Chapter 22:
Craig Goes on a Walk Again Again: Now With Warm Feelings!

Craig wipes his sweaty palms on his pants for the millionth time. They're getting nearer and nearer to the pond, and he's not sure what he'll do if they reach it and Tweek doesn't wait for him to say anything before he leaves.

What is Craig even supposed to say? How does he even open his mouth to start speaking? Tweek's gaze is cheerily glued to the trees nearby as he's humming a tune that doesn't sound like an actual song, but just atrocious sounds.

Craig's tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth and he's slowly feeling more convinced that the longer he doesn't say anything, the more years are taken off of his life.

If he doesn't say anything today, he won't be able to focus on school, or pay attention to his friends, or watch any Red Racers movies without being sucked into the cushion and dying or something equally as ridiculous.

He just needs to start talking lest his life will be destroyed.

"Hey, Tweek?" he starts before he can think better of it.

"Hm?"

"Uhm," Craig stammers. They're by the forest that surrounds Stark's Pond now— but not quite at their destination yet— so they have some privacy. It's still around late noon now, and Craig can't make out if this is a romantic setting… Shit, should he have thought of this more? Would Tweek be mad if he barely made an effort? Well it's too fucking late now, isn't it? "I-Is it okay, t-that I uh, like, really like you?"

"I like you too."

"No, I-I mean… I really like you… You know… a little d-differently." Holy shit. He's really doing it

They've stopped walking, but Craig doesn't dare to raise his gaze from the ground. His shoes are as dirty and half tearing like they always are and Tweek's pants are just long enough to hide the fact that he doesn't have shoes or socks on at all. His feet are half buried into the snow, but Tweek doesn't seem to care. Craig bites his lip so hard it stings, and his vision becomes a little blurry. The seconds it takes for Tweek to respond feel like forever to the taller teen. "I know you like me, Craig."

Craig shuts his eyes tight again, holding Tweek's hand like he's about to fall at any second. "N-No… You don't understand. I like you like you."

"Yeah. I get it." he says openly, "You like me like you want to fornicate."

Craig whips his head up to stare horridly at his crush, who surprisingly doesn't seem disgusted. Or concerned. Or happy or anything, really. If someone was to walk by at a distance where they couldn't hear what they were saying but could see, they might just assume that by the look on Tweek's face he's currently telling Craig that the town is expecting downpour in a week or something. "F-Forn— N-No—! I mean, w-we're too young for that, right? M-Maybe in a few years?" While it seems like everyone in school is excited to fuck anyone they deem hot, Craig can honestly say that he's not that bothered at staying a virgin for longer. He thinks that Tweek would rather take it slow anyways, if he was even interested.

"Oh," Tweek says dumbly, "But you do like me like how mom likes dad." It's supposed to be a question, but it sounds more like a statement. "You're pretty obvious, Craig." Well that definitely sounds like a fact.

Craig tries to get ahold of his flustered brain. Even his own t-thoughts are s-stuttering at this point. "Mm, w-well, y-yeah uh— Hey! Why am I the mom?!"

Tweek raises an eyebrow. Craig can only pout and bring his hand to flip the other off, eyes sliding away from the downright embarrassing situation. "Whatever. S-So how do you feel?" And then his insides are going all crazy again, and that nausea hits him like a brick.

Tweek squeezes his hand. "Craig, I barely know you."

"But do you want to?"

"Yes!"

It's quiet again as Craig awaits Tweek to continue, and to just reject him once and for all. "You know… I met this girl, Wendy, when I was at the school? And she was really nice… And Kenny too… I like them. But I like you differently, I think, Craig— Hnn." Craig looks up at him when his heart skips a beat, new hope shining in it. "But I barely know them! And I barely know you either, Craig! It makes me happy to know you think I'm really that special…" His cheeks tint pink and he kicks at the snow. Craig stares at awe at Tweek's sweet little smile he directs at the ground. "I don't know why you think that, but I want to. The problem is, though, that I don't completely know what the difference between me liking you and me liking the others is…

"I wanna know for sure what it is I feel for you before we become anything."

"Oh."

"Yes. And I want you to be sure, too." Tweek finally looks up and assaults Craig's eyes with his big beautiful smile. "Mn, I wanna hang out with you more and I wanna hang out with some of the nicer kids too… Even if you all are dirty humans… maybe some of you aren't so bad." He blushes deeply and by gosh if it's not one of the nicest things Craig had ever seen.

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome," he giggles. "How about this? If you swear to introduce me to more people— who you know are safe and normal and not selfish and just use each other for their own agenda!— Then I swear that in… three moon cycles I'll respond to your confession." He looks at him with a wide smile and shining eyes and Craig can't even find himself to be bothered that he straight up got rejected. Temporarily, at least.

Three months is a long time, and Tweek can't promise— swear to him that by the end he'll reciprocate his feelings. But the look the blond is giving him is honest and open and Craig doesn't worry about a thing. Deep in those eyes, past the green glow, there's a sliver of what Craig feels for Tweek directed straight at him unashamedly. Care and fondness and protectiveness, and wow if that doesn't feel like a holiday just for him. Even if they end up as only friends, Craig thinks that they will be able to handle it together.

"I swear."

"Yes!" tweek puffs before tackling him in a hug. Craig blinks in surprise before hugging back, burying his head against Tweek's shoulder. He's a little warmer than he was the day before. Craig hugs tighter.

"I'm going to be the best fucking friend, you'll see. You'll just love my friends, but me more."

"Confident, are we?" He leans back from the hug but it takes Craig a good second to realize that, now that his mind is all cloudy and hazy. That has to be the reason why tweek's face looks ever redder. "Just pour in some coffee when they're ready to hang out… If they even want to."

"Of course they do!"

Tweek smiles at him and frees his hand from Craig's sides to place them both on the human's cheeks, like he did that early morning. Craig instantly relaxes into it, eyes drooping and hands lifting to find sharp yet gentle claws. Tweek smoothly looks at him, eyes studying his face while his expression softens. Craig feels his heart squeeze in his chest, but this time it feels comforting, and he doesn't mind. Because he knows Tweek doesn't mind either. He wonders what it would take to make Tweek feel like this as well. It's barely been a few days, but he's really already down this bad.

"My parents used to hold me like this when they were happy with me." Tweek confesses faintly after a minute of Craig just watching Tweek watch him.

"Oh," He lets go of Tweek's hands to mirror the blond, his hands finding cold cheeks easily without really thinking twice about it, gentle of the slight bruising. But instead of relaxing into it like Craig had, alternatively Tweek completely stiffens, freezing in place with his face becoming redder than Craig ever thought the pond creature could ever manage— so much so that he can feel it heating in his palms. Accompanied by a small adorable squeak emitting from the blond's throat.

Oh, Craig repeats in his head.

Tweek drops his hands and jumps back from Craig's, "W-Well, argh, I'm kind of t-tired now," He laughs very loudly, "Ha ha I think I'm going to catch up on my sleep hours!" He turns around and makes it a few quick steps towards Spark's Pond before he swirls around to look at Craig's shocked face one last time, "Y-You better have coffee with you when you come back here, Craig! Mm, Bye!" He sighs that last sentence before smiling nervously at the raven head.

Craig gapes for a second before he realizes the other is actually waiting for a response this time, "Bye, Tweek…"

Tweek nods before turning around and disappearing behind the trees that obscure the rest of the path.

Craig waits for a moment before slowly turning around himself and returning to school. He doesn't have a reason to completely skip it today, after all. It's not like his friends have something to tease him about now, he thinks.

He makes it half way back through the path they originally took before everything that had just happened right then really dawns on him, and he feels a wide doofy smile spread giddily on his face. He quite literally jumps, and pumps his fists in the air. "Yes!" Craig doesn't normally jog, but he does for the rest of the way, just from sheer excitement.

He can't fucking wait to tell his friends.