Twitch
A South Park Love Story

Chapter One
MONDAY
Tweek

When Craig was nervous, he subtly pulled on his hat strings.

That was one thing Tweek Tweak had observed and noted about his best friend. He never told Craig about it, for fear he would overcome the twitch. And it comforted Tweek to know that other people had little ticks and such too.

When he was staring around the classroom, people thought Tweek was just being paranoid. And a lot of the time he was. But other times, he was watching people.

Today Tweek settled first on Eric Cartman. He knew what would happen soon enough, and he waited for it, because it was part of his routine and it calmed him to keep to the routine.

Kyle Broflovski, sitting beside Eric, leaned over and whispered in Stan Marsh's ear. They chuckled together for a minute before returning to silence. This triggered Eric's reflex, which was to begin tapping his foot impatiently against the floor. Eric didn't acknowledge his twitch, and nor did Tweek, instead focusing on Kyle.

It wasn't long before Kyle reached up absently and stroked a single finger along the brim of his hat. He originally did this to check his hair wasn't escaping, but even since he had his crew-cut he still had the reflex. It was like he was defective.

Like Tweek.

Stan Marsh next, and he was harder to work out. It had taken Tweek weeks to discover Stan's tick, but he had it now, and he waited with baited breath for the moment.

And there it was. Stan glanced at Kyle with a long-suffering sigh, and began tracing his finger over his own lips. Tweek had no idea why Stan did this, but it always happened after Stan looked at Kyle.

Always.

Kenny McCormick glared towards the front of the classroom unseeingly, obviously deep in thought. Without even thinking, he lifted his hands and tugged violently at the strings that tightened his hood, and it closed further around his eyes. Tweek waited for it again, counting. Twenty seconds passed before Kenny felt the need to tug the strings again. It would continue like this throughout the class, but Tweek did not continue to watch.

After himself and Craig, there was Clyde Donovan. Clyde had a problem with crossing his ankles, and drumming his fingers. In fact it was everytime Craig spared him a glance that he would shift position and twitch awkwardly, a little like Tweek did anyway. Craig had the opposite effect on Tweek that he did on Clyde.

Token was whispering to Bebe, and Tweek knew he was flirting by the way that every minute or so, Token would run his tongue daintily across his pearly white teeth. Bebe responded to every one by brushing her hair over her shoulder. It was pointless really, as everytime she did, it would just fall back to it's original place, and she would have to do it again a minute later.

And so it was that Tweek observed everyone's twitches and habits and defects. But by far the easiest, after himself of course, was Butters Stotch.

Butters sat behind Eric Cartman in relative silence, tapping his knuckles together and muttering to himself under his breath. Tweek grinned when Butters caught him staring, and gave a jerky wave. Butters' eyes lit up, and he waved back, before returning his eyes to Eric's back and muttering some more.

"Tweekers!" Came a yell beside him, and Tweek jumped off his chair, scrambling away from the sudden noise with a loud "GAH!".

When he looked up, it was to find the class staring at him, including Craig, eyebrow raised and an amused glint in his eye. His mouth, as always, remained lifeless. Tweek had never seen him smile.

"Geez, dude. You gay for Butters or something?" Cartman smirked. Tweek's eyes darted to Butters and saw the red seep across his cheeks. Butters was the most vulnerable person he knew, and he knew this comment would hurt him deeply. So he defended him the only way he could without making it worse.

"Fucktard!" He yelled at Craig. Craig's eyebrow shot up to join the other, and he looked seriously alarmed.

"Lovers tiff." Came a muffled comment from beneath Kenny's hood. He winked at Tweek afterwards, so Tweek grinned cheesily instead of flinging back an insult.

He clambered back into his seat, and eventually, the world went on around him, everyone going back to what they were originally doing. Except, he noticed, Butters, who was listening in on the conversation between himself and Craig.

"What was that about, Tweekers?" Craig asked.

"You startled me, is all." Tweek mumbled, getting a little embarrassed. "What did you want anyways?"

"Just asking if you wanted to stay over tonight?"

Tweek turned to look at Butters, who smiled shyly and nodded. Craig noticed this and frowned, but Tweek replied before he could comment.

"Love to." He grinned.

"Sweet..." Craig eyed Butters wearily, and Tweek and Butters shared a glance like two kids who got away with stealing cookies.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Craig dumped his backpack and coat by the door and kicked his shoes in the general direction of the alcove under the stairs. His parents were away for the week and his sister was at his grandma's house, so noone was around to give him the finger and tell him to 'pick his goddamn shit up'. Tweek didn't have any bags or a coat so he just stood there fiddling with his buttons. Craig growled at him and he quickly dropped his hands to his sides.

Tweek watched Craig in his natural habitat. In school, he kept on his coat and hat at all times, because it made him feel secure. But here he was, Tweek as his audence, flitting around in his loose black T-shirt. He eventually pulled off his hat and hung it on the banister.

"Come on." He motioned for Tweek to follow him up the stairs.

Craig's room was spacious and not all that messy. He pulled a blue poncho off the hook on the back of his door and slung it over himself.

"What do you want to do?" He asked Tweek, hands on hips.

Tweek shrugged. He looked about Craig's room for some form of entertainment. When he didn't answer, Craig sighed and pulled him down onto his bed.

They lay like that for a few minutes, Craig's arm cradling Tweek's head like a pillow. Tweek felt his heartbeat slow, being close to Craig. It always had this effect on him. In school, he couldn't walk the hallway without yelling or pleading for his life. But with Craig, all the twitch went right out of him, and he could lie calm like he was now.

"You want food?" Craig asked eventually, and Tweek nodded, realizing he was starving.

Craig led him back downstairs and Tweek sat obediently at the table whilst Craig pottered about the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards and bashing about pots and pans.

"You good for spagetti?" He grunted, and Tweek gave him the thumbs up. He responded by flipping him off, and Tweek dived at him and wrestled him to the floor. It was strange how Craig could laugh without smiling, but it made Tweek happy that he could at leased get some emotion out of the boy.

Craig rolled Tweek over unexpectedly so he was on top, and held Tweek's arms above his head by his wrists.

"Hmm, a Tweekers just for me." Craig murmured. "What should I do with him?"

Tweek knew what was coming, and braced himself, closing his eyes.

"Tickle!" Craig yelled, like a battlecry, and decended upon Tweek. Tweek squealed and wriggled and kicked at Craig until they were left in a giggling heap on the floor.

"I hate you, Craig." Tweek chuckled breathlessly.

"I know." Craig assured him, and Tweek couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw the slightest hint of an upward tilt to Craig's lips.

They ate their spagetti, with Craig's home-made sauce, and talked about nothing much.

"And what's up with Clyde recently anyways?" Tweek pointed his fork at Craig and squinted. "Always trying to make you laugh and shit?"

"Dude. isn't it obvious?" Craig raised an eyebrow. Tweek hated it when he did that, mostly because he could do it and Tweek couldn't, but also because it made him feel stupid. "The guy loves me."

Tweek froze. "What?"

"If I wanted to..." Craig hissed dramatically. "I could hit that."

A furious blush spread over Tweek's cheeks, but Craig seemed entirely unfazed.

"And do you want to?" Tweek stumbled a little over his words.

Craig shrugged. "Meh."

Tweek ate the rest of his meal in silence. Craig took their plates and washed up when they were done. He suggested they get it bed and chat before doing whatever, and Tweek followed him upstairs in silence.

Craig hung his poncho back on the door, took off his shirt and jeans, and pulled on some lounge pants. They were covered in some kind of animal, mice maybe, but Tweek was too distracted to take notice. Craig did not put on another shirt.

Tweek unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall where it would, pulled off his pants too. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, waiting for Craig to sigh and rifle through a drawer for what he knew Twek wanted.

"Here." He held out the T-shirt and Tweek took it, pulling it over his head. It fell just past his butt and left his skinny, milk-bottle white legs exposed.

"Fuck, dude, get in here. it's freezing." Craig advised, jumping into the bed and holding up the blankets to allow Tweek to follow. He did, still mute.

"What's up, Tweekers?"

"Why have you started calling me that?"

It was a random question and Tweek saw Craig hesitate.

"I don't know." He said eventually.

The boys didn't end up playing videogames that night. They lay in silence until they both fell asleep. All the while, Tweek couldn't help but think that-technically-Craig just came out of his poncho-stuffed closet.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TUESDAY

Tweek was awoken by Craig tugging lightly at his hair. He often did this, and it didn't hurt Tweek, because Craig was always gentle with him, but it got his attention effectively.

"We're going to be late, Tweekers." Craig teased. He set a mug of creamy coffee on the nightstand and wafted the scent Tweek's way. Tweek sat up straight with half-lidded eyes and grabbed the coffee with shaking hands.

As he sipped, Craig asked "SO what's with you and Butters being so overly-chummy all of a sudden?"

He said it non-chalantly, as if making conversation, but Tweek saw the raw emotion behind the question and wondered what it meant.

"Oh nothing." He answered coyly, taking another sip of his drink. It was made to perfection, just the way he liked it. Craig knew what he liked. He smiled appreciatively.

Craig's eyebrows knitted together and his frown became more pronounced, but he said nothing. Instead, he waited for Tweek to put down the mug, and pulled him up out of bed.

Craig was already dressed, chullo hat rammed haphazardly on his head, some raven hair still sticking out at one side. Tweek reached out and tucked it away, and Craig allowed him to, closing his eyes on contact.

Then he whipped off Tweek's long T-shirt and pulled his shirt back on, buttoning it for him and growling warningly when Tweek's fingers trembled.

Downstairs, Craig twitched the curtains back and surveyed the outside world.

"You need a coat." He decided, whipping around toward the closet and searching for something appropriate. Tweek fiddled with his hair, making it stick up even more.

"Here." Craig said, flourishing a black coat with toggles up the front. He pulled Tweek's arms in and did up each toggle, even though there was a zip also. Tweek watched him, facinated by his unwavering fingers.

When he was done, Craig stood and put on his shoes, and left the house, Tweek following close behind.

Craig's calming effect on Tweek wasn't much of a match for his morning twitches, and so every so often Craig would spare Tweek a glance, sigh, and kneel before him to fasten up the toggles on his coat, only to have Tweek undo them again a few minutes later. But never, no matter how many times it happened, did Craig raise his voice.

He was good to Tweek like that.

They reached the school and parted ways, as they had different homerooms.

It was when he was only a few paces away when Craig heard the familiar accent of Butters Stotch greeting Tweek with an overfriendly 'Good morning!'.

He turned to watch as Butters leaned foreward to whisper in Tweek's ear. Tweek nodded vigourously and they looked around shiftily before heading towards the back wall of the school, where nobody went.

Tweek began to jitter again with Craig nowhere in sight. Butters didn't seem to mind, probably because he had his own defects and understood how Tweek felt about them.

"Okay, you ready?" Tweek asked, looking around him nervously.

"S-s-sure!" Butters chirped.

Both took a deep breath. Then Tweek nodded, and Butters reached out to take his hands.

"Okay..." Butters breathed, as if trying to convince himself of something.

"I love you." He whispered.

"Louder." Tweek instructed.

"I love you." Butters said, clearly and confidently. And both boys leaned foreward and brushed their lips together. Tweek felt a jolt in Butters' body and smiled into the kiss.

Both boys were around the same height, both short, so the kiss was relatively easy to deploy. They did not make out, did not french. They simply placed their lips together and closed their eyes contentedly. However, despite ease of arrangement, the kiss seemed awkward. It was both this and cringeworthy, as when the kiss was over both boys pulled away and began to fiddle with various parts of their clothing.

"Tweek? Butters?" Came a voice from behind them.

"Gah!" Tweek gasped. "Please don't kill me!"

He whipped around to find Craig staring, wide eyed, at the two of them. He had already dropped Butters' hands when they broke apart, but now he pushed away from Butters completely.

"Ohnonono!" He spluttered, holding up his palms. "Craig-"

"Save it." Craig told him simply, and stormed away. Tweek, in shock, could not move his legs, and simply stood and watched his best friend march out of the gates.

"Fuck..." He whispered.

And, from behind him, "Oh, hamburgers.".