Author's Note:
Eyyy I figured out how to correctly copypasta from my own ao3 fics. It's called downloading them in HTML format. I'm dumb. :D
He was practically invisible. For at least the entirety of grade school, he was only a name on a paper. No one really said more than two words at the boy neither did they include him in their activities. He was so far in the background that Tweek thought that the boy was once a figment of his imagination. But then, if he brought the boy up to anyone he would have been looked at like he had two heads. No one in South Park Elementary actually knew about Leslie Nielsen, and it seemed that no one really cared.
To Leslie's defense, the boy didn't really speak up or try to call attention to himself. He seemed to like being unnoticed, fading in the background and refusing to join the rest of the kids in their stupid antics. Tweek thought he was smart because the boy avoided the things that would usually give him panic attacks on a daily basis. He sometimes wondered what it would be like to live a wonderfully calm life away from people, but then life wasn't that nice to Tweek Tweak.
The blonde wondered if he was the only person who knew that Leslie existed at all. He was the only one that saw things others either ignored or didn't care about. He saw so much, almost too much. What he saw was the reason he was like this, jittery and anxious with enough paranoia to keep him wide awake at nights. He half-expected that Leslie would one day turn into something panic-inducing, like a monster or some kind of alien creature - and then he'd realize WHY this boy was never noticed.
It was hard to be Tweek Tweak. It was a name that had enough stress to last him a lifetime, with his panic disorder and high anxiety with a hint of schizophrenia. Being Tweek Tweak meant being someone who survived on power naps because if he slept for real then the monsters inside his head would try to eat him alive, while in reality he had to use marijuana to keep him afloat because nothing else could really take the edge off.
He often thought about how it'd be to be Leslie Nielsen. The name meant being practically invisible, left out of everyone's peripheral view unless he had something to say - which was never, it seemed. The name meant living a calm and boring life, where you weren't terrorized by the weirdest and most obscene things that happened in South Park. Being Leslie Nielsen meant carrying on without stress, without expectations, without having to take drugs to get through the day.
It sounded like a lovely time, and rightfully he was jealous. He wished he was a nameless passerby that no one really noticed, someone who held the same standing as unknown extras in Hollywood movies. If he could live one day without having to see what he usually sees, hear what he always heard, then it would be a godsend.
Because his life was definitely in the forefront of this fictional movie that people had in their heads. One morning in fourth grade he woke up to discover that the entire town was casting him into the role as the 'uke' boyfriend - whatever the fuck uke meant because he's not Korean. Suddenly he was thrown into this fantasy relationship with his friend Craig Tucker, dubbed as the 'seme' - again, not Korean. He didn't know if those terms were actually Korean but it was what he heard out of most of their mouths after the damned art show. Instead of actually refusing this spontaneous relationship, they decided to try it out and attempt to please their parents, who seemed to be more into the relationship than they were.
Somewhere along the line everything began to change, as fourth grade turned into fifth, which turned into sixth. By the end of Junior High, Tweek just had enough. It wasn't like he didn't like Craig anymore, not in the slightest. They just had been rolling through the motions so long that it didn't feel like a relationship anymore. It was a farce, something that was forced from fangirls and their Yaoi obsession. He also was beginning to actually feel things that he didn't want to feel with Craig, and he got the feeling that Craig wasn't as gay as people expected him to be. Not that he actually asked, Craig seemed asexual for all he knew, as the boy never tried anything other than kissing.
The breakup was public, it was also scheduled. They were on the cusp of entering High School and now it was time to try new and different things. Though, while the split was amicable, it also seemed to throw the entire town into some sort of whiplash. Suddenly the movie Tweek and Craig starred in was ending, but it ended with a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Like when the ending is thrown asunder by the scene after the credits, where they sneak up and shank you from behind. However, because the breakup was held on the last day of school, it saved everyone the awkward silence, giving the audience an entire summer to lick their wounds and recuperate from such a sting.
All while Tweek was ending his Hollywood Movie, the nameless extra was being unwittingly dragged into the forefront.
And it would be all Tweek's fault.
For all intents and purposes, he was to blame for Leslie Nielsen acquiring a first class ticket to popularity. He didn't mean for it to happen, he didn't actually think it would happen. It was a stupid slip of the tongue that he blamed himself for, because at the time he was starting to become perfectly aware of his own budding attraction.
Because Leslie had a lovely voice. He hardly talked, but when he did the voice was like coffee, rich and strong. He often heard it when the boy would stop by the coffee shop, ordering his usual "vanilla caramel latte no whip" with a different size each day. Tweek liked the voice, mainly because he heard talking every day and his voice sounded so different to his ears, and he knew it was because the boy hardly talked as it is. He also liked to hum. It was a delightful sound, easy to identify over the irritating noise of two random people debating about social issues.
He wondered if he had gotten his thing of voices from Craig, as he too had a voice that was easy on the ears. He never spoke too loud, and when puberty broke it sounded even better. After watching a dozen or so movies he picked up on certain actors that had equally lovely voices, and he noticed that most of those voices belonged to guys. It took him a few months to debate on how attractive voices made him attracted to males in some way, it sounded stupid, but after experimentation, he realized that most women sounded….horrible. He couldn't enjoy the sound of a woman's voice, even if it was that sultry dirty talk that was hidden in a folder in Clyde's porno collection.
So yes, he was maybe 90% gay with a voice 'fetish' as Clyde called it. He preferred it more as an appreciation, like how Token appreciated classical music and fine wines stolen from his parents' cellar. Of course, this exact appreciation was why he dared to praise this boy on his singing voice, after having heard him belt it out in the bathroom of the coffee shop.
He only went in to wash his hands, only to hear a lovely heartfelt rendition of All the Way by Leslie Hunt. Tweek realized that he was washing his hands for way too long as he listened to Leslie belt it out. When the door finally opened after a background flush the trance was immediately broken when both of them suddenly shrieked, Leslie not realizing that Tweek was in the room and Tweek for being just a nervous spaz.
"Christ-" Leslie winced when he hit his head back against the door. "S-sorry." He mumbled, looking away with a tinge in his cheeks.
"N-no problem, man." Tweek breathed, very aware of his heart flipping out right now. He grit his teeth and forced himself to wipe his hands, having washed them so long that his fingers were wrinkled. "Do-do you sing often?" He asked, needing to fill the silence.
Leslie watched him and nodded, not used to being talked to. "Y...yeah, mom says I'm pretty good. I sing in the choir…" He trailed off then, looking somewhat sheepish. "S-sorry, if I knew you were there I would have stopped-"
"No!" Tweek shuffled his feet back to let him use the sink, "No-it was really good. I'm serious, super good. Don't be ashamed about that."
Leslie watched him from the reflection in the mirror, half-expecting some sort of sarcasm but getting sincere honesty. He quickly looked down at his hand, "Mom thinks I should go for the Christmas talent show, but I'm not sure about...being in front of the school."
Tweek didn't realize what he was doing, shaking his head at the assumption. "Christ, dude. It's not that hard when you get up there-" He remembered his own experience, grinning slightly. "I-I'm dripping in anxiety and I managed to play piano every year, the trick is that the lights kinda blind you and you never see any of them anyway." He said reassuringly.
Leslie tore off a paper towel and finally looked directly at him, unsure. "Y...you're very good…" He said cautiously, smiling just slightly. "At the piano, I mean."
Well that made his heart leap from his throat, and Tweek could only smile nervously before laughing, "Well, yeah, I need to, it's my shift so-bye!" He quickly darted out of there like the bathroom was on fire, his face heated and his anxiety kicking in. He couldn't dislike the butterflies, slowly realizing that it was his first actual conversation with Leslie that didn't involve taking his order.
He just didn't really think he'd be at the Christmas talent show. Tweek wasn't on for another three acts, in a festive holiday sweater and his hair attempting to be well kept, but still looking pretty crazy. He had just came back from being outside, having bummed a joint off of Kenny in the back of the gym and feeling better now that his nerves weren't flying all over the place.
He didn't expect it.
"Up next, we have a solo performance from our own Leslie Nielsen." The host said over the microphone, making Tweek spit out the water he was drinking. He darted from the green room and skidded to the side of the stage to watch from behind the curtain, seeing that Leslie was dressed in his choir robes and holding a music stand, setting it in front of him and opening a songbook.
"Fag." Coughed out the voice of Eric Cartman, making Leslie take a deep breath before singing.
O Holy Night was a difficult song to sing, if you were a beginner. You needed to have just the right voice, especially to hit the high part. It's also, a very beautiful song to sing, one that captured audiences if sung correctly.
Leslie's voice never broke, it never wavered, he sang it like he sang that one song in the bathroom that one day, with enough passion to sweep the entire gym into emotional reactions. It was dramatic and heavenly and Jesus could have appeared right now and given Leslie a high five.
By the time he was done he didn't expect the boisterous reaction, the cheers and applause, something that he couldn't seem to handle before giving a mumbled out "thank you" and skittering off the stage. His eyes met Tweek's, and Tweek smiled at him, giving him a thumbs up while his heart tried to bodyslam its way out of his body.
It all went downhill after that.
A transformation was happening before his eyes, and it was both awe-inspiring and nerve-wracking at the same time. The once-ignored student of South Park High was now being thrust into the sights of the students all around him, and poor Leslie couldn't handle it. Tweek realized there was a reason that Leslie preferred to be the invisible boy that no one noticed, because he was just as riddled with nervous anxiety as Tweek was, to the point of not knowing how to talk to others.
He felt a weird connection with the boy now, and it wasn't an entirely bad feeling. He wondered if he could actually use that connection to get closer to him, maybe help Leslie with his problems and form some kind of a bond. Friendship with Leslie Nielsen was a nice thing to think about, and after a week he realized that kissing the boy with the golden voice was also a nice thing to think about, after he got over the initial anxiety when he realized he was falling for him.
It sounded so simple in his head, but life never wanted to work out in his favor. Tweek found himself blocked by other students. One day, Leslie was approached by the music nerds, the next day, he was invited to sit with the band class. Tweek honestly could get into that group, being a piano player, but he sat with Craig and the others so much that suddenly changing the normal routine of his afternoon would be a step he wasn't ready to take.
By the time the second week was over, Leslie had been approached by girls and guys alike and asked to join different groups, but politely declined so he could continue to keep to himself. Tweek had to breathe a sigh of relief, because he was working towards approaching and befriending the boy, and he didn't like the thought of other people taking Leslie away into their cliques.
When the third week began, something fun and terrible happened. Leslie had come to school with green hair, and his so-called friend Craig Tucker decided to throw his hat in the ring.
He caught Leslie in the bathroom on Monday, staring at the reflection with a dour look on his face and picking at his hair. It was a weird shade of green that stood out easily. Tweek stared at his hair for a moment, his heart thumping slightly when Leslie caught Tweek's eyes on his hair. He made a small noise and pulled his hoodie up.
"Ah-"
Tweek's eye twitched, and he stepped closer, "Hey man, it's cool. It looks great, really!"
Leslie visibly relaxed, but didn't remove his hoodie. "It's supposed to be blonde." He said quietly, "Mom wanted to try something new-she's a hairdresser-and the bleach she used on my hair turned it green." He looked down at the sink, "She told me it looked good, but I think it just...looks...weird."
Tweek tried to smile, "It does look weird-" He waved his hands quickly, "Not in a bad way, dude, it's like, a cool kind of weird. I think it looks great, actually!"
Leslie looked unsure, "Everyone's been staring at me all morning."
"That's because you look cool, dude." Tweek couldn't help it, stepping even closer. "Not everyone does that shit to their hair, like, their parents won't let them."
Leslie tore his eyes away from the sink and looked back at the reflection, jumping slightly when he realized Tweek was at his side. "Mom wants to dye my hair crazy colors." He couldn't look any more skeptical. He paused for a moment, finally turning to look directly at him. "Do you really think it looks cool? I'm not a freak?"
Tweek shook his head honestly, "You're definitely not a freak, man. Hey, uh… if you want, you could sit with me at lunch?" He felt a surge of confidence now, grinning slightly. "I hang around with some guys, but they wouldn't mind if you sat with us."
Leslie thought about it, "You sit with...um...Valmer, Black and the kid that complains about the low quality of tacos on Taco Tuesday."
Tweek laughed a little, "That's Clyde." He smiled then, "It's funny that you almost know them."
Leslie blushed slightly and looked away, "Well, being by myself, leaves a lot of time to watch other people and...I guess...I…" He looked embarrassed then, "I've been trying to...study...social interactions…" His voice lowered into a mumble and he lowered his head into his hands, "Christ I sound like a creepy stalker."
Tweek felt a pang in his heart at the admission and reached over to pat his back. "Dude-don't say that, I get it. I really do. You know how long it took for me to actually do things without one of my friends to help me? I totally understand. People aren't predictable and it's a lot of pressure! Anxiety over this kind of stuff isn't something to be embarrassed about."
The boy peeked at Tweek from between his hands. "It...it's not just anxiety, I…" He continued to mumble, like it was a difficult secret. It came out unintelligible and Tweek leaned in to hear him.
"What?"
"Uh-" He couldn't look at Tweek at all, "I'll tell you at lunch, okay?" He picked up his backpack, "Um...behind the auditorium...I mean, if you still want…" He trailed off, looking nervous.
Tweek nodded, smiling at him reassuringly, "I'll be there, okay?"
Leslie nodded quickly, leaving Tweek alone to finally relax and breathe.
Meeting your crush in a secretive spot was a nerve-wracking ordeal, especially since it was your crush that suggested the meeting in the first place. When Tweek finally appeared with his lunch tray he saw Leslie sitting on the ground with his back against the wall, staring at his sandwich with an amazing focus as he eyed every detail in the food. His attention was finally torn away when Tweek sat next to him, causing Leslie to jump slightly and smile nervously. "Oh...hi."
Tweek folded his legs and set his lunch on them. "Hey." He was doing his best to be calm, given the circumstances and the fact that his heart was like a hummingbird now.
Leslie could never meet his eyes to Tweek's, which was something he noticed for a while. He always wanted to look at those eyes, because they were a lovely brown, like coffee. They looked away when Leslie realized Tweek was watching him.
"Do…" The boy paused in his sentence, "Do you know about Autism?"
Tweek quirked a brow, "Not, not really. I thought Stan had it for a while, but it wasn't really that. I guess I never met anyone who has it."
Leslie burst out into a sudden laugh that he forced himself to stop when he realized he did it, as if the humor of that statement was obvious. He smiled just slightly, glancing at Tweek. "Well, it's different for everyone, depending on what you have. I have a high form of autism. I really hate how they combined all the forms into one spectrum disorder, because Aspergers is like...it's so much different. Autism in itself, it's like… social interactions are your biggest problem, and we have like really focused interests and sometimes we have things that are considered OCD to some people. I mean, my uncle puts it in a way that I find funny, like 'I'm really smart but I'm shitty with people'." He finally relaxed then, sighing and leaning against the wall. "It feels good to actually tell someone."
Tweek watched him, "Why do you keep it a secret, though?"
The question made Leslie grimace, "I don't want to deal with Eric Cartman, ever, that's why. He's an asshole that loves to make fun of this kind of thing."
"Oh...yeah." Tweek understood his reasoning, especially since that one time. He looked down at his food, nodding. "Why did you tell me then?"
Leslie went back to staring at his sandwich, "Well, you're not an asshole for one...and...I guess I kinda trust you…" He said the last part like it was his biggest secret, blushing just slightly. "You're always nice to me, yanno? You were nice to me before Christmas, and everyone now is like...I'm suddenly popular, but it's because I can sing brilliantly. I don't know them and I realize that it's after the talent show that suddenly I'm being noticed, and you're still treating me the same. I really appreciate that, Tweek."
Tweek wondered if his heart was about to explode from all this sudden pressure, but despite feeling a tad light-headed he managed to smile wide, chancing a moment to hook his arm around the other's shoulders. "Thanks, dude."
Leslie let out a sigh then, suddenly leaning against Tweek and making the blonde tense up while his heart leapt from his chest and kicked him right in the gut. He endured it for the sake of the moment, because it was an innocent lean that meant nothing else.
"There-"
"FUCK!"
"CHRIST!"
Both boys jumped apart, Leslie rubbing his arm while Tweek accidentally smacked his head against the wall, their eyes moving towards the voice and seeing Clyde doubling over in laughter at the reaction.
"They're over here!" He said between cackles, wiping a tear from his face. "Good god Tweek, you screamed like you were caught doing something wrong."
Tweek visibly relaxed at the sight of Clyde, but it didn't take away his irritated glare as he instinctively shielded Leslie like a protective boyfriend, until he realized what exactly what he was doing and what Clyde was saying and going red over the implications. "God, Clyde, what the fuck!"
Leslie just watched, smiling slightly when Tweek's other friends, Token, Jimmy, and Craig, appeared. He chanced a shy wave, catching Craig's eyes suddenly and looking away nervously. "I guess…" He trailed off then.
"Nice hair." Craig's voice was monotone enough to make it sound sarcastic, enough that Leslie ducked into himself and covered his head with his hood. Tweek caught that and tried to stop him.
"He didn't mean it like that." Tweek said softly, "You don't have to hide it."
Token noticed the interaction between the two and smiled at that. He glanced over at Jimmy and nudged the other's arm, catching his attention. They exchanged looks and Jimmy pulled on his own smile. Clyde however, was an oblivious idiot.
"Craig has two modes, dude. Brutal honesty and blunt sarcasm." He grinned, "They just sound the same." He hooked his arm around Craig's shoulder but Craig shrugged it off, rolling his eyes.
"I was giving you a compliment, Choir Boy." Craig said then. "So why are you and Tweek back here? Making out or getting high?"
"CRAIG!" Tweek shrieked. Leslie however, almost spit out the milk he sipped on and stared at the taller boy. Craig was the hardest to read out of everyone, and it bothered him.
Craig snorted at the reaction and made his way over to the two, sitting on the other side of Leslie and stealing the carrot sticks from his lunch. He could just feel Leslie boring a hole into his head with the stare the other was giving him and gave the other a cool grin. "Yes?"
"Those are mine." Leslie said, feeling somewhat irritated.
"Not anymore." Craig put the baggie in his hoodie pocket. "Consider it a fee for kidnapping Tweek." His ulterior motive for the carrot sticks involved his hamster but he wasn't going to admit it. He turned to look at Leslie again, studying the boy's features and finally moving to tug the other's hood down. "It's not really a natural green, someone fucked up on the bleach job did they?"
Tweek shot a stare at Craig, while Leslie opened his mouth to speak but shut it again, finding it hard to say something. He wanted to curl up in a ball and wither away, wondering why Craig was picking on him.
"His mom's a hairdresser." Tweek said for him, "Don't be a douche, Craig."
Craig could honestly see how bad Tweek's hands were shaking and only let out a chuckle. "Just assessing." He turned his attention back at Leslie, "My sister's planning to dye her hair something wild, just thinkin' that if he wants it a real color and not a shit job, I can send him her way so she can experiment with the color."
Jimmy looked back at Token, suddenly confused. Token clearly looked bothered, as he knew his friends dearly and right now he was becoming a witness to something he couldn't stop.
"Dude!" Clyde was suddenly at Craig's side, "Tricia's dying her hair? What color?"
Craig shrugged, "She's torn, something between blue and purple, Dad's against it but Mom's excited." He grinned, thinking. "It'd be cool if she could like, mix them together somehow and get hair that looks like space."
Leslie was listening, his eyes widening somewhat. "My mom can do that. Um...if...if you don't mind...your sister could come to my house, and ...well…" He smiled then, "Mom's really good, don't let my hair fool you. She just didn't have dye to cover the green…" He glanced at Tweek then, not really understanding why he was glaring at Craig.
Clyde looked interested, pulling out his phone suddenly and searching for what he was thinking about. He pulled up a picture of the hair dye combination and showed it to Leslie. "She can do that, right?"
Leslie nodded at the picture, "Pretty much. She loves to practice on my cousin's hair, and it's all pink right now, but kinda fades into red at the bottom. If I asked, she wouldn't charge you for it. She loves helping kids fight the power...or so I'm told."
Craig nodded and took his own phone out, shooting someone a text. "Where do you live?" He asked.
Leslie blinked, "Excuse me?"
"If I'm bringing Tricia over to your mom's then I need to know where you live." He deadpanned.
Token finally decided to step in, "Craig, isn't this a little presumptuous?"
Craig stood back up, shaking his head, "A full-blown hairdresser will charge us up the ass for what Tricia's wanting, what's wrong with using Choir Boy's mom for it?"
Leslie glared slightly at him, "I have a name, Tucker."
Craig rolled his eyes, "Fine, Nielsen. You do know your parents named you after the actor, right?"
Leslie fell quiet at that, staring at him fully now like Craig just unearthed the biggest secret in his life.
Tweek stood up when Leslie did, paying attention to how he was reacting.
"You're like...you're the first student to even notice that." Leslie looked amused, grinning slightly.
Craig quirked a brow, "How could anyone not notice that? The man was a legend in comedy."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Clyde asked, "Who's a legend?"
It was Leslie and Craig who looked at Clyde like he grew a second head. "Leslie Nielsen! You've never seen Airplane?"
"Naked Gun?"
"Dracula: Dead and Loving It?"
Jimmy started laughing, "Holy Mo-Moly! I never made the con-conn-conneee-connection! I love those movies!"
Clyde still looked confused, and Craig groaned, grabbing Clyde's phone and pulling up the actor's IMDB page and shoving it back to him. "Stop watching shitty teen pop movies, Donovan."
Clyde looked offended, "Stop mocking High School Musical!"
Tweek started to laugh, having long stopped glaring at Craig like he was planning something awful. He was actually thinking about his sister, and now everyone was picking on Clyde for his interest in Disney movies and Justin Bieber.
The only one who wasn't teasing was Token, who kept quiet. Craig wasn't easy to read, but to him, he could see where all this was going.
Leslie Nielsen's parents were two women that married when Colorado made it legal in 1994. Deborah and Izzy Neilson were the model parents, Izzy being South Park's most popular hairdresser while Deborah was a hardworking activist in her off time of being a child psychologist. She often worked with Sheila Broflovski when it came to serious issues that would befall South Park, and had a number of articles in Psychology Today. No one dared to attack the Nielsen family, lest they wanted a war with Deborah Nielsen Ph.D. Izzy, meanwhile, had an artistic hobby that required chainsaws, often in ice cutting competitions during the winter. She and Deborah were polar opposites in how they looked, with Izzy's tattoos and wild blue hair and Deborah's smart bookish librarian style.
Their house was close to Token's mansion, which was pretty grand in itself. The amazing part about Leslie's parents was that they were the total opposite of him. Leslie loved staying in the background while they loved to stand out and define themselves. Izzy was dead set on helping her wife with coaxing Leslie out of his shell, and they did it with the love and support that they showed for him when Izzy gave birth to him all those years ago.
Craig wondered why two progressive and serious parents would name their child after a famous comedic actor, but he didn't bring it up. Tricia, meanwhile, was getting impatient that her brother wouldn't leave the car, watching her big brother stare at the house and the wooden sculpture that stood in the front yard, half-finished and coated in sawdust.
"Awesome." Clyde said from the back, clamoring out of the car because he insisted on getting a ride and wouldn't shut up about the two hot lesbian milfs that lived next to their lucky rich best friend. Craig wanted to just kick him out of the car, because this wasn't about him. This was about his sister finally sticking it to the man (his father) and breaking into the world of being a punk bitch.
Leslie was already inside the house, if his timing was right, and probably telling her mother about Craig Tucker and his sister. Craig had stopped by Walmart before making his way over, insisting on buying a box of hair dye so he could annoy Tweek's new friend into taking the plunge. He found it cute that Tweek had a new friend, and for some reason just teasing the little shit made his day a little better.
"I'm leaving you." Tricia finally said, getting out of the car and going without him.
Clyde was already at the front door, having rung the doorbell and hopping in place. He wondered which hot mom he'd meet first, and also wondered if he'd see them kiss sometime today. He had a one-track mind, the pervert.
It was the seemingly petite Latina woman with blue hair that answered the door, her warm brown eyes brightening at the sight of her son's new friends. "You must be Tricia!" She shoved Clyde away to get to the girl, running her hands across the long red hair. "Oh this will be a challenge, taming fiery locks into something cool and amazing. I do hope your scalp isn't too sensitive."
"Mom can you just wait until they get inside?" Leslie was at the door, looking embarrassed already. He chanced a wave when Tricia laughed, trailing his eyes over to the car and waving again at Craig.
"Hunniebee, this is a special occasion. You've finally brought home friends!" Izzy darted over to her son and strangled him in a tight hug, one that had Clyde laughing.
"Hunniebee?"
Izzy stopped strangling her son with love for a second to shoot a deadly glare at Clyde, "Do you have a problem with that young man?"
Clyde's reaction made Craig snort in amusement, finally deciding to escape the car. "I think it's adorable." He said it loud enough for Leslie to hear, "Mrs. Nielsen." He held out his hand towards the parent.
"I like this one better." Izzy grinned and shook Craig's hand, pulling him into a sudden hug. "Ah, so cute!" She reached up to pinch his cheeks, throwing Tricia into fits of giggles while Leslie felt like shriveling up and dying right there. Craig endured it with the power of one-hundred stone statues, managing to give Izzy a smile before the blue haired wonder darted away to ready her workstation. According to Leslie, she only worked twice a week at the actual salon downtown.
"W-where's Tweek?" Leslie asked meekly, stepping back from Craig just in case.
"He works after school." The other shrugged, "If you're lucky they'll give him a reprieve."
Leslie nodded, showing the three of them inside.
The house was eclectic. It had just about anything, for any taste, knick-knacks and furniture that wasn't store-bought but made by hand and collected over the years. Izzy Nielsen didn't believe in store-bought, she believed in making everything for yourself if you have the means to do so. The only thing that stood out was the flat screen television on the wall and a leather lay-z-boy chair that looked worn in. Clyde sat in the couch that was made from an actual tree, which started out as a bench, but somehow came out with cushions. "Holy shit dude, this is legit."
About everything had a warped feel to it, nothing was straight and to the point, all the items had angles and curves carved into them that delved away from the norm. Even the colors of the house looked different, the living room being a sandy clay while the dining room looked bright turquoise.
"This is cool. Why can't our house be this cool?" Tricia ran her hand over the lacquered wood, "Why can't our parents be this cool?"
"If mom ever turns into a lesbian maybe she will be this cool." Craig said snarkily.
Leslie rolled his eyes.
"Where's your other mom?" Tricia questioned.
The green-haired boy looked up at the warped clock on the mantle, "Debbie's due to be here any time now."
"You call your mom Debbie?" Clyde asked, staring at him in disbelief.
He shrugged as if it was normal. "Izzy says it's okay if we go on a first-name basis since it gets confusing if I just call them both mom."
"Cool." Tricia grinned. "Hey Craig, you should start calling Dad Thomas."
"Yeah, if I want my ass kicked," Craig replied blandly.
The conversation came to a grinding halt when the door was kicked open, a woman overwhelmed with grocery bags stumbling in, "Leslie!" She called, "Iz, honey?"
Leslie was at her side in a split second, rescuing his other mother and grabbing a couple of bags. "You don't have to grab them all!"
"I don't want to go back out a second time, sweetie." She answered kindly, finally looking over and spotting the other teens. "Izzy, did we adopt some children while I was shopping?"
"They're our baby's friends, Debs." Izzy said from the hallway.
The dark-haired woman looked shocked at that, smiling brightly. "Oh, our little boy has friends. This is quite a step forward! I believe this calls for a small celebration dinner."
"Mom!" Leslie whined from the kitchen.
"Shush, now what can we do for dinner?"
"Already planned it, hun." Izzy called out, "Stone oven pizza, they can help you make it."
The woman smiled at that, carrying the rest of the groceries in the kitchen.
Clyde looked amazed, "God in heaven please grant me this wish and have them make out sometime today-OW!"
Craig removed his foot from Clyde's, "Grow up."
Tricia was grinning from ear to ear, "My hair's gonna get so awesome."
Craig snorted in amusement, "Tell Dad that a lesbian did your hair, he'll flip."
Leslie came back out with a platter in his hands, holding a few bowls of chips and cans of soda. "Debbie's already cutting up pizza ingredients...uh...I guess you're welcomed to stay?" He looked slightly flushed at how enthusiastic his parents were being.
"Hey, we can swing by and pick up Tweek and Jimmy later." Clyde grinned, "Token's just a short walk."
Craig made a noncommittal grunt. It was weird being the only freshman in high school that could drive, mostly because he was held back a year when he was in early grade school. He picked up a chip and thought about his friend's suggestion while Izzy intercepted Tricia and took her back to her studio. He finally tore himself away from snacking and headed in the direction that Leslie's mother went off to, removing the crumpled up box from his pocket and setting it onto a nearby table. The scent of bleach was fresh and prickled his nose, and Tricia was sitting on a professional salon chair while Izzy was setting up. The entire room looked like a personal salon, complete with a hair dryer in the corner and sinks to the side.
"Come to see the magic?" The woman asked Craig.
"I'm here to add more of that magic." He said, picking up the box, "I heard you didn't have the color green."
She set the bleach down, listening as she prepped Tricia's hair, "You want your sister's hair green?"
"Ew, fuck no!" Tricia groaned, "He bought it for that boy he likes."
She quirked a brow, glancing at Craig and seeing him shrug. He didn't confirm or deny his sister's statement.
"Thought Choir Boy might enjoy actual green in his hair." He said it so calmly, his voice dripping in a monotone.
Izzy smiled at that, "I'll run it by him." She said then, "Now shoo, it's going to get messy."
Craig didn't have to be told twice, leaving the room quickly before the bleach made him tear up.
Leslie's room was upstairs, down the hall. Craig didn't really expect to see anything awe-inspiring inside that room, until he saw the ceiling and how it was painted. It was definitely painted by someone, the base a deep blue to mimic the night sky with white speckles that were positioned meticulously to represent the stars. He could make out little plastic glow stars sitting above all the painted on constellations, and he stood there for at least five minutes looking over the artwork.
"Dude, that's fucking awesome," Clyde said it when Craig's words fell short. Leslie smiled nervously and moved towards his bed, sitting down.
"Izzy painted it, it's the exact placement of the night sky the day I was born." He said softly, "Debbie got the charts for it and she went off of that."
Craig opened his mouth to say something, but he really couldn't think of anything. He shut it again, finally tearing his eyes away and assessing the rest of the room. The stereo system was a given, as he heard about Leslie's singing from Tweek. There were CDs everywhere, an iPod plugged into the system, song sheets and books, but none of it caught his attention until he saw the small area in the corner, the bookshelf with little figurines on it. It wasn't any normal figurines, but small aliens, Area 51 trinkets, a stuffed spaceship below it.
"Do you like space?" Craig asked, his interest perked.
Leslie glanced at the collection, laughing nervously. "I...it's silly."
"What do you mean?" Clyde stepped up to the shelf, "Aliens? Dude, you saw the movies, aliens are fucking awesome."
Leslie still looked embarrassed, "Well, I… kinda believe in that stuff…" He mumbled it out, and only Craig could hear him. Craig snorted in amusement at that, catching Leslie's attention.
"They're out there." Craig said offhandedly, glancing away, "Aliens. Fuck anyone who doesn't believe that." He looked back over and saw that Leslie was smiling, and Craig looked back up at the ceiling. A part of him felt uplifted at the fact that he was there to find one of Leslie Nielsen's secrets, and the other part held some sort of satisfaction that Tweek wasn't there to share it.
He didn't hear Clyde start talking, deciding to step outside and rethink what he learned. Never did he once consider himself gay, or straight, or anything else. He just liked what he liked. He liked hamsters, he liked space, he liked teasing the boy with the stupid green hair because it was adorable when he was flustered. Now he liked knowing that Tweek wasn't around, and he didn't like how Clyde had to tag along.
Craig was well aware of everything he liked and didn't like, and it didn't take him long to come to terms that he liked Leslie Nielsen. If it meant he could tease him a lot more, he'd be happy.
Tricia's hair came out as Craig expected it would, and the greatest part of it all was that he didn't have to pay a dime for it. Professional Quality at the McCormick price, he thought. Begrudgingly, Clyde texted the rest of their friends and sent their oldest on a quick trip to pick them up, but not without goading Leslie into getting his hair dyed properly.
Deborah had changed out of her power suit and heels and wore simple overalls and flip flops, helping Tricia decorate her half of the pizza while Clyde was almost covering his side with jalapenos and cheese.
"I hope you get indigestion, dude," Token said in disgust from the sight, but Clyde only grinned.
"It's worth it, man."
Token shook his head, sharing a pizza with Jimmy while they stuck to more traditional toppings.
Tweek was satisfied with his own pizza, which was all the five kinds of cheese that Debbie shaved out. He was still quite amazed by the house, the giant kitchen that held two ovens, a stone oven, a microwave over the stove and the touch-screen refrigerator, garbage disposal and dishwasher. This was like one of the kitchens his own mother would die for, especially the fancy five-star deluxe coffee station that was on his dad's Christmas list.
Craig could hear Izzy and Leslie in the other room, and from the noise of a razor it sounded like he was getting more than his hair dyed. He wanted to go in and watch, but Izzy barred everyone from the studio.
"I can't believe I look so cool." Tricia kept touching her hair, jumping in place. "Karen is going to be so jelly." She paused suddenly, scrambling for her phone, "She always wanted rainbow hair! Leslie, would your mom give my friend rainbow hair?"
Craig scoffed, "Karen McCormick with rainbow hair."
Debbie couldn't help but laugh, "Oh, well if it's okay with her parents, I'm sure Izzy could do it. It's amazing to watch children express themselves in harmless ways."
"Karen's my best friend, and she doesn't get a lot so it would make her year if she could do this." She grinned when her phone rang, putting it up to her ear and suddenly shoving it away because Karen was screaming on the other end.
" I wanna be Rainbow Dash !" The girl's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
" Karen! What's wrong? " Kenny's voice was suddenly there.
" I'm gonna be Rainbow Dash, Kenny! " You could practically hear her jumping.
Debbie stepped over to Tricia and asked for the phone, putting it on speakerphone. "This is Deborah Nielsen, my wife's the owner of Blue Phoenix Hair Salon."
" Ohmygod, I know that place! It's always booked months in advance! Ohmygod Mrs. Nielsen! Are you serious about this? " Karen was bleeding excitement, and Kenny was laughing a bit in the background.
Debbie smiled, "My son is friend's with Craig Tucker, and I believe Tricia told me about her best friend. Karen, Izzy will be delighted to do this if you get your parent's permission first. We don't need both of them, just one."
The phone shifted and the door opened, and suddenly it was Kenny on the phone, " Hey, this is Karen's big brother, can you hand me over to Clyde? "
Debbie quirked a brow, turning over to Clyde and extending the phone out to him. "Karen's brother wishes to speak with you."
Clyde took the phone, "Hey Ken."
" Dude, tell me they're hot. Be honest man. "
Clyde glanced at Debbie and smiled, turning around and cupping his hand to the speaker, "You have no idea Ken, get your ass down here."
" Mommy said yes! I'm gonna be Rainbow Dash! " Karen's voice assaulted the quick silence and Kenny yelped like he was being found out.
Clyde laughed, hanging up the phone and handing it back to Tricia. "Sounds like Craig's picking up half the McCormick family."
Craig couldn't be any more irritated, "Great."
"What's going on?" Izzy came into the kitchen just as a Leslie ran down the hallway, his hood all the way up and covering his head. He sped up the stairs and quickly shut the door, making Tweek wince.
"Christ-is he alright?" Tweek asked, twitching again when the upstairs stereo began blasting.
Izzy smiled reassuringly, "He's alright, I cut his hair after dying it and he's trying to adjust." She stepped over to Debbie and hooked her arms around her wife's waist. "So what's this about more visitors?"
Debbie chuckled, "Tricia has a best friend who wants to be Rainbow Dash." She looked amused at the girl's enthusiasm. "Are you up for it?"
"Good Lord, space and rainbow hair in one day!" Izzy laughed and kissed her wife quickly, which made Craig step on Clyde's foot again, because the boy was a bag of hormones waiting to burst.
"HEY-Quit it!" Clyde shoved Craig away, wincing at how sore his foot was. "Go get Kenny and stop ruining this for me!"
Token threw a pepperoni stick at Clyde. "Get your head out of your pants, dude."
Izzy caught the exchange and straightened up, eyeing Clyde with suspicion. "Am I going to have to beat someone?"
"D-d-don't do it, ma'am." Jimmy sighed, "He-he-he-he'll enjoy it."
Debbie used that moment to step back, slowly leaving the kitchen to disappear into the depths of the house.
The two girls were the envy of South Park Elementary once they stepped inside, Karen was the happiest she's ever been and plowing everyone with the literal sunshine that emanated from her smile, and Tricia thought she looked badass and ready to fuck with authority.
Kenny was amazed at how the night went, though he never got to thank Leslie for his sister's overflowing happiness. The boy had refused to show himself for the whole night, texting Tweek during the get together that he'd see him the next day.
Tweek was a ball of nerves all night, mostly because it was Craig that pushed Leslie into making the drastic change. He wasn't ready for it, because any type of small change was the biggest form of pressure and Tweek could relate to Leslie's nervousness. He didn't like the fact that Craig was the one who goaded Leslie into it, mostly for the fact that Craig didn't know Leslie like he did. He's the one who had been watching the boy for over ten years, and Craig didn't know jack shit.
Christ. He sounded like a stalker, the way he was obsessing over the boy he'd come to think about constantly was unnerving. He even studied up on Autism when he got home, reading everything about what Leslie had. Everything he heard fit the boy he knew, every little odd eccentricity that he could see more than anyone else.
Just to force someone to make such a change in their life when they were so afraid of the outcome, it sounded almost cruel. Why would Craig do that? His anxiety rose the more he wondered why. Craig didn't care about people he didn't know, he wasn't one to open up like that. Unless there was something that caught the other boy's attention and Tweek didn't want to think about that. Craig didn't like like people. For fuck's sake, he pretended to love Tweek until Tweek had the balls to man up and call an end to it. If anything, Craig was the world's best liar.
Craig didn't know Leslie until the day behind the auditorium, or at least, the day of the Christmas Talent Show that introduced Leslie and his wonderful voice to the entire school. He couldn't imagine Craig becoming interested in someone he barely knew…
The conspiracies were piling into his mind. Was Craig going after Leslie to get back at him for breaking up with Craig? Maybe Craig was a closet sadist who got off on tormenting boys that were riddled with anxiety. Or could it be that, which he hoped not, that Leslie was one of those mythical Sirens that entrapped him and Craig into his song and was planning to eat them both?
He started to laugh hysterically, especially at the last one, because that was his imagination going wild on him. Having a crush on someone was far too much pressure, and realizing that his long-time friend was interested in him too made it even worse.
There was no fanfare when Leslie entered his first class almost fifteen minutes late, still wearing the hoodie from yesterday and looking almost like Kenny did back in fourth grade. Tweek had empathy for the boy, feeling anxious from Leslie's anxiety. He could hear a few students whispering and letting out snickers, which made the boy curl in on himself and try hard to ignore it. Tweek couldn't even give the boy his sympathy, sitting on the other side of the room and hoping Leslie would look his way and see him. Damn you Craig.
It was the same for every other class, it seemed. Though Tweek didn't know, he only shared three classes with the boy. Leslie never left the security of the hood, rushing down the halls to minimize chances of speaking with others so he could isolate himself in the next class he was in.
It was going so well, too, until Gym class.
Tweek could see Leslie sitting on the bleachers, avoiding looking at anyone, even him and Kenny. Craig was there too, with that unreadable look on his face as his eyes practically bored into the hood that the boy was hiding behind.
He didn't really think Craig would do something, but he did. Tweek almost had a basketball thrown in his face because he was watching them so intently, how Craig left his team and climbed the bleachers to stand in front of the hiding boy. Tweek didn't know what was said, but the reaction was sudden.
"Jesus-Craig!" Tweek shrieked when it happened, when Craig just ignored whatever Leslie said and pulled his hood down. Everyone who stopped to stare at Tweek was suddenly looking at what Tweek was screaming about.
Lime.
That was the color.
A shocking lime green that stood out like a beacon, beckoning attention to the frail looking boy with wide coffee eyes. It was a new cut, as well, not scraggly but wafted to the side, shaved in the right places that mimicked the punk attitude that his mother was looking for.
Tweek could feel his heart thudding against his chest, sending tremors to his body. Motherfucking Christ, he was in love. In love with a beautiful boy that sang like an angel.
Leslie found it hard to escape Craig Tucker after Gym class, the boy intercepting him before he could hide away at lunch so he could walk him with his friends, Craig's fucking arm hooked around Leslie's shoulders and looking like he just didn't expose Leslie's self-esteem to the entire school.
He got stares, he knew he would get stares. He also expected some laughs and embarrassing and crude remarks. What he didn't expect, were kids complimenting him and requesting selfies with the cute boy with green hair. The son of the town's most popular hairdresser of the Blue Phoenix Hair Salon. Leslie Nielsen wasn't ignored anymore, he was the center of attention.
To be honest, he didn't feel all too nervous about it, especially when there was Craig Tucker at his side, an imposing force all by himself, like a silent dare towards people like Eric Cartman to look sideways at his new friend.
He wasn't used to sitting with people at lunch, people who actually asked for his opinion and included him on conversations. He never had friends before, and it was entirely different than shying himself away in a corner and wishing to all that was holy that he could at least have one person to talk to.
He caught Tweek's eyes at the table and gave him a slight smile, chancing a small wave. Leslie knew that all of this started because of Tweek. Because Tweek believed in him, because Tweek got him to do something totally out of left field. When Tweek returned the smile and waved back, he felt the warm fuzzy feeling in his stomach, finally looking away and down at his lunch.
"Dude, mom's really amazed with Karen's hair." Kenny nudged Leslie's arm. "Are you sure she doesn't want anything for it? I mean-"
Leslie shook his head, "D-don't, Kenny. Worry about it, I mean. She doesn't really do it for the money. Mom doesn't mind doing this stuff for kids and teenagers." He thought about it carefully, "Um...just don't tell everyone, okay? She only works twice a week for a reason."
Kenny nodded, winking at him. "Got it, man."
"So…" Clyde spoke up, "Leslie, when are we coming over again?"
"No." Craig stopped him.
Clyde looked slightly offended, "What do you mean, no? It's a pretty cool house!"
"You're not going over there just to add to your spank bank," Craig said flatly.
Leslie groaned, "Clyde!"
"What?" He honestly didn't see the problem with it. "Leslie, you're a guy. You can't really say that even you can't see how hot they are-"
"Those are my parents!" Leslie all but shouted, "Gross, that's just fucking gross-" He stopped suddenly, "You're fucking banned from my house."
"I second that." Token chimed in.
"Clyde, you need to learn to keep it to yourself," Kenny whispered.
"I vote for McCormick to be banned as well," Craig said then, grinning. Kenny stared at Craig like he was a kicked puppy.
"I didn't even do anything!"
"Does the phrase 'Knocked Up and Milky' mean anything to you?" Token deadpanned.
Kenny groaned, "That was ONE time!"
"One time?" Token questioned, staring at him accusingly. "You're the reason the school was forced to get new firewalls!"
"I don't have wifi at my house, guys. What am I supposed to do?" Kenny argued.
"How about not asking Broflovski's little brother for a tutorial in bypassing computer security?" Token countered.
The argument continued, but ultimately Kenny joined Clyde in the banned list to Leslie's house. According to Leslie, Izzy had already banned the boy when she got wind of what a MILF meant, after a horrible google search that gave her far too much information.
Though, it was still nice, having friends. Even if two of them were complete perverts, Leslie felt normal for once. He felt like he didn't have all these problems that could only be taken care of by a strict regime of bedtime medications.
It seemed like it was going to go well, for once.
Until the breakdown.
Tweek had no idea what was going on. For an entire week, Leslie seemed to be adjusting well to his new place in school. On Friday, however, he missed all of first period, and Clyde mentioned that he was missing the second.
Third period was when the students began speaking in hushed voices, and how Cartman was missing from class. The word that was going around was that Leslie Nielsen freaked out on the fatass in the most awesome display of fury that not even Kyle Broflovski could muster, sending the kid to the nurse's office.
Tweek's heart almost stopped when he received the text, from Stan Marsh.
Dude, first floor bathroom quick.
He went pale, his hands shaking as he asked the teacher to get to the bathroom, practically running down the hall at breakneck speed and throwing open the bathroom door.
"St-Stan?" Tweek squeaked out. Stan was sitting in front of the farthest stall, his phone out while he listened to the erratic sobs from whoever was behind the stall.
"He won't leave," Stan said simply. "Fatass found him in here and started going off about his parents and Leslie just snapped, man." He stood up, hearing the agonizing cry of guilt. "Kyle managed to pull him away before Leslie could break his arm. It was fucking awesome and scary at the same time."
Tweek let out a strangled whimper, stepping over to the stall. "Oh man, he's been missing all morning."
Stan glanced back at the stall, "Yeah, well, he told me he wanted you. I gotta get to class, man. I hope shit gets better, okay?" He hesitated before leaving, as if he wasn't sure.
Tweek waited until Stan was fully gone before touching the stall door, it was locked. "Leslie?"
"I-I-I thought I could do it." He hiccuped. "I thought I could do all of this!" He groaned from behind the stall, and Tweek knelt down to see Leslie all curled up in the corner, his hood back up. "Everyone was so proud of me, Tweek! I felt like I had to-"
Tweek shook his head, "How long was this happening, dude? You looked so cool with it."
Leslie took a breath, whimpering. "I thought I was fine, yanno? Then people would talk to me, too many people, I mean it was so different. They discovered who my mom was and kept asking me about getting an appointment!" He covered his face with his hands, his cheeks were wet with tears. "All those girls are scary. All of them. I thought I could handle it, yanno? But it was getting too much. The pressure was too much, people are too much!"
Tweek knew he couldn't get in normally so he decided to crawl under the door, slipping into the stall and moving over to him and sitting next to the boy, petting his head and watching him relax into his lap. He smiled slightly, "What happened with Cartman?"
Leslie let out a hysterical laugh. "He found me hiding here and started talking about my parents. He kept calling them names, Tweek, and then started saying that I was a fag because my parents were carpet munching hippie liberals and I-Christ, Tweek. I couldn't stand any more of it, I just snapped and started wailing on him. Kyle and Stan had to pull me off of him…" He sniffled slightly, "I couldn't take it anymore."
Tweek closed his eyes, breathing. He suddenly felt like beating up Cartman himself, but that wouldn't help anything. "He's an asshole, Leslie…"
He curled up in Tweek's lap, "My moms were so proud of me too, and now I ruined everything! I'm so scared of letting them down, Tweek."
"Dude, don't." Tweek frowned, "Your parents won't love you any less because you can't handle people. They want you to be comfortable, not forcing yourself to change." He continued to pet his head, "No one's going to make you do anything you don't want to, I won't let them."
Leslie tensed slightly at that and idly gripped Tweek's pant leg. "T-thank you. Will Craig be mad if I go back to sitting by myself at lunch?"
Tweek furrowed his brows, "Huh?"
Leslie glanced up at him, "Craig. He's...he...I dunno…" Leslie dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone, bringing up his texts. "He links me to stuff, things about aliens. We sometimes talk about that at night, just our thoughts on silly little stories. I just think he'd be so disappointed if I just…"
Tweek grunted, "If Craig doesn't like it then he can fuck off." He knew he said it harshly, but he didn't care. "This isn't about making people happy, Leslie, it's about you. Stop thinking about making others happy and focus on yourself." He smiled then, "Real friends won't care about it."
The boy let out a small whine and sighed, just keeping his head on Tweek's lap. "You're a really good friend, Tweek."
He blushed slightly at that, glancing at the wall. "Yeah."
Tweek entered the lunchroom alone, knowing that there was a pair of eyes on him and enduring it until he got his food and sat down at the table. Everyone was talking about how Leslie beat the shit out of Cartman now, but no one could see the boy with the green hair in the room at all.
"Where's Nielsen?" Craig asked Tweek, staring at the other like he knew where the blonde had been the past hour.
Tweek gave him a weak glare, "He's not feeling well."
"Is Leslie okay?" Token questioned, "He wasn't in Biology this morning."
Tweek relaxed some, looking over at Token and smiling slightly. "He's fine, just wants some space for a while. Don't be worried if he doesn't sit with us for a few weeks, okay?"
Craig quickly got to his feet, and Clyde frowned. "Where are you going?" He asked, catching Tweek's attention. The blonde twitched, ready to yell at him.
"Smoke break." Craig said simply, refusing to look at Tweek at all.
Every fiber in Tweek's body told him to go after him, and he looked anxious, finally shoving himself from the table and following Craig quickly. "H-hey!" He was having a hard time keeping up with Craig, as the other boy had longer legs, "Craig!" Tweek finally caught his arm with his hand, "I know what you're doing!"
Craig looked bothered, "I'm not doing anything, just grabbing a quick smoke behind the auditorium."
Tweek's hold on his arm went firm. "No you're not, because you smoke behind the gym with everyone else. Didn't you hear what I said, he wants some space, Craig. The last thing Leslie needs is you shoving into his private spot and dragging him back out."
Craig rolled his eyes, "Yeah, like allowing him to shrink back into his shell is so healthy."
"Well ignoring his wishes and dragging him back out of his comfort zone isn't the right way to do things, Craig. Did you even learn anything when we fake-dated? I was so much worse back then, Craig, and Leslie is just like how I used to be!"
"That's why I know how to deal with this, Tweek." Craig argued, "You're acting like this is my first rodeo. Did I give you the space you needed during your biggest breakdowns and let yourself wallow in all those weird negative thoughts? No, I think I forced myself to stick next to you and helped you through it."
"Ngh, not everyone needs that, Craig. Not everyone needs to have their hand held. He told me himself he wanted to be left alone." Tweek's voice was getting louder.
"I'm sorry Tweek, but that doesn't sound like a good thing to do." Craig pulled himself from Tweek's grasp then and continued down the hall.
Tweek stepped forward, continuing to follow his friend, the tension between them tight like a wire around his throat and suddenly he could hear himself talk, almost shrieking, "Why can't you let me have this?"
Craig fully stopped before he reached the door, turning back to stare at him evenly, as if allowing Tweek to continue his thought. Tweek winced at Craig's stare, covering his mouth quickly and twitching slightly, catching up to Craig then so he didn't have to yell. "I know you like him." Tweek said nervously.
"Yeah, and?" Craig stuck his hands in his pockets, quirking a brow curiously. "What does that have to do with this?"
"NNG, It's everything, Craig!" Tweek was exploding, "You never even fucking noticed him until he went up in front of everyone to sing!" He cried out, "No one, no one noticed him but me, for almost ten years I'm the only one who saw him and I really thought that something was wrong with me because no one else even paid him any mind but me, to the point that I thought he was a hallucination! Leslie was like that figment of my imagination that somehow turned out to be really true, a cute and soft-spoken boy who had this wonderful angelic voice and never used it. I was the only one who noticed him, but now everyone is looking his way and YOU, you're suddenly interested in him and it's so unfair, Craig!" Tweek took a breath, shaking slightly from his nerves. "I really really like him, Craig. I think I've liked him when we were together and now things are just going so -nnh- wrong! Leslie is my secret, Craig, mine. Not yours!"
The explosion of emotion was something that only happened when Tweek reached his breaking point, and now that he said it, he wanted to suddenly take it all back because he suddenly felt exposed in his unabashed honesty. He shielded his eyes away from Craig, who wasn't even showing any fucking emotions towards everything Tweek said. Though, the longer Craig didn't say anything the more Tweek was losing it because the last thing he wanted to do was to ruin everything even further by being a stupid jealous idiot.
He didn't know he was holding his breath until he needed to breathe, coughing out slightly.
Finally Craig decided to speak, keeping his voice low.
"If you like him that much, then do something about it."
Tweek's head snapped up, "What?"
"I said do something about it, Tweek." He continued, glancing away from the blonde, "Because if you don't say anything to him I might have to just take him for myself. If you liked him for that long then you deserve a chance to tell him. Though, if you just stand there like a fucking dumbass whining about it then I won't feel bad about taking your place."
Tweek's eye twitched, staring at Craig shakily. Was his friend serious or fucking with him? Craig was literally giving him a chance to make his move, and at the same time threatening to act if he didn't. It was such a fucking Craig thing to do, Tweek thought suddenly. His mouth finally broke into a small grin and he nodded, pushing past his friend and darting out the building.
Craig let out a small chuckle at the situation, finally looking up and seeing Token's head peeking through the corner of the hall. "Really?" He questioned.
Token wasn't alone, stepping out with Jimmy at his side. "You're a good friend, Craig Tucker." Token said kindly.
Craig rolled his eyes and flipped off his friends in one fluid motion.
He was skipping his next class by doing this, but it didn't matter at the moment. Tweek hoped that Leslie was still there, and he was graced with the appearance of the neon green hair sitting against the back wall of the auditorium, earplugs in his ears as he listened to whatever song that was playing on his iPod. Tweek smiled nervously, stepping closer to the boy and waiting for Leslie to look his way before waving slightly. The boy jumped in his spot, fumbling for his earbuds and tugging them down, the music of Linkin Park buzzing out from the tiny speakers.
"Oh—um-hi-" Leslie smiled nervously, taking out his iPod and turning the music off. He bit his lip, eyeing the corner of the building and half-expecting to see the other four friends with Tweek but sighing in relief at the fact that the blonde was alone.
"Just me," Tweek said reassuringly, stepping closer to sit next to him. "I...I kinda didn't want to leave you alone."
Leslie didn't know what to say then, smiling slightly and shaking his head. "It—it's okay, since it's you." He said softly.
Tweek couldn't help blushing from the comment, avoiding Leslie's eyes quickly and looking down. "I...I used to be in your situation, you know? Being out under all those eyes, everyone looking at you and not knowing what they were thinking. It's really hard. It was hard. It was a lot of pressure, being under so much scrutiny." He frowned, "But—but it gets better, yanno? The paranoia starts to go away when you realize that your friends won't let anything bad happen to you. I guess, I just...I really want to..."
Leslie frowned, "Do you want to be that friend?"
Tweek shook his head, "Not just me. It's Clyde and Craig and Token and Jimmy, and Kenny sometimes, but it's...it's really better trying to overcome it all with friends than trying to go at it alone." He smiled slightly then, "Especially..." His hand twitched, tugging on the end of his shirt as he thought. "I...really wouldn't let anything bad happen to you, Leslie."
It was the boy's turn to blush lightly and turn his eyes away as quick as possible. "I...this whole thing is new, you know? Having fr-friends. I... I'm not sure if I can..."
Tweek was close enough to take Leslie's hand, and he thought about it hard, reaching out hesitantly and lacing his fingers through the other boy's fingers. "I know it will sound so cheesy and horribly cliche but I believe in you."
Leslie let out a small laugh, still unable to look at Tweek. "Yeah...yeah it does sound cheesy." He couldn't stop smiling though, "I kinda like those things though..."
Tweek felt Leslie squeeze his hand and scooted closer to the other, their shoulders nearly touching. "W...what..." He took a breath, his heart racing right now but if he didn't just put it out there then he'd lose his nerve. "What if I told you I liked you?" He said it quickly, shutting his eyes afterward and mentally preparing himself for the worst.
It didn't help that the silence between them felt like an eternity, and he could hear Leslie breathing, the pace quickening before the boy let out a sigh. Leslie ended up laughing nervously, and Tweek felt his insides churn.
"Me too?"
Tweek opened his eyes, gradually looking at the other blonde and feeling his heart backflip into his throat when he saw the boy smiling, almost beet red in his face, but still smiling. Leslie couldn't help but laugh despite the answer, feeling ten hundred times more awkward now than before.
Tweek began laughing with him, pulling Leslie closer into a hug and holding on tight. They sat there together for a moment hanging onto each other.
The laughter died down after a while and finally, Leslie started talking.
"Since when, though?"
Tweek bit his lip, leaning his chin on the other's shoulder. "Elementary school I think... when I was with Craig. It's like...one of the reasons I wanted to break up—I mean not like you're the reason we broke up, we never liked each other like that to begin with!"
Leslie let out a breath he was holding, "I...I think... fourth grade." He said it in a whisper, embarrassed. "I just remember feeling sad when you and Craig got together. You...well, you're the reason I began trying coffee." He couldn't help but laugh then, "Christ, that sounded creepy-"
"No-no it's not!" Tweek finally let go, laughing nervously and watching him. "I—I'm really flattered! Ohmygod that's why you are there so often!" He gaped then, giggling right after.
Leslie couldn't help but giggle with him, leaning over until their foreheads pressed together and sighing. "This is so weird..." He said when their giggles died down, "I feel like, really good right now."
Tweek smiled, "I do too. To be honest-" He paused then, looking down at their joined hands. "Craig told me to tell you...well, he kinda threatened me to tell you."
That earned Tweek another round of hysterical giggles from Leslie, the boy trying to keep them down but they ended up bubbling through his lips in pure amusement.
"Craig is...really neat," Leslie said honestly when the giggles died down. "So...what do we do now? I'm—I'm not...I don't know..."
Tweek squeezed Leslie's hand again, "We don't have to rush, I mean—kissing and boyfriends and things like that, we don't have to tell anyone, and we can take our time...only if you want to do all that, I mean."
Leslie smiled at that, leaning back slightly and pulling apart his hand from Tweek's to dig into his hoodie pocket and take out the iPod, offering him one half of the earbuds. Tweek accepted the half gladly and they returned to sit beside each other, holding their hands together before Clyde's voice made them both shriek and cling to each other.
"Class skipping party, I'm in!" Clyde grinned, ducking behind the wall to call someone else over.
Tweek went red in embarrassment, "Go away!" He almost shouted.
"No way, dude! It's our free period and I'm not wasting it in the fucking library." The brunette waited for Craig, the raven-haired boy stopping at the edge to take a good look at Tweek and Leslie, and grinning when Leslie broke into awkward giggles.
"And here we see the lovestruck twinks in their natural habitat," Craig spoke up in his best narrator voice.
"Christ Craig!" Tweek couldn't get any more red, "Fuck off!"
"Dude! Are you two together now?" Clyde asked then, sitting next to the other two.
"W-we don't know yet." Leslie finally spoke up.
"Well I hope so, man." Clyde stretched out, staring out at the football field. "You need to start now if you want to be a shoe-in for Prom King and Queen."
Tweek reached out to smack Clyde on the arm, "Dude!"
"I think in their case it's Prom Queens," Craig said then, moving to sit next to them.
"Craig!"
Leslie let out another laugh, tugging on Tweek and hugging him just slightly. "Are friends always this crass?"
"You have no idea." Tweek said in defeat, "Leslie, back out now while you still can."
"Nope." Craig shut him down, "You're stuck with us, Nielsen."
Leslie couldn't help but smile, not really thinking it was a bad thing.
Not anymore.
-END-