The day after Gamzee died hardly anyone laughed or smiled enough to let it reach their eyes, even Dave seemed restricted in his usual banter and just sat quietly with Terezi trading drawings back and forth and occasionally letting out a small laugh in response to her teasing. Kanaya and Rose spent a lot of time researching and trying to stay busy, everyone else seemed to scatter to various corners without much of a word. This game had provided a lot of things for which they were grateful; it provided a new life one that seemed to be riddled in more consequences than rewards, new found strengths, new friends, even for some a new place to call home, and for some a chance at a real family.

So why then did this death feel brand new? Sure they had all lost someone before whether guardian or lusus', but seeing it up close, seeing someone you care about suffering felt new and raw, and real.

After Gamzee died Karkat sat motionless cradling the head of his lifeless moirail and staring into space. The rest of the group finally gathered to talk about what they we're going to do about their friend.

Kanaya sighs heavily "Look, I think somebody just needs to walk over and carefully detach Karkat from Gamzee, or-

"You know that 33very t1me anyone33 s4ys 4nything to h1m h3 just says '1'm not ready." Terezi whispers over Kanaya.

"I think we need to face the fact that he's never going to be ready. I think the only person who can talk to him is you Terezi; I think you're the only one whose opinion matters to him." Rose interjects.

They all nod and look over at Terezi who immediately starts to tear up behind her glasses. Things had been really hard for Karkat as it was since they got there because of the awkwardness of their split. She had tried to remain her ordinary charismatic self in spite of how her closeness with Dave causes Karkat so much pain.

There are some things that are easy, like flipping coins, interrogating rogue scalemates, and drawing wicked pictures of the very cool Dave Strider but then there's facing Karkat and telling him to move on when even you can admit that he still tugs at your metaphorical heartstrings as often is the case when it comes to a first love.

"Well?" Kanaya raises an eyebrow after a moment when Terezi doesn't move.

"1 C4NT." her voice comes out small and waivers from tears threatening to fall, but she couldn't do that, not in front of Dave.

"But he's not going to listen to anyone else, I mean I could give it a go but I'm sure we would just end up fighting." Dave shrugs.

Terezi shakes her head and looks away from them as she tries to hold it together.

"Please? Do it for Karkat, or do it for Gamzee, but we all know it can't be anyone but you." Kanaya quips.

Using the back of her hand to wipe her face Terezi stands up and walks over to Karkat. By the time she reaches him it was decided she would try to do it in a swift way that could be done if she just turned her emotions off. Unfortunately by the time she was standing right behind him this plan fell apart, and she decided to just be real with her former matesprite instead of treating everything like a game.

"K4RK4T?" she placed one hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"HEY…" he sounded far away.

"K4RK4T, 1 TH1NK... TOD4Y W3 H4V3 TO L3T G4MZ33 R3ST." she sat down close to him trying to ignore the smell of Gamzee's dried blood on his clothes.

"IM NOT READY." he replied blankly.

Starting to feel the tears prickle up again she put her hand in his.

"1 KNOW, 1M NOT R34DY Y3T 3ITH3R, BUT K4RK4T, YOU H4V3 TO L3T G4MZ33 SL33P NOW OK4Y?"

She couldn't hold it in anymore, she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound of the sob fluttering up from inside. In this moment and even in the future she knew that no matter what she did it would never be as hard as this.

After a moment Karkat's stone expression cracked and he covered his face with his one free hand and broke down. Terezi rubbed his back and fought through the lump in her throat while she wiped her moist lenses off in her shirt.

"I CANT, OH GOD I CANT, I DONT...HOW CAN I? HE'S MY BEST FRIEND." he doubled over, his body quaking from silent sobs.

"1'LL G1V3 YOU 4 MOM3NT TO S4Y GOODBY3." She stood and only got a few steps away from him before she collapsed on her hands and knees and had to be helped by Dave back to group to wait for a chance to remove Gamzee's body which was growing stiffer.

Karkat managed to pull himself together so that he could quiet his sobs against the backdrop of the group whispering about him.

He looked down at the face of his friend, calm, peaceful and most definitely deceased.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME GAMZ? YOU KNOW I DONT HAVE ANYONE ELSE IN THIS FUCKING WORLD BUT YOU, AND YOU LEAVE ME TOO?"

For one hallucinatory moment he imagines Gamzee's eyes fluttering open and a smile spreading across his face.

"Bro, I would never go up and all leave you like that. Okay, I did leave but that doesn't mean we can't still talk and it doesn't mean we aren't moirailbro's for life."

"I DONT THINK I CAN LET GO."

Hallucination Gamzee cocks his head to the side, "But, our friends are waiting for me brother. I have a date with Tavbro to drop some mad rhymes even, but I won't go if you don't want me to."

Karkat half smiled imagining Gamzee and Tavros rapping back and forth with each other.

"WOULDNT WANT YOU TO MISS THAT." he smirked.

Hallucination Gamzee's face lit up.

"Maybe, maybe someday we all will be there, I know you won't admit it but you can probably lay down some wicked flows, probably even better than me. That would be a true motherfucking miracle." he laughed.

Karkat smiled back but it wouldn't have looked convincing to anyone watching.

"IM GOING TO MISS YOU A LOT; MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE. YOU AND SOLLUX ARE THE WORST BEST FRIENDS EVER, DYING ON ME AND WHATNOT" he sniffed and wiped at the corners of his eyes.

Gamzee's hallucination just smiled and reached over to hug him before standing up and joining the just as hallucinatory group of his dead friends waiting for him.

"ByE KaRKaT." He smiled and they all disappeared.

He took a couple of deep breathes and leans down to plant a kiss into Gamzee's hair before lifting his heavy body off of his lap.

Everyone was surprised to see him moving after sitting there for so long and after seeing him stumble trying to pull Gamzee's body over to where all their other friends bodies had been Terezi stepped forward to go and help him but Dave grabbed her arm sensing she was still a little too weak to go forward.

"I'll go." he nods at her and helps Karkat sit Gamzee in an upright position against an opposing wall.

"THANKS." He says after a moment.

Dave just nodded and waited for further instructions; trying to be supportive for once because he knew that he would have wanted someone there to help him in his final moments with his bro.

"IM GOING TO TAKE HIM WHERE OUR OTHER FRIENDS ARE, I JUST...I HAVE TO DO THIS FIRST." He bends down to reapply Gamzee's face paint from a small canister he kept in his front pocket.

"I KNOW YOU FEEL NAKED WITHOUT IT." He said as he finished up the last few touches. He stared hard at his friend and realized that he owed everything to him. Now that Gamzee wouldn't be able to enjoy their reset session (should they ever reach it) he realized he owed it to him to live that life without restraint; if for nothing more than to honor their fallen friends.

Taking his cue, Dave helped carry Gamzee's body to a small corridor in the back of the meteor where they had placed the other dead trolls. Dave waited outside to let Karkat have a moment to himself.

Karkat put Gamzee beside Nepeta knowing no matter what kind of afterlife he was in at least he would be among friends.

"I love you guys. I always did." He whispered.

He paused and looked over their faces one last time and slowly raised a hand in goodbye before turning off the light.