Tweek Tweak ran a hand through his spiked-up hair, taking in a deep, shuttering breath. He looked around the dressing room, taking in the small details of the items around him as he focused on calming himself. His free hand was balancing a fidget spinner on his fingertips, the soft whirl helping to steady him.
It was his first tour since making it big as a musician. He had been discovered at an open mike in his tiny hometown of South Park. It had been hard to leave, but the encouragement of one person had pushed him to go. Everything had passed in a blur to him, and it felt like years had passed, though it had only been a couple months.
Checking the clock, he stood up, cracking his knuckles. Scooping his guitar up from its stand, he picked at the strings, making sure for what must have been the hundredth time that night. It was perfect, and Tweek knew it, but he needed something to do with his hands.
Tonight was going to be special for a few reasons. The first was this was his first ever show. It would have been nice to have his number one fan with him, but his agent had refused, saying until he was bigger figure, it would crush his career before it began. They had since only had limited contact, Tweek's agent insisting the paparazzi would find out.
The second reason the night would be special, was the reveal of Tweek's new song. He had hinted at it vaguely for a few weeks, and his many fans were practically foaming at the mouth with excitement.
A light tap at the door brought him from his thoughts and he glanced over. "Come in."
The door opened a small amount and his agent stuck his head in. "It's time," he said. The teen nodded and followed him out of the room. People bustled around them as they made their way to the stage, some slowing or stopping all together to watch Tweek pass.
He definitely didn't have the look one usually associated with a famous young person. His hair was a wild shock of blonde on his head, his wide, blue eyes filled with nervousness. Small black gauges were in both of his ears, the right side having an additional two piercings in the cartilage. His shirt was a messily green flannel with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows, revealing the multitude of colored band-aids that decorated his arms and hands. Paired with simple dark jeans and black sneakers, there was something attractive about the simple look.
His agent had tried to clean him up; straighten his hair, fix his shirt, give him nicer clothing, but it was the one thing Tweek fought back for, and the agent had realized quickly he would not win.
They reached the side of the stage were Tweek would go on, pausing. The opening band was finishing their set, thanking the crowd for coming. Tweek gulped, his eyes scanning packed stadium. It was massive, holding over 30,000 people, and every seat was taken. The tour had sold out in record time, ever ticket claimed in a single hour. Tweek was easily the most popular musician, and many could not figure out the reason. He handed off his guitar to a stage worker, not needing it until later.
Soon, the band moved off as Tweek's backup went out to set up their instruments. A chant began, filling the air with cheers.
"Tweek! Tweek! Tweek!"
Taking a final, deep breath, Tweek forced a smile onto his face. He was doing this for his number one fan, not himself, and he was going to treat it as any other show. He knew somewhere, somehow, he was watching. All he had to do was relax and perform for him.
Stepping out from the curtain, the stadium erupted into a deafening screech. He waved at the sea of people, unable to see any of them thanks to the stage lights on him. Getting to the microphone at the front, he took it from the stand and spoke.
"Hello, everyone!" he greeted, the commotion lowering to a murmur. "Thank you all for coming out tonight. I'm honored that so many people came to show support." Applause and whistles rumbled through the area and Tweek paused to let them settle.
"As you know, tonight will be a special one. I have a new song for you all." In his mind, he knew it was a lie. It wasn't for everyone. It was just for him. "I have a number of songs for you all, so let's get started!"
Upbeat music issued from the instruments of the band behind him, and the crowd cheered at the familiar sound of his first major hit.
Two thousand miles away, in a tiny mountain town, Craig Tucker sat with his friends in his bedroom, the four gathered around his laptop on his desk. They watched the screen intently, the room silent aside from the cheering coming from the Bluetooth speaker in front of them. With help from Kyle, they had gotten into the security cameras at the stadium Tweek was performing at. Kyle had gushed over them for entirely too long for Craig's taste, but they had been glad to learn that the newest cameras included an audio feed.
Across the bottom of the screen, a banner scrolled to give information to the security watching the event (and indirectly, the small group).
Performer: Tweek Tweak, Age: 17, Security Level: Red - High Alert
Craig's mouth twitched up into a smile. The idea of his Tweek needing protection was laughable. When the teen himself walked out on stage, his heart lodged itself in his throat. It had been so long since they'd last seen each other...
Clyde patted his shoulder gently, hearing the muffled sniff. As the music filled the room, their moods brightened. Token, Clyde, and Jimmy got up, dancing around like idiots.
Craig didn't move, glued to the screen. His heart was filled with love for the musician, and the pride he felt for him brought the threat of tears to his eyes. He rubbed them quickly, refusing to cry. He was stronger than that, he wasn't going to be an emotional wreck.
The concert proceeded nicely, and Craig began to wonder what kind of song Tweek's newest would be. He loved every single one the other made, but found that the ones with meaning were his favorite. Knowing Tweek, and that the concert was only going to be an hour long for his section (seeing as he was still new and had a limited number of songs to perform), he figured the eighth song in would be the new one. Tweek liked when things split nicely. Wait, what song where they on now?
As he tried to count, the music suddenly slowed, and a stool was brought out along with Tweek's guitar. Craig motioned his friends over, pointing at the screen. It was time.
The three took their seats, watching Tweek settle onto the chair, strumming his guitar, the soothing sound echoing in the quieting stadium.
"Everyone," he spoke into the microphone, now back in its stand, "this song was written for someone very special and dear to me. I'd love to introduce you all one day, but for now, you'll have to settle on just hearing my feelings." They saw his head turn back and forth and Craig knew he was looking for him.
"I'm here, Tweek," he whispered. On the screen, Tweek's face softened and the smile that came to him was genuine. To Craig, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
The drum began a soft beat, and it was soon followed by a gentle melody from Tweek's guitar.
"I miss the sound of your voice... And I miss the rush of your skin... And I miss the still of the silence, as you breathe out, and I breath in. If I could walk on water, if I could tell you what's next... I'd make you believe... I'd make you forget..." His voice was sweet and soothing, filled with a deeper meaning that most people only thought they understood. But they didn't. Not the way Craig did.
"So come on, get higher, loosen my lips. Faith and desire and the swing of your hips... Just pull me down hard, and drown me in love."
Tears were returning to Craig's eyes, but this time, he was unable to keep them at bay. They spilled over his cheeks, and he pressed his hands hard against his mouth to keep from sobbing out loud.
He had missed his boyfriend so badly over the last few months. One day Tweek had been at his side, going through life with him, then suddenly, he was gone. Snatched away by the call of fame and fortune. He felt terrible to admit it, but he had been secretly terrified that once gone, Tweek would forget about South Park. His friends. Him.
"I miss the sound of your voice... Loudest thing in my head... And I ache to remember, all the violent, sweet, perfect words that you said..."
Through Craig's mind ran his last conversation with Tweek. It had been a week ago, one of the rare five minutes calls they were allowed to have. The first thing Tweek had said to him was, "Oh, God, Craig! I've missed your voice so much!" From there, the teen had dissolved into a blubbering mess. Craig had cooed to him, promising he was strong and capable of so much... telling him how proud he was of all he had accomplished.
"I'll be waiting for you with open arms when you get home," he promised. "Just focus on my voice when you're stressed. I'm always with you when you need me, babe. I love you." Tweek had answered in kind, then had to go. Craig that thought of that conversation every day since.
"I miss the pull of your heart... I taste the sparks on your tongue... I see angels and devils and God, when you come, on... Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on..."
Craig didn't think of himself as an emotional person, but damn him, when it came to Tweek, nothing was as it seemed. The other made him feel in a way he had never thought possible. Tweek had done exactly as he had said before they got together. Whatever had been hurting Craig, something so deep he hadn't even known was hurting, was fixed, all thanks to the wild eyed, crazy haired teen singing passionately to his loving audience.
Not for the first time, Craig was struck by how amazingly, unbelievably lucky he was to have him.
"So come on, get higher, loosen my lips. Faith and desire and the swing of your hips... Just pull me down hard, and drown me, drown me in love..." The band playing with him echoed the lines softly as Tweek strummed his guitar his nimble, well-practiced movements.
"It's all wrong... It's all wrong... It's so right... So come on, get higher... So come on and get higher... Cause everything works, love, everything works in your... arms..."
As the final note faded out, the stadium was quiet. In Craig's room, the only sound was the soft hum of the computer and Craig's stifled sobs. Suddenly, the audience were all on their feet, screaming and cheering as loudly as they could, the four in South Park doing much the same.
On the screen, Tweek stumbled backwards, having clearly not expected such a reaction. He put his hand up, waving in thanks to everyone, and for a split second, Craig met his eyes through the camera. In that moment, he knew that Tweek was aware he was watching.
The rest of the concert was as big of a success as the first half had been. Tweek existed the stage, accepting a bottle of water gratefully. He chugged it down, then tossed the empty plastic into a recycling bin as his agent hustled him back towards the dressing room.
"Can I call him now?" he asked, chewing on his lip. He needed to know what Craig though of the song. Had he liked it? Had he felt the emotion he'd put into it? His questions were answered shortly as his agent allowed him to place the call. He listened to his boyfriend, crying on the other end of the line.
"I love you, Tweek. I really, really fucking love you," Craig managed to say, and Tweek smiled.
"I love you, too, Craig. I'll be home soon. I want that hug the moment I get off the bus."
"You got it, honey."
The rest of the tour was just as successful as the first show, each crowded stadium reduced to awed silence and tears. He performed a total of twenty shows, traveling around the United States for a full month. He found he didn't really mind it, but had almost gotten into a fist fight with his agent, demanding more phone time with his boyfriend after a week. He won.
Speaking with Craig for an hour every night did wonders for his nerves, and the concerts only improved. By the time he was headed home, his newest song was top of all the music charts as the number one love song. Now was the time for the real test.
On the road home, Tweek knew they were being followed by paparazzi vans. He could see them out of the window, and he decided he didn't care. He had only one thing on his mind now. Honestly, the number of vans following the tour bus was his own fault.
He had been asked a question about his song, which he had titled "All For You". They had asked who 'you' was. He had cheekily told them they would find out when he returned to his hometown.
"The good news is," his agent said, scrolling through his Twitter feed, "is that you are the most liked musician right now. You're more popular than JB ever was, even when he wasn't a little prick. That means you have a lot of wiggle room. You can do just about anything you want, and the backlash from it will be so minimal that it won't matter."
Tweek rested his chin on his elbow, looking out the window. It wouldn't matter to him regardless. He wasn't going to hide who he was, and if someone had a problem with him, they were welcome to fuck right off.
The driver called back to them then, announcing they had only ten more minutes until they arrived at the Tweak house.
It was easily the longest, most torturous ten minutes of Tweek's entire life. His calm abandoned him, and he vibrated in place, his hands gripping tightly onto his shirt to keep from pulling on his hair. He paced back and forth for a few minutes, but found the action only build up his nervous energy. He chose to stand by the driver, staring hard at the horizon.
He didn't notice the paparazzi vans going around them, speeding into the town to set up for his arrival. He didn't care, only focused on one thing.
Where was Craig?
The tour bus rounded the corner, and Tweek felt all the air rush out of him. There he was. Waiting for him just as he had promised. Tears filled his eyes and he let out a soft laugh.
He had forgotten how tall his boyfriend was, and it was funny to see him towering over the adults. That was fine by him, it made it extremely easy to find him whenever he needed him. He knew his agent was talking to him, likely warning him to be careful, but Tweek registered none of his words.
The bus stopped. The door opened. Tweek bolted.
He smashed through the surge of paparazzi, bulldozing by them. They fell before him easily. He didn't stop running until he hit a familiar mass. Warm arms wrapped around him, and he could have cried. He felt a face press into his hair, and he nuzzled closer.
"Craig..." he murmured.
"Welcome home, Tweek," Craig whispered into his soft locks. They pulled back just enough to look at one another, then they leaned towards one another, and kissed.
The people surrounding them gasped and cameras began to flash all around them, but neither cared.
With ease, Craig scooped Tweek up, his arms locking under Tweek's thighs as the blonde wrapped his arms around Craig's neck, resting his head against his chest. He hadn't slept much on the tour, and now that he was back with Craig, his exhaustion was back with a vengeance. Craig entered the house, and without turning around or answering any of the questions thrown at him, he kicked the door shut.
After setting Tweek down just long enough to lock the door, he carried the already-sleeping teen up to his bedroom, laying him gently in bed. He pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, smiling lovingly down at him.
"I'm so proud of you, honey," he murmured.
The next day, Tweek's homecoming was the top story in just about every news outlet imaginable. The leading picture of every news site was a slightly different angle of the kiss the couple had shared upon being reunited.
As predicted, the number of people who were angry over Tweek being gay were such a small minority it had no effect on Tweek's overall career. The vast majority of fans were happy to have a face for the mysterious 'you' of Tweek's song, and as easily as they had fallen in love with Tweek, they fell for Craig.
His support and encouragement were clearly a huge help to the musician, and this only served to boost the love for the couple. A few weeks after returning home and getting the paparazzi banded from town, Tweek came downstairs to find his boyfriend talking with his mother. Craig spotted him and smiled, holding out an arm towards him, which Tweek gladly grabbed and pulled around himself, pressing into Craig's side.
"Look at this, babe," he said, holding up his phone for Tweek to see. "You've hit the point of fame that people have given you and I a name for our relationship."
Tweek blinked at the words in front of him, then snorted. "'Creek', huh?" he said thoughtfully. "Interesting."
"Plenty more where this came from," Craig chuckled. He swiped the screen and showed him another article. "See? The other name people are using is 'Twig'. I guess no one can agree, so people are getting into heated arguments over it. What a strange time to be alive."
Rolling his eyes, Tweek got up on his tip toes and pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's cheek. "We can deal with that later. I'm hungry now."
With another laugh, Craig nodded, and led the way into the kitchen. It seemed their lives were going to be different from then on, in ways that had never even occurred to him. He watched Tweek make himself toast, smiling as cinnamon and sugar went everywhere as Tweek's shaking hands dropped the container onto the counter, one thought running through his mind before he moved to help him clean up.
'Whatever happens now, I'll never stop loving him.'