The soft beeping of a heart monitor greeted Craig when he woke. He opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room in a sluggish, dazed confusion. He couldn't quite form his thoughts, his brain feeling as though it had been wrapped in foam, his mind working double to push his consciousness through and into reality.

Light was shining into the room through a large window, and he was able to get a good look at his surroundings, recognizing them quickly. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his confusion growing. What exactly had happened last night? He remembered going to the coffee shop, but nothing after. What could he have possibly done to end up in the hospital?

He glanced down to his side, and felt a small smile form on his lips when he saw Imp, curled up asleep in a chair next to the bed. He could see signs around the room that Thomas and Tricia had been there as well. They must have only just left, likely to find some food. He couldn't tell if it was lunch or breakfast time, but anything really sounded good. He was shockingly hungry.

Clearing his throat, he put a hand on Imp's shoulder, shaking him lightly. The other mumbled something lowly, then his eyes blinked open. Seeing Craig staring back at him, Imp shot up in his seat, leaning in towards him.

"Y-You're awake," he whispered, grabbing Craig's hand and holding it tightly. Craig was surprised by his reaction, frowning lightly. Something had clearly happened to him, but he hadn't even the slightest clue as to what.

"Yeah, I'm up," he finally answered, patting Imp's hand on his awkwardly. "Uh... what exactly happened?"

Imp looked away, locking his eyes on a tile on the floor. "...you got hurt. I... I thought you'd been killed."

"I don't even feel like I was hurt or anything. I have no idea what happened," he confessed. "I remember going to get coffee after seeing Kenny, then nothing."

"Thomas said they put you on a thing to keep your pain down." Imp pointed at the IV in Craig's hand, which he had somehow not noticed until that moment. "You got hit in the head really hard. That bitch at the shop broke a pot on you."

"Fuck..." Craig reached up his free hand to his face, becoming aware of the gauze wrapped around his skull. "Mrs. Tweak isn't that bad, Imp, I'm sure it was an accident. I'll go see them later and tell them I'm not mad."

Imp shrunk down into himself as Craig spoke, biting his lip.

"...what?" he asked. "Imp? What's wrong?"

"I-It's nothing. Don't worry about that for now. Just focus on getting better." He leaned towards him, squeezing his hand a bit tighter. "They had to do an emergency procedure they said. To get all the glass out of your head. They were worried pieces got stuck in your bone, but the doctor said they couldn't find any trace of that. He said it bled so much just because I guess head injuries bleed a lot more than others."

Craig sighed, leaning back into his pillow and closing his eyes. He was grateful to not feel the pain he knew could come later, but for now, he just felt tired.

"Craig, can... I need to tell you something."

He looked over at Imp, curious. He sounded distracted, what could he have been thinking about while Craig was out of the picture?

"It's about something I realized... when I saw you get hurt." Imp took a breath, then forced his eyes to meet Craig's. "I felt scared. I was so scared I had... I thought I lost you. I was so sure you had died in that moment... I thought you had died before I had the chance to tell you how I really felt."

Craig's heart skipped, and his body went cold. Oh. Oh. Imp was... no, he couldn't be... Surely not, right?

"I didn't know I could fall for someone. I didn't think I ever would, and certainly not for you. But these past few days... the time we've spent together... It all just felt right. Like I was meant to be with you. I was happy... really, really happy. I don't even remember the last time I felt like that. When I saw you collapse, my heart broke." Imp's voice has fallen to a whisper, his nervousness and fear making it harder to push out the words. He didn't want Craig to reject him, but he had to tell him now, before something else happened. Besides, Thomas and Tricia, they knew Craig better than anyone, and they both said Craig was interested in him, right?

"I... I love you, Craig. I want to stay with you. Forever."

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. What was Craig suppose to say back to that? Imp had poured out his heart to him, but Craig... he was just confused. What did he say back? He wasn't ready to admit, not even to himself, that Imp's words made his body feel warm and his heart soar. He was a pastor. He couldn't love a creature of Hell, even if it had been human at one point...

"Imp," he said softly, hesitantly. "I... I'm glad you told me." The other looked up, and Craig's heart ached at the hope in his eyes, knowing he was about to shatter it.

"But..."

There it went... He watched the fear take over Imp's face as he realized what was happening.

"I just... I don't know. I can't say that I love you, or that I want you to stay. A lot has been going on this week. I... I need time to think about everything, okay?"

Imp recoiled as if Craig had slapped him. His chest felt tight, and for the first time he could remember, Imp felt tears build in his eyes. "Right... O-Okay, Craig." He got to his feet unsteadily. He didn't know where he was going, he only knew he needed to get out of that small room.

"I... I'll see you later..."

"Yeah... Later, Imp."

He didn't wait a moment longer, turning and fleeing from the room, the hall, the building itself. He didn't bother to stop and try and find Thomas or Tricia. It didn't matter.

Craig didn't love him. Their confidence in the pastor's hidden feelings had been wrong, and now Imp had to suffer the consequences of acting on the unknown. He felt like a fool. Of course Craig didn't feel the same. They were exact opposites. Of course he would never see Imp that way. He was just a spawn of Hell that had yet to go back to the fiery pits.

They were barely friends, if even that. How could he have thought this could end differently?

Imp ran through the empty streets, blinded by tears. He didn't know where he was going, he just kept moving. When he finally came to a stop, he found he had taken refuge at the pond he had been so fond of. It had only been, what, a few hours ago he had last been on the bank, staring into the water and feeling peace.

He moved to the water's edge, collapsing beside the icy surface.

What should he do...? Where did he go now? He couldn't go back to the Tucker's house, not after this. He might as well go back to Hell, but honestly, Imp wasn't even sure how to open a portal to get there. Was he doomed to be stuck in the human world, sad and alone, for the rest of time?

Imp heard footsteps approaching from behind, but he didn't bother to turn around and see who was there. What difference did it make who it was anyway? It's not like-

"You."

Imp blinked at the voice and turned around. It was the woman who had been screaming at that police officer the other day. She was looking at Imp with a hatred he didn't know humans were even capable of.

"You killed my baby," she hissed. "Bring him back to me, right this moment."

"Your baby?" He hadn't killed any infants, what in the world was she talking about?

"You want to play dumb? Fine. See how much that helps. Look at where you're sitting, demon!"

Imp jumped at her words, moving to get to his feet. Only he couldn't. He couldn't even twitch a single muscle. His heart sped up with fear. What was happening to him? Who was this lady?

"I'll show you," the woman growled, coming towards him. "I'll show you what it means to suffer. Prepare yourself, wretch. You won't escape me, and no one will find you. Enjoy your last breath of freedom."

Imp looked down at the ground he was knelt on and paled. How did he not notice the sealing circle he had so foolishly stumbled into? What was he going to do now? What would Craig-

Craig wouldn't care. He was just an imp, after all, whether he was a former human from this town or not. He didn't want Imp to stay. He didn't share his feelings.

His heart already broken, Imp didn't try to struggle or get away. There was no point. He'd be gone and out of Craig's hair soon enough.


In his room, Craig was leaning back against a pillow, staring silently up at the ceiling as he worked to process his thoughts. He felt horribly for making Imp leave, but, perhaps it was for the best for them both. He... he wasn't interested in guys, anyway. So why did the image of Imp's crushed expression hurt him so much?

There was a soft knock at the door, and he looked over as Tricia opened it and stepped inside. "I'm back," she said softly.

"Hey."

Tricia's head snapped up, staring at her brother with huge eyes. "Craig! You woke up!" She rushed to his side, leaning against the edge of the bed. "How do you feel? Are you in any pain?"

"I'm fine," he assured, giving her a small half-smile. "Is dad here?"

"Yeah, he's just getting something to eat." She sat down in the chair beside the bed, letting out a heavy breath. "You scared the absolute shit out of us, you asshole. What the fuck even happened? Why were you and Misty out in the middle of the night with Kenny?"

"Reasons. Don't worry, it wasn't anything illegal or shady. I just can't get into it. As for what happened to me, Misty said I got hit in the head, but I don't remember it happening. I think he said Mrs. Tweak did it, but I can't imagine that."

Tricia frowned, then glanced about the room. "Speaking of, where did he go, anyway? He hasn't left your side for a single moment the entire time we've been here."

Craig bit his lip, dropping his gaze to his hands. "I don't know where he went," he said honestly. "I... I think we had a fight. Sort of."

"A fight?"

"No, that's not the right word for it..." He groaned, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Something stuff happened, alright? He... he told me he loved me, and I didn't know what to say back. So I told him I just needed some time to think. That a lot has been going on."

There was a long silence, Tricia watching her sibling with an unreadable expression. Just as he began to feel vaguely uncomfortable under the intense look, she spoke.

"You're a fucking idiot."

He blinked in surprise, looking up at her. "Huh?"

"You're a goddamned fucking idiot, Craig," she said, getting to her feet and shaking her head. "I really can't believe you."

"What?" he demanded, feeling defense now. What had he done wrong? It wasn't like he had rejected the other, he'd only asked for some space!

"Craig." Tricia narrowed her eyes and leaned towards him, glaring. "This isn't just dad and I teasing you. This is serious. You are so dense, it's almost impressive. What do you mean 'you aren't sure'? Never in my life have I seen you be as sweet and caring with someone as you are with Misty. Never before have I watched you drop everything for someone and do all you could just to help them. For fuck's sake, Craig, you share a fucking bed with the guy!"

Craig blushed, opening his mouth to protest. Before he could make a sound, Tricia cut him off, continuing.

"Dad and I talked to him already about this. We assured him even that you felt the same, because you know what? Even if for whatever reason you aren't admitting it to yourself, it's so freaking obvious that you love him. I can tell by the way you look at him. It's the same way dad and mom look at each other. You are head over heels for him. So enlighten me, please, brother dear. What the fuck is the problem?"

"Tricia, I just... I can't get into it, okay?" Craig sat up straight, wincing slightly. "There's a lot going on that I can't explain to you."

"Because?"

"It's just weird, alright?"

"Craig. I live in South Park. The fuck do you think you can say that will be too much to handle?"

He grumbled to himself for a moment, wrestling with his thoughts before finally letting out a breath. "Alright. Fine. I'll tell you. Don't say you weren't warned."

With no small amount of hesitation, Craig told her everything. The truth about their guest, the reason for their meeting, the late night adventure, all of it. She listened without interruption, allowing him to say all he needed to before she added any comments.

"So... yeah," he finished, tapping his fingers on his leg. "He's an imp from Hell. So you can see why I've been having some struggles."

"So what?"

He looked at her in confusion "What do you mean 'so what'? He's an imp, Tricia, and I'm a pastor."

"And?"

"And it wouldn't be right!"

"Why not?"

"I! It just! It just wouldn't be!"

"That's not a reason and you know it."

Craig made a frustrated noise, dropping his head back on his pillow. "You aren't helping."

"Do you love him?"

He paused, then glanced over at her. His immediate instinct was to say no, of course not, but something wouldn't let him give voice to those words. In his mind, he went over all the moments they had shared together, the feelings he had been afraid to allow a life still finding a way to grow on their own. He was left with only one answer, and his entire being was screaming at him to say it.

"...yes," he finally whispered.

Tricia leaned over, and squeezed his hand gently. "Rest up and come home. I'm sure Mis- uh, Imp, will be waiting for you," she hummed. The door opened then, drawing there attention. Thomas stepped in and blinked at the pair.

"Oh. You're awake."

"As concerned and loving as always," Craig said, managing a weak smile.

Tricia snorted and got up, moving to the door. "Come on, dad, let's go home. Dummy is fine, just gay and dumb."

"Hey!"

"Shut up, it's true and you know it." Craig didn't get a chance to argue any further, Tricia pulling Thomas from the room and the two heading for home.

Once alone, Craig sighed and laid down, staring up at the ceiling.

"I... love Imp," he said, testing the words. It felt nice. Right. He blushed at the thought of saying it to Imp himself, then felt his stomach role sickeningly. Hopefully he wasn't too angry at Craig for being a colossal dumbass. Hopefully he could forgive him. Hopefully.


Craig didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he was being shaken awake early in the morning. He grunted in annoyance, cracking open an eye to see who was disturbing him. Recognizing the outline of Kenny, he sat up, all irritation gone.

"Dude, where've you been?" he asked.

"You know, places," the other said with a cheeky wink. "I wanted to come and check on my best boi, see how you were feeling. It's been a full day since you got creamed, feeling better?"

"Yeah, much. Though I'd feel a lot better if I knew exactly what happened."

"Imp didn't tell you?"

"He said Mrs. Tweak hit me in the head, a coffee pot I think."

"Is that all he said?"

Kenny's tone made Craig pause, and he examined him for a moment before speaking. "...yes. Do you have something you need to add? I know Imp didn't tell me everything, he went really quiet and wouldn't say anything else."

"Ah. I guess I don't blame him, things got pretty intense."

"Intense? Dude, what the fuck happened?"

Kenny sighed and shook his head. "Look, man, I'll tell you, but you aren't going to like it."

"Kenny."

"Imp... killed the Tweaks."

Craig body went cold, and the beeping of the heart monitor doubled. "W-What?"

"Calm down," Kenny said softly, moving closer and leaning into the pastor, pressing him back into laying down. "Take some deep breaths. I don't think he did it maliciously. He thought they'd killed you."

"That doesn't make it okay!"

"I know, I know. But you know this isn't the first time he's killed people, and to be fair to him, he did it for you."

"F-For me... that isn't exactly comforting," Craig said, feeling the blood drain from his face.

"Craig." Kenny put his hands on the other's face, squishing in his cheeks and puffing out Craig's face, making the other look not unlike a very startled fish. "Tweek did it because he thought he had lost you. He didn't want to let me near you either. He was so scared, man. He was in total emotional melt down. Only knowing that you were still alive got him to calm down enough to get you here."

"God..."

"He loves you, dude."

Craig put an arm over his face, letting out a breath. He didn't know what to think now.

Imp was dangerous. That was obvious, but it had more or less slipped from his mind over the last week they'd been together. The only time Craig had seen him do something violent was their first meeting, but since then... well, he'd been downright sweet. But he was still a being from Hell with unholy powers that Craig needed to be careful around.

Yet on the other hand... he did love him. He couldn't deny it to himself any longer. He loved Imp, and he wanted him to know.

What would that do to their relationship? It's not like they could just start dating, especially since now Tricia knew the truth, and he knew about more murders done by the imp. And there was the problem of him being unsure he could trust Imp. What would stop him from going on a crazed rampage if something else happened to him?

"My head hurts," he finally sighed.

"I'm sure it does." Kenny stood up, rubbing his hair awkwardly. "I'm going to head out now then, dude. I need to get back to Karen. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay..." When he was alone once more, Craig sat up, shifting to sit on the edge of his bed. He couldn't bear to be still anymore, he needed to move so he could think.

Grabbing the rack his IV was connected to, Craig got to his feet, moving to the door and into the hallway. It was empty at the moment, and he took his time to walk up and down the hall, going over everything from the day before and his conversations.

Craig would be the first to admit he was shit when it came to understanding and accepting feelings. He knew that, but he still felt like an absolute moron for missing his clear attraction to Imp. It was so obvious now that he looked back on it, he could hardly stand himself. And after what he had said to him, when he had left that morning...

Why hadn't he ever come back? Had Craig hurt him that much? Recalling his words, he wanted to slap himself. He couldn't say he loved him? Or that he wanted him to stay? What the fuck was wrong with him!?

He ended up walking down to the lobby, lost in his thoughts. Taking a break from his mindless wandering, he sat on one of the couches, looking out the large panel windows that lined the front of the building.

It was a clear night outside, the moon starting to sink a bit in the morning hours, though the sun had yet to make an appearance.

'Imp loves me... I love him... He's dangerous... but... I don't think I care...' Craig was surprised by this realization, pausing to take stock of his feelings. If he was honest, which he was finally being, he wished Imp was at his side now, the two of them sitting together and getting ready to watch a sunrise. Disgustingly cheesy and cliche, but, oddly, Craig wanted to do gross stuff like that now with exactly one person. One person who would gladly do it with him as well. Or at least, who would have...

He dropped his face into his hands, asking himself for the thousandth time how he could have fucked this up so horribly. A nurse found him not long after, and took him back to his room to sleep for a while longer.


After being discharged, it took all of Craig's willpower not to go looking for Imp right away. He needed to get home first, check in with the family. The sooner that was done, the sooner he could go out again. Maybe Imp would even be waiting there? He hoped so.

Tricia was home when he arrived, doing homework at the table as always, Thomas out doing whatever it was he did on weekends. She looked over at the door when it opened and frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. That wasn't a good sign.

"What?" he asked, feeling his nerves already beginning to fray. Tricia didn't make that face very often, so something must have either happened or have been bothering her.

"Have you seen Imp?" she asked, getting to her feet.

"No, I was kind of hoping he'd be here," he said.

"He's not. I don't know where he is. Dad and I didn't see him when we got home either. I don't think he's been back since he was with you in the hospital," she informed him, her worry evident in her voice.

Fuck.

"Fuck."

"That's what I was thinking."

"Well, come on, no point hanging out here, let's go look for him," Craig insisted. He turned around quickly to ignore the flash of a smirk his sister shot at him, and the two left the house, traversing the town and checking every place they could think of to find the other.

They went to the pond, the police station, back to the pond, out to Kenny's house, the pond, the school, the pond- everywhere and anywhere Craig could think he might have been."

"Why do we keep checking Stark's?" Tricia finally asked on their fifth unsuccessful visit. "Is this place important to Imp?"

"I don't know if it's important, but he really liked it when we were doing our walk around the other day..."

Tricia patted his back. "Hey now, don't get discouraged already. We'll find him. Let's stop at home and get something to eat, then we can keep searching."

Craig agreed somewhat reluctantly. Since learning that Imp had been nowhere to be found for at least twenty-four hours, he had felt a horrible anxiety clawing at his stomach. Where was he? Had something happened? Surely Imp hadn't just taken off, right? Or worse, returned to Hell?

Once home, he skipped food, heading up to his room. Maybe Imp had left a clue to where he had gone? This thought in mind, he hurried on, entering the bedroom. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, and for a moment, he felt bitterly defeated.

Crossing the room, he opened the door to Stripe's cage, taking him out and holding him to his chest for comfort, petting his small head lightly.

"I... I've really screwed up, Stripe," he said, sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down at the guinea pig. "I might have ruined the best thing going for me in my life. ...kind of fucked up the best thing in my life is an imp, but he's... he's worth it."

Stripe looked up at him with beady little eyes and squeaked.

"You're right," he sighed. "I should have trusted you. You knew he was a good guy right away, huh? You've always been smart..." He laid back, staring up at his ceiling. "You, Tricia, dad, everyone knew before I did. I'm a damn fool, Stripe. ... Do you think he'll ever forgive me and come back?" His last question was barely audible, Craig almost afraid of the answer.

Rather than comforting or destroying his master, Stripe wiggled free and jumped down to the floor, waddling across the room and wheeking in delight at something. Craig shot up, holding his breath in anticipation, half expecting to see Imp in the doorway or something.

The other was not there, and though he was disappointed, Craig got up, following after his pet. "What are you doing, buddy?" he asked.

Stripe was in the corner by Craig's old desk, nestling himself into a pile of ratty looking green fabric. He didn't recognize it, and had no idea how long it had been there, but Stripe seemed to be delighted with it's presence.

"What's all that?" he asked, crouching down and picking the bundle up, much to Stripe's annoyance, the guinea pig making many annoyed chitters at him.

Craig looked over the item, his confusion only growing. Where had this come from? Was it Imp's? Had he forgotten it? Something about this piece of cloth was making his head hurt, as though he was trying to remember something just out of his reach.

Standing up, he unfolded the fabric, discovering it was a small, child sized button up. Or it had used to be at least. Only one button remained at the top, and it was filled with holes and covered in burn marks. It had to have been Imp's, maybe something he had been wearing when he had been turned into an imp?

Something on the floor caught his eye, and he looked down at the spot he had taken the shirt from.

Sitting there, was a blue hat with a yellow puff.

Craig recoiled as though he had been punched in the stomach, his breaths turning to gasps as he momentarily lost the ability to breath. He collapsed onto his knees, his entire body shaking. Slowly, he put out a hand, lightly brushing his finger tips over the puff.

A scream ripped from his throat before he could even register it. Into his mind flooded memories, hundreds of them. Imp. His past. Who he was, who he used to be. Who he had been to Craig.

What had happened to him.

Tricia sprinted upstairs at the sound and found Craig convulsing on the ground, the other still unknowingly letting out the most horrific shrieks she had ever heard. The sounds would haunt her for months to come, but for the moment, all she could do was fall down beside him and hold him tight. He was babbling something over and over, and she strained her ears to understand him. What the fuck was happening?!

After what felt like an eternity, Craig's body went limp, and his screams turned into deep, heavy sobs of such despair, Tricia couldn't help but cry herself just listening to him.

"C-Craig, what's wrong? What happened?" she finally managed to force out, grabbing his shoulders and holding him tightly.

"I... I know..." he wheezed.

"You know what?"

"What happened... to... t.."

"What happened to...? To who? Craig, what's going on?"

Craig looked up, meeting her eyes, his face coated in tears.

"I know what happened to Tweek."


Hello, everyone! Thank y'all so much for all the support you've give this story, I really appreciate it! This idea has ben on my mind for forever, and I'm so happy everyone is enjoying it so far!

I wanted to let you know, I won't be updating this story next week. I need more time to write the chapter, so rather than an update next Saturday on the 23, I'll update it on the 30th! I don't have as much time to write as I would like, so I'm sorry to have to stretch this out, but I will try to make it worth it! To make up for missing the chapter, I'll try to post something else next week for ya instead.

Thank you again for the support, it means the world to me!