Crog
Craig woke up how he always preferred to wake up; with warm light on his face and Tweek curled up in his arms. Mostly just the second one, actually, but he'd learned to associate both with good things. Granted, when he realized a moment later that they were still in the same goddamn forest on the same fucking mountain, his good mood was marred slightly, but those, he knew, were the breaks.
No one had found them during the night, as he had almost hoped they would. He didn't usually waste much energy on hoping for anything, it didn't tend to turn out well, but for Tweek's sake, he'd had some vague hope that someone came looking. Logically, he knew that Bebe's Parents were probably doing everything they could to find their missing charges, and Clyde wouldn't rest until he knew that his friends were alright. Token would likely be a little bit more methodical, but he'd be looking too. They had people who cared, but that didn't make them any less lost.
At least I have Tweek. His first instinct was to tighten his arms around the blond, but he resisted, not wanting to wake the boy up just yet. The boy had been through enough for a year in just the last twelve hours. As those thoughts worked their fingers into Craig's mind, the Noirette focused on Tweek's stress-free face and reminded himself that the other boy was alive and he wasn't going anywhere.
Craig could still remember clearly the absolute terror that had run through him when he'd seen Tweek go over the edge of the steep bank and land in the creek. If the blond hadn't had his pack on, he probably would have been fine, but the combined weight had yanked him straight down to the riverbed, and no amount of struggling would have saved him. The moment he'd gone under, Craig's whole body had just gone on autopilot, anything to save him from the fear that had filled him.
Because in that moment, he'd seen Tweek drowning, and all he'd been able to think was that if he hadn't gotten them lost in the first place, then Tweek wouldn't be dying. If he'd just handled his own emotions better, Tweek would still be okay. Had he just reached out and patted the boy's head as usual, if he'd done things differently, then Tweek wouldn't have fallen.
He'd jumped in at once to pull Tweek out, but for a moment, he'd thought that he wouldn't be able to get there in time. Not without getting pulled into the current as well. All he'd been able to do was watch as Tweek Tweak, the most precious, and important person to him, drowned because of Craig's mistakes.
Unable to stop himself, too caught up in that residual fear of something else happening to Tweek, Craig clenched his teeth and drew the boy closer, even though he knew it would wake him up. Just as he'd predicted, Tweek squirmed in his hold, but instead of actively trying to wake up, the boy just shivered and huddled closer. He's still cold. Fuck.Craig firmly believed it was because the boy didn't eat enough, and that thought only made him remember that the only sustenance they had was what he had left in his pack.Ah fuck, we need to get out of here.
" 's cold," Tweek mumbled into Craig's shirt, pawing him closer like Craig was somehow a blanket, or possibly a heater. Unwilling to deny the boy, and honestly entirely fine with the arrangement, Craig dragged Tweek into a protective embrace, tangling his bare legs with the blond's chilled ones and tucking the blanket around them a little more firmly just to be sure. Though it was definitely morning, he didn't particularly want to get up either.
"It's not that cold," he reassured Tweek, his sleep-worn voice coming out as a dry rumble. Okay, maybe it was a little cold, but they were sleeping outside so that was kind of expected. More than anything, he was trying to convince himself that Tweek was alright. After he'd pulled the boy out of the river, he'd been so fucking cold, it had been like touching ice. The mountain air coupled with the frigid stream had sucked the heat out of the blond in seconds, and Craig didn't even want to think about what the results of that could have been.
"Well, you're not c-cold," Tweek agreed sleepily, shifting in Craig's arms and using the Noirette as a pillow. For some reason, the action made Craig want to smile, and he couldn't quite stifle the action completely. So instead he just dragged a hand through Tweek's stiff, slightly bristly hair until he worked out the residue that had come from the river water drying in his mane. As it returned to its normal, fluffy form, Tweek shivered and made a soft, pleased sound.
"No pe," Craig hummed flatly, wondering if it was okay if they just stayed here. Doing something sounded difficult, or more accurately, it sounded like moving. After all of the movement that had happened yesterday, this was fine. For a second, the world was quiet, and his eyes drifted over the scene above them, taking it all in.
While he'd never really been one for seeing the beauty all around him unless Outer Space was involved, Craig couldn't help but marvel at how the world had changed overnight. Instead of the shadows looming threateningly and the rocks looking unforgiving, everything seemed to glow. Maybe that had something to do with the boy currently trying to stick his cold nose into the crook of Craig's neck but he was pretty sure that he'd never seen something like this before. The playful way the river bubbled, the way the grass glistened with dew, the flecks of quartz in the rocks around them that sparkled in the sun, it was all so… beautiful.
But Tweek made it better, of that Craig was certain.
Grunting and puffing out a breath against Tweek's cheek as the boy's hair got in his eyes, Craig muttered, "I hope some of your clothing dried." When the boy started against him, he carefully continued, "I don't want you to be cold." You can wear my clothes all you want, was what he almost said, but his brain decided to kick into gear just in time to edit that last part out. Yeah, let's not be weird.
Of course, this was Tweek that Craig was talking about, nothing was that weird when it came to the blond boy.
"Ngh- I don't wanna move," Tweek mumbled, twitching and curling his fingers in Craig's shirt. "Let's just s-stay here." That sounds fucking wonderful. But he knew that they couldn't, and so it was with a certain amount of disappointment that Craig started attempting to struggle upright. Pulling Tweek with him, catching the blanket so it didn't fall off of the boy, Craig stared around, stretching his back as he became aware of the kinks in it.
"We've got to move eventually," Craig pointed out, however unconvincingly. Catching sight of the blond's forgotten thermos, the Noirette disentangled an arm from Tweek and grabbed it, shaking it. Thankfully, there was still coffee in it. And I'm pretty sure he never finished the other one either… "It's not warm," he muttered, handing it to the sleepy blond. "But if you want it-"
Instantly, Tweek's hands shot out and he slipped down Craig's chest in his haste to get his coffee. Struggling to sit up, finally settling in Craig's lap, the boy fumbled with the lid and drained the container, not even pausing for breath. Snorting, Craig lifted a hand and ruffled Tweek's hair, propping himself up against the rock face at their back so he could more easily focus on everything around them. He still had no idea where they were, but at least they were alive and in an okay position for the time being. Whatever happened, they'd make it out of here alive.
"H-how long did we sleep?" Tweek asked, honestly sounding miffed about the situation. "Jesus, I -rrr- don't usually sleep that long."
In Craig's opinion, almost dying would tire anyone out, even Tweek. "You had a long day dude," he explained calmly, leaving his hand in Tweek's hair where it sort of belonged. At some point, they'd actually have to start moving. The idea was unpleasant, but so was the idea of staying on this mountain forever, so he'd have to pick his poison eventually. And there's no time like the present. That's what Token says, anyway…
So after carefully setting Tweek aside so that the blond could curl up against the rocks behind them, Craig looked around for the pants he'd left out to dry and after shaking the little flecks of dew off of them, he deemed them dry enough to wear. After dressing a little better, the boy looked around for his pack and riffled through it, pulling out one of the sandwiches he had packed. "Want some?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.
Tweek's only response was to squeak and shake his head rapidly. Though he would have prefered it if the boy ate something, Craig wasn't going to force it. Besides, he was starving, and he wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity for food.
As he devoured the sandwich, Craig watched Tweek, whose eyes kept darting around like he needed to take it all in and commit it to memory. Catching Craig's eyes, Tweek yelped, "Christ, I n-never thought that camping would be like this!" Fussing with the lid of his now empty thermos, the boy continued, "I mean, I -ghn- know it's not quite the same, b-but this is almost like camping, and I guess it's n-not as bad as I thought it would be."
Craig lifted an eyebrow. "We're still lost." He wasn't sure why he felt the need to remind Tweek of that, he should probably just leave well enough alone, but he almost wanted to see what the boy's reaction would be. You're such a great friend Craig Tucker, trying to make Tweek panic again after he almost fucking died. Real nice.
But Tweek didn't scream or pull at his hair in worry. Fixing his eyes on Craig, the boy twitched slightly and said, "N-not really."
That hadn't been what Craig was expecting, not in the slightest. Furrowing his brows, he said, "No, I'm pretty sure we don't know where we are."
"Jesus, I d-didn't mean literally," Tweek complained, fingers twitching on his thermos. "But remember what you s-said about the sky and stars and stuff last night?" Shivering, shuffling his feet against the tarp, the boy continued, "Well, isn't this a little like -ngh- that?"
The gears in his mind turning as he tried to work out what Tweek was saying, Craig muttered, "It might be?"
Smiling slightly, Tweek glanced up at Craig and told him, "As l-long as you're here, then I'm not lost. I don't f-feel lost, because you're home to me. Just like how the stars never change, you're always safe." Light expression vanishing, the boy snaked a hand up into his hair and tugged. "N-nevermind, that sounds really stupid."
All Craig could do was stare at Tweek as that warm knot in his chest expanded to the point where it was almost painful to breath. Home. Fuck, no one had ever said something like that to him before. Said that being around him was like being home. Hell, Craig hardly knew what home was supposed to feel like, his own home was shit. The place he was safest and happiest was… Well, it was wherever Tweek was. Oh. So that's what it means.
"No, it's not stupid," Craig said, kneeling beside the the blond and running a hand through the boy's hair so he could tip his head back. Under his hand, Tweek let out a squeak and twitched, but didn't attempt to pull away. Staring at him, unable to quite keep the powerful emotions running through him at bay, the Noirette just leaned forward and rested his forehead against the shorter boy's. You're where I feel alright, happy even. You're the one who brightens my world, you're the one who makes me care. You're the one I can run to. You're- You're Tweek fucking Tweak, and that means a lot.
"You're right, we're not lost," he said, managing to keep his voice flat. Opening his eyes, Craig found himself staring into spirally, vivid green, and he couldn't even begin to escape from it. Except it was Tweek, and that made it alright. Everything was okay if it was Tweek. He didn't have to feel like he was doing something wrong or was going to make everyone think he was weird. Because Tweek was not just different, he was the most important thing to Craig.
"I guess we never really were," Tweek whispered back, his face stretching into a small, twitching smile. Unable to help himself, Craig found himself smiling as well, and then they were both laughing, and Craig wasn't sure where his own soft chuckling was coming from because he couldn't even remember the last time he'd made that sound, but Tweek's squeaky giggles drew the expression from him easily. Nose brushing against Tweek's, Craig caught the blond so his head wouldn't hit the stone behind him before just pulling the boy into a hug.
"We're going to get out of here," Craig said fiercely, his words coming out weirdly as that feeling kept building up in the back of his throat. "We'll climb the mountain to the very top and if we don't find them, we'll climb back down and then we'll be alright." Against him, Tweek nodded and Craig felt infinitely better.
Finally pulling back, Craig smiled as Tweek squirmed and stretched like a cat before stumbling around slightly and blinking rapidly. "W-we should probably clean up," the blond said, the fog clearing from his eyes as he turned his face towards Craig. Nodding, Craig went about gathering their makeshift bedding and attempting to cram it into his pack. Eventually, Tweek told him to just leave the tarp because it probably wasn't important. Craig wasn't sure if he wanted to, but in the end, he decided that Tweek was right. They'd just finish scaling the mountain, and then they'd go back down. No taking the long way this time. He was loath to the idea of having to spend another day on this mountain after all.
As he helped Tweek stuff what bits of the blond's clothing they were bringing, Craig reflected that it was a good think Mr. Stevens had told them all to bring a bag. Otherwise, they might have beens screwed. Seeing as Craig's pants were definitely too big on the blond, Tweek decided to change into his now dry jeans. They were still a little damp around the edges, but they were good enough and it would be safer for Tweek to be wearing them.
Finishing packing up the last things they needed, Craig gave the area one last sweep over. He felt bad about just leaving Tweek's pack there, but after what had happened before, he wasn't about to let the boy carry a wet, safety hazard around on his back. So it was with a now slightly heavier bag on his back and a twitching, thermos carrying Tweek beside him that Craig began climbing the mountain once more. Because as Token said, there really wasn't anywhere to go but up or down.
It was hard going, but it was a whole lot faster than it had been the day before. And honestly, Craig found himself in excellent spirits. Tweek and he chatted as they walked, their conversations jumping from one thing to another as Tweek's attention drifted. One moment it would be about Red Racer, the next about Aliens, the next about Stripe, then onto Bebe, and on. In Craig's opinion, the blond's lack of concentration was adorable.
At some point the conversation veered into talking about Kenny, as it often did. Both he and Tweek had been making a concerted effort to be friends with the roguish sandy-blond, mostly by Tweek's verbal insistence, but also by Craig's latent feeling that Kenny needed someone that cared. That wasn't to say he cared as much as he cared about, say, Tweek, but he didn't hate Kenny. And he wasn't indifferent either. The boy had been there for Craig when even Tweek wasn't, and that meant something whether he entirely wanted it to or not.
Then the conversation traveled onto the rest of the summer and what they thought the next school year would be like. Tweek was a little apprehensive of the new principal, but Craig reassured the boy that whoever it was couldn't possibly be worse than Principal Victoria. That seemed to be the best thing he could say to calm the boy down, because even Jimmy hadn't been able to figure out who the new principal was going to be. But that was so far in the future in Craig's mind that it hardly even mattered.
Fifth grade would be okay.
It was somewhere in the middle of an impassioned rant from Tweek about the existence of Santa Clause and how he was actually evil that they broke out of the tree line onto a plateau of the mountain. Pausing on the edge of the tree line, Tweek let out a screech and asked, "Jesus, d-did we go the wrong way? Are we at the top of the mountain already? Is this the bottom?!"
Glancing around, Craig said, "Nah dude, but I think we're almost there." Glad to see some unobstructed sunlight, Craig stepped out into the field. There were flowers swaying around him, tall and whimsical. The picture of summer. Walking forward, Craig glanced up at the sun before turning around and beckoning Tweek forward. "Come on, we'll get to the top soon."
"Hey! W-wait up!" Barrling after Craig, Tweek let out a laugh as he blew past the Noirette and turned so he could stick his tongue out at the taller boy. Eyebrows twitching up, Craig's eyes lit up with the fire of competition. Oh it's on.
Chasing after the boy, Craig chased Tweek through the flowers, finding a smile stretching his own face as he ran. Tweek's face glowed with light when he turned to through a teasing look at Craig, and the taller boy felt lighter than he had in a long time as he followed his friend. Longer legs finally winning out, Craig tackled Tweek from behind, sending them both rolling through the tall, soft grass. As Tweek ended up on top, crouching on Craig's stomach and giggling as the Noirette smiled, he mischievously said, "I th-think I won."
"Oh really?" Quick as greased lightning, Craig freed himself from the backpack and flipped their positions, gently flattening Tweek in a patch of bright yellow and blue flowers. Still laughing, Tweek just lay back, grinning up at Craig. Almost smirking, Craig lowered his head closer to the blond's ear and miss viciously whispered, "Who's winning now?"
"Cheater," Tweek protested breathlessly. Unable to help himself, Craig picked the dandelion from Tweek's hair and blew the little seeds into the boy's face. Yelping, Tweek batted them away, but he was still grinning, and Craig couldn't help but be overjoyed at that. With the sun glittering in the boy's hair, and his green eyes lit up like lamps, Craig thought that he'd never be able to forget this moment.
For once, his brain let him seize on the idea and didn't instantly try and scrub it from his head, and he focused on it. Because Tweek right now wasn't just adorable, or cute, or amusing, or any of the other many words that Craig had come to associate with the boy. Right now he was beautiful, and it took Craig's breath away.
Suddenly, Tweek's hand shot up and he snatched Craig's chullo off of his head. Before the Noirette knew what was happening, the boy was wiggling out from under him and darting away. "N-nevermind, I think I win!" he exclaimed.
"Oh come on-" Scoffing, Craig grabbed his pack before chasing after the blond once more. Even if the had gotten lost, Craig knew that he would never have traded this for anything. When he was around Tweek, even something like getting lost was fun.
Finally catching the blond as he started up the rocks once more, headed for the top of the mountain, Craig plucked his hat out of Tweek's hands and raised and eyebrow at the boy as he wiggled sheepishly under his gaze. Snorting, Craig squashed his hat onto Tweek's head, flattening the boy's fluffy hair. "I guess you did win," he said evenly, his eyes brighter than they'd been in years.
"So, are w-we gonna finish climbing this thing?" Tweek asked, twitching excitedly.
"Fuck yeah dude," Craig answered. "Let's do this."
A/N: *while smugly sipping milk from my very large mug* Yes they did almost kiss, what's it to you?
eyyy, one more chappy~
