Five minutes before
"You bastard, Craig, you bastard!" Tweek cried as he shoved some of his belongings into a plastic bag. He grabbed three tops, a jumper, two pairs of skinny jeans and his laptop. He didn't need the charger, or most of his other stuff, he knew, they knew, he would come back soon.
Tweek stared at the cup of coffee in his hands, burning his pale flesh, and settled it down, not even wincing. His hazel eyes looked up, flitting around the room, to monitor the patrons. He straightened up, wiping his forehead with his apron, and set back to work, sweeping the floor pitifully.
One hour after
Craig set alight the joint between his fingers, slipping it through his parted lips, and intoxicated himself. He wouldn't forget, just ease the pain. He wouldn't go insane, just disappear from reality. Hurt didn't exist, tears never fell. The idea of them drifted away in the smoke.
"Honey, take a break." Tweek's hair fell into his eyes and he let it be, scooping the dirt up and tilting it into the bin. He set aside the broom and dustpan, casting his mother a glance. He looked down, and she left.
Three days before
"You know, Tweek, I'll never hurt you." Tweek turned to look at the raven whose arms wrapped around him. Tweek shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips.
"Stan, nothing can ever be painless." Pause. Stan laid a kiss on Tweek's forehead, and Tweek watched him go, a blurry vision guiding him to his own home.
Tweek's phone rang, and he didn't answer the call, not knowing who it was. He took the customer's order, turning to pour the beans in the coffee machine. He turned back, taking the money. He didn't accept the tip, taking it out of the jar, and placing it back on the counter.
Two hours before
"Oh god, fuck me - please." Tweek stared at the floor, solemn. He had a distaste for visual aids, all he needed was the audio. Stan's hand brushed against his shoulder, laying there. Tweek barely felt it, listening curiously to the sounds of intimacy in its rawest, dirtiest form. "Please, Craig, I need you." She wasn't the only one.
Tweek spooned the creamer onto the coffee, wiping a clean cloth around the edge. He carried the beverage over to the table, his fingers not encircling the handle. He let Kyle take the safe grip instead, nodding as Kyle smiled, thanking him.
Seven minutes before
"I trusted you!" Tweek pushed Craig away from him. His eyelashes brushed his cheekbones. "I trusted you."
"Maybe you shouldn't have." Craig slid a hand behind Tweek's neck, drawing him in to kiss. Tweek let him, allowing them one more moment of tranquillity, passion and safety. Just one more second, or maybe a few. They needed it, more than anything.
Kyle's expression became serious. "Stan's worried about you…you should give him a call." Tweek tilted his head, shaking it.
"Why? I can't take away his worry." Kyle didn't reply, sceptical orbs focused on Tweek. "I'm not anything he wants me to be." Tweek took a few steps back. "People like me, we don't adjust to change well."
Four days after
If Craig was in his right mind, he would have asked someone why Tweek never came back. The laundry would be cleared away, the apartment tidied, the drugs stashed away, and then he wouldn't need questions. He would find his answers in the foreign smell, only familiar to Craig, and sinful for that reason.
He would know that he was wrong. They were wrong. Tweek would not come back, and it was his force that pushed Tweek away.
Craig was never in his right mind.
"Stan doesn't mind, Tweek." Kyle snapped. "He will always try, for you." He pushed his drink away. "Why won't you let him?" Tweek gave Kyle back his change.
"He always will." Tweek mirrored. "Maybe he should always have."
One day before
Stan tightened his arms around Tweek's waist, not letting go. "Stan, I can't be with you." Tweek gasped, his shaking fingers smoothing down Stan's hair.
"I'll wait for you." Stan whispered out brokenly, and Tweek kneeled down on the floor in front of him.
"You can do anything in time, Stan, but you can't love another, not even after hundreds of years." He looked down. "When you meet your soulmate, you have to stay with them forever." His fingertips ghosted upon Stan's crimson cheek, then retreated.
Tweek went behind the counter again, studying Kyle as he left. He closed the shop, taking off his apron, and curling up on one of the couches, thoughtful.
"Hey." Tweek stood up, his eyes not moving from the figure. "You're not coming back, are you?" Tweek shook his head. Craig walked up to him, slipping his arms around Tweek's waist. His lips pressed against Tweek's, their eyes simultaneously closing. Tweek's hands slid to pull at his hair, and Craig pulled him closer.
"I'll just stay here with you then."