Work Text:
His conversation
Despite being a notorious trouble maker, Craig Tucker never really got in a fight before. He’d gotten awfully close with pushing around Clyde and he was always about three seconds away from kicking Cartman and his gang’s asses but now, only after his first ever fight, he was in the hospital with a near stranger: Tweek Tweak.
Everything he knew about Tweek Tweak was through general class gossip osmosis and the things Cartman and Kenny told him. His classmates described him as a twitchy spaz that was always screaming about something, which were all things Craig never really disagreed with. But he never struck him as much of an instigator, despite always being told off by the teacher. He was just a strange kid that hung around with the other boys in class from time to time and that was it.
That’s what he thought, anyway, until Cartman told him that Tweek wanted to fight him.
It made no sense at first, so he ignored it, until this Tweek kid apparently started spreading rumors about him and his beloved guinea pig Stripe.
He learned through this encounter that not only is Tweek a rumor loving bitch, but also incredibly strong. Sure, Craig managed to get some good hits in, he was very proud of the black eye that he gave Tweek, but at the end of it all he lost the fight. He didn’t need to admit it (not that he was willing too, anyway) out loud, but the fact that he currently couldn’t open one of his eyes due to how swollen and bruised it was said enough.
It was a shock too considering the fact that Tweek wasn’t particularly bulky; he was skinny and fidgety and certainly not the type of kid you’d think could send you to the hospital. God only knows where his strength comes from but if he had known about it earlier, he might’ve just gone to the principal and told on him rather than go through with the fight, being labeled a wuss be damned.
Considering all this, he didn’t want any problems with Tweek moving forward. Not only did he not care enough to maintain some sort of tension but he also didn’t want to spend any more nights away from his guinea pig eating terrible food thanks to this kid. They had to spend this time together in the hospital anyway, might as well work it out now.
“Hey.” Craig simply said in his nasally voice, adjusting himself to look over at the blond.
“What?” Tweek spat, jerking his head to his side to give Craig a nasty look.
“Dude I’m not trying to start anything.” Craig tried not to sound too defensive, but the look on the other’s face told him he wasn’t doing a very good job at this endeavor.
Tweek’s shoulder involuntarily jerked up for a moment and his eye twitched, “Then why are you talking to me?”
“How come you said I shove my guinea pig up my ass every night before I go to bed?”
“W-What?” Tweek practically screamed, his big blue eyes appearing to have grown ten times in size as he jumped at the other boy’s words. “I never said that!”
This guy seriously had some problems if he was going to say all this nasty shit, beat him up, and not even own up to it. “That’s what Cartman told me!”
“Ack! I hate those guys!” Tweek exclaimed, scowling in disdain as he spoke, “I would never s-say anything like that, I don’t even know you!”
Oh. Well that did make a lot of sense.
Craig felt equal parts guilty and equal parts mad. The guys always told him he was gullible and, as ironic as it was, he never believed them. Maybe they had a point because he didn’t really think twice about it when they told him Tweek said all that horrible shit despite only talking to him a handful of times. “I hate them too, they are always trying to get me in their stupid schemes.”
“Me too!” Tweek now fully sat up in his bed, staring directly at Craig. It was only now that Craig got a chance to see the strange color of his eyes. They were blue, yes, but with a bit of deep green wrapped around his pupil that looked to be almost the same shade as the button-up shirt he always wares. “I don’t talk to them anymore because they kept blaming things on me! I didn't do any of that stuff, man!”
“All my friends hate them, especially Clyde.” It was quite amusing how only a couple of hours ago they were both claiming to want to beat the shit out of each other and now they were here, talking shit about their classmates like they were girls at a sleepover. The funny thing was, he was enjoying himself too. It was pretty rare he kept up a conversation this long with anyone, let alone a stranger. “I guess they made up all the stuff we said about each other.”
“You mean you didn’t say I’m a chicken with crooked teeth?”
“Nope.”
“Awe man.” Tweek laid back in his bed, letting his head hit the pillow as he looked up at the ceiling. “I’m really sorry dude. I wouldn’t have fought you if I knew it was just those guys starting things again."
“It’s cool,” Craig said. He wondered if he should apologize back. He was pretty stupid for believing Kyle and Stan, they seemed to be more mad at Tweek than he ever was. He was sorry for what he did, but the word was stuck in his throat. It got caught like a potato chip that he swallowed without chewing. That black eye looked pretty brutal, but he couldn’t muster up the courage to go right out and say what he knew he should.
Communication had never been Craig’s strong suit, it was something of a weakness for him. So instead, he simply asked, “you wanna watch Red Racer? My mom brought my box set.”
“I never watched it before.”
Craig had already pressed the button to call the nurse to get out his DVD player. This guy, this near stranger, had no idea what he was in for.
His Smile
Craig’s opinion on his twitchy, blond class mate changed, he started to believe that Tweek was pretty cool after the hospital incident. He was easy to talk to and he never minded it when Craig paused the show to explain the complicated (and often irrelevant) lore behind it.
Not only was conversation with him not a bore, but damn he was strong. He certainly was a lot more than what the other kids painted him to be. He could relate to the struggle, to, of people thinking you're something you’re not. His peers, besides his friends, always described him as an asshole. And yeah he could be blunt, but it wasn’t like he didn’t have feelings in the way a lot of others seemed to describe.
Craig saw Tweek around, he was in his class and would pass him in the hallways. A part of him wanted to reach out and see if they could be friends rather than acquaintances. It was difficult considering they didn’t have many friends in common, as it was hard to tell who Tweek’s friends were in general. From what Craig observed, he seemed to be a little all over the place when it came to his social life being part of one group for a couple of months and then being part of another.
He thought about asking Tweek if he wanted to join his group at lunch one day after seeing him swinging alone at recess. He had to test the waters a little bit with his group, simply asking ‘do you guys know anything about that Tweek kid?’ but he was met with a resounding ‘he’s weird’ or some sort of variation of that sentiment. He felt a little disheartened by their reaction but took it for what it was. They would become friends if they were meant too, or stay strangers if it just wasn’t in their cards.
They remained this way, Craig harboring a sense of curiosity towards Tweek as they awkwardly waved to each other in halls or acknowledged each other when they could. It was only when someone intervened yet again almost a year later that they were to exchange more that a passing greeting.
Mr. Garrison paired them together for a classwork assignment. Tweek seemed sort of nervous upon hearing the news and it made Craig unexpectedly sad. Was he worried he was going to beat him up or something? No part of him still cared about their stupid forced fight in 3rd grade.
Despite the fact that he knew he wasn’t as funny as his friend Jimmy, Craig decided to do an impression of Mr. Garrison to lighten the mood.
Tweek started giggling wildly, the sound even being periodically interrupted by the sound of snorting. The reaction made Craig's chest swell with pride, especially given the fact that Tweek more or less always seemed troubled by something. His lips, too, curled into a rare smile, which compelled Craig to fallow suit.
“Tweek, would you stop making all that noise over there and pay attention?” Mr. Garrison said, withholding no exasperation in his voice.
“Tweek, would you stop making all that noise over there and p-pay attention?” Tweek said in a mocking tone, quiet enough so that only Craig could hear.
The boy in the blue hat couldn’t help but laugh. Something about hearing a Garrison impression coming from Tweek’s mouth just amused him beyond belief. Something about someone so seemingly innocent looking rebelling, even in such a tiny way, had got to him. The joke wasn’t even all that clever but for some reason it brought a smile to Craig’s face. His reaction seemed to make Tweek smile too because he started to laugh with him all over again.
Tweek didn’t smile much, but Craig couldn’t help to notice that when he did, it was really nice. His expression lifted his cheeks and brightened his entire face as if the sun had shifted just to shine on him. Somehow, his hair looked blonder and his eyes looked shiner as well. Craig couldn’t help but notice his cheeks looked pudgier when he laughed and his nose wrinkled up, too. It was cute, he concluded, in the baby animal sort of way.
About a week or so after that, the girls at school decided without so much as a warning, that they should be together and made it very well known to the public. It was frustrating, it was confusing, but underneath all that Craig was thankful he got stuck with Tweek of all people rather than someone like Cartman or even his best friend Clyde if he was forced to be gay. The thought of it alone made him want to throw up.
This sucked, but it could suck a whole lot worse.
They both figured very quickly it was easier to just say they were dating than to have the whole town walk around depressed due to their ‘lost love.’ But, it wasn’t all that bad, all they really had to do was walk around holding hands. Besides, he was getting to know Tweek a little better and he was happy to say he got a friend out of the whole thing.
They were sitting on Craig’s couch one day, fully aware of the fact that his parents were ‘spying’ on them from the room over. Craig was busy showing Tweek one of his favorite video games that was unfortunately only one-player. Apparently his boyfriend, of sorts, didn’t mind just watching, but Craig wasn’t entirely convinced. It was very possible, in his mind, that Tweek was just saying that to be polite.
Taking that into consideration, Craig tried to make the gameplay extra interesting. He also felt a bit of pressure given the fact that he had an audience, the only person that was usually around while he was playing his games was Tricia, and she found a way to criticize anything he did so Craig long lost any respect for her opinion.
There was this moment in the game where Craig finally beat the level he had been working at for the past 20 painful minutes. Craig was pretty proud of himself, but not nearly as excited as Tweek was.
“Oh hey! You did it!” Tweek smiled, turning to Craig now that the game was paused.
There that feeling was, that sensation of pride swelling up in his chest making it hard to breathe. Seeing Tweek smile felt like a reward for his accomplishment. It was as genuine and warm as he had remembered it being the first time seeing it, only nowadays it seemed less elusive.
“Don’t act so surprised,” Craig managed to get out with the few gasps of breath he managed to steal. He didn’t know if his tone was able to come out as sarcastic and less astonished as he wanted to, and for this moment he didn’t really care.
“I’m just kidding, I knew you could do it.”
Now Craig was smiling too, though he didn’t really know why.
He listens
If they were going to date, even if it was fake, they ought to do it right. That’s what Craig told himself, anyway.
Having a boyfriend is kind of like having a friend except for more alone time and more physical contact. He felt like the other people in his school were making such a big deal out of nothing because it didn’t need to be this huge thing, they could just do things their way. But then again, they weren’t really dating, were they?
Still, Craig decided to invite Tweek over for a sleepover. He always had them with his friends, so he was probably supposed to have one with Tweek. He considered inviting his friends but didn’t want them to feel like they were a third, fourth, fifth or whatever-th wheel. Besides, they were supposed to be alone, and Craig had found that he truly doesn't mind Tweek's company. In fact, it was refreshing.
After a full night of playing with toys, eating all the Tucker Family’s snacks, and watching movies, the boys were sent up to bed. Tweek had brought his small sleeping bag and rolled it out over the area rug in the center of the room while Craig climbed into his big comfy twin-sized bed.
He felt pretty guilty getting the bed all to himself when Tweek had to sleep on the floor. He usually didn’t think twice about this sort of thing when his friends came to sleep over but this instance just irked him in a way he couldn’t describe.
He suppressed his feelings of guilt, reminding himself that occasionally sleeping on the floor in a sack of thin fabric was just a childhood rite of passage, and tried to fall asleep.
“You really like stars, Craig.”
The little raspy voice from the center of the room prompted Craig to reopen his eyes. He assumed Tweek was referring to the plastic green stars he had stuck all over his ceiling. “I do really like stars.”
“You like space, right? Like outer space?” Tweek continued, disregarding the fact that it was well past their bedtimes. Before Craig could answer, Tweek continued, “Ah! Sorry, I’m not stalking you or anything! I just noticed all the posters in your room. And you’re like, really good at science and ma-math and stuff.”
“I didn’t think you were stalking me.” There was so much more Craig wanted to say. In reality, he loved this topic, but he feared he would take it too far, as he always seemed to do. There had been a handful of times with his family and even his friends had gotten frustrated with him for going on too much about topics he likes. Normally he was quiet but there were a few things he could talk about forever, but he learned to curb it after his mom described his rants as ‘cyclical’.
If no one was going to listen, why bother talking?
“What’s your favorite planet?”
Tweek was seriously playing with fire and he didn’t even know it. “I like Jupiter.”
“Oh.” Tweek simply said, as if he was expecting something else as an answer.
There was a moment of silence and all Craig could think about all the other things he could've said. These thoughts, regarding which planet was objectively the best according to their properties, or how many moons they had, and much, much more had been swirling around in his head for months, maybe even years. He wasn’t sure if Tweek had noticed, but his entire bookshelf was full of all the space books he could get his hands on, all of which he had read cover to cover.
He couldn’t take it anymore! “I liked Jupiter at first because it’s the biggest planet in the Milky Way, but now I like it the best because it catches comets. I also like that Jupiter has 75 moons.” He regretted his words almost as he said them, he had said too much and now Tweek knew he was anything but normal about space.
“That’s cool!” Tweek said. “I don’t know that much about space, but you seem to know a lot about Jupiter.”
A wave of relief washed over Craig due to the simple fact that he got an answer at all. It seemed like the other was listening too, which was more than he could ask from a lot of people. “It was also the first planet I saw while I was stargazing. You can’t see all the planets with the naked eye.” He remembered a time when he mentioned something related to stars and he could see Clyde rolling his eyes. There was no real malice behind it, but it hurt.
“What planet is your second favorite?”
Craig was still not entirely convinced Tweek actually cared and was just too nice to say anything, but now that they were in this conversation he figured he might as well indulge. After all, Tweek made it awfully easy for him to talk about it, it was a much more pleasant thing to focus on compared to the guilt he had for forcing the blond on the floor.
They talked until Craig's mother knocked on the door. She gently told the boys that it was time for bed and they needed to wrap up their conversation. There was no doubt in Craig’s mind that she would not’ve put that so nicely if he didn’t have company, but took it for what it was.
Craig never really had trouble sleeping , he couldn’t remember the last time his mom had to remind him to go to bed, only Tricia usually got it for that. Craig leaned over to check the colorful little alarm clock on his nightstand and he was shocked to find that it was already 10 pm, an entire hour after his bedtime. “Was I keeping you up, Tweek?” He whispered to the barely visible blob that laid in the center of his room.
“Hmmm, no… I never really sleep. It’s nice to talk though, I like it a lot more than staring at the ceiling and counting sheep.”
There had been very few times Craig had to endure that issue. He only usually had issues sleeping on Christmas Eve and that one time his family went on vacation in a different timezone. And here he was on the big comfy bed that smelled like fabric softener and fresh linens while Tweek was laying on the floor!
“Do you want to sleep on the bed?”
“What?” Tweek exclaimed, covering his mouth after he realized how loud he was being.
Craig felt a little embarrassed given Tweek’s reaction, he seemed utterly panicked by the situation. The black haired boy turned away, closed his eyes and pretended to have fallen asleep until Tweek continued.
“But if I sleep on the bed, you’ll have to sleep on the floor!”
“Not necessarily.” Craig mumbled, still taking cover under his sheets.
Tweek seemed to get the idea as Craig started hearing the sound of rustling and tip-toes on the carpet in his direction. He awkwardly climbed into the bed without so much of a word and pulled the blanket over himself.
Craig had shared a bed with his friends many times before and never really thought much of it. They would usually lay out all their sleeping bags out next to each other and just share one big blanket and call it a night. But, for some reason, this felt different.
He couldn’t help but notice how the rough texture of Tweek’s arm rubbed against his and how he seemed to emanate heat through his pajamas. It was a bit curious, too, to see Tweek be so still. He was the kind of kid that was more or less always in motion. But here, he looked calm.
Craig never really thought about it much before, but suddenly he wondered if Tweek found it strange that he sleeps with his hat on.
He thought about how Tweek noticed so quickly how he liked space without him even having to say it, and after how he actually put in the effort to keep the conversation going. He even let him explain the plot of Red Racer before he could watch it all back at the hospital! It was very rare anyone was willing to give him the time of day, much less indulge in his interests the way Tweek was willing to do.
Tweek was pretty kind wasn't he? He’s observant too, it seemed though everyday he presented a new trait Craig found particularly interesting. Tweek was so interesting and so kind, he found it difficult to understand why so many kids were weary of him. It wasn’t as if he was offensive to the eyes of something, it was actually quite the opposite. He had all the markings of a cool kid in Craig’s world, which for whatever reason didn’t reflect reality.
Craig drifted off to sleep with the pleasant thoughts and feelings that came when Tweek listened to him.
He cares for him
They always made a point to be together during recess to appease the town. Everyone had to know they were still happily together if they didn’t want everyone to lose their sanity and what better time to do it than now.
All of Craig's gang was busy playing soccer which was a sport that he detested. He was a bit embarrassed about it, but he was a pretty slow runner and soccer was the worst sport of all for that fault. He felt a bit guilty, however, when Tweek chose to be with him instead of joining the game he had been invited to.
They walked around the perimeter of the playground not always 100% sure what to do with themselves. They enjoyed each other's company enough that it didn’t present much of an issue. They just talked about whatever came to their minds and laughed when the other made a joke. Conversation came easy to them as it always had since the hospital visit.
They could talk about nearly anything, ranging from toys to homework to parents. Craig found that he really enjoyed hearing Tweek’s take on the school’s ‘current events’, despite the fact that the topic hadn’t interested him before. Tweek just had a way of speaking that Craig found oddly comforting. He was very expressive with his words in a way that just pulled you into whatever he was saying.
They found themselves on the topic of strange things they had encountered at the school in the past on one particular day. There seemed to be no shortage of events they could talk about since there always seemed to be something going on throughout the years.
“Do you remember that time the girls made that list?” Tweek mentioned rather randomly.
“What list? Girls make dumb lists all the time.”
“Yeah but that one list that had everyone freaking out,” Tweek seemed to hesitate a moment before committing to his words, “the one where they ranked the grade’s cutests boy?”
“Oh yeah,” Craig laughed at the memory. He felt like hot shit when the real list got leaked and he was voted the cutest. He tried not to let it get to his head the way it did for Clyde, he cried for what felt like forever when he was revealed to be in the bottom five. Bebe broke up with him not long after that which was even worse.
Tweek unconsciously stopped walking, laughing in that awkward sort of way people do when they fear they’ve embarrassed themself “do you ever think it’s kind of funny how you got paired up with me? I mean, I wasn’t even in the top five.”
“You can’t seriously care about what a bunch of dumb girls think, Tweek.”
Tweek’s awkward laughter only got worse and more desperate, but the way he started to tug at his poorly buttoned shirt said all that he was unwilling to. “It just seems strange that’s all.. that they didn’t pair you with someone more in your league and everything.”
Was that what he was worried about? A thought like that hadn’t so much as scraped Craig’s mind. “I’m still shocked they didn’t put you higher, to be honest. I mean, you do have really nice eyes. And I always thought you have nice hair. I honestly just don’t get them.”
Tweek gave him a look that he had never seen before. His face was an ambivalent mix of disbelief and discomfort. Criag wasn’t one to really second guess himself but now he was wondering if he had said something wrong. “I mean, I think they just don’t know you very well. If they took your personality into account and everything you’d be way higher.”
“R-really?” Tweek choked out in a raspy voice. He still looked strangely pained, now holding his abdomen as if someone had just punched him in the gut.
“Yeah of course,” Craig felt a little embarrassed with what he planned to say next, but his guilt at causing such a strained expression overpowered any reservations he might’ve had, “I still feel pretty lucky I got paired with you over the other guys at the school.”
“Oh shi-” Tweek started before vomiting all over Craig's jacket.
“Oh. So that’s what that face was all about.”Craig thought to himself, “he felt sick.” this revelation made a lot more sense now that he thought about it. He felt a little silly making the situation about himself rather than considering the possibility Tweek actually was in pain.
“Ahh! Oh my God, oh my God!” Tweek looked entirely more horrified about the situation than the person he barfed on, with his eyes blown wide and his shaky hands reaching to pull at his hair. “Holy shit I-I’m so sorry Craig! I didn’t mean to vomit all over you!”
He started to shrug off his soiled jacket, “It’s alright.” Craig didn’t like when Tweek pulled at his hair for a reason he couldn’t entirely place.
“Ack! Are you s-sure? What if I just destroyed your jacket forever.”
“It’s fine, it was getting old.”
“But now you’re cold!” Tweek screeched, throwing up his hands at the fact that Craig was now just wearing a t-shirt in the face of the cold Colorado air. He did have a point with that one.
But now that he was thinking about it, Tweek was always sort of walking around with just a t-shirt in the Colorado air. Not really a t-shirt, but not much better considering the fact that the fabric of his button-up was so thin and it was never fastened properly which exposed random parts of his stomach to the elements. He didn’t wear gloves, or a scarf, or a hat. Craig felt a little silly for not really thinking about this earlier, Tweek was out here freezing almost every day of his life and no one was doing anything to help him.
Maybe this is why he got sick? Or maybe the cold was why he always shaking? “I think we should get you to the nurse.” Suddenly, Craig was able to place the feeling he had when he saw Tweek pull at his hair. He felt very concerned for Tweek, an emotion he very scarcely experienced.
“The nurse? Why?”
The question was entirely stupid in Craig’s eyes, because you threw up out of nowhere, because you’re shaking, because you’ve been pulling to your hair and that can’t be healthy, but he would entertain it regardless. “Because you’re sick and you're shivering.”
“I always shiver!”
Craig laughed a bit hearing such a blunt, yet true response. But when he thought about it, it really wasn’t all that funny. He grabbed the other’s hand and pulled him close, gently leading him into the building. “You should think about asking your mom for a jacket, Tweek. And some gloves, too.”
“Why would I do that? I never really feel cold.”
Craig didn’t believe that, not even for a second, but he figured now was not the time to argue. He just squeezed Tweek’s hand a little tighter, as if it could pass on his internal heat onto the other.
As he was sitting outside of the nurse's office, waiting for Tweek although the other never told him to, as he thought about what happened. It was pretty gross, if anyone else lost their lunch all over him he’d have no problem punching them right in the face, but only because it was Tweek and Tweek alone his heart swelled with concern rather than hatred.
That was kind of odd, wasn’t it?
Things feel strange without him
This wasn't the first time Craig had felt this about someone. He remembered this one time he met this kid named Thomas and all he wanted to do was get closer to him. He was so desperate to get to know him better he was even willing to do his laundry. It never really went anywhere. But never, ever, in his life had it even been as strong and sneaky as it was with Tweek.
It wasn’t a super significant moment when he realized he had a crush on his fake boyfriend. He was alone in his room doing some homework and a cheesy love song he forgot was in his playlist came on. Immediately, the sugary sweet lyrics made him think of Tweek. He thought of his smile and his hair and his voice and his demeanor and all the wonderful things he had said to him before and that was when he knew.
The more difficult part of it was that he didn’t really know what to do about it. How do you ask someone out that you are already technically with? The other issue was that he already told Tweek that he wasn’t gay, which was already a lie, and now he had to find a way to legitimize their relationship for both of them.
He considered just never telling Tweek. He would save himself the embarrassment and let his feelings wither away from the test of time. He could ignore them until they no longer posed any problem and he could continue with his life.
But Tweek wouldn’t make that easy for him.
It was hard enough considering the fact that they were forced into acting like a couple. Tweek had been tethered to his side near constantly so he was always exposed to the fact that he found him utterly adorable and fascinating in every which way. Regardless if he wanted to, Craig was forced into learning all of Tweek's interests, preferences, and idiosyncrasies which only made him find Tweek more attractive with every passing day.
So when Tweek was missing from his seat next to him one day at lunch, Craig thought he ought to be thankful. Things would be easier if he wasn’t hanging on every word the other said, patiently waiting to see what he would get as a response. But he felt a curious pang in his heart that worried why he wasn’t there.
He had seen the blond earlier perusing the halls with the rest of their classmates. At times, Craig felt like his eyes naturally searched for him as he entered a room. And when he caught up to him, he held his hand as they had always done. He never mentioned anything about skipping lunch, so he had to wonder where he was.
They met up to walk home that afternoon. Without time for so much as a breath, their hands linked, and they were off to their respective houses.
“Why weren’t you at lunch today?” Craig asked unprompted.
“Oh! That,” Tweek uses his free hand to fiddle with the loose string that hung from the hem of his shirt, “I was in the library getting some homework done.”
That was kind of odd considering the fact that Tweek had never done so before, but he made a better student than Craig was so he supposed it made sense. “Did you finish your work?” A part of him was just relieved Tweek didn’t say he had lunch with Jason White or some other stupid douchebag.
“Oh yeah, I’m all caught up now.” Craig took the answer for what it was and kept walking, even if the conversation hung around his conscience much longer than it should’ve.
The day following that, he received a text from Tweek saying he wouldn’t be at the bus this morning. Apparently, he had to go to school early to practice his piano for whatever reason. Craig tried to suffocate his disappointment under all his self-constructed layers of his ‘dont give a fuck attitude’ but their seat was a little too empty without Tweek there, and the bus a little too quiet without them talking the same shit they always did.
The day after that, Tweek didn’t ride the bus or walk home with him. And at lunch, he seemed uncharacteristically disinterested in what he had to say. He didn’t really look at him the way he used to, his eyes only glazing at Craig for a moment and then darting away to focus on anyone else.
It hurt. It was very rare that things truly got to Criag but this had done it.
Had he done something wrong? Maybe he wasn’t as slick with his feelings as he originally thought he was and he was totally freaking Tweek out?
He hoped that wasn't the case, because if it was, it sort of put him in a corner because he’d not only be forced to confess but most likely met with rejection. He didn’t even really know how to go about the conversation, but he was running out of time as rumors were starting to float around the school. He couldn’t stand it when he passed the Asian girls and they gave him these sympathetic looks, as if they could detect that he was hurting without even so much as looking back at them.
That night at dinner he pushed around his potatoes rather than actually eating them, staring at his plate rather than consuming it.
“Craig, eat your dinner!” His father demanded.
“Leave him alone, Thomas!” His mother snapped back, “can’t you see he’s going through something!”
Even his parents knew! And they were about as dense as he was, maybe even worse. He was tempted to bash his head into the table, even his baby sister was giving him a suspicious look.
“Oh, well what’s wrong son?” His father asked, as awkward as he was with these sorts of situations.
“School stuff.” Hopefully, that would suffice.
“Is it,” his mother’s voice suddenly got very slow and careful, “boy problems?”
Craig wanted to run. He wanted to run away to his room and lock the door and never come out. He wished he could at least pull his hat over his eyes like he used to be able to when he was younger so he didn’t have to see the curious looks of his family staring into his soul.
“You know we are very supportive son, we are here for you no matter what.” His father insisted with that pitiful look of his face that looked so strange on him.
“That’s right!” His mother agreed, “why don’t you tell us what’s troubling you, dear.”
He hated it when his parents tiptoed around him like they were walking on eggshells. He preferred it much more when they were just blunt with him and they didn’t have to trudge through all the bullshit.
But, he supposed, he wasn’t being blunt himself. He was falsifying his words with vague answers and avoidance not only to his parents but to anyone who asked. He might as well get over himself and admit something is wrong, and at least his parents won’t tell the other guys at school and rip on him. “It’s nothing serious…” he hesitated for a moment, lowering his voice and his yes, “there’s just something I want to say to someone but I don’t know how.”
“Oh,” his mother said in a wistful tone, “are you and Tweek breaking up?”
“No!” Craig insisted, almost sounding defensive in his tone of voice.
“Then what is it?”
The little boy didn’t know how to articulate it, but he was willing to try. “There’s things I want to say.. nice things, but I just don’t really know how to say it.”
“You should just be honest,” his dad’s face finally looked normal again, just putting on a caring smile, “that’s how I always done things and it worked for me.”
And I love him
“And I love him! That’s the worst part, I really do!” Tweek exclaimed, shaking in his seat as Clyde and Bebe stared back at him across the table.
“Why’s that a problem?” Clyde answered.
“Because! I told him I wasn’t gay! And that we should fake date!” Tweek practically screamed, his eyes seeming as wide as saucers, “Argh! And now I don’t even know what to do! He’s never gonna want to talk to me ever again!” He dramatically banged his head into the table.
Bebe looked utterly shocked and dejected, as if she had just been told her dog died, “you guys weren’t actually dating this whole time!”
Earlier that day, Tweek had left two little notes in both of their lockers asking them to meet up after school at the park next to Stark’s pond. He forgot to sign his name, but his shaky handwriting relieved his identity.
Tweek figured they could give him advice given the fact that Bebe and Clyde had been on and off since the last school year. Luckily for him they were currently ‘on’ so maybe they had some sage couple’s knowledge to give to him.
“No,” Tweek grumbled as he lifted up his head, “we stayed together because everyone wanted us to. But we get along so well we just never thought to end it.” Tweek brought his hands up to his face to hide his reddening cheeks and embarrassed expression, “and now I caught feelings and I’m going to ruin everything!”
“I mean, Craig seems to like you when he talks about you. Especially for Craig's standards, he thinks you’re pretty cool." Clyde said.
“Really?” Tweek finally exposed his face once again, this time looking excited rather than miserable.
“I mean, I don’t know if he says this stuff in the gay way, but, any compliment coming from him is a big deal.” Clyde continued, “and whenever you’re not around he’s always asking where you are. He doesn't even say hello anymore he just asks 'where’s Tweek' when he sees me.”
Tweek couldn’t help but to laugh at that, it was pretty funny to picture him waiting around for him like a kid lost in a store. He felt a pang of guilt, too, realizing that he had been distant the entire week without so much as a notice. It’s just that he finally realized his feelings and didn’t know what to do with himself.
“What do you think Bebe,” Tweek asked, “sh-should I say anything or just keep it to myself?”
“What?” The girl quickly looked up from her phone, turning it over in her lap. “I’m sorry, can you say that again?”
“Do you think I should tell Craig about my feelings for him? Or will it ruin everything?”
“Tell him!” Bebe smiled, leaning in closer to emphasize her point. “You guys are super close, I mean you’re together all the time. Even if he doesn't feel the same way, I can’t imagine it’ll hurt your friendship. Craig’s an asshole but if there’s anyone he cares about it’s you.”
Tweek never really understood why people said that about Craig. He was blunt and straight to the point, sure, but he never went out of his way to be mean. Even that time they got in a fight wasn’t truly his fault. They had both been manipulated which ironically was the catalyst to their friendship.
“Oh shit!” Bebe suddenly said as she glanced at her phone, quickly taking Clyde’s hand and pulling him to stand up, “we have to go! I totally forgot we promised Wendy we were gonna help her clean her room.”
“What?” Clyde stammered, but he didn’t have much time to protest as Bebe dragged him away.
Tweek was left to sit alone in confused silence. To be alone with his thoughts was probably the last thing he wanted at the moment, but it seemed he didn’t have much else to do.
“Tweek!” A familiar voice called out for him.
“Craig?” Tweek almost jumped upon seeing that familiar dark blue chullo hat approaching him. “Wa-what are you doing here?”
“Bebe said you wanted me to meet you here,” he stated flatly. How very Criag-ish of him.
Tweek internally cursed himself for trusting such a notorious gossip. He was hoping to have a whole script ready for the next time he’d run into Criag. “Oh yeah, I guess I did.”
“So, what’s going on?” Craig found that he couldn’t look Tweek directly in the other’s eye, opting to stare at the snowy tops of trees instead. This only made Tweek feel sick with guilt as he couldn't help but feel responsible for this reaction. He definitely had made things awkward for them.
“Well, I need to talk to you.” Tweek tried to quell his nerves, but he could already sense an oncoming panic.
“I’m sorry.” Craig said, still not able to make eye contact.
“What?”
“I’m sorry I made things awkward between us. I know we were supposed to just pretend to date but I guess I couldn’t help it.” Now he stared at his feet, using a hand to play with one of the strings from his hat.
“What do you mean?”
Craig swallowed, “I have a crush on you. I didn’t mean to, but I do.”
“What?” Tweek practically screamed, hopping out of his seat on the bench and up to Craig. “Really?”
Craig gritted his teeth. He knew Tweek’s reaction probably wasn’t going to be great but he felt like his heart had just been stabbed with a knife. “Yes.”
Tweek took both of the other boy’s hands in his own to ground himself. He wanted to have a somewhat clear head for what he was going to say next. With a soft and genuine smile he spoke, “I’m so happy Craig! I feel the same way I just had no idea how to tell you. I didn’t want you to be freaked out by it and never speak to me again.”
“That would never happen,” Craig could feel the tightness leave his shoulders and a demure smile take his lips, “I thought you were getting sick of me or something since I haven’t seen you around recently.”
Some of the light of Tweek’s face fell, making Craig regret his words. “I’m really sorry, I just didn't know what to do about my feelings and everything. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anyone before, I just don’t know what to do.”
Craig leaned in, not thinking twice before he pecked the other’s lips with his own. He immediately flew back, surprising even himself with his speed. He subconsciously let go of one of Tweek’s hands to cover his mouth, muffling his voice as he spoke. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that.”
Tweek gave him a coy, toothy grin so wide it almost hurt, and leaned in and kissed the hand that covered the other’s mouth. “I don’t mind,” he said before they were both reduced to nothing but two giggling, blushing messes elated and dizzy in their newfound lovesickness.
Boyfriends, that's what they were now officially. They were both in love for the very first time and didn't know to do with it, or what it really meant, but couldn't possibly be happier.
At the other side of the street, Bebe and Clyde watched from behind the hood of a parked car. Bebe had her phone ready to take pictures to send to the girl’s group chat and Clyde was left to grumble about how he owed Tolkien $20. Regardless, it was a good day.
