Tweek
Fourth grade came to a close far too fast for Tweek Tweak.
After the loneliness of his earlier years, and the never ending drama of actually having friends, the chance of pace was blinding and yet wonderful. Things kept changing. He got a little older, a little taller, and a little happier. The dark circles under his eyes never got any better, and the monsters never got any less scary, but he was learning how to fight the darkness a little more effectively than before, and that was enough.
Mr. Garrison never got any better at teaching, and by the end of the year everyone was sort of hoping that he'd just leave, but there was the prospect of a new teacher on the horizon, and a new principal, though no one knew who yet. Tweek chose not to think about it, and he was happier because of it. Stress, he was discovering, was largely easy to avoid if you knew what would make you worried.
Cartman's gang never stopped being trouble, but Tweek left them alone. They didn't seem inclined to involve him in anything, and he didn't want that to change. It was enough that none of them bothered him anymore. Kyle even smiled at him occasionally, and Stan had helped him more than once when he needed it. That was pretty good in his book.
Kenny never changed, though he hung out with Tweek and his friends a little more often than before. Surprisingly, he didn't act weird, he was peaceable, and enjoyable to be around, though his loyalties always would lie with Cartman and the others. Sometimes he'd bring Butters along, and though Tweek didn't quite understand the boy, he'd come to appreciate his presence as well.
Clyde and Bebe stayed together for the rest of the year, and seemed to have no intention of breaking up. Unlike the other poster couple of the fourth grade, they didn't break up every other week, and they honestly seemed happy. Occasionally, Tweek would seem them holding hands, or Bebe asleep on Clyde's shoulder, or the boy playing with the blond girl's hair. It was strangely comforting, to think that something so good could exist in South Park.
Token seemed to think that they'd last for a while, and Tweek had learned that though the black boy could be as mysterious as Kenny with his explanations, he was usually right.
Which is why when Token said that Tweek looked better, the blond boy knew that it meant a whole lot more than that.
And it was true, he felt better. Even though he had never cared much for his physical well being, too busy trying to stay alive for something that specific, Tweek knew that his entire body was benefiting from being happy. Truly happy, not just pretending, not just not miserable. No, he was actually smiling more and panicking less. When the attacks did come, he was feeling better more quickly afterward. It was as close to peace as he'd ever gotten.
So even as he sat there in the gym with all the other students who had just listened to Principal Victoria's farewell speech, waiting for the bell to ring one last time before summer started, Tweek wasn't nervous about what the future was going to bring, he was just happy that he'd made it this far. There are so many people, I hope I don't get trampled! Shivering at that, Tweek tilted his head up a little further, secure in the knowledge that he'd be fine. I don't have to worry about anything-
Riiiinnnnnngggg~!
The kids all started screaming and racing for the doors. Almost carried away by the flood, Tweek let out an involuntary sound as reached out and his hand instantly found a familiar old blue hoodie.
- because I have Craig.
The Noirette had hardly changed at all. It was weird that he was getting taller and Craig wasn't, but Tweek still knew the boy to be the same person he'd always been. Still with those deep blue eyes Tweek felt like he could drown in, still with those gentle hands that Tweek knew would never hurt him, still with that slight smile that to Tweek meant the world. He didn't show any more emotion than before, but Tweek knew that he was happy by the way the light danced in his eyes.
He still cared about Tweek, as miraculous as that sounded. Tweek had learned how to help Craig a bit too. The monsters still haunted the Noirette, but Tweek was quick to let him stay over so that he could keep the taller boy safe. They protected each other, and that made Tweek feel like he was worth something. It was a stupid thought, but he'd never felt needed before. Despite the pain that they felt sometimes, they had each other, and that was important.
Together, they'd survived fourth grade. To Tweek, that actually felt like an accomplishment instead of just another stage of life.
"Glad that the year is over?" Craig asked in that deep, slightly nasally voice that Tweek had come to know better than his own. Jesus, am I glad that it's over? Shivering as he tried to formulate an answer, Tweek tightened his hold on Craig's hoodie and found himself pulled closer when a rush of sixth graders blew past them. Relaxing into the feeling of the Noirette's arm wrapped tightly around his back, the shorter boy spent a moment just breathing there.
So much has happened, I don't know if I'm ready for it to be over. What if I wake up tomorrow and find out that it was all just a dream? What then? Biting his lip, Tweek looked up at Craig and asked, "Ngh- Are you?"
Shrugging easily, pulling Tweek towards the open doors, finally letting the riptide of moving bodies drag them along, Craig said, "It's just another year, right?" Is that really all you think about it? Just another year?! Sure that was technically true, but to Tweek, everything that had happened had been much more than just another year. Before this, the idea of having friends or having fun had been foreign to Tweek, but somehow in the past nine months, that had all changed. In the blond's mind, that was pretty amazing.
He would have said as much if Clyde hadn't come flying out of nowhere, catching Craig around the neck and dragging the Noirette away from Tweek. "CRAIG!" the brunet yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Motherfucker-!" Craig exclaimed in surprise at about the same moment.
Letting out a screech as his friends both went down, Tweek would have lunged forward if Bebe hadn't grabbed the blond by the waist and all but spun him around in a hug. "This is amazing!" she cried joyfully. When Tweek just let out a wail of confusion, Bebe laughed and explained, "School's out!" Her face glowed with excitement. Whimpering slightly as he struggled to get his feet back under him, Tweek found himself getting pulled into her contagious merriment anyway.
"Is it just me, or did this last school year feel like it lasted for a decade?" Token asked, stepping up to Craig and Clyde, the former of which was still trying to struggle away from the latter.
"It wasn't that bad," Bebe instantly insisted, giggling as Tweek wriggled away from her and went to help Craig pry Clyde off of him. Ending up with the brunet just hugging him instead, Tweek submitted to his fate as the Noirette finally got to his feet. "I mean, it could have been worse, right?"
"Not really," Craig deadpanned, unimpressed. "Clyde, don't fucking smother Tweek, he doesn't deserve that." Waving off his words, Clyde grinned from ear to ear, only letting go of Tweek when Craig punched his arm in retaliation for his earlier actions.
Laughing, Clyde said, "This year wasn't all bad, it just had some not so good parts. But it's better now because it's summer." Before this, Tweek hadn't understood the magic that was contained in that word but when Clyde said it like that, it sounded amazing, something worth getting excited about. "We're free now! We can do anything!" Vibrating as ideas started to crowd his brain, suggesting all manner of things they could do, Tweek let out a squeak as Craig ruffled his hair.
"As long as it doesn't involve you getting stuck on the roof again," Craig said boredly, his expression unchanged. "Then whatever."
Opening his mouth in an O of betrayal, Clyde complained, "Aw, Craaaaig, don't say that!" When Craig just flipped him off, the brunet insisted, "C'mon, not cool man, don't embarrass me in front of Bebe~!" At once, the blond girl caught her boyfriend in a hug that almost pushed them both over.
"Don't be silly, I don't care. I got stuck on the roof of my garage once too so it's okay," Bebe confided, giving one of those musical laughs as she butted her nose against Clyde's cheek happily. Just watching them made Tweek feel happy inside, and he twitchily grinned up at Craig, who was watching them with barely discernible amusement. Catching his gaze, Craig turned to look down at the blond before raising an eyebrow.
"W-what do you usually do during the summer?" Tweek asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Since he'd never really had people to hang out with, the blond generally just got roped into helping out at the coffee shop. His parents would lock him in the back room and forget about him for sometimes entire days, which was undeniably stressful. I don't want to spend all summer back there again! I wouldn't get to spend time with Craig. Or Token and Clyde and Bebe! That would be so horrible! Jesus, I hope they don't do that!
"OH GOD I DON'T WANT TO GET LOCKED UP!" Yanking at his hair hard, Tweek shivered and twitched until Craig dragged him closer with an arm around his shoulder, breaking through his momentary panic. I said that out loud. Why do I have to be so embarrassing. Who would want to hang out with me? Looking down at his feet, feeling stupid, Tweek allowed the hand that landed in his hair to calm him.
"Don't worry Teacup, we won't let you get locked up anywhere," Clyde promised the blond, as if he hadn't had an outburst at all. "We're going to do so much, you won't even have the chance to stop and breathe." Though that sounded a little dangerous because jesus, asphyxiation is no laughing matter! Tweek decided it was probably preferable to solitude.
From beside Clyde, Bebe smiled and brightly said, "Actually, my family is going hiking in a week, and you guys are all invited!" Reaching out and catching Tweek's hands, the girl continued, "Several of my girlfriends are coming too, but I really want all of you to come, if you can."
"Hiking?!" Tweek yelped, his eyes wide. "B-but what about bears!? Or Tigers!? OR LIONS AUGH! JESUS! DO THEY HAVE LIONS IN COLORADO!?" The idea of getting torn apart by ravenous wild animals was terrifying, and the blond found himself once more pulling at his hair in fear. Thankfully, Craig's arm tightened around his shoulders, reminding the boy of the Noirette's presence.
"There aren't going to be any Lions," Craig said calmly, cutting through Tweek's worry. "Or Tigers. I've never seen any around South Park before."
"Well," Clyde began, raising a finger. "There was that one time that-"
"Anything Cartman gets up to doesn't count," Token smoothly cut in. Giving Bebe a smile, the boy said, "I think that hiking would be enjoyable actually. The summer has been pretty mild so far, so it should be nice."
"Yeah!" Clyde agreed, with a much more bombastic brand of enthusiasm. "That would be so much fun! I'd love to come Bebs~!"
Flushing in response to Clyde's nickname for her, Bebe turned back to Tweek and lifted her brows imploringly. "Come on Tweek, will you come?" Eyes twinkling as only hers seemed to be able to do, the girl weedled, "I think that you'd have a lot of fun."
Glancing up at Craig, Tweek shivered, earning himself a tilt of the Noirette's head. "I'll go if you do," Craig told him, his tone even. Well, if Craig was going, then Tweek didn't want to stay behind, no matter what kinds of terrible animals were out there.
"I -ghn- guess I'll go," Tweek said, nibbling on his lip and smiling tentatively. If I'm with Craig and everyone else, anything would be fun, probably. Briefly he wondered if the Underpants Gnomes could follow him out into the wilderness, before discarding the thought quickly.
Expression warming, Bebe squeezed Tweek's hands in excitement and squealed. "This is going to be so much fun!" she exclaimed, smiling widely.
As his friends all started talking about different things to do during their vacation, Tweek's attention admittedly started to drift. Following the others as they started to leave the school yard and head in the general direction of their various homes, Tweek laced his fingers with Craig's while he marveled at how much happier everything seemed. For so long everything had been serious and terrifying, without even an inch left for stupid, childish normality, but now things were okay, and he loved it. He was even going hiking!
Okay, sure, if he thought about it too hard his mind instantly started to conjure up a million and one things that could go horribly wrong, but he was excited about it. That was progress. His life had gotten infinitely better since he'd started hanging out with Craig, and Tweek didn't care that he was still plagued by all of those problems that made him so annoying and disgusting in general, because the Noirette didn't mind him, and that was what mattered. As if to back this thought up, Craig glanced down at him and squeezed his hand slightly, his blue eyes soft.
It was hard to believe that in a couple of months, they'd be heading into fifth grade and another year of school. Life is going to just keep getting harder, isn't it? At the thought, Tweek twitched and grabbed for his thermos, which he'd stuffed into the side pocket of his backpack. Because his hand was still occupied with Craig's, Tweek let the Noirette unscrew the lid of his coffee for him, hardly thinking anything of it. It's funny how many habits we have. I wonder if Craig notices them. Probably not, they're not that special, he probably would stop if he realized what he was doing.
Shoving the thoughts from his brain, or at least pushing them to the back, Tweek sipped at the caffeinated beverage in his hand as he shuffled over the pavement. He'd been drinking a little less recently, mostly letting Craig's calming presence take the place of his horrible coffee addiction. Of course, he hadn't kicked it completely, but Tweek was pretty sure that he was doing better. At least his room wasn't becoming littered with empty mugs as he stayed up till morning drawing and building and trying not to die. Not that he didn't stay up all night most nights, but details, right?
It wasn't like he didn't use that time to his fullest advantage.
Brain traveling to his room and everything it contained, Tweek noticed that they were coming up on their turn and almost tripped as he pulled instantly at Craig's arm, trying to get the taller boy's attention. "What's up dude?" the Noirette asked evenly, turning towards him slightly.
"Wanna come over t-today?" Tweek asked, shivering slightly with excitement. I can't believe I almost forgot about this! I'm so distracted, I've been thinking about hiking and school. Ugh, I need to be more focused, maybe I really do have ADHD. When Craig just stared at him, Tweek hurriedly said, "I m-mean- Jesus! I know that we were probably all going to hang out or something, b-because that's what Clyde and Token were talking about earlier -ngh- but can you come over instead?"
Considering Tweek's words for a moment, the gears in his brain visibly turning, Craig said, "Yeah, sure," before squeezing Tweek's hand again, almost like it was an automatic impulse. The idea that the Noirette just naturally cared about him made something warm lodge in Tweek's chest. Stopping at the corner and looking towards the other kids, Craig called, "I'm going to Tweek's house today."
Looking over his shoulder, Token gave them both a look, as was customary for the black boy, before nodding slowly. "Alright. See you tomorrow."
"You had better not have fun without me!" Clyde called, laughing when Craig flipped him off. "Seeya Craig!"
"Bye Tweek!" Bebe called, waving perfectly. Jerkily waving as well, Tweek managed a smile before he twitched and let out an involuntary sound as he hurried in the direction of his house, almost pulling Craig along behind him.
"Come on!" Tweek all but screeched, his eyes widening in excitement as he thought about what Craig would say once he saw what the blond had for him. He's going to be so excited. Right? He will like it, right? What if he doesn't? Oh no, that would be horrible. Jesus, I wouldn't be able to take that if he didn't like it! Resolutely shoving the ideas out of his head, Tweek insisted, "It's -rrr- really important!"
"What is it?" Craig asked, his longer legs helping him make up the distance and keep up with Tweek easily. Despite the blond's few new inches, the Noirette was still much faster.
"You'll see!" Tweek promised, his eyes bright and wild as he tugged Craig along behind him.
As they pulled up in front of Tweek's house, the boy skidded to a halt before dropping Craig's hand and racing up his front steps. Coming up after him at a much more sedated pace, Craig caught the back of Tweek's backpack and helped the blond free himself from it. Too set on the surprise he had waiting in his room, Tweek ended up taking far longer than necessary trying to leave his shoes at the door and get the top back on his coffee. Finally though, he managed, and he hurried up the stairs before anything else could prove to be a distraction.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Craig asked, his flat tone conveying bemusement. Grin still set on his face, Tweek just pulled open his door and tumbled into his room, tripping on the lego UFO he'd left on his floor. For a second, the ground loomed in his vision, but then Craig's arm swooped around his middle, pulling him up. Catching his breath, sheepishly letting the calmer boy set him back on his feet, Tweek took a moment before answering.
"I've been w-wanting to give this to you for a while, but -grr- I decided to wait until school got out," Tweek explained, dancing over the war zone that was his floor as he headed for his dresser. Dragging the badly wrapped long tube from the top, Tweek continued, "I mean, I know that I missed your birthday and Christmas, b-but I still wanted to get you something!"
Craig's eyes widened as the blond shoved the tube into his hands. "Tweek-" he started, his impossibly blue eyes full of an indiscernible emotion. "Dude, you didn't need-"
Hardly able to slow his own mind down enough to listen, Tweek burst out, "But I d-didn't have enough money to buy anything! And my parents are convinced that I have a job r-right now, and I still haven't managed to get them to remember I'm n-not old enough to have one, and they probably will just forget anyway- JESUS THAT'S NOT WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT!" Tugging on his hair and shaking his head emphatically, Tweek held his breath for a moment before saying, "I didn't have any money s-so I made you something instead. I know it's not as cool as the shirt you got me, b-but I hope you like it anyway." Finally slapping a hand over his own mouth to shut himself up, Tweek fell silent.
The Noirette just continued to stand there, his eyes softening. "Thank you," he said sincerely, his normally emotionless voice changing ever so slightly. If you didn't know him, you would never have noticed it, but Tweek knew Craig like the back of his hand, and he knew what that slight change of pitch meant.
Flushing slightly, Tweek twitched and stammered, "Ngh- Christ you h-haven't even opened it! Don't th-thank me! What if you hate it?!"
Keeping his eyes locked on Tweek's face, Craig opened his mouth as if to speak, before closing it quickly and tugging his chullo down over his forehead. Just as Tweek was about to insist he open the package once more, Craig carefully began to tear the wrapping paper, starting at one end and gradually working his way through the impressive amounts of tape the blond had used on the gift. Pulling it apart, bit by bit, Craig's breath did something funny as he finally pulled the poster out and unrolled it.
It was a painting of space, or at least, it was as good an interpretation of space as Tweek could do. He'd spent hours looking at Craig's books and memorizing as many patterns as possible so he could do an accurate drawing of the stars. The main focus of the poster however was the image of Stripe that Tweek had painstakingly attempted to copy from the picture of the guinea pig that Craig had given him. He'd put the little creature in a space suit, and below it's little paws, he'd traced out the words I don't believe in humans.The whole thing had taken Tweek hours, and even though he sort of hated it, he'd decided that it was as good as he could make it.
"Tweek-" Craig began, his voice all weird like he couldn't breathe as he continued to stare at the poster.
"I know it's n-not very good!" Tweek instantly said, wringing his hands and staring at his feet. Oh jesus, he doesn't like it, does he? Why did I make it, I should have just bought him something. Why did I do that? "I don't know space like you do, a-and I can't draw very well and jesus, it doesn't even look like stripe, b-but I just- I really-" Shivering harder, Tweek suddenly shrieked, "OH GOD JUST GET RID OF IT I'M SORRY!"
There was a rustling as Craig swiftly set aside the poster before stepping forward and crushing Tweek in a hug that squeezed the breath from the panicking blond's lungs. For a moment, Tweek just twitched in Craig's arms, then he tentatively reached his hands around and hugged the Noirette back, sinking into the sensation of warmth and security that he so dearly treasured.
"I'm not going to throw it away," the taller boy said fiercely in that deep voice of his. "I love it Tweek, it's perfect."
Softly, feeling his heart grow in his chest, Tweek shivered amd mumbled, "Okay," before closing his eyes tightly and just clinging to Craig, thankful that the boy existed.
Moving back a little, just enough so he could run his hands through Tweek's hair as he was given to do, Craig said, "You know… This year wasn't just normal."
Eyes widening slightly, Tweek jerked his head up at those words, staring into Craig's deep eyes and getting lost in their depths. As he formulated his next words, Craig kept dragging his hands through Tweek's fluffy hair, the feeling sending shivers through the blond. After a moment, the Noirette continued, "I know I said it was before, but it's more like… the opposite of normal. This year has been like nothing else."
"Is th-that a good thing?" Tweek asked in a small voice.
Craig didn't have to think about that one apparently. Instead, he just leaned forward and bumped his forehead against Tweek's gently before saying, "Ye p."
And Tweek knew that he meant it, and he knew that because Craig meant it, things were going to keep getting better. When he'd been younger, it had been hard to think past the present, but at this moment, the blond realized that he was hopeful for the future, and that was something he hadn't been ever.
"I'm glad you're here, Craig," Tweek said, his trembling almost entirely stilling in those seconds.
"I'm glad too."
Summer, Tweek thought, was going to be the best, because Craig would be there with him.
