He wasn't even aware he fell asleep until he woke up again, feeling as if the weight pushing him down had become so heavy that it was beginning to crush his bones. He could barely even see now, barely even open his eyes.

Where am I?! He wanted to ask. What time is it?! However, he couldn't find the strength to form the words.

The ground was soft beneath him, but it wasn't grass. It was squishy and it felt familiar.

Home.... home! He was home! But how-

Oh no... Luigi must have taken him back.

No, no, NO! He couldn't be there! He couldn't die there. Luigi would find him!

Dimentio used every ounce of energy left in his body, forcing his eyes open so he could look at the small clock which was located on his nightstand. 11:30. Thirty minutes.

"No," He squeaked, his voice hardly even audible.

He wasn't worried about the mass amount of pain he was in. He wasn't worried about the fact that he was dying. He wasn't worried about saying goodbye to this world. None of that mattered anymore.

He was worried about Luigi.

He was dying and he was worried about Luigi.

He had to get out of there.

Not even bothering to be careful, he quickly got up out of bed, trying to bolt for the door. He was able to get it open and take about two steps out into the hallway before collapsing from being so incredibly weak. He was worried the impact would kill him then and there, but thankfully it didn't.

He prayed that the sound of him falling wouldn't wake anyone. To him, it sounded so loud that it could shatter anyone's eardrums, but he hoped that was only because of his condition.

Thankfully, all was silent, meaning that no one heard, which meant Dimentio still had time to escape. He took a sharp breath in, then raised his chin, trying to find the strength to get up, when he saw a familiar ghost sitting in front of him.

Polterpup sat right in front of his face, however, it didn't look happy like it always did. There was almost a flash of worry in the dog's eyes.

"Shhh...." Dimentio hushed softly, hoping that the dog wouldn't bark and alert its owner.

The dog almost looked at him with pity, which was not all that helpful. It waited for a moment in pure silence, then let out a high-pitched yip, despite Dimentio's request.

If he thought the thud was loud, it was nothing compared to the sound of Polterpup's alarmed and distressed barking. Dimentio had to curl up into a small ball on the floor and cover his ears, only praying that the loud barking would stop. He never thought that even sound waves could hurt so bad. It was unbearably painful.

The dog continued barking for another minute, trying to alert its owner that there was something very wrong. It then finally shut up, curling up by Dimentio and softly whimpering. Dimentio could even feel it shiver, which was odd since it was a ghost.

He couldn't be too mad at it for ratting him out now. He wasn't pleased, of course, but it stayed silent for a long time before this, so he was thankful.

He knew the game was up. He was too weak to get up and go. He couldn't find the strength to move at all.

He was going to die, and Luigi was going to find him.

He couldn't help but be grateful for the silence Polterpup kept on this for these three months. He knew that if Luigi knew sooner, he would have wasted so much time being worried and upset. Dimentio was grateful for every moment that they filled just being happy.

Dimentio closed his eyes and took a shaky breath in, trying not to be too mad at himself for staying. Trying to just focus on the feeling of Polterpup with him.

Quickly after Polterpup curled up and got quiet, there was the sound of quick footsteps. Dimentio could feel the vibrations in the ground, they were almost like earthquakes. It almost felt like he was in a subway and there was a train driving nearby, taking passengers far away. He wished he could hop on and be surrounded by fellow passengers heading to the same location as him.

The footsteps got closer, then suddenly halted a few feet away. The air became deathly silent aside from Polterpup's whimpering. Everything was still, almost as if the moment wasn't a moment, but a picture frozen in time.

"Dimentio?" Luigi asked in a quiet, painfully oblivious voice.

He was going to find out. He was going to be devastated, and Dimentio was powerless to stop it.

"Dimentio!" Luigi repeated, this time sounding more urgent. He quickly rushed over, kneeling down and pressing the back of his hand to Dimentio's forehead, only to wince and take it back. "You're burning! What's going on?!"

Dimentio couldn't reply. It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was simply because he didn't have the strength to.

Luigi furrowed his eyebrows, feeling an immediate sense of worry. Dimentio was incredibly pale, he was burning up, and his skin was clammy. Luigi knew that he was somewhat sick, but this was far worse than before. This was sick to a concerning level.

"Dimentio? Can- can you please say something?! You have to tell me what's going on so I can help you. Please!" Luigi begged, gently nudging Polterpup away and picking Dimentio up with one arm supporting his back and the other behind his knees. If Dimentio listened carefully, he could hear Luigi's heartbeat. He could feel it too.

Luigi's heartbeat was accelerating, but it still felt strong and healthy. Dimentio could tell that there was still a lot of life and purpose left in it.

"Sorry..." He muttered softly, his voice breaking off at the end. He then broke into a soft coughing fit, which burned. Coughing and breathing too heavily put too much of a strain on his lungs.

Everything hurt so bad. He was in a lot of pain, but he wasn't afraid. Not anymore. He almost looked forward to it. He wanted the pain to end. He hated the idea of leaving, but he made a deal. It was his time long ago.

Luigi carefully took him back to his room and set him back in bed, taking the blankets and gently draping them over Dimentio after seeing that Dimentio was trembling. "Wait here, I'm gonna call a doctor-"

"No!" Dimentio squeaked, weakly grabbing Luigi's hand and opening his eyes. His vision was fuzzy, but he could see color. He could see the blue in Luigi's eyes and the green on his shirt. He could tell it was him.

"No?! What do you mean no?! You're sick! You need help!" Luigi exclaimed. But he didn't leave just yet, which Dimentio was grateful for, knowing that his grip on him was weak and that Luigi could very easily have just walked away.

It won't do anything, Dimentio wanted to say. It's too late. Don't waste your time.

Instead, he said, "I want you to stay... Please... stay..." It was weird hearing those words come out of his mouth and not Luigi's. "Please... I stayed for you. Can you stay for me?"

Luigi briefly hesitated, then let out a short breath, kneeling down by Dimentio and grabbing one of his hands with both his own. They felt smaller than usual. "Okay, j-just tell me what you need," He said, trying his best not to look worried.

Dimentio nodded, closing his eyes again and softly smiling.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Dimentio quietly whispered, trying his best to not let the intense pain he was in show through his voice.

"Huh?"

"Tomorrow. What does the future look like?" Dimentio asked.

Luigi furrowed his eyebrows, remembering how Dimentio seemed completely against talking about this topic not long ago.

"Um," Luigi started. "Well... maybe tomorrow we can rest. You seem tired. I can make you breakfast. I know you haven't been eating as much... but I'd find something for you."

Dimentio softly nodded, trying to focus on the sound of his voice for as long as possible.

"And then...?"

"Then we could go outside," Luigi continued. "Fall is coming, so we could go buy you some stuff to prepare for the colder weather. You're gonna love it, Dimentio. The leaves all change from green to yellow, orange, and red. And they fall from the trees like rain. They cover the ground and move with the wind, not that we get any wind... but if a breeze were to blow, the leaves would go with it."

"It sounds lovely..." Dimentio breathed, imagining this future that Luigi believed could come true. Imagining it, and trying to believe in it too, even though he knew better.

He carefully opened his eyes again, looking out the window. He was grateful that he was by this window, not just because he wanted to be by one when he died, but because this was the window that sat there every other night when he went to sleep. It was his window. It almost felt like an old friend, and he was glad it was sitting there with him, waiting to see him off.

His vision was too blurry for him to truly see the beautiful night sky, but he could at least see the moon. Or, perhaps, what was left of it. The moon was doing the same thing it did every month and had died down to nothing, ready to start a new cycle with a new moon. It was nothing to be sad about since it was normal and happened regularly. Even so, Dimentio couldn't help but feel slightly saddened by the fact that the old moon was nothing more than a sliver.

Yet, it still was visible. It still would shine brightly, even if it wasn't as full as usual.

"Luigi?" Dimentio whispered, still feeling the man in green's strong, sturdy hands around his.

"Yes?" Luigi asked quickly, leaning forward slightly, eager to help in any way that he could.

Not that Dimentio needed anything. Luigi already helped him. He had everything he needed.

"I'm going to tell you something you won't believe," Dimentio whispered, shifting his gaze from the window to Luigi, trying to see himself in Luigi's eyes.

It was almost funny, because this was the last time he'd ever be able to see his reflection and look at himself, and he was doing it while looking at someone else.

"What?" Luigi asked, still confused and painfully oblivious.

"I..." Dimentio started, softly smiling as he gathered all his strength just to simply speak. "I am happier now... i-in this moment.... than I've ever been in my entire life."

There is a grace that comes with dying. Dying changes people, especially when it's happening slowly enough for someone to truly grasp it. With it, comes a deeper appreciation for life. Dimentio had never felt happy with the way his life unfurled before, but now... if everything he had ever done ended with this moment, all the hard times felt worth it.

He wasn't being murdered, he wasn't being hunted, he wasn't making plans of betrayal. He wasn't dying in an explosion partially caused by himself. He was simply dying in peace, with the company of a friend.

"Really?" Luigi asked. "Why?! You're sick! You're clearly in pain, and that makes you happy?"

"No," Dimentio corrected. "I'm just... happy. I'm here with you. I'm still alive and breathing. That's what makes me happy."

Luigi wasn't sure why Dimentio was acting like this. He had a deep gut feeling that something was wrong. That something bad was happening. But he wasn't about to leave, not after Dimentio specifically asked him to stay.

"Dimentio-"

"Tristan."

Luigi drew back slightly as Dimentio closed his eyes once again, leaning his head back ever so slightly.

"W-what?" Luigi asked.

"Tristan," Dimentio repeated. "My name's Tristan."