Howdy. I combined chapters 4 and 5 because in the end I couldn't stand how short they are seperate pfft. Enjoy.
The day is usual for Craig.
He wakes up early in the morning because he fell asleep before it got dark the previous night. The mattress creaks under him as he rolls from one side to the other, as if he might find somewhere more comfortable despite both sides being the same. The sheer emptiness of his bed bothers him, so he gets up early, too.
For Craig, work doesn't start until the afternoon. His dad will work from six in the morning until two, and Craig picks up the slack from there. At least that's the plan. Since the emptiness of his bed tends to bleed into the rest of the house, he likes to show up a few hours early just to stand in the garage and talk to his father.
His sigh echos as he makes his way into the kitchen. He rubs the sleep from his eyes so he can read the labels on his coffee creamers, and then pours a cup.
This is when Craig notices a slip of paper on the kitchen table. It's got his own handwriting scrawled across it; Tweek's number. It had to be washed off his hand eventually, so he preserved it.
Now the question is if he's brave enough to use it. Tweek gave it to him rather eagerly. He obviously wanted Craig to have it, but the thought of sending a text makes his palms sweat. All the years Tweek was gone he hardly ever replied to Craig's messages.
In fact, if it wasn't for the few heartbreaking late night calls he received, he would have thought Tweek had long forgotten about him. Why does Tweek want to reconnect now? Does being back home change something? That's hard to tell, considering Craig doesn't know why he was dropped to begin with.
Not only does he desperately miss Tweek, he also has a mountain of unanswered questions.
A chair whines against the floor when Craig pulls it out and takes a seat. He plays with the paper like a kid who doesn't want to eat his dinner plays with his food.
One text. One wouldn't hurt. If Tweek replies then it's all good, if he doesn't than that's fine, too. There's really nothing to lose. The more he thought about it the tighter his throat got.
'Good morning, sunshine.'
Oh, wait. The sunshine is probably a little much.
'Good morning.'
Does the period make it look too formal? Is good morning maybe too much? He doesn't want to come off weird. Talking to Tweek is something he'd like to start doing again. One dumb hello message could potentially ruin that, as well as foil his quest for answers.
After some consideration, he finally decides upon a simple and sweet 'morning'. He hits send as soon as he's finished pressing the 'g' in morning. He doesn't want time to change his mind, but immediately regrets it. He drops his phone on the table, smashes his face against his crossed arms, and huffs in frustration.
That's it. His only option now is to throw his phone in a fire and forget he ever did that.
"Craig, you are a goddamn loser," he utters to himself.
As minutes tick by he decides it best to change out of his pajamas and get ready for the day. He can't sit all morning staring at his phone, after all. He's already halfway in the living room when he hears what sounds like a faint vibration. His heart leaps out of his throat and he runs back to the kitchen, nearly slipping as his socks slide across the tiles.
He snatches his phone from the table.
'1 new message'
I swear to god if that's Clyde I'm going to burn down the Taco Bell, he thinks to himself before sliding his finger across the screen. Clyde isn't the name he sees, though.
TWEEK.
Tweek. It's TWEEK. Holy shit he answered.
'Morning to you, too. What's up?'
What's up? What is up? God Craig, calm down.
'Not much. Drinking coffee. You?'
He gets two new messages. One right after another.
'That's my line Haha,' Is the first. Craig laughs a little to himself.
'And watching RedRacer with Avery,' is the second.
'You got good taste.'
'I'd say you're to blame for that lol'
Craig occupies himself with getting dressed for a little while. He doesn't want to seem too eager to answer every little message, but he can't ignore the beat his heart skips every time his pocket vibrates.
He feels stupid. He can't even count how many times he's reminded himself Tweek didn't just leave yesterday, and this conversation needs to lead to more than idle chit chat.
Before Craig could reply, another message rang through his phone.
'I got a job,' Tweek wrote, 'It's at McDonalds. It's something, at least. I was gonna tell you when I got my interview but I didn't know if you'd mind.'
'Ah, I wouldn't have minded! That's awesome, Eric Cartman is probably gonna be your boss tho.'
'He is! He was weirdly nice to me. I'm just gonna work there til I find something else.'
'Good plan.'
'Yeah.'
The conversation dies as Craig tries to think of what to say. He has plenty of questions, but they're all hard and intrusive ones. He doesn't want to cross a line. So he just stares blankly at his screen.
As he tries to conjure up more idle conversation, his phone starts to vibrate. It's strings of text. They're chopped up sentences that form a rambling paragraph. Every one is from Tweek. His chest twists uncomfortably as he waits for the string to slow. Here Craig was, afraid he'd look stupid trying to reconnect, and it's Tweek tripping over himself.
'Okay I'm just gonna go ahead and say it,' reads the first message.
'I'm sorry I've been awkward? I just hardly know what to say when we run into each other. I mean, I've got so much I could talk about but when I open my mouth mush just comes out. It's probably because I haven't seen you in so long? And, you know... everything else.'
'That's alright. I think we were both just really taken by surprise.'
This would be the perfect opportunity to casually ask to meet for coffee or something sometime, mostly to talk through the tension between them. Perhaps they wouldn't be quite as wild eyed and tongue tied if they expected to cross paths. Then again, Craig's too nervous of rejection to risk it.
'I think you got more of a surprise than I did,' pops up on tweeks side of the thread. 'I'm sorry I didn't talk to you more after we broke up. Or that I didn't tell you I was coming back.'
Craig blinks at the apology. By now he's sitting partially dressed at his kitchen table. His work shirt is still folded to the left of him, and his jeans didn't make it up past his knees. He's too focused on his phone to worry about such things.
'Hey, it's okay,' craig assures. He only hopes his typed words are as sincere as his voice would be. 'I know it's been years, but idk. We used to be so close. I'm not mad or anything, I just want to know why that changed like it did.'
He's trying to be careful with each word. He doesn't want any wrong emotion to come through in his texts.
'Well, are you coming to Clyde's party this weekend? We should probably talk about this in person.'
Craig's heart jolts up into his throat. His palms go clammy, and his breath catches in his ribs.
'I didn't know Clyde was having a party,' he admits.
'Oh! He must not have got to you yet. It's a welcome home party this Saturday. So technically it's mine, but Clyde's throwing it. It'll be us and all the kids, but I'm sure we'll be able to find time to talk.'
'Sounds awesome. I'll be there.'
By now Craig's finally returned his attention to his clothes. He's tucking his work shirt into his unzipped pants when Tweek replies. This time, he finishes up before looking at his phone.
'Cool :) and don't be worried. You can text me whenever you want. I'll reply, promise.'
…
Later the same evening, Tweek is sitting on a bench beneath an oak tree. Since he joined the family, he volunteered to play mother hen while Bebe and Clyde are at work. Today, he and the kids decided to visit the park.
It was a great choice, in Avery's opinion. When the world is so warm and sunny, it just doesn't make sense to stay inside! He, Claudia, and Charlotte have been playing beneath the jungle gym and sipping on lemonade Daddy brought along.
It would be perfect, if not for the person standing on the edge of the grass. Avery isn't sure what to make of the lingering stranger. The man is wearing a light jacket with the hood over his head. His face is just as much of a mystery considering the red bandana tied snugly around it.
"Avery!" Claudia chimed as she takes his hand and snaps him from his trance. "You're gonna be my husband!"
"Ah! W-what?!" he demands. Just like That, he's forgotten about the man in the bandana.
"Yeah! We're playing house, so you have to be Daddy and I'm going to be Mommy," Claudia decides.
"Um," Avery blurts, befuddled. The idea is odd to him. He, unlike Claudia, doesn't have a good grasp on what playing house entails. Usually, Avery opts to play RedRacer.
"What's Charlotte gonna be?" he asks, tossing his gaze to the oldest of all of them.
Charlotte, Claudia's big sister, sits in the grass beside the jungle gym. She watches them both quietly, less like a fellow child at play and more like a babysitter.
"Charlotte will be the baby!"
Avery wants to argue that she's too big to be a baby. In fact, she's the only big kid around, but he doesn't get the chance to object.
"Before we get married, we have to get engaged. So propose to me!"
Engaged? Now that was a word Avery heard before! Aunt Bebe once said it to Daddy.
"What does that mean?" He asks, eyes wide and curious.
"Propose means you ask me to marry you! You get engaged right before you get married, silly! Don't boys know anything?"
Married? He reached into the back of his mind to remember what Aunt Bebe said. She was talking to Daddy about Craig. She said they were engaged. Daddy and Craig were going to get married?
Out of the corner of his eye, he notices movement along the edge of the playground. It's that man. The one in the hood with his face covered. The man inches closer and closer to him and his friends as he watches them.
Avery shoots a glance back to the bench. He has to make sure Daddy is still there, and he is. He waves at Avery reassuringly, and the knot in the boy's belly settles a little.
"What's the matter?" Claudia asks. "Am I gonna have to show you how to do it?"
"Um, I guess so."
The man works up the nerve to come even closer. This time, Avery can't ignore him. He's walking quickly, but not changing direction. He's coming towards them. In a panic, Avery looks back to the bench. Daddy isn't on it anymore. He noticed the stranger, too, and is jogging to get to the children before he does. Tweek, however, is a little too late. He's in a jog when the stranger kneels down beside the jungle gym, uncomfortably close to Avery.
"Hey, there, little man," the stranger mutters through his red bandana. "What's your name?"
Avery jumps to his feet and runs to his father, who's snuck up behind the stranger and grabbed him by the shoulder. The strange man is jerked to his feet. Daddy has one fist balled around the fabric of the jacket and the other curled into a dangerous looking fist.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Daddy growls with his teeth bared.
That was a bad word! He never heard Daddy use it before! Claudia and Charlotte are just as taken aback by the sudden confrontation.
"Wow! Hold on man!" The stranger squeaks while raising his hands in a show of submission. "What the hell! You ain't gotta deck me!"
Daddy's brows raise in surprise, and then fall again in annoyance. He grips the man's bandana and tugs it under his chin.
"Kenny? Kenny McCormick?" Daddy asks, and his fist lowers. "Jesus- agh! Man what the- I mean! You can't just walk up to people's kids like that- HOLY toledo! This is a playground! I about broke your nose!"
The man, named Kenny, Avery supposed, stepped out of his father's grip and patted off his jacket.
"Well one of them is mine, ya idgit! I didn't see Bebe or Clyde anywhere, so I," Kenny trails off, and his frustrated scowl transforms into a lopsided, but dazzling grin. "Wait a damn minute, Tweek? That you?"
"Yes, don't cuss in front of the-" Daddy's sentence is cut off when Kenny grabs him around the middle and lifts him off the ground in a crushing bear hug.
The air is squeezed out of his lungs, but he still breathlessly laughs.
"Okay, okay," Daddy groans as he pats the stranger on the back. "I get it, I missed you, too."
"You almost just punched my Papa!" Charlotte squeals with giggles. From the way she's holding her stomach with laughter, she very much would have liked to see that. Papa? The weirdo in the funny orange jacket is Charlotte's Daddy?
Kenny drops to his knees before the girl, and then ruffles her curly blond hair. Avery can tell they're related the moment Kenny cocks a wide, mischievous grin. Charlotte doesn't smile much, but it looks just like that when she does.
"You woulda just let Tweek wail on your old man, wouldn't cha?" Kenny says, still wearing his smirk.
"Yes!"
"Wow, thanks."
"This is what happens when you roughhouse with her all the time," yet another voice scoldes. "Now all she wants is to see you beat up."
By now, Avery is already hiding behind Daddy's legs. He hunkers behind them even more when he takes notice of a man who appeared beside Kenny. Avery doesn't know where he came from or how he got there so fast, but he's there. He's just as tall as Daddy is, but his hair is flaming red. That's the same color as RedRacer!
"Kyle?" Daddy asks.
The man, Kyle, smiles softly and nods his head before muttering, "You'll have to forgive my husband. He doesn't think before he does things."
"It's fine, really, I just hardly recognized you guys," Tweek says. Honestly, he's mostly talking about Kyle. if Bebe hadn't told him who Kenny's with, Tweek would have never guessed this redheaded man was Kyle Broflovski. Or… Kyle McCormick, apparently?
He's much taller since Tweek last saw him. His cute, round face is slimmer and defined, and his wide eyes seem more narrow with age. On top of that, his once boyish, button nose is long and crooked. It must have been broken at some point. Despite the changes, Kyle is still in the running for most attractive man in South Park.
"Well, it has been years since we last crossed paths," Kyle replies. "It's good to see you back home."
Kyle squats down to greet Charlotte and Claudia, who are jumping at his feet. It's cute, Tweek thinks, how two families adore those girls. Even though Claudia is Clyde's, not Kenny's, Kyle greets her just as excitedly as He does Charlotte. He throws his arms around them both and reels them in for a tight hug.
They are lucky girls.
As they excitedly tell Kyle about their day, he notices a pair of round, green eyes peering at him from behind Tweek's leg. Kyle smiles at the boy, but Avery hides further behind Daddy.
"And who is this?" Kyle ponders.
"That's Avery!" Claudia announces, her eyes wide with excitement. "He's my new best friend! Oh, and that is his Daddy!"
He points a chubby finger at the man Avery's cowering behind. Tweek can only smile awkwardly. Craig's not the only one who didn't know about Tweek's misadventures in Virginia. Besides the whispered rumors about things Bebe and Clyde mentioned over the years, no one really knew what became of him after he left, let alone about Avery.
"Daddy?" Kenny blurts. "I thought you were gay."
Tweek's face flushes, and he nervously pulls at the buttons on his shirt.
"No, no," Tweek corrects. "I'm bi. Avery is my son."
Kyle throws his husband a scolding look, to which Kenny shrinks with his hands up in surrender.
"Sorry, babe. I was just curious."
"It's fine," Tweek interjects with an awkward smile plastered on his face. "It's just- people were never forward with sexuality in Virginia. It's nice to feel open with those kind of things again."
Kyle's smile returns to him, and he reaches out past the girls to offer his hand to Avery.
"Hello there, little guy."
Avery looks up at Daddy, at Kyle's hand, and then back to Daddy. When his father gives him an encouraging nod of his head, Avery inches around his leg to touch the stranger's hand. Kyle gently squeezes his fingers in a handshake.
"It's nice to meet you," Kyle greets. The moment his hand slips away from Avery's, though, the boy shrinks back behind his father.
"I'm sorry," Tweek says as he lays his hand atop his boy's head. "Avery's usually as reckless as a hurricane, but he's scared of strangers. He'll be more friendly when he gets to know you."
Tweek turned to look down at the boy clutching his pants.
"Isn't that right, buddy?"
Avery smiles, though just the smallest bit.
"Hey," Kenny pipes up, "a lot's happened since we last talked. How about we take the kids and catch up over some ice cream? The Dairy Bar is right down the road."
"Ice cream?" Claudia squeals with delight. "I want ice cream! Can we, Tweek, can we!?"
"Well… let me text your mother and see what she says."
Tweek isn't comfortable with the arrangement unless he knows Bebe is. As Kenny and Kyle entertain the girls, he pulls out his phone.
'Just ran into your baby daddy and his hubby. They want to catch up over ice cream with the girls. Yay or Nay?'
Despite being at work, it only takes her a moment to reply.
'You're adorable, bae. That's fine. Claudia is allergic to strawberries and peanuts.'
Tweek quirks a lip. It's cute what a doting mother his best friend turned into.
'Kk. Fill u in later.'
"Was 'at her?" Kenny asks, brows raised. He seems desperate for this trip to the Dairy Bar, but Tweek has a feeling it has less to do with catching up and more to do with spending time with his daughter.
"Yeah, yeah. She says it's fine. Let me grab my things."
With his foxy backpack over his shoulder, and his son's hand in his, the caravan of dads make their way down the sidewalk. Kyle slides in between the girls when they start to fight over who gets to hold his hand. Though they each get one to cling to, they still make faces at each other when he isn't looking. Kenny chews on the end of a toothpick as he hangs behind his family. Tweek notices the sliver of wood when Kenny flashes a smile at him. He manages a weak grin in return.
"I owe you a belated congrats. Looks like you've started a little family." Kenny makes a subtle nod of his head towards the child attached to Tweek's side. Tweek's lost expression transforms into a contented smile.
"Yeah, I have. My son's my best friend. We've spent every day together since he was born… crazy how things change, isn't it?"
"You could say that. Lot's happened. Damn, Charlotte was still just in a cradle when you left."
"Oh, yeah, she was only a few months old. God. You and Bebe were still just kids yourselves," Tweek bites his bottom lip in consideration before continuing. "Things were hard for you back then. I'm glad you seem much happier now."
"I am happier, than I've ever been, actually." Kenny's talking to Tweek, but his eyes stay straight ahead of them. His smile gets bigger when Kyle catches the girls making faces. Kyle laughs, and, instead of scolding them, makes a few faces of his own.
"I'm only where I am thanks to the people who didn't give up on me. I'm just lucky they were there, I guess."
At that, Tweek can't help but frown. It's guilt, he supposes. Guilt for knowing he wasn't one of those people, though he should have been. It feels wrong that Tweek got away, and Kenny was left behind to deal with it all alone. Tweek's voice drops to a whisper so the little ears surrounding them wouldn't hear.
"Hey, I… I'm sorry. You were one of my best friends and- I should have been there. At least called you to make sure you were okay. When I moved all I could think about was checking on you- I just-"
He didn't realize just how many apologies he had to make until he started handing them out.
"Hey, hey, don't get all sappy, now," Kenny muttered, matching his friend's tone. "You coulda loved me with all your heart, but that don't change the fact the last thing you needed in your life was another druggie. You were going through hell, too, and you gotta put yourself first."
Tweek squeezed Avery's hand tighter. He could see the sign for the Dairy Bar now. It was just down the street.
"Really, though, I'm glad you're home. I'ont think you know how everybody missed you," Kenny continues, his voice still low. "I always thought of you like another brother, we went through so much together. Was heartbroken when we lost touch, but Kyle and I still wondered about you all the time."
Tweek listens, but doesn't speak. These are intimate things Kenny has to say, and it had been years since they had this kind of conversation. He didn't realize how much he missed Kenny until now. His eyes almost swell up with water at the thought.
"I know we like," Ken stops to laugh, "we just reconnected via a fist in the face."
Tweek stifles a snort, then they both laugh together. Avery doesn't know the meaning of their spontaneous fit, but laughs with them anyway. Tweek ruffles his son's wild hair.
"I'm proud of you, though," Kenny concludes, "I can tell you've become a good man. Good father."
It's the most touching compliment anyone's ever given him, and Tweek doesn't know what to say. With each person he reunites with, he feels more stupid for not coming back sooner.
"T-thank you."
Finally, the group of dads herd the kids into the Dairy Bar. It's still the same ice cream joint Tweek held in his memory. The white walls are still painted with the same ridiculous cartoon characters, and obnoxiously red booths still line the walls. His heart sinks a little when they pass the tiniest booth closest to the doors. It's built for two, one little chair across from another. He and Craig were just twelve when they carved their initials in the tabletop. He can't help but lean over it just a bit as they pass. The crudely scratched letters remain, though they faded in ten years time.
There are little bits and pieces of his years with Craig scattered all around this town. His gut starts to flutter when he thinks about Craig, and how Clyde's little get together is scheduled for tomorrow night. He's excited, but mostly nervous. He pushes the thought to the back of his mind to try and enjoy his unexpected visit with Kenny and company.
It goes just about how Tweek expects.
They all sit across a table. Avery and Tweek have an entire side to themselves while Kenny and Kyle sit on either end of their booth. The girls are sandwiched between them, sharing licks of each other's ice cream. They exchange stories, reminisce about the last six years, and clean said ice cream off kid's cheeks. Conversation topic begins with Kyle and Kenny's marriage.
Kyle pulls out his phone to share pictures of the wedding, and Tweek reaches for his to rave over pictures of Avery. The kids kick their feet with disinterest in their parent's boring conversations. All except Claudia, who wants to see every picture for herself. Especially the ones of Avery as a baby.
"Oh, man, I have to tell you while we're here," Tweek says. He sets his phone on the table for Claudia to swipe through his photos. Since having a nosy child, there was nothing on his phone he was afraid of a kid coming across. "I already got a job lined up, but you'll never guess who my boss is."
Kyle and Kenny look at each other with raised brows, and then to Tweek.
"Who?" they ask in nearly perfect unison.
"Eric freakin Cartman."
"Oh, god. McDonald's then?" Kyle ponders, to which Tweek nods with tight lips.
"Have fun with that one. Cartman is still just as much of a sociopathic piece of-," Kyle remembers he's surrounded by tiny ones, "let's just say he's exactly as you remember."
"Daddy Kyle," Charlotte interrupts, "Can I get another popsicle?"
"Oh," Kyle pulls his wallet from his jeans and sifts through it for a dollar. Kyle is seated by the window, so he reaches over Claudia and Kenny to hand the bill to Charlotte.
"Wanna walk her up to the counter, Papa?" Kyle asks his husband, who gives him a nod.
"Yeah, be right back."
Kenny plants a kiss on the top of his daughter's head before she climbs out of the booth. Kyle has a view of the counter, so he watches them go as he gets back into the conversation.
"I don't know. He was just as… unsavory as I remember, but he practically handed me the job. It was kind of nice of him- Oh, Avery, you're a mess again." Tweek pauses mid conversation to wipe his son's face off with a napkin. Avery wiggles out of it, embarrassed of being babied in front of Claudia.
"Perhaps there is some shred of humanity left in him," Kyle replies as he stirs his milkshake. "I mean, I've surely never seen it, but miracles do happen."
Tweek snorts, and then the table goes a little quiet. Kyle keeps stirring his milkshake, around and around until it starts to lose it's shake. It's starting to look like plain ol' milk.
Claudia is still scrolling through Tweek's pictures when his phone vibrates in her small hands. She jumps a little, squints at the screen, and then announces in a loud, booming voice, "Uncle Craig is excited about tomorrow night!"
Tweek's face must be priceless as his jaw drops open. He tosses a flustered look at Kyle, who takes the phone from a whining Claudia. He slides it across the table to it's shaking owner, who's cheeks are flushing different shades of red. Tweek snatches it, then crams the thing in his pocket like contraband. He doesn't understand the burning in his face or the knot in his throat. That doesn't stop them from being there.
"That didn't take long," Kyle chimes under his breath. Though he's back to looking into his cup, Tweek can see his shit eating grin.
Everyone in town knows of Tweek's love affair with the Tucker boy. Their marvelous misadventures once left beer cans and love notes scattered about mainstreet. Their endless tales of reckless nights and sweet mornings were overplayed like a billboard hit. From their first playground kiss, to Tweek's marriage proposal, their relationship was the only unwavering guarantee of South Park.
Until Tweek left.
Six years apart hasn't changed their picturesque image, though. Now that Tweek's been crammed back into the setting of his teenage romance, baby in toe, the whole town seems to be holding their breath. All except Kyle.
If their friends aren't laying out bets, surely the rest of the town is. Kyle already laid his hand. He seems to think he's holding a royal flush.
Tweek has to explain himself, even if he doesn't want to.
"It's not like that," Tweek says, embarrassed. "Clyde's just having this get together tomorrow and, uh, C-Craig's gonna be there. "
"Mmhm," Kyle pipes up before sucking on the end of his straw. "That's it, huh?"
"Well, there are conversations to be had, of course…" Tweek mutters. "But yeah. That's it."
Kyle's grin grows wider, but Tweek can't tell what emotion is driving it. It's genuinely good natured, but garnished with mischief. His apple green eyes finally peek from under his wild fringe.
"Guess we'll see."
Hey guys! Next month will be two years since this fix updated (holy hell!) Don't worry, though. It's back in action and it's my new baby. Reviews are crazy appreciated and keep me motivated. If you like what you're reading, all it takes is a couple people to tell me so for a more speedy next chapter ;P Hope y'all like the adorable gay ride.