Tweek in Life

Chapter Nineteen

Firkle didn't say anything as he followed me down the stairs to Tyler's room. He seemed to be deep in thought as he wandered slowly beside my shadow. I wasn't planning on starting a conversation, instead putting the effort into digging up his older friend's number so we could really get the rescue mission going. Pete was Poe's father and a necessary component for getting the kid back. We had exited the stairs before Firkle spoke up. "Do you know where they're keeping Poe?"

"Adrian's got his men working on it."

"Adrian?"

"My stepbrother." I rolled my eyes. "You met him like once before now. He called you a princess and threw you in a pool. The scar you left is still hideous."

"Oh, right, I almost gutted him." Firkle nodded, "He's a prick."

"Yeah, I know. But he's not a half bad brother most of the time. He built me this house. He helped me get Stoley under control so we could focus on Mark. He's an idiot and he deserved the scar you left him with, but he's my brother and he tries for me." I explained as we entered the hallway that held Tyler's room. "How you gonna fix this one?"

"Tyler's weak willed, Conformist. I have to figure it out or I risk losing him. I can't lose him."

"How'd you two even meet?"

"I hit his dog coming home from work one day. Tyler's a bleeding heart. I ended up holding him while he cried for hours before burying the body beside the river. The entire event stuck with me and I ended up making Ripper his own gravestone. Found Tyler sobbing at the grave the day I dropped it off. Two weeks later, I bought a pup off Cartman that ended up being a wolf dog. Tyler wasn't hard to find. I returned to Ripper's grave with Nux to find he was there, talking to the grave, still crying. Dropping that pup into his lap was a sight. I couldn't stay away after that. I refused to leave without his number that night. Took him out the following night. I married him the day I turned eighteen and honestly can't say I have ever regretted it. He's a mess, but he's my mess. I'd be lost without his crazy ass."

"That's actually a sweet story, sad, but sweet."

"Well, how did you meet Tweek?"

"Oh, I met him about a month ago when his parents ditched him at Token's during band practice." I didn't fear being judged by the goth, as a nonconformist, he'd understand that love has no rules and traditional dating isn't for everyone. "I married him a week after meeting him. He was lying in a hospital bed after taking a bullet to the gut."

"Hardcore." Firkle gave his stamp of approval leaving me to laugh a bit before knocking on Tyler's door.

"Go away, please!"

"No." I replied as I twisted his doorknob and swung the door open to reveal a shirtless Tyler digging at his own flesh with a small piece of glass. I crossed the room, reaching out to take the glass. "Must be a brother thing, give me that!"

"Hey!" Tyler tried to reclaim the glass, but I slid it into my pocket and backed away from him. "Dude!"

"Should I tell Tweek about this? How do you think he'd feel knowing you tore him to shreds for his attempt when you're hiding away in his house cutting?"

"That's low," Tyler dropped his arms and his head.

"So is tearing your little brother to pieces in anger. So is hiding your existence from him." I crossed my arms. "You have a blood pact to be better. He's doing his part. Do yours. They're your gods."

"That's not fair!"

"Tyler," I dropped my arms and stepped closer to the man. "You're my brother-in-law and you hid that. You hid that you were family. Now I know you're scared and I know you were put on the spot and forced to tell us, but the fact that you didn't tell us and didn't plan to, well, that hurts. The people in this family are proud to be family, proud to have each other, and would never deny their connections to the family. You hid yours from everyone but yourself. To us, no matter how hard we try not to, we still feel like you don't want to be here, don't want to be part of this, and don't want to connect to us at all. I don't understand what you need from us to understand you are one of us and wanted here."