Tweek woke before dawn the next morning. He looked at Craig's sleeping face fondly, gave him a gentle kiss, then untangled himself from him and went to shower. Craig woke up when Tweek came back, blinking heavily and mumbling incomprehensible words that might have been questions. The only thing Tweek could make out was a 'morning'.
He smiled at him, moving closer and kissing his forehead. "Go back to sleep, Craig. It's early." Craig mumbled his agreement, before closing his eyes again, asleep in seconds.
Tweek finished getting ready, for once making an effort to be quiet. He slipped his phone into his pocket, wrote a note to his boyfriend, then left the house with his parents, neither of which knew about or suspected their guest.
Craig woke up late again, hungry and still tired. He trudged to the bathroom and showered, curiously looking at the different shampoos and body washes they had. Once done, smelling like a weird mix of orange, pineapple, and cinnamon, he went into the kitchen to look in the fridge, only to find it was mostly empty.
"Do these people really only live off of coffee..." He looked through the cupboards until he found some cornflakes. They did have milk, so he decided on that. After finishing, he cleaned the bowl and spoon and put them back. Who knew if Tweek would get punishment if he didn't?
It felt weird to be in the house alone, knowing the Tweaks didn't even know he was there. He looked through the house to see if anything had changed since they were small, and probably the biggest change was that the house looked empty. When they were kids, Tweek had some of his toys in the living room, a lot of things he had drawn or crafted lying about, and you could see that the sofa was being used. Now, the TV had a thin coat of dust, the baking utensils seemed to all have been transferred to the shop, and nothing seemed specifically personalized. Of course, they were almost always at the shop, but still... It felt empty, and Craig couldn't help to feel out of place and lonely. He sighed, going back to Tweek's room. He found Tweek's note, opening it curiously.
Tweek's scratchy writing greeted him.
'Morning, :) :) :) :) Craig!' A word had been scratched out until it was entirely unreadable, then his name added in. Likely it had been some pet name, but he had gotten embarrassed and removed it.
'You looked so tired this morning I told you to sleep more, though tbh, I think you would have even without my saying. Anyway. It's another late day. You don't have to come in, believe me I know how fast this place can wear on patience. I made sure to have my phone charged and in my pocket. Just in case.
'My parents are going out tonight for their anniversary, some place in Denver. I think I'm going to close after they leave. If it's okay with you, I'd like to-' Here, there were multiple scribbled out spaces and rewrites, the words finally coming back in all caps, 'LET ME MAKE YOU DINNER OR SOMETHING? TEXT ME TO LET ME KNOW. I HAVE TO GO TO THE STORE TODAY ANYWAY.' The words returned to normal after, as he signed off with, 'I love you, Tweek'
Craig smiled wider, even if his attempts at trying to figure out what Tweek had scratched through were fruitless. He texted a quick 'Morning babe, I'd love to have dinner with you, I'm coming over in 10' and put his phone away again.
He left his bag and rucksack at Tweek's place since he would come back anyways, going down to the cafe. He entered the shop, slightly nervous since he had thought about his day so far and had decided on something. He walked up to the counter, greeting the Tweaks.
All three were at the counter, finishing cleaning from the church rush. They each greeted him, Tweek smiling slightly and tapping his pocket to show he had seen his message.
Craig smiled back, then ordered his usual and sat down at a different table since the one near the counter was already in use.
It was a bit after one when Tweek's parents finally left. Mr. Tweak gave his son a pat on the back, and Mrs. Tweak hugged him and kissed his forehead. "If you need us, be sure to call, sweetie," she said, then followed her husband out. They got into their car and drove off, heading out of town rather than back towards their house.
Tweek looked around, counting three customers and his boyfriend. Not bad, he could handle this.
Craig almost immediately sat down on the counter. "Think they'll fuck off if we start making out right here, right now?" he asked Tweek in a low voice, eyes shining with amusement at the idea.
"H-Hush, you," Tweek squeaked out. "Drink your hot chocolate and shut it." He flounced over to the steamer, wiping it down.
Craig laughed, attracting the attention of the other customers for a few seconds, one of them an old woman who shook her head at his 'disrespectful behavior'. He finished his hot chocolate and kept people watching, hoping no one new would come in. The old woman left first, then about an hour later, the last two left, leaving them alone.
Craig beamed at Tweek. "Are we gonna close? Need any help?"
Tweek couldn't help but laugh as he shook his head. "Yes, I'm closing now. I finished cleaning while you were trying to intimidate everyone into leaving faster," he said, untying his apron and placing it on the hook.
Craig looked weirdly proud. "The old hag definitely was."
"Sure, if that's what you want to believe." He grabbed his key, leading the way to the door. "Flip the sign for me?"
Craig did so, pretending it was an honor, overdoing the movement a bit before following Tweek out of the shop. "Thy sign has been flippeth."
"Alright, Shakespeare, break a leg. I've got shopping to do," he said with a smile. He locked the door, then headed towards the local grocer, Craig followed him whistling a song that had been on the radio in the shop.
"You're in a good mood today," he noted as they walked.
Craig grinned at him, stopping the noise. "I'm just glad I get to spend more than the evening with you."
Tweek blushed. "Hm." They got to the store and went, Tweek grabbing a cart from the coral, pushing it towards the aisles.
"What do you plan to make?" Craig asked looking through the shelves.
"What sounds good? I'll make whatever you'd like," he said, grabbing a box of cereal as they passed.
"Uhm... Chicken...?" Craig hadn't actually thought about what he wanted.
Tweek nodded, pushing the cart towards the deli. "Any particular kind? Want anything specific with it?"
"Hmn... Do you like curry?"
"Uh..." Tweek looked away with a blush. Of all things, Craig had to request something he didn't know how to make.
"You don't have to make it, if you don't like it. I'd love to eat with you even if you only eat a bit. Not alone while you watch."
"I'm trying to do something nice for you, cut me some slack here." He looked over the meat in the freezer, picking out a package.
"I'm cutting you all the slack you want, man. You can really just make anything and I'll eat it, to be honest. I'm not a very picky eater."
"That's not the point of my doing this, though," Tweek said. "I want to make something that you specifically like."
"Hmn." Craig went through the foods he knew he liked. "Chicken curry, pretty much any pasta stuff, grilled cheese... Burgers? Chicken wings?" Craig frowned, obviously not upset but at a loss. "I really like a lot of food, I'm not picky. Anything with eggs is good, too." He hummed again. "What about any of those?"
"Would you like grilled chicken over marinated tomatoes with spaghetti?"
"Sounds awesome." Craig nodded enthusiastically, glad that Tweek knew what to choose.
He nodded, and the pair continued shopping. When they had everything on his list, as well as for the night, they moved to the checkout. Considering the barren state of the kitchen, Tweek hadn't gotten much. He looked over at the drink coolers by the register, then opened one and took out a blue Gatorade. "If you see something you want, get it," he said.
Craig snatched a four pack of orange juice, putting it into the cart. "Thanks man. I'll help you pay, since you're already doing the cooking."
"You try that, I will literally bite you," Tweek said, going to a self-checkout and beginning to scan the items. "Besides," he added, "I'm not the one paying. Mom gave me her card."
Craig blinked, but put his half pulled out wallet back into his pocket. "If that's so, I'll gladly accept the invite." He still looked slightly uncomfortable since he had enough pocket money to help but he assisted Tweek pack the groceries away once they were scanned.
There weren't many bags to carry, making them easy to take back to Tweek's house. He unlocked the door and threw it open, going into the kitchen and dropping them on the table.
"Can't believe I've been here for two days and they haven't noticed me once." Craig leaned against the table, watching Tweek do his thing. It felt somewhat domestic, which was a little weird since Craig had never actively considered or thought about this part of life.
"I can," Tweek said, putting everything away. "Do you remember that week in middle school I was absent and told everyone I had the flu?"
Craig nodded, trying to remember where everything went so he could help him next time. "What about it?"
"I wasn't sick." He grabbed an apron off of a hook in the pantry, tying it around him, then pulling out a cutting board, grabbing a knife. "I ran away for a week. They didn't even notice I was gone." Tweek thought for a moment as he began to dice the tomatoes. "Actually, I suppose they did, but I don't know how long it took. It was when I came back I was put in the closet the first time. I guess it would be more correct to say they just didn't care to look for me."
Craig cursed, feeling bad for asking. He also felt shocked and angry about the entire deal. And he felt sick to his stomach about these people, as always. Tweek might have hopes for his mother, but to Craig, she was just as bad as Richard for standing there and doing nothing while he tortured their child before going back to ignoring him. Generally, he was feeling too much since he began learning about Tweek's homelife. "Where were you in that week?"
"The forest. I took camping supplies. Hm. Maybe that gave me away." Finishing the tomatoes, he casually moved on a brick of mozzarella cheese, beginning to cut it into squares. It was like he was discussing the weather.
Craig grumbled a bit to himself before replying. "Still horrible of them not to react at all. Or even consider why you did it." He sighed. Tweek didn't say anything to this, knowing if he did, he'd get sucked into a deep dark depression that had a very real chance of ending him. Better to just pretend it wasn't so bad. Craig got the hint and didn't comment any further. He watched Tweek work the kitchen, impressed but not surprised. As far as he knew, Tweek had had to care for himself for a while.
"I love you," he said, breaking the silence. "And I'm a bit jealous of your cooking skills."
He blinked at the suddenness, pausing his covering of the tomato-cheese blend. "Thanks. I love you, too," he said. He moved over to him, giving him a light kiss.
Craig grinned, kissing back and pulled him into a short hug, arms crossed behind him. "This feels super domestic."
Tweek smiled. "Yeah, it does a bit. I like it."
"I'm a bit weirded out. But rather by the fact that we're almost both sixteen and this doesn't feel wrong at all." He smirked, slightly awkward. "Sorry. Bad at phrasing feelings."
Tweek tugged lightly on one of his ear flaps. "It's okay, I know what you meant," he said.
Craig kissed his forehead. "Good." He lifted his hands to fluff up Tweek's hair even more.
He giggled, moving back. "I'm gonna make the chicken."
"Alright." Craig leaned back against the counter, letting go of Tweek so he could do so.
Tweek opened the sliding door to the backyard and stepped out, lighting the grill. As soon as it was hot enough, he laid out the chicken, closing the hood and returning inside. He closed the door, then moved to the coffee maker, switching it on.
Craig was whistling again, this time Seven Nation Army, absentmindedly clapping the rhythm with his hand on his thigh, looking a little lost in thought. As a big fan of the song, Tweek couldn't help but beginning to sing along. Craig woke up from his trance but continued whistling quickly when he noticed what was going on, smiling widely. Tweek wasn't paying any more attention to what he was doing than Craig had been, going in with the flow. His head bobbed to the beat Craig made, his body swaying. It wasn't exactly dancing, but the potential to have it become so was there.
Craig watched him, finding it endearing and cute, and he internally wondered what he did to deserve someone like Tweek. Surely, he must have collected some holy amount of good karma. At some point, Craig stopped whistling and sang along, too, instead, Tweek's melodic voice almost infectious. At his addition, Tweek blinked and turned. He smiled at the other, continuing to sing with him.
Craig's voice cracked a bit at the higher parts and the nasal tone made him sound a bit weird, but he didn't really care, especially not around Tweek. He went into the last few lines with full enthusiasm, by now having stopped the clapping and gone over to playing air guitar, then made a gesture to Tweek as if presenting him to an audience and stopped singing so Tweek would finish solo.
"All the words are gonna bleed from me, and I will think no more..." he sang, hips swaying to their imaginary music, getting into it enough that he began to act a bit, hugging himself and closing his eyes as he tilted his head down. He nodded through a few beats, then let his eyes snap back open as his head popped up. "And the stains comin' from my blood, tell me 'go back home'!"
Since they had no actual instruments, rather than allowing everything to fade into silence, he continued to sing the melody, beating his hands on the counter in the place of drums. Craig rejoined him, still playing air guitar and singing its part. When the last chord was played, he pretended to smash the guitar to the ground once, throw it to the side and did the sign for rock'n'roll into the imaginary crowd, grinning widely at Tweek.
Tweek laughed brightly, then jumped on him, wrapping his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. He then leaned in and kissed him. Craig laughed into the kiss, surprised by the enthusiasm, and supported his weight by holding onto his thighs with both hands before kissing back.
He moved his head back to smile at him, then pressed their foreheads together lightly. "I love you," he said, his voice relaxed and calm.
Craig kissed him again as an answer, then again on his nose, and a third time on his forehead before leaning back against him, squeezing his thighs affectionately. "I love you, too, Tweek."
"Alright, why are you so comfortable?" he giggled.
"I'm lanky, tall, and my clothes are made of boyfriend material," Craig answered matter of factly, winking.
"I'm going to steal your wardrobe," he said, getting down to go check on the chicken.
Craig grinned. "You already have two of my shirts from sleeping over. You're doing alright with that."
"Just wait until I take a jacket. That's prime real estate."
"You're not even cold, what do you need my jacket for!" Craig laughed.
"Stake my claim," he explained, coming back inside. "How else do I show off my man without claiming kisses in front of people?"
Craig grinned. "Hmn, okay you can have one if you manage to get it somehow." The thought of Tweek in his jacket was somewhat exciting in a way Craig couldn't quite explain to himself. Maybe Tweek was right with claim staking.
"Quite bold of you to assume that a non-sleeper wouldn't be able to get one quite easily from you while you're on a trip in dream land." He took out a pot and filled it with water, prepping for the spaghetti.
"I'll just have to sleep on top of you then, so I notice when you leave." Craig lifted his shoulders.
"Do I need to point out I've escaped twice already? You're a sloth in the morning, Craig."
Craig snorted. "Fair point. I'll have to hide my jackets instead then. Can't make it that easy for you, right?"
"I'll ask Stripe to help me." He dropped the pasta into the boiling water.
"Wow. Pitting my own child against me. That's a low blow, mister." Craig walked up behind him, looking over his shoulder.
"We have joint custody now, just accept it."
"At some point you'll tell me you want a divorce and Stripe will choose you because you got him to steal my jacket with you," Craig grinned, joking, and gently prodded his side.
"You're the one who said he loves me," Tweek teased, wiggling at the touch.
"Are you implying you don't?" Craig smirked, wrapping his arms around Tweek's hips.
"What, that I don't love myself?" he asked, stirring the cooking pasta.
"No, that you don't... uh, love me back." He was convinced Tweek didn't love himself by how bad he usually talked himself down, but he didn't want to mention that.
"I think it's safe to say I'm totally in love with you."
Craig smiled and buried his face half in Tweek's shoulder and half in his hair. "Nice," he mumbled.
"Move, you," he laughed. "I need to go get the chicken." Craig didn't exactly whine but the noise he made was close to it when he let go and stepped back to squat on the floor. Tweek snorted, shaking his head as he walked past him. Craig counted the tiles on the floor until Tweek came back, accidentally getting genuinely sucked into the counting.
"Craig, are you four?" Tweek asked, grinning at him as he set down the plate in his hands.
Craig looked up, blinking twice to get back to the real world. "...No?"
"Get up, it's dinner time."
Craig pulled himself up by the counter, arm easily long enough to do so without troubles. "Alright." He followed Tweek into the next room. While Craig had been distracted, Tweek had made up two plates for them and taken them each a drink already.
"You are definitely the best," Craig commented, kissing the top of his head as he walked by, before sitting down on one of the chairs.
"I hope you like it," he said, sitting catty cornered to him.
Craig took one bite from the chicken before he almost stuffed the entire thing into his mouth. He heard his mother's nagging voice in the back of his head and waited until he chewed and swallowed down the food, lifting one finger as a sign to give him a second. "This is fantastic, what did you even season this with?!"
Tweek blushed. "Just some pepper and lemon juice."
Craig hummed happily, eating away. "Tastes awesome, I love this!" He stuffed some spaghetti into his mouth, not rolling them up, obviously hungry and excited about the food. The tomato and cheese mix that had been placed on top in favor of sauce exploded with flavor. Tweek had mixed the dish with a bit of olive oil, fresh crushed basil, and a clove of garlic.
"The more I eat food you made the more I understand why Clyde cries over food," Craig said, pointing the fork at Tweek accusingly. "This is so fucking good."
"I'm really glad you like it," he said shyly. "I was worried."
"I can guarantee you, I would have eaten anything you would have made me just because you cooked for me, but I am also really glad I like it." He winked, while shoving another fork full of spaghetti into his mouth.
Tweek smiled and looked down at his own plate, beginning to eat.
Craig finished his plate after some time, trying to slow down so Tweek wouldn't be left alone with eating. He really was amazed by how great it tasted, especially after he thought about how little Tweek usually ate.
Tweek had a much smaller portion than Craig, but even that seemed a lot for him if the rate he was eating was anything to go by. "There's more if you want. Eat as much as you'd like," he told him.
Craig didn't let him say that a second time. He got more and started eating again. "How do you know how to cook that well? You don't really eat a lot."
Tweek shrugged. "Just watched my mom cook all the time, and I like cooking shows."
Craig raised his eyebrows. "Your 'learning just from watching things' is really impressive."
"It wasn't just that. I would try to make stuff too."
"You should show me some time. We could cook together next time?"
He smiled slightly. "I'd like that."
"Cool." Craig continued eating until he was done, filling his plate another time, and finishing that one, too. By the time Craig finished his third serving, Tweek finished with his first. He hadn't eaten it all, and considering how little he'd had, it was quite a bit left over. Craig didn't mention anything about it, glad that he had eaten anything at all. "I can do the dishes! I think that's a rule my parents have. The one who cooks doesn't have to do them."
"I don't mind," he said, taking his plate into the kitchen. "Like I told you the first time I was at your house, I like doing the dishes. Its relaxing."
Craig scratched his neck. "I feel kind of stupid when you do everything with me just standing there. At least let me help?"
Tweek smiled. "Rinse for me, then, and set stuff in the drainer."
"Aye, aye." Craig smiled and did what Tweek had said. It didn't take long to clean up. They were only two after all. They put away the small remaining amount of food, Tweek dumping the rest of his down the garbage disposal. Craig stretched, something he realized he did often, but he really needed to since he often leaned down a bit or ducked because of his height. His bones cracked lightly, and he huffed, satisfied.
Tweek looked at him curiously, then down before saying, "Do... do you want me to crack your back?"
"...Crack my back? How?" Craig had to think of a scene in one of his favorite Disney movies at the suggestion but didn't mention it.
"Here, come into the living room." He led the way to the next room, then gestured to the carpeted floor. "Lay on your stomach." Craig hesitantly did so, putting a pillow down to rest his head on. Tweek sat down on his lower back. He put his hands together on Craig's spine in the center of his shoulders. "Take a deep breath and let it out slowly," he directed. Craig did so, curious what he was going to do.
As he exhaled, Tweek pressed down along his spine, creating a series of loud cracks and pops. Craig let out a soft "oof", mostly at the noises, not having expected it to be that many. When the sounds stopped, Tweek began to lightly massage his shoulders with gentle kneading motions. Craig hummed and let his head flop down completely, so that he had a little trouble breathing into the cushions but not enough to change the position.
"How do you feel?" Tweek asked, working out the knots in his shoulders.
"Great. Thanks, man," came the muffled response from somewhere in the fluff. He giggled, then got up after making sure Craig's muscles were loose and relaxed. Craig made a whiney noise when Tweek got off but didn't really move for another minute before turning on his back and looking at Tweek. "You have so many talents that I wouldn't expect."
"Well thanks," he said, smiling down at him, hands on his knees. "I like to help."
Craig smiled back, looking at Tweek in wonder. "I think I have the prettiest boyfriend of the world." He blinked in surprise, then turned pink, straightening up, stuttering a denial.
Craig sat up and pulled him closer by his hips. "Nope, no denying. I totally do." Tweek huffed, then pressed his face into the poof on the top of Craig's hat.
He chuckled, kissing Tweek's stomach and grinning widely before hugging him closer. "The best boyfriend in general."
"Talk more about yourself, I like hearing you be positive," Tweek's muffled voice said.
"I am very confident in my skills of choosing my boyfriend," Craig smirked, aware that that wasn't what Tweek had meant.
"That's debatable," he said, looking at him teasingly.
"Are you trying to lower my self-esteem?" Craig asked, pretend-offended.
"If you think dating me is good, then yes, you probably need a dampener."
"It's been nothing but great so far, I think I don't deserve that dampener."
Tweek snorted, shaking his head. "Alright, then. What do you want to do now?"
"I have no idea. Kinda wanna sleep, kinda wanna go take a walk, and kinda wanna make out." Craig shrugged, head still against his stomach.
"W-Well... I'm okay with that last one. If you really wanna..." he blushed.
Craig looked up to see where Tweek was looking at, a bit of color on his face, too. Tweek was looking to the side, tugging at the bandaids on his fingers, his cheeks coated pink.
Craig smiled. "Are you sure?"
"I-I... I mean... uh... nng..."
Craig took his hand. "Tweek. It's alright."
He nodded. "Yeah... yeah, okay."
"Come 'ere." He gently pulled on his hand, patting the ground. When Tweek joined him, he carded his fingers through his hair. "You don't ever have to do anything just because I suggest it or want it. I really don't want to do anything you feel uncomfortable with. And you can always tell me. I won't get mad."
"No," he said quickly, grabbing his hands and squeezing them tightly. "I-I do want to, it's just... embarrassing to say it..."
Craig squeezed back. "Alright. But remember that, okay?"
"I will," he promised.
"Wanna go upstairs?"
"Sure."
Craig stood up without letting go, pulling Tweek up with him and waited for him to gain footing heading to the stairs. They went into Tweek's room, and for once, Tweek looked around and wished he had cleaned, or at least tried. It was a disaster area.
Craig didn't seem bothered by it, carefully but by now almost automatically stepping over the Legos and other small objects on the floor, ultimately flopping down on the bed and lying on his back.
Tweek paused, then began to push the Legos into piles. Now that it was on his mind, he wanted it to be done.
Craig let him do so, typing away on his phone. Clyde had written him something about replicating their sims game from yesterday but that it hadn't been as much fun, so Craig answered with 'Can't copy the original legend, dude' and went over to his chat with Jimmy, where they were discussing a few cop comedies they had both watched and compared to find the best.
Tweek managed to clear a path between the door and his bed. It wasn't clean as he would have liked, but a good start.
'Hot Fuzz is one of the best and you know it,' Craig typed.
Jimmy immediately replied with 'one of the best. Yes. But not the best. There are plenty way better ones. I personally find Pink Panther to be better.'
Craig asked him about a list of his favorites, before propping himself up on his arms and putting down his phone to look at Tweek. "You okay there?"
"Nnn... yeah," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Craig hummed, suddenly feeling itchy, not sure what to do now. Tweek played with his fingers as his blush returned. He wasn't sure what to do either.
"So..." Craig started scratching his cheek with one hand. "Are you... still okay with that?" This was more awkward than he had expected but he should've guessed it would be, after he suggested making out and then they had had some time before coming back to it.
"Y-Yeah..." he agreed. He shifted, turning to face him and crossing his legs. "Do you still want to...?"
"Yeah..." He could feel his face grow hotter by the second but refused to look away. "Sorry that this is a bit awkward." He sat up, swinging his legs to get momentum, and then leaned forward a bit. "I'm used to just... doing these things. Not talking about it first." Tweek couldn't help but giggle. It was an oddly tense situation, waiting to actually do it.
Craig made a clicking noise with his tongue. "I'm just... I'm just gonna kiss you now," he told him matter of factly, inching closer again.
"O-Okay," Tweek agreed softly, leaning towards him. Craig chuckled nervously before carefully kissing him, putting his hand against the back of Tweek's neck.
Once the touch was there, it was easy and not so awkward. Tweek found himself relaxing into it, his movements growing more confident. When Craig was sure that Tweek was more comfortable, his kissing became less careful and more direct, putting his other hand on Tweek's hip.
He allowed it, slowly putting his own hands on either side of Craig's face, tilting his head slightly. Craig's heart was beating strong against his chest as Tweek deepened the kiss and he closed his eyes, doing the same. His hands were warm against his face. He opened his mouth slightly, pulling Tweek closer. His lips moved Tweek's apart as well, and his warm breath ghosted over Craig's skin as his body willingly moved according to Craig's pulls.
A shiver ran down Craig's spine. He let the hand on Tweek's neck wander down over his shoulder and his back, lightly running his fingernails over the fabric until it was on Tweek's other hip, slipping his fingers under the hem of his shirt. Tweek's back arched slightly at the touch. He didn't dislike it, however, and tried to show this by pressing his lips softly against the corner of Craig's mouth.
Craig smiled, using the moment to breathe in. His head felt dizzy from the lack of air and the kissing itself and he was hot all over. He kept moving his hand over Tweek's back, drawing small circles against his hip with his thumb on the other hand.
Tweek took a few deep breaths himself. He hadn't ever done something like this before. It was kind of frightening, but also exhilarating. He felt oddly cool, as though he had eaten a lot of mint and it was coursing through his blood. Craig's touch sent shocks through him, but it was nice, not painful or discomforting.
"Are you still alright?" Craig asked a little out of breath still, lips touching slightly when he spoke.
"Yeah," he assured, "I'm fine. Are you?"
"I'm great!" Craig smiled, voice uncharacteristically enthusiastic. He blamed it on hormones. "Should we go on then?" he asked, because even if Tweek was fine he still wanted to give him the chance to back off if he thought that was enough.
Tweek nodded. "Yeah. I-I like this," he said, blushing.
"Good, okay. Me too." Craig didn't wait to see if Tweek would say something again, kissing him a few short times on the lips, before turning them into a long one. His hands slid down to Tweek's thighs and in one movement he had pulled Tweek onto his lap, not breaking the kiss. Tweek gasped softly into his lips but didn't pull away. Instead, he crossed his legs behind Craig's back, looping his arms around his neck.
Craig rested his hands on Tweek's lower back, somehow feeling like they were still too far apart even though they were sitting chest to chest. He pressed more against Tweek's lips, moving his along with them. "I love you..." he mumbled against Tweek's skin, between kisses.
"I love you too," he murmured back, adding a few light kisses to Craig's cheeks.
Craig made a noise close to a giggle, which still sounded weird to his own ears even if it happened every now and then. He kissed Tweek's nose, his cheek, his ear and then went lower to the spot where his neck and jaw connected, gently placing a kiss there and nibbling on it as gently as possible to see how Tweek would react. He was rewarded with Tweek's own giggle, the other grabbing his hands and squeezing them lightly.
Craig grinned. "You are SO ticklish!"
"I am," he said, smiling. "Use this knowledge wisely, no one else has it."
He chuckled and then softly sucked on the spot. This earned him another squeak.
Craig stopped, laughing, before kissing his way down to Tweek's throat and to the base of his neck, moving his hands to his stomach. "You are honestly adorable, and I love everything about you," he said quietly, feeling the butterflies return and hearing his own heartbeat in his ears. "I can't believe you didn't date anyone before me."
Tweek shivered and let out an uneven breath. "D-Didn't ever think about dating," he said. "Wasn't i-interested."
"Good for me then." Craig kissed the spot again, running his hands up and down Tweek's chest and stomach. Tweek turned his head, blushing. All this attention felt nice, and he wanted to be able to return it.
"You okay?" He looked up at the movement.
He nodded, lightly out of breath. "K-Kiss me again," he said, a hand working under Craig's hat, running his fingers through his hair, enjoying how soft it was. Craig shivered shortly from the touch and did as Tweek asked, humming against his lips, hands stopping to move when his shoulders slacked down.
Tweek pulled off Craig's hat and tossed it aside, then let both hands trail through the dark strands.
He felt his scalp tingle at the sensation and the sudden cold air, making a little, surprised noise but going back to actively kissing Tweek, fingers clawing into Tweek's skin, but without actual pressure. Tweek shuddered at the feeling, finding he enjoyed it. He had to move back a bit a few seconds later, resting his forehead against Craig's as his chest heaved, panting.
Craig was panting, too, their breath mingling as they tried to regain their footing. Craig calmed down a bit faster, Tweek's hands still in his hair. He concentrated on the feeling and, whenever Tweek's fingers so much as twitched, had shivers run down his spine like small electric shocks.
"Y-You okay?" Tweek got out between breaths.
"Yeah. I'm just... Man..." He laughed, sounding more like wheezing. "Really like when you touch my hair."
Tweek smiled at this. "Happy to help."
Craig grinned back, pulling his hands away from under Tweek's shirt and cupping his face. "You are way too good to be real, dude."
He leaned his head into the touch, sighing softly. "Nah. I'm very real. You're the one who can't exist."
"Well, now we've got a problem here, since I'm also really sure I'm real," he joked, gently stroking Tweek's cheeks. "Oh and, speaking of real, this might be awkward, but I totally have a boner. Sorry." He said that with a lot more ease than he was feeling, but since his face was red from kissing anyways he couldn't get that much darker.
Tweek couldn't help but laugh, putting his hands over Craig's and shaking his head. "Craig, I'm sitting on your lap," he pointed out. "Did you think I didn't notice?"
Incredibly, it was possible to turn an even darker shade. "I was hoping against all likeliness," he answered dryly.
Tweek giggled, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "It's okay."
Craig groaned, embarrassed and a bit jealous that Tweek seemingly didn't have to deal with this but smiled against his own awkwardness. "Thanks, babe."
"I am going to move now, though. It feels a bit strange," he teased, unhooking his legs and sliding over to sit beside him.
Craig resisted the urge to hide his face, looking a bit stoic in the attempt of keeping a straight face when Tweek moved on and from his lap. He'd have to take a real cold shower or help himself otherwise if he wanted to go back to his normal state, which would likely end in option one since he wasn't at his own house.
Tweek cleared his throat after a moment and said, "That was nice."
"Yeah. We should do that again. Some time. I mean..." He could've punched himself in the face. "It's good to hear that you liked it, too."
He smiled, then leaned over and kissed him slowly.
Craig relaxed a bit more, the butterflies in his stomach curiously going wilder than when they were making out. He kissed back as gently as he could manage, relaxing into the contact. It was a sweet kiss, entirely different from the frantic desperation of just a few seconds ago.
Craig made a noise he might be embarrassed about later, but he didn't care at the moment. All his senses were still focused on Tweek but in a different way, less needy and more attentive. Craig brushed a hair strand out of Tweek's face with one hand, the other keeping him up. They took more breaths as well, parting more often before coming back together easily. It was simple, but loving.
"You are a surprisingly nice kisser. Did you kiss anyone before?" Craig asked once, between kisses.
"No. I guess I just have a good teacher," Tweek answered with a shy smile.
Craig looked oddly proud at that but laughed it off. "You're also pretty good at sweet talk, huh?"
"You tell me," he teased, fluttering his eyelashes.
"Hmn, you definitely are." The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. "Continue this and I'd be ready to kill a bear for you."
"Hmm... that would be, what did you say? Hot."
Craig suppressed a snort. "Be right back. I have a bear to kill so my boyfriend finds me hot." He puffed out his chest and raised his arms in a heroic flexing pose. "If this was an anime, there would be sparkles around me now. And a really bright background."
"Then the side of my house would get ripped open and either I'd get kidnapped, or you would be thrown out onto the street to battle evil," Tweek laughed.
"If you were to get kidnapped, I'd totally invent a new special move just to save you from the hands of evil, promise." He grinned. "Not that you couldn't beat them yourself of course."
Giggling, he put his arms around his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "My hero."
Craig hugged him sideways, cackling softly. "The bad guys wouldn't stand a chance. We're the absolute power couple."
"I need to get coffee," he said, letting go and shuffling away.
Craig nodded, wondering slightly if he said something wrong or if he just realized that out of nowhere. "I'll be in the shower, if you wonder where I disappeared to. Shouldn't be long."
Tweek blinked. "Uh, okay? See you in a couple minutes," he said. He ruffled Craig's hair, then stood up, heading for the door.
"Did I do something, or did you just suddenly crave coffee?" Craig asked, getting over himself, smiling.
"I just want it," he assured, then headed downstairs.
Craig went to take the fastest and coldest shower ever, successfully getting rid of his boner. It felt weird to get back into his old clothes instead of new ones, but he didn't have a choice. He was too tall for Tweek's. From the bathroom, he heard Tweek's scream pierce the air.
He was downstairs faster than he was dressed, T-shirt around his neck and only one arm in the sleeve. "What is it?! Tweek?"
Tweek was standing in front of the mirror in the living room. Though coated in dust, it didn't hide from the teen the dark patch of skin that had formed just under the right side of his jaw.
Craig looked around frantically, not quite grasping the situation yet. "Tweek? What's that? Did you-" He looked again and then shut up, realizing what it was, his hands shooting up to his mouth. "Oops."
He whirled to face him, the emotion on his face hard to pinpoint. It was a mix of anger, confusion, but mostly, fear.
"That is my fault. Sorry." Craig wasn't sure what to say. "You can cover that up, it's not too big. I've seen mom do it."
Tweek's shaking hands formed into fists as his anger quickly grew into his dominate emotion. Craig ducked his head slightly, thinking it better to just shut up instead of making any more suggestions.
He closed his eyes, taking a few deep, steadying breaths before letting his anger melt away. "I need coffee," he sighed. He sat on the couch, turning on the coffee maker sitting on the side table.
Craig stood there uncomfortably stiff, not knowing if it was safe to say anything or if he would just make it worse again. He didn't think it was bad, a quite easy issue to deal with, but they used to have this discussion early in their friendship with Craig always trying to solve things even when Tweek didn't need that at the moment. Of course it still happened every now and then but Craig wanted to believe he had gotten better at it.
"You can come over, if you want," Tweek said, looking over the back of the couch towards him. "I'm not angry anymore."
"Alright." Craig trudged over to the sofa and sat down next to him, relaxing into the pillows.
"I'll go through mom's makeup in the morning. It'll be fine. Thanks for the suggestion," he said as the machine beside him beeped. He took a mug from the mug tree under the table, filling it.
Craig realized he had to finish dressing yet, and he quickly slid his shirt the rest of the way on. "Scarves work well, too, if you can't find any fitting makeup," he said, shrugging, eyeing the bruise sideways. It wasn't bad, but it was unmistakably a hickey. No point in denying it.
"I don't wear scarves," Tweek said, tucking his feet under his legs and sipping on his drink.
"Fair. Not usually. That'd be obvious." Craig tapped his fingers to his chin. "What about my jacket? It has a really high collar. I'd even give it to you without you having to make Stripe betray me." He grinned lightly.
"I don't wear jackets, either. And wouldn't that raise suspicion?"
Craig shrugged. "Don't think anyone would care and the guys know we're a thing, plus you just got sick a week ago, so it wouldn't make them wonder about why you're wearing it."
"Someone would notice a change that big. I'll just use the makeup."
"Okay." Craig tapped his foot in a random rhythm. "I thought about telling my dad today, but I chickened out," he said into the room after a while.
Tweek looked over, then reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly. "It's okay. Do it when you're ready," he said.
Craig nodded, squeezing back. "Sorry for the hickey, babe. I'll be more careful next time."
He blushed. "It's hardly all your fault. I felt what you were doing and didn't try to stop you."
Craig grinned sheepishly. "I actually sort of like it. I might be getting a little territorial here but... uh. Yeah."
Tweek rubbed the spot lightly, looking away in embarrassment. "I, uh... I kind of like that it's there, too," he admitted.
Craig suddenly felt unreasonably happy, his grin stretching wider and less embarrassed now. "That's nice." He tried to cover his enthusiasm with a short answer, but it was just too obvious. Tweek decided not to say anything else, taking a drink from his mug instead.
He cleared his throat, covering his grin with his hand. "I'll still watch out next time."
"Maybe not so high next time."
"No one but me is gonna look at your hips, right?" Craig poked said body part.
Tweek turned bright red. "I-I mean," he stuttered, "you're right b-but how are you supposed to put one there?"
Craig smirked. "Not that hard. Wanna see?" He leaned closer and almost over Tweek, same expression still on his face.
If anymore blood went to his head, there was a very real possibility Tweek would pass out. As it was, he felt a bit light headed and dizzy. Craig couldn't keep a straight face anymore at Tweek's expression. He snorted and started giggling, pressing a short kiss to his forehead instead of looming over him. Tweek grunted, swaying slightly.
Craig put his cold hands against his cheeks, slightly concerned. "Was that too much?" Tweek closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of Craig's hands rather than answering. "Do you need a hug?"
"...Yes."
Craig took the shaking mug out of his hands, put it on the table and pulled Tweek into a hug. He curled into him gladly. Something about being held by his boyfriend was soothing. Craig brushed his fingers through his hair, making sure he wasn't uncomfortable.
"I'm okay," he told him. "I just wasn't expecting you to say that."
"I know I can be a bit too much sometimes. Don't worry."
"I don't really mind it."
Craig kissed his temple, hugging a bit tighter. "Want to do anything or keep cuddling?"
"You're pretty great at cuddling."
"Cuddling it is, then." Craig grinned, sticking his face into Tweek's hair.
They remained together on the couch for a while, and as the sun began to set around nine, Tweek sighed and got up. "I guess you should go to bed."
Craig raised his eyebrows. "It's nine, dude. I'm not a grandfather, yet."
"What time do people usually go to bed?" he asked.
"No idea. I think around... eleven...? I usually stay up playing video games until at least twelve," Craig shrugged, not getting up.
"We should go upstairs anyway," Tweek said, glancing out the windows nervously. Craig got the hint and stood up, making sure the couch looked decent, before snatching Tweek's mug. He checked again if there was anything they left but they hadn't, so he went on. Tweek locked the door, then turned off all the lights, leading the way upstairs.
Craig had some questions, but he didn't really want to know the answers to them, so he didn't ask and just followed. Once in Tweek's room, Craig put the mug on Tweek's desk, then flopped down on his bed, lying over the short side and grabbed his hat from the covers. Tweek went to his desk, crouching slightly and peaking outside nervously.
"You think they gonna come looking when they get here?" Craig asked into the room, wondering why he was so nervous when he said that the two of them never cared that he was there anyways.
"Robbers would check anywhere!" he said worriedly, surveying the street outside suspiciously.
"Oh." Craig didn't expect that answer. "Did you hear something or are you generally making sure?"
"You can never be too sure!"
"Alright. But don't you guys have a security system?" Craig had pulled out his phone again, typing away a note to his mother about being sorry for not being home the entire weekend and that he wouldn't be home today, either.
"Yeah, but that doesn't always stop burglars," Tweek insisted. "And my house is one of the farthest away. The police aren't exactly known for being good at their job either. Why do you think- I fOrgOt tO lOck mY dOOr!" With a panicked screech, Tweek launched himself across the room to his bedroom door, slamming five different locks into place.
Craig raised his eyebrows. "Thanks. I think we're almost as safe as we can be. Tweek, come here." Flicking off his light, Tweek hurried over, crawling into the bed beside his boyfriend as though he was afraid a demon hand would reach out from under his bed and snatch him.
Craig pulled him close, so that he was between Tweek and the door. He wrapped a leg over both of Tweek's and pulled the blankets over them. "NOW you're as safe as you can be."
"But what if someone breaks in and hurts you?!" he yelped, looking up at him in fright. "Or what if a cult comes in to take me away, but they take you instead!? WhAt If thE gnOmEs cOmE bAck?!"
"Tweek. Babe." Craig carefully ran his fingers up and down Tweek's spine. "Relax. I know you're scared, but if someone comes in, we'll hear. You're a light sleeper anyways. Plus, I might not be as strong as you, but I can still throw a punch. I can protect us just fine." He smiled. Tweek swallowed heavily, shaking under Craig's touch. He did as Craig asked, however, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself.
"Is there anything you need right now?"
"J-Just... just keep telling me it's going to be okay," he whispered.
"Alright." Craig continued the hand movement on his back for a bit longer until he slid up and started softly massaging Tweek's scalp. "It will be fine. You locked your window, and your door is so secure that someone would have to break it open by force. So, by the time anyone did so we'd already be on high alert. Plus, they'd have to fight their way through Lego hell."
This got a giggle. A good sign.
"Also. We make a great team. No burglar would survive our combo attack." He poked Tweek's side. "And think about it. You living at the end of town also means the burglar would have to go super far. And I think they'd rather rob the coffee shop than your home. Or Token's place."
"That... yeah, yeah. You're right," he agreed, letting out a long breath.
"Oh, I also read that statistically, robbers don't try to break into locked rooms when they're unsure if someone's home because it takes too much time and is too loud."
Tweek was positive Craig was a miracle worker. Never before had anyone been able to calm him from a near-panic, not even himself.
Since Tweek had stopped shivering and seemed calm enough, Craig stuck some of his hair strands behind the ear that was on Craig's side. "Better?"
"Yeah. Thanks," he sighed, relaxing into him. "How do you do that?"
He stopped massaging for a moment. "This?"
"No, I mean, how do you relax me so easily?"
Craig took a minute to answer, smiling when he did. "...Trust?"
"Hm. Possible," he murmured. "I can't even calm myself down."
"Guess we should work on your self-esteem some time. And maybe we can find some coping methods together that work." He returned to combing through his hair, working at a spot behind his ear for a while.
"I want this to last forever..."
"I'll stay however long you let me," Craig told him, voice serious. "I wouldn't just leave you."
"Good."
Craig brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead again. "Yeah. And you can trust me. I promise."
"Hm. Let's sleep now... school tomorrow," he murmured.
"Sure." Craig pulled the blanket up a bit higher, turned his alarm on and put his phone to the nightstand, all without stopping his petting of Tweek's hair, the other laying on his chest, the picture of relaxation, already beginning to drift off.
He waited for Tweek to fall asleep, then allowed himself to join him.