Chapter 31: Rest In Peace

Tweek

White snowdrops were falling from a congregation of grey clouds. Yet somehow, the world seemed frozen in time.

Tweek was lying on nothing solid, staring blankly at the snowfall. Their slow descent into the void beneath him relaxed both his body and mind, which he hated. He didn't like this tranquility. It was something he did not deserve.

He put a hand up to his neck, feeling his dry, cold skin, and the nonexistent laceration. He expressed grimace at the brief memory of blood jetting out of the cut, unsure if it was deep. Either way, he lost a lot of blood, so there's no way he survived something like that. But what pained him the most were his father's words before he had lost consciousness. He had wanted Tweek to die similar to how he and his wife did. In the end, he got his wish.

Tweek smiled—it was small, forced, and repentant. "I'm so stupid." If only he'd heeded Leopold's advice. He knew his father's proposal wasn't going to be reasonable, but he just couldn't muster the willpower to ignore him. He'd already gotten him and his wife killed, so hearing him out was the least he could've-no, should've done. He still considered them his parents, despite their animosity. He wondered how they were feeling now that he's dead: were they happy? Were they laughing and sneering at his corpse? Or were they...regretting killing him?

Saddened by the unlikelihood of his parents feeling any remorse, Tweek lowered his hand back onto the unsubstantial ground. He focused on the sky, then the snow, then the silence.

. . .

This soothing ambience was still uncomfortable.

"Just where am I?"

"Y-you're nowhere."

Tweek sat up to look at the person who gave the mousy reply to his unvoiced query. He laid eyes on a blonde-haired boy with blue-green eyes standing on a circular patch of ground covered in snow more than a few feet away from him. Both the child and his attire were an extremely familiar sight, and so was his shy demeanor—he was clutching the collar of his long-sleeved shirt with one hand.

Tweek stood up. Seeing his younger self in this arcane world further proved that he was no longer alive. "What do you mean I'm nowhere?" He asked.

"Y-you, um, aren't dead yet. Right now, your soul is in between the border of life and death."

Tweek hardened his frown. "The border of life and death? You mean..."

His 6 year old self nodded his head. "Yes. Ah, but...now that I think about it, perhaps you could think of this place a-as a gate instead." Tweek looked around. He saw nothing that could even remotely resembled a gate. "I-I don't mean that literally. Do you...know why you're here?"

Tweek stared into the boy's eyes. They differed greatly from his own, he quickly realized, they were full of vitality and emotions. "Because I'm dying?"

"Yet, you're also clinging to life."

So that was why. Tweek was stuck here because he wasn't ready to embrace death. He's not supposed to die anyway. He needed to figure out a way to regain consciousness while his parents were watching him bleed out. It's going to be difficult, but... He noticed movement underneath the boy's feet. "Wait, the ground beneath you is getting bigger." And it's not expanding at a slow pace either. Looking closely, it appeared to grow every two to three seconds at most.

His younger self fidgeted on his feet as he averted his eyes downward. "O-once the snow covers the whole area...you will be d-dead."

"So it's like a timer," Tweek deduced. He had time, but not much. "What do I have to do to wake up?"

The child stilled, tensing up. "Um, that's for you to figure out yourself."

His answer puzzled Tweek. "You are me, so you should be able to help."

The boy's keyed up eyes gazed back into dull ones. "We used to be the same..." His face saddened as he released his shirt and lowered his fist over his chest. "But not anymore."

"What-" before Tweek could question him, the boy became transparent, then disappeared.

Tweek felt apprehensive and upset. Just what did his younger self mean by that? Was it some sort of hint? As much as he wanted to ponder on its meaning, he felt a sudden chill. He flinched, seeing that the ground was touching his feet. It continued to steadily overlap the invisible surface of the abyss.

Tweek kept calm; panicking wouldn't do him any good. Though he couldn't contain his shock when he saw two ghostly figures appear exactly where his young self was previously at. Despite lacking distinctive features, Tweek could tell that they were a man and a woman based on their hair and physique. The snow falling around them gave Tweek mixed signals, until the woman held her arms up to her chest and spoke.

"Aww, isn't he adorable?"

Crying echoed throughout the endless abyss. "A...baby?" Tweek thought confusedly. He watched a third translucent silhouette magically appear in the woman's arms, bundled up in a blanket.

The man lightly caressed the baby's head, his soft touch calming him down. "Yes, he is," the man said endearingly.

Tweek felt a strong pang in his chest. He frowned apathetically, unable to accurately distinguish the emotion he's feeling. This was a family he was seeing, but why? What did they have to do with him?

"What should his name be?" The wife asked her husband.

He hummed, seemingly observing their newborn as he thought. "How about Tweek?"

The teen let out a silent gasp as his eyes went wide.

The woman turned her head towards her husband. "You want to give him our last name as his first name?"

The man chuckled at her bemusement. "I knew you would assume that. No, it's not our last name. It's spelled T-w-e-e-k. See, Tweek Tweak, it's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

His wife looked back at their baby, as if rendered speechless. She shook her head. "The next child I give birth to, I'll name them instead."

"You don't like the name?" The man asked with an unseen pout.

"...Just know I'm not gonna divorce you."

The husband scratched the back of his head. "Uh, thanks?"

Slowly, the family began to fade away.

Once they're gone, Tweek became aware of the pressure in his chest. "..." He didn't know what to say, what to think, what to feel especially after discovering who that family was. If...that was really his mother and father just now, then not only did he forget their faces, but their voices as well. He didn't recognize their voices at all. His chest felt even heavier and his eyes stung, but no tears emerged.

When his parents' silhouettes reappeared along with his own, his breath hitched and he took an unsteady step back.

"W-why am I seeing them again?"

Baby Tweek had a head full of hair, looking to be maybe more than a few months old, yet he was already standing on his two feet. It wouldn't have been possible without his mother and father's support, his small hands were gripping a finger on each of their hand. The baby moved one of his short and stubby legs forward, wobbling on his feet, but that didn't stop him from moving his other leg. He squealed a happy giggle, then proceeded his attempt to walk on his own, gradually leaving his parents' side. Once he let their fingers go, he began to waddle around his mother.

She let out an elated gasp. "Look, honey! He's walking!"

Her husband laughed ecstatically. "What a smart kid! We didn't even get the chance to teach him."

As the adults cheered their toddler on, Tweek watched his little ghostly figure toddle towards his father. After he circled him without stumbling or falling, he went back to his mother and did the same thing again. Tweek didn't need to see his face to know that he was enjoying himself, his joyous laughter was enough.

"I'm gonna go get the camera." His mother wandered off, then disappeared.

As heartwarming as this was, it did not lessen the heavy weight lingering in Tweek's chest. Rather, it had the complete opposite effect. He was frowning when he saw his former short stature suddenly coming towards his direction. Halfway there, he fell flat on his stomach. His father approached him as soon as he started whimpering. He picked him up and rubbed his back.

"Don't cry. You did a good-no, an amazing job, Tweek. Me and your mother are very proud of you."

His caring and tender voice silenced the boy, and even lulled him to sleep. He was all tuckered out. The man chuckled, then they, too, faded out of sight.

Tweek was enveloped in quietude once more. He didn't know how it became like this, but he realized that he's being shown memories of his life. The only thing he remembered so far from the last two scenes was being able to walk on his own. He'd learned of this impressive feat when he had overhead his mother talking to some of her friends about their children at their house upon returning from school, reminiscing their growth and whatnot. His mother had bragged to them about how he was able to walk on his own when he wasn't even nine months old. He had also felt proud of himself. However, the first scene was new to him. He didn't know that his father was the one who had named him. He honestly couldn't picture his mother naming him 'Tweek', so he wasn't too surprised.

He and his parents returned before him a third time. And hopefully the last time. His vague form was no longer that of an infant. His height nearly reached his parents' kneecaps. In his hands was a sheet of paper. Tweek appeared uncomfortable, he also remembered this moment.

"L-look, I got a perfect score on my test!" He practically shouted.

"That's my boy!" His father said, ruffling his hair. He giggled.

"Good job!" His mother said, clapping her hands. "How about we go out for ice cream to celebrate?"

"Yay!" Young Tweek bounced with excitement. He dashed off, presumably towards the door. His parents followed after him, then they all left this place as if they were erased.

Tweek really hoped that was the final scene of his past. The weight in his chest felt like it was about to suffocate him. Any longer and it just might. Taking a deep breath, he decided to check the ground's progression, dread hitting him instantly. At some point, the ground must've sped up because the abyss' bottom half was almost completely white. The snowdrops were coming down one by one now.

"Not good, I need to-"

"M-mom, it hurts..."

Tweek spun around. To his dismay, he's once again being shown another memory. It was just him and his mother. His figure was sitting on the ground, his left leg slightly bent and his pants leg rolled up. His knee had a black-colored bruise on it. Tears were where his eyes were supposed to be. His mother was kneeling next to his injury. Tweek also remembered this, quite vividly at that. He had scraped his knee while playing outside. The snow that year was plentiful to play with, plus it was the weekend. Clyde and Craig weren't available to hang out with him when he had called their houses; Clyde had been grounded and Craig was preoccupied with his pet guinea pig. Tweek could've played with the other kids in his neighborhood, but he didn't know any of them well and was too shy. When he told his mother he wanted to go outside, she accompanied him, just to supervise. Tweek had fun by himself, he even teased his mother by throwing a snowball or two at her, to which she giggled and threw one back. She had missed though, and Tweek laughed at her failure. His loud laughter resounded through the neighborhood; his flushed cheeks darkened a little in embarrassment when he heard his own voice drifting away. He noticed an awkwardly built snowman across the street in his neighbor's front yard. He broke into a smile, he also wanted to create one to decorate the front of their abode. He eagerly got started on the base.

His mother had offered to help him, but he'd assured her that he didn't need any, wanting to build a snowman using his own skills. He was so absorbed in his task that when he stepped onto the sidewalk, he slipped and thus, hurt his knee.

His mother's chalky silhouette leaned towards her son's wounded knee. She placed her invisible lips on the bruise, seemingly giving it a kiss, then sat back. "There. Does it feel a little better now?"

Little Tweek sniffled as he nodded his head. "Yeah. Thank you, mom."

"Tch." Older Tweek turned away, his teeth and fists clenched. He ran off. Right now, he needed to find some way to wake up or else he would remain asleep forever. He kept running in hopes of spotting an anomaly in this mysterious space, but stopped when a familiar boy appeared before him.

"W-where are you going?"

Tweek glared at the youthful version of himself. "Out of here."

The boy's present frown deepened, his fist over his chest trembling faintly. "R-running is pointless. You won't find a portal or anything."

"Then tell me how to wake up," Tweek demanded.

Young Tweek winced. "Did..." his gaze dropped to his feet. "None of those memories make you feel nostalgic?"

Tweek furrowed his eyebrows, discerning the sadness in the child's tone. "Nos...talgic?" He repeated slowly. He did not recognize that word, but it somehow made his chest ache. He shook his head, he didn't have time to think. "It doesn't matter what I felt-"

"Yes, it does!" The boy suddenly shouted. He raised his head as he lowered his fist from his chest, his other hand also balled into a fist at his side. Tweek's widened eyes could detect the anger and hurt gleaming in the other's eyes. "Those were our memories! How could you not..." Young Tweek's voice trailed off into silence, looking as though he had an epiphany. He let out a chuckle so forced that it confused his older self. "I forgot for a moment that you lost the ability to feel emotions years ago, right after our parents were killed in front of our very eyes. Those memories of the times they were alive...meant nothing to you. Your heart is still dark and empty, like a black hole."

Tweek silently agreed with his analogy, though to a certain extent. "I am not completely devoid of feeling emotions. I just don't deserve to feel any happiness or...nostalgia." He's the reason his own parents lost their lives, after all.

"So, are you going to stay that way? Even after you send mom's and dad's souls to Heaven?"

Tweek looked up at the clouds. "...I...don't know." It was his honest answer. He thought he would've felt content after he atoned for his mistake, but now, he wasn't so sure how he would feel afterwards.

All of a sudden, the dense clouds became twice as thick, looking like a very large clump of dust. The snowdrop that trickled down from the artificial dust cloud was the last one to fall.

"You must hurry." Tweek looked back at the young boy. "Acknowledge the feeling that's been growing inside your heart." His small body turned translucent once again. "Only then will you be able to escape death's cold embrace." Then he's gone.

Tweek was now in a very tough spot. How was he supposed to accept a sentiment he'd never heard of nor felt before? He didn't deserve to feel anything other than depression, regret, and loneliness. Even though Leopold and Raven had always been by his side, they could never get rid of the chronic memory of his parents being nearly beheaded from his mind. The reminder would always fill him with misery and guilt, which would cause him to close himself off from the two souls that would constantly try to raise him out of the deep, murky depths of self-loathing. Their hands could only pull him up so far. He would hate himself even more whenever he saw their frowns or sad smiles after every unsuccessful attempt.

His chest throbbed again, making him wince. It felt as if the strange emotion had weakened. That wasn't a good sign. "I need to try if I want to live." Closing his eyes as he took a deep breath, he hovered his right hand over his chest, where his heart was.

Nostalgia was the emotion he'd been feeling ever since he'd witnessed himself growing up. Or perhaps it had budded at the time he saw his birth? Even now, he didn't know what he had exactly felt at that moment.

It was envy.

Tweek scrunched up his face.

Envy.

He'd experienced this emotion more than once before. He envied Leopold's happy-go-lucky attitude, and his ability to adjust his facial expressions to any situation.

So before he had learned about the family's identity, he was jealous of their jollity.

However, that was not what he was meant to focus on. He thought back to the four scenes of his youth singly, perhaps he would have a strong reaction to one of them. Each scene strengthened the heavy ache in his chest, eventually filling his entire body with:

Bittersweet nostalgia.

His heart thumped loudly in his ears. He snapped his eyes open with a gasp, then dropped to his knees, pressing his hand against his chest. He could feel his heart beating slowly. His dull, quivering eyes brimmed with tears, finally. They dripped down his cheeks, creating tiny splashes on the snow.

He figured out why he didn't fully comprehend the nostalgic feeling: it was because the cherished times he spent with his parents, both together and separately, made him feel sad and happy simultaneously.

Wind gusted through Tweek's clothes, and blew away the tears in his eyes—it was cold, yet also warm. He shuddered at the oddly mixed temperature until the wind stopped. The warmth didn't dissipate along with it. The comfortable heat was surrounding his right hand. It gave him a well-known sense of security. With a small smile, he gripped his sweater, his heart beating slightly faster.

"Leo..."

His best friend was alive. He was alive and awaiting his return to real life.

Tweek closed his eyes again, sensing the vicinity changing.

/

April 11th

His body feels really cold, as if he's lying down on a frozen surface. He smells blood, but it's not potent enough to alarm him. It's most likely his blood anyway since it smells stale. He doesn't feel any pain, seems someone healed him. It couldn't have been Leopold because he still needs to work on it some more, plus Dark magic doesn't reinvigorate a person this assiduously. He registers a hand holding his own, their palm is soft. He slowly opens his eyes, an indistinct yellow and black figure appearing in his peripheral view. The person gasps.

"Tweek!" Leopold says, tone evidently happy.

As his vision clears on its own, Tweek turns his head towards Leopold. He doesn't need to see his face clearly to know that he's smiling, perhaps with tears glistening in his eyes. Tweek hears rapid thumping that sounds like they're banging against a window, as well as notices two presences behind him. One of them has a familiar Dark energy—knowing instantly that it belongs to Raven, but he doesn't know who the other person is. Their energy feels too pure.

"How do you feel?" Leopold asks.

Blinking the rest of the blur out of his eyes, Tweek gets a glimpse of the expression he assumed (correctly) on Leopold's face before looking away while sitting up. He notices that he was moved near the sidewalk. He gives the crystal clear wall that's blocking his parents' deformed limbs a blank stare, their red eyes glaring maliciously at him. "Fine," he replies flatly. Gently squeezing Leopold's hand for further reassurance, he stands up letting go. Leopold stands up too while wiping his eyes. Tweek turns around, next to Raven is a handsome, sliver-haired man donned in white from head to toe. The only color that stands out are his green irises. His Inner Aura—which is located in the center of his abdomen—is a beautiful white and silver. No wonder his energy felt so calming, he possesses Light magic. He's definitely the one who tended to Tweek's injuries. "Thank you for healing me," Tweek says.

"It was no problem," is the man's kind response, the corners of his lips arching upwards slightly.

"Damn you!" Mrs. Tweak hollers, voice muffled, her strikes against the barricade becoming more intense, just like her anger. "Damn you all!"

The man chuckles. "Can tell she's very pissed."

Tweek turns around. He narrows his eyes.

"The darkness is starting to heavily affect her," Raven says. "Though, for some reason, her husband is suddenly calm," she murmurs thoughtfully.

"What, afraid she'll tear down your barrier?" The man asks teasingly.

"No, Carl-"

"I told you not to call me that."

"-our presence out here will ultimately attract unwanted attention. We shouldn't stay out here any longer," Raven finishes saying.

"Especially if the old hag keeps screeching," Carl says. "They're still yours to take care of, Tweek. We won't interfere, even if they nearly kill you again."

Leopold tenses nervously at his last statement. "Please be careful," he tells Tweek.

"Don't worry, I will," Tweek says determinedly. He doesn't plan on nearly losing his life a second time. He walks forward. Raven's shield vanishes, and two tentacles dart for the teen. "I can't afford to try and hit their bodies this time," Tweek thinks as he dodges them. "I initially wanted to fire out multiple Orbs of Darkness', but after looking closely at the position of their eyes...it looks like...their heads are detached from their bodies. I remember mom saying that I wouldn't be able to hit her and dad, so...Hmm..." He continues to evade the tentacles while being deep in thought, his body moving automatically as if on instinct. "Since I don't know what they are, I should use a spell that's big enough to destroy the whole house." He furrows his eyebrows. "I'll have to think up one first though." And he has to be quick.

"You annoying brat, be still!" He hears his mother demand irritably.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Tweek keeps avoiding the attacks, noting his father still being strangely quiet. "What's he planning?" He wonders.

His mother growls. "You dare disobey me?! And you!" She addresses her husband. "Why the hell aren't you doing anything?!"

So she's been doing all of the incessant attacking by herself. Looks like their teamwork is falling apart.

"Oi, could you keep it down?" Carl asks, looking annoyed. "Your voice is starting to grate on my ears."

"Shut up! I'll kill you too, bastard!"

"Pfft."

Tweek's evil mother thrusts a tentacle in Carl's direction, but is thwarted by a green orb from her son. She hisses like an irate snake and aims her other tentacle at Tweek, her eyes widening when she notices how close he is now. Her attack is evaded effortlessly. "Richard, do something, you idiot!" She yells, beginning to panic.

Now directly in front of the agape doorway, a spell pertinent for getting rid of the house along with the entities inside of it comes to Tweek's mind. He takes a deep breath and extracts a large portion of his magical energy from his Magical Core. Doing so takes quite a toll on him, but he manages to conjure a green barrier around the house. The tentacles hammer against the barrier, resilient to every forceful strike.

Carl whistles. "Impressive."

"A spell of that magnitude surely expended a lot of his magical energy," Raven says, though she appears unworried. She's positive Tweek took the repercussions of his newly-formed spell into consideration. Leopold maintains a nervous stare at Tweek's slumped form, his hands pressed against the barrier to keep him standing.

"Y-yooou!" Mrs. Tweak seethes, too angry to formulate a statement.

Tweek is exhausted. His Magical Core is almost depleted of energy, he has enough to only follow-up with his spell.

"Don't delay. End this."

Tweek raises his head just as his mother pauses her assault, both of their eyes wide. "What?!" His mother shouts. "Richard, why-"

"We no longer stand a chance."

Mrs. Tweak narrows her eyes at his dejected tone. "You fool, it's dark now, so we have the strength to kill every single one of them."

"If that's really the case, then how come you couldn't destroy Tweek's barrier?"

"No, the better question is why weren't you helping me before that?! He wouldn't have been able to trap us like this if you had done your part!"

Tweek has never heard his parents argue like this before. He drowns them out. Childhood memories—not just the ones from his dream—flash through his mind. Even though he can't envision his parents' faces, he knows they were also happy like he was, and they loved each other very much.

They were a family.

His parents' aged voices going back and forth with each other shatter the buoyant images like glass. He grits his teeth.

Suddenly, there are loud squawks not too far in the distance.

"And there they are," Carl mutters.

Startled, Tweek twists around. He sees at least a dozen pairs of blood red eyes throughout the neighborhood.

"Tweek, you need to hurry," Raven advises, looking composed as always, despite her urgent tone.

Tweek pulls himself together. He faces his parents' wicked red eyes. He lays a palm on his barrier, focusing on the remaining portion of his magical energy.

"Damn it all!" His mother's inhuman appendages start hitting the solid barrier, evincing her relentlessness and restlessness. "Those birds are nothing but brainless weaklings, I refuse to let this murderer live!"

Her husband heaves a sigh, his eyes noticeably glum. "I hate it just as much as you do since we failed to kill him."

"You're the one who failed!"

Tweek's extended hand emits a pale green glow.

"...Fine, we'll admit defeat," his mother says begrudgingly. "But know that we will never forgive you and I hope you meet your end very soon."

Tweek barely conceals his hurt behind a weak smile. Her words were venomous. He has some things he wants to tell his parents, but he keeps them to himself. Nothing he says will make them loathe him any less. They will always be seen as good-natured people in his memories. "May you both...Rest In Peace."

His aura causes his barrier to shine brightly, casting a neon green glow over the entire area and further on. The group of crow monsters halt mid-flight as they shut their eyes, letting out anguished caws. Leopold blocks out the piercing light with an arm while Raven and Carl merely squint.

Without a single sound, the barrier begins to disintegrate into glittery, white fragments, starting from the top. Neither Tweek nor his parents utter another word to each other, their eyes are enough to convey their true feelings.

It doesn't take long for the barrier and the house within it to be half-intact. Seconds later, the front entrance is next to fracture into sparkly pieces. Before his parents are also reduced to similar particles, Tweek opens his mouth and says,

"I love you, mom and dad."

They don't react nor reply back. Even though Tweek expected this, their silence only causes the pang in his heart to become stronger.

His parents and their already destroyed home leave this world in a heavenly manner. Darkness soon settles back over the small town. The crow monsters resume their speedy advancement towards the quartet.

Coughing out blood, Tweek collapses on his hands and knees, panting heavily. Carl stops Leopold from rushing over to Tweek, preparing to send them all to Leopold's house. His magic highlights their bodies in a white glow, then they're transported to their destination before the monstrous flock could reach them.

Their irradiant bodies dim away completely inside of the house. Light from a table lamp has kept the living room from being utterly dark. Leopold hurries over to Tweek.

"We'll talk in the morning," Raven says as she sits down on the sofa. "You boys deserve to rest."

Carl also sits down on the sofa. "I think they'll need more than eight hours of sleep after the ordeal they went through. Let them rest for as long as they need to."

Raven folds her arms on top of her lap. "Very well."

"T-thank you," Leopold says timidly. Getting down on one knee while placing a hand on Tweek's back, he teleports them up to his bedroom in three separate blue strips of light.

Carl's face develops into a serious frown. "That spell Tweek used was very interesting."

Raven gives him a knowing look. "Yet also peculiar?"

"Yeah." Carl meets her gaze. "But that's not the only thing that's strange. The darkness also strengthened his magic. It's only ever done that to the Beings of Darkness' and those possessed by incomplete parasites."

Raven smiles a little, the amber light from the lamp reflecting in her black eyes, making it appear as though she knows something. "He's quite the curious child, isn't he?"

Carl's mien hardens. "Care to divulge what you know?"

Raven looks away. "I will later."

"Tch, fine." Carl puts his elbow on the armrest, then his cheek on his palm. "You Dark spirits really do live up to your reputation for being abstruse."

Raven's smile broadens amusedly in response.

Upstairs in Leopold's room, Tweek is still trying to catch his breath. He feels a stream of warm energy going into his Magical Core. "L-Leo, don't."

"It's okay, Aah have plenty energy."

Tweek exhales deeply, reducing the tension from his body as he allows Leopold to restore energy into his Magical Core. Midway through the process, Tweek tells him that he can stop now.

"Are you sure?" Leopold asks. He removes his hand when Tweek begins to stand up.

"Yeah. Thanks." Sleeping will help Tweek regain the rest of his energy. He looks around the unlit room, he can't see anything. It dawns on him that he's never been inside Leopold's room before, let alone his house. He wonders what kind of spell Carl used that kept the house and the electricity within it stable for so long. It must be high-level. He turns around, vaguely seeing Leopold staring in a daze at nothing in particular. He frowns, thinking his best friend still isn't ready to be in his old home. "Leo," his gentle voice makes the teen jolt. "Let's get some sleep."

Leopold bites his bottom lip. Tweek watches him amble away. If he no longer wants to be in his room, Tweek won't stop him. What right would he have? He's experienced first-hand that memories—whether they're good or bad—can have a strong impact on a person.

There is a clicking sound, then warm white light fills the room. Tweek is surprised Leopold knew, or rather remembered where the light switch was. Tweek checks out the room again. The walls are colored a dark turquoise, and the carpet is a steel grey color. The left side wall is blemished from the residue of four posters, and on that side is a brown dresser and away from it by at least three or four feet is a closed door, Tweek assuming it's the bathroom. There's a wooden toy box beside the window, the curtain is a plain forest green color. The bed is...too small for the teens to fit on, and was last left neat and tidy. Both the pillow and cover are white and decorated with numerous blue snowflakes. Next to the bed is a white nightstand - on it are a lamp, an alarm clock displaying the wrong time (it is not the afternoon), and-

"We-you can sleep in mah parents' room."

Tweek turns to face Leopold, frowning at his back. His head is down. "Is there no guest room?" Tweek asks.

"...If there is, Aah'll sleep in there." Leopold opens the door, his movement stiff.

"He really wants nothing to do with his parents anymore," Tweek thinks sadly. "Okay," he says. He begins to walk out of the room. He takes a look at Leopold's face, his blonde bangs hiding his eyes. What he's feeling is patently clear from his downcast bearing, which pains Tweek to see. He hates that he's incapable of comforting him like he always did to him, tired or not.

Tweek steps out into the hallway. Thanks to the light in Leopold's room and the dim lighting peeking out from in the living room, he's able to see everything in the hall, that being only five doors. There are two on his left, two on his right, and one on the ceiling with a string acting as the handle. Must lead up to the attic.

"It's the first door on the left."

Tweek doesn't like how lackluster Leopold sounded as he heads for the aforementioned door. He grasps the round handle. Being unable to turn it proves that it's locked. How weird. He lets go of the doorknob while facing Leopold. "The door is-" He sees a teardrop land to the floor.

Leopold quickly wipes his eyes, but a hand stops him. Tweek gently pulls him into the hallway, keeping a gentle yet firm hold on his wrist. "Which is the guest room?"

"Aah...Aah don't remember," Leopold murmurs.

Tweek is left with checking the remaining three doors. Dragging Leopold along, he starts with the door opposite of the one that's locked, discovering that it is the bathroom. The door next to it cannot be opened either, and the last door is a bedroom. Tweek takes one step inside, flicking up the light switch. The room has baby blue walls, and the carpeted floor is beige. Inside is just a twin-sized bed, its two pillows are white and the thick sheet is dark blue. It's also been tidied. Well, a bed is all they need anyway since they can't clean themselves with a nice hot shower. They have no new clothes to change into after. Fortunately for them, the bed is big and wide enough.

Tweek has them enter the scanty room. Leopold closes the door. Stopping in the middle, they stare at the bed in tense silence. For the first time, Tweek wants to break it, but he doesn't know what to say.

"Tweek...?" Leopold utters in a reserved tone.

Tweek turns around. There are multiple emotions swirling in Leopold's sky-blue eyes, that much Tweek can tell. However, he can't pinpoint the dominant emotion. He waits for Leopold to resume speaking, but the teen shakes his head, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"N-never mind."

The right words finally come to Tweek. He lightly squeezes Leopold's wrist, prompting him to raise his head. Tweek gives him a small smile. "I know you have so many things on your mind, but try to sleep, okay? We've both...been through a lot."

Leopold's frown stays, but Tweek knows he's grateful, perhaps even a little shocked, that he used words instead of just gestures to try and make him feel better. "Aah don't think Aah'll be able to. It's...not because Aah'm back...here, it's..." He falls silent for a moment, looking on the verge of tears. Seeing him make such an expression pains Tweek's heart. "It's because we almost died, and it's mah fault." He releases a shaky breath, once again averting his gaze to the floor.

"No, it isn't," Tweek says, but Leopold refuses to think otherwise.

"It is. If we'd came here earlier, then we wouldn't have faced those monsters by ourselves. If Carl hadn't helped me, Aah..." He starts crying.

Tweek pulls him into a hug, feeling his tears dampen his shoulder. From the dried bloodstain he'd seen on Leopold's sleeve and hand, Tweek knows that whatever monster he was forced to fight was fierce. Neither of them was prepared to come across such strong enemies, mainly ones that were once loving parents in Tweek's case. But at least they stood their ground until help arrived, and that's what counted the most.

"I'm glad you're alive, Leo. I really am," Tweek says, sincere. "It is not your fault. We didn't know that my parents were resurrected into monsters. So please stop blaming yourself for something we couldn't have avoided."

Leopold clenches his shirt tightly, his sobs subsiding as he mumbles something along the lines of, "Thanks...Aah'm glad you're alive too."

They embrace each other for almost half a minute until Leopold separates from Tweek. His eyes are a bit red, and so are his cheeks. To Tweek, he looks like a baby.

Leopold wipes away the tears in his eyes and on his cheeks with his hands. He sighs while doing so. "Wish we could take a shower."

Tweek agrees. They definitely need one, especially Leopold. "Think you'll be able to fall asleep covered in dust?"

Leopold grimaces in disgust after his face is dry. "Aah reek too. Do you think you'll be able ta fall asleep smellin' rotten flesh?" He asks back.

Tweek shrugs. He hasn't been too bothered by the acrid stench, he did hug Leopold, after all. "Will just have to deal with it." He bends down to untie his shoelaces.

"Maybe Raven can make us some new clothes," Leopold says as he does the same. Tweek hopes so. He found out from Leopold that the house Raven magically produced created appropriately-sized clothes for them when they were children, so perhaps she herself can create clothes.

They remove their shoes and socks, both having the same idea to tuck their socks inside their shoes. They set their shoes by the foot of the bed, then Tweek goes to turn off the light while Leopold ambles over to the left side of the bed. Tweek waits for him to get settled underneath the bedsheet before engulfing the room in complete darkness. Tweek takes the other side of the bed, holding back a long sigh of content as soon as he lays down. After what happened today, lying on a cozy bed underneath a warm bedsheet is very relaxing. The thoughts that plagued his mind leave him be for the time being. He closes his eyes.

"Goodnight, Tweek."

Tweek almost forgot that is it customary to bid someone a pleasant night before going to bed. "Goodnight, Leo." Then he drifts off into a peaceful slumber. At least, for now.