Tweek shuffled into the Tucker household, smiling weakly to the man of the house who let him in. He never got used to being around Thomas Tucker, the manly man radiated intimidation without even trying. It had been years coming to the home but the sternness on Thomas's face never softened, the look had been engrained into Thomas's facial features long before Tweek was even born. Something that Thomas learned was that his smile was his only way to bring comfort to those around him, especially those that needed reassurance that he wasn't out to get them. With understanding, Thomas Tucker smiled and gestured off handedly to the stairs, "He's upstairs, and dinner will be ready in a bit. Go on, go."
Nodding, and kicking off his shoes at the base of the stairs, Tweek scurried up the stairs. Loud music could be heard from the hallway, and Tweek knew that Craig must be in a mood. He rushed to Craig's door, took out a key- not so much a key but a flat head- and opened the door. He shut it behind him, and surely Craig was face down on his bed with Stripe on his back nibbling a piece of carrot. Tweek exhaled deeply, he had a habit of holding his breath. There was no movement from the other, he probably didn't even hear the other open the door. Tweek took his time to adjust himself, taking his coat off and tugging his long sleeves so that they rested at the base of his hands. He grabbed a carrot from the desk and lowered the music while he was there. He turned to see that Craig's face was now looking at him, straight faced like always. Tweek went to the animal and picked him up to put him away, offering the food as an apology.
"Nothing's wrong." Craig's voice came out raspy. He must have been screaming lately, Tweek thought. Tweek hummed in response as he sat on the floor, back against the bed. "They're the problem anyway, I'm perfectly fine." Tweek leaned his head back to look at the other, earning a peck on the forehead as Craig sat up.
"Are you sure? We don't have to hang out so much. I have hobbies you know…" Tweek offered. High school had just started, and with the drones of new people from other schools, Craig and Tweek were pushed to hold each other more closely in public, fearful that they would drift apart. They had gotten so used to each other that the thought frightened them, to one day wake up no longer needing each other. Over the course of the first month, Tweek had gotten more used to high school, it was less scary once he found a few of his own friends, at least potential friends. It was hard to get to that friend mark, he didn't have the time to spend building friendships, it had seemed that all his free time went to Craig. Tweek never voiced his desire to connect with new people, since spending time with Craig was just as perfect as it had always been and for some reason Craig was giving him more attention than he ever had.
Tweek wasn't the only one that noticed this change in focus. There was no reason for the two boys to not seek their old friends. Especially Craig, the one with the most tight knit group, aside from Stan and those guys. But Craig had doubled down, when confronted by his friends about the newfound obsession that he had with Tweek, saying that he was the only one that could prevent Tweek's panic attacks. The others knew this, but had also noticed that Tweek seemed adjusted, so it seemed irrational and out of character for the stoic to suddenly become consumed by the blonde. It caused a bit of reaction out of Craig, he thought that they were judging him, that they found out that he was actually gay and wanted him to stop. Craig and Tweek were on their own now, separated from the group and those around them, and it made Tweek worried that Craig believed that his friends didn't like him anymore. "We can sit with the others at lunch, and you can try for football still. Clyde and Token said the freshman team needs a better running back." Again Tweek offered a solution. Craig stared at the wall, he wasn't sure why Tweek was saying all this, like he didn't really want Craig to follow him, keep him company.
"I don't want to play football." Craig responded flatly. Tweek furrowed his eyebrows.
"Okay… well, I'm going to join the drama club." Tweek found himself saying, he needed to push Craig in the right direction, he hated seeing the other guys so upset about their friend abandoning them for no apparent reason.
"We'll go Monday then, I'm sure they need stage hands or whatever. I'll just do that." Craig started. "I don't have to get on stage or anything." He looked down to see Tweek's confused face. "What? Did I say something stupid?" Craig began to blush, not knowing anything about the drama club. So he redirected his gaze to the ceiling.
"Well, no… But you don't have to go with me." Tweek readjusted him self so he could face the other. "Craig, is there anything that you want to do? Just you, forget the other guys." Craig's mind could only think of Tweek, his smile, his shaky breaths, and the scent of coffee. His blush deepened so he turned his head to the door. He wanted to run so badly.
"Not off the top of my head. I just want to be there for you, and I don't care about what the other guys say about it." He replied looking away. Tweek looked down at his lap. "Unless you don't need me anymore." Tweek's neck snapped up to see Craig still looking at the door.
"It's not that I don't need you, I want to still be friends with you. You're my best friend, Craig." Tweek started off. "But we can do our own thing, I don't want you to regret it. Not having your other friends to joke with, make memories with… you know be a teen with." Tweek was standing now, edging his way into Craig's eyesight. "The guys miss you, and it won't be any different from when we were in middle school anyway. " But I want to be with you, Craig thought. He didn't want this distance, he wanted to follow Tweek wherever those green eyes wanted to go.
"Sure, but what about the girls?" Craig was trying to find any excuse now. "I don't want to deal with stupid love confessions." I don't want people confessing to you, Craig thought.
"I think everyone knows we are 'dating,' Craig." Tweek quoted dating with his fingers and rolled his eyes. "And if one or two do confess, then I don't know… If you like them, just let me know and we'll break up and if you don't like them then use me as an excuse. You win either way." Craig cringed, he didn't like the fact that Tweek was so whatever about their relationship, he fully believed that Craig didn't like him like that. But it was obvious that Craig did, at least to Craig it was obvious, and at this point he thought maybe other people were catching on to his real feelings. That's why he was so defensive when the guys asked if he and Tweek were actually together.
"What about you?" Craig's question didn't make sense, what about Tweek. "What if they confess to you now, will you be able to handle that?" Craig blinked unbelievingly, as Tweek belted one of the most hearty laughs Craig has ever witnessed.
"Confess. ME?" Tweek management to squeak out in the middle of his laughing fit. Tweek didn't understand that his frame and height had filled in nicely and his braces were taken off over the summer or that him joining a summer volleyball camp when he visited his cousin in California was going to make him prime eye candy. He still saw himself the shy, jittery mess that his classmates made fun of throughout his youth.
"Tweek, you're hot now." Craig blurted without thinking. The laughter stopped. "To other people, objectively, you're a good looking guy." He tried to fix, almost immediately, not sure if he was ready to have that talk with Tweek. Tweek let out a puff of air and Craig could feel himself relax. He wanted Tweek to know his love, but he didn't think he could handle telling Tweek, not when Tweek was so nonchalant about their relationship.
"Then same goes for me." Craig really didn't like that, but he didn't say anything. He couldn't, he felt that his love was one-sided and it terrified him that Tweek might want to leave him because of it. He didn't know that Tweek was a great actor, one that could hide his feelings. Tweek loved Craig, so he wouldn't ever break up with him, he wanted to take advantage of this pretend relationship as long as he could. Their relationship came with forehead kisses, and Craig's hands. He was okay if Craig's affection meant the world to him but to Craig it was all an act. He was okay with that for now. Craig reluctantly got up from the bed to stand in front of Tweek. He hated and loved that Tweek was currently taller than him.
"Okay, we'll spend more time a part, but we stay together, just like middle school." Tweek's heart fluttered. Things didn't have to change, not really. Craig will hang out with the guys, Tweek will hang out with his friends, and they will hang out together. It will be perfect. Even though Craig didn't want to spend time a part, even though he wanted to spend every second with his boyfriend, Craig caved in to Tweek's pleads for space but he wouldn't cave into letting Tweek go completely.
"Sounds good to me, thanks for looking out for me by the way. You take the protective role very seriously, I think you forget sometimes that you don't need to." Tweek brought the other in for a hug, it didn't last long as Tricia opened the door.
"Dinner's ready, come on Tweek!" she grabbed onto Tweek and rushed out the room with him. Craig followed close behind. As they reached the table, Tweek's green eyes met Craig's for a second longer than usual and ripped into Craig's heart. Shit, he could probably convince me to kill my family and run away to Canada and I might actually do it.