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Chapter Text

Stan stared over at where Tweek was sitting by himself, a little concerned. Normally Tweek would sit with others like Token, Craig, and Clyde at lunch, but today he was sitting by himself, and he seemed a bit more… twitchy than usual. Stan leaned over and tried to look at Tweek a little closer. Was he… talking to himself?
As Stan stared, he suddenly became aware of someone poking him in the shoulder. Blinking, he turned and saw Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman giving him annoyed stares.
“What?” Stan asked.
“Dude, we’re trying to have a conversation with you!” Kyle informed him, with a bit of irritation in his voice.
“Sorry,” Stan muttered, casting a glance back at Tweek, “It’s just that Tweek has been acting really odd lately. I mean, odder than usual. I’m really concerned.”
“I’ve been concerned about Tweek since the first day I met him,” Cartman muttered, taking a bite of his pizza.
“Why do you care about what Tweek does all of a sudden?” Kyle wondered.
“Well we were friends with him,” Stan reminded them, “Remember? Two years ago, when we were ten and were trying to find someone to replace Kenny?”
Kenny stopped eating and stared at them. “Wait, you guys tried to replace me?”
“Oh yeah, I do remember that,” Kyle said, ignoring Kenny’s question, “But I don’t see why it has to be our problem. That’s what Craig is for.” He looked around and only now noticed that Tweek was sitting alone and that Craig was nowhere in the cafeteria.
“Where is Craig?” Kyle wondered.
“Dude, he got suspended for blowing up the chemistry lab, remember?” Stan replied, “He won’t be back until sometime next week.”
Kyle was about to respond when sudden screaming interrupted him.
“OH YEAH? WELL WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT, YOU ASS-FACED WHORE?!” Tweek was shouting at seemingly no one. Stan stared at him with concern while everyone else stared at him with shock and confusion. Eventually Stan sighed.
“I’m going to go talk to him,” he decided, “See what’s wrong.”
“Good luck with that,” Cartman muttered.
“No, you guys are coming with me,” Stan said.
“No, we’re not,” Kenny countered.
Stan sighed again and stood up to walk over to Tweek’s table. He was glad when Kyle stood up with him as well. He really didn’t want to talk to Tweek alone. Especially while he was in a state like this.
As Stan and Kyle approached his table, something seemed to alert Tweek to their presence and he turned to look at them and jumped slightly. His left eye twitched. “What do you guys want?” he asked.
“May we sit down?” Stan wondered. After a brief moment of hesitation, and his eyes darting madly around the room, Tweek nodded and Stan and Kyle sat down across from him. Stan noticed that Tweek’s eyes seemed to be darting all around himself, as if he was searching for something that wasn’t there.
“Um, are you ok?” Kyle asked, trying not to bring up his outburst.
“Oh, I’m fine. How are you guys?” Tweek replied pleasantly. Stan and Kyle looked at each other for a brief moment before turning back to Tweek.
“Er, what’s been going on with you lately?” Stan asked as casually as he could.
“Well, Ginger has been bugging me lately, and Draco won’t stop nagging me about this certain thing that-“
“I’m sorry,” Stan interrupted before Tweek could go off on a tangent, “Who are Ginger and Draco?”
Tweek rolled his eyes. “The two people sitting right next to you?” he said, matter-of-factily. Again, Stan and Kyle looked at each other. Did Tweek really think there were people sitting next to them? They were the only three at the table.
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Kyle wondered.
Tweek didn’t answer right away, and instead stared silently down at the table, his eyes wide and unblinking. He then looked up at the two and leaned across to whisper to them.
“There’s something wrong with me,” he said quietly, “They’re everywhere. They follow me, but no one believes me anymore. I-I can’t -GNNK!- think straight!”
Stan frowned slightly. How long had this been going on? Had Tweek always been this crazy and he’d just never noticed before?
“Have you talked to your parents or Craig about any of this?” he wondered. If something was wrong with Tweek, surely his parents would do something, right?
Tweek’s eyes widened as he started scratching his fingernails on the table. “My parents?!” he repeated, “No! Nonononono! They’re in on it! They see what’s happening and they don’t care! They don’t care!”
Stan tried not to look at Kyle. He knew his friend would be staring at him with a “let’s just bail on this nut job” expression on his face. But something about Tweek’s pathetic posture and the way he seemed to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown made Stan feel for the poor kid. He felt like, without Craig to calm him down, Tweek would probably kill himself.
“What exactly are you talking about, Tweek?” Stan wondered.
Tweek closed his eyes and began to tremble gently. Stan and Kyle stared at him, concerned. Was he ok?
“About two years ago, I started seeing strange things,” Tweek explained, his eyes still closed, “I don’t know what’s real and what’s not anymore. People would speak to me, but they’re not really there.” He opened his eyes. “Am I crazy?” he asked, earnestly.
Before Kyle could say “yes,” Stan spoke first. “Have you told Craig about any of this?” he wondered. He recalled that it had been about two years since the town decided that Craig and Tweek were gay. Even if Stan didn’t really know whether or not they were actually gay, he knew the two spent a lot of time together and had become very close. Had Tweek been having problems the whole time?
“Craig…” Tweek repeated softly, “HNNH! I don’t want to bother him with my problems. He has a lot going on.”
Stan wasn’t so sure of that, but he didn’t get to question Tweek further as the bell suddenly wrung, signaling the end of lunch. Tweek stood up, taking his tray of barely touched food, threw all of it (including the tray) away, then quickly shuffled out of the cafeteria, leaving Stan and Kyle staring after him. What just happened?

Chapter Text

“Do we really have to talk to Craig?” Kyle whined as he and Stan walked up to Craig’s house after school, “Why can’t Tweek talk to him?”
“Are you kidding?” Stan replied, “Tweek would never say anything on his own. I know dude, I don’t really like Craig either, but I think he’s probably the only one who could do anything about Tweek.”
“Maybe he’s the one that caused it,” Kyle muttered as Stan knocked on the door.
It was a good thirty seconds before Stan heard any movement beyond the door. There was the sound of way too many locks being undone, and finally the front door opened and Craig stared back at them. Like most of the kids, Craig had not updated his wardrobe in two years. He even still wore his blue chullo hat.
Craig stared at the two boys in complete apathy. “What do you guys want?” he asked in his usual monotone voice.
“Um, we need to talk to you,” Stan told him, hesitantly, “May we come in?”
“No,” Craig answered curtly, “What do you want?”
Stan was a little taken aback by his blunt answer. But he quickly recovered. “We wanted to talk to you about Tweek.”
At the mention of his boyfriend, Craig stiffened. Stan could’ve sworn he saw Craig’s eyes dart to the ground then back up at him in one swift movement. But he quickly returned to his stoic manner.
“What about him?” he asked.
“He had a mental breakdown in lunch today,” Kyle explained before Stan could think of a more delicate way to put it, “He started screaming at no one, then he said that he saw things that weren’t really there.”
Again, Craig stiffened. “Perhaps you’d better come in,” he muttered, backing away from the door to allow them access. Looking at each other, Stan and Kyle followed him.
Craig lead the way into his living room where he took a seat in an oversized chair. Stan and Kyle sat on the couch opposite of him. Craig closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he finally opened his eyes, he gave the two across from him a hard stare.
“Ok, first of all, I want to say something,” he started, “Tweek and I are not gay. I know we’ve been ‘dating’ for two years, but that’s just to get the town to shut up more than anything else.”
Stan had a feeling Craig would use that argument, so he had already come up with a counter one. “I kind of already knew that,” he said, surprising Craig a little, “But even if you two aren’t really dating, you’re still his closest friend. You two spend a lot of time together, you know him better than anyone.”
Craig stared at the floor without saying anything. Kyle silently sighed and rolled his eyes.
“He said that he feels like he can’t tell you his problems because he doesn’t want to bother you,” Kyle explained, “Oh yeah, and that this started about two years ago.”
Upon hearing this, Craig’s eyes widened. He looked up at the two. “Really?” he asked, perhaps a bit more quietly than he meant to. Kyle nodded and Craig sighed. “Great, now I look like an ass hole,” he muttered.
“Well, we already thought you were one,” Stan assured him, “Er, I actually noticed that Tweek started acting a bit crazier about a week ago, the day after you got suspended. Like, as soon as you were gone, all the crazy just kind of poured out of him.”
“I’ve never noticed him act like that before,” Craig muttered to himself. A horrible thought suddenly came to him. “You don’t think he’s that way because of me, do you? Like I’m the reason he’s started hearing and seeing things?”
Neither Stan nor Kyle could look at him. They had considered that, actually. Craig felt a tremble run up his spine. Had Tweek been covering it up the whole time just for him? He had never been more confused in his life.
Sure, he wasn’t really dating Tweek, but he was still his friend and he still cared about him. Why had Tweek never talked to him about it?
“Look, just keep an eye on him at school for me, will you?” Craig requested, annoyed that he had to ask these two for help, “I’m not allowed to leave the house because of my suspension, but I’ll sort it out with him on Monday when I come back to school.”
Stan and Kyle looked at each other then back at Craig. “All right,” Stan agreed, “But you owe us, man.”

…

The rest of the week seemed to go by very slowly as Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman sat with Tweek at lunch, trying to keep him calm enough not to have a panic attack. It seemed Token and Clyde didn’t really care enough to sit with him if Craig wasn’t there. Stan thought this kind of rude of them, but then again, he and his friends wouldn’t be sitting with Tweek either if Craig hadn’t asked them to.
Tweek didn’t really seem to acknowledge the four of them. He would greet them as they sat down, but then he would just stare down at the table and mumble to himself. Stan shared many classes with Tweek, so he was able to keep an eye on him not just during lunch.
When they got to history class, Stan down next to Tweek while leaving a spot open for Kyle. As the class filtered in, Stan noticed that Tweek was silently scribbling in his notebook while his eyes kept darting off to the side. Was there something there only he could see?
Stan was about to ask him, but at that moment the teacher came in followed by a girl with brown hair he had never seen before. She was quite pretty.
“All right class, settle down!” the teacher, Miss Tory said, “We have a new student joining our class today! She just transferred from across the county, so be nice to her!”
“Hello,” the girl greeted shyly, “My name is Jess. I hope we can all get along.”
Stan smiled at her and glanced over at Tweek. He was a little surprised to see him staring at her in fear. What was the matter with him?
“Okay, Jess, go sit down,” Miss Tory instructed, “You can take Craig’s empty desk for now.” He gestured to an empty desk next to Tweek.
Smiling sweetly, she walked over and set her books down at the desk. As soon as she did, Tweek scooched his desk away slightly in fear. Stan noticed his eyes widening as if he had seen a ghost or something. He leaned over and gently nudged the trembling boy.
“Hey, are you ok?” he asked quietly. Tweek slowly turned his eyes towards him. Shaking, he started to nod, paused, then shook his head. Stan was about to ask what was wrong, but at that moment the teacher started talking again.
“Ok, class, on Monday you’re going to start your research project,” she explained. Several kids groaned, but she ignored them. “I’m going to partner you up, and you’ll write an essay on one of the many wars throughout history. It can be World War I, World War II… or any war that makes you happy.”
“Can we pick our own partners?” Clyde asked hopefully.
“No,” Miss Tory replied bluntly. She picked up a piece of paper off of her desk. “Ok, let’s see here. Kyle and Butters. Eric and Token. Nicole and Jimmy. Clyde and Kenny. Stan and Tweek…”
Practically everyone was disappointed with who they were paired with. Stan tried not to be too upset that he was partnered with Tweek. He would have preferred to be with anyone else, though. When she got to the end of the list, the teacher quickly looked it over.
“And Jess, you can pair with Craig when he gets back on Monday,” she concluded.
Stan looked over at Tweek and saw his eyes widening with terror. What was his problem with that girl? Why was he afraid of her?
When the bell rang, signaling the end of school for the day, Stan quickly put a hand on Tweek’s shoulder to keep him from bolting out the door. He jumped a little when Stan touched him, and he turned to him.
“W-what is it?” he asked, glancing at the door.
“I just wanted to see if you were ok,” Stan told him. He would’ve told him that Craig had told him to keep an eye on him, but he didn’t want Craig to come off as possessive or anything. “What was up with your reaction to the new girl? You looked frightened of her!”
Tweek quickly looked all around the room to make sure everyone had cleared out. Then he looked at Stan. “She’s a monster!” he hissed.

Chapter Text

Stan stared at Tweek in confusion. “What are you talking about, dude?” he asked, “Jess isn’t a monster.”
Tweek’s eyes darkened. “Of course,” he muttered, “You don’t see what she really is. No one does.” He shuddered once and collected his stuff. “I have to go, Stan. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Stan could only stare as Tweek bolted out the door.

…

When Tweek got home, he immediately bolted upstairs and locked himself in his room. Trembling, he collapsed on his bed, curling up tight into a ball and trying to block out the voices. He could feel the shadows creeping up on him, reaching out to grab him and drag him away. He felt his heart beating rapidly, and his breathing sped up. He felt like he was suffocating. Were those creatures with long sharp claws always there in his corner?
Suddenly, he felt someone gently touch his arm. “Tweek,” said a soft but monotone voice. Tweek flinched and let out a high-pitched squeak.
“Tweek, it’s ok. It’s just me.” The voice became familiar, and Tweek realized who it was. Blinking several times, he looked up and saw Craig sitting next to him, gently holding his arm, and staring down at him. Tweek had an overwhelming urge to throw his arms around the taller boy, but he couldn’t, remembering the terms of their relationship.
“Craig,” Tweek said in a quiet voice, “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
“I went through the window,” Craig answered, nonchalantly. Tweek suddenly noticed the open window behind him. “Tweek, what’s wrong?”
“N-nothing’s wrong,” Tweek lied through his teeth, “Just the -HGN!- usual shit.” He tried his best to let out a noncommittal laugh, but Craig wasn’t buying it. The taller boy put his hands on Tweek’s shoulders.
“Don’t lie to me, Tweek,” he told him, “Stan and Kyle told me what happened this week with you. Why have you never told me you have schizophrenia?”
At the revelation that Craig now knew of his condition, Tweek suddenly threw himself at him. He didn’t care if it violated the terms of their relationship they had set up, he wrapped his arms tightly around Craig and pressed his tear stained face into his chest. To his surprise, Craig didn’t protest, but silently put his arms around the shivering boy.
“It’s ok, Tweek,” Craig murmured to him, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Just relax. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Craig’s monotone but still soothing voice was able to calm Tweek. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his shivering and looked up into Craig’s calm face.
“Two years ago, I started seeing and hearing things that weren’t really there,” Tweek explained, “I started feeling more paranoid than usual, and I couldn’t help but feel depressed. I-I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t. My parents thought I just had depression, but I’m not stupid. I know I have schizophrenia.”
Craig was silent for a moment before speaking. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered.
“I-I didn’t want you to think that you had somehow caused it,” Tweek admitted, “We had just started our pretend relationship, and I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea. B-besides, whenever you’re around, the monsters go away. When you’re around… I’m not afraid anymore.”
Perhaps he had said a little more than he had meant to, but it was the truth. Tweek valued Craig’s company more than he would ever know. The relationship wasn’t fake for him. Craig may have thought their love was pretend. But Tweek’s wasn’t.
There was a pause as Craig contemplated Tweek’s words. He glanced around the room, wondering what it was like through Tweek’s eyes. Did the seemingly normal room hold terrors for Tweek that only he could see? The thought made Craig press the smaller boy closer to himself. He heard Tweek take a sharp breath, then cautiously lay his head on Craig’s chest. Tweek felt warm and safe in Craig’s arms, and he listened to Craig’s heartbeat.

…

Tweek would always remember the moment he knew his feelings for Craig went beyond mere friendship. It had been a couple of months that they had started “dating.” Tweek was walking along main street to go to the store for his parents. It wasn’t particularly busy on the street, and very few people were out. Suddenly, Tweek heard someone calling his name from across the street and turned to look. It was… his mom?
“Tweek!” she called and waved, “Come here, sweetie!”
“Mom, what are you doing over there?” Tweek asked, confused. He started across the street. “I thought you were back at the shop?”
When he reached the middle of the street, though, he heard a loud shout.
“TWEEK! NO!”
Startled, Tweek turned and saw a large truck speeding towards him. It was going much faster than it should have and didn’t look like it was going to slow down at all. Tweek’s eyes widened, and found himself paralyzed with fear. He couldn’t move.
A moment before the truck hit him, Tweek was tackled aside and forced on to the sidewalk. The truck roared harmlessly past.
Gasping for breath, and trying to regain his senses, Tweek felt whoever it was that tackled him wrap their arms around him. Blinking several times, he looked and saw it was Craig who was holding him.
“C-Craig?” Tweek whispered in surprise.
“Are you ok?” Craig asked in a quiet voice, “What were you thinking? Why did you walk out into the middle of the road like that?”
“I-I… M-my m-mother was c-calling to me,” Tweek stuttered, “I-I didn’t see that truck c-coming.”
Craig didn’t have the heart to tell Tweek that there was no one else there. Instead, he simply pulled Tweek closer, pressing him gently against his own body. Tweek shuddered and buried his face into Craig’s chest. Craig gently ran his fingers through Tweek’s hair, and whispered into his ear.
“It’s ok, Tweek. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything hurt you,” he murmured. Tweek felt a pain in his heart he had never felt before. He nuzzled up against Craig, leaning slightly into his touch. He felt himself melting in Craig’s arms, never wanting him to let go.
“I love you,” Tweek mouthed, no sound coming from his mouth. But that was ok. He didn’t want Craig to know. He just wanted to sit there with him a little while longer.

…

Craig stayed at Tweek’s house that night, but Tweek didn’t mind. Anything to keep away the shadows that kept him from sleeping. He was glad that Craig didn’t seem to mind him snuggling up to him. As Craig fell asleep next to Tweek, one arm gently resting around the others’ waist, Tweek stared over at him. Tweek felt an overwhelming wave of love for his friend wash over him. Craig would probably get in trouble the next morning for sneaking out when he wasn’t supposed to, but that hadn’t stopped him from making sure Tweek was ok. He gently moved closer to the sleeping form.
“I wish you knew how much I love you,” Tweek whispered in his quietest voice, “I love how you’re always there for me. Words can’t describe how much you mean to me.”
In an impulsive moment, Tweek inched closer and gently brushed his lips with Craig’s. It lasted only a second and Tweek quickly pulled back. He and Craig had only kissed once. About a year after they had started fake dating, they had decided to attend a fireworks show together. While watching, Craig proposed they kiss, just to see if they felt anything, and if either of them really did have any romantic feelings for the other. Tweek agreed, and they kissed.
It had been one of the most fantastic moments of Tweek’s life. He had hoped he didn’t seem too eager while he kissed Craig. They had both gotten really into it, too. They had wrapped their arms around each other, kissing each other as deep as they possibly could. Tweek felt fireworks going off in his own heart. When they finally pulled away, Craig said he felt nothing. Tweek lied and said the same, covering up the fact that his heart had just shattered into a million pieces.
The sun slowly rose, casting a soft glow into the room. Tweek continued staring at Craig until he slowly stirred. Tweek took a sharp breath and quickly rolled over so Craig wouldn’t catch him staring at him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t so lucky.
“Were you just staring at me, waiting for me to wake up?” Craig asked in a quiet voice. Tweek flinched.
“N-no?” Tweek replied unconvincingly. He heard Craig sigh, and was surprised when he suddenly looped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer.
“You know I don’t like being watched in my sleep,” Craig murmured in Tweek’s ear. Tweek felt a shudder run through him. He felt Craig’s warm breath on his face as he let out a small laugh. “Take it easy, Tweek, I’m just messing with you,” he said.
“I k-know,” Tweek lied. He quickly scrambled away, breaking free from Craig’s arm. “I’m going to get some coffee,” he muttered. He stumbled downstairs and started making himself a pot. His parents, having gotten up early to run the store, had left the remains of their breakfast for Tweek to clean up. Sighing, Tweek started cleaning while the coffee was made. When he was finished, he poured most of the pot into a thermos and went back upstairs to his room.
He was a little surprised when he got there to find that Craig had fallen back asleep. It wasn’t that early in the morning, was it? Tweek couldn’t help but notice how comfortable Craig looked in his bed. He had a hand over his face, and the blanket tucked up around him. He was breathing peacefully.
As much as Tweek had an overwhelming desire to curl up beside him, tucking himself into Craig’s arms and hiding his face in his neck, he knew Craig should probably be getting home before his parents noticed he had snuck out. As calmly as he could, Tweek walked over to the bed and sat down beside his sleeping friend. He took off the lid of the thermos and started waving it in front of Craig’s face. Craig groaned and pulled the blanket up over his head.
“Go away,” he mumbled.
“Come on, Craig,” Tweek encouraged, “You have to get up.”
“Don’t wanna,” he muttered.
Tweek sighed and gently nudged him. “Your parents are going to know you snuck out,” he pointed out. Craig’s only response was a muffled “mmph.” Smirking, Tweek carefully climbed over him so he was behind him. Then, without any warning, Tweek kicked out his legs and violently shoved Craig off the bed. There was a loud thud as Craig landed on the floor.
“Ow,” he muttered.

…

Monday did not come fast enough for Tweek. He didn’t get to see Craig again at all that weekend, and his nightmarish visions had come back full force. He didn’t sleep that weekend, and there was no one around to bring him back to reality.
Tweek was incredibly relieved when he stepped outside Monday morning and found Craig waiting for him. He practically slipped on ice racing over to press himself to Craig’s side. As soon as he did, Craig gently laced his fingers with his, and Tweek felt all of his inner demons starting to fade. He left out a sigh of relief.
“Geez, Tweek, it’s only been two days,” Craig joked in his monotone voice, “You can’t have missed me that badly.”
Tweek didn’t respond as they walked down the street together towards the bus stop. They were shortly joined by Clyde and Token, with Clyde taking the other side of Craig.
“Hey man,” Clyde greeted, “How was being suspended from school for two weeks?”
“Meh,” Craig replied.
“Well, that’s what you get for blowing up the chemistry lab,” Token pointed out, “I’m surprised you didn’t get a harsher punishment. Why’d you do it anyway?”
Craig shrugged. “It was funny,” he said in his driest voice.
“Well, I hope you thought it was worth it,” Token scolded.
“It was.”
Their conversation ended when they got to the bus stop. Tweek tried not to focus on the fact that Clyde and Token basically ignored him all the time. It’s not like Tweek went out of his way to talk to either of them. But sometimes it felt like they refused to acknowledge he was even there. There was a time when he and Craig had started dating when Clyde would cut in between the two as they held hands, as if he didn’t even realize Tweek was there. He didn’t do that anymore, though, luckily for Tweek.
As they waited for the bus, Clyde and Token continued making small talk, while Tweek stood there quietly. He was trying to ignore the deformed creature staring at him from across the street. With its black eyes, and long claws, and hideous smile, Tweek had to fight back the fear he felt rising inside him. He gave Craig’s hand a gentle squeeze as the taller boy stared blankly at his two friends. As Clyde and Token jabbered about nothing, Craig turned his eyes to look at Tweek. He saw the smaller boy staring wide eyed at something across the street, and he gently pulled him closer. He felt Tweek shivering against him, and he tuned out anything Clyde and Token were saying to him.
The bus came a moment later, and they all climbed on. Craig took Tweek by the hand to the back of the bus where they sat together. Clyde and Token took the seat across. Tweek stared at the floor of the bus, not wanting to look out the window where the demons were. The bus came to another stop shortly after and the four friends looked up to see Jess getting on. Tweek’s eyes widened with horror.
“Oh hey, it’s the new girl!” Clyde pointed out. He reached across the aisle and poked Craig in the arm. “That’s who the teacher paired you up with on the assignment.”
Craig blinked at him. “What assignment?” he asked.
Before Clyde could angrily point out that he and Token had told him exactly “what assignment” he was talking about at the bus stop, Jess walked up to them.
“Excuse me,” she addressed the four of them politely, “Is it all right if I sit next to one of you? Everywhere is taken.”
Craig would’ve loved to point out that the bus was more than half empty, and she had free reign to sit where ever she God-damn well pleased and didn’t have to bother them, but the uncaring cynic side of him wouldn’t let him. So, he instead he gently scooched Tweek over and made room for her to sit down. As she sat down next to him, he suddenly felt Tweek squeeze his hand so tight, it felt like he was trying to break it. Craig cringed slightly, but made no other visible reaction.
“I’m Jess, by the way,” the girl greeted, “I just moved here. Are you Craig?”
Craig gave her the blankest of stares. “Sure,” he replied in his monotone voice. He was trying to ignore the stupid looks Token was throwing at him, and the way Tweek was biting down on his own tongue. Without looking at him, Craig gently rubbed the back of Tweek’s hand with his thumb to calm him down.
“I guess we’re going to be research buddies, huh?” Jess continued, not noticing Tweek’s discomfort. “It’s not the situation I would want on the first day, having to be paired up with someone I hadn’t even met yet. But you seem nice enough.”
“Ok,” Craig replied simply.
He could feel Tweek having the start of a panic attack beside him and he wondered what was wrong with him. Craig wasn’t really one for public displays of affection, he had told Tweek this when they had first started their pretend relationship, but he couldn’t let the poor kid break down right on the bus where all their peers would see them. He wrapped and arm around him brought him close enough so he could murmur in his ear without being heard.
“Are you ok?” he asked quietly. Tweek looked at him with wide eyes.
“GN! N-No,” Tweek whispered back, “I-I can’t breathe!”
Craig blinked at him then calmly turned to Jess. “I don’t mean to be rude,” he said, “But would mind sitting over there next to Clyde and Token instead?”
“Oh, ok,” Jess replied politely. She didn’t ask why, but instead stood briefly to sit beside Clyde. Immediately, Craig felt Tweek’s shuddering going down.
“It’s all right, Tweek,” Craig murmured to him, “You’ll be all right now.”
Tweek nodded slowly, but didn’t say anything more until they got to school.

Chapter Text

Stan was relieved to see that Tweek seemed much calmer at lunch that afternoon than he had the previous week. Just one day back, and Craig already seemed to have brought Tweek back from the madness of his own mind. Stan and his friends were sitting with Craig and his friends, as Stan secretly wanted to make sure Tweek was all right. He decided to disguise this by talking about the research paper they were expected to do together.
“Hey Token,” Cartman said to his research partner, “I know the perfect war we can do our paper on!”
“If you say the Civil War just because I’m black, I’m going to have Craig punch you in the face,” Token warned him. Craig nodded with approval.
Cartman was silent for a few moments. “Darn it! It just slipped my mind!” he said falsely, “Totally forgot what it was! Oh well. We’ll do whichever war you want to do.”
“Butters wants to do the paper on World War II,” Kyle decided to comment.
“Why, because you’re Jewish?” Cartman asked, eagerly. Kyle glared at him.
“You know, Cartman, not everyone is a racist asshole like you are,” he said, “He told me he wants to talk about blowing up Japan.”
“Charming,” Stan muttered. He turned to Tweek, who was silently mixing all his food together with his fork. “Which war do you want to do our paper on?” he asked.
Tweek jumped a little, startled at suddenly being addressed. “Gah! I don’t know!” he stammered, “W-Whichever one you want, I guess.”
Stan frowned slightly, and was about to say something else, but at that moment, Jess walked up to the table.
“Hello, everyone,” she greeted sweetly, “Would it be all right if I sat with you guys?”
Receiving a perfect split of nodding and head shakes, Jess sat down anyway, choosing to sit in between Craig and Clyde. She didn’t seem to notice Tweek take a hissing breath of fear. “So, what are we talking about?” she asked.
“We were discussing the research paper we have to do for History class,” Token informed her. “None of us really know what we’re going to do yet.”
“Oh, yeah that,” Jess giggled. She playfully nudged Craig in the side, who gave her a blank stare. “We haven’t really discussed it yet, have we Craig?”
“I just met you today,” Craig pointed out boredly.
Stan tried not to stare at Jess as she giggled lightly at Craig’s statement. Was she attracted to him? She certainly seemed to be sitting very close to him, and Stan couldn’t help but notice Tweek gently shaking beside him. But who would ever be attracted to Craig?
The group ate in relative silence, not really having much to talk about. Stan couldn’t help but stare at Tweek as his eyes kept darting over to where Jess sat. He remembered what Tweek had said; that she was a monster. Maybe that meant Tweek saw her as a monster? Why didn’t he think of that before? Perhaps that’s why he was so frightened of her.
When the bell rung, signaling the end of lunch, Tweek quickly stood and gently laced his fingers with Craig’s. They had history class next, so the whole group headed off to the classroom. Craig didn’t seem to notice that Tweek had pulled him closer to himself and away from Jess as they walked. But Stan noticed.
“All right, class!” Miss Tory chirped when everybody had settled down, “We’re going to begin our research papers today! I hope all of you discussed which war you were going to research over the weekend!”
The class all looked at each other. 90% of them had not even spoken to their partner since class ended on Friday. The teacher didn’t seem to notice.
“Ok, let’s head on down to the library so we can begin!” she instructed. The class moaned with annoyance, but obeyed.
When they got to the library, everyone split up into their pairs. Stan let Tweek go with Craig for a bit so he could grab a book about significant wars and revolutions that happened throughout history. It was really thick and heavy, and Stan felt his spine bending in ways it wasn’t supposed to as he lugged it over to a table. When he put it down, the table bent under its weight. Panting, he opened up to the table of contents. Then he glanced around for Tweek.
Tweek was hovering near where Craig and Jess were; not really sitting with them, but still close enough so he could hear everything they were saying. Stan sighed. He hoped Tweek’s fear of the new girl was unjustified. Especially since she would be working closely with Craig for the next few weeks. He understood wanting to protect a friend, but surely Jess wasn’t actually as bad as a monster.
Stan walked over to Tweek and gently tapped him on the shoulder. Tweek startled violently, but let out a sigh when he saw who it was.
“Jesus Christ, don’t sneak up on me like that,” Tweek muttered.
“Sorry,” Stan said, “I found a reference book we can use to get started on our paper.”
Tweek cast a glance back at Craig and Jess, then turned back to Stan with a small look of worry on his face. “Ok,” he said quietly.
They walked back to where Stan had left the book and found that Clyde and Kenny had joined them at the table.
“Can we borrow this book when you’re done with it?” Kenny asked.
“Sure, if you can carry it without crushing yourself,” Stan answered, sitting down. After looking through the long list of wars, Stan and Tweek decided to do their paper on the War of 1812, because it was easy to remember what year it took place. Then Kenny had Clyde carry the book back to their own table, with Clyde nearly breaking his own back under its weight.
As Stan started to look through a few American history books (which were thankfully much smaller than the war book), he noticed Tweek staring over at Craig and Jess. He didn’t even sort of look invested in the paper, and was had an intense look on his face, like he was trying to overhear what they were saying. Stan sighed and closed the book he had been reading: The War of 1812: The British Version.
“Ok, Tweek,” Stan said quietly so no one could over hear, “What’s wrong? Why do you keep staring over at those two?”
Tweek jumped a little. “I-I’m not staring,” he mumbled, lying pathetically. Stan sighed.
“Come on, Tweek,” he argued, “I know Craig’s your closest friend and you see Jess as a monster, but there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just your mind playing tricks on you.”
Shuddering, Tweek closed his eyes. “Craig’s not just my friend,” he said quietly, “He’s so much more to me.”
“What do you mean?” Stan wondered.
Tweek looked around the room with wild eyes before looking back at Stan. “Can I tell you something?” he asked, “Something personal?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it, no,” Stan replied. Tweek blinked at him. He glanced down and suddenly looked to be at war with himself. “But, uh, I can keep your secret, Tweek,” he added quickly, “You can trust me.”
Tweek sighed and came to a decision. He leaned forward and spoke in his quietest voice. “I’m in love with Craig,” he whispered.
Stan looked shocked. “Wait, really?” he asked. Tweek nodded. “But Craig told Kyle and me that you two weren’t gay!”
“I know,” Tweek’s voice was very quiet, and had a hint of sadness. “And he wasn’t really lying. Craig’s not gay. I don’t really know if I am, because Craig is the only person I’ve ever been in love with. I guess I’ve been attracted to girls before, but being with Craig is just so different. He gets me in ways no one else does. He can keep me calm without even trying. This relationship started out as fake, but it’s grown real for me. And I know I can never tell him how I really feel, because he wouldn’t want to be with me anymore.”
Stan could feel his heart breaking just looking at how torn up Tweek looked. He looked so sad and defeated at the moment, Stan wished he could do something to cheer him up in some way. But he knew anything he could do would be pointless. Only Craig could bring any happiness to Tweek. He tried to think of something he could say to make him feel better, but it all sounded weak and feeble in his head.
“I’m sorry, Tweek,” Stan murmured, “It must be hard to be in love with someone whom you can never tell.”
“You have no idea,” Tweek muttered.
“But, I do know one thing,” Stan added, “I know he cares about you a great deal.”
Tweek looked at him. “Really?” he asked, a speck of hope lighting his voice.
“Last week Kyle and I went to talk to him about you,” Stan admitted, “He was really concerned when we told him about how you had been acting. He wanted us to watch you to make sure you were ok. He may not realize it, or he may deny it, but I know Craig really cares about you.”
Tweek looked down at the table for a long quiet moment. Then he looked back up, and Stan thought he could see his eyes sparkling. “Thank you, Stan,” he said, “For telling me. And for trying to cheer me up.”
Stan smiled gently. “Any time,” he replied.

Chapter Text

Tweek was up in his room when his parents came in. They were smiling more than usual, and Tweek could tell they were about to tell him something horrible. The tall, looming shadows behind them didn’t really help either.
“Hey, kiddo!” his father greeted him, “You know what time of year it is?”
Tweek felt his heart sink. Oh no.
“Your grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are coming for their yearly visit!” Mrs. Tweak announced happily.
“No…” Tweek whispered. The Tweak extended family was just as odd as one would expect of the Tweaks. They were loud, over bearing, weird, wacky, and all together unpleasant. And unlike Tweek and his parents, who were generally liberal, Tweek’s family were all heavily conservative. Heck, his Great-Great Grandfather was alive during the roaring 20’s when it was ok to be super racist. And yes, he was still alive.
And, of course, they were all addicted to coffee.
“Do we really have to have them over?” Tweek whined, “Why can’t they just get to the Coffee Bean festival without passing through South Park?”
“Now, now, Tweek,” his father scolded, “You know they go out of their way to visit us! Family means a lot to the Tweaks. And we expect you to be on your best behavior.”
The thought of spending another meal alone with his extended family horrified Tweek. He could already feel his family’s demons staring down at him from the shadows. He quickly thought of something that could help.
“Is it all right if I invite some of my friends over?” Tweek asked hastily.
“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Mr. Tweak replied. “I’m sure the family would love to meet your friends. Or see that you actually have friends.”
Tweek frowned, but decided not to comment as he quickly left the room so he could call Craig. He picked up right before it went to voice mail.
“What?” Craig said in his most deadpan voice.
“I was wondering if you’d do me a favor,” Tweek replied, not put off by Craig’s tone. He always answered the phone like that.
“What is it?”
Tweek paused a moment before answering. He wasn’t exactly sure how to ask Craig to come have dinner with his annoying family because he didn’t want to be alone with them. He took a deep breath.
“I w-was wondering if you could come over to my house tonight,” he requested, “My extended family is coming for dinner, and I really don’t want to be alone with them. They always make fun of me and my twitching.”
“I was planning on hanging out with Clyde and Token tonight, though,” Craig told him.
“They can come too!” Tweek added quickly, “Please, Craig! I really don’t want face my family on my own!”
There was pause, then a quiet sigh. “Ok,” Craig said.
Tweek let out a breath of relief. “Thanks Craig,” he said gently.

…

Tweek had one Great-Great Grandfather, a Great Grandmother and father, two grand mothers and a grandfather, three uncles, four aunts, and twelve cousins. All of them were now in his house chatting excitedly with Tweek’s parents, and almost knocking things over because the tiny house was not meant to hold this many people. Tweek’s parents had set up a long dining table outside where they could fit everyone, which relieved Tweek. Outside he knew would be able to breathe.
“Hey Tweek!” greeted one of his cousins, a boy who had an unbearably high-pitched voice that was higher than any girl, “You plan on getting a girlfriend this year, or what?”
“Yeah, Tweek!” laughed his twin sister who had an incredibly low voice, “You’re the only one in our family not dating someone!”
“I’m dating someone,” Tweek mumbled, feeling his cheeks start to warm. Of course, he wasn’t going to tell anyone in his family that he was dating a boy. Then his twelve cousins would have to “beat the gay out of him.”
“Really?” replied the boy, surprised, “Who would ever go out with a freak like you?”
The twins started laughing, but Tweek was saved from having to answer them when he heard the front door ring.
“GAH! I’ll get it!” he cried out loudly before his father could offer to get it. He quickly ran back inside, thankful that his family had moved themselves outside in the back yard. Tweek couldn’t bear the thought of what it would’ve been like fighting to the front door if they had still been in the house.
When Tweek opened the door, he let out an immense sigh of relief when he saw Craig, Token, Clyde, Stan, and Kyle standing on his front porch.
“Oh, thank God you guys are here!” he sighed, “I don’t think I could take one more second of being alone with my family!”
“Are they really that bad?” Token wondered. Tweek gave him a wide-eyed stare.
“Yes!” he replied. Then he noticed something. “Why are Stan and Kyle here?” he asked.
“We were supposed to work on our research paper,” Stan reminded him, “We talked about it at school.”
“Oh yeah,” Tweek muttered, “But then why is Kyle here?”
As Kyle gave Stan a look that said, “I’d like to know that myself,” Mr. Tweak suddenly appeared behind his son.
“Hello, boys!” he greeted, “Tweek told me you fellas were coming! Let me go set up some extra chairs for you guys!” He left them alone with a big smile on his face.
“Dude, I think your dad is in denial,” Clyde said after a moment.
Tweek led his friends inside, but before they went outside, Tweek turned to them.
“Before you guys go out there, I have to warn you about my family,” he told them quietly.
“What about them?” Token asked.
“Well, they’re all really conservative, first of all,” Tweek warned, “I mean they hate every minority group, they’re always complaining about something, my cousins are all weird. But the one you have to really look out for is my Great-Great Grandfather.” At this, he looked right at Token. “He was alive even before all the civil rights movements, so he’ll probably bad mouth you for being black.”
“He sounds pleasant,” Kyle muttered.
“And try not to mention that you’re Jewish, Kyle,” Tweek told him, “My cousins will probably make fun of you.”
“Your family just sounds like they’re so much fun to be around,” Clyde said sarcastically. Tweek sighed heavily.
“I know,” he muttered, “I don’t like them, but they come here every year while going to the Coffee Bean festival, and my parents always insist on having them over. Even though they know I don’t like them.”
“The what festival?” Stan asked.
Before Tweek could reply, his mother called to them. “Hey kids! Dinner is ready! Come on out!” Tweek’s eyes widened as he realized he almost forgot to tell them about the food his family ate.
“Really quick,” he said hastily, “A majority of my extended family is from the South, so they like their food to be really spicy. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”
“Relax, Tweek!” Clyde laughed, “I’m sure it’s not that bad!”
As his friends all started heading out to the backyard, Tweek fell back to walk with Craig, who had taken up the rear. He felt his anxiety start to flare up at the thought of what his family would think of his friends, and he wanted nothing more than to lace his fingers with Craig’s.
“Everything ok?” Craig asked him quietly.
“N-no,” Tweek replied in a soft voice, “Two of my cousins were teasing me earlier because I’ve never dated someone before. Even if we’re just… you know… pretend dating, I can’t tell them about you because they’ll destroy me.”
“It’s ok,” Craig murmured, “I won’t tell anyone. And I’ll sit next to you during dinner.”
Tweek very lightly pressed against him. “Thanks, Craig.”
They got outside where the family was waiting for him. As soon as they saw Tweek standing by his group of friends, a few of his cousins gasped. “Whoa! The freak actually has friends!” they laughed. Tweek was comforted when he felt both Craig and Clyde press gently against him.
“Why is that kid wearing a cone around his neck?” Stan muttered, a little concerned.
“Why is the one next to him wearing a cow hat?” Token added.
Nobody got to say anything else as Mr. Tweak announced that dinner was ready and everyone could take a seat. As Tweek and his friends went to sit down, his Great-Great Grandfather roughly pushed past them.
“Oh good!” he said in a low, ancient voice, “Someone to take my coat and hat!” With shaking hands, the old man removed his coat and dropped it on Token, who was taken completely off guard. Tweek cringed for him as his ancestor dropped his hat on Token as well. “Make sure they don’t get wrinkled,” the old man added.
Tweek could see Token glaring at his grandfather, but to his credit, he didn’t say anything. When his back was turned, Token simply dropped the hat and coat on the ground, then went to take a seat between Clyde and Stan. Tweek knew he would have to apologize later.
“Great Grandmother Margaret, would you do the honors of saying grace?” Mr. Tweak requested.
The grandmother in question was currently asleep, and her husband had to nudge her awake. She woke startled, and the husband sighed. “They want you to say grace,” he said in a wheezing voice.
“Grace?” she clarified, confused, “She’s been dead for thirty years!”
“No!” her husband explained, “The blessing!”
After Great Grandmother Margaret recited the Pledge of Allegiance for some reason, everyone sat down and began to eat, with Tweek a little annoyed that his Great-Great Grandfather sat nearby. He looked over at Tweek and his friends. “Why are we eating with the nig-“
“Dad!” One of Tweek’s Great Grandparents exclaimed.
“Granddad!” A grandmother shouted.
“Great Grandpa!” Mrs. Tweak gasped.
“What?” Great-Great Grandfather wondered, “Is that term wrong? Back where I come from we just call them untouchables.”
Tweek facepalmed and Token continued to glare at the old man. Tweek casted his most sympathetic face at Token, while Clyde quickly muttered something to him. Whatever he had said seemed to calm him down as Token let out a sigh.
Things didn’t really get any less awkward from there. When Tweek had told his friends his family liked spicy food, they had vastly underestimated just how spicy they liked it.
“Sweet Jesus!” Kyle hissed under his breath, “Is this chicken seasoned with molten lava!?”
Tweek didn’t respond, but stared wide-eyed down at his plate. He could hear the twins, who were nearby, talking about him. His fears were confirmed when they suddenly spoke up.
“Hey Tweek!” they sneered, “You said you were dating someone before! Who is it? Is she cute?”
Tweek felt his body starting to freeze up, and it was all he could do not to start hyperventilating. Oh God! Was he going to start having a panic attack right in the middle of dinner? Then everyone would know something was up!
Just when he felt like he was about to start freaking out, Tweek suddenly felt someone gently grasp his hand under the table. His breath caught in his throat, and he looked down a little to see that Craig had quietly reached over to take his hand and was gently rubbing it with his thumb. The gesture calmed Tweek down enough so he could respond to his cousins.
“What does it matter to you?” he asked, “You wouldn’t know her anyway.”
His cousins looked rejected by that answer, and didn’t press any further.
Seeing the boys still looking a bit stunned by the food, Mr. Tweak decided to try to lighten their moods by making small talk. He smiled at Tweek’s friends. “So, boys, how’s the food?” he asked in a laughing voice, “It’s got a little kick to it, eh?”
“I can’t see out of my left eye,” Craig muttered, blinking rapidly.
“I see dead people,” Clyde added, staring at something, wide-eyed and unblinking.
Stan looked like he was in pain, and reached for a glass of water. He took a small sip, but almost immediately spat it back out. “Dude!” he hissed at Kyle, “Even the water’s spicy!”
“Who does that?” Kyle wondered desperately.
Everyone was quiet for a minute as they ate, but eventually, Token couldn’t take it anymore. “Ok, I’m sorry,” he spoke up, “No offense, but it is stupid that you people eat food this spicy!”
All the Tweaks either stared or glared at him. Token paused then leaned over to Clyde. “I said ‘no offense,’ right?” he asked quietly. Clyde merely stared at him, unable to blink.
The night wore on, and the sky grew dark, which Tweek hoped meant his family would leave soon, but unfortunately Mr. Tweak brought out some lanterns, torches, and candles to make the dinner last longer. His uncles and aunts started making out with each other, while Great-Great Grandfather kept talking about how things were better “when the Jews weren’t around to ruin things.” Kyle frowned at the statement and Stan had to remind him not to say anything. The cousins started making fun of Tweek until Craig got fed up and socked one of them in the face. The cousin he had punched was one of Tweek’s larger and older cousins, so Craig’s feat of strength made them all shut up immediately. Eventually, and I do mean eventually, the family decided it was time to be on their way and finally headed out.
After they had left, Tweek sat in the living room with his friends, not really knowing how to feel about the whole evening. Clyde let out a sigh from where he sat next to Craig.
“Well, that was one of the more interesting dinners I’ve ever had,” he noted.
“Yeah,” Tweek muttered, “I’m really sorry about my Great-Great Grandfather, Token and Kyle. We’ve been hoping he would just shut up and croak for quite a few years now.”
Token, who had looking rather tense and annoyed all evening, finally relaxed a bit. “It’s ok,” he said calmly, “It’s hard for older folks to change their ways once they’re set in them.” He paused. “Especially if they’re that old.”
They talked a little bit more, but then decided it was getting late, and everyone except Craig headed home, with Stan promising they could work on the paper some other time. When they had all left, Craig turned to Tweek.
“Is it all right if I stay here tonight?” he requested, “I don’t feel like walking home.”
“It’s fine,” Tweek replied, the thought of Craig staying over always making his heart leap, “I’m sure my parents won’t mind. They like you.”
“Heaven knows why,” Craig joked in his deadpan voice.
The two of them helped Tweek’s parents clean up and get the table and dishes put away from outside. And they finished just as it suddenly started to rain. It was a light drizzle at first, but soon became a downpour. As Tweek put dishes in the dish washer, he stared out the window, wide-eyed.
I really hope it doesn’t start to thunder, he thought. Almost more than anything else, Tweek was terrified of thunderstorms. The thunder sounded like monsters roaring at him, the rain pounding on his window sounded like something trying to break into his room, and whenever lightning flashed it would light up all the demons who would crowd around Tweek’s bed.
Craig must have noticed Tweek spacing out because he gently pressed against Tweek’s side, snapping him out of it. He closed his eyes and let himself be quietly comforted.
When they finally finished cleaning up, Tweek and Craig were exhausted and trudged up to Tweek’s room. Craig, never caring what he wore to bed, flopped down on Tweek’s bed with a tired sigh. Tweek took his night clothes from his dresser and went to the bathroom to get changed. He was always embarrassed to get undressed in front of others, even though Craig said he didn’t need to be.
“Dude, we’ve all seen each other’s dicks, you shouldn’t be embarrassed to get undressed in front of me,” he had said. But that just made Tweek even more embarrassed.
While Tweek got ready for bed, he knew that Craig was probably brushing his teeth with a toothbrush he had almost certainly left at Tweek’s house on purpose. During one of the times Craig had stayed over, he had left a toothbrush in Tweek’s room. When Tweek asked if had wanted it back, he had simply replied “eh.” So in Tweek’s room it stayed.
When Tweek got back to his room, Craig was spitting out his window and Tweek sighed.
“I have a bathroom, you know,” he pointed out, “With a sink and everything.”
“Yeah, I know,” Craig replied, wiping his mouth and shutting the window.
Tweek crawled into bed, and Craig laid down next to him. They weren’t quite touching, but Tweek could still feel Craig’s breath. He was about to close his eyes, when he was startled by a loud, crashing boom, and lightning lit up the room. He let out a petrified scream.
“No!” he cried out, “Don’t let them get me!”
Suddenly, he felt Craig’s gentle arms wrap around him, and he was pulled close. Gasping with fear, Tweek immediately buried his face in Craig’s chest. He squeezed his eyes shut as another flash of lightning filled the room with light.
“It’s ok, Tweek,” Craig whispered in a much softer voice than usual, “It’s going to be all right. Don’t be afraid.”
Tweek felt Craig tighten his hold around him. Breathing hard, Tweek pressed himself closer and he could hear Craig’s heart beating rapidly in his chest. What was also a bit strange was that every time lightning struck, Tweek felt Craig cringe slightly. Not a lot, but just enough to be noticeable. Tweek looked up at him.
“Craig,” he said in a soft voice, “Are you ok?”
He heard Craig sigh, and felt his arms tighten around him. “No,” he replied earnestly, “I’ve never told anyone before, but I really don’t like thunderstorms.”
“You don’t?” Tweek was a little surprised. Craig always seemed so cool and uncaring about everything, it was odd to hear he was afraid of something.
“It’s not the thunder that bothers me, though,” Craig explained, “It’s the lightning. My family isn’t very rich; we’re on welfare. So we don’t have a lot of extra money to replace anything if it gets damaged. Whenever there’s a thunderstorm, I’m always afraid lightning is going to strike our house, or strike a tree outside and cause it to crash into our house. My mind always comes up with the worst possible scenarios; our house collapses, tree crushes us. I hate it.”
“I know what that’s like,” Tweek mumbled. He was always coming up with horrible situations of how everything could go wrong.
They both flinched when lightning struck again, and it was immediately followed by loud thunder. Tweek pressed his face into Craig’s neck in fear. The tall eyeless figure had been standing over him again, reaching towards him with its long sharp claws. He felt Craig gently run his fingers through his hair, but he was trembling slightly. Taking a breath, Tweek sat up and looked at him.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Craig,” he told him quietly, “It’s very rare to be struck by lightning or anything like that. You don’t have to worry.”
Craig scoffed. “Oh, and you do?” he asked, a bit sarcastically, “I’m pretty sure my fears are more justified than yours.”
“I can’t help what I see,” Tweek murmured.
They were both quiet for a long minute. They stared at each other in the darkness, a hint of fear showing in both their eyes. Then, in a wild moment when lightning flashed again, they both quickly leaned over and kissed each other. Tweek immediately felt his heart race as he and Craig kissed. He didn’t know what had suddenly come over him, come over both of them, but he was thankful for it, whatever “it” was.
As he kissed Craig deeper, he felt Craig kissing him back just as deeply. Craig’s arms were wrapped around him, keeping him close to his body. He was kissing Tweek softly, and Tweek wanted him to just keep kissing him forever. He gasped slightly as Craig gently pushed him so that Tweek was on his back and Craig was lying on top of him. He felt Craig kiss him deeper and he relished it. Neither of them flinched when there was another flash of lightning, and another rumble of thunder. They were too distracted by each other.
Tweek felt his own arms carefully wrap around Craig, and was relieved when Craig didn’t object. The taller boy only kissed him deeper, and Tweek couldn’t help but sigh in content. He was melting under Craig’s intense kiss. He no longer cared about any of the shadows that loomed around his room. He didn’t notice the blank eyes staring at him, or how all the monsters reared over him, waiting to strike as soon as there was a flash of lightning. All he could focus on was how amazing kissing Craig felt.
When Craig started to pull away slightly, Tweek leaned up, not wanting to relinquish yet. He arched his back a little, and Craig took the opportunity to loop an arm around under him and suddenly pulled him up with him into a sitting position, never breaking the kiss. The act made Tweek kiss Craig deeper, and they both had their arms wrapped around each other, keeping each other as close as possible. Tweek wanted to cry out when Craig suddenly broke the kiss, but gasped a moment later when he started kissing his neck. He felt a shudder run down his spine, and he never knew he could feel this good. Craig was softly kissing all over his neck, careful not to leave any marks. Tweek tried hard to control his breathing, he didn’t want Craig to grow concerned and stop. He gasped again when Craig found his weak spot, and he was temporarily blinded by the rush he felt.
“C-Craig!” he exclaimed purely out of passion. Craig stopped and looked at him, a little worried. Had he accidentally hurt Tweek? He thought he was being gentle.
He was answered, though, when Tweek desperately leaned in and kissed him again. Craig leaned into him, just as eager to kiss him back. Craig had no idea what he was doing. Why was he so passionately kissing one of his closest friends? He didn’t know, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He only wanted to kiss Tweek deeper, to tear his mind away from his growing fears. He pressed Tweek closer, and a shudder ran through his body.
They were kissing for well over half an hour, so wrapped up in each other, they hadn’t even noticed that the storm had passed. When they finally pulled away, they stared at each other in complete shock. Neither of them said anything, neither of them wanting to explain themselves.
Finally, Tweek decided to break the silence. “Why did we do that?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I don’t know,” Craig admitted quietly, “We were just talking, and suddenly we were kissing.”
“But why?” Tweek knew why he would kiss Craig, but why had Craig kissed him?
Craig was silent for a moment. “I think it’s… I saw how scared you were, but I couldn’t do anything to calm you,” he rationalized, “I just wanted desperately for you not to be afraid anymore and, I don’t know, something just took hold of me.”
Tweek stared at him and gently leaned forward. “I didn’t want you be scared either,” he told him, “You’re my rock, Craig. I hate it when something’s troubling you.”
He was relieved when Craig’s expression softened. “Thanks,” he said genuinely, “You mean a lot to me too, Tweek. You’re my anchor who keeps me from losing myself.”
Tweek couldn’t help but smile at that, and he leaned in to gently press himself against Craig. They both laid down again, gently holding each other, and having nothing to keep them from falling asleep this time.

…

When the next evening rolled around, Craig found himself at his own house alone. His parents were out for a romantic dinner, and his sister was at a friend’s house. Sometimes Craig preferred to be alone; it gave him time to collect his thoughts without any distractions. He was there for very annoyed when the doorbell suddenly rang, rousing him from his thoughts. Sighing, he got up from staring at a blank television to answer the door.
He was quite surprised when he saw Jess standing on his front porch, smiling brightly. “Hi Craig!” she greeted, “I’m glad I caught you at home!”
Craig blinked at her. “How did you find out where I live?” he asked.
“I was thinking we could spend some time on our research paper together,” she continued, completely ignoring his question. “May I come in?”
Sighing, Craig stepped aside, allowing her entry. She smiled sweetly and brushed past him to walk inside. She took a place on the couch and patted the space beside her. Rolling his eyes, Craig walked over and sat beside her.
“We decided to do the Vietnam War, didn’t we?” Jess asked as she opened a book she had brought.
“Yup,” Craig answered simply. He felt a little uncomfortable with how intensely Jess was staring at him. He wanted to tell her to fuck off, but they needed to get this done.
“Where did we leave off?” she wondered.
“I think we were talking about how most Americans-“ Craig didn’t get to finish his statement as Jess suddenly grabbed the front of his jacket, pulled him over and kissed him deeply.

Chapter Text

Craig’s eyes widened as Jess kissed him, pressing closer, and pushing him onto his back. His brain tried to catch up with what was going on. Jess was completely on top of him, and not giving him any time to breathe or react. Even counting last night’s weird make out session with Tweek, Craig had never been taken so off guard by a kiss before. He felt himself starting to shake as Jess pinned his shoulders down so he couldn’t move. He made the mistake of trying to break away to speak, but that just allowed her to slip her tongue into his mouth.
When Craig finally regained his senses, he pushed Jess off of him and sat up, staring at her in surprise. She sat up as well and smiled sweetly at him.
“What’s the matter?” she asked innocently.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Craig warned her, “You just kissed me out of nowhere!”
“It wasn’t out of nowhere,” Jess explained, “I like you. I really wanted to kiss you, so I did!” She let out a soft giggle that sent a tremor down Craig’s spine.
“I barely know you,” he pointed out, “We just met a couple of days ago! What were you thinking?”
Jess moved in closer, so that Craig could feel her breath on his face. “I was thinking,” she said quietly, “That I really want to go out with you.”
Craig opened his mouth to tell her he was already dating someone, when she kissed him again. This time she instantly slid her tongue into his mouth. He shuddered as she moved her tongue around his mouth, exploring and tasting him. He didn’t know how to feel about this. Nobody had ever kissed him this intensely before. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer so she could kiss him deeper. Then she lay back and pulled Craig down on top of her. Jess was very bold, he had to admit, as she wrapped her legs around his waist so he couldn’t escape.
“Oh God,” Jess breathed into his mouth, making Craig flinch, “You taste so fantastic. I wouldn’t be surprised if girls were all over you.”
Craig tried to pull back to answer her, but she wouldn’t let him. She moaned as she attacked his mouth and Craig felt like he couldn’t take much more. She finally pulled away and looked at him.
“So,” she purred, “Will you go out with me?”
“I don’t know,” Craig muttered, “You’re so different than anyone else I’ve dated. Plus, I’m already seeing someone else.”
“Who?” she asked.
He wanted to say, “It’s none of your God-damn business,” but he answered her anyway. “Tweek,” he replied using a voice that made it clear that it should’ve been kind of obvious.
“Oh, you were dating him?” Jess asked, a bit surprised, “I thought he was your mentally challenged brother whom you had to take care of or something.”
“No, he’s not my brother!” Craig exclaimed, “And he’s not mentally challenged! He can take care of himself!”
“So, you’re gay then?”
That made Craig stop. He wasn’t gay. He had told Tweek this. And he wanted everyone else to know it as well. Craig liked Tweek, he was glad he was able to become his friend out of all of this, but he wasn’t in love with him or anything. And he knew Tweek wasn’t gay either. Craig had wanted to start dating girls again, but because all the girls at school thought he and Tweek were gay for each other none of them gave him the chance. Maybe Jess was his chance to set things right.
“No,” he sighed, “I’m not gay. And neither is Tweek. We were just roped into dating because of some yaoi thing back in fourth grade. It’s a long story,” he added before she could ask. Jess looked at him.
“So, if you’re not really gay don’t you think you might want to try dating a girl for a while?” she wondered, smiling sweetly at him.
Craig took a deep breath. “Yes,” he said finally, “I will go out with you.”
As Jess cried out happily and leaned in to kiss him again, Craig thought about Tweek. He hoped he wouldn’t take it too hard. It wasn’t like he wanted to stop being friends with him after all. And that strange kiss from the night before? He had just been comforting him. He knew this was for the best.

…

After Jess left, Craig immediately headed to Tweek’s house. He didn’t want this to wait until school the next day, and he didn’t want to string Tweek along. He would just get this break up over with and let Tweek move on. When he arrived at Tweek’s house and knocked on the door, he found himself becoming extremely nervous. He steeled his courage as Tweek opened the door.
“Hi, Craig!” Tweek greeted. He looked overjoyed to see him, which made Craig’s heart sink. “What are you doing here? Would you like to come in?”
“I can’t stay long,” Craig informed, “I just wanted to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
Craig took a deep breath. “Jess asked to go out with me,” he said, “And I accepted.”
Tweek’s face immediately fell. “W-What?” he asked in a meek voice.
“I don’t want you to be upset,” Craig said quickly, “It’s just… I’ve wanted to start dating girls again for a while now, and she’s the only one who’s shown any interest in me in two years. I know we’ve been ‘together’ for a while now, but neither of us are gay, and I think it would be better for both of us if we let everyone see that we never gay to begin with.”
Tweek closed his eyes and took a moment to compose himself. “You’re right,” he said after a minute, his voice steady and strong, “I know you’re right. I was just shocked.” He opened his eyes and looked at him. “Will you at least promise we can still be friends?” he requested, “No one can calm my fears like you can.”
Craig smiled slightly, glad he was taking it well. “Of course,” he replied, “I would never want to stop being friends with you.”
“Well, thanks for coming to tell me,” Tweek said, “Instead of doing something douchey, like breaking up with me over a text message or something.”
Craig couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Tweek,” he told him, “Good night.”
“Good night,” Tweek replied, smiling gently. He closed the door behind Craig and waited until he had made it down the path before sliding down to the floor and letting the tears he had been holding back flow down his face.
He had blown it. He should’ve told Craig how he really felt about him a long time ago. But now Tweek had lost him to a monster. He thought he had made his feelings clear when he had kissed him last night. Did it mean nothing to Craig? He should have told him. It was just three words. He should have told him. Now he had nothing but the emptiness inside.
Sure, Craig had said they would still be friends. But how long would that last? How did Tweek know that evil demon wouldn’t do everything in her power to keep Craig away from him? Just three words. Why were those three words the hardest words in the world to say?
Tweek went up to his room and collapsed on his bed, crying softly as the shadows closed in around him.

…

Tweek didn’t sleep that night. He kept hearing the demons taunting him. He couldn’t block out the voices taunting him.
“What a useless boy!” the voices hissed, “Can’t even tell one person how he really feels about him! No wonder he left you! He’ll never love you!”
“Stop it!” Tweek cried, tears pouring down his face, “Leave me alone!” He curled up on his bed, sobbing uncontrollably. He didn’t want to go to school today. He didn’t want to see Craig with someone else.
But unfortunately his parents made him get up. When Tweek got to the bus stop, he was horrified to see that Jess was there with Craig. She was standing between Craig and Clyde, and Clyde looked mildly annoyed. Tweek closed his eyes, took a shuddering breath, and tried to compose himself.
“H-hey,” he greeted, unable to stop his slight stutter. He walked over and took his place on Craig’s other side, trying hard not to look over at the succubus. There was something satisfying to Tweek when he felt Craig gently press against him.
“Hey Tweek,” Craig greeted him quietly, “You ok?”
“I-I’m fine,” Tweek replied, trying to keep his voice level, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Craig opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment the bus rolled up and they all got on. The group took their usual place in the back of the bus, but Jess sat next to Craig, leaving no room for Tweek. Just as he started to panic, wondering where he was going to sit, he felt someone step up next to him.
“You can sit next to me, Tweek,” Clyde murmured in his ear. Tweek nodded and followed him to the other seat.
Tweek tried not to shake as he sat next to Clyde. He didn’t want Craig to see how broken he was. He wanted Craig to be happy, and if that meant pretending the break up didn’t affect him at all, then he would have to power through it. But he could feel the shadows creeping up on him. They were closer than ever.
When they got to school, it seemed like Jess was doing everything in her power to keep Craig away from Tweek. In every class they had with each other, Craig would sit in the corner or end of a row and Jess would take the seat next to him. Tweek, Clyde, and Token were forced to sit elsewhere.
At lunch time, the gang sat at their usual table, chatting about the history assignment.
“Have you guys made any headway on this paper?” Token asked his friends, “Cartman keeps changing his mind on which war he wants to do. Now he wants to do World War II so he can talk about how great Hitler was and how evil the Jews are.”
“Figures,” Craig muttered, poking at his food, but not actually eating it, “Have you mentioned we only have a week to get this done?”
“Of course I have,” Token sighed, “But he doesn’t want to listen.”
“I feel so sorry for you, dude,” Clyde said.
“Craig an I have made real progress on our paper,” Jess bragged, “We worked on it all last night.”
“No, we didn’t,” Craig pointed out, “You just ma-“ He was cut off by a sharp jab in the side by Jess under the table.
Tweek said nothing. He was unfortunately sitting next to Jess, as it was the closest he could be to Craig. He stared down, noticing Jess gently rubbing Craig’s knee under the table. He suddenly felt his anxiety rising, and he felt tears coming to his eyes.
“I-I can’t take this,” he whispered. “T-TOO M-MUCH PRESSURE!”
He suddenly got up from the table and ran from the cafeteria, leaving his friends in shock. “Tweek?!” he heard someone call after him. But he didn’t stop. He burst through the doors and ran through the halls. He headed to an area he knew no one would be around.
There was an old hallway that led nowhere, had lines of lockers no one used, a bathroom no one wanted to go to, and nothing else but burned out lights. It was rather dark, but no one ever went down there, so it was the perfect place for Tweek to go. He got to the end of the line of lockers near the corner and slid down to the floor.
What had happened? Why had seeing Jess show affection to her new boyfriend upset him so much? Tweek didn’t have an answer. He just sat on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest, and sobbing quietly. He didn’t notice that someone had followed him until that person sat down next to him.
“Hey, Tweek,” the person said quietly. Startled, Tweek looked up and was surprised by who it was. It wasn’t Craig, or even Stan.
It was Clyde. “C-Clyde?” he stuttered, “W-What are you d-doing here?”
“I wanted to check up on you,” Clyde explained, “We are friends, after all.”
“A-Are we?” Tweek questioned, “You only seem to n-notice me when Craig is around.”
Clyde let out a sigh. “I know,” he murmured, “But after you invited us to dinner the other day, I decided I wanted to try harder to be a better friend to you. I didn’t like how your family was picking on you for not having friends.”
“Th-thanks,” Tweek mumbled. He felt a little better about that, but nothing could heal the pain he still felt from Craig breaking up with him.
“So,” Clyde said, “You want to tell me what that was all about back there?”
Tweek almost didn’t want to say. He didn’t want anyone to see his pain. But the idea of having someone listen to him about this made him open up. “Craig… broke up with me yesterday,” he told Clyde in a quiet voice.
“I figured it was something like that,” he replied softly, “Jess seemed clingier than before. He’s going out with her now, I presume?”
Tweek silently nodded.
“Can I ask you something?” Clyde continued, “Do you like Craig?”
“I don’t just like Craig,” Tweek whispered, shaking slightly, “I’m in love with him.”
Clyde slipped an arm around the shivering boy and held him close to his own body. He could feel his own heart breaking and wished there was something he could do to cheer him up. “I’m sorry, Tweek,” he told him in a soft voice, “I know what it’s like to be in love with someone who doesn’t love you back. At least, not in the way you love them. Heck, I’ve even lived with the pain of watching them date someone else.”
Tweek looked at him, his eyes wide. “Really?” he asked. Clyde nodded solemnly. Tweek desperately wanted to know who it was that Clyde was in love with, but decided to respect his privacy and didn’t ask. Besides, if Clyde wanted him to know, he would tell him.
Instead, Tweek pressed a bit closer to Clyde and closed his eyes. “Thank you for coming to comfort me,” he murmured.
“It’s no trouble,” Clyde replied, “And for the record, I don’t like that Jess either. I don’t like how she just managed to seduce Craig like that.”
“Yeah,” Tweek muttered, “And now she’s keeping him all to herself.”
The two were quiet for a few moments before Clyde turned to Tweek. “You want to ditch the rest of today with me?” he asked.
Tweek had never ditched before, and the idea scared him a little, but he knew he couldn’t go back to the cafeteria and face his friends and Jess. “Yes, I do.” He replied.
Clyde helped Tweek to his feet and kept him close to his side as they walked out of school together. For the rest of the day they chatted about how much they hated Jess and imagined all the horrible things they wished would happen to her.

Chapter Text

Tweek lay in the grass next to Clyde, staring up at the clouds. They had decided to take a walk to Stark’s Pond and Clyde had pulled Tweek onto the ground with him. He was grateful for Clyde’s company. If he hadn’t been there, Tweek might’ve still been at school, slowly breaking down as he was forced to watch Jess and Craig be together.
“Okay, now that we’ve listed everything we hate about Jess’s personality, let’s list everything we hate about the way she looks,” Clyde encouraged. Tweek smiled slightly.
“I’ll go first!” Tweek said, “I hate how long her hair is.”
“Yeah, what twelve-year-old girl grows her hair that long?” Clyde agreed, “Even Wendy’s isn’t that long! It’s past her waist! And the fact that she always wears it in a ponytail? What is she trying to prove?”
Tweek let out a soft chuckle. “And blond highlights in brown hair?” he said, “Yeah, because that looks so good on her.”
“I also don’t like that she’s taller than Craig,” Clyde admitted, “I mean, Craig’s not the tallest guy ever, but I don’t like how she towers over him like that.”
“Doesn’t help that she’s always wearing platform shoes,” Tweek muttered, “How does she walk in those things?”
“How does any girl walk in those things?” Clyde wondered.
Tweek sighed as he looked up at the clouds slowly rolling past. Then he turned his head to look at Clyde, who was also staring up at the clouds.
“Clyde?”
“Yeah?”
Tweek blushed a little. “Thanks for hanging out with me and making me feel better,” he said, “I know I’m not the easiest person to be around.”
Clyde smiled gently at him. “It’s all right, man, you’re fun to be with,” he told him, “I know I could never take Craig’s place, especially seeing how easily he can comfort you, but I’m glad I could help.”
With that declaration, Clyde leaned over and gently kissed Tweek on the cheek. Surprised, Tweek looked over at him and because he was still leaning in, their lips brushed together. Startled, Clyde quickly turned back to face the sky, but Tweek didn’t miss the blush on his face.

…

After school was over, Craig started walking towards Tweek’s house. He didn’t come back to lunch after his freak out and Clyde had run out after him. Then he didn’t see the two of them for the rest of the day. He was worried about Tweek. Maybe he was taking the break up harder than Craig had thought? He had to find out.
But just as he had reached Tweek’s door and was about to knock, he was suddenly pulled away. He was spun around and pulled into the arms of Jess.
“There you are!” she exclaimed, pulling him in tight, “I missed you after school!”
“You were with me all day,” Craig pointed out nonchalantly, “I was just going to check on Tweek.” Jess cocked her head.
“Your ex-boyfriend?” she clarified, “Why?”
“He’s still my friend,” Craig replied, “Didn’t you see his freak out at lunch? I want to make sure he’s ok.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Jess said, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss, “Your friend, Clint went after him.”
“You mean Clyde?”
“Yeah, him.”
Craig let out a heavy sigh and glanced back at the house. “I guess I can always check on him tomorrow,” he reasoned.
Jess smiled at him. “Sure,” she said, “Come one, I want you to come to my house today!” She looped her arm with Craig’s and pulled him along down the path and away from the house.
Neither of them noticed the shy, trembling figure watching them from the second story window.

…

When school rolled around the next day, Tweek was a bit more shaken than he should have been. Clyde was a little disappointed with himself. He thought he had managed to cheer Tweek up, at least a little. Before first period started, Clyde went over to where the twitchy blond was sitting in a corner desk. He was furiously scratching his notebook with his pencil so hard that he was starting to tear holes in the paper. Clyde sat down next to him.
“Hey, are you all right?” he asked, “You look even more upset than yesterday.”
Tweek stopped, but didn’t look at Clyde. “I saw Craig yesterday,” he mumbled. Clyde looked surprised.
“Really? When?” he wondered.
“Sometime after school,” Tweek answered, “He didn’t see me, though. I was watching him from my bedroom window. He started to come up to my door, but Jess stopped him. She said something, I don’t know what, and then they walked away with each other.”
Clyde didn’t know what to say. It seemed like Craig had wanted to talk to Tweek, but his bitch of a girlfriend blatantly kept him away. He opened his mouth to say something to Tweek, but at that moment the bell rang and all the students came filing in. Clyde was horrified to see Jess and Craig holding hands when they came in. He quickly glanced at Tweek to see how he would react, but he had gone back to violently scratching his notebook. He didn’t miss the tears coming to his eyes, though.
After first period was over, Tweek went to his locker to exchange his books. He looked down the hall where Craig’s locker was just a short distance away and instantly felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. Craig was at his locker with Jess. She was speaking in a low voice to him, and as Tweek watched he saw her look his way. Tweek stared at Jess, wide-eyed, as she smiled back at him. She gave Tweek a sly grin, then turned to Craig and suddenly pinned him against the lockers. Before he could react, she leaned in and kissed him deeply.
Tweek felt his heart shatter. As he stared at Jess kissing Craig, he suddenly became aware of two girls talking behind him.
“Hey! Look at Craig with the new girl!” one girl said, “Look at them go!”
“I heard they’re dating now,” the second girl informed.
“Really? I thought Craig was going out with that spazzy blond haired boy,” the first girl wondered, “I thought he was gay.”
“Well, apparently not,” the second girl giggled, “Just look at those two! They look really into each other!”
“Yeah! Oh! If Craig’s not gay, that means if he and the new girl break up, I have a shot with him again!” the first girl exclaimed excitedly.
“Me too! Me too!” girl two squealed, “Oh, he is so hot! I hope he becomes available soon! When he does, I will be all over him!”
“Pah! You and every other girl!” girl one scoffed.
Tweek couldn’t take any more. Slamming his locker shut, he dashed away down the hall, shoving roughly past Jess as she pulled away from making out with Craig. He could almost see the sneer on her face in his mind. He ran through a group of kids going to class and darted into the nearest bathroom. He quickly ran into one of the stalls and closed the door and put the toilet lid down so he could sit on it. Then he pulled his knees up to his chest and completely broke down, crying and sobbing silently to himself. He didn’t care if anyone came in. He wanted to curl up and die.
He heard the bathroom door open and two people entered.
“I think I saw him come in here,” a voice Tweek recognized as Stan said.
“Tweek!” Clyde’s voice called out, “We know you’re here! You nearly knocked us over! Where are you?”
“Go away,” Tweek cried softly, “I just want to be alone.”
“What’s wrong?” Stan asked through the stall door.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tweek mumbled.
“Come on, Tweek,” Clyde sighed, “Just come out here so we can talk to you.”
“No.”
“All right then.” Tweek was hoping that meant they were going to leave him alone, but he was rather surprised when he saw Clyde and Stan suddenly wiggle their way under the opening at the bottom of the stall. They stood up and brushed themselves off.
“So, what’s up?” Clyde asked, as if he didn’t just crawl on a dirty bathroom floor to get into a bathroom stall.
“I told you I don’t want to talk about it,” Tweek muttered. Stan tried to move to stand next to him, which was rather difficult to do since it was so cramped.
“Come on, Tweek,” he begged, “Please tell us what’s wrong. We want to help you.”
“It’s about Craig, isn’t it?” Clyde guessed.
Fresh tears came to Tweek’s eyes. He stood up and, without really thinking, threw himself into Clyde’s arms, sobbing into his chest. Clyde looked bewildered, but not outraged. He gently wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.
“Hey, it’s ok,” he murmured, “We’re here for you. It’ll be all right.”
Tweek took a few moments to compose himself. He trembled slightly as he tried to hold back his tears.
“I saw Craig and Jess at Craig’s locker,” Tweek began, “When Jess caught me staring at them, she gave this grin, and then she started kissing Craig. And I know she did it just to upset me. And then there were these two girls talking about how they wanted to get with Craig if he ever broke up with Jess.”
Stan and Clyde looked at each other. “I get it,” Clyde began, but Tweek cut him off.
“No, you don’t!” Tweek cried, “Don’t you see? I never stood a chance! Craig was going to move on eventually! He kept telling me he wasn’t gay, and that none of this was real! He doesn’t care about me at all!”
“He cares about you,” Stan said softly, “I know you think he doesn’t, but I know he does.” He saw Tweek shudder in Clyde’s arms.
“I’m such an idiot,” Tweek whispered, “I should never have fallen in love with him. I knew it would end horribly.”
Both Stan and Clyde could feel their hearts breaking. Stan gently patted Tweek’s shoulder. “You’re not an idiot, Tweek,” he told him, “No one chooses who they fall in love with. And I know what it’s like to have your heart broken. When Wendy first broke up with me to get with Token, I was destroyed. But I eventually moved on and made up with both of them. Even if Token is a no good, girlfriend stealing, Son-of-a-“
“Stan,” Clyde interrupted sharply, “We’re talking about Tweek’s problems right now.”
“Right, sorry,” Stan muttered.
Clyde turned back to the shivering boy in his arms. “We’ll be here for you, Tweek,” he told him calmly, “No matter what happens, we’re here for you.”

…

As the week wore on, it got worse for Tweek. While they were in the library working on their papers, Tweek spotted Jess pulling Craig away so she could make out with him in private. At lunch, he sat where he could see her gently rubbing Craig’s knee the whole time. Jess sat next to Craig during every class. She would openly make out with him in the hallways. And Tweek was always lingering nearby, watching with a broken heart.
It would have been easier for Tweek if Craig gave any indication that he was annoyed with Jess or was starting to tire of her. But he never did. He would always willingly go along with her, keeping the same deadpan expression on his face the whole time. It was all starting to ware down Tweek, so much so that he couldn’t focus on anything, and the shadowy demons were closing in on him.
And that’s when the night terrors started.
Tweek would wake in the middle of the night, screaming with terror. He could never remember exactly what he had been screaming about, but it always left him shaking, and he couldn’t fall back asleep for the rest of the night. Also, his parents never came to check on him. They were heavy sleepers.
Friday evening found Tweek alone in his house with all his inner demons. He was curled up on the couch, shaking uncontrollably, and trying desperately to block out the voices in his head. Shadows rose up from all sides to consume him.
No one loves you. No one will ever love you.
Why did you think Craig could ever love you? You’re just a spaz!
You should just kill yourself. No one would ever notice. Or care.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Tweek screamed. He leaped off the couch and, in a fit of rage, flipped the coffee table over, sending everything on it flying. “JUST GO AWAY!”
Shadows flew at him, and faceless people surrounded him, laughing. Tweek started throwing the furniture around, trying to make the voices go away. He broke the coffee table in two, and somehow sent the couch crashing through the living room window. He pulled down a nearby book case, sending the books to the floor in a heap. He threw the recliner through the front door. Then he finally broke down and curled up in a ball on the floor.
“You’re so fucking worthless,” Tweek sobbed to himself, “Craig never loved you, and he never did. He just kissed you to make you feel better. It meant nothing to him. You’ve always meant nothing to him. That’s why you’re alone now. So fucking worthless…”
That’s when Tweek noticed the shards of glass laying all around him. He picked up a particularly large and sharp looking piece. It cut the palm of his hand, drawing dark red blood. He flinched a little, but didn’t let go.
“Worthless…” Tweek repeated softly. Maybe it would be better if he were dead. Then he wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. He wouldn’t have to see Craig with Jess, and he wouldn’t be inconveniencing anyone anymore. No one would care anyway. And the glass in his hand looked so promising, so pleasing.
Slowly, Tweek raised the shard of glass and pressed it to his own throat.

Chapter Text

Before Tweek could even start to move his hand to slit his throat, another hand closed on top of his, pushing it away from his neck. Tweek cried out with pain and sorrow. The hand gripped his tighter, and caught on the shard, drawing blood. But the hand did not retreat.
“NO!” Tweek cried, trying to wrench the glass from the other person’s grasp, “Let go! I want to die! Just let me die!”
“Tweek,” a gentle, yet monotone voice said. Tweek stopped, tears flowing down his cheeks. He could barely see through his watery eyes. Suddenly, he was pressed against the warm body of whoever was holding his hand.
“It’s ok, Tweek,” the voice told him, “I’m here now. You’re not alone anymore.”
Tweek felt his face gently being pressed against the soft fabric of the person’s jacket. He felt his grip on the glass loosen, and the person carefully took it from him and set it aside. Then they wrapped their arms gently around him, pulling him close.
“You’re ok,” the person continued in a hushed voice, “No one wants you dead. I don’t want you to kill yourself. I care about you so much.”
Blinking hard to try to clear his eyes of tears, Tweek slowly saw that he was resting his head on the person’s chest, and that they were wearing a blue jacket. A very familiar blue jacket. He slowly looked up at the face of the person holding him.
“C-Craig?” he whispered, his voice choking.
Craig allowed himself the barest of smiles, and leaned down slightly to touch his forehead to Tweek’s. “Hey Tweek,” he greeted softly.
“W-What are you doing here?” Tweek asked quivering.
“I was walking to Jess’s house and I have to pass your house to get there,” he explained, “I saw your couch sitting halfway out the window, and your chair on the lawn. I thought a maniac had broken into your house or something.”
“N-No,” Tweek replied, “I was just…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. He couldn’t tell him he was having a psychotic episode because he couldn’t even last one week without him. He felt fresh tears come to his eyes.
Tweek started crying again, and Craig held him closer. “Shhhh…” he hushed quietly, “It’s ok, Tweek. I’m here now. Everything is fine.” Tweek felt Craig gently start to run his fingers through his hair, stroking him. Tweek let out a small sigh and melted into Craig’s arms.
“D-Did you… hear anything when you came in?” Tweek wondered. He wanted to know how much of his meltdown he had heard.
“Only that you thought you were worthless and that you mean nothing to me,” Craig answered, “But neither of those is true. You’re not worthless, Tweek, and you mean a lot to me. I would be devastated if I lost you.”
Hearing those words made Tweek let out a small sob. Craig cared about him. He didn’t want to lose him. Tweek wanted to say those three words to him. Those three simple words that had the power to change everything. But he couldn’t.
“Craig,” Tweek whispered, “Can we please get back together?”
There was a pause and Craig leaned down and gently pressed his lips to Tweek’s forehead. “Of course, we can,” he replied softly when he pulled away.
Letting out a soft sigh of happiness, Tweek buried his face in Craig’s chest, as Craig pressed him even closer. They sat like that for a while, Tweek clinging to Craig as Craig gently held him and stroked his hair. Craig was whispering gently in Tweek’s ear words of reassurance, and Tweek knew he wanted Craig’s arms around him forever.
Suddenly, Craig moved one arm from around him, and Tweek let out a frightened whine into his chest.
“It’s ok, Tweek,” Craig reassured him, “I’m not leaving. I’m just calling Clyde and Token.” Tweek cautiously looked up.
“Why are you calling them?” he asked.
“I figured they could help us clean this place up before your parents get home,” Craig replied casually as he dialed a number. Tweek blinked at him, then glanced around the room. The place was a mess. Had he done that? He could barely remember throwing the furniture around, and it had never occurred to him that he would have to clean the place up.
“Hey Clyde, it’s Craig,” he said into the phone. He paused a moment, then sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know I haven’t called you all week. …Fuck you, Clyde. Are you with Token? …Stop sassing me and just answer the question! Ok, good. You two need to come over to Tweek’s house right now. …Because I told you to. …Damn straight I’m the boss of you. …Well tell Token to get over it. You guys can hang out any other time. I really need you here! …Just shut up and get over here as soon as you can! Jeez!” He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. As soon as he did, he wrapped his arm around Tweek again.
“Are they coming?” Tweek couldn’t help but ask.
“They are if they know what’s good for them,” Craig answered vaguely.
Tweek nodded and rested his head back on Craig’s chest. He listened to Craig’s heartbeat, and to Tweek it was the most wonderful sound in the world. He felt Craig gently rest his chin on the top of his head, and Tweek shivered from the contact.
The two of them sat like that, holding each other, until they could hear Token and Clyde coming up the path. Tweek blushed and gently tried to pull away, but Craig continued to hold him tight. Their two friends entered without knocking.
“Hey Tweek, did you know your couch is half way out the window?” Token questioned as he and Clyde stepped into the room. Tweek stared at them with wide eyes from where his head rested on Craig’s chest. Clyde nudged Token hard in the ribs.
“I think he knows,” Clyde said. He turned to Craig who was still resting on Tweek. “You know, you didn’t have to be so mean over the phone.”
“You’ll get over it,” Craig replied casually. He some-what reluctantly let go of Tweek and stood up and helped Tweek to his feet. Clyde and Token looked around the room.
“What happened here?” Clyde asked.
“Clyde, if we answer all of your stupid questions we’ll be here all day,” Craig said, “Just help Tweek and me get this place in shape before his parents get home, ok?”
“All right, but you owe us, man,” Token answered, pulling out his phone.
“Yeah, yeah,” Craig sighed rolling his eyes at his friend.
“Who are you calling?” Tweek asked Token. He was still shaking a little.
“My window guy so we can replace the window,” Token replied, dialing a number.
“You have a window guy?” Clyde wondered skeptically.
“Yup,” Token replied briefly before holding the phone up to his ear.
While Token was on the phone, Tweek, Craig, and Clyde worked on getting the couch back into the living room, which was much harder than it sounded, as the couch was fairly large and heavy. Tweek had to clutch his own sleeve in his hand, as he realized he was still bleeding, and he didn’t want to get blood on the couch. Craig did the same.
When they finally got the couch back into the house, Clyde and Craig went outside to get the recliner. When they got back in, Token had finished his phone call.
“They can get a new window here in thirty minutes,” he said.
“Really?” Tweek asked, surprised.
“My window people are very good at their jobs,” Token said as he started dialing another number.
“Who are you calling now?” Clyde wondered.
“My door guy to fix the door,” Token replied.
“You have a door guy too?” Clyde said in disbelief.
“How often could you possibly have a use for that?” Craig demanded.
“More than you, you son-of-a-bitch,” Token remarked snidely.
As Token talked on the phone, Tweek, Craig, and Clyde took a closer look at the broken coffee table and discovered that it was an odd folding table that had broken off the hinges. With much difficulty, the three of them managed to snap the table back into place. Token got off the phone at that moment and the four of them went to work carefully picking up the stuff that had been sitting on the table before. Then Tweek went to get a broom, dust pan, and vacuum to clean up the glass while Craig, Clyde, and Token set to work trying to set the bookshelf up again. It was painstaking and difficult, and at one point they accidentally dropped it again, crushing Clyde. Craig was just about to announce him dead when Clyde started yelling at the two to get the book case off of him. Tweek came back at that moment and started freaking out until Craig calmed him down. The four of them then managed to get the bookshelf back up together. Token then volunteered to deal with the glass while the other three set about gathering the fallen books and putting them all back on the shelf. They finished just as the window and door guys arrived to fix the window and door. Tweek had no idea when Token gave them the measurements of his window, but he wasn’t going to question it. When the window and door where finally fixed, the four of them collapsed on the couch together, exhausted.
“I’m not going to ask what happened here, Tweek,” Token said as the four of them pressed together, “But please never do it again.”
Tweek blushed and pressed harder against Craig, whom he was sitting next to. “Sorry,” he murmured.
“Don’t apologize, Tweek,” Craig said gently to him, “It’s not your fault.” Tweek wanted to argue with him and say that it was indeed his fault, but he decided not to.
“Ugh, I’m so sore,” Clyde moaned, “I feel like I could sleep for a month.”
“Stop being a wimp,” Token told him. Clyde sat up a little to glare at him.
“That’s easy for you to say!” he snarled, “You didn’t have a bookcase fall on you!”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Craig said in a voice that made him sound not sorry at all, and it may have in fact partially been on purpose, “You have to admit it was funny, though.”
“It wasn’t funny,” Clyde muttered.
“It was a little funny.”
Tweek wasn’t listening anymore. He was focusing all of mind on Craig and how good it felt to be pressed against his side again. Craig had his arms wrapped around himself, and as he talked to Token and Clyde, Tweek could feel him gently rubbing his side.
A few minutes later, Tweek’s parents returned home, and Token and Clyde decided to head out. But before he left, Clyde pulled Tweek into a tight hug and murmured in his ear so Craig couldn’t hear.
“I’m glad you’re doing better,” he said, “Did you get back together with Craig?”
Tweek felt himself blush as he returned the hug. “Am I that obvious?” he asked shyly.
Clyde grinned. “I think Craig’s happier with you,” he said earnestly, “He may not show it a lot, but he always seems more full of life when you’re around.”
“Thanks, Clyde,” Tweek replied, “And thanks for sticking with me through this.”
“It was my pleasure,” Clyde told him before letting go. Then he and Token started down the path back to their own homes. Tweek watched them go for a moment before closing the door and returning to Craig on the couch. As soon as he flopped down beside him, Craig wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close.
“I missed you,” Craig whispered in Tweek’s ear. Tweek blushed.
“Craig, I know you said you would get back together with me, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Tweek murmured, “I know I kind of put you on the spot, and that you wanted to date girls again. I won’t mind if you stay with Jess.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Craig said, his mouth still close to Tweek’s ear, “I want to get back together with you. I was probably going to dump Jess soon, anyway. She is far too clingy for my tastes. And she wouldn’t let me near you guys. I feel like I’ve barely seen you all week.”
“B-But what about all the girls who would want to go out with you?” Tweek stammered, “I heard a couple of them talking…”
“I don’t care about any of them,” Craig admitted, “I’d rather just be with you. I already care so much about you, and I know you care about me, so why don’t we just stay together? Let’s not make it complicated by bringing girls into our relationship.”
Tweek felt his heart growing lighter and for the first time all week, the shadows and demons were receding. He was torn out of his thoughts a moment later when Craig suddenly gripped him tighter, then pulled him backwards onto the couch so that Tweek was laying on top of him. Tweek’s breath caught in his throat as Craig leaned up and gently started kissing his neck. He felt his heart rate sky rocket, and he was breathing heavily.
Craig ran his mouth along Tweek’s neck, and Tweek sighed with content. “Yes…” he whispered. It felt so good, Craig was making him feel so good. “Yes…”
He let out a small gasp when Craig wrapped his arms around him, pressing him closer and kissing him deeper. Tweek didn’t know what had brought on this sudden burst of affection, but he was enjoying it. He was trying to keep his heavy breathing and gasping down, knowing his parents were in the kitchen, but he couldn’t help it. Craig was driving him crazy.
As Craig continued to kiss Tweek’s neck, Tweek buried his face in Craig’s shoulder. He was panting slightly, and he shuddered at Craig’s touch. He couldn’t take it anymore. Tweek sat up a little, pulling his neck away from Craig’s mouth. Craig looked at him in surprise until Tweek leaned down again and kissed his lips. He heard him take a sharp breath, but the surprise didn’t last long and soon Craig was kissing him back.
The kiss was broken off all too soon, however, when Craig suddenly stopped and looked towards the kitchen door. He leaned up and whispered in Tweek’s ear.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he murmured.
Tweek felt his cheeks heating up as he nodded. They were far too young to have sex, but just the thought of making out with Craig some more was making Tweek’s heart flutter.
Craig sat up, gently pushing Tweek off him. He stood up and took Tweek’s hand, leading him up the stairs to Tweek’s bedroom. Almost as soon as they entered, Craig had Tweek in his arms and was kissing him gently. As much as Tweek wanted this to continue, he had to ask.
He pulled away from Craig slightly. “What’s gotten into you, all of a sudden?” Tweek asked, a bit nervously, “I mean, besides that one day during the thunderstorm, you were never this affectionate before.”
Craig blinked at him. “Did you want me to stop?” he wondered.
Tweek felt panic start to rise inside him. “No!” he claimed desperately. Craig grinned at him, then leaned in and kissed him again. Tweek felt himself melting into the kiss, and tried not to seem too eager as he kissed Craig back. They leaned against the door, their arms wrapped around each other. Tweek could feel his knees growing weak and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. He suddenly broke away from the kiss, panting heavily, and Craig had to tighten his grip around him to keep him from falling.
“You all right?” Craig asked, somewhat amused.
“Yeah,” Tweek breathed, trying to stand on his own, “I-I just got a little weak kneed.”
“I do tend to have that effect on people.” Though Craig’s voice was as flat as always, Tweek could hear the humor in the monotony. Tweek allowed himself a small smile, and pressed his face into Craig’s shoulder.
“Let’s go over to the bed before you drag me to the floor,” Craig suggested. Tweek wanted to agree, but he couldn’t move. Craig’s kiss had taken a lot out of him. Sighing, Craig looped his arms under Tweek’s armpits and dragged him to his bed with Tweek’s feet dragging on the floor. Craig collapsed onto Tweek’s bed, pulling the smaller blond on top of him.
“You’re lucky you’re tiny,” Craig sighed.
“I’m not tiny,” Tweek mumbled, gently clutching onto the front of Craig’s jacket, “I’m just short and skinny.”
Craig smiled to himself, then started to run his hand through Tweek’s hair. Tweek let out a content sigh, and suddenly felt exhausted. He adjusted himself on top of Craig and pressed his ear to his chest. Tweek fell asleep listening to the sound of Craig’s heartbeat; in Tweek’s opinion, the most beautiful sound in the world.

Chapter Text

When Tweek woke the next morning, it took him a moment to remember everything that had happened the night before. He remembered his freak out, throwing furniture around, and he had been about to kill himself. And he would have done it if Craig hadn’t stopped him.
Craig…
Tweek blinked in realization. He was still lying on top of Craig, his head resting on his chest which was slowly rising and falling with each breath he took. And it must have been Craig who was currently playing with his hair, his fingers tangled in the unruly mess on top of Tweek’s head. He heard Craig let out a soft chuckle.
“It’s about time you woke up,” he said, “It’s almost eleven.”
Tweek felt his cheeks turning red with embarrassment. Sure, it was the weekend, but Tweek always made it a point not to sleep in. “How long have you been awake?” he asked a bit nervously.
He felt Craig reach over and adjust the digital clock to look at it. “About four hours,” he replied after a moment. Tweek flinched.
“Four hours!?” he repeated.
“Yeah,” Craig deadpanned, “I’m kind of hungry and I really have to pee.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Tweek asked anxiously.
“You were so cute, I didn’t want to disturb you,” Craig replied, and Tweek could almost picture the stupid grin spreading on his face. “Did you know you started talking in your sleep? When did that happen?”
Tweek felt like his face was on fire as he gently clutched the front of Craig’s jacket and refused to look at him. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, “Um, what did I say?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I wasn’t listening,” Craig replied. Tweek didn’t know if he was upset about that or not. Maybe it was a good thing. He could have said something embarrassing.
Tweek gently pushed himself away from Craig, allowing him to sit up. Craig leaned over and gave him a small kiss before getting up. Tweek left him to his own devices while he went downstairs to start making late-breakfast-early-lunch. His parents had left again, leaving Tweek alone with Craig. As he prepared a meal, Tweek could hear the shower running, and he blushed. Craig was in his house, using his shower. Tweek tried not to think of him up there, all naked and wet… Tweek shook his head to clear it of such thoughts.
Craig came down a few minutes later, fully dressed, but with his hair still wet. Tweek tried not to stare at him. God, he was so handsome. Tweek still didn’t understand why Craig would rather be with him than anyone else in school. He could have anyone he wanted. So, why him?
“Did your parents ditch you?” Craig asked, breaking Tweek from his thoughts.
“Yeah,” he muttered, shuffling his feet, “They often leave me by myself. I usually don’t see them until the evening.” He looked over at Craig who was watching him from the middle of the kitchen. Blushing, Tweek turned back to his work.
“Um, did you want something to eat?” he asked, trying not to sound nervous.
“Actually, could you save something for me?” Craig requested, “I was going to go over to Jess’s house and break up with her.”
Tweek tried to keep his breath steady, and not let Craig see how anxious he was becoming. “Y-You’re coming back here after that?”
“I mean, if you don’t mind,” Craig replied, “I wanted to hang out with you more today. If that’s all right with you.”
Calm down, Tweek, the nervous boy was thinking to himself, You two hang out all the time. It’s not a big deal. Get a hold of yourself.
“Um, yeah, that’s fine,” Tweek answered, “I’ll save you some breakfast. Lunch. Whatever.”
Craig smiled and walked over to where Tweek was standing. He leaned in and gently nuzzled his face against his neck. “Thanks,” he said, “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
The moment Craig left, Tweek fell to the floor, clutching his heart. He had never felt such overwhelming joy and undeniable love in his entire life. Craig was breaking up with his hot girlfriend. Just so he could be with him. And then he was coming back here to hang out. Tweek felt like he had never been happier.

…

Craig probably shouldn’t have been surprised that the first thing Jess did when she opened the door and saw him was start kissing him like crazy. Even though he had blown her off yesterday, she kissed him deeply, as if it was their last moment together before a meteor struck or something.
“Oh Craig!” she breathed into his mouth, making him flinch, “I was so worried about you! You didn’t show up yesterday, and I thought something happened to you!”
Craig tried desperately to push her away, but she kept assaulting his mouth, not letting him speak. She suddenly grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him inside, locking the door behind them. She dragged him over to the couch and shoved him onto his back before climbing on top of him. Craig again tried to protest, but she was instantly on him, her mouth covering his again. He felt her tongue slide into his mouth, and he knew at that instant he had to get her off of him. He pushed her away and sat up, glaring a little at her.
“Jeez! Get off of me!” he hissed. Jess smiled sweetly at him.
“What’s the matter, love?” she asked in an innocent voice.
“I want to say something, but you won’t let me speak,” Craig growled. He hated that she giggled at his words.
“Well then say it, love,” she cooed.
Craig sighed. “Jess, I want to break up with you,” he told her, deciding to get right to the point. Jess blinked at him then started giggling.
“No, you don’t!” she laughed. She leaned down to kiss him again, but Craig quickly held a hand in front of her face to block her.
“Jess, I’m breaking up with you,” he stated firmly.
“No, you’re not!” she chuckled. Craig was starting to get annoyed.
“Yes, I am,” he told her, “Look, I got back together with Tweek. That’s why I blew you off yesterday. I’m sorry, but Tweek needs me.”
Jess blinked at him. “Oh, yeah, I understand,” she said, “Go be with Tweek. I’m fine.”
Craig let out the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “Thank you,” he murmured. Jess got off of him and walked him to the door.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow at school,” Jess said to him. Then she winked at him. Craig opened his mouth to ask what she meant by that, but she had already closed the door.
Craig sighed and started walking back to Tweek’s house. Something told him that break up didn’t go as smoothly as he thought it did.

…

As soon as Craig walked into the house, Tweek was in his arms. Craig smiled to himself as Tweek nuzzled his face into his chest. He let out a soft chuckle.
“I was only gone for a few minutes,” he told Tweek, “You can’t have missed me that bad.” Tweek didn’t respond, and only reached up to press his face into Craig’s neck. He thought he heard Tweek whisper something, but he didn’t catch what it was.
After a few minutes of hugging, Tweek pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed. “Um, I saved you some food,” he said. Craig smiled.
“Thanks, babe,” he said, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Tweek blushed furiously as Craig walked past him.
After they ate, they went to the living room to watch TV. Tweek knew they were probably going to end up watching Red Racer. They always did. It was Craig’s favorite show, after all. Tweek watched it with him, but he didn’t understand the show at all. He barely ever knew what was going on, but he knew how much Craig loved the show. So, he had learned enough about the show to know all the characters and a basic understanding of what was going on. That way, when Craig went off on one of his rants about the show, Tweek could sort of know what he was talking about.
Craig flopped himself onto the couch, stretching his body down the length of it. Tweek shuffled over and sat down on the edge of the seat, but Craig reached up, grabbed him, and pulled him down with him. Tweek let out a cute little yelp of surprise, and Craig wrapped his arms around him, pressing him close. Tweek squirmed a little to get comfortable.
“So, um, how did Jess take the break up?” he decided to ask.
“I have no idea,” Craig admitted, “I thought she took it well, but as I was leaving, she winked at me.”
“Why would she do that?” Tweek wondered. Craig sighed.
“I don’t know,” he replied, “Girls are weird.”
Tweek giggled at his statement. He cut himself off with a sharp breath, however, when he suddenly felt Craig’s lips on his neck. He felt himself growing warm from the contact, and he felt a single shiver run down his spine. Craig gently ran his mouth along Tweek’s neck, making him tingle. He rolled over to face Craig, and as soon as he did, Craig kissed his lips. Tweek relaxed into him, sighing a little as Craig kissed him deeper.
“Craig,” Tweek said when Craig pulled away from him, “Why are you doing this?”
Craig blinked at him. “What?” he asked.
“This,” Tweek explained, “All of this. You broke up with Jess, and now you’re so affectionate. I just… I want to know why.”
Sighing, Craig sat up and looked at him. His face was stoic and serious. “I almost lost you yesterday,” he explained quietly, “I saw you at one of your lowest moments. You thought I didn’t care about you, and you almost killed yourself. And I know it’s my fault you got that way.” He paused to lean in a little. “I never want to see you like that again. I want you to see how much I really care about you. I don’t want you to hurt yourself anymore.”
Tweek could feel tears coming to his eyes at Craig’s confession. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Craig’s. Smiling softly, Craig eagerly accepted him, kissing him back deeply. They probably would have continued, getting much more into it, if Craig’s phone hadn’t started ringing at that moment. Craig pulled away from Tweek with a sigh of frustration, and pressed his face against Tweek’s shoulder.
“Damn it,” he muttered. He rolled off of Tweek and pulled out his phone. He looked particularly angry at who the caller I.D. said was calling. He swiped his phone screen and answered it. “What, Clyde?” he growled angrily.
Cock blocker, Tweek thought to himself. Though he knew they weren’t really going to have sex or anything, Craig had just revealed some very deep feelings to him, and he had been sort of hoping that the intimacy would have helped him reveal his true feelings to Craig.
Tweek was brought out of his thoughts by Craig angrily slamming his phone down and sighing. “Come on,” he hissed in annoyance, “We’re going over to Token’s house.”
“Why?” Tweek asked as they both stood up and headed for the front door.
“Because Clyde and Token are assholes who want to call in that favor from yesterday, even though it hasn’t even been a day yet, and you’re usually not supposed to actually call someone out on that, because if you did, then I have like, thirty unused favors from them, but I’m actually nice and don’t lord it over them,” Craig ranted as he waited for Tweek to pull on his jacket.
Tweek smiled warmly at him and leaned in and kissed his cheek. “It’s ok, Craig,” he said softly, “We can still make out at Token’s house.”
Craig blinked at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. He wrapped his arms around Tweek’s neck, then leaned in and kissed him deeply. When he pulled back, his eyes were full of warmth. “You’re the best,” he told him.
They walked to Token’s house, hand in hand, and pressed together. It was almost Halloween, and the weather was starting to get chilly. Tweek was looking forward to nights of cuddling with Craig to keep warm. The thought alone made him press closer to him as they walked.
Token’s house was always over whelming to Tweek. He could never get over how big it was. It was rather intimidating to Tweek.
Craig led him up the path, never letting go of his hand, until they were in front of the door. When Craig knocked, both Clyde and Token answered.
“This better be really fucking important,” Craig growled at them instead of greeting them. Token put on a stupid grin.
“Nice to see you too,” he said, “Come on in.”
As Token led them inside, Clyde fell into step beside the two. “What are you so worked up about?” he asked Craig, “Were you two making out or something?”
“No!” Craig and Tweek both snapped quickly at the same time. Clyde looked taken aback, holding his hands up in defense.
“Ok! Ok! Sorry I asked!” he muttered.
Token led them to a roomy den that was set up with a giant flat screen TV, a long comfortable couch, and many armchairs in a semicircle around the TV. There was a low table with various snacks and beverages set up. Everything was set up in a very nice and fancy way. Craig looked over at Token, waiting for an explanation.
“Ok, so I had this idea,” Token explained, “What if we got together on the last Saturday of every month and watched a bunch of old 80’s and 90’s movies and made fun of them?”
“That sounds stupid and ridiculous,” Craig told him, “I love it.”
Tweek gently pressed against Craig’s side. “Which movie were we going to watch?” he asked.
“I was thinking we could start with the original Friday the 13th movie, the one with Betsy Palmer in it,” Token replied. Tweek stiffened.
“A h-horror movie?” he stuttered nervously. Craig put an arm around him.
“It’s not that bad, Tweek,” he murmured, “Just remember that everyone dies, so you shouldn’t get attached to any of the characters, and you’ll do fine.” Tweek sighed.
“Ok,” he muttered, “But if we’re really going to do this, I need to take my anxiety meds. I’ll be right back.”
Craig nodded and gave him a quick kiss before releasing him and watching him go. Clyde stared at him, then looked at where Tweek had left, then back at Craig. He grinned.
“So, how long have you two been in love?” he asked, picking a spot on the couch, and flopping down. Craig whipped around and glared at him.
“We’re not in love,” Craig insisted, “We just really care about each other.” Clyde raised an amused eyebrow.
“Uh huh. Because ‘really caring about’ someone is totally not just another way of saying you love them,” he said, using air quotes for emphasis.
“It’s not,” Craig muttered.
Clyde chuckled and leaned back on the couch. “Whatever you say, Craig,” he laughed, “Keep telling yourself that. But you know, Denial is not just a river in Egypt.”
Craig gave him a confused look. “You mean the Nile?” he asked, not getting what he was trying to say.
“No, deni- never mind,” Clyde sighed, cupping a hand over his eyes.
From where he sat in one of the armchairs, Token was chuckling. “And people think Clyde’s stupid,” he murmured under his breath.
Craig was about to make a bitter remark about how Clyde is stupid, but at that moment Tweek came back into the room. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to Clyde, laying his own legs over Clyde’s. Craig sighed and went to sit down next to Tweek.
Token waited until the three of them were comfortable before starting the movie. But before he pressed play, Clyde stopped him.
“Wait, isn’t this movie rated R?” he asked. Token blinked at him.
“I won’t tell if you won’t,” he said simply. Clyde gave him a look and shrugged. Then Token started the movie.

Chapter Text

Tweek leaned gently on Craig, his eyes wide as he watched the movie. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad, his medications were helping him from freaking out too much. And if there was a sex or death scene, he just hid his face in Craig’s shoulder until it was over. That made it much easier to watch.
“You know,” Token was commenting, “It wasn’t made in the 80’s or 90’s, but we should watch the 2009 remake of this movie sometime.”
“But didn’t it suck?” Craig asked.
“Exactly,” Token replied, grinning.
“Michael Bay was one of the producers, but it doesn’t have any explosions in it,” Clyde pointed out, “What a rip off.”
“NNG! Isn’t that the one with that really gratuitous sex scene?” Tweek asked nervously.
“Yeah, so?”
“I think I’ll pass on that one,” Tweek mumbled, pressing closer to Craig.
They watched the movie in silence for a while longer. Tweek started to doze off a little, feeling warm and cozy pressed against Craig’s side. He closed his eyes.
“Kevin Bacon! That’s the actor standing next to her!” Clyde suddenly exclaimed, startling Tweek awake and causing him to clutch his chest in shock, “Man, that would have made that earlier round of ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’ a lot easier.”
Craig put an arm around Tweek, silently comforting him as he waited for his heart rate to slow down again. Token noticed and shook his head, chuckling softly to himself.
When the movie was over, Token stretched and yawned. “That was way better than most of the sequels,” he declared.
“Have you seen the sequels?” Clyde wondered.
“No,” Token admitted, “I’m just guessing based on reviews, or something.”
Craig rolled his eyes at him. “You’re going to make us watch the sequels, aren’t you?” he accused his friend.
Token looked at him. “I wasn’t going to, but now that you’ve mentioned it, yeah! We should totally watch the sequels!” He grinned stupidly.
Since it was around midnight when they had finished the movie, Token invited the other three to stay the night. They were too lazy to move, so the four of them just slept where they were. Clyde moved to the other chair, while Craig stretched himself out on the couch and pulled Tweek down on top of him.
“Remind me sometime, Token,” Craig muttered as he got comfortable, “I need to purposely leave- I mean ‘accidentally’ leave a toothbrush here sometime.”
“I knew you did that on purpose,” Tweek mumbled, his head resting on Craig’s chest. Token looked over at the two.
“You already have left a toothbrush here,” he pointed out, somewhat snippily, “In fact you’ve left about five of them here.”
“Yeah, but not in this room.” Craig replied.
“Oh, is that where the other toothbrush came from,” Clyde said, mostly to himself, “I told my dad it wasn’t a ghost.”

…

When Craig woke up, it was still dark in the room. He could hear Clyde and Token breathing peacefully in their sleep. Also, he felt like there was no longer anyone on top of him. That was odd. Where did Tweek go?
“Tweek?” he called out softly into the darkness, though he didn’t really expect to get a response.
He was quite surprised, therefor, when he heard a small moan cry out to him. It sounded from behind Craig, at the far end of the room. Sitting up, Craig blinked several times, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then he turned and saw a dark figure huddled in the far corner.
Craig carefully got up and slowly made his way over. He crouched down next to Tweek, who was curled up in a ball, shivering.
“Tweek, what’s wrong?” Craig asked him quietly.
“I-I h-had a n-night terror,” Tweek explained timidly, “I’ve b-been having them a l-lot lately. Usually I wake up s-screaming, b-but I tried to s-suppress it so I wouldn’t w-wake you g-guys up. I’m sorry.”
Craig stared down at Tweek, then he sat down, cross-legged, reached down and pulled Tweek up, wrapping him in his arms and pressing him against him. He felt Tweek gently clutch his jacket.
“How long have you been having night terrors?” he asked.
“About a week ago,” Tweek mumbled, starting to get over his fearful stuttering, “When you… broke up with me.”
“Oh.” Craig didn’t know how to respond.
“I can never remember what they were about when I wake up,” Tweek explained, “I just remember flashes of horrible images, and I can’t help but scream in fear.” He buried his face in Craig’s chest. “I thought they would go away when we got back together.”
“Tweek, I’m sorry,” Craig murmured. He felt Tweek shudder in his arms. “I should never have broken up with you. I’ve caused so many problems for you. I’m sorry.”
Tweek shook his head. “It’s not your fault,” he whispered, “You couldn’t have known.”
Craig sighed and pressed Tweek closer. He felt Tweek lift his head and nuzzle his face into Craig’s neck. He still felt like it was his fault, but it was nice to know that Tweek didn’t blame him. He suddenly felt Tweek’s weight on him increase, and his shivering had stopped. Craig smiled to himself. He carefully lifted the sleeping Tweek into his arms and carried him back over to the couch. He plopped down and laid Tweek down on top of himself.
“Try not to have any more nightmares tonight,” he whispered gently. He felt Tweek’s warm breath on his neck, and pretty soon Craig had fallen asleep as well.

…

There were no windows in the room the four friends had fallen asleep in, so it took a very loud and obnoxious alarm blaring throughout the house to let them know it was morning. Token groaned loudly, while Clyde rolled over and fell off his chair. Craig cringed and tightened his arms around Tweek, as if that would somehow block out the sound. Tweek, however, slept straight through it.
“Ugh, now I know how you’re always on time in the morning,” Clyde muttered from the floor when the alarm finally shut off.
“Yeah, sorry,” Token sighed, rubbing his back, “I forgot to warn you guys my parents had that installed last year. They thought it would be better than simple alarm clocks.”
“Have we seriously not stayed over at your house for a whole year?” Craig asked, loosening his hold on Tweek, who was somehow still asleep, “I feel like I would remember that if we had.”
“I’ve been trying to get you guys over, but you always say you’re too busy,” Token complained. He sat up and stretched, while also trying to crack his back. “Ow. Sleeping in a chair like that was not a good idea.”
“I would have slept on the couch,” Clyde said, standing up, “But someone took it.”
“You were the one who moved,” Craig pointed out.
“Anyway, you guys want to come upstairs and grab breakfast?” Token asked.
“I can’t,” Craig replied, “I have a person on me.”
“So, move him,” Token suggested.
“Mine!” Craig protested, wrapping his arms tightly around Tweek and curling up slightly. He didn’t miss Clyde’s snicker. Or Token’s sigh and eye roll.

…

Stan came down stairs in the morning to find that everyone else in the house hold had already eaten and were going about their day. He didn’t think he slept in that late, but sometimes his family were just early risers. Yawning, he went into the living room and sat down on the couch where Shelly was watching TV.
“Look who finally decided to wake up,” she taunted. Stan grumbled a reply. There were a few minutes of silence between them before Shelly suddenly lowered the volume. “Hey Stan, you’re friends with those two gay kids, right?”
It took a few moments for Stan to realize whom she was talking about. “You mean Tweek and Craig?” he clarified, “Yeah, I guess they’re my friends. Why?”
“Well, normally I wouldn’t care about you or any of your stupid friends,” Shelly reminded him, “But I feel like I have to say something. At the high school, there’s this group of bullies who recently arose. They really hate gays, lesbians, bisexuals, any of those. If you’re not straight, you’re a freak to them.”
“Why are you telling me?” Stan wondered, “They go to high school.”
“Yeah, and they use to be separate,” Shelly told him, “But the past few months, their leader, Rex, has been gathering followers, even from the middle and elementary schools. They’ve gotten so powerful, even teachers are afraid of them. I heard that they drove a lesbian girl to suicide after tormenting her for a good solid month.”
“That’s horrible!” Stan gasped. How could someone do that?
“Mm-hm,” Shelly agreed, “Well, I just thought you should know so you could warn your friends. I really hate those guys. They really piss me off.” Shelly pounded her fist on the side table, making it shake violently.
Stan could’ve sworn he saw a tear in his sister’s eye, and he wondered if Shelly had been close to the girl who committed suicide. He wasn’t going to ask though, in fear of being beaten.

…

When Monday rolled around, Craig could barely remember any of his Sunday. He remembered hanging out more with Tweek, Token, and Clyde at Token’s house, but that was about it. Tweek slept at Craig’s house, where they played video games in Craig’s room before passing out. When Craig woke in the morning, Tweek was asleep on top of him. As much as Craig would have loved to let him continue sleeping (and maybe even cuddle him a little,) they had to get ready for school. Craig gently shook the blond awake.
“Hey Tweek,” Craig said gently, “You have to wake up. Otherwise we’ll be late for school.”
At the words “late for” Tweek jolted awake, yelping a little in surprise. “Late!?” he exclaimed, “I can’t be late! I’ve never been late before! My parents will kill me!”
Craig chuckled with amusement and gently wrapped his arms around Tweek, bringing him back down. “Calm down, Tweek,” he said, “We’re not late yet. I was just waking you so we wouldn’t be.”
“Oh,” Tweek muttered, blushing a little in embarrassment. Craig released him and allowed him to get up. They were both ready within minutes and left Craig’s house with Mr. Tucker warning them to “not do anything he wouldn’t do,” which made Craig flip him off.
When they got to the bus stop, Clyde and Token were already there.
“So, Halloween is next Saturday,” Clyde pointed out after they greeted each other.
“Congratulations, Clyde,” Craig deadpanned, “You finally learned your holidays.”
While Clyde gave him an annoyed glare, Token spoke up. “We were trying to decide what to dress as,” he explained, “We haven’t come up with anything.”
“Seriously? It’s less than a week to Halloween and you two still haven’t decided what you’re going as?” Craig asked in disbelief, “As soon as Halloween ended last year I knew what I wanted to be this year.”
“Well not everyone is as obnoxiously prepared as you are, Craig,” Token snapped at him.
“What about you, Tweek?” Clyde addressed him, “Do you have an idea what you’re going as?”
Tweek startled slightly at suddenly being spoken to. “GAH! I don’t know!” he stammered, “I don’t think I’m going to do anything for Halloween.”
“Dude, why not?” Clyde wondered.
“Way too much pressure,” Tweek muttered, “And Halloween always freaks me out.”
Craig put a comforting arm around him. “It’s okay, Tweek,” he said to him, “No one’s making you do anything.” He turned to Token and Clyde. “You should just do a group theme with me,” he told them, “I’m being Freddy Fazbear this year.”
“Really?” Token asked, “From Five Nights at Freddy’s?”
“No, I’m talking about some totally different character that also happens to be named Freddy Fazbear,” Craig replied with his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You don’t have to be so mean,” Token muttered.
“Hey, that’s a good idea,” Clyde put in before either of them could insult each other, “The four of us should go as the four main characters of Five Nights at Freddy’s.”
“Four of us?” Tweek repeated, trembling slightly, “As in, I would have to join you?”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Craig told him in that soft soothing voice that he reserved only for Tweek.
“Ergh… I’ll think about it,” Tweek muttered.
The conversation ended as the bus rolled up to the stop and they all got on. Craig wasn’t really looking forward to seeing Jess at school. He could only hope that she really had taken the break up well and wouldn’t hold anything against him.
As he walked to his first class, the halls crowded with people, Craig couldn’t help but feel like he was being followed. He stopped to look, but as soon as he did, he was roughly pushed aside and into a nearby broom closet. Before he could even register what was happening, Jess had her lips on his.
Craig blinked as Jess kissed him deeply, moaning with pleasure. When his brain finally caught up with what was going on, he angrily pushed the girl away.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
Jess giggled in a cutesy way. “I’m kissing you, duh!” she replied, “That’s generally what a girlfriend does with her boyfriend.” Craig couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I broke up with you, though!” he reminded her, “We’re not together anymore!”
Again, Jess giggled. “Oh, I know you didn’t really mean it!” she laughed, “I know you really wanted to stay with me. But that Tweek kid made you feel bad for breaking up with him, so he made you get back together with him. But that’s okay! We can have a secret relationship while you gradually let him know you’re not really interested!”
Craig stared at her in shock, unable to respond. Where the hell did she come up with any of that?! What in the world made her think he wanted to stay with her but was being forced to stay with Tweek?! He felt a strange sort of anger boiling up inside of him.
“Okay, first of all, fuck you!” Craig growled, “Second, when I said I wanted to break up, I meant I wanted to break up! And I would have done it even if Tweek didn’t ask to get back together! Third, fuck you! Fourth, I am interested in Tweek! I may not love him, but he understands me, and I understand him. I want to be with him; no one is forcing me to! Finally, fuck you!”
Jess looked shocked. It took her a moment to reply. “Craig,” she said, a bit hesitantly, “My love…”
“I’m not your love!” he interrupted angrily, “I’m sorry, but I thought you got it! I didn’t even really like you that much to begin with! And you were even worse when we dated! You’re a clingy, manipulative bitch!”
“A clingy manipulative…” Jess repeated quietly, “What are you trying to say?”
Craig blinked at her. “You’re a clingy manipulative bitch,” he told her slowly. He hated himself a little for being so nasty, but if she had just understood in the first place, he wouldn’t have had to say what he really thought of her.
“I don’t see what’s so clingy and manipulative about a girl wanting to spend time getting to know her new boyfriend,” Jess argued.
“That’s not it,” Craig sighed, annoyed, “You never left me alone. You wouldn’t let me near any of my friends. Any time I tried to see or talk to any of them, you found a way to block me. When Tweek ran out of the cafeteria you wouldn’t let me go comfort him. He was having a mental break down all last week and I only found out because I walked in on him about to slit his own throat!”
Jess scoffed. “Who cares about that spazzy little fag anyway?” she muttered under her breath. That absolutely did it for Craig.
Craig had never hit a girl before. Not really out of principle, though. He never understood why people said it was wrong to hit a girl. If they wanted to be treated as equally as guys, then he thought they should be hit like guys. No, he simply had never gotten mad enough at a girl to want to hit one.
Until now, that is. In pure rage and anger, Craig punched Jess as hard as he could in the face. She flew backwards, crying out in pain, and fell to the floor, holding her nose. Craig’s fist hurt, but he knew Jess’s face and nose hurt more.
“You know, that ‘spazzy little fag’ happens to be one of my best friends, and my boyfriend,” he growled in a low voice, “You have no right to talk about him that way! I care about him more than I care about anyone else in the world! You will not disrespect him like that!”
Jess’s eyes were full of tears as she stared up at him, holding her nose and sniveling. Craig knew he probably should have felt bad, he probably broke her nose, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want her to get away with talking about Tweek like that.
Without giving Jess time to respond, Craig stormed out of the broom closet, slamming it shut behind him. He immediately went into the nearest bathroom to rinse his hand off and try to cool down. He was a little surprised when he saw Stan in there.
“Dude, what’s got you steamed?” he asked, noticing how worked up Craig looked.
Craig walked over to the sink and started running his hand under cold water before he answered. “Jess,” he replied, “I broke up with her on Saturday, but she didn’t get the hint.”
“Wait, you broke up with Jess?” Stan wondered, “Does this mean you’re back with Tweek? Or are you flying solo for a while?”
Craig shook his head. “No, I’m back with Tweek,” he told him, “I decided I would rather just be with him than worry about actually trying to date someone.” He decided to leave out the part about Tweek trying to kill himself. He didn’t trust Stan to keep it to himself, and he didn’t want rumors to start flying around the school.
He didn’t know how elated Stan was to hear this news, though. Along with Clyde, he had watched Tweek’s spiral into further depression, and it was good to see that it had finally gotten better for the little twitchy boy.
“That’s good to hear,” Stan said, “So, what did Jess do that’s got you so worked up?”
Craig sighed. “She thought I was pretending to get back together with Tweek so I could still be with her,” he explained, “She was acting as if I don’t really care about Tweek. And then she insulted him, and I punched her in the face.”
“That explains the bloody fist,” Stan concluded. “Well, I have to get to class. I hope Jess doesn’t give you a hard time.”
“Eh, if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll get over it,” Craig muttered.

Chapter Text

When Craig came out of his first class, he still felt really annoyed at Jess. It made him have trouble focusing in class. He brightened, though, when he saw Tweek waiting for him outside his class. Tweek gave him a small smile, and Craig walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him.
“Hey Tweek,” he greeted warmly.
Tweek hugged him back, feeling warmth flow through him. He wanted all the students walking by to see them together. When Craig pulled back, Tweek noticed that his hand was bandaged. He gently took it.
“What happened to your hand?” he wondered.
“Nothing,” Craig muttered, “Don’t worry about it.”
Tweek felt his nervousness flare right up. He was worrying about it. Was Craig in trouble? Oh God! Was he in trouble because of him? Why didn’t he want to tell him what happened? He started feeling all of his twitches coming back.
Craig stared as Tweek started twitching, and he sighed. He gently took his hands to calm him down. “I got into an argument with Jess,” he explained, “Apparently she doesn’t get what ‘broken up’ means.”
To Craig’s relief, his vague answer caused Tweek’s shaking to subside. He felt Tweek gently squeeze his hands.
“Are you ok?” he wondered.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Craig sighed. He looked up at the clock and saw what time it was. He looked back at Tweek. “I have to get to class. But I’ll see you at lunch, ok?”
“Ok,” Tweek answered. He felt his heart soar when Craig took him in his arms, leaned down, and kissed him deeply. Tweek kissed him back eagerly. It was a good minute before Craig let go and walked off. Tweek smiled to himself as he walked over to his locker, which was nearby. As he got his books out, he heard two girls talking, and realized they were the same girls from before.
“Did you hear?” the first girl said to her friend, “Mindy said that Craig broke up with the new girl!”
“Really?” the second girl asked eagerly, “That means he’s available!”
“I wouldn’t be so hasty,” girl one warned, “She said she saw him kissing that spazzy kid. So, I guess they got back together.”
The other girl couldn’t have sounded more disappointed. “Aw!” she moaned, “Lame! I at least wanted to make out with him a little!”
The first girl scoffed. “Yeah, so did every other girl,” she said, “Come on, let’s get to class. That blond kid is so lucky.”
As the two girls walked past him, Tweek couldn’t help but smile wildly. Yes, Craig could have dated any girl he wanted. There were so many of them who eagerly wanted to go out with him. But he had chosen Tweek. He was lucky; there was no denying that. And as he went off to his next class, he felt like he was the luckiest kid in the world.

…

“Can you believe Miss Tory?!” Clyde complained as he and his friends walked to Tweek’s house after school, “All of that hard work for nothing! What teacher loses everyone’s papers? I don’t care if we all got A’s because of it! I actually studied and worked hard for nothing!”
“Miss Tory certainly is a mystery,” Token agreed, “But surely it wasn’t all for nothing! You got to learn more about… whichever war it was you and Kenny did.”
“It was for nothing,” Clyde grumbled, “And don’t call me Shirly.”
“Whatever,” Craig sighed, “I’m just glad to be done with it so I don’t have to work with Jess anymore.” He walked along, his hand entwined with Tweek’s.
“Yeah, it is pretty nice that I don’t have to listen to Cartman anymore,” Token admitted, “I mean seriously! He just never shuts up! All the time it’s just blah blah blah kill the Jews this, and blah blah blah I hate Kyle that. Drove me crazy.”
“I’m so sorry you had to work with Cartman,” Tweek said earnestly.
Token sighed. “Well, I’m just glad it’s over,” he said, “Hopefully Miss Tory won’t make us do anything like that again in the near future.”
“Amen to that,” Clyde muttered.
When they got to Tweek’s house, the four of them flopped down on the couch, pressed together. Token immediately dug through his backpack to look for his homework to work on it. An action none of his friends cared to follow.
“Did your parents ever find out about your freak out?” Clyde wondered.
Tweek shook his head. “No, you guys did a good job cleaning up,” he replied. He twitched very slightly. He didn’t really like thinking back to that moment on Friday, when he had completely given up on life. He pressed closer to Craig.
“So, do any of you guys know why Jess came into class today with a bandaged nose?” Token asked as he pulled out his math homework.
“Yeah, I punched her in the face,” Craig replied nonchalantly. Token and Clyde looked at him in surprise.
“Really?” Clyde asked. He looked rather proud of his friend.
“Why?” Token wondered.
“I broke up with her on Saturday, but she didn’t take the hint,” Craig explained, “She was being nasty and rude, so I punched her.” For whatever reason he didn’t feel comfortable telling the three what she had said about Tweek. How she had called him a spazzy fag, and how defensive he got.
“Good,” Clyde sneered, “I hated her.”
“Me too,” Tweek mumbled.
Craig put an arm around Tweek and pressed him close. “Well, hopefully we won’t have to worry about her any longer,” he said, “I think she got the picture.”

…

The rest of the week was a blur as Halloween got closer. Tweek eventually caved and agreed to dress up with the others. So, the four of them went to the yearly costume store to get their costumes. Craig was going as Freddy Fazbear, Clyde was Bonnie the Bunny, Tweek was Foxy the Pirate Fox, which unfortunately left Token as Chica the Chicken. The plan for Halloween was to go to the school’s Halloween party that went until trick-or-treating started. Craig had already expressed his desire that this would be the last year he went trick-or-treating, as next year they would officially be teenagers, and he wanted to go with his closest friends.
In a desire to include all the main characters of the first Five Nights at Freddy’s, Craig had somehow managed to make a large stuffed Golden Freddy that he planned on dragging around with them. Clyde reacted appropriately.
“You’re insane, dude,” he chuckled as Craig showed his friends Golden Freddy as they got ready at Craig’s house.
“Am I insane?” Craig asked, “Or am I a genius?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s the first one,” Clyde replied.
“You know,” Token interrupted as he adjusted his big fake chicken feet, “I could have been Golden Freddy, and then you could’ve made a stuffed Chica or something.”
Craig blinked at him. “But that wouldn’t make any sense,” he explained, “Golden Freddy is the lifeless one, and we need someone to be Chica.”
“Then get your sister to do it,” Token said. Craig scoffed.
“Yeah right,” he sneered, “Besides, this is also what I’m going to use to keep candy in. His hat comes off like this, see?”
“Yup,” Clyde said, nodding, “You’re insane.”
“Or a genius.”
“But mostly insane.”

…

“I hate that you made me do this,” Token muttered to Craig as they walked towards the school. He had a large rubber Chica mask over his head to “hide his identity.”
“You’ll get over it,” Craig told him, “Besides, it’s not my fault you were last to call a character. If you wanted Bonnie or Foxy you should have called them.”
“To be fair, we did discuss it while he was in the bathroom,” Tweek spoke for the first time that night.
“Exactly,” Token growled, glaring at Craig from behind the mask. Craig shrugged.
“You’ll get over it,” he repeated.
As they approached the school, Tweek pressed himself hard against Craig. Even though it was just a school Halloween party, and they knew everyone there, he was still anxious. What if someone tried scare him? What if one of the girls was dressed in an overly revealing outfit? What if there was a pedophile disguised as a teacher there? What if-
“Son of a bitch!” Craig hissed, suddenly coming to a stop. Token, Clyde, and Tweek stopped as well, and followed Craig’s angry gaze to see what he was glaring at.
Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman were walking towards them, dressed eerily similar to them. Only there was one major difference. Stan and his friends were dressed as the Toy animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Stan was Toy Freddy, Kyle was Toy Bonnie, Cartman was Toy Chica, and Kenny was the Mangle. And even though his face was obscured by a mask, Stan looked equally as pissed off as Craig did.
“Are you serious?” Stan growled, marching over, “You guys copied our idea?”
“What are you talking about?” Craig sneered, “I had this idea the minute Halloween ended last year. You copied us.”
Stan (probably) opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Kenny interrupted.
“Wow, Token!” he exclaimed, “You look way better as Chica than Cartman does!”
Token glared at him as Cartman grumbled something about “not being his fault Toy Chica wasn’t made for heavy set people.”
Sensing that Craig and Stan were about to get into an argument, Tweek grasped Craig’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Craig looked at him and sighed. Then he turned to Token and Clyde. “Come on, let’s go,” he said, and led his group into the school.
Craig was annoyed when he heard Stan and his friends follow them. They walked into the gymnasium where the party was being held. Halloween decorations were strung up everywhere, people were dancing, there was a table with many Halloween themed foods, and a sign pointing to the “haunted hallway walk.” Then Craig spotted a group of girls, and his jaw dropped.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” he hissed. Stan walked over next to him and saw what had made him so upset.
“God damn it!” he cursed.
Wendy, Bebe, Red, and Heidi were dressed as the four main characters of Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location, with Red as Circus Baby, Heidi as Ballora, Wendy as Funtime Foxy, and Bebe as Funtime Freddy (complete with little BonBon puppet.)
“And what exactly is it that you two are upset about?” Token wondered.
Craig scoffed. “You would ask that,” he said.
Upon spotting the two groups, Wendy broke away from her friends and went over to Stan. She looked him up and down and smiled.
“Hey Stan!” she greeted, “Isn’t that funny? We all got the same idea!” Apparently, Stan did not find it as hilarious as she did.
“Yeah, so funny,” he replied in his best I’m-actually-annoyed-but-I’m-trying-to-sound-like-I’m-actually-happy-for-your-sake voice.
“Yeah, me and the girls actually quite like Five Nights at Freddy’s, and we were thinking about how Sister Location had mostly- oh, uh, hello Kyle. I didn’t see you there,” Wendy cut herself off as Kyle was suddenly standing next to her and leaning in close, just staring at her. Without blinking or saying anything. Like he was scanning her.
Annoyed, Stan pulled his friend away from her. “Sorry,” he muttered, “He’s been like this all night.”
Behind him, Craig sneered. “You really need to keep better tabs on your friends, Stan,” he snickered, “They could really- where did Clyde go?”
Tweek blinked at him. He had been clinging to Craig’s arm the whole time, he hadn’t noticed that Clyde had disappeared. He turned to look around and then noticed that Clyde was right behind them at the entrance of the gym. He was leaning slightly in, with a blank look in his eyes. Just staring. It sort freaked out Tweek. At that moment, he didn’t see Clyde. He saw the real Bonnie.
Craig rolled his eyes and marched over to Clyde, roughly grabbing his arm and dragging him into the gymnasium. “Come on!” he snapped at him. Tweek and Token quickly followed. “Stuff it, Marsh,” Craig growled as the four of them walked past Stan grinning.
“So, what should we do first?” Token asked once they were a suitable distance away from Stan, his friends, and the girls.
“Well, I would suggest the ‘haunted hallway’ first,” Craig replied, pushing Clyde away as he was leaning his face in, “But that would probably freak out Tweek. We need to ease him into it.”
“You know me so well,” Tweek murmured, smiling behind his Foxy mask. He was glad he was wearing it. No one could see how frightened he was of everything. In his paranoid schizophrenic mind, he was seeing everyone in their costumes as actual monsters. Those who weren’t something scary were distorted in his mind to look so. He hoped Craig wouldn’t be mad that he was cutting off the blood flow to his arm.
“Food,” Clyde grunted suddenly. Craig looked at him.
“What?” he asked.
“Bonnie needs food,” Clyde said in a weird voice. He broke off from the group to make his way over to the refreshments table. Sighing, Craig followed him, dragging Tweek and Golden Freddy along with him. Token looked around for a moment, before deciding to follow them.
While they were at the table (with only Clyde grabbing anything to eat) Tweek suddenly spotted someone across the dance floor and squeezed Craig’s arm tighter in fear.
“Ow,” Craig muttered in his deadpan voice.
Jess was on the other side of the gym, dressed as an almost-but-not-quite-pushing-it sexy angel. She was dancing by herself, swaying her hips in a seductive way, and scanning the gym as if looking for someone. Tweek flinched as her gaze passed him, forgetting that both he and Craig were wearing masks.
“Are you ok, Tweek?” Craig asked him suddenly, making him jump a little, “It feels like you’re trying to crush my arm in half.”
“GAH! Ah! Er, it’s nothing!” Tweek lied hastily. He twitched harshly. Great, now if she looked back over here it would be obvious who he was.
Craig gave him a concerned look and lifted up his Freddy mask so Tweek could tell he was serious. “I know it’s not ‘nothing,’ Tweek,” he said, “What’s wrong?”
Before Tweek could answer Jess had made her way over to them and was practically shoving Token and Clyde over to stand next to Craig.
“Craig! There you are!” she exclaimed, “I’ve been looking all over for you!”
Craig looked at Token and Clyde briefly to make sure they were okay, then turned to Jess and glared at her. “Why are you talking to me?” he hissed, “What part of ‘broken up’ do you not understand?”
Jess giggled, and Tweek hated her for it. “Come on, love,” she chuckled, “We had a little spat, but that’s nothing to declare breaking up over!”
Was this chick for real? Craig’s eyes widened, and he felt his rage building. “What are you not getting here?” he growled, “I don’t like you! I’m not dating you anymore, and we’re not in any sort of ‘secret relationship!’ I fucking punched you right in your stupid face! What do I have to do to get you to realize I’m not interested!?”
Tweek gently held onto his arm to comfort him, but flinched when Jess’s gaze fell on him. Her eyes turned back to Craig.
“Love, please be reasonable,” she said in her best soothing voice.
It didn’t work. If anything, it made Craig angrier.
“Stop calling me your love,” he muttered, “I am not your love! What is wrong with you?!” Clyde moved to the other side of Craig, trying to keep him calm.
By this time everyone around them had stopped to stare at them. Even Stan’s group had come over just in case. But Craig didn’t care about any of them. He didn’t care that all of his shouting was ruining their good time. If Jess could just get the idea and leave him alone, he wouldn’t be so angry.
“Nothing’s wrong with me,” Jess replied, also ignoring the gathering crowd, “I’m just a girl trying to hit it off with a boy she likes. Like nature intended.”
The veiled insult did not go over Craig’s head, and all three of his friends had to quickly grab onto him to keep him from lunging at the girl. He still managed to grab her arm and pull her towards him.
“What did I tell you about disrespecting Tweek?!” Craig hissed at her in a voice low enough that only she could hear. Finally, the girl’s eyes grew fearful. “If you insult him again, I’ll make sure you wake up tomorrow morning in a dumpster!”
Finally, Jess backed away. She turned around and practically sprinted from the gymnasium, nearly tripping in her effort to get away. As soon as she was gone, Craig let out a huge breath of air he hadn’t realized he had been holding in.
“Are you ok?” Tweek murmured. He could feel Craig trembling with anger, but when Craig looked at him, it slowly faded.
“Yeah,” he sighed, “I’m ok. I’ll be all right.”
“Did you want to leave?” Token asked, concern in his voice.
“No,” Craig replied, “She’s gone. We can have fun again.” He slipped on his Freddy mask again and stared at Token until he put his mask back on. Token sighed and pulled on his Chica mask.
For the rest of the party, Craig was in a great mood, as if the encounter with Jess hadn’t happened. Tweek was glad about that. He didn’t want her to drag him down. Apparently, Halloween brought out Craig’s wild side; a side very few had ever seen from him. He actually danced, and not only that, he managed to get each of his friends to dance with him. Including Tweek. And Tweek actually enjoyed it, mostly because he got to dance with Craig. He could even get past the fact that while he had been dancing, Craig had been swinging Golden Freddy around everywhere. After he was done making a fool of himself on the dance floor, Craig dragged his friends through the haunted hallway. It wasn’t as bad as Tweek thought it would be. He only got startled once, (which unfortunately caused him to punch the actor in the face, and Craig had to hold his arms to his sides the rest of the way.) After they got out, there was an announcement of a contest to guess how much assorted candy was in a very large jar. Whoever guessed closest won the jar of candy.
“Oh! I am so there!” Craig exclaimed excitedly. He pushed Golden Freddy into Clyde’s arms. “Here, Clyde, hold this.”
“Craig, I don’t want it!” Clyde called after him as Craig dashed away. Clyde sighed and turned to Token and Tweek, the oversized doll hanging limply in his arms. “I think Halloween brings the weird out of him,” he said.
“Boy, I’ll say,” Token agreed.
Tweek was again glad that no one could see him blushing behind his Foxy mask. It made his heart feel warm to see Craig so happy and having a good time. Sure, he was acting like a goofball, but everyone deserved to have a goofy side.
When Craig came back to his friends, Clyde shoved Golden Freddy into him. Craig grinned and took Tweek’s hand, leading the reluctant boy back out to the dance floor. Clyde and Token were laughing.
When Craig went off to the restroom, Tweek stood to the side to breathe. Leaning back against the bleachers, Tweek stared up at the ceiling. He never liked the giant rafters that were there. One never knew when ninjas would sneak in and drop down to assassinate everyone. Or when Kenny dressed in his Mangle costume would be hanging himself up-side down from a rope, slowly lowering himself over the crowd as if he were the real Mangle.
…Wait, what?
Tweek stared in surprise up at Kenny. What did he think he was doing?
“Hey Tweek,” Stan called as he walked over with Kyle and Cartman, “Have you seen Kenny anywhere? We can’t find him.”
Without saying anything, Tweek pointed up, still staring. Confused, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman looked up as well. Their eyes widened.
“How the hell did he get on the ceiling?!” Kyle exclaimed in shock.
After the party was over (Craig had won the giant jar of candy, much to Cartman’s annoyance), the four of them went back to Craig’s house, as they had to go back and get his little sister. His mom had demanded that he take her trick-or-treating with him, however much he didn’t want to.
“What’s your sister dressed as?” Token wondered as they walked towards Craig’s house.
“I don’t know,” Craig replied, shrugging, “Some stupid fairy princess she saw on TV. I’m pretty sure almost every girl her age is going as the same thing.”
“Boy, I’m glad I don’t have a younger sister to drag me down,” Clyde bragged, “I just have an older one who punches me so hard she leaves bruises the next day.”
“GAH! Are you ok?” Tweek asked nervously. Clyde chuckled softly.
“I’m fine, dude. Don’t freak out,” he laughed.
Craig’s sister was waiting impatiently for them when they arrived. She had her arms folded and was glaring at her older brother. “Where have you been?” she demanded. Craig rolled his eyes.
“At the school,” he replied, “It’s not like we’re late or anything.”
“Trick-or-treating started five minutes ago!” his sister pointed out annoyed.
“Oh no! Five minutes! We’ll never make up all that lost time!” Craig argued sarcastically.
“Can we just get going now?” Token asked, before either of them could argue more, “We’re wasting time.”
“Fine, whatever,” Craig muttered. The group was about to head out the door when Mrs. Tucker called out to them.
“Make sure you hold your sister’s hand the whole time!” she ordered her son.
Craig stopped and whipped around to glare at his mother. “Mom, I can’t hold her hand, Tweek’s hand, and Golden Freddy all at the same time!” he complained, “I only have two hands! Besides, she’s eight years old! I think she can survive Halloween without holding my hand!”
As Tweek blushed and mumbled “You don’t have to hold my hand,” under his breath, Mrs. Tucker walked into the room and glared at her son.
“Craig Tucker, you hold your sister’s hand or I swear to the Heavenly Father I will lock you in the basement and you won’t see your friends again for a month!” she threatened.
Craig, as well as everyone else, stared at her with wide, shocked eyes. Craig quickly grabbed his sister’s hand and led the group out the door. Right before he left, though, he turned and flipped his mom off before closing the door.
As soon as they left the house and walked to the end of the walkway, Craig groaned. Stan and his friends were right in front of them, walking towards them. Stan was holding a make shift map and hadn’t noticed them yet.
“Okay, if we start on this street we can cut over here and make our way to- Kyle get out of my face.” Kyle, in his Toy Bonnie mask, was slowly leaning in to stare deeply at Stan as he spoke.
“Oh great, what are you guys doing here?” Cartman sneered, finally noticing the group.
“I live here,” Craig pointed out.
The four friends all looked up at the house. “Oh yeah,” Cartman muttered.
Stan opened his mouth to say something (that was probably insulting) when he was interrupted by Ike. “Hi Craig’s sister!” he exclaimed, and for some reason, Cartman looked startled. As Craig’s sister greeted Ike by flipping him off, Cartman turned to Kyle.
“When did your little brother get here?” he growled, “He nearly gave me a heart attack!” Kyle looked at him, confused and annoyed.
“What are you talking about, fat ass?” he snapped, “Ike’s been here the whole time!”
Craig didn’t really want to listen to them squabble, so he took his sister’s hand and led his friends away. When they were a good distance away, Token glanced behind them, then nudged Craig. “They’re following us,” he informed his friend. Craig sighed.
“Of course they are,” he muttered.
“I think they’re in love with us or something,” Clyde commented.
“GAH!” Tweek twitched violently.
The two groups basically spent the night trick-or-treating with each other, whether they wanted to or not. They didn’t mean to cross paths, they had just planned out their routes beforehand, and both Stan and Craig were too stubborn to change. Eventually they got to one street that looked sort of familiar to Craig, though he couldn’t place his finger on why. As he and his friends walked down the street, he suddenly remembered.
This was the street Jess’s house was on. Craig’s heart fell as he saw her house up ahead. It was heavily decorated in some of the scariest Halloween decorations, there was music playing, lights flashing, and tons of kids were lined up to get the full-sized candy bars that were being given away. Craig stopped, causing his friends to come to a halt.
“Egh! What’s wrong, Craig?” Tweek wondered, seeing the nervousness in his eyes.
“That’s Jess’s house over there,” he muttered. His three friends and his sister looked over at the house. They understood immediately. Jess was outside handing out candy.
Craig was about to lead his friends across the street and skip her house, when his sister started to tug on his arm, pulling him towards the house. Craig pulled back.
“Come on, sis,” he growled, “We’re skipping that house.”
His sister scoffed. “No, we’re not,” she replied. She continued her pulling while Craig dug his heels into the ground.
“Yes, we are!” he hissed. He was slowly being dragged forwards.
“Are you kidding, Craig?” his sister asked, “They’re giving away full-sized candy bars!” Somehow, she was able to slowly drag her brother towards the house.
Tweek, Clyde, and Token stared at them. “Seriously, dude?” Clyde snickered, “You’re losing to an eight-year-old?” Craig cast a glare back at him.
“Just help me before Jess sees us!” he snapped.
Jess must have heard the commotion, because at that moment, she looked up and spotted them. “Craig?” she called.
Craig froze in place. Oh shit. “Run,” he muttered to his friends, “Run! Grab her and run!” He and Clyde quickly grabbed his sister and lifted her off her feet as she protested. Then the four of them took off running while Stan’s group and Jess and all the kids stared in confusion.

…

By the time the group got back to Craig’s house from trick-or-treating, Golden Freddy was so heavy with candy, Craig had started carrying him on his back, the bear’s arms wrapped around his neck. They were all exhausted when they got back. Craig immediately went to his room to change, while his sister took her candy to her room, paranoid that the boys would try to steal it.
Tweek took off his Foxy mask and shirt and changed back into his button-down shirt that he had left at Craig’s house. Meanwhile, Token and Clyde dumped their candy into a pile together on the floor.
“Hey Token, why did you keep stumbling around like you couldn’t see?” Clyde asked his friend. Token glared at him slightly and held up the rubber Chica mask.
“I had no peripheral vision in this thing,” he complained, “All I could see was anything that was right in front of my face.”
“Is that why you kept bumping into me?” Tweek asked from where he sat cross-legged on the couch.
“Yeah, sorry. You’re shorter than me,” Token said, “I didn’t see you.”
Craig came down the stairs a moment later, dressed in his usual blue jacket, blue chullo hat, and black pants. He went over and sat next to Tweek on the couch, then looked down at his two friends.
“I certainly hope you two don’t plan on eating all of that tonight,” he said.
“I don’t,” Token replied at the exact same moment Clyde exclaimed “I do!”
“Hey Craig, can I borrow one of your shirts?” Clyde asked, “I was planning on just staying here and eating candy until I pass out.”
“No,” Craig replied simply. Clyde gave him a confused look.
“No to what?” he wondered, “No to the shirt, or no staying here and passing out?”
“Both.” Clyde frowned at that.
“Tweek gets to stay!” he pointed out. Tweek blushed a little. He had planned on staying the night with Craig, but now that Clyde pointed it out he felt a little guilty.
“Yeah, but I actually like Tweek,” Craig said in his deadpan voice. Both Token and Clyde looked at him.
“What’s the matter?” Token questioned, “You don’t like Clyde?”
Craig stared at the two of them and didn’t reply. The longer the silence went on, the more Clyde’s eyes widened. Eventually, Tweek gently nudged Craig.
“Let them stay if they want,” he said softly, “I don’t mind at all.” Craig sighed.
“Fine,” he relented, “But you can just use one of the countless shirts you two have left at my house over the years. They’re in the bottom drawer.”
“Think of it as pay back for the toothbrushes you keep leaving,” Token teased as he and Clyde stood up and went upstairs to get changed.
Craig watched them go before turning to Tweek and wrapping his arms around him. He buried his face in the twitchy blonde’s neck. “Sorry for getting so angry at the party,” he mumbled. Tweek smiled slightly.
“It’s all right,” he said, “You had every right to be upset.”
Craig sighed. He clung to Tweek tighter, then fell back on the couch, pulling Tweek on top of him. It always surprised Tweek when he did that, but he didn’t mind it.
“I don’t know what she’s not getting here,” Craig muttered, “I don’t know what else I can do to make her see I’m not interested.”
“Maybe you finally got through to her at the party,” Tweek pointed out hopefully. Craig sighed heavily.
“Maybe,” he muttered. He didn’t say anything more as he leaned up and gently started kissing Tweek’s neck. Tweek felt his heart stop briefly, and his cheeks felt warm. He let out a small sigh as Craig kissed along his throat.
Tweek suddenly heard movement and looked up to see Clyde and Token staring at them. Both of them were grinning. Tweek felt like his face was on fire, but Craig didn’t seem to notice or care. Tweek wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find his voice.
“Don’t you two have anything better to do with your time?” Craig asked suddenly, his lips still on Tweek’s neck.
“I can think of something,” Clyde said, walking over, “Move over Tweek, I wanna make out with Craig now.”
Because Tweek was far too nervous and timid to object, he did as he was told, moving over towards the back of the couch. Craig was about to say something, when Clyde laid down on top of him, leaned down and kissed him deeply. Tweek’s eyes widened as he stared. Wait, was this really happening? He looked at Craig, expecting shock or surprise, but instead he just looked annoyed. Tweek thought that Clyde kissed Craig perhaps a bit longer than he meant to, but he didn’t say anything. Clyde pulled back and grinned down at his friend. Craig narrowed his eyes at him.
“You- “ he started, but that was all he was able to get out.
“MY TURN!” Token shouted. He ran towards them, and Clyde barely had enough time to move out of the way, while still on top of Craig, before Token jumped and landed on all three of them. Craig didn’t even get to recover before Token was kissing him in an over-the-top manner. Tweek stared, having no idea what was going on right now. If Craig had any use of his arms, he would be shoving Token away.
Token broke away, laughing, as Craig glared up at him. “I hate you,” he growled.
“You didn’t like that, Craig?” Token asked, unable to hold back the laughter in his voice, “Too bad. Most girls love making out with me.”
“You’re sick, man,” Craig replied. Token looked at him with fake hurt.
“We could balance it out if you want,” he suggested, “I’ll make out with Clyde and Tweek, and then Clyde and Tweek can kiss each other.”
“Mine!” Craig objected, freeing one arm, and wrapping it around Tweek. Tweek was blushing furiously.
“Fine,” Token shrugged, “I’ll just make out with Clyde then.”
“…What?”
Somehow, the four of them fell asleep like that, with Tweek, Token, and Clyde all laying on top of Craig. It had been a long day.

Chapter Text

When Tweek woke up, he was slightly confused. It took him a few moments to remember the previous night, how Token and Clyde had jumped on Craig, and they all fell asleep like that. He was still rather puzzled by what exactly was up with yesterday, but Craig hadn’t seemed too disturbed by it. He sat up a little and looked at his friends. Somehow Craig was peacefully asleep, with Token resting his head on his chest, and Clyde’s face buried in his neck. It was kind of adorable.
Tweek wanted to get up, but he was kind of trapped against the back of the couch. He reached out an arm and gently nudged Token, trying to get him to wake. But Token just slept away. Tweek pressed a little harder, but Token still wasn’t stirring. Finally, Tweek shoved hard, but harder than he had meant to, and, with a loud yelp, Token and Clyde slid off the couch and fell to the floor.
The moment they were off of him, Craig exclaimed, “Thank you!” Token and Clyde groaned from where they lay on the floor as Craig sat up. He looked at Tweek, who was staring at all of them in surprise. Craig leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Thanks, babe,” he said, “I couldn’t breathe.”
“Token, you’re heavier than you look,” Clyde muttered. Token had fallen on top of him.
“What are you implying?” Token asked, his voice a little accusatory.
“Get off of me!” Clyde exclaimed. Token rolled off of him and Clyde stood up, looking stiff and bruised.
As the four boys started trying to stretch the sleep out of their systems, Craig’s sister came in. Tweek immediately noticed that she looked like she was up to something, just by the way she was walking. He was the only who seemed to notice though, as Craig was laying on the couch and Clyde and Token were busy shoveling the candy they had left on the floor last night back into their bags. The sister walked over to the couch and sat down on her brother.
“What the fuck, sis?” Craig growled at her.
“Craaaaig!” she said in a sing-song voice, “You’re going to take me to the store and buy me five full-sized candy bars to make up for skipping that one girl’s house last night.”
“Uh, no, I’m not,” Craig replied in an annoyed voice, “I had a good reason for skipping her house. So you can just get over it.”
“Nope,” she countered, and started kicking her feet, “You’re gonna do exactly what I want, bro.”
“And why would I do that?” Craig growled, trying to shove her off him.
“Because I have something on my phone that I’m sure you wouldn’t want floating around school,” she taunted. Before Craig could ask what she meant, his sister had whipped out her phone and was showing him something. Tweek couldn’t see what it was, as her back was turned to him, but he saw Craig’s eyes widening.
“You wouldn’t dare,” he hissed.
“Only if you get me those candy bars!” she teased. Craig glared up at her.
“I hate you,” he muttered.
“Love you too, bro,” she said, pinching his cheek, and sliding off of him. She giggled as she ran off into the kitchen.
“Wow,” Clyde said as he watched her go, “What kind of dirt does she have on you?”
Craig casted a glare at him and didn’t answer.

…

Monday came all too soon for Tweek. He had enjoyed just hanging out with Craig, Clyde, and Token, eating candy until they passed out from a sugar coma. He had woken with a headache and a sore stomach, but it had been worth it to spend time with Craig.
Especially because Craig had managed to get detention before lunch time and he was pretty sure he would get grounded for it.
“Why did you get detention?” Clyde asked as the four of them sat and ate their lunch.
“Let me guess,” Token said sarcastically, “You flipped someone off, didn’t you?”
Craig looked at him. “No!” he replied, offended, “I flipped someone off, and when they told me not to do it again, I threw my shoe at them.”
“Oh Craig!” Token lamented, “Why do you do these things to yourself?”
Shrugging, Craig just went back to his sandwich. Tweek sat next to him, silently panicking to himself. If Craig got detention, then that meant he wouldn’t be able to walk home with Tweek. And if he didn’t walk home with him, then that meant someone could jump him and attack him because he was all alone! Or maybe the monsters would grab him and rip him to shreds! What if-
“Tweek!” Clyde interrupted Tweek’s thoughts. It seemed like he had been trying to get his attention for a minute or two.
“ERGH! What?” Tweek asked, shaking slightly.
“I was asking if you wanted Token and me to walk home with you,” Clyde told him, “I know Craig usually does, but you know…”
Tweek blinked at him. Should he let Clyde and Token walk him home? He did admit, he would love the company, and the two of them could probably keep away any random rapists or monsters. But at the same time, he didn’t want to appear helpless and weak, like he couldn’t help himself with anything. If he couldn’t handle walking home by himself, what could he handle?
“Um, that’s all right,” he replied eventually, “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” Token wondered.
“Yeah,” Tweek insisted, “I’m sure.” Besides, it’s only one day. I can make it through one day without Craig by my side, he thought to himself.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Token and Clyde’s parents came to pick them up, and for a brief moment Tweek considered asking one of them for a ride. But then he decided against it. He had to do something on his own.
Craig had given him a quick kiss before hurrying off to detention. Tweek smiled to himself as he took his stuff out of his locker. No one else was around right now, and Tweek never knew whether he liked it or not. He was so preoccupied with his locker, he didn’t notice the footsteps hurrying towards him until he closed the door and turned around. He was suddenly slammed against his locker.
“You fucking dirty little fag!” Jess hissed at his face. Tweek stared in shock as the girl pinned his shoulders against the lockers. He had never seen her look so enraged. Her sharp monstrous teeth were bared, and her brow was a sharp “V” shape. He felt her claws digging into his skin.
“W-What did I do?” Tweek asked, shaking, “ACK! I haven’t done anything to you!”
“You stole Craig from me!” Jess scowled, “He was mine! I had him totally in love with me! But then you had to go crying to him, begging him to take you back like the little fag you are! Even though you know he’s not a fag like you, and I would be much better for him!”
Tweek flinched harshly. Oh no. All of his twitches and shakes and visions were coming back. And there was no one around to help him. “Y-You don’t know anything about C-Craig,” he stuttered, trying to get his trembling under control, “H-He didn’t love you.”
Scowling, Jess pulled him away, then slammed him into the lockers again. “You would say that!” she growled, “I bet you forced him to do your bidding! Like yelling at me, or hitting me! We were totally happy! But you had to screw it up!” She slammed him into the lockers again, with greater force.
“I didn’t s-screw up a-anything!” Tweek insisted, “He was g-going to d-dump you anyway! I’ve never -GAH!- forced him to do anything!” God, he felt like he was ten again with all his nervous twitching.
Jess glared with pure hatred at him. “Craig will be mine!” she declared, “You hear that, you fucking queer? I will get him back, and I’ll make sure he never looks at you again!”
One last time she slammed Tweek against the lockers before letting him fall to the floor and walking away. Tweek felt his head spinning, and when he tried to stand up, he nearly fell over. He quickly felt the back of his head and was relieved that it wasn’t bleeding. Shaking and dizzy, he started to try to stumble home. At one point he was staggering so bad, he had to rest against a tree. He waited there until he regained his senses.
Maybe I should call Craig, he thought, Maybe he can walk with me when he gets out of detention? He pulled out his phone and saw he had a text message from Craig. He opened it, and his heart dropped.
Craig: My mom came and got me from detention, just so you don’t worry. She was really mad. I’m grounded all week now. Sorry I can’t hang out with you.
So, Craig was already home. Had he been stumbling around so long that detention had already gotten out? And now Tweek wouldn’t get to spend time with Craig all week except for at school. Could this be any worse?
As soon as Tweek thought that, someone pounced on him from behind, tackling him to the ground and pressing a knife to his throat. Breathing hard, Tweek shook as whoever was on leaned down to growl in his ear.
“If you know what’s good for you,” the voice warned in a low tone, “You’ll keep your unnatural and disgusting public displays of affection out of our schools. Or something bad might happen to you and your… boyfriend.” It was as if whoever it was hated using that term for whatever reason. “This is your first and only warning.”
Then the weight and the knife moved off of Tweek. But he still didn’t move. He waited until he could no longer hear the footsteps before getting up and sprinting all the way back to his house.
Tweek found himself all alone when he got home. His parents left him a note saying they would be gone all night. The shadows immediately started creeping towards him after he had read this. He was all alone. There was no one here to help him. How long had that figure been standing in the corner? And did the walls always look like they were dripping blood? Tweek couldn’t take it.
Practically sprinting to the phone, Tweek stopped when he picked it up. He had been about to call Craig, but he realized he couldn’t. He was grounded, and Tweek didn’t want to get him into more trouble by asking him to sneak out. So, instead, he dialed the only other number he could think of at the moment.
“Hello?” Clyde’s voice sounded a little confused when he finally picked up. Tweek wasn’t surprised. He didn’t call that often.
“Um, hi Clyde,” Tweek greeted meekly, “I-It’s Tweek.”
“Dude, are you ok?” Clyde wondered, “You sound a little freaked out. Is everything all right?” Tweek shook a little.
“C-Can you come over, please?” he requested, “My -ACK- parents are o-out, and I’m all alone. I w-would call Craig, but he’s grounded.”
There was a pause as Clyde considered the request. “Of course,” he replied after a moment, “I’ll be right over.”
“Thank you,” Tweek said with a sigh. He hung up and flopped down on the couch. It was already dark out. He hoped Clyde would make it here all right, and none of the monsters got him. He started a bit when a few minutes later the doorbell rang. Tweek practically tripped over himself in his dash to answer it.
“Hey Tweek,” Clyde greeted him when he answered the door, “Are you all right?”
Tweek didn’t answer right away. Instead he led Clyde inside and sat down on the couch. Clyde sat down next to him. Tweek wiggled over to press lightly against him.
“Jess attacked me in the halls today,” Tweek murmured before Clyde could ask again, “She threatened me, saying that I tricked Craig into getting back together with me or something.”
“Wow,” Clyde muttered. He was about to say more, but Tweek wasn’t finished.
“Then on my way home, s-someone threatened me with a knife,” he muttered, “I don’t know who is was, because they attacked me from behind. But they warned me about showing public displays of affection with Craig.”
Frowning, Clyde pressed closer to Tweek and wrapped an arm around him. “I’m sorry,” he said softly, “I should’ve just walked home with you. Are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?”
Tweek started to shake his head, but when he did, he started to feel dizzy again, and his head started throbbing. “Ugh, I have a terrible headache,” he mumbled.
Clyde gave him a light squeeze before standing up. “I’ll get you some ibuprophen,” he told him, “Where do you keep your medicine?”
“I-In the cabinet a-above the sink in the bathroom,” Tweek replied. As Clyde went to go retrieve the bottle, Tweek slumped over, laying down on the couch. Clyde came back a few moments later with the medicine and a glass of water. Groaning, Tweek slowly sat up and took them from him. Clyde sat down and pressed against Tweek’s side. Letting out a low moan, Tweek leaned against him.
“Feeling any better?” Clyde asked him. All he got was a tired groan. Ghosting a smile, Clyde leaned over slightly and rested his cheek on the top of Tweek’s head. He could feel trembling coming deep from within Tweek’s body. Clyde suddenly understood why Craig was always so defensive of Tweek. At the moment he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around the smaller boy, keeping him close and safe, protecting him from all the terrible things in the world.
“Did your parents say how late they’d be out?” Clyde asked eventually, breaking the silence.
“N-No,” Tweek admitted, “They could be gone all night. But they never tell me.”
To Clyde, Tweek sounded a little drowsy; like he had been close to nodding off. Clyde had to resist the urge to wrap Tweek in his arms and pull him backwards, pulling him on top of him like Craig always did. Instead, he stood up, pulling Tweek up with him.
“Come on,” he said, “Let’s get ready for bed. Um, you don’t mind me spending the night, do you?” He felt Tweek shake his head instead of responding. Letting out a quiet sigh, Clyde carefully led Tweek up the stairs.
As Tweek got ready for bed in the bathroom, Clyde sat on Tweek’s bed, feeling just a bit awkward. Yes, Tweek had said it was ok for him to sleep over, but would he be all right with letting Clyde share a bed with him? He wasn’t Craig, and he didn’t want to seem like he was crossing some sort of boundary. Not that he would mind or object if Tweek made him sleep on the floor. But he did want to make sure Tweek was ok, and be able to hold him in case he needed him to.
Tweek came back into the room a few minutes later and climbed onto the bed with Clyde. He flopped over, resting his head on the pillow, then silently stared up at Clyde, as if expecting him to do something. Clyde stared back, the realization hit and he quickly clamored under the covers with Tweek.
As Tweek lay next to him, Clyde tried to keep his mind blank. He didn’t want to be in one of those contrived fanfiction scenarios where the author is like “whelp, these two characters are in bed together! Time to have them make out!” He didn’t have any romantic feelings for Tweek, so shut up, shippers! He just hoped he was laying close enough to Tweek to make him feel at ease, but not too close as to make him feel uncomfortable or weirded out.
“Hey Clyde?” Tweek suddenly whispered in the darkness. Clyde turned to look at him.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for staying with me tonight,” Tweek said, “I know this might be a little awkward for you since you’re not used to sleeping next to other boys. And you probably had more interesting things planned.”
Clyde allowed himself to smile. “It’s all right, Tweek, there’s no need to thank me,” he told him, “I’m your friend, I want you to feel safe. And don’t worry about the boy thing. Craig and I used to have sleepovers all the time when we were smaller, and I used to wake up completely on top of him.”
Tweek’s eyes widened at that. “Really?” he asked.
“Heh, yeah,” Clyde chuckled at the memory, “I used to roll around a lot in my sleep, so I would fall asleep next to Craig, but by morning I would be on top of him. Eventually he made me start sleeping on the floor. Then I woke up under the bed.”
Clyde caught the look on Tweek’s face and quickly added, “But I don’t roll around anymore! I broke that habit after I fell off my bed one too many times.”
Tweek let out a good-natured laugh and Clyde gently nudged him. “I didn’t really have anything going on tonight either,” Clyde said, addressing Tweek’s other concern, “I would’ve hung out with Token, but he and his parents went to some fancy-shmancy diner that I could never afford. It would’ve just been me in an empty house as my dad goes out gets drunk.”
He felt Tweek look at him. “Has your dad been drinking a lot lately?” he wondered.
“Ever since mom died,” Clyde replied with a sigh, “Most kids probably wouldn’t think this, but I wish he would start dating so he wouldn’t be so lonely.”
Tweek gently pressed himself closer to Clyde. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. Clyde simply grunted in response. As Tweek stared at him, a thought suddenly came to mind, and he grinned. “Maybe we can set him up with Cartman’s mom.”
Clyde practically started chocking with laughter. “Ew! No way!” he chuckled, “Then Eric Cartman would be my brother! I would rather jump off a cliff than let that happen!”
Tweek giggled and curled himself against his friend. “And I’m sure Eric would follow you right over that cliff,” he laughed. Clyde laughed with him.
As the two of them settled down to sleep, both of them felt like their hearts were much lighter than before.

Chapter Text

Clyde woke to the sound of screaming. He sat up and looked around, startled. Then he suddenly noticed Tweek curled up beside him, letting out a high-pitched scream. His eyes were squeezed shut and he was clutching his head in fear. Clyde stared down at him, slightly panicked. What was he supposed to do? Was Tweek still asleep?
“Tweek?” Clyde whispered, gently shaking him, “Are you ok? Tweek?”
Tweek was no longer screaming, but he was still shaking and trembling, and didn’t respond. He looked like he was having some sort of nightmare. Clyde hovered over him, trying to figure out what to do. He did the only thing he could think of and quickly grabbed his cell phone as Tweek let out another horrified scream. Craig picked up right before it went to voice mail.
“Clyde, you’d better have a really damn good reason for calling so fucking late at night,” Craig growled. It was obvious he had just woken up.
“Sorry, Craig, but this is important,” Clyde told him, “I’m at Tweek’s house right now.”
“Why are you at Tweek’s house?” Craig wondered, only some of the anger in his voice was gone, “You’d better not be trying to steal him from me!”
“He asked me to come over,” Clyde explained quickly, “Look, we were asleep, but he just suddenly started screaming and shaking in his sleep, and I don’t know what to do!”
“Calm down!” Craig ordered, “He’s just having a night terror! You just have to hold him until he calms down. Trust me, I’ve done it a few times.”
Clyde hesitated. “I don’t know Craig,” he murmured, “He’s your boyfriend. Maybe you should come over here and do it.”
“I’m not going over there in the middle of the night, Clyde!” Craig snapped, “Besides, I’m grounded. I’m giving you full permission to comfort my boyfriend, ok? And if he asks, tell him I let you, all right?”
“All right,” Clyde replied with a deep sigh.
“Ok, you take good care of my boo,” Craig said, “Good-night.” Then he hung up before Clyde could reply.
Clyde decided not to linger on that last comment and put his phone down on the nightstand. Then he laid down next to Tweek again and took him into his arms. Immediately, Tweek rolled over and pressed his shivering body against him, and buried his face in Clyde’s chest. Clyde held him closer, gently rubbing his arm until the shivering stopped, and Tweek’s breathing leveled out. He held Tweek like that until he fell asleep.

…

When Tweek woke the next morning, he was slightly confused. What was Clyde doing here, and why were his arms so tightly wrapped around him? But then the sleepies wore off and he remembered that he had invited Clyde, and figured he probably had a night terror during the night or something. Knowing this made things a little less awkward, but he did feel a little embarrassed that Clyde had to comfort him during the night.
Tweek suddenly felt Clyde stir beside him, and he moved away a little so he wasn’t so close to him. Clyde stretched out his arms, groaning as he did, then plopped them around Tweek’s waist. Tweek paused in his movements, startled.
“Um, Clyde?” Tweek said, meekly.
Clyde blinked, and realized where his arms were. “Sorry,” he muttered, quickly retracting them. He sat up, continuing to stretch his limbs. “Ugh, I wish we didn’t have school today,” he muttered, “I just want to sleep some more.”
Tweek sat up as well and carefully climbed over Clyde to get off the bed. “Well we have to go,” he pointed out. He went over to his dresser and started pulling out clothes to wear. “Oh yeah, I have to work in my parent’s shop after school today.”
“I’m not sure if I’m supposed to reply with support or sympathy,” Clyde admitted. Tweek sighed.
“I guess it’s fine,” he muttered, “I just hate it when they make me work the counter. I don’t like having to talk to people. Way too much pressure.”
Clyde had to fight the urge to smile. Typical Tweek. Of course he wouldn’t want to interact with the customers. “If you want, Token and I can swing by and keep you company,” he offered.
Tweek smiled. “I would like that,” he said.

…

Tweek was actually looking forward to school that week, since he wouldn’t get to hang out with Craig after school, since he was grounded. However, being grounded never stopped Clyde from going over to see Craig anyway.
After school, Clyde decided to go over to Craig’s house for a while before going to Tweak Bros. He knew Craig’s parents wouldn’t be home. They worked nearly all day to try to provide for the family. When he got to Craig’s house, Clyde tried the front door, even though he knew it was locked. Then he lifted up the welcome mat where the Tucker’s kept their spare key and opened the door with it.
Craig was asleep on his side on the couch when Clyde came in. Clyde would have silently scolded his friend in his head (he would never scold Craig out loud unless he wanted the death glare), but then again, there wasn’t much to do when you’re grounded. He walked over to Craig and very carefully climbed onto the couch and laid down behind his friend.
When Craig didn’t stir, Clyde adjusted himself and gently rested his head on Craig’s, and snaked his arms around him. Though he didn’t hear Craig wake up, he knew he was when he suddenly sighed.
“Really, Clyde?” he muttered, “You have to sneak into my house today? I’ll get in trouble, you know.”
“No, you won’t,” Clyde insisted, “I know your parents work late, and I’ll be gone before they come back. I just wanted to see you. It’s been a while since we’ve hung out just the two of us.”
“And who’s fault is that?” Craig asked in an accusatory voice.
Clyde shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted, “If anything, it’s probably yours.”
There was a pause as Craig considered this. “So, why were you at Tweek’s house last night?” he wondered, switching topics.
“I told you, he called me,” Clyde said, “He was really freaked out when he called. He said that Jess attacked him and some person threatened him. He just wanted someone to be with him so he wouldn’t be alone.”
He felt Craig’s body stiffen. It was a minute before he said something. “Jess… attacked him?” he clarified, “And someone threatened him?”
Clyde gently started rubbing Craig’s arm. “That’s what he said,” he replied, “I promised him I would drop by the coffee shop later so he could have some company. Token’s coming too.”
“You asked Token?”
“Oh, yeah,” Clyde murmured, “I guess I should actually ask Token.” He fished his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to their friend requesting to go to Tweak Bros. with him. When he looked back at Craig, he was giving him a look that said “Really?”
Clyde smiled down at him. “So, what are you doing the rest of the day?” he wondered.
Craig stared at him from the corner of his eye. “This,” he replied simply.
Smiling wider at his boring response, Clyde hid his face in Craig’s neck. “You’re the best,” he murmured.
“I know I am,” Craig said. He felt Clyde press his face deeper into the side of his neck. “Ok, Clyde, you’re seriously going to have to take your face out of my neck. This is getting weird.”
“No,” came Clyde’s muffled response. Craig frowned.
“Get off,” Craig told him.
“Nope,” Clyde replied. There was a moment’s pause before a wrestling match broke out, with Craig trying to shove Clyde off of him. It went on for a few minutes and ended with Clyde sitting on top of Craig, legs crossed, and smiling down at him in victory. Clyde had his arms raised in praise of himself.
“I hate you,” Craig muttered.
“No, you don’t,” Clyde countered.
“So?”
Clyde leaned down and gently touched his forehead to Craig’s. It may have seemed like something only lovers would do, but for them, it had developed into letting each other know they were okay. They briefly stared into each other’s eyes before Craig sighed.
“Will you do me a favor?” he asked, “Will you… stay with Tweek this week since I’m grounded? I want to make sure he’s safe. I don’t want him to get threatened or attacked again.”
Clyde smiled softly. “Of course I will,” he replied, “You know I’d do anything for you.”
“Thank you,” Craig said, “Don’t tell him I told you to do it, though. I don’t want him to think I’m over protective or something.”
“You are over protective,” Clyde pointed out.
“Yeah, but I don’t want him thinking that!” Craig muttered, “Anyway, can you get off me now? You’re crushing my lungs.”
“Only because I have to go meet Token at the coffee shop now,” Clyde replied, carefully climbing off his friend, “Have fun with your… this.”
“Oh, I will,” Craig said, closing his eyes to go back to sleep. Clyde was pretty sure he had already fallen back asleep by the time he closed the door.

…

“Do you even like coffee, Clyde?” Token asked him as they walked to Tweak Bros. together. Clyde shrugged.
“Not really,” he replied honestly, “But I promised Tweek we would swing by and keep him company.”
“I guess it’s something to do,” Token agreed, “But I actually do drink coffee. I like a lot of cream and sugar in mine.” Clyde grinned over at him.
“Really Token?” Clyde asked with fake shock, “You don’t take yours black?”
“Heh, heh, shut up.”
Tweak Bros. was fairly busy when Clyde and Token stepped inside. There were only a few tables that didn’t have people at them, and more people were in line. Clyde was a little relieved to see that instead of working the register, Tweek was making the orders. It was probably just as stress inducing, but at least he didn’t have to talk to the customers.
“I wonder if Tweek would be mad if we skipped to the front of the line,” Clyde mused, eying the long line.
“Probably not, but his parents would be,” Token noted.
Clyde sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, we’ll wait in line like everyone else!” he whined.
Tweek had been on the brink of an anxiety attack, trying to remember how to make all the drinks correctly, and trying not to spill all over the place. But as soon as he saw Clyde and Token he started to relax. The giant birdman that had been hovering over him all day finally started to disappear. When the line went down and Token and Clyde got their drinks (with Clyde ordering a mocha hot chocolate without the mocha), Tweek decided to take his break so he could sit with them awhile.
“Hey guys,” Tweek greeted, sliding into the booth next to them, “I was starting to think you wouldn’t show up.”
“Sorry,” Clyde said, “I had something to do first. But we’re now! How’s work going?”
Tweek sighed heavily. “Ok, I guess,” he muttered, “I always get anxious when there’s a lot of people, though. But at least I don’t have to talk to any of them.”
“At least there’s that,” Token agreed, “Do you want to hang out with us after you get off of work?” Tweek had been hoping one of them would ask that.
“Yes, please,” Tweek replied.
After Tweek’s shift ended, Token and Clyde took Tweek with them to the mall. Recently the mall had lightly started decorating for Thanksgiving and heavily decorating for Christmas. Though it was only a few days into November, decorations were everywhere, as well as sales on Halloween stuff, which Token and Clyde planned to take full advantage of.
“You definitely want to scoop up any candy that’s on sale,” Token explained as they headed towards one of the stores, “They’re usually not expired yet, and you can get tons of candy for a cheap price!”
“Have either you even finished eating your Halloween candy yet?” Tweek wondered. He himself certainly hadn’t as he was already twitchy enough without adding a metric ton of sugar to his systems.
“Well, no,” Clyde admitted, “But you can never have too much Halloween candy, right?”
Tweek didn’t get to reply as Clyde grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the store. It was one of those discount kinds of stores that had cheaply made things for cheap prices. But one could always count on the candy being good. The three of them walked out ten minutes later with grocery bags full of discount Halloween candy and Tweek feeling slightly ashamed of himself for buying some.
After walking aimlessly around the mall for a good hour, Token headed home, mumbling something about “needing to take care of business” which Tweek and Clyde interpreted as shoving massive amounts of assorted candy into his face while occasionally chewing and swallowing.
“Is all right if I come over to your house again and stay the night again?” Clyde asked as they walked home. Tweek grinned sheepishly.
“I was about to ask you the same thing, actually,” he admitted. Clyde chuckled and put an arm around him, pressing him to his side.

…

Throughout the entire week Clyde found a reason to hang out with Tweek after school. He also always stayed the night, knowing that Craig usually did. The two would stay up talking until they passed out, with the topic of interest almost always turning to Craig. Tweek wasn’t surprised, though. He was in love with Craig, while Clyde was his best friend.
When the weekend came, Tweek felt like Clyde had become his best friend as well. Clyde knew nearly all of Tweek’s secrets, and Tweek now knew almost all of his. And Clyde could sense almost as well as Craig when Tweek was about to start breaking down and was there to comfort him throughout the week.
It was on Sunday afternoon that Tweek was heading over to Craig’s house, eager to tell him about his week. Also, Craig had texted him to tell him he wasn’t grounded anymore and expressed a desire to spend time with him. Tweek was so excited to spend time with Craig again, that he didn’t even notice the group of older teenagers as he passed them. Or the fact that they started following him.
Right when Tweek got to Craig’s house, and was walking up the path to his door, he was grabbed from behind. He was immediately muffled and blindfolded, and he could hear cruel snickering as he was dragged away.

Chapter Text

Tweek had never been so frightened in his life. He had no idea where the group was taking him, and they were being very rough with him. They were talking in hushed voices, and Tweek couldn’t tell if there were six or seven of them. Eventually, the dumped him on the ground, and his gag and blindfold were removed.
Seven tall teenagers surrounded him, two of them being girls. The teen standing in front of him was easily the scariest one to Tweek. He had greasy shoulder-length muddy blond hair and stubble on his chin and mouth. His eyes were dark and stared down at Tweek with something akin to muted hatred. He wore rather dirty clothes that gave off the appearance that he was rebellious, rather than poor.
What was terrifying about all of them to Tweek were their demons standing right behind them. The one standing behind greasy rebellious guy was the tallest of all the demons, and had red eyes, sharp fangs, and claws that looked ready to kill.
As Tweek stared in fear at all of them, the guy in front stepped forward. “So you’re the little fag named Tweek my guys have been telling me about, huh?” he growled at him, “The one going around the middle school, showing off your faggy behavior. You think you can just go around, doing whatever you please?”
Tweek had no response. What was this guy’s problem?
The guy crouched down to glare at Tweek. “You see, we don’t like queers like you,” he explained, “Fucking up our country. Probably wanting to hump every guy you see. You make me sick.” He spat at Tweek, who flinched.
“I’m not like that at all,” Tweek mumbled in a feeble attempt to defend himself, “I only like one guy. I don’t just fall for every guy I see.”
“You should probably not stand so close, Rex,” one of the other guys said, “He’s probably getting a boner for you right now.”
“No! I’m not like that!” Tweek argued, but clearly no one wanted to listen to him.
The guy named Rex leaned forward. “We got a tip from someone that you’ve been going around forcing a straight guy to date you,” he hissed, “He could be with a girl, but no, you just have to go and pull your fagginess on him. Fucking faggot!”
Tweek flinched when Rex pulled out a knife. He pressed the knife to Tweek’s throat. “I think it’s time to make an example out of you,” he declared. He nodded to one of the girls who crouched behind Tweek and grabbed his arms, keeping them secure behind him.
Grinning, Rex lowered the blade to Tweek’s shirt, stopping at the first button. Using the sharp knife, he popped off the button, then went onto the next one. Tweek felt tears coming to his eyes as his fear started to rise. What were they going to do to him?
When all the buttons on Tweek’s shirt were off, Rex pulled it open, exposing Tweek’s chest. The teens around him wolf whistled and howled obnoxiously. Tweek started trembling as Rex pressed the tip of the knife to his chest. He scowled.
“Keep the faggot still,” he ordered.
The girl wrapped an arm around Tweek’s neck, holding him still. Rex nodded then pressed the tip of the knife harder into his skin, drawing blood. Tweek tried to restrain a cry as Rex started cutting into his chest. He felt words being carved into him, and tears ran down his cheeks. It was agonizing and painful, with the other bullies snickering and chuckling the entire time. After Rex was finally done, he sat back to admire his work.
“Heh, that should get the message across,” he sneered. He stood up, and pocketed the knife. “Come on guys, let’s leave this fag to his misery.”
As the teens all walked away, Tweek slumped to the ground, curling up into a ball, and letting his tears fall freely. What had he done to deserve this? He didn’t know any of those teens! So why did they do this? He could feel his blood slowly dripping down his chest to the ground. He had no idea what that Rex had written on him, but he was sure it was nothing positive.
When he finally mustered up the strength, Tweek opened his eyes to see where he was. He appeared to be behind a school, probably the high school, as it definitely wasn’t the elementary or middle school. Shaking, he sat up and opened his shirt to look at his torso. What he saw made fresh tears come to his eyes.
The words “FUCK ME” were cut in large letters across his chest. Then, all over his torso in smaller letters was the word “fag.” None of the cuts were that deep, but they still stung and were still bleeding.
Tweek let out a mournful cry. Why did this happen? Why was he being punished? Was it really so wrong to be in love with another boy? A boy who was perfectly willing to date him, even if he wasn’t gay himself? Why did the world want to punish him for being in love with Craig? Sobbing, Tweek slowly got to his feet, and suddenly felt nauseated. Before he could stop himself, he vomited all over the ground.
Breathing hard, he stumbled over to a drinking fountain to try to wash the puke taste out of his mouth, and also try to rinse off some of the blood. After he had finished, all he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and hide for the rest of his life. He started walking back to his house, angry and despairing thoughts filling his mind. He didn’t even notice that as he walked he slowly broke into a run. Suddenly, he was sprinting full speed towards his house, tears streaming down his eyes, not even watching where he was going.
He didn’t see that Craig was standing on his doorstep, knocking on the front door, until he slammed into him, knocking him off the porch and into the grass. Tweek and Craig rolled on the ground until they came to a rest. Tweek quickly pulled his shirt together so Craig wouldn’t see the cuts. They were both breathing hard, but Tweek was gasping for breath.
Once he had regained some of his breath, Craig crawled to his knees and looked over at Tweek. He carefully moved over to him and put a hand on his side.
“Tweek? Are you ok?” Craig asked breathlessly, “Why were you running so fast? I thought you were going to come over to my house. What’s wrong?”
Tweek had curled himself up and was silently crying. He flinched when Craig gently touched him. He didn’t want Craig to see the cuts, but now Craig was rolling him onto his back.
“What’s wrong?” Craig wondered, his voice full of concern, “Is there something wrong with your chest? Let me see.” He was trying to pull Tweek’s arms away from his torso, but he was resisting.
“No, Craig, I’m fine!” Tweek cried, squirming to try to get away. Frowning, Craig grabbed his arms a little harder, trying to hold him still.
“You’re not fine,” Craig muttered, “I can tell you’re not! What is wrong? I want to help you!” Finally, he managed to pull Tweek’s arms away and grabbed his shirt.
“Craig, no!” Tweek shouted, as his shirt was pulled open.
But it was too late. Craig stared down in shock at Tweek’s chest. The “FUCK ME” and “fags“ written all over his body. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open slightly. Tweek felt fresh tears coming to his eyes, and his breath started coming in short gasps.
“Tweek,” Craig whispered, “Who did this to you?” Tweek didn’t respond, and only closed his eyes. Craig gently leaned over and scooped the smaller boy up in his arms. Tweek immediately clutched his jacket and pressed his face into his shoulder.
With much difficulty, Craig managed to open the door and carried Tweek up to his room. He gently set him down, then went into his bathroom to grab a washcloth and some bandages. When he came back into the room, Tweek was sitting up and had gotten his breathing under control. Craig walked back over to him and sat down on the bed next to him. Taking the warm, wet washcloth, Craig started to gently wipe away the blood, trying not to press to hard. But still Tweek flinched a little.
“Sorry,” Craig murmured. After he had washed all the blood off of Tweek, he took the bandages and started applying them to the cuts, but not before spraying them with Neosporin. Tweek let out a muffled cry, and again Craig apologized. After that was finished, Craig went over to Tweek’s dresser and pulled out a different shirt for him. As Tweek put on the new shirt, Craig threw the old one away.
“So,” Craig said, sitting back down on the bed, “You ready to tell me what happened?”
Tweek shuddered a little and leaned against Craig. He took a deep breath. “I was -NNGH- walking to your house,” he explained, his twitching starting up, “When I was suddenly -GAH!- attacked by this group of teenagers. They blindfolded me and gagged me. They t-took me to the high school. Then, I guess he was their leader, said that s-someone told them about me.”
“What do you mean?” Craig wondered.
“ERGH! He said that someone told them I was -ERK- forcing you to date me,” Tweek replied, “That I was forcing my ‘fagginess’ on you, and that you could be with a girl if it wasn’t for me.”
Craig’s expression grew dark. “Oh really?” he muttered, “Sounds like a bunch of bitchy homophobes if you ask me. They should mind their own business.”
“Craig,” Tweek whispered, “I’m not forcing myself on you, am I? I’m not forcing you to date me when you don’t want to?”
A baffled expression crossed Craig’s face. “What?” he exclaimed, “Of course not! I told you before I want to be with you! If anything, I was afraid I was forcing myself on you!” He pressed closer to Tweek and wrapped his arms around him. He nuzzled his face into his hair. “Listen to me, Tweek, I don’t care what everyone thinks. At this point I don’t care whether people think I’m gay, or straight, or bi, or whatever. I want to be with you. I care about you so much. Fuck the haters, and fuck Jess. I only want to date you.”
Tears came to Tweek’s eyes, but this time they were tears of happiness. He turned and pressed his face into Craig’s chest. Craig tightened his hold on Tweek, pressing him closer.
“I’ll protect you, Tweek,” Craig whispered in a barely audible voice, “Those guys won’t hurt you anymore.”
Tweek murmured something into Craig’s chest, but it was too muffled to hear what it was. Sighing, Craig pulled Tweek further onto the bed, laying down and brining Tweek with him. As soon as they were both laying comfortably, Craig leaned over and began gently kissing Tweek’s neck. Tweek inhaled softly, the warm feel of Craig’s lips on his skin a welcome feeling. Craig rolled over so he was lying on top of Tweek so he could get at his neck easier.
Shivering at the pleasure, Tweek welcomed him, tipping his head back slightly so Craig could kiss more of his neck. Craig gently ran his mouth over Tweek’s throat, enjoying the taste of his skin, and kissed a bit deeper. Sighing, Tweek wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. After a while, Craig kissed his way up Tweek’s neck, kissing along his jawline, then finally kissed his lips deeply and passionately. Eagerly, Tweek kissed him back.
Tweek suddenly no longer cared what anyone else thought. So what if he was gay? At least he was with the one he loved, kissing him with all the love he could muster. He felt Craig move to wrap his arms around his back and waist, so that they could be as close as possible. Tweek sighed happily into his mouth. They kissed again and again, enjoying their moment of closeness, glad that for once there was no one to interrupt them.
Craig was quite enjoying the way Tweek was moving underneath him as he kissed him. He was glad that Tweek was feeling better. Craig wished he could always keep Tweek this happy. He felt his cell phone start vibrating in his pocket, and he quickly fished it out and tossed it away without breaking the kiss. He wasn’t ready to stop kissing Tweek. At this point, he was pretty sure someone need a crowbar to pry him away from the twitchy little blond.
As Craig deepened the kiss, he felt Tweek move one hand up and gently run his fingers under his hat and into his hair. Since he was always wearing his hat, he never had anyone run their fingers through his hair. It felt rather nice, and he could see why Tweek liked having his hair stroked. The feeling made Craig just want to kiss Tweek even more. They were almost melting into each other with pleasure.
Minute after minute passed by as they kissed, but they didn’t care. They started moving their hands around, gently feeling each other. Their faces, their waists, their hair, their necks. Craig and Tweek wanted to feel everything as they kissed. Again without breaking the kiss, Craig grasped Tweek’s waist and rolled over, pulling Tweek on top of him. Tweek responded by throwing his arms around his neck and deepening the kiss once more. They had no idea how long they were kissing for, but it was starting to get dark out.
When Tweek started to pull away, Craig leaned up, following him. Tweek gave up trying to pull out of the kiss and went back into it, letting their kisses grow even deeper. They only stopped kissing once Tweek gently pulled away to tuck his face into Craig’s neck and almost immediately fell asleep. Craig smiled gently and ran his fingers through Tweek’s hair.
“Yeah, that’s right, Tweek, get your sleep,” he murmured gently to the smaller boy on top of him, “I know kissing me takes a lot out of people.”
Craig wrapped his arms around Tweek, pressing him even harder against his body. As he gently nuzzled his face into Tweek’s hair, he stared up at the ceiling. “I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”

Chapter Text

When Tweek woke up, he felt Craig’s lips on his throat. After Craig had woken, he had gently pulled Tweek up a little so he could kiss his neck. For Tweek, it was a nice way to be woken up. He smiled at the feel of Craig’s lips on his skin. Sighing, he rolled over to face him, and was immediately assaulted by Craig kissing all over his face.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Craig greeted cheerfully when he finally stopped, “Did you sleep all right last night?”
“I guess so,” Tweek answered, “The cuts on my chest really stung, though.”
Craig frowned. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I guess I shouldn’t have been so rough when I was kissing you.”
“No, it’s not your fault,” Tweek told him quickly. He started blushing furiously. “I was enjoying it.” Craig chuckled softly and leaned up, kissing him lightly. Tweek felt like every time Craig kissed him he was melting.
“We should probably get ready for school,” Craig said when he pulled away. Tweek looked down and away from him.
“Um, actually, I really don’t want to go to school today,” he murmured, “I don’t want to run into that gang again. Or Jess.”
Craig stared up at him in concern. “Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Tweek replied meekly, “I’m just too worried. I-I don’t want to be attacked again. I’m scared.”
Sighing, Craig leaned up and gently kissed him. “I would skip with you, but if my parents found out, they would ground me again,” he told him, “But I promise I’ll come right back here after school, and we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want, ok?”
Tweek smiled and buried his face in Craig’s neck. Craig gently held him, running his hand up and down his back comfortingly. After a while, Craig sighed softly.
“Ok, Tweek, I’m going to be late for the bus if you don’t get off of me,” he informed the blond. With much reluctance, Tweek rolled off him, allowing him to get up. Before he left, though, Craig quickly leaned over and kissed him deeply.
“See you after school, boo,” he said, scooping up his backpack that he had left on the floor before leaving the room. Tweek stared after him, blushing furiously.

…

Other than the predictable “where’s Tweek” questioning from Clyde and Token, the ride to school was rather uneventful. As he walked to his locker, Craig couldn’t help but keep an eye out for a certain girl who was in desperate need of good beating.
As Craig walked to his locker, he was suddenly stopped by Stan, of all people. The boy put a hand on Craig’s shoulder to stop him.
“Craig, can I talk to you for a minute?” Stan wondered.
“Can it wait?” Craig asked, “I need to go choke a bitch.”
“No, I have to tell you before I forget again,” Stan replied. Craig rolled his eyes.
“Fine,” he muttered, “What do you want?”
“Well, a while ago my sister Shelly told me about this gang of homophobic bullies at the high school,” Stan explained. As soon as he said this, Craig stiffened. “Apparently they really hate anyone who isn’t straight and bully them relentlessly. I guess a lesbian girl at the high school committed suicide because of it.”
Craig’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything as Stan continued. “Also, they’ve been gaining a lot of members, even from the elementary and middle schools. And there’s so many of them, and they’re so powerful even the teachers are afraid of them.”
“Do you know who their leader is?” Craig wondered. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, but it wasn’t from fear.
“I think Shelly said his name is Rex,” Stan replied, “I wanted to warn you and Tweek about them, since, you know, everyone thinks you two are gay.” Stan had managed to remember that Craig had said they weren’t gay, even though Tweek was in love with him.
“Thank you, Stan,” Craig said calmly, “This information is very helpful to me.” With that, Craig continued walking to his locker, leaving Stan confused about his choice of words. Craig didn’t want to tell him that Tweek had already been attacked. Tweek didn’t need that kind of attention.
Rex. That was the name of the guy Craig was going to murder. The guy who had no doubt led the attack on Tweek. Who had hurt him. Frightened him. Craig would make sure this guy paid dearly for his crime. The adults might be too afraid to do anything. But he wasn’t.
Before he took care of Rex, however, he had to deal with the squealer. He was sure she would show up in due time; she never knew when to leave him alone, so instead of looking for her, he went to his locker. While he was trying to shove every possible thing he had on him at that moment into his locker (Tweek was always telling him he should be more organized, but he was far too lazy to try), he heard two girls talking.
“I still can’t believe Craig got back together with that spaz,” one girl, who Tweek would have recognized as one of the girls who had been gossiping before, said, “I mean, he deserves so much better!”
“I know, right?” her friend agreed, “He’s so hot, every girl wants to date Craig. Why did that spazzy kid have to steal him away from us?”
“Well, I heard it’s because the spaz guilt tripped him into going back out with him,” the first girl whispered in a loud voice, “Like, he didn’t really want to, and he was trying to still be friends, but the spaz was so clingy and made him get back together with him.”
“What a shame,” the second girl sighed, “He should just let that spaz know he’s not interested. Then he can get with someone he really cares about.”
That was what really made Craig’s boiling anger spill over the top. Slamming his locker shut, he turned and glared at the two girls. They jumped at the sound of the locker, and were startled by Craig glaring at them. Time seemed to stop between them as Craig’s eyes narrowed. It was all he could do not to start screaming at them.
“First of all,” he hissed at them, “That ‘spaz’ has a name. And his name is Tweek. Second, who’s to say what I deserve? You? Why would I want to date gossipy bitches like you two? Third, no one guilt tripped me. I wanted to get back together with Tweek because Jess is a clingy, obnoxious, jealous psychopath. And Tweek never made want to punch him in the face.” He paused to take a step forward. He wanted them to get this part through their thick skulls. “I care about Tweek far more than I’ll ever care about anyone else. Next time get your damn facts straight before spreading your bullshit rumors.”
With that, Craig turned on his heels and stormed off to his first class, leaving the girls absolutely stunned.

…

Before class started, Clyde had to calm Craig down, as he was afraid he was going to explode in his seat. He sat next to Craig after his friend had told him what happened with the girls, and Clyde gently murmured to him, reassuring him that everything was fine. Eventually his words managed to soothe Craig, and he wasn’t nearly as on edge as he was.
“Don’t let them bother you so much, Craig,” Clyde advised, “If people don’t want to believe that you and Tweek are back together because you both want to be together, then that’s their problem.”
Craig sighed deeply. “Well, at least now I know where Tweek is coming from,” he said, “It’s just… I hate how it seems like everyone is against him now because of Jess. I don’t want him to feel bad for dating me. He keeps asking me if I’m alright with dating him, and I just can’t make him understand that no matter what he hears people say, I want to be with him.”
Clyde looked down at his desk, as if contemplating something. Then he looked sideways at Craig. “You could try telling him the truth,” he murmured. Craig gave him a puzzled look.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked, offended, “Are you saying I’m lying to Tweek?!”
“Not necessarily,” Clyde muttered in reply, “But maybe you’re not telling him everything.”
Before Craig could ask what he meant by that, the bell rang and class started. When Craig got the chance to ask Clyde about it, he had completely forgotten what he said in the first place.
During every class he had with Jess, Craig tried not to glare at her the whole time. He didn’t want her to think he was still interested in her, and even still, if he was wrong about her being the one who told the gang about Tweek, he didn’t want to come off looking like a jerk. He was pretty sure he was right, though. But he also didn’t want to get into a confrontation with her and end up with detention or suspension again. So, he quietly waited until the last class was over and everyone was allowed to leave.
Clyde and Token had to practically run to keep up with Craig as he charged after Jess, determined to get to her before she got on the bus home. He caught up to her right when she got outside and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around. He was satisfied to see she still had a bandage on her nose from where he broke it.
“Oh! Craig!” Jess sounded annoyingly pleased to see him, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you! It’s been a while!”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Craig growled at her, “Were you the one who told Rex and his gang about Tweek? Telling him that Tweek was basically forcing me to be with him?”
Jess put on a smug smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, my dear,” she teased, “But if I did, I didn’t tell them anything that wasn’t true.”
Clyde and Token had to quickly lunge forward and grab Craig before he punched Jess’s lights out. Craig glared at her with pure hatred.
“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” he hissed at her, “That if you spread false rumors about Tweek then maybe I’ll believe them to be true? Or maybe you had the bright idea that if something happened to Tweek I would come crawling back to you?” He spit at her and she jumped back a little.
“The only thing you’ve managed to do is made me realize how special my relationship with Tweek is,” Craig continued in a growl, “How lucky I am to have him. He actually likes me for more than just my looks, which is a lot more than I can say about any girl here, including you. I’m warning you for the last time: stay away from him!”
Jess was trying to remain straight faced, but it was clear that Craig’s words had shaken her. Craig, Clyde, and Token walked past her, and just when she thought she was safe, Craig decided she hadn’t gotten the message yet. He whipped around and punched her in the face, blackening her eye, and making her sprawl to the floor. She started to whimper and cry, but Craig had already stormed away with his two friends on his heels.

…

When Craig got back up to Tweek’s room, he found that the smaller boy was fast asleep. Smiling to himself, Craig put his bookbag down and went over to the bed and stared down at Tweek. He looked so cute and peaceful when he was asleep. He was curled up on his side with one hand gently covering his eyes to keep out any light. The covers were loosely draped over him, as if he had been shifting around a lot. His sides slowly rose and fell as he breathed deeply in his sleep. Staring down at him, Craig felt a strange feeling flare up in his heart that made him just want to hold Tweek in his arms and protect him from the horrors of the world.
Craig carefully crawled into the bed next to Tweek, trying hard not to wake him. He curled himself around Tweek’s body and pulled the blanket up to cover them both. Then he gently wrapped his arms around Tweek, carefully pulling him closer. He heard Tweek take a deep breath, but he didn’t wake. It wasn’t long before Craig was asleep next to him.
He didn’t know how long he had been asleep for, but when Craig woke he was met with Tweek leaving sweet little kisses on his lips. Smiling, Craig put a hand behind Tweek’s head and pressed him closer, kissing him deeply. Tweek started squirming, and he let go.
“I think that’s my new favorite way of being woken up,” Craig said, his voice full of laughter. Tweek blushed.
“How long was I asleep?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Craig admitted, “You were asleep when I got back from school. Did you just wake up?”
“Yeah,” Tweek replied, a little sheepishly, “So, er, what happened at school today?”
“Well, Clyde and Token wouldn’t shut up asking where you were,” Craig explained, “And I had to copy off Token because I forgot we had a math test. Then these bitchy girls were talking trash about you so I told them straight.” At that, Tweek started blushing. “I had a ham and cheese sammich for lunch and I traded Jimmy my yogurt for his pudding. I think Miss Tory got lost on her way to class or something because we sat there for twenty minutes before she finally arrived. I punched Jess in the face. Then I came home. What’s the matter?”
Tweek had buried his face into Craig’s chest, his blush spreading across his face. He didn’t know why he was blushing. Maybe he just felt so glad that Craig had defended him. He was pretty sure the reason he punched Jess had something to do with him.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Tweek murmured happily, his heart full of love.
“Oh, ok,” Craig said in his monotone voice. “What about you? Did you just sleep all day or what?”
“No, I did stuff,” Tweek replied, “I mostly just caught up on homework. I’ve been falling behind a bit with everything that’s been happening.”
“Mmm,” was Craig’s only response as he wrapped his arms around Tweek and pulled him closer. “The holidays are getting closer. Are your crazy relatives coming up for Thanksgiving?”
“Unfortunately,” Tweek sighed, “I think they might be worse around this time because they stay in town for a few days. I wish I could just go over to your house, but I know my dad wouldn’t let me.”
“Yeah, the only extended family I have that live around here is my grandma,” Craig said, “Maybe your parents will let my family have Thanksgiving with your family, so I can at least be with you.”
Tweek gently nuzzled his face into Craig’s neck. “I would like that,” he murmured, “I really can’t bear being alone with my family. I’m sure my cousins would lay off if you were there, though.”
Craig snuggled closer to him. “I’ll protect you, boo,” he promised, “I won’t let those horrible cousins of yours tease you.”

Chapter Text

The days leading up to Thanksgiving were nerve wracking for Tweek. Even though he hated to do it, he made Craig cut back on the public displays of affection, especially at school. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed, he assured him, but he didn’t want a member of that bully gang seeing and attacking him again. He also didn’t want Craig to get hurt either.
“Only for you, babe,” Craig muttered when Tweek had asked him.
But Craig insisted on continuing to hold hands with him when they walked together. He wanted to show everyone that they were still together and that no one could intimidate him. It also helped that the two of them always had Clyde and Token with them as well. So far, no one seemed to want to bother them anymore. But it didn’t really do much for Tweek’s paranoia.
“What if they’re just trying to lull me into a false sense of security?” Tweek raved, “OH GOD! They’re going to kill all three of you, so they can torture me!”
Craig didn’t care if they were in the middle of the hallway where everyone could see them. God dammit, he was going to comfort his boyfriend. He grabbed Tweek, wrapping him in his arms and pressed him to his own body. Tweek immediately buried his face in Craig’s chest as Craig gently soothed him.
“It’s ok, Tweek,” Craig murmured to him, “No one’s going to kill us. And no one’s going to hurt you.” At least, they’d better not if they know what’s good for them, he thought to himself.
As Craig quietly comforted Tweek, Clyde and Token stood nearby, casting soft glares at anyone walking by who was staring or whispering about them. They would make sure no one would bother them.
It was like this, not only the rest of the day, but the rest of the week. Tweek would randomly break down, panicking and thinking everyone was out to get him. It was starting to wear on Craig’s nerves and patience. But still, every time Tweek broke down in the middle of the hallway, or during class, Craig was immediately there to comfort him. Clyde and Token were rather surprised with how Craig managed to stay calm and soothing the entire time. It didn’t matter how long it took calm Tweek down, Craig would be there the whole time.
By the time the weekend came around, Tweek was a bunch of frayed nerves, and Craig was exhausted.
When Clyde went over to Craig’s house to ask him a favor about Thanksgiving, he found Craig and Tweek asleep on the couch together. Tweek was laying on top of Craig, his head laying on his chest, while Craig had his arms gently wrapped around him with one hand tangled in the blonde’s hair. Clyde smiled warmly.
“Aw, that’s adorable,” he cooed softly. He walked over to the couch and sat down on the edge of it, not really sure what to do. He didn’t want to wake them, but he really had to talk to Craig. He let out a silent sigh.
“Stop being so loud!” Craig snapped at him suddenly, startling Clyde and causing him to fall off the couch. Craig pulled Tweek closer to himself as he watched Clyde scramble off the floor and brushed himself off, embarrassed.
“Jeez, man, don’t scare me like that,” Clyde muttered, speaking low so he wouldn’t wake Tweek. Craig smirked at him and gently stroked Tweek’s hair.
“What do you want, Clyde?” Craig asked him, but there was a bit of tension in his voice. Clyde cocked his head slightly.
“Are you ok, Craig?” he wondered, “You sound tired.”
Craig let out a heavy sigh. “I am tired,” he replied, “Tweek keeps waking me in the middle of the night, worrying that those gang members will come back for him. I keep trying to reassure him that he’ll be fine, but he won’t listen to me. And he’s always asking me if I really want to be in a relationship with him. It’s starting to wear me down.” Again, he sighed. “Relationships are hard.”
Clyde gave him a sad look. “I’m sorry, Craig,” he said earnestly, “I wish there was something I could do.”
“You could go out and eliminate every homophobic gang member so Tweek won’t be scared anymore,” Craig replied sarcastically.
Sighing, Clyde went and laid down next to Craig, who carefully scooched over to give him more room. “I know it’s hard for you,” Clyde said once he was comfortable, “But Tweek’s in a really bad place right now. He was attacked by a group of thugs who basically threatened to kill him if he showed any sort of affection towards you. And not only that, Jess keeps spreading rumors about you two making everyone think you’re only dating him out of pity. You just need to keep reassuring him that everything is fine, and you’ll be there for him no matter what.”
Blinking in surprise, Craig looked over at his friend. “Dude, where did that come from?” he asked. Clyde gave him a confused look.
“What do you mean?” he wondered.
“When did you start giving out relationship advice?” Craig clarified.
Clyde shrugged. “I dunno,” he answered honestly, “Maybe I just have more common sense than you do.”
“Ok, but seriously, where did you get this?” Craig questioned, “Did you talk to Token before you came over here or something?”
Clyde glared at him. It was several moments before either of them spoke. “Did you need something?” Craig inquired. Clyde blinked at him and suddenly remembered why he had come over here.
“I wanted to ask if it was all right if my family spent Thanksgiving with your family,” Clyde said, “It’s really lonely with just the three of us, since mom’s side of the family stopped coming to visit.”
“I don’t know,” Craig said in a drawn-out tone, “Your family is kind of depressing.” Clyde glared at him, but he wasn’t done. “Besides, I already asked Tweek if it was all right if my family went to his house. His extended family is coming back for the holidays.”
“Yikes,” Clyde muttered, “Maybe I should ask if we can come over too. It’s just my dad, my sister, and I.”
Craig shivered slightly at the mention of Clyde’s sister. She was four years older than them, and she was scary. The only time Craig had ever met her, she “accidentally” punched his lights out. After that, Clyde always made sure his sister wasn’t around before inviting Craig over.
“You’d have to ask Tweek and his dad about that,” Craig said, playing with Tweek’s hair, “I think it would be kind of fun if all four of us got our families together for Thanksgiving.”
Clyde looked at him. “What would make you think that?” he asked. Craig shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly, “Hey, have you ever met Token’s extended family?”
“No,” Clyde admitted, “I know he has an aunt, an uncle, and three younger cousins.”
“Why has he never told me this?” Craig wondered.
“Dunno,” Clyde said, “He probably just likes me better than you.” Craig casted a glare at him, but said nothing.
There was some point after that when both of them had unintentionally fallen asleep.

…

Eventually Craig worked up the nerves to ask Mr. Tweak if it was all right if his and Clyde’s family came over for Thanksgiving. Mr. and Mrs. Tweak were more than happy to include them. They even invited Token’s family as well, and Tweek was starting to get worried about how they were going to fit everyone. But his parents kept reassuring him that everything would be fine.
Tweek’s relatives arrived the day before Thanksgiving. They arrived all at once, which did not do much for Tweek’s paranoid anxiety. He was internally debating with himself whether or not he should ask Craig to come over or not.
“Hey Tweek!” his twin cousins called, walking up to him, “Did you invite your girlfriend over for dinner? You should!”
“Yeah,” exclaimed another of Tweek’s cousins. This one was tall and square and spoke with a very deep, slow voice. “She should come for Thanksgiving.”
Tweek gulped. “Um, I don’t know,” he muttered. He suddenly found himself surrounded by all twelve of his cousins.
“C’mon, Tweek,” sneered a cousin who talked like a stereotypical Italian mobster, “It’s no big deal! Ain’t like yer hidin’ somethin’ are ya? Are ya, Tweek?”
A shiver ran through Tweek’s body. “How do we know she’s real?” high-pitched voice twin wondered, “You could be making her up!” All the cousins started to agree.
“No, they’ll be there,” Tweek assured. Immediately, he could feel his heart drop. What was he going to do? All of his cousins expected him to bring his girlfriend tomorrow, and he didn’t have one! Feeling his panic rising, Tweek quickly dashed up to his room and slammed the door.
Leaping onto his bed, Tweek quickly texted Craig, asking him to come over. Then he curled himself onto his bed, shivering uncontrollably. There was a large bird-like creature hovering over him, and Tweek couldn’t bear to open his eyes when he heard his phone vibrate with Craig’s answer. He was afraid the bird would attack him if he made eye contact with it.
He didn’t hear his bedroom door open and didn’t hear Craig enter until he spoke.
“Tweek!” Craig exclaimed upon seeing his distressed boyfriend. He quickly ran over to the bed and scooped Tweek up in his arms, holding him close. Tweek immediately threw his arms around Craig, sobbing into his chest.
“Shh… it’s okay, babe, it’s okay,” Craig murmured in a hushed voice, “I’m here, you’re okay. Just calm down and tell me what’s wrong.”
Tweek took a moment to take a few deep breaths and even out his breathing. He felt Craig gently run his fingers through his hair and it was enough to calm him down.
“My cousins were teasing me again about whether or not I really have a girlfriend,” he mumbled, wiping his tears away, “I never said I had a girlfriend, I just said I was dating someone and they of course took it to mean a girl.” He paused to take a breath. “And now they’re going to make fun of me even more when they see I don’t actually have a girlfriend.”
Craig didn’t say anything for a moment. He then cupped his hand under Tweek’s chin and tilted his head to look at him. Before Tweek could ask him what he was doing, he leaned down and gently kissed him. Tweek closed his eyes and lost himself in the kiss. For a moment, he felt like everything would be okay.
When Craig pulled back, he stared deep into Tweek’s eyes. “Tweek,” he said calmly, “Maybe you should just tell your family the truth. That you and I are dating.”
Tweek shook with fear. “No!” he cried, “No! No! No! I can’t do that!” Craig frowned.
“Why not?” he wondered.
“Th-They’ll hate me!” he exclaimed, “They’ll all tease me, and my cousins will beat me up! Then I’ll be sent to the hospital and go into a coma and die! Please don’t make me, Craig! Please don’t make me!”
Frowning harder, Craig tightened his hold on Tweek, pulling him closer. Tweek was pressed flush against his chest, which he immediately pressed his face into it and started crying. Craig tried his best to sooth him, but for once nothing was working, and now Craig felt like he was going to start crying as well. But while he held the tears back, he felt extremely frustrated.
“Tweek,” Craig muttered, trying to keep the shudder out of his voice, “What’s going on with you this week? I know you were attacked and threatened by a bunch of assholes, but I feel like there’s something else. Why do you keep questioning whether or not I want to be with you? Why can’t you accept that we’re together?”
It was several moments before Tweek answered him, and Craig was beginning to think he hadn’t heard him. But eventually, Tweek took a shuddering breath.
“Ever since you agreed to get back together with me, I’ve brought you nothing but drama,” Tweek murmured. It was clear he was trying to stop himself from sobbing. “Jess won’t stop bothering you, and I keep breaking down! I know I’ve been demanding this week, and I can’t help it! It seems like the whole world is against me and it’s only a matter of time before you finally get sick of me!”
“Tweek, stop it!” Craig said sternly. Tweek stopped crying and shaking. Great, now Craig was mad at him. He tried to look up at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Craig took a deep breath before speaking. “The only reason I’ve felt frustrated this week is because I feel like I’m failing you,” he explained calmly, “You keep getting scared that someone’s going to attack you out of nowhere, or I’m suddenly going to leave you again. I’m supposed to be your rock. I’m supposed to be able to keep you calm no matter what, but I can’t. I hate seeing you so upset. I just want you to feel better. You know I’ll always be there for you, right?”
Closing his eyes, Tweek leaned up and gently pressed his face into Craig’s neck. “I’m sorry, Craig,” he murmured, “I’ve been so selfish, only thinking of myself, I didn’t realize how much grief I was causing you. I didn’t mean to stress you out. I didn’t mean to cause you to worry. I’m sorry.”
Smiling slightly, Craig nuzzled his face into Tweek’s hair. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to snap at you. You know I would do anything for you, and I’ll always be here to protect you,” he explained gently, “And it’s not like we’re alone in this. Clyde and Token are there too.”
Tweek’s response was to press his face further into Craig’s neck. Craig sighed and held him tighter, softly stroking his hair. After a minute, he spoke again.
“If you don’t want to tell your family about us, you don’t have to,” he told Tweek in a soft voice. Tweek shook his head.
“No, you’re right,” he replied, “I should just tell them the truth. South Park is a progressive town, and if they can’t accept me, then that’s their problem.”
Craig smiled and held Tweek closer. “That’s my lil’ boo,” he sighed. He suddenly felt Tweek start kissing at his neck which made him squirm a little. He never really had anyone kiss his neck before, and the feeling was sort of weird. Not unpleasant, just weird. He felt Tweek kissing him harder, which made him fall backwards onto the bed. Tweek adjusted himself on top of Craig, kissing him more, while Craig wrapped his arms tightly around Tweek. They ignored Mr. Tweak’s call that dinner was ready. They just wanted to lay with each other a while longer.

…

Craig and Clyde’s family both arrived fairly early the next day. As promised, Clyde’s family only consisted of himself, his father, and his older sister. Craig’s family was just his regular family plus Craig’s grandmother who, according to Craig, was the only one of his family he could sort of tolerate. As soon as the formalities of greeting Tweek’s parents were out of the way, Craig’s grandma shuffled over to one of the recliners, sat down, and promptly fell asleep.
Tweek was rather intimidated by Clyde’s sister, Sonia. She was fairly tall for a girl her age, and she spoke with a commanding voice that put everyone (especially Clyde) on edge.
“Hey there!” Sonia greeted Tweek loudly, sticking out her hand, “The name’s Sonia! I’m Clyde’s older sister! And you must be Tweek!”
“Um, I am,” Tweek replied, nervously taking her hand, while eyeing her very muscular arm. Without warning, she started pumping Tweek’s arm up and down, nearly tearing it right out of his shoulder. She laughed when he let go to nurse his sore shoulder.
“I like your little friend there, Clyde,” Sonia said to her brother, elbowing him hard in the arm. Clyde flinched harshly and was nearly sent to the ground.
Craig made sure to stay next to Tweek, knowing he didn’t do so well around big groups of people. He was shaking slightly, but he felt better with Craig by his side. Tweek’s family all came into the room, making it extra crowded, and Tweek pressed himself as closely as he could against Craig.
“Hey, sonny,” Great-Great Grandpa said, poking Tweek in the head with his walking cane to get his attention, “Where’s your servant boy? I need to hang my coat up.”
“He’s not my servant boy, he’s my friend,” Tweek muttered. Double G Grandpa scoffed.
“I don’t know why you would go around making friends with the hired help,” he scolded, “You should probably fire him. I haven’t seen the boy all day!”
“That’s because he’s not my servant!” Tweek explained. He didn’t want to shout at the old man, but he was getting annoyed by him insulting Token. And Token wasn’t even here yet.
And that’s when Tweek suddenly remembered with a sinking heart; Token was bringing his family to this house. Where his racist ancestor wouldn’t listen to a word he said. Tweek felt his panic rising and wondered if he should call Token and tell him not to come.
Just when he thought he was about to explode, Tweek felt Craig put an arm around him and pull him close. “Hey, are you all right?” he asked.
Tweek shuddered. “I’m just worried about when Token gets here,” he explained, “I mean, he already knows about my grandpa, but his family doesn’t! What if my great-great grandpa says something really offensive and his parents get mad? Then they won’t let Token hang out with us anymore! And then they-“
Craig cut him off with a tight hug. No one was watching, so it felt right. Immediately, Tweek relaxed in Craig’s arms and felt like he was melting.
“It’s ok, Tweek,” Craig told him, “I’m sure Token has told his family about him. And if not, it’s just one of your relatives. It’s not like everyone in your family bashes black people.”
Tweek took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He still felt nervous, but he didn’t want to upset Craig. Especially on Thanksgiving. He gently snuggled his face into Craig’s chest.
“You’re right,” he sighed, “Token’s the smart one. He knows my great-great grandpa is a racist asshole, and I’m sure he warned his parents.”
Craig smiled and was about to praise him for not overblowing the situation, when a high-pitched giggle and a low chuckle cut him off. Tweek’s eyes flew open, and he knew immediately who was laughing.
“Hey Tweek!” the boy twin sneered, “Why are you cuddling him like that? What are you, gay? Nya ha ha!”
“Yeah, Tweek,” the girl twin grunted, “Only gaywads cuddle like that! You must be gay! Huh huh huh!”
Shivering, Tweek turned in Craig’s arms to look at them. They were both still laughing their stupid laughs. He felt Craig give him a small squeeze of encouragement.
“I’m cuddling with him,” Tweek replied in a small voice, “because he’s my boyfriend.”
Immediately the twins stopped laughing and stared wide-eyed at him. Tweek shrank a little against Craig, afraid of what they were going to do.
“Did you say… he was your boyfriend?” they asked. Tweek nodded. The twins stared at him for a moment more before turning to the rest of the cousins. “Hey everyone!” they called, “Tweek’s gay! Come make fun of him!”
Tweek flinched as his cousins came running to harass him. However, before anyone of them could open their mouth to start laughing, they were silenced by a death glare from Craig. He gave them all a look that said, “say one word and you will die.”
All the cousins gulped and started to back away. Except for one cousin, who was Tweek’s oldest, tallest, and beefiest cousin. He was a good five feet taller than Craig, and he stomped up to the two of them, glaring down at them. He was determined to get the smaller boy to back down.
But Craig simply glared up at him, his eyes narrowing dangerously. The two locked eyes for a minute, and it seemed like neither would back down. Suddenly, the cousin started shaking, and his knees started to knock together. He slumped to the floor in a quivering mess. Craig gave him a smug look, while Tweek and his cousins stared in surprise.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Craig scoffed. He released Tweek from his firm hug and grasped his hand. “Come on, Tweek, let’s go find where Clyde wandered off to.”
Tweek’s cousins parted like the Red Sea as Craig led him away. They all stared after the two in shock and fear.

…

About five minutes later, Token’s family finally arrived. It was Mr. Tweak who answered the door. When he saw the Blacks, he got a bit nervous.
“Oh! Mr. and Mrs. Black!” he exclaimed, the uncertainty clear in his voice, “You’re here!”
Mr. Black frowned. “Token said you were expecting us,” he said, “Were we wrong?”
“No! No!” Mr. Tweak hastily assured him, “We were expecting you! We have plenty of room for all of you! Come on in!” As Token and his family came through the door, Mr. Tweak turned towards the living room. “Tweek! Would you fetch the duct tape, please?”
Token immediately split from his family to go find his friends, his three small cousins trailing behind him. He found Tweek, Craig, and Clyde outside in the backyard where there was more breathing room. As expected. He grinned and walked over to them.
“Hey guys,” he greeted.
“It’s about time you got here,” Craig scolded him as soon as he was in front of them, “Is there some sort of rule saying that rich people always have to be late?”
Token blinked at him. “Yes,” he said simply. “Anyway, I wanted to introduce my family.” He turned to his aunt and uncle who had also come outside to keep an eye on their three kids. “That’s my uncle, Ray, and my aunt Rena.” Then he gestured to the three small boys at his feet who looked identical and were smiling wildly up at him. “And these are my cousins…” he paused a moment, trying to think of their names, but gave up after a minute with a sigh.
At that moment, Sonia came stomping out of the house in her combat boots, eager to meet Clyde’s third friend. “Hey there!” she greeted Token, holding out her muscular hand, “Name’s Sonia! I bet you’re Token, eh?”
“Yes, that is right,” Token replied, ignoring Clyde’s desperate attempts to signal him not to take his sister’s hand, as he took her hand. Immediate regret showed on Token’s face as Sonia nearly crushed every bone in his hand.
“Ha! Ha! I like this one, Clyde!” Sonia laughed, “He’s a keeper!” She patted Token on the back, knocking him to the ground. “Well, I’m gonna go back inside make sure dad doesn’t start hitting on single people. Don’t want to make dinner awkward.” With that, she stomped back inside.
“Clyde, your sister scares me,” Token muttered from where he still lay on the ground. Clyde sighed heavily.
“Yeah, she works out a lot, so she doesn’t know her own strength,” Clyde explained, “She tries to be friendly.”
“Maybe a little too friendly,” Tweek murmured, rubbing his still sore arm.

Chapter Text

“All right everyone! Dinner’s ready!” Mrs. Tweak’s voice rang throughout the house and there was a mad stampede for outside.
Before he could make it to the dinner table, Mr. Tweak put a hand on Tweek’s shoulder. “Did you get the duct tape?” he asked.
“Right here, dad,” Tweek replied, handing it to him. Mr. Tweak smiled and marched over to where Tweek’s Great-Great Grandfather was sitting near one end of the table, ranting about something.
“You know, in my day, we didn’t mix people up!” he was complaining, “The blacks sat at one table, the Jews sat at another one. Why can’t we go back to that? It would be so much better! Then we wouldn’t-“
Double G Grandpa’s rant was cut off when Mr. Tweak pressed a piece of duct tape to his mouth, effectively muffling him. The old man didn’t seem to notice and kept right on rambling in a muffled voice.
Mr. Tweak looked proudly at his work. “There,” he said, “I think that will make dinner a bit more tolerable.” Then he took his place at the head of the table where the rest of the adults were sitting.
At the other end were the younger people. Because all of the food was at the adult’s end of the table, they were last to be served. Not that Tweek minded so much. He didn’t eat a lot, even on Thanksgiving.
He sat next to Craig, of course, and Token and Clyde sat across from them. There were three empty seats next to Token that were for his three cousins, but at the moment the three of them were happily bouncing around and hanging off of him. Token’s three friends were trying very hard not to laugh at the annoyed look on Token’s face.
“Will you guys just go back to your seats already?” he growled.
“But Token, they love you!” Clyde said, stifling a chuckle. Token turned his unamused glare to him.
“Shut up, Clyde,” he hissed at his friend.
Craig’s sister Tricia, who sat on the other side of him, suddenly elbowed him in the ribs with her pointy elbows. Craig gave her a look.
“What?” he asked in an annoyed voice.
“Who’s that really old dude at the end of the table?” she wondered, gesturing to Great-Great Grandpa, who was still rambling under the duct tape.
“Tricia!” Craig scolded, “It’s not nice to insult people like- ah, who cares?”
Snickering silently, Tweek pulled his chair closer to Craig so he could give him an affectionate nudge. Craig grinned at him but said nothing.
As dinner continued, it seemed like it actually wouldn’t turn into the raging disaster Tweek had thought it was going to be. Everyone chatting pleasantly, and seemed to be getting along. Tweek pulled his chair closer to Craig and gently leaned against him. Because of the confrontation from before, none of Tweek’s cousins were bothering him. Admittedly, he was still a bit nervous and shaky from being around so many people, but leaning against Craig was helping.
Clyde’s sister was not.
“What’s a lady gotta do to get some grub around here?” Sonia asked in a loud voice making her brother flinch. “Yo, older folks! Pass that turkey down this way, won’t ya?”
When the food finally made it down to their end of the table, Sonia started piling as much turkey on her plate as was possible to still allow others to have some. She passed the plate with the rest of the turkey to Clyde.
“You need this, little bro,” she teased, “Need to get some meat on those noodle arms of yours.” Clyde simply glared at her as he took the plate.
Tweek took only a few measly pieces of turkey when it was passed to him before passing it along to Craig. Craig immediately started putting more turkey on Tweek’s plate before taking some for himself.
“You need to eat more than a ham sandwich and a carrot every day, Tweek,” Craig said when the blond started to object, “You’re too tiny.”
“I’m not tiny,” Tweek mumbled.
“Tweek, you’re down right adorable,” Craig informed him, “Now please pass the taters.”
Across the table, Token was putting food on his cousins’ plates for them, adding a good portion of everything. “They’ll eat pretty much anything you put in front of them,” he informed Clyde, “But if you let them choose what to put on their plate it will nothing healthy.”
“Aw! Look at you, being the caring one, helping your little cousins eat right!” Clyde cooed in a taunting voice.
“Shut up, Clyde,” Token muttered, “At least I’m responsible! Unlike Craig, over there.”
Craig looked at his sister, who had only taken one tiny piece of white meat, lots of dark meant, and anything else that was more sweet tasting. There were no vegetables to speak of.
“Eh, I would berate her,” Craig said, “But I don’t really care.”
Token rolled his eyes at him. “You’re such a responsible older brother, Craig,” he praised sarcastically.
“I know I am,” Craig agreed. Tweek couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.
As the dinner went on, people started getting up from the table and wandering back into the house. If there was one thing Tweek would definitely not do, it would be going back into that house full of people. Even from outside, he could hear Sonia’s voice shouting something about football. Craig, Clyde, and Token (and Token’s three cousins who were happily clinging to him) sat outside with him after everyone else had gone back inside. Tweek was a little worried his house was going to explode.
They were sitting at one end of the table, since everyone was in the house. Tweek still had his chair close to Craig and was leaning on him, watching with amusement as Token tried to get his cousins off of him.
“I know you probably don’t want to hear this, Token,” Craig sneered, “But watching you trying to pull three tiny children off of you is pretty damn funny.”
“You know what, Craig?” Token growled, “You can suck my-“
“Hey kids!” Mrs. Tweak called, carrying out four plates, “You want a slice of pie?”
“Yes, please!” Clyde called out excitedly.
Mrs. Tweak smiled and set the plates down in front of the boys. Upon seeing the pie, Token’s cousins leaped off him and charged into the house to hunt for pie.
“Oh, thank God!” Token exclaimed, “Maybe I can breathe for a few minutes.”
“Can I sit in your lap for a while?” Clyde asked with a cheesy grin on his face. Token glared at him.
“No,” he hissed.

…

About an hour later, Tweek’s family had left for their hotel, and the other relatives had also left. Craig, Token, and Clyde asked to stay over at Tweek’s house that night, as none of them felt like going home.
Craig was laying on the couch with Tweek on top of him. Clyde was sitting in the middle of the couch with his legs draped over Craig’s. Token was passed out in a chair. They were watching early Christmas programs that felt that Thanksgiving was the perfect time to start playing Christmas specials.
“Do you guys want to go out all tomorrow?” Clyde asked as it cut to Black Friday commercials.
“GNN! Not really,” Tweek mumbled, “I really hate the concept of Black Friday in general. It just glorifies consumerism and that’s not-“
“Also, you don’t want to deal with the crowds,” Craig stated, interrupting.
“I mean, yeah! But I didn’t want to point out the obvious!” Tweek muttered.
“Yeah, I don’t really want to deal with people either,” Craig admitted, “I’d rather just stay here and make kissy faces at my boyfriend all day.”
“GAH!”
Clyde snickered at both of them. “Heh, you two are so married,” he sneered. Craig rolled his eyes and Tweek let out another “GAH!” “But anyway, Black Friday means like, nothing these days. Any deal you could get on Black Friday you can get all of December. They just try to make it seem urgent so you’ll buy more.”
“Thank you, Clyde, I already knew this,” Craig told him in his monotone voice.
After a while, Clyde and Tweek fell asleep as well, with Tweek burying his face in Craig’s neck. Craig had his arms gently wrapped around Tweek, softly stroking his hair. He stared at Tweek as the smaller boy breathed deeply in peaceful slumber. It was times like this that Craig appreciated most. Tweek wasn’t twitching, and wasn’t paranoid about anything. And he wasn’t seeing any monsters.
Tweek’s parents walked through the living room on their way to their bedroom and smiled when they saw the boys. Especially Craig embracing their son in such a loving, caring, and protective manner. Mr. Tweak turned off the lights before the two headed up to bed.
“They’re so gay,” he whispered to his wife when they got to the top of the stairs.

Chapter Text

When Tweek woke up, the living room was still dark, but starting to get lighter. He felt his head gently moving up and down as he rested it on Craig’s chest. He could feel that there was someone behind him. As carefully as he could, he sat up and looked to see that at some point during the night, Clyde had fallen over and was also resting on Craig. He had his face pressed into his friend’s shoulder, and Tweek couldn’t help but smile a little.
As soon as he laid down again, Craig wrapped his arms around Tweek, who let out a tiny squeak of surprise. Once he realized he was still asleep, Tweek smiled and nestled his face into Craig’s neck.
He was about to go back to sleep, when he parents suddenly and loudly stomped through the living room. Craig groaned beneath him, and his arms tightened around Tweek. He knew Craig wasn’t used to being disturbed so early in the morning, but then again, his parents didn’t get up at six am to run a coffee shop.
Tweek lifted his head from Craig’s neck and looked at his parents, who were still romping around the living room, looking for their shoes and whatever else they needed.
“Mom! Dad!” Tweek hissed, “Can you please try to be quieter? You’re going to wake my friends!”
“Sorry, son,” Mr. Tweak said in that soft voice of his, “Didn’t mean to disturb you. Just getting ready to set up shop, is all. When the hardworking adult wakes up for work, he or she expects a nice, good old-fashioned cup of coffee to be waiting for them. That’s why we-“
“I don’t care!” Tweek interrupted, rolling his eyes, “Just stop stomping through the living room while my friends are trying to sleep!”
Mr. and Mrs. Tweak held their hands up in a defensive manner and quietly slipped into the kitchen. Tweek sighed and buried his face back into Craig’s neck. He wasn’t asleep for much longer before he felt someone running their hand through his hair. Blinking awake, he sat up and looked to see Craig smiling gently at him.
“Good morning, my sleepy boo,” he greeted him softly.
Tweek couldn’t hide the blush that formed on his face. He pressed his face into Craig’s chest, who chuckled lightly. He felt Craig lightly kiss the top of his head, which made Tweek smile into his chest. Then he heard Clyde stirring beside him and looked up.
“It’s about time you woke up, you lazy bum,” Craig scolded, as Clyde sat up with a tired grumble, “You were making my arm fall asleep.”
“Get over it,” Clyde mumbled. Craig gasped in defiance. He ignored Craig and turned to Tweek. “Good morning, Tweek. You were very warm last night.”
Tweek didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Maybe he was being complimented? It was hard to tell, so Tweek didn’t say anything.
“Aw, you guys are adorable,” Token cooed from where he had silently woken up. Craig and Clyde both cast a glare at him as he chuckled. “Anyway, what’s the plan for today? We going out shopping?”
“No,” Craig scowled, “If you had been awake last night, you would have known that.”
“Well sorry for wanting to get my rest,” Token countered.
“GNN! Do you think we could go over to one of your guys’ houses?” Tweek requested, “I’m pretty sure my family is going to come back over here today, and they’re going to want to drag us out shopping whether we want to or not.”
“Yeah, sure,” Token replied, “We can go chill at my house. You guys could stay over so we can be ready for movie night tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah, we made that a thing,” Craig murmured.
“I think we should do a holiday themed horror movie,” Clyde suggested, “To start off with, at least.”
“Nothing too scary, though,” Tweek piped in.
“Of course, darling,” Craig said, smiling warmly.
The four of them left the house after Token called his parents to come pick them up and they climbed into his parent’s car. It was a short drive to Token’s house, as nothing in South Park was that far away. As soon as they walked into Token’s house, they went to the room where they had been before.
“We could get movie night started early,” Token suggested, “Spend two days watching 80’s and 90’s movies.”
“Only if they’re not all horror movies,” Tweek murmured.
Craig wrapped his arms around Tweek and pulled him into himself as they sat down. “Yeah, we can’t watch all horror movies,” he said, “I don’t want my babe getting frightened. Besides, there are more movies than just horror movies.”
“Are you sure about that?” Clyde asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Craig replied, rolling his eyes, “Most 90’s movies were sports movies about losers trying to be cool.”
“Ooh! We should watch that movie Rad!” Clyde exclaimed excitedly, “It’s just dripping in 80’s and 90’s cheese!”
“But that movie sucks,” Craig pointed out.
“Exactly!” Clyde grinned wildly.
“Guys, will you shut up long enough to say which holiday themed horror movie we’re watching?” Token asked with a sigh.
“Fine,” Craig agreed. He took a breath. “Silent Night, Deadly Night,” he said at the exact same moment Clyde said: “Child’s Play.”
“Oh for crying out loud,” Craig grumbled to Clyde, “What does Child’s Play have to do with Christmas?”
“What? It’s got snow, presents, decorations, murder, plenty of Christmas!” Clyde argued.
“It’s as Christmas-y as Reindeer Games!” Craig growled.
“Oh, and what kind of material is Silent Night, Deadly Night going to give us?” Clyde challenged, a smug look on his face.
“Well, what about that over-the-top moment when…” Craig paused to think, “O-Or that silly time when…” Another pause. “Or…”
“Craig,” Clyde said seriously, “You thought this was the one with the ‘Garbage Day!’ guy in it, didn’t you?”
There was a pause as Craig blinked at him. “That’s not the first one?” he wondered.
“Second,” Clyde replied with a sigh.
“Oh.” Craig went silent and stared at the floor. Then he looked up angrily. “Then what the hell are we watching it for?!”
“We’re not!” Clyde grinned, “We’re watching Child’s Play!” With that, he popped the movie into the DVD player and pressed play.
Craig sighed with annoyance and pulled Tweek closer to himself. Tweek, already anticipating scares, gently buried his face into Craig’s neck. Craig smiled softly.
“Don’t worry Tweek,” he murmured to the blond, “This movie isn’t nearly as scary as everyone thinks it is.”
“Speak for yourself,” Clyde muttered, “When my sister showed me that movie when I was seven I had nightmares for nine years straight!”
Before Token could point out the problem with that statement, the movie’s previews ended and the movie started. They immediately started making fun of the opening scene with the car chase between the detective and serial killer. When it got to the showdown in the toy store, Clyde’s face lit up.
“Hey look! Christmas decorations! I told you this was a Christmas movie!” he exclaimed as Craig rolled his eyes.
Tweek peeked a look as Charles, the serial killer, transferred his soul into one of the Good Guy dolls, and the store exploded. At that point, Token burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it.
“Hey look!” Clyde pointed out when the scene changed, “It’s the mother from Seventh Heaven!”
“Really?” Token asked, giving him a look, “Seventh Heaven? That’s where you know Catherine Hicks from?”
“Well, it’s probably her most famous role,” Clyde argued, “Was she in anything else?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Star Trek 4?” Token huffed.
“Oh yeah!” Clyde exclaimed, “She was in that! Wow, what an obscure reference!”
“Her being in Seventh Heaven was the obscure reference!” Token snapped.
“She was in Seventh Heaven?” Clyde asked, giving him a confused look. Token stared back at him with an abhorred look on his face.
He was about to say something when Tweek let out a horrified shriek. They all turned to the screen and saw that in the movie there was an ad playing for Good Guy dolls, and a man dressed in a horrifying costume was on screen.
“He’s even more terrifying than I thought!” Tweek screamed, hiding his face in Craig’s neck. Craig soothingly rubbed his back.
“It’s ok, dear,” he murmured softly, “That’s not the killer, that’s just a children’s mascot.” Tweek removed his face and blinked.
“Oh,” he muttered.
The movie progressed, to the main hero, Andy getting a Good Guy doll for a birthday present, (“You mean a Christmas present!” “Knock it off!” “Oh, ok.”), to the babysitter being murdered by a hammer and falling out the window. There was an outside scene of Andy and the doll going to an old house, (“Look! Snow! Fa la la la la la la la la!” “We’re watching the movie, dammit, you don’t have to convince me anymore!” “I was trying to convince myself…”), and by the time the killer had revealed himself, Tweek was much less scared than before.
“I guess that wasn’t so bad,” Tweek said as the credits rolled, still having his arms around Craig, “Not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.”
“Great!” Token exclaimed, “You wanna watch the sequels now?”
“NO!” Tweek exclaimed, frightened, and squeezed Craig even harder, making him choke, “NO! NO! NO! NO! No more horror movies!”
“Please,” Craig choked out, “No more horror movies.”
“Ok! Ok!” Token chuckled, holding up his hands in defeat, “So, what should we watch instead?”
They decided to watch one of Hallmark’s special Christmas movies on Netflix, which turned into a marathon of the Hallmark Christmas specials. Which they watched until all four of them passed out.

…

When they went back to school, Tweek was still a bit apprehensive and worried that someone was going to attack him. But Craig assured him that he would be at his side at all times, making sure no one got to him. This was easier said than done, as while Tweek and Craig had many classes together, they didn’t have every class together. But luckily, Clyde or Token had the classes they didn’t have together, so they made up for it. It made Tweek feel a lot safer.
As Craig and Tweek walked home, hand in hand, Craig glanced at the sidewalk parallel to them. He saw a teenage boy staring at them, leaning on a tree. He looked angry at them for no reason, so Craig raised his free hand and flipped him off before turning back to Tweek.
“You all right there, boo?” he asked. Tweek was shaking very lightly.
“Th-That guy,” he whispered, gesturing to the teenager, “He’s the leader of the gang that attacked me!”
Craig came to an abrupt stop, pulling Tweek with him. He turned and glared at the teen. So, that was Rex. Was he supposed to look intimidating? Because to Craig, he wasn’t. Rex locked eyes with him, and Craig steeled his gaze. He refused to be scared by this punk. He had an urge to walk over and sock the teen right in the face. But right now he needed to get Tweek home before he had a panic attack.
Throwing one last glare at Rex, Craig took Tweek’s hand again and led him home. Tweek kept looking over his shoulder, as if he expected Rex to be following them. But Craig squeezed his hand.
“Don’t worry, Tweek,” he murmured to the smaller boy, “I won’t let him hurt you again. I promise.”
Tweek looked up at him, a worried look in his eyes. “Craig,” he whispered, “Please don’t do anything drastic. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Craig looked down into Tweek’s large eyes. He leaned down and kissed him deeply, gently wrapping his arms around his waist. When he pulled back, he stared into Tweek’s eyes. “You don’t have to worry about me, babe,” he said quietly, “I’ll always be here for you.”
Unable to stop himself from smiling, Tweek leaned up and gently kissed Craig again. They kissed each other softly for a few minutes before pulling away.
“I trust you,” Tweek told him. Craig smiled warmly, before they both went inside.

…

Tweek felt oddly calm the next day at school. Knowing Craig was there to protect him made him feel a lot better. As he walked to his second class, he didn’t notice how the hallways had emptied out, or that there was a group following him. He didn’t notice, that is, until they grabbed him from behind, gagging him, and dragging him out of the school.
And that group was so occupied with what they were doing, that they didn’t notice that they too were being watched. Watched by someone who didn’t take too kindly with them kidnapping his boyfriend like that.
The group left the school and headed towards the high school. And they were followed the whole way there.

Chapter Text

Tweek was thrown harshly down to the ground, and he immediately curled up in fear. He realized he was back behind the high school. Rex and his gang were surrounding him, glaring down menacingly at him. Rex pulled out a pack of cigarettes and took one out. As he lit it and put in his mouth, he never took his eyes off Tweek.
“So, you didn’t want to listen to us, did you?” he muttered, as he blew out a breath of smoke, “Had to insist on going around with your faggy behavior, huh? Shove it down our throats? Well, we’ll make sure you learn your lesson this time.”
“Please,” Tweek whimpered, “I didn’t do anything to any of you! I’m not forcing anything on anyone! Why are you doing this?!”
Rex sneered. “I don’t have to answer to a faggot like you,” he growled.
“But you will answer to me,” a familiar voice rang out behind the group, and Tweek felt his heart start to lift.
Startled, Rex turned around and was rather surprised by what he saw. Two of his bullies were knocked out on the ground, and a third has his face in the ground, rump in the air. Standing over him, with his shoe on the bully’s face was Craig, glaring with pure hatred at Rex.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Rex growled. Craig narrowed his eyes.
“What do you think I’m doing?” he hissed, “I’m here to save my boyfriend. You’d better keep your dirty hands off him if you know what’s good for you.”
Rex actually looked worried for a moment before he started chuckling. “It’s all right, Craig,” he snickered, “You don’t have to pretend around us. We know you’re not really into this faggot here.”
Craig’s eyes narrowed, and his expression darkened. “Say that again,” he hissed slowly, “Go on. I dare you.”
The bullies still with Rex were starting to look scared. But Rex was still standing strong. “Did you just threaten me?” he growled.
“What if I did?” Craig countered, “What are you going to do about it?”
As Rex glared at the other boy, Tweek got up and desperately tried to run to Craig, but the other bullies stopped him. One of the girls put her arms around Tweek and pulled him away while the bullies went to stand by Rex.
“Craig…” Tweek whispered, his heart pounding in fear.

…

Stan felt unexplainably anxious as he sat in class, his leg bouncing up and down in nervousness. He couldn’t figure out why, though. He looked around the class as the teacher blathered on, and he suddenly realized.
Where are Tweek and Craig? They’re in this class, and I swore I saw them earlier. Did they decide to ditch the rest of school?
As discreetly as he could, Stan pulled out his phone and sent out a group message.
STAN: Does anyone know where Craig and Tweek are? I’m sure they were here earlier.
He heard someone’s phone buzz when he sent out the message and silently scolded them for not silencing their phone. Luckily, the teacher was too wrapped up in himself to notice. Stan looked down as he got a small flood of texts.
CLYDE: I was wondering that myself, actually.
TOKEN: I was hoping one of you knew.
KYLE: No idea.
KENNY: Why do you care anyway, Stan?
WENDY: I saw them earlier. Don’t know where they are now, though.
Stan frowned to himself at the unhelpful answers. But then he got a text from Cartman.
CARTMAN: I saw group of high schoolers in halls earlier. They looked kinda mad. Maybe Craig beat them up or something and they wanted revenge.
A horrible sinking feeling filled Stan as he read Cartman’s text. High schoolers? At the middle school? Oh no. Quickly, Stan sent another text.
STAN: Meet me at our table at lunch. I think I know what happened.
He could feel the others’ eyes on him as they read what he sent, but he didn’t look at them. He could only hope that the bell would ring soon, and he could explain everything.
When the bell finally did ring, Stan was out the door in a second, rushing to the cafeteria. He sat at the usual table, waiting for the others to get there. A few minutes later, Clyde and Token walked up, along with Kenny, Kyle, Cartman, Wendy, and Jimmy.
“All right, Stan,” Token said as soon as he walked up, “Where are Tweek and Craig?”
“Ok, here me out,” Stan replied, “I think they’re at the high school. I think that group of high schoolers kidnapped them.”
Kyle cocked his head in confusion. “Why would they do that?” he wondered.
“My sister was telling me about this group of homophobes that have been rising around town and terrorizing people,” Stan explained, “And well, Tweek and Craig are pretty much the most famous gay couple in town. Of course they would be targeted.”
“Tweek was telling me a while ago about someone who threatened him,” Clyde put in, “Maybe it was that gang. He said they pulled a knife on him.”
Stan’s face paled. “I think those two may be in trouble.”

…

“Craig!” Tweek cried out. He was being restrained by a girl away from the action, with her arms wrapped around him so he couldn’t escape. But Tweek didn’t care about that right now. He was more worried about Craig right now, who was being pinned down by the other bullies as he glared up at Rex.
To be fair, Craig had put up a pretty good fight. Not one of the bullies had escaped without an injury of some kind. But in the end, they had just overwhelmed him. Rex stood over Craig, glaring down at him, smoking a cigarette. He was the only one without a scratch on him.
Rex crouched down in front of Craig, and Craig watched him silently. There was no fear in Craig’s eyes. Only hatred. Pure, unadulterated hatred. Rex scowled.
“So, you thought you could stand against us, huh?” he sneered, “You thought a lone twelve-year-old could stop us? You must be joking!”
Craig didn’t reply. He simply continued glaring up at Rex. Tweek could feel himself growing more nervous by the second. Scowling, Rex leaned closer to Craig.
“Think you’re tough by not talking?” he hissed, “You’re not tough. You’re pathetic for trying to protect this faggot. What control does he have on you?”
Again, Craig said nothing. His expression merely darkened, and his hatred grew stronger. Rex’s eyes narrowed.
“Say something,” he growled. Craig said nothing. For a very brief moment, Tweek swore he saw a spark of fear and worry flash across Rex’s face, but it was gone almost instantly. Rex pulled out a knife, and Tweek gasped.
“Craig!” he whispered in fear. He felt the girl holding him shudder with anticipation.
Rex held the knife to Craig’s face, gently pressing the tip to his left cheek, just under his eye. Rex smirked. “Feel like talking now?” he asked as he searched Craig’s face for any sign of fear or worry. But there was none.
Growling, Rex pressed the knife harder into Craig’s skin, drawing blood. Other than the slight twitch of the eye, there was no indication that Craig was in any pain. This seemed to unnerve Rex a little, and he slowly drew the knife across Craig’s cheek, cutting a long line into it. Still, the hate-filled expression on Craig’s face didn’t change.
“Damn it, say something!” Rex cried out angrily, and the other bullies flinched. “Stop acting like you’re tougher than me by not saying anything and glaring at me like that.”
Instead of saying anything, Craig spat up at him, spitting into his face. Scowling with anger, Rex delivered a swift punch to Craig’s face. Craig merely glanced it off.
Tweek stared in amazement as Rex looked as though he was struggling to keep in control of his temper. He pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and inhaled. Looking down at Craig, he blew the smoke into his face. Craig shut his eyes and held his breath, refusing to let the smoke into his lungs. Rex growled, then inhaled another mouthful of smoke. He bent over Craig and forced his mouth open, then placed his own mouth over Craig’s and forced the smoke down his throat. Craig cringed at the feeling.
“Not so tough now, are you?” Rex hissed to him, “You fucker. Acting like you’re such a hot shot and better than me! You’re not so tough!”
Craig’s eyes narrowed with hatred. Rex searched carefully, but there was still no fear in them. Only hate and anger. Tweek’s eyes widened as he saw Rex begin to shake. What was happening to him.
“Fuck you!” he suddenly screamed at Craig, making the bullies holding him down cringe, “Fuck you! Fuck you! I hate you! You think you’re so cool, don’t you!? You think you’re better than me? You think by not reacting to anything you’ll unnerve me? Is that it? You fucking fag! I’ll kill you! I’ll slit your fucking throat open!”
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” a voice rang out.
Tweek looked up in surprise, as did all the bullies. Stan, along with Clyde, Token, Kenny, Kyle, Cartman, Wendy, and Jimmy were standing behind the bullies with angry looks on their faces. Rex looked worried for half a second before bursting into laughter.
“Really?” he chuckled, addressing Craig and Tweek, “This was your back up plan? A rag-tag group of twelve-year olds? You must be joking!”
Stan’s eyes narrowed, and Clyde scowled. Cartman scoffed. “What’s the matter, douchebag? Afraid?”
Rex stopped laughing and glared at the fat boy. “We’re not afraid of a bunch of losers like you!” he growled. He snapped his fingers, ordering his bullies to attack. The ones holding onto Craig loosened their grips so they could move.
But as soon as they did, Craig lashed out, kicking one of the bullies in the face, and jumping to his feet. As if that were some sort of signal, Stan and the others charged forward, attacking the bullies. Tweek stared in amazement as the group started pounding the fudge out of the bullies. Rex’s jaw fell open as he watched his group of high schoolers easily get taken out by a bunch of sixth graders.
Stan tackled one kid to the ground and started punching him in the face. Kyle was kicking another in the shin. Cartman was using his weight to his advantage and sitting on one of the girls as she spat venom at him. Kenny was using expert fighting moves to take down one of the larger kids. Wendy was being a badass. Clyde had one kid in a headlock, while Token managed to knock out two bullies. And Jimmy was using his crutches to keep a bully from getting back up.
And Craig was now standing in front of Rex, glaring up at him. Rex took a cautious step back, but Craig reached up and grabbed his collar, pulling him down.
“Don’t you ever threaten my boyfriend again,” he growled, “Or you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it.” With that, Craig slammed Rex into the ground, delivering a swift kick to his side. Rex groaned and laid still.
Craig immediately ran over to Tweek. The girl who had been holding him had ran off as soon as it was clear that the bullies were losing. Craig took Tweek into his arms, pressing him close to his body.
“Are you ok, Tweek?” he murmured to him.
Tweek was shaking in Craig’s arms. “Are you okay?” he couldn’t help exclaiming, “H-He cut your face! He hit you! He-He…”
“It’s okay, Tweek,” Craig reassured him, “I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt that much. And he punches like a wimp. I’m just glad you’re not hurt.”
Tweek opened his mouth to reply, but at that moment Clyde and the others walked over to them. “Are you guys all right?” Token asked.
“We’re fine,” Craig replied, “Those guys aren’t so tough.”
“Tell me about it,” Wendy sneered, tossing her hair, “Those guys fight like girls.”
“How did you guys know where to find us?” Tweek wondered.
“My sister told me about Rex and his gang,” Stan answered, “When you guys suddenly disappeared after first period, I told these guys what I thought, and we decided you were probably at the high school.”
As much as it pained Craig to do this, he looked right at Stan. “Thank you for coming to save us,” he said.

…

The group decided to ditch the rest of the school day, since it was half over at that point anyway. They had a bit of a celebration at Token’s house for sticking it to that horrible gang. Hopefully they had learned their lesson and wouldn’t be bothering anyone for a while.
“I have to say, I’m rather surprised you decided to join the cause, Cartman,” Craig observed from where he sat with Tweek in his arms. Cartman shrugged.
“What can I say?” he asked, “I like beating up older kids and putting them in their place.”
“Th-Those p-p-pussies shouldn’t have-shouldn’t have underestimated m-me,” Jimmy put in proudly, “I carry a weap-weapon around w-with me everywhere!”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to mess with you, Jimmy,” Token chuckled.
They all chatted for a while, sharing sodas and snacks, before everyone headed home. Craig asked Tweek if he could stay over at his house before they both headed over there. When they got to Tweek’s house, Tweek made Craig wait in his room while he got the med kit. Craig sat on the bed and quietly waited as Tweek took care of the cut on his cheek and the bruise on his face. He winced slightly as Tweek touched him.
“Sorry,” Tweek muttered.
“It’s all right,” Craig assured him.
A moment of silence passed before Tweek sighed. “Craig,” he said quietly, “Why did you do that?”
Confused, Craig cocked his head. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“It was clear that Rex wanted you to fear him,” Tweek pointed out, “But you didn’t, and he just kept hurting you! Why?”
A soft smile came onto Craig’s face. “You think I wasn’t scared?” he wondered, “I was terrified! I thought he was going to cut my eye out! But I knew I couldn’t actually show him how scared I was.”
“Why not?” Tweek asked.
“Because then he would’ve hurt you,” Craig explained, “If I showed fear, then he would’ve given his attention to you instead, and I couldn’t let that happen. I promised I wouldn’t let them hurt you again, and I intended to keep that promise.”
Tweek’s eyes filled with tears, and he flung himself forward, hugging Craig. Smiling, Craig hugged him back and gently pulled him onto the bed with him. They laid next to each other and Tweek gently buried his face in Craig’s neck.
“Craig,” Tweek whispered.
“Hm?”
Tweek took a deep breath before speaking again.
“I love you.”

Chapter Text

“I love you.”
As soon as those words left his lips, Tweek felt Craig’s entire body tense up. Worrying that he did something wrong, Tweek sat up and looked at him. Before he could say anything, though, Craig leaned up and kissed him deeply. He snaked his hand into Tweek’s hair and his other arm went around his waist.
Tweek felt himself melting into Craig’s kiss, and eagerly kissed him back. The two kissed for a long time, their arms tight around each other, as their lips worked passionately against each other. When they finally pulled away, they were both panting, and staring into each other’s eyes.
It was Craig who finally broke the silence. “Tweek,” he said softly. Tweek swallowed nervously.
“Yes?”
“I lied to you.”
Tweek felt a horrible feeling rising in him. What did he lie about? He felt his heart ponding rapidly in his chest. “About what?” he asked meekly.
“About our first kiss,” Craig replied, “The one we had at the fireworks show. I lied. I did feel something when we kissed.”
Eyes widening, Tweek felt his breath stop short. What? What was-? “I-I lied about it too,” he admitted, “I didn’t want to make things awkward between us by admitting I had feelings for you.”
Craig stared up at him for a long moment before leaning up and softly kissing him again. Tweek kissed him back, relaxing into Craig’s body. They gently kissed each other until Tweek curled up on top of Craig and fell asleep. Craig let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through Tweek’s hair. He stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
Shit. Now what was he supposed to do?

…

“Clyde, I need to talk to you,” Craig told his friend when he unexpectedly showed up on his front porch the next morning. Clyde stared with slight surprise.
“Uh, ok,” he said, “Come on in.” Clyde led Craig into his house and up to his room. As soon as they got there, Craig went over and sat down on Clyde’s bed with a sigh.
“What’s wrong?” Clyde asked.
Craig shifted uncomfortably on the bed. “What makes you think something is wrong?” he muttered. Clyde gave him a look.
“Dude, you never come over without calling or texting first unless something is wrong,” he pointed out, “So, what’s up?”
Craig was silent for a long minute before finally taking a breath. “Last night, after Tweek and I got home from Token’s house, Tweek told me… he loves me.”
There was a moment of silence in which Craig expected Clyde to be surprise, but it never came. Instead, Clyde just grinned.
“It’s about time he told you,” he said, “Damn, I’ve been waiting forever for him to confess his feelings to you. It seemed to be driving him crazy.”
“Wait, you knew?” Craig asked, shocked, “How?”
“He told me,” Clyde replied, “When you broke up with him for Jess, and he ran out of the cafeteria? I went after him to comfort him and he told me he was in love with you.”
Clyde went over to bed and excitedly hopped onto it, grinning happily at him. “So, what did you say when he confessed?” he wondered, “Did you admit your love for him back? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!”
A sinking feeling formed in Craig’s heart and he stared at the floor. “Well… no, I didn’t,” he answered quietly. Clyde’s face fell.
“Why not?” he asked.
“I can’t lie to him,” Craig’s voice was barely above a whisper, “Don’t get me wrong; I care about Tweek so much. Probably more than I’ve ever cared about anyone. But I just can’t honestly say that I’m in love with him.”
Clyde stared at him with a shocked expression. For a minute, he looked absolutely heart broken, as if it were he and Craig who were dating, and Craig had just broken up with him. Then Clyde took a deep breath and calmed himself.
“So, what did you say instead?” he wondered.
“I didn’t really say anything,” Craig replied, “I kissed him instead. I’m sort of hoping that by doing that he wouldn’t notice I didn’t say it back. Plus, even though I’m not in love with him, I wanted to show him how much I care about him.”
Clyde looked like as though he desperately wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite put it into words. He kept opening and closing his mouth several times before he finally spoke. “So, what are you going to do now?”
Letting out a deep sigh, Craig flopped backwards onto the bed. “I don’t know,” he admitted, sounding defeated, “I want to stay with him so he won’t get depressed again, but I don’t know if I should keep stringing him along like this. I mean, anyone else would say they’re in love by now, but I just can’t.” He let out another sigh. “Maybe I’m incapable of love,” he mumbled.
Frowning, Clyde laid onto his back as well and curled himself up next to Craig. “Maybe you’re just confused right now,” he said, “Give it time. I think Tweek will understand if you’re not at the same place in your relationship. Just show him that you care about him and that you still want to be with him.”
A small smile crept onto Craig’s face as he looked over at his friend. “Thanks, Clyde,” he told him, “I don’t know when you got to be so smart, but I really appreciate it.”
Clyde didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or not.

…

In the days after that, Tweek seemed to be more affectionate than he ever had before. He would be the one initiating hugs or kisses in the halls, and his face always lit up with joy whenever he saw Craig. And Craig would always return the smiles, hugs, and kisses with eagerness. Everything seemed to go back to normal.
Until a week later after school. Craig was with Tweek at his locker as they got ready to go home for the day. As Tweek put his books away, he could feel Craig’s warm body pressed against him, and he smiled to himself.
“Are we going to your house tonight, or mine?” Tweek asked as he put away the last of his books. Craig shrugged.
“Let’s go to your house,” he replied, “I don’t feel like dealing with my family today.”
Tweek closed his locker and suddenly felt Craig’s arms gently wrap around him. Smiling wider, he leaned back into Craig, reveling in his warmth. But before he could enjoy it, there was a furious shriek. Scared and trembling, Tweek pressed against Craig and turned to see a very angry Jess storming towards them.
Craig’s eyes narrowed as she stood in front of them. “What do you want?” he hissed at her. His arms tightened around Tweek and pressed him closer.
“What did he do?” she growled, her eyes on Tweek, “How did that little fag get away from Rex and his gang? He was supposed to get the picture and stay away from you!”
A low growl came the back of Craig’s throat. Tweek’s shivering intensified. “I knew you were the one who sent that gang after Tweek,” Craig scowled, “It’s really sad that you haven’t realized that I don’t want to be with you!”
Jess narrowed her eyes. “Craig, come on, you don’t honestly want to be with him do you?” she argued, “He’s a twitchy spaz and so clingy! What can he give you that I can’t? Besides, it’s unnatural!”
Craig opened his mouth to reply, but surprisingly Tweek beat him to it. “Oh, just shut up about that, Jess!” Tweek snapped at her, “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not living in medieval times anymore! This is the twenty-first century! Times are different than whatever backwards era your mind is living in! Who cares what sex a person is as long as they love their partner? And that’s what I can offer Craig that you can’t! Actual love, instead of your fake, ideal, perfect love! I love Craig more than you ever will!”
The look on Jess’s face was one of pure rage and fury. “Why you little-!” She reached out as if to strangle Tweek.
“Don’t you dare lay your hands on him!” Craig warned her dangerously. Jess ignored him and continued towards Tweek.
The moment her fingers touched skin, Tweek lashed out, striking Jess as hard as he could across the face. She stumbled backwards, holding her cheek where she had been hit. Angry tears filled her eyes as she glared at both of them.
“If you two fags want to be together then fine!” she screamed, “I don’t need you anyway, Craig! I can get a guy that’s at least ten times hotter than you!” Then, she finally stormed away.
Craig scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Like I care,” he muttered. He then turned to Tweek in his arms and saw him staring after Jess with wide eyes. “Are you all right, boo?”
“I… I did it…” Tweek whispered, “I actually stood up to Jess! I stood up for myself!”
Grinning, Craig pulled Tweek close and gently nuzzled the side of his face. “Yes, you did, sweetheart,” he murmured, “And it was totally badass. I’m so proud of you.”
Tweek smiled and turned to press his face into Craig’s neck. Then he heard Clyde and Token shouting to them. They were nearly shoving people over to get to them.
“Oh my God, Tweek!” Clyde exclaimed excitedly when they reached the two lovers, “That was so cool! You totally made Jess freak the fuck out!”
“Yes, it’s seems she finally got the message,” Token added. Tweek felt himself blush.
“I kind of flew off the handle a bit,” he murmured, “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, boo,” Craig told him, “She deserved that. She needed to hear that. Now maybe Jess can go off and find another guy to torment for the rest of his life.”
Tweek chuckled softly and pressed himself closer to Craig, reveling in his warmth.
Later that night, Tweek and Craig were laying together in Craig’s bed, gently kissing each other. Craig was laying on top of Tweek, leaving soft kisses on his lips. Tweek had his arms around Craig’s neck, happily kissing him back. They were like this for several minutes before Tweek pulled back to stare into Craig’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Craig wondered, a bit worried.
“Nothing,” Tweek sighed, leaning up and giving him a quick kiss, “I was just thinking about how much I love you.”
Smirking, Craig tightened his hold around Tweek, then suddenly rolled over, pulling Tweek on top of himself, as Tweek let out a cute yelp. As soon as he was on top, Craig leaned up and started kissing Tweek’s neck, and Tweek started giggling joyfully. After a while, Tweek rested his head on Craig’s chest, and fell asleep listening to the gentle, soothing rhythm of Craig’s heartbeat.

The End. For now.