! Why can't you just be happy for me!?"

Tweek got to his feet before his mother could say anything else. "I-I'm going to start p-packing," he said, and he felt a little wiggle of shame in his gut. He had been doing so well too! Of course his old tics would come back and his words would falter a little. His family said nothing, so Tweek walked out of the dining room and upstairs to his own bedroom.

As soon as he was out of earshot, sounds began to come with earnest from the dining room. He put them from his mind. There was really nothing more that could be said right now. His mother was protective and overbearing. She had always been the type of mother to hover, to refuse to let Tweek to do certain things because he was "special" and "not like the other children." Pip was usually left to his own devices, and their mother rarely told him he couldn't do things, couldn't be a normal teenager and then young adult over the years. It was only Tweek who was told "no, honey, I really don't think you should go to that dance" or "no, Tweek, that job wouldn't be good for you."

When his bedroom door was shut behind him, he slumped back against it, sighing. What should one begin to pack to leave his old life? Tweek had no idea. He supposed he should start with his clothes, and then figure out what the essentials were. Ugh, tonight was going to be a long night!

The next day finds him back in Annie's office, fidgeting uncontrollably as he waits for her to show up. The receptionist had said she needed to step out, but that she was expecting him and would be back at any moment. Tweek shuffled on the seat, crossing and then uncrossing his legs, looking at all the pictures hung on the walls, even at one point attempting to hum a little tune to himself. All of this fails to appease his nerves, and so he goes quiet and just sits there, staring into space.

"Oh, Mr. Tweak," comes Annie's voice from the doorway, where she had just pulled open the door and stepped inside. Even after knowing him for years, Annie refuses to get too comfortable around him. It had been like this in high school too. She was more Pip's friend than his. The only friend Tweek had for himself- one that his brother hadn't made and then dragged kicking and screaming to be Tweek's as well- was Jimmy Valmer. "I'm glad you could make it!"

Annie took a seat behind her desk and got out more paperwork. Tweek suppressed the groan he could feel building in his throat. "Y-yeah," Tweek responded, because it would be rude not to, right? "I, uhm, wouldn't miss it!"

She flashed a small, polite smile but otherwise didn't comment further. Once she had gotten the papers into the order she deemed necessary, she passed them across to him. "This is all just information explaining what happens now. You're being sent to Denver, Colorado in the United States. Your charge is a six-year-old girl named Molly Tucker. Her father manages the Wanted Ads section for the paper there. You'll be getting a monthly salary, and all your food and accommodations will be taken care of by the family directly. They have a spare bedroom they're going to set you up in, and you'll be taking care of Molly full time except on the days when Mr. Tucker is off or available to handle her so you can have some time for your own things."

So far everything sounds perfect to Tweek. Sure, taking care of a kid he's never met before will probably be a hard job to handle, but he's ready for it. He's ready to feel like a fully capable adult who can have his own life and not depend on his family constantly. "O-okay," Tweek said and picked up the papers carefully, looking them over. Everything seems to be in order. He's going to get a meager allowance every month for his own salary, but he wasn't expecting anything crazy to begin with. It's so small because most of his food and accommodations are being given to him free of charge by the family, so that meant that he only got a tiny stipend for everything else.

"You'll be leaving in two weeks," she said, and that was when Tweek's heart hammered hard in his chest. Two weeks! So soon to be expected to pack up his entire life and move to a new country, but… well, Tweek had figured he wouldn't get much time. They probably need him as soon as possible. "Your airfare is already taken care of, so you won't have to worry about that. Next week you'll be getting all the information about your flight and when to be at the airport. Today we just wanted to touch base and have you sign some of the paperwork. Make it all official!" Annie brought out a pen from her desk with a flourish, beaming. "Here are the things I need you to sign, and then we're all squared away!"

Tweek did just that for the next minutes, signing each paper Annie pushed across the desk to him. It was ten minutes later when, with his hand cramping up and his heart beating a fast rhythm in his chest, that Tweek realized he'd taken the first step into a truly adult life. No parents looking over his shoulder, no one to ask for approval, and certainly no one to harp on him about every tiny little thing he may or may not be doing right.

Annie proudly stated, "Congratulations on your new job as an au pair!"