It was senior year for Tweek and Craig, and Tweek's fame was still growing. After his first tour, his life had been a whirlwind, but Craig's steady, calming presence had kept him grounded enough to function. The Tweak's had decided firmly that their son would graduate from South Park high and not tour during school. As such, his agent called frequently to see if Tweek had new songs to put out. It got to the point that Craig began answering the phone for his boyfriend, as Tweek would just scream into the receiver.
His studies took up most of his time, along with having to work at his parent's coffee shop. They didn't care that he was a famous musician making millions already; they needed an extra worker, and he was the best for the job. As such, the shop was always busy, people from all over the country flooding the small town to meet Tweek and have him make them coffee.
It was getting close to prom season, and Tweek was beginning to panic. He hadn't been able to write any songs in almost a month, and his agent was breathing down his neck for something, anything.
"Craig, he wants something for people to play at proms across the country. That's so much pressure!" he wailed one evening, curling up in his desk chair, legs tucked under his chin. His bandaged fingers pulled at his hair with one hand while the other was chewed on, Tweek glaring tiredly down at the page in front of him, covered in writing and crossed out words. His floor was littered with discarded ideas, his trashcan overflowing.
Craig sat behind him on his bed, watching him. When Tweek began to rip at his head, he got up and crossed the room, gently pulling his hands away wrapping his arms around him, locking Tweek's arms at his sides. "Don't hurt yourself," he said. "I know you're worried, but babe, people love you so much, they'll understand that you need time off to think and live your own life." He pressed a kiss to the top of his head and smiled when he was rewarded with a soft laugh.
"You're right, I'm allowed to look after myself. I'm not here just to pump out song after song. I have things I want to do," he agreed, sounding more cheerful than he had in weeks. He tilted his head back, planting a kiss of his own under Craig's chin. "Thanks, Craig."
Blushing, Craig stepped back. "Anyway," he said after clearing his throat. "I came over today because I wanted to ask you to go to prom with me."
Tweek turned his chair to look at his boyfriend, grinning at him. "I don't know if I should say yes to such a lackluster offer," he teased. "Aren't these usually big deals with all kinds of stuff going into it?"
Craig shrugged, returning the look. "Not my style. I figured you'd prefer a simple offer than something extravagant, but I'm always willing to make a big deal over you."
The other quickly shook his head. "Nah, you're right, I do prefer this," he said quickly. "Of course I'll go with you, thanks for asking me."
"Thanks for accepting my boring offer."
Tweek snorted, then stood up. He walked to Craig and pressed his face into his chest, sighing. "Anytime." Craig hugged him readily, enjoying the peaceful moment. This, of course, meant it was ruined quickly. Tweek's phone began to blare a warning siren, the ringtone he had assigned his agent. Tweek groaned, falling away from the other and pulling on his hair harshly.
Craig frowned, snatching the phone up and swiping to answer. "What do you want?" he snapped in annoyance.
"Oh, it's you. Put my client on," the haughty voice issued, immediately grating on Craig's nerves.
"Like fuck I will. Tell me what you want, and I'll tell him in a way that isn't manipulative and stress inducing," he growled.
"Craig, it's okay," Tweek cut in. He looked tired, taking the phone and putting it to his ear before speaking. "What do you want now? I told you I don't have anything." Craig stood close by, unable to hear what was being said between the pair, but wanting to stay close in case he was needed.
"I don't have time to do a concert," he hissed out suddenly. "Craig is taking me to prom. God, it's like you forget I'm a person with things I want to do myself!" His eyes were lit with fire, his exhaustion disappearing. Craig felt his heart warm as he watched, though he kept himself from smiling, knowing now was not the time.
He watched his boyfriend argue for a solid half hour, unable to tell if Tweek was winning or not. The heavy sigh he released didn't fill him with confidence, and he touched his shoulder lightly.
"What is it, babe?" he asked.
"... He booked a concert for the night of prom," Tweek murmured.
"What!? That's total bullshit, he can't do that!"
"Well, he did." Tweek's voice was hard, his mouth narrowing into a sliver. "And just to fuck me over, he let the school book me. So, I guess I can't go with you, I'm going to be the fucking entertainment."
Craig could hear the disappointment under the anger, and he allowed it to roll off him, knowing Tweek didn't meant to snap at him. He grabbed his boyfriend's hands, bringing them up to his lips. He kissed his fingertips and the band-aids decorating them tenderly. "Like Hell you aren't going with me," he said as Tweek's face flushed red. "You're going to enjoy your senior prom. Your agent can go suck a massive dick."
Tweek's face twitched as he held down a laugh, and he let out a breath, dropping his gaze to his feet. "If you say so, Craig."
The month leading up to prom was nothing less than chaos for the young couple. A flurry of crazed planning took up most of Tweek's mind, keeping him distracted. Two weeks before prom, Craig pulled him into his car and drove them to South Park mall.
"What are we doing here, Craig?" Tweek asked, gripping his hand as they entered the building, Craig clearly having a destination in mind.
"We need to get suits for prom," he answered easily. "I know you like to be more casual when you perform, but it's a formal event, so to be let in I have to wear something nicer than black jeans and a clean shirt." He paused long enough to shoot him a smile. "You don't have to get one if you don't want too, but you can help me pick one."
With a tired sigh, Tweek followed him. He was exhausted lately, his paranoia keeping him awake. The only sleep he was getting was the hour-long lunch period he had, escaping to the nurse's office and crashing there.
Entering the store, the pair where greeted brightly, the employees rushing to be attentive to their famous customer. He smiled weakly, collapsing into a chair beside the dressing room. He only half registered Craig pulling a few suits from the racks around him, pressing a kiss into his hair, and going into a changing room. When Craig stepped out, it was an entirely different story.
Tweek sat bolt upright in his seat, his eyes wide and locked onto his boyfriend. It occurred to him he had never seen Craig dress up for anything before, but goddamn if he didn't highly approve.
Craig turned in a circle, his arms held out at his sides. "What do you think, babe?" he asked. "Too much? Need more? I'm not much of a fashion person."
Cursing his mouth for failing him, Tweek gestured at him dumbly and nodded in approval. Craig had chosen a dark blue suit that seemed to have silver sparkles pressed into the threads. It was barely notable until Craig moved, then the light reflected from them, making him shine. A white undershirt covered his chest, and a tie matching the suit was clipped around his neck.
"Tweek? Are you alright?" he asked in concern, hugging him gently.
"Get this," Tweek managed to command. His mind was filling with music, and he needed to get home right away. He shuffled from foot to foot impatiently as Craig changed back and went to the counter to rent the suit.
The musician all but yanked Craig out of the mall and shoved him into the car. Craig's worry had waned, and he instead watched the other with deep fondness, recognizing the signs of a creative mood.
He hadn't seen Tweek have one in so long, it was an extremely welcome site. Putting the car into gear, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove them back. Arriving at the Tweak house, Tweek pecked his cheek, then leapt out, sprinting into the house and up to his room.
Bursting into the room, he threw himself at his desk, snatching a pen and clicking it open, scribbling frantically. He used pen to write his song ideas, finding pencil smeared to easily when he rushed, and he broke a much smaller number of pens compared to pencils.
His parents, used to their son's constant alertness, went to bed and slept soundly though his screeching and rushing around, banging around on the various instruments in his room as he brought the song in his head out to the world, stopping only to jot down the notes onto the music sheets.
In the early hours of the morning, Tweek collapsed on his bed, dead asleep. His newest song was stacked neatly in the one open spot on his messy desk, unreadable to just about everyone else in the world. His mother checked on him around seven, and seeing him resting, called him off from school for the day as well as sending Craig a text to let him know where the teen would be.
Craig smiled at the message that popped up on his phone, already in the school's parking lot. He'd known that Tweek was going to work until he finished whatever was on his mind, then collapse. It wasn't the first time he'd done this, and it wouldn't be the last either.
The remaining days to prom felt like someone had smashed the fast-forward button on Tweek's life, propelling him through the days as though they didn't exist. Lucky for him, Craig made sure to be around constantly, basically living in the Tweak house to help him prepare. The only thing Tweek had refused to be convinced to do was play the new song he had written for prom to Craig just yet.
"You'll understand why when we're there," he promised, yanking his fingers through his hair in a vain attempt to fix it. "Just be patient for a little while, I promise it will be worth it." Craig, who had asked for a sneak peek of the new song for the hundredth time, huffed and went into the bathroom to put on his suit.
Tweek felt incredibly guilty that Craig couldn't go out to dinner with his friends beforehand, since he had to go to the community center to set up and Craig insisted on going with him. Craig did everything he could think of to assure him that there was nothing to feel bad about, he wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Surprising him by showing up with takeout and his suit in a bag had helped. After eating, they showered and set about getting ready.
"Do I still look alright?" Craig asked, stepping out of the bathroom. Tweek's breath caught in his throat as the sight of Dressed Up Craig entered his vision. He nodded mutely in response, watching Craig use his fingers to comb through his hair and style it slightly. Gulping, he turned away and shook himself, knowing he needed to stay focused.
They left shortly after, Tweek feeling extremely under-dressed, which he was. He had donned the same outfit he had worn for his first tour appearance, being sure to even have the same earrings in. Tweek was a deep believer in good luck, and seeing as his concert had done so well, it made sense (at least to him), to think that wearing the same outfit would cause a similar reaction. He had made one important addition, however: a warm, blue, slightly-too-big jacket was draped around him, the sleeves going down to his fingertips.
Craig thought it was the absolute cutest thing he had ever seen in his life.
Getting to the center, parents were already crowding around the entrance, though most of the teens wouldn't arrive for another hour. This was fine by Tweek. The pair got their cheesy couple photo, Craig pulling him against him and smiling widely, managing to coax a nervous grin from his boyfriend.
Going into the building was like stepping into another world. The town had gone all out and donated massively to the high school that year; fairy lights were strung through the rafters and wrapped into designs that travelled up the walls. One side of the room had tables set up covered in white cloths, surrounded by fancy looking chairs. Center pieces sat on top of the pristine fabric, and Tweek couldn't for the life of him figure out what the twisty gold-looking thing was supposed to be, but it was pretty all the same.
Moveable tiles had been set in place over the wooden floor boards on the half of the room not covered in seatery. Strobe lights were set up around the dance floor, and an area for the band, and Tweek, had been created between the giant speakers. Behind one of the speakers was a small table that had an AUX cord and someone's phone for when Tweek and the helping band needed a break so the music wouldn't have to stop for long.
The far wall had a long table set up, covered in snacks and drinks for the teens when they needed to rest and recharge.
Tweek let out a sigh and walked towards the performing area. Settling himself on the provided stool as adults rushed around to put the finishing touches on everything, he watched Craig, who had taken the table closest to him. He smiled slightly, appreciating the gesture, and Craig waved at him. They spent the time making faces at each other and giggling. Occasionally, Tweek would have to turn away to check his microphone for the sound technician, but the pair was left undisturbed for the most part.
When students began to arrive outside, someone pressed play on the phone behind the speaker and a pop song started up. Tweek's performance would start after most of the students had arrived. Until then, he was allowed to get up and go to Craig. He did so gladly, running over to him.
Token, Clyde, Jimmy, Timmy, and Jason arrived first. Token and Clyde had come together, Token in a purple suit and red shirt, while Clyde was the opposite. Though neither Craig or Tweek were big on fashion, seeing Clyde's outfit physically hurt them, Craig covering his eyes as Tweek pulled the hood of the jacket up to hide his face.
Clyde just laughed, enjoying their torment. Jimmy was in a yellow suit, something none of them had thought he would be able to pull off, but he did extremely well. Timmy had chosen light blue, and Jason had gone traditional with black. The three hadn't asked anyone to go, knowing they would find someone to dance with who had come in a group like they had. If all else failed, they had no qualms just getting groovy with each other.
As students began to pour in, Tweek was called for. Craig kissed his forehead lightly, promising to hang out close to him while he performed. "This is technically the first time I've seen you play live," he teased. "I'll be watching you the whole time, so don't worry too much."
Tweek smiled, bid his friends goodbye, then returned to the band. The music turned off, and the band started to play, exciting the students. Many were big fans of Tweek's music and were excited to hear him singing live.
Putting on his performing face, he smiled brightly, welcoming them all to prom before launching into a popular dance song. While he performed, Tweek kept an eye on the time. He wanted to end the dance with his new song for two reasons: one, it was a pretty easy song as far as the strain it put on his vocal cords, relaxing in a way, and a good wind up to end a long show, and two, he fully intended to embarrass Craig but didn't want to make it impossible for him to escape. He wasn't going to be that mean.
The dance was two hours long, and Tweek only took two breaks, and this only so the band could have a moment to rest. He himself was buzzing with energy, looking forward to Craig's reaction.
Finally, it was nearing the end, and Tweek took the microphone from its hold and stood up, getting everyone's attention.
"Thank you all for coming to this year's prom, guys," he started, pausing a moment while he was applauded. "Now, I know I haven't released any new songs in a while, but I have something special for you tonight. I would like to perform the new song I wrote, if you'd all be willing to hear it."
The room filled with excited chatter and the students agreed eagerly. Tweek smiled, then glanced towards Craig. "Craig, could you come up here, please?"
Craig looked around in confusion as everyone went silent, but he stood and walked to his boyfriend's side, allowing Tweek to lead him back to the stool he had been sitting on all night. Tweek had pulled it out from its spot to the side and put in the center of the dance floor. Once Craig was seated, he grinned and kissed his cheek, eliciting squeals from some of the girls.
"I've had a hard time being inspired lately," he said, "but Craig helped me out, like he always does. So, Craig, this song is for you. I've decided to call it, 'Thank You For Existing'." Craig's cheeks turned red, but he smiled and nodded. Taking a step back, Tweek took a breath, then began.
"I got these fresh eyes, never seen you before like this..." He looked Craig up and down quickly, his eyes softening with affection. "My God, you're beautiful."
Craig's eyes widened as his blush darkened. Tweek showed his love through actions more than he did words, and it was always a welcome surprise to be told something sweet.
"It's like the first time, when we opened the door before we, got used to usual..."
Was... was Tweek talking about when they first got together? It had been an awkward shift in their dynamic from friends to lovers, but it had been a good awkward, if that even existed. The excitement of seeing one another for the first time every day hadn't gone away, it had only grown into a routine. Craig's mind raced as it pushed pieces into place, finding the deeper meaning in his boyfriend's songs as he tended to do.
"It might seem superficial, mhmm... Stereotypical man... You dress up just a little and I'm like, 'Oh, damn'." Tweek winked at him, derailing Craig's attempts to reason through the words. It was almost ridiculous how easily Tweek was able to turn him into putty.
"So, suddenly, I'm in love with a stranger... I can't believe he's mine... Now all I see, is you, with fresh eyes, fresh eyes..."
As he repeated the line, the attendees began to clap in time to the beat, getting into the music.
"Appreciation... Well, it comes and it goes," Tweek continued, giving a small shrug before moving behind his boyfriend and putting his arm around him. "But I, I'll ride that wave with you. It's human nature, to miss what's under your nose 'til you, 'til you remind a fool..." He pressed a quick kiss to Craig's jaw, then spun away as the drum picked up.
"Maybe all of this is simple... mhmm, my heart's unconditional, yeah..." He turned back to face Craig, pointing him. "You dress up just a little and I'm like, 'Oh, damn'."
His face felt like it was on fire, and Craig put his hands over his cheeks in a vain attempt to hide his embarrassment. If it had been anyone else, he could have flipped them off and stormed out, but... he couldn't do that to Tweek. For sure he would need to get him back for this later though.
"If I could bottle this up, bottle, bottle this up, I would... I would bottle this up, bottle, bottle this up, I would..." Making his way back to him, Tweek leaned close to Craig's face. "'Cause you're gorgeous, in this moment... If I could bottle this up, I would..."
Craig threw out an arm, wrapping it around Tweek's waste to keep him from leaving and holding him close. Even sitting, abet on a high stool, Craig was a good head taller than Tweek, not that it was stopping the singer from flustering the fuck out of him.
"So, suddenly, I'm in love with a stranger... I can't believe he's mine, yeah... And now all I see, is you, with fresh eyes, fresh eyes... Oooh... Oooh... Oooh..." Tweek let the microphone drop to the ground, throwing his arms around Craig's neck as he stood on his tiptoes, smashing their lips together.
The crowd, already cheering from the song, lost their minds, screaming and whistling in approval.
Craig stood up, scooping Tweek into his arms, carrying him like a princess towards the doors of the community center. "If you were anyone else, I would be so mad," he murmured softly. "But I seem to be unable to get mad at you, babe."
Tweek grinned and snuggled closer to him. "I'm pretty lucky then, huh?"
"The luckiest."
The next day, Tweek called his agent, a first for him. He had never been the one to initiate contact before. The man on the other end of the line was surprised to get the call.
"I wrote a song and showed it at prom," Tweek informed him. "It's entirely possible someone recorded it and put it online. If they did, I don't care, so don't you dare try to get it taken down or anything. I'm emailing you the file, give it to whoever it is you give it to for this stuff. If you were going to ask, I did have fun, and the post prom was the best part. Bye now." He hung up without waiting for him to say a word. He was still a bit salty over having to work on prom night, but it hadn't been as bad as he had thought it would be. Though to be fair, that was entirely thanks to Craig.
After leaving the dance, they had returned to Tweek's home and both had changed into sweatpants and t-shirts, though Tweek kept Craig's jacket. They had then joined their friends at the mall, where post prom was being held. It had been a lot of fun, and Tweek received many compliments on what everyone was sure was going to be the new top of the charts hit.
"It's a fuckin' bop," Clyde told him as the group lounged in the food court. They had chosen to sit by the wall rather than at a table. Craig was leaned against it with Tweek resting on his chest, his arms around him loosely. Token was beside him, Clyde laying with his head on his lap. Jimmy was sitting against the wheel of Timmy's chair, and Jason was stretched out on his stomach in front of them.
"Thanks, Clyde," Tweek said, smiling slightly. "I worked hard on that song."
"It shows," Token put in as Clyde nodded.
"Y-Yeah, Tweek," Jimmy said, stealing a fry from Jason's plate. "You r-r-rea-really kick s-s-ser-se-serious ass." Jason swatted weakly at his hand, but gave a thumbs up in agreement, too tired to say anything.
"Timmy!"
Tweek felt his heart warm, grateful to have the support of his friends. Craig's arms tightened around him and lips pressed into his soft hair.
"You did great, honey," Craig cooed lowly to him. "I'm so proud of you."
Soon after, they had gone home, tired and ready for bed. Craig stayed the night, leaving once they were both awake the next day.
He couldn't help but feel a bit bad. Tweek put so much effort into his music, had even written two songs about him of all people to show his love, and Craig felt, dare he say, inadequate?
Did Tweek understand how much he loved him? How much he cared about, respected, and flat out adored him? He knew he wasn't the best at expressing himself, but lately he had begun to feel like he wasn't doing enough. Maybe it was due to Tweek declaring his feelings towards him on a world stage. The entire planet had literally heard Tweek singing about his love for Craig, and Craig had no way to match that...
Or did he?
The idea took shape in his mind, and he's eyes grew wider as he thought of a solution. Running the rest of the way home, he jumped onto his computer, opening up Discord to message his friends in their group chat. Tweek wasn't part of it only because he didn't trust that it wasn't being monitored at all points.
Typing quickly, he sent out: Do u guys want 2 start a band?