NOTE: The response to last chapter was absolutely shocking to me. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! This chapter is a little heavy still, so just be prepared for that! As I said yesterday, my inbox on tumblr is always open. crowded-skies is my username!

Tricia Tucker was a strong young woman, but she had her limitations. One of those limitations is watching her brother deteriorate before her eyes. Craig has been home from orientation for three days now and he hasn't talked to Tweek yet, he's not eating, and he takes a lot of long showers. She knows something is wrong. She heard him talking with their parents the night he came home. Her stomach hurt because of how sad and weak her brother looked, and this Craig was nothing like the stoic, strong, caring person he usually is. It was Saturday morning when she finally decided to say something. Laura and Thomas were out doing some errands and Craig was taking his third shower that morning. Tricia didn't even knock as she walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

"Fucking talk to me," She said, ripping the curtain open on the shower. She blinked, her heart twisting as she saw her brother curled up on the floor of the tub, legs tugged to his chest as he laid on his side. His eyes were red from crying and the skin on his thighs and hip were an angry red from the scalding water. She swallowed hard, sniffling. "W-What happened?! W-Why are you acting like this?!" She practically screamed, kneeling next to the tub. Craig glanced up at her, closing his eyes slowly after a moment.

"I-I don't…want to talk about it."

"W-Where's Tweek?! Why-Why hasn't he been around?!" Tricia couldn't stop the tears at this point, her frustration and concern taking over. Craig flinched at the mention of his boyfriends, his finger nails scratching at his thighs. Tricia noticed he had a lot of scratch marks on his thighs, hips, and even on his stomach. "Are-are you hurting yourself?" It was softer, but Craig nodded slowly.

"I-I'm dirty." He mumbled, curling in on himself more. Tricia couldn't take this. She shut the curtain and ran to her room, grabbing her phone off the nightstand. She sniffled, wiping her eyes as the person she called answered.

"Hey Tricia."

"T-Tweek, please come over! C-Craig…I-I'm really scared." There was silence for a moment.

"Tricia…I…"

"T-Tweek, he's hurting himself."

"What-what do you mean he's hurting himself?"

"H-He keeps scratching at his thighs and-and it's onto his hips and stomach! I'm scared and-and he isn't eating and w-why aren't you two talking?! H-He isn't leaving the house and-and when he had to for something he k-kept his fists clenched and jumped at anyone that had blonde hair! Th-this isn't Craig!" She was sobbing again, her chest constricted with emotion. It was hard to breathe at this point. Tricia could hear Tweek swallow.

"I-I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you! T-The door is unlocked!" Tricia hung up, rushing back down the hall to her brother. He hadn't moved, his fingers digging into his hips now. "S-Stop it!" She sobbed, grabbing his hands after turning the water off. She gasped as Craig shoved her away, stumbling backwards into the counter.

"Don't touch me!" He yelled, anger flashing over his eyes as he drew the curtain shut and turned the water back on. Tricia started crying, her fingers digging into her scalp as she tried to relax. She needed to be strong! She can't be weak when Craig isn't there to support her. She heard the front door open.

"Tricia?!" Craig threw the curtain open, his eyes wide as he heard Tweek's voice.

"You fucking called him?!" Tricia whimpered.

"I-I didn't have a choice! You're scaring me!" Craig's breathing faltered at those words, his chest hurting even more as he saw just how scared his sister really looked. He grunted, tugging the curtain back in place. Tweek poked his head into the bathroom, frowning as he saw Tricia. She threw her arms around him, Tweek pulling her into the hallway and shutting the bathroom door. I'll get to him in a moment.

"Hey-Hey, Tricia, talk to me." He whispered, stroking her hair. She hiccupped as she pulled away, her face almost as red as her hair.

"H-He…ever since orientation h-he takes around t-ten showers a day…he-he isn't eating. He i-isn't talking to you. I could smell him s-smoking more cigarettes than usual, and-and I think he got drunk in his room last night. Tweek-Tweek I'm so scared." She sobbed, her hands dragging down her face. Tweek frowned, kissing her forehead.

"You did a good job calling me, alright? I-I'll handle it from here. Go relax, okay? I'll be in to let you know what's going on in a bit," He whispered, Tricia nodding slowly as she walked down the hall to her room (Tweek noticed she left the door open). He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. It's about time anyways, Tweek. You two need to talk. Tweek let out a shaky sigh, pushing the door open. "Craig?" He breathed out, noticing how steamy the bathroom was. The curtain was still drawn, and there seemed to be no signs of movement. "C-Craig…please-"

"W-Why are you here?" His voice was so small that Tweek wasn't even sure it was his boyfriend, but he knew it was by the nasally quality. He swallowed hard, shutting the door.

"Your sister is really concerned…"

"W-Why? Because I want to be clean?" Tweek's heart clenched as he heard Craig's voice break. He knelt down by the edge of the tub, slowly pulling the curtain back. He frowned when he saw Craig, sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest as the water ran over him. His hair was covering those bright blue eyes, but they weren't bright right now. They showed nothing but disgust, and Tweek couldn't figure out who it was for: him or Molly.

"You're not eating. Tricia told me."

"I-I'm not hungry." Tweek let his gaze wander, a lump jumping to his throat as he saw the scratches on Craig's body.

"Are…C-Craig, are you scratching yourself?" He whispered, reaching out slowly to turn the water off. His skin was bright red from how hot the water was. Craig didn't even react as the water turned off, his eyes closing as Tweek moved his dripping wet hair off his forehead.

"C-can't…can't get c-clean." Tweek rested his hand on his cheek, tugging it away as Craig whimpered.

"W-What do you mean, Craig?"

"I-I feel her hands…everywhere. M-My stomach. M-My thighs. My-my hips." He started rubbing at his stomach, his fingers curling to drag angry red marks through his skin.

"Hey-Hey no!" Tweek grabbed his hands, Craig growling low in his throat.

"Don't touch me!" He yelled, Tweek jumping a bit at the anger in his voice. He let go of his hands, tears filling his eyes. She did it. She managed to break the strongest person I know. Tweek sniffled, swallowing hard.

"Craig…c-can we go to your room? Can we…talk?" It was a simple question, but it took all of Tweek's energy to say it. After a minute, Craig nodded slowly, grabbing a towel off the closed toilet lid and carefully made sure Tweek didn't see him naked. Tweek noticed it, of course, and it just broke his heart even more. They slowly made their way down the hall, Craig immediately curling up under his covers (his bed wasn't even made and his room was more disorderly than usual). Tweek sat at the foot of his bed, just looking at him. "I…can I talk first?" He asked, thankful when Craig nodded. "I…I'm so sorry," Craig blinked, looking at him. "I…I over reacted. You-something traumatic happened to you and I wasn't there for you like you've always been there for me. And-and that isn't fair," He held the hand that had the promise ring on it up. "See this? T-this represents all the promises I should be giving you, but I-I forgot the biggest one: to support you. And I-I'm so sorry I haven't been here these past three days to-to support you through this. Please, please know when I say, t-that from this moment on, I'm here for you." He sniffled, wiping the tears that fell off his cheeks. He needed to be strong for Craig because someone needed to be stable, and for once, it had to be Tweek. Craig's eyes were wide, his wet hair sticking to his forehead. Tweek had a hard time reading his face, but he knew he said the right thing when Craig let out a sob. He reached an arm out from under the blankets, grabbing Tweek and tugging him down next to him. Tweek gasped as Craig clung to him for dear life, his face buried into his shoulder as he finally sobbed.

"I-I'm sorry! O-okay?! I-I know I fucked up! I-I know I-I shouldn't have kissed her! B-But I-I really, really needed you and-and y-you haven't been there! You-You-fuck-I-I missed you! I m-missed you so much and I-I feel disgusting!" He sobbed, Tweek squeezing his eyes shut to stay strong. His words hurt, but Tweek knew he was right. He wasn't there for Craig, and Tweek feels absolutely horrible about that. He kissed the top of his head, his hand running gently over his back. He dared not drop his hand too low in an effort to not trigger any anger within Craig.

"I-I know, baby. I-I'm here now. Okay? I-I promise," He kissed his forehead, his other hand tangling into Craig's dark hair. After a few minutes, Craig's body stopped shaking with sobs, his eyes half lidded as he pulled away from Tweek. "I…saw you at the church." Tweek whispered, Craig's face turning a dark red as he looked up.

"…oh…w-what…did you hear?" He whispered, swallowing hard. He knew Tweek had saw him, he caught him running out of the church. Tweek smiled a bit, and Craig needed to see that smile so badly.

"I-I heard your Hail Mary's and-and everything you said to the statue…e-even the, uh… thing about…marrying me." Craig looked down, biting his lip.

"O-Oh…," He cleared his throat. "Well…I-I…meant it…all of it…" Tweek tilted his chin up, smiling still.

"I-I know, handsome…I…feel the same." Craig blinked, those blue eyes finally showing some sign of life.

"You…really?"

"O-Of course, Craig. I…even though this-this has been really hard to handle, I-I…this brought us closer, I think. We…can't always have a p-perfect relationship. We have to make mistakes so that way we can grow together." Craig nodded slowly, reaching out to put a hand on Tweek's face. He hasn't really had physical contact with anyone since his mom when he came home, the feeling of hands on him sending him into a fit. But, with Tweek's reassuring words, he didn't feel as dirty as he did this morning. Tweek frowned, pulling away to look at Craig's hand. "W-What happened to your hand?" Craig's knuckles were bruised, Tweek realizing they were bruised on both hands. Craig blushed, swallowing the lump that came back.

"I-I, uh…didn't…w-want to see myself, so…" He nodded to the full-length mirror that hangs on his wall, the mirror completely cracked from what Tweek can only assume was Craig punching it. Tweek turned his attention back to Craig, taking his hands in his.

"Can…I kiss them better?" Normally Tweek would just do it, but he knew this was just the start of Craig getting used to physical intimacy with him again. Craig, thankfully, nodded. Tweek smiled softly, placing a kiss on each bruised knuckle, whispering sweet words of encouragement to him as he did. Craig felt nothing but awe for the boy next to him. He had really hurt Tweek, but here he was, pushing aside his emotions for once and dealing with Craig. It felt…good. Craig didn't want to cry for once, instead, a small smile formed on his lips for the first time in days. Tweek noticed it, smiling wider as he let Craig's hands go to cup Craig's face in his hands. He ran his thumb lightly over his cheek, noticing Craig tensing a bit. "I-Is this okay?" He whispered, Craig slowly relaxing under the touch.

"Yeah…y-yeah, more than okay." He admitted, his eyes fluttering shut. Tweek hummed, just looking at the look of content on his boyfriend's face.

"What am I gonna do with you?" He breathed out, Craig's eyes fluttering open.

"What-what do you mean?"

"I mean, y-you hurt yourself…" Craig bit his lip, closing his eyes again.

"I…no matter h-how hard I scrubbed I just…didn't feel clean. So…I-I would scrub really hard, and I-I accidentally scratched myself a few days ago and…i-it felt good. It-It relieved that anger I had. The anger I had for m-myself, against you, against her…but…I…I just kept feeling her hands and-"

"Hey, it's okay, y-you don't have to keep talking about it, I understand." Tweek whispered, noticing the anxiety in Craig's eyes. It was sad, his typically strong, smart, and caring boyfriend was now reduced to a shell of what he used to be. It only took one incident and three days to revert him back to, essentially, a child, and Tweek was furious with Molly for this. He would have his revenge. If he ever saw Molly fucking Gerwin while visiting Craig, there's no telling what he would do to her. Tweek was almost excited to see her, wanting to hurt her for how she destroyed Craig. He'd worry about that later, because right now, his boyfriend needed his attention more than ever after Tweek failed to give it to him for three days.

"Will…a-are you…going to leave me?" Tweek's heart twisted at the words, looking down at Craig. He was chewing on his bottom lip again. Tweek frowned.

"Do…you think I-I would?"

"Well…I-I kissed somebody. I cheated."

"Craig," He sat up, tugging Craig up with him. He held him by his shoulders, sitting on his knees in front of him. "I'm not going anywhere. I-I'm not even really gonna call this cheating. I-It was simply a mistake. I-It hurt me, yes, but i-it hurt because you kissed somebody. I-I never thought o-of it as cheating, okay? E-Especially because of what she did to you.
I-I know you didn't want this. I know this was only a one-time thing. I-I'm not leaving, Craig. I-I'm here for as long as you want me." Craig's eyes were wide, his brows turned up in surprise. He had been trying to prepare himself for the worst since he got home, but this…this was the best news Craig had received in his entire life. Not even when he got his full ride offer to the University of Colorado topped this news. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His hands slid up Tweek's thighs slowly, wrapping around his waist to tug him into a hug. Craig could feel Tweek smiling into his hair as his face buried into his shoulder, Craig taking a moment to memorize everything about Tweek. His clothing smelt like coffee and a clean scented laundry detergent, not floral. His waist was small, almost smaller than Tricia's. Craig could wrap Tweek completely up in his arms, and his legs could wrap around Craig's torso easily from how long they were. Craig's face fit really nicely in the crook of Tweek's neck, almost as if he was meant to go there. Tweek also doesn't shake when Craig holds him, only when his anxiety is really bad. His hair was soft, really soft, which surprised Craig because his hair was so curly and thick that he thought it wouldn't be as soft as it was. His smile was infectious, Craig smiling whenever he felt Tweek smile into his hair. Tweek was also always warm. It felt good holding the equivalency of a human thermos in his arms (he would say heater, but like he said, Tweek smells like coffee). He also has so many freckles, and Craig counts them every time Tweek falls asleep. It's like counting sheep, except he gets to stare at his cute boyfriend until he falls asleep. Tweek also had really soft lips, which surprised Craig at first because of how often Tweek bites his lip. They feel good against Craig's often chapped lips. After about five minutes of running through his mental list, Craig pulled away enough to look up at Tweek. In that time, Craig had pulled him onto his lap, Tweek's knees on either side of him. His heart fluttered when Tweek smiled at him, and Craig knew in that instance that he was forever Tweek's. He leaned up, pressing their lips together lightly. He was hesitant because that last person he kissed had been her and he was a little nervous to say the least. When their lips met, it felt like the first time all over again. It felt rejuvenating and it felt right. Tweek pulled away slowly after a moment, his eyes half lidded as he smiled softly.

"I love you, Tweek." He couldn't stop himself from saying it. He needed to. He's been dying to say it since Wednesday. Tweek smiled, kissing his nose.

"And I love you, Craig." Craig grinned, yes, grinned, up at Tweek, the sight making Tweek feel like he was floating on cloud nine. He chuckled, brushing the hair out of Craig's face.

"So…we…i-is there anything else we should talk about?" Craig asked, and Tweek thought it was a valid question. He thought a moment before looking at Craig.

"I just…think we need to really be open about everything from now on. I-I appreciate you calling me the morning after, and I really am so sorry for how I responded…I…feel horrible and I just…I'm sorry." Craig placed a gentle kiss to Tweek's shoulder, keeping his lips there as he pulled Tweek closer to him.

"It's okay. You had every right to be angry." He whispered after a while, Tweek feeling that tingle in his throat that appeared right before he cried.

"Y-Yeah but…y-you needed me…and-and I abandoned you!"

"Hey," Now it was Craig who needed to be somewhat strong, leaning back and taking Tweek's face in his hands. "There was a lot to p-process and I started out by saying the m-most hurtful towards you. I-I didn't tell you what happened to me until after I said that I…ya know. So… don't beat yourself up, okay? I-It's okay."

"Craig, it isn't okay! You-look at you! Y-you're not the Craig I started dating! Sh-she hurt you!" Craig frowned, nuzzling his nose against Tweek's in an effort to calm him down.

"I'm here. I-I'm gonna come back. I promise. Just be patient with me." He whispered, and Tweek couldn't say no. They sat there for a long time, holding onto each other as if the other would disappear at any moment. After ten minutes, Tricia came bursting in, tears on her cheeks. Craig smiled sadly at her, not even saying anything as he turned his body to let her squeeze in between the two of them. She cried into his shoulder, Tweek leaning back so Craig could hold and console her. He stroked her long red hair, placing gentle kisses to her forehead. They didn't say anything, Tricia knowing full well her brother was on his first day to recovery. She also knew that this was the start of a new beginning for Craig Tucker and Tweek Tweak.

NOTE: I have been dying to write this all day and I managed to squeeze it out in about an hour and a half and I'm eating dinner before work as I type these notes! THANK YOU all for the kind words about yesterday's chapter! It means so much, and I realized after I posted that yesterday has officially been one month since I posted the first chapter on ! This has been a crazy ride and I thank you all for your kind words and feedback! I love you all, and as always, any and all feedback is appreciated!