Final Chapter

Tavros threw open the front door and stepped inside, closing it with more care, and locked it. They had to understand, he just wanted to see if his closest friend was alright, and as long as Gamzee was around, nothing terrible would happen... right? He looked around the dark house, all the lights were off, and even the weak sunlight streaming in through the windows around the room didn't help much. Feeling a growing sense of fear, he questioned himself- why did he come here again? Wasn't it unsafe? A bang on the door made him jump, he thought he would bolt right then and there-

"Tavros Nitram! You open the door right this instant! That house is unsafe and you know it! Tavros!" Kanaya's voice shouted through the wood. Oh, it was just the others. He briefly considered going back, or at least trying to explain himself, but he was distracted by flickering in the corner of his eye. His heart leapt. Gamzee was standing in the kitchen doorway, hands he out in front of him. His face, his eyes, almost seemed to glow in the darkness, but Tavros pushed away the odd feeling it gave him.

"You came back," he whispered, but his voice carried to the Taurus' ears, "You're alright!" The clown took a step forward, relief spreading across his painted face, and Tavros grinned. He stretched out his arms, and Gamzee's mouth stretched into a matching smile. The ghost ran to him and they crashed into each other, nearly tumbling to the floor. Gamzee was honking his laugh, and Tavros buried his face in the taller one's chest.

"Oh man, Tavbro, you sure gave this here clown a motherfuckin' scare! I didn't know what to do, so I called that Kanaya, but then she took you away, and and how was I supposed to know it wasn't for good?" Gamzee said, pulling back and down so that their faces were level.

"I, uh, we made a promise, didn't we? So, I, came back." Tavros replied, very aware that Gamzee was less than two inches away from his face. He couldn't help the flush that heated his face, and he hoped Gamzee couldn't tell how flustered he was. But the clown's grin melted into a soft half smile, and Tavros didn't miss the way his eyes darted down to his lips. Was this even really happening, or was he still knocked out on painkillers? Then, Gamzee's eyes widened and he pushed back, nearly sending Tavros sprawling. He tried to ignore the hurt, but Gamzee suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him through the kitchen, into the game room. They paused, Gamzee looking around, almost like he was... afraid? Before Tavros could ask, he heard a huge crash from the living room, and the scraping of something being dragged along the wood. The clown let out a strangled noise, leading the Taurus all the way up the stairs into the attic.

"Gamzee, what-" The clown held a finger to his lips, gently closing the attic door. He then dragged Tavros to the farthest corner, and sat them down. He bit his lip and sighed, averting his eyes.

"You really probably shouldn't have come back here, bro. Some shit's gone down, pissed Kur- uh, the other guy off. It's motherfucking unsafe, the last thing I want is you hurt-" he was interrupted as they both heard the front door open, and the house became eerily silent. He thought he had locked the door though?

"Tavros? Where are you?" Kanaya's voice was panicked, almost on the verge of tears. Tavros glanced to Gamzee.

"I-is it safe?" He whispered, noting that Gamzee hadn't yet dropped his hand. The pressure was reassuring. He looked around, eyes narrowing. He nodded slowly, and they stood. Tavros attempted a smile.

"Do you, uh, wanna meet my friends?" Tavros asked, subconsciously brushing his thumb over the hand in his own. Gamzee's hand twitched, but tightened its hold.

"Alright. Just... don't let go of me." Tavros wasn't sure if it was for his safety, Gamzee's comfort, or something else (that had the Taurus' heart doing loops), and he smiled and squeezed the clown's hand.

"Sure. Just don't, uh, disappear. Ah, wait,will they be able to see you?"

"As long as I motherfuckin' let 'em." Gamzee had a bit of reluctance in his tone, and Tavros huffed a breath. Why was he so nervous? The two stood and travelled downstairs, where Kanaya, Rose, and Kankri were waiting amongst upturned furniture. Rose was looking around frightfully, Kankri unimpressed, and Kanaya directly at him, eyes wide, mouth agape.

"Why... what were you even-!?" Kanaya choked out, taking a step to him, but Kankri held her back.

"Tavros, why do you have your hand held out like that?" Cold contempt dripped from the pastor's voice, and Tavros glanced to Gamzee, who had his eyes narrowed at the man. Tavros pulled once to get his attention, and nodded towards the others. Gamzee shook his head emphatically, clearly unwilling to let anyone else see him. Tavros rolled his eyes, deciding to introduce them anyways.

"Everyone, this is Gamzee. Gamzee, this is Rose, the blonde, Kanaya, she's the one in the red skirt, and, um... Kankri, right?" He said at full volume, then whispered to his friend, "and I'm sure they'd like to actually see you, they won't bite." Gamzee groaned quietly, and Tavros glared at him. The clown met his eyes (and wow, his puppy eyes left the Taurus weak-kneed and susceptible, but this was important). Tavros glanced back to the others, huffing at Gamzee's lack of cooperation. Kanaya's lips were closed into a thin line, and she looked ready to storm over and literally slap him into making sense. He could tell Rose was thinking hard, she has the look on her face, brows drawn, eyes dark, brooding. Kankri seemed nonplussed, unimpressed, almost bored. He gave one more tug on the ghost's arm, and finally, with a shudder, Tavros assumed he came into sight.

Rose's eyes widened, Kanaya stepped back, and Kankri glared. If looks could kill, Tavros thought absently, before tugging Gamzee forward.

"Hey, this isn't so bad, huh, Gamz? Say hi." He stepped and bumped the taller's shoulder, startling a honk out of the clown. Gamzee's painted lips pouted and he looked away from Tavros.

"Hello. Uh... thanks for helping Tavbro, uh, Tavros out. Motherfuckin' miraculous." The last part was mostly to himself, and Tavros' hand warmed where Gamzee stroked it. Kanaya's mouth moved wordlessly, and Rose stepped in, voice unusually meek.

"You're welcome, G-Gamzee?" The clown smiled slightly.

"That's my name, sis, don't wear it the fuck out." Kanaya seemed taken aback by his frequent swearing, right, Gamzee did it so much that Tavros had begun to think of it as natural. However, there was a slight edge to the ghost's voice that made him worry a bit. Rose blinked a couple of times before she managed a weak smile back. Then Kankri reached into his pockets, and Gamzee started back, pulling Tavros with him.

"What are you so afraid of, Gamzee? I'm just trying to do my job." The venom laced within the pastor's tone gave the Taurus chills, and Gamzee stiffened next to him. A quick look to the side showed that Gamzee actually looked afraid. Tavros wasn't really sure how to reassure him, as he wasn't quite clear about what was going on either, but if Gamzee thought he was in danger, the Taurus was going to,put a stop to it.

"Hey, uh, Kankri, Gamzee isn't the problem. He's harmless!" Tavros stated as the pastor continued to pull things from his pockets- a bottle of water, a cross, salt, a... pocket bible? How deep were those things? Kankri scoffed.

"Is that what you think, Nitram? They are deceivers, liars, and they get close to you so they can-" Kankri began to get more heated, but Gamzee's hold on his hand was almost painfully tight as he cut him off.

"Shut the FUCK up." The volume and ferocity of Gamzee's voice nearly gave Tavros a heart attack. Kankri smiled, but it wasn't one of happiness, it was more like a challenge.

"You fear my words, Gamzee? Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. Hmm. Tavros, I suggest you listen as well. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Tavros could feel his friend trembling, and anger boiled up inside of him, for Gamzee, what was Kankri's problem? Suddenly, it wasn't just Gamzee shaking, the whole house rumbled, and Gamzee whimpered.

"Oh, shit, bro-" his voice was uncharacteristically weak, and Kanaya seemed to finally break out of her stupor to run to him. The woman pulled Tavros into a hug, separating his and Gamzee's hands. The Taurus felt a sudden wave of nausea come over him, and he tried valiantly to not heave on Kanaya's shoulder. Gamzee honked behind him, and the room temperature dropped at least ten degrees. Rose was right behind Kanaya, and as she pulled away he would have fallen if not for the blonde catching him. He faintly heard Gamzee's low voice muttering a few things, and he was passed off into colder arms. Immediately, he felt better, and he didn't have a chance to ponder exactly why, because-

"Well, well, well." A deep, sinister voice filled the entire house, reverberating around everyone. Gamzee's arms tightened around him, and Tavros leaned back into the clown. Rose and Kanaya also huddled together- the only one left standing alone was Kankri. His face was twisted up into a mask of disgust and rage.

"Show yourself!" The pastor shouted, and laughter echoed.

"And end our game so soon, priest? I think not, besides, I have more interesting things to deal with." Its purr sent goosebumps spreading all along the Taurus' body, and he was glad Gamzee was holding on to him.

"Oh... Tavros~" the voice sang, and Gamzee- Gamzee snarled, a sound that no human should have been able to make so easily, but Tavros couldn't find it in him to pull away like his brain said he should.

"Hmm, you really do like this one, don't you, Gamzee? I'm sick of your charade, however- you've spent long enough pretending, avoiding-"

"I haven't been avoiding shit! It's you that's too fuckin' cowardly to show your face!" Tavros fought the urge to cover his ears as Gamzee's voice boomed around him.

"How dare yOU-" Kankri began chanting something at this point, causing the voice to howl, and Tavros covered his ears, the sound was absolutely horrible-

"I command you, in the name of the Lord, to show yourself, demon!" Several things happened at once. One- Kankri collapsed. Two- Tavros staggered forward, because Gamzee had pushed him. Three- Tavros might have actually had a mini-panic attack (a demon!?). Four- Rose and Kanaya simultaneously got nosebleeds. And five- darkness seemed to intensify in the center of the living room, and between the fireplace and the upside down couch, a form began to take shape. Tavros recognized the bright orange-yellow fire of the eyes, and he watched, horrified, as its appearance was revealed. It was insanely tall, taller than Gamzee, and from what appeared to be its head, two twisted spirals merely added onto its height. Missing the press of Gamzee on his back, Tavros turned his head quickly, unwilling to move his eyes from the... the thing for very long. Gamzee was heaving in breaths, on his knees, and his hands scrambled and scratched at the wood floor.

Tavros felt an immediate urge to kneel and comfort him, but the howling started up again, and he was forced on impulse to return his gaze to the creature. He could now see legs, arms, still smoky and black, but defined, and Tavros saw that its fingertips ended in sharp points. He felt a phantom tingle on his back, and he was suddenly overcome with a violent pain in his head. God he could barely see, it was blinding-

"Tavros!" Gamzee's voice yelled, and the sound hammered at his head, he could hardly hear over the demon's screeching- "You need, to get your friends, and get the fuck out of here!" Tavros groaned, Gamzee sounded pained, his voice was scratchy and deep and unnatural. It took him a moment to process the clown's words, and then he staggered to Rose and Kanaya, who were gripping each other tightly, eyes locked on the- wait. As Gamzee's pained whimpers joined the unholy sound of the demon in Tavros' living room, Tavros really got a good look at it- no. Him. He was solid now, only the shadows keeping his exact form hidden. His body- horribly thin, bony, outlined by a skintight suit or whatever he was wearing, was not Tavros' focus. The Taurus couldn't look away from his face, where his mouth was open, sound pouring out. Sharp white incisors were very visible against the black, and so was the white paint circling his cheeks, mouth, and even up on his forehead. Grey ringed his eyes, and came down on either side to just brush the corners of his mouth. The paint, the wild hair, and even the slight haze of purple now-

Tavros tore his eyes from the demon, and spun around to face Gamzee, who was still struggling on the floor. Only now, did the Taurus realize, that he was fighting the same battle as the other, and Tavros felt sick as he noticed the same shadow descending on his friend. He subconsciously began backing up, no this, wasn't... happening, Gamzee was harmless, Gamzee was his friend, Gamzee was-

"Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

His face, his eyes, almost seemed to glow in the darkness, but Tavros pushed away the odd feeling it gave him.

"If you wanna fucking help me, Tavbro," he said into his shoulder, "you just never leave me, okay? And I'll never leave you."

"No! N-nothing you can say will change my mind, you can't get rid of Gamzee!"

"Something is using you as a tether, or in crude terms, food. You provide energy and fear, as well as a living connection to the environment."

"They are deceivers, liars, and they get close to you so they can-"

"TAVROS!" He came back into focus to find Kanaya gripping his shoulders, shaking him slightly. He sniffed, and noticed that his cheeks were wet, wow, when did he start crying? Kanaya had a few tear tracks, but the bright red of blood streaming from her nose, over her lips, and down her chin concerned him more.

"We- we have to leave." His voice was slurred, muted to his own ears, and Kanaya nodded, managing a smile. Her teeth were stained red as well, and Tavros wondered if she didn't care or hadn't even noticed that her nose was pouring blood. He shook his head- not important- as the two of them grabbed Rose, who was still fearfully captivated by the demon- shadows subsiding, fully formed, skin now visibly an ashy grey, the twisted horns on his head beginning to show fiery colors- and dashed to the door, only stopped by Kankri's hoarse voice.

"You can't- don't open the door! I haven't sealed them! It's too much of a risk to let them escape!" The three turned and Rose retched. The priest was sitting up shakily, head lolling back, red rivers dripping from his nose, eyes, and mouth. He began coughing, the sound sick and wet, as the house became deathly quiet. A shadow was cast over Kankri, the looming figure of the demon towered over him. Tavros felt Kanaya's arms wrap around him, as if trying to shelter him, and Rose, pulling the three close. Kankri's eyes widened, and Tavros wanted to scream. The purple irises flickered up to him, and the thing smirked, placing his hands around the priest's neck. Tavros wanted to look away, needed to, but before the monster could hurt Kankri, Gamzee slammed into his side. He was moving too fast to see any definite features, but Tavros could tell that he didn't look like his normal self... The pair went tumbling, and Kankri lurched to his feet, groaning. Rose separated a bit from them to steady the priest. Tavros tried his best to ignore the sounds of fighting, hissing, growling, as Kankri began to weakly murmur something, placing a hand on the doors.

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY, VANTAS!" The priest sped up his words, voice trembling. He finished, letting out a breath, before turning to the three others.

"G-go. I... still have to exorcise them. But y-you can leave." Tavros felt a faint twinge of worry for Gamzee, but no, Gamzee was... not... not his friend, not really. Nonetheless, the Taurus' eyes watered a bit, traveling to where the two demons were fighting. He couldn't see much of Gamzee, the other was over him, a foot on his back, pushing him down. The floorboards protested, and with a gulp, Tavros looked away.

"And stay down. I'm sick of your interference. Now..." Kankri weakly pushed them aside as the other demon finished with Gamzee- Tavros could hear his faint moaning from here, and he wondered if he was really, badly hurt. But no, Gamzee was no good, a liar, a-

"Kurloz... please, just let them go." Gamzee coughed out, "You have no business with the three others, no reason-"

"Them being here, in my house, is enough reason, brother." The demon, or Kurloz, turned and spat at the other. Tavros' eyes darted to Gamzee of their own accord, and he was shocked. From three gashes on his face, marred by the wounds that would surely scar, ran dark blood, black, unnatural. His eyes glowed the same yellow, and matching horns extended from the clown's head. Tavros knew he should be disgusted, or scared, but he was just... shocked. The clown slowly sat up, obviously very worn.

"But you don't need them. Please, Kurloz-" Gamzee's eyes locked on Tavros', and that same fluttery feeling ran through his body. When the other demon turned back with a roll of his eyes, Gamzee mouthed- "I'll distract. Kankri does his thing." Tavros nodded, and Gamzee smiled weakly. It looked like he was going to mouth something else, but changed his mind.

"Kurloz! I said-" Gamzee stood, and a look of pure anger spread over the clown's face, enhanced by his fangs, the fire of his eyes- "Leave them. The fuck. Alone." Karloz hissed and turned fully, leaving his back exposed. Tavros took the time to talk to Kankri, unsure of how long Gamzee could keep the other occupied.

"Gamzee is, uh, distracting K-Kurloz? So you can... do the thing." Kankri looked surprised, then apologetic.

"Tavros... maybe I was wrong about your friend. That being said, I don't think I'll be able to spare him... " Tavros bit his lip and nodded.

"I-I think that's probably for the best." Tavros said reluctantly- of course he didn't want Gamzee gone, he was just so hurt, and Gamzee should really go back to wherever he came from anyway. Kankri, determined, nodded, and in a clear voice, began to speak.

"For I am God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for I do not bear the sword in vain. For I am the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." Kurloz screeched and tried to get to the priest, but Gamzee pulled him back, grimacing in pain.

"Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you." Kankri ended in a shout, and Kurloz collapsed, Gamzee on top of him, both breathing heavily.

"In the name of Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, strengthened by the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, mother of God, of blessed Michael the Archangel, of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul and all the saints, we confidently undertake to repulse the attacks and deceits of the devil" Kurloz screeched, but it was a mere echo of earlier. Gamzee sat up scooted back from the other's writhing form, stricken.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Kankri finished, and with a final scream, Kurloz disappeared. In his place lay a pale girl, and he recognized her from the picture. Kankri ran to her, feeling for her pulse. The atmosphere in the room slowly lifted, but Tavros couldn't take it anymore, he bolted out of the house and sat in Kanaya's car until the others returned, Kanaya carrying the dark haired girl in her arms. He watched them set her in the back seat of the Vantas car, where Karkat had switched to, to hold her in place and keep her comfortable. Tavros felt a huge hole in his chest, and he whimpered quietly. But he wasn't going to cry. No. He was going to sleep. And try to forget.

-3 weeks later-

It took everyone a while to get back into the swing of things, Tavros especially. He found himself practically living on Kanaya and Rose's couch, Nepeta understanding that he needed some time off, to a point. Recently, she had been pestering him to get back into the real world, back to his friends, hey, even Eridan was missing him (or so she claimed). However, he was just unwilling to do anything really, unmotivated in the extreme. The others, though- they were doing fine. Rose was getting good business due to some job changes, hurried moves, and Kanaya was inspired, working like never before. The girl Kankri had found was his long-lost sister- he had felt guilty about leaving before, when things got bad, and he never let himself live it down, for almost two decades. But Karkat had signed over the house Kankri had vowed never to sell, and it turned out that she was there all along, trapped. She was doing fine now, having adjusted to actually having a life. Tavros' brooding was interrupted by Kanaya knocking on the doorframe to get his attention. He turned his gloomy eyes to her.

"Tavros, darling, I understand you living here, but at least go collect your stuff so we can make it official." The woman had been trying to get him out if the house using any means possible, and this one wasn't new. Tavros sighed as he thought of his house. And all of his things. His Xbox. Posters. His nice bed. And...

No. That was off limits.

Anyway. He didn't want to go back there- who would, honestly? But something in Kanaya's expression told him that the next time she spoke, she wouldn't be asking. He groaned and rolled off of the couch, reluctantly reaching for his shoes. He would just be quick, grab his duffel bag, a poster or two- and ignore anything and everything he saw or heard. Yes. Good plan. Kanaya looked at him approvingly.

"Thank you, Tavros. We're very worried about you, you know, if you want to go out and-"

"Ah, n-no thanks. I'm just gonna pick up some stuff and come straight back." Tavros cut her off, pulling on his jacket and heading for the door. He grabbed the keys hanging on the wall and waved goodbye before he was out the door. Tavros took a deep breath, wow, it had been a while. Hmm, time to get going, he guessed. He enjoyed being outside of the house, he thought absently as he drove the familiar path home. No, not home now. The Taurus ignored the pang in his chest, and gripped the steering wheel tighter. When he arrived, he really didn't want to get out of the car, like, really really, but what's the worst that could happen?

A very, very pissed off Gamzee, his brain supplied, and Tavros grimaced. Better to get this over with than to drag it out. Inside, the house was chilly, but it didn't have that static atmosphere that he was expecting. Nothing odd happened... at all. Kankri had told him that Gamzee had been mostly unaffected- Tavros shook his head. In and out. He went in through the kitchen, to the game room, grabbing his favorite poster and his Xbox. He'd come back, or send someone else, for his movies and games. He set the two objects on a nearby chair, and continued upstairs. The lack of activity was suspicious now. He hastily grabbed his bag and stuffed it with all his favorite t-shirts, placing a few pictures in there as well. Satisfied, he turned for the door, only to see the one and only Gamzee leaning against it. Tavros dropped the bag and backed up, knees hitting the bed. Gamzee looked on sadly, averting his eyes.

"I- I can't... apologize enough to you, Tavbro. And that's all I'm here to fuckin' do, so don't look so scared, my brother." His tone was soft, like he was talking to a cornered animal. Which, he kind of was. Tavros breathed a bit before letting himself reply.

"Then go ahead. I- uh, I also, want you to know, that I'm not scared of you. Not really. I'm just... disappointed." Tavros' glum tone and words seemed to physically hurt the clown, who leaned further on the wall. He nodded, sniffling.

"I get it, bro. I just... didn't want you to leave me. Partly because of my fucking nature, but I really do... care about you. A lot." The last part was very quiet, and Tavros felt like a dagger was being plunged into his heart. A dagger that was on fire, and charged with electricity, causing his heart to burn, to ache, to pound. And he knew right then that he couldn't leave Gamzee. Not because he was possessed or whatever, but because he really, truly loved the clown. Tavros realized his mistake of staying away- distance makes the heart grow fonder, after all. And Gamzee, despite what he was, was not a bad person, it didn't define him. Because Gamzee didn't let it define him. He was sweet, and he cared, and could cry, and laugh, and maybe even love. And just that thought sent Tavros' heart racing, soaring. He grinned at the clown, who seemed honestly surprised.

"You know what? I care about you a lot too." Tavros teased, no sign of his stutter in sight, and he felt free, elated at the confession. Gamzee's face stretched into a grin, and he opened his arms. Tavros laughed, and sped forward. But instead of wrapping his arms around the clown, his hands stretched up to his face, and, standing on his tippy toes, he could just brush his lips against the other's. Tavros sank back down as Gamzee's arms slowly wound around him, a look of wonder on his face.

"Motherfucking miraculous." And the amount of adoration, of love in his tone was enough to make up for everything Tavros had been through to get here, in Gamzee's arms.

Thank you.

I'll take ideas for one-shots, because I don't think I'll be truly done with this universe for a while. C: Thanks for all the support and motivation to finish this one up. Now go do something productive!