Beep
Beep
Beep
Kenny woke up to the sound of the alarm on his phone blaring. He extended his arm, grabbed the phone, and shut the alarm off. He stared at his phone for a long moment before sitting up, yawning and stretching and hopping out of bed, feeling the soft and clean carpet on his bare feet as he walked on over to the other side of the room, where his teenage brother was lying in his bed, arm draped over a pillow over his head.
"Come on Kev, time to get up." Kenny said as he shook his sibling.
"Mmmmmm." Kevin groaned.
"You know Mr. Slave or Big Gay Al will just come in and wake you up in five minutes. Might as well get up now." Kenny said, shaking Kevin harder this time.
"Aaaaaaaaugh, alright! Alright, I'm getting up." Kevin whined as he slowly sat up.
Kenny walked over and opened up his and Kevin's shared closet and picked out his clothes for the day, headed to the bathroom, and got ready there. When he was done, he headed for the kitchen and was greeted with the smell of bacon and eggs in the air.
"Morning, Kenny. Go ahead and sit, breakfast will be ready soon." Mr. Slave said from where he was cooking on the stove. "Is your brother up yet?"
"Yes, he's up and getting ready right now. " Kenny said, his parka not covering his mouth, his words un-muffled.
"Good."
Kenny, Big Gay Al and Karen all exchanged good mornings as Kenny sat at the kitchen table.
Karen's hair and face were clean and so were her new blue pajamas with ducks printed on them and her hair was tied back into cute little pigtails with pretty purple bows.
Al asked Kenny, "Hey Kenny, since we have a few minutes, you, uh, want to cover your mouth and see how much I understand you?"
Even thought they had known each other before, Big Gay Al and Kenny hadn't really spoken that much one and one before living together. Which meant that Al wasn't that good at understanding Kenny's muffled parka speech. Thanks to his time as a teacher's assistant in Kenny's class, Mr. Slave was a bit better at understanding the young boy but not by much.
So Kenny had to have his mouth uncovered in order for his foster fathers to understand what he was saying. Big Gay Al and Mr. Slave wanted to change that and to their credit, they were slowly but surely learning.
Kenny said a short muffled phrase.
"Ass the orange juice?" Big Gay Al said in bewilderment, then his eyes widened and he gasped and covered his mouth a second later as realization dawned on him.
A second too late as everyone else in the room (including Kevin who had just walked in) started to giggle which then turned into laughter.
"PASS the orange juice, pass." Al said, slapping his head with the palm of his hand.
"Jesus Christ Hon, you trying to take my title as number one whore?" Mr. Slave jokingly said through his giggles.
Al covered his face with his hands. "Uuuuuuuugh."
That same morning, Mr. and Mrs. Black, Token, and Tweek were gathered in their foyer.
"Now, are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" Mrs. Black asked.
It was late May, which meant that the school year was almost over, so it had made no sense for Tweek to come back for so little time. Another reason being that his doctors, nurses, and foster parents had all agreed that he needed some time to recuperate after rehab. So that's why he was staying behind, while Mr. and Mrs. Black and Token went to work and school.
"You have all our numbers in your cell phone, right?" Mrs. Black asked.
"Yes Ma'am." Tweek responded.
When he and Token had gotten back to the house the other day, Mr. and Mrs. Black had surprised Tweek with a brand new cell phone. Then, Mr. and Mrs. Black's cell phone numbers were added in, along with almost all of Tweek's old contacts.
"Now call us if you need us, okay?" Mr. Black asked.
"Yes Sir." Tweek responded. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"He'll be fine, Come on or we're going to be late." Token said, exasperated that his parents had been taking so long to leave Tweek alone, going over every little thing to make sure Tweek was going to be alright by himself.
Finally, (with Token practically dragging his parents) the three of them were out the door, leaving Tweek alone at last.
He pulled out his phone and looked at his text messages, specifically the group text he had sent out the other night with his new number. He smiled at all the replies that had followed. And then he frowned for the lack of one.
"Well, can't really blame him for not knowing what to say." Tweek said outside to himself. "Cause neither do I."
A short while later, Stan and Kyle were at their school lockers when Kenny showed up.
"Hey Kenny." Stan and Kyle said.
"Hey guys." Kenny responded.
His friends could tell by his tone that something was the matter and were pretty sure what it was.
"So…uh…we got Tweek's text last night, saw that…you did too." Stan said.
"Yeah." Kenny responded.
"Did he say anything else to you?" Kyle asked.
"No." Kenny responded, shaking his head. "Do…do you two think I should make the next move? Like…should I text him back?"
Before either Stan or Kyle could give an answer, along came Token rushing past them.
"Hey Token." Stan said.
"Can't talk. No time." Token responded bluntly, going as fast as he could through his locker.
"Dude, did you just get in?" Kyle asked.
"Yep." Token responded as he grabbed the last of his things, slammed his locker door shut, and ran off to class.
Kenny looked at a nearby wall clock. "It is almost time for class, we better get going." He said and closed his locker door as well, though not as hard.
Stan and Kyle followed suit and the boys started walking towards their classroom.
"Hey dude, we'll help you figure out what to say to him." Stan said to Kenny.
"Yeah." Kyle piped in.
"Thanks guys." Kenny responded, knowing full well that his friends were just as lost for words as he was but still, he appreciated the sentiment.
Cartman: "How about 'Hey Tweek, what's up'?
Butters: "Or 'Hia Tweek, how have you been'?
Stan: "Or maybe, 'How are you doing'?"
It was recess and several of Kenny's friends were helping him figure out what to text Tweek as he stared down at his phone opened to his text messages.
"Hi Tweek, how are you?" Kenny suggested.
"Good! Now, after you send him that, he should ask how you're going. When he does, bring up why you texted him." Kyle said.
"To see if he wants to schedule our meeting." Kenny finished.
"Yeah, now get to typing!" Butters said, trying to be encouraging.
Kenny took a deep breath and started a new message trend with Tweek's number. His hand then hovered over the screen.
"Come on Kenny!" Stan shouted.
"You can do it!" Kyle joined in.
"We believe in you, brah!" Cartman added.
"Go Kenny!" Butters cheered.
Kenny's hand slowly lowered down towards the digital keyboard, getting closer and closer, until he was almost there, when suddenly….
"What's going on here?"
…..Token's voice came out of the blue, starting Kenny so much that he jumped in place and dropped his phone. He then turned and saw that Token and Craig had appeared on the scene.
"God damn it, you guys! Kenny was just about to text Tweek!" Cartman yelled at Token and Craig.
"What?" Craig said, then he and Token saw Kenny kneeling in the snow, picking his phone up off the ground.
"Oh shit dude, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, is your phone alright?" Token asked.
"It's fine." Kenny said, wiping snow off the device before turning it back on. It appeared to still be working and was still in the same spot, waiting for him.
"Hey…uh…since you're both here….any words of wisdom you want me to tell Tweek?" Kenny asked, holding up his phone, showing the blank message trend to Craig and Token.
Craig and Token shared a look before Craig asked, "What do you have so far?"
"I think I was going with a simple hello and how are you and when Tweek asks the same thing, ask him if he wants to arrange a face to face meeting." Kenny answered, a nervous hint to his voice.
While he and Craig were on better terms, there was still tension between them.
"Sounds good to me." Craig said.
"Really?" Kenny asked.
"Yeah, it's short, sweet, and to the point. And you'll be talking much more face to face anyways." Craig answered.
"Good point." Kenny said, before, once again, taking a deep breath and looking down at the screen. Then he looked at his friends, all waiting with baited breath, then back at the screen, before finally beginning to type.
Kenny:
Hi Tweek, how are you?
Meanwhile, inside the Black family home, Tweek was exploring his new living quarters, taking in all he could of the spacious mansion. He studied the beautiful artwork, some of which had to be more then his birth parents had made in a year. He looked over the intricate African knick-knacks. He also founds pieces of Mr. Black's Clue collection scattered around the house.
He was looking over the piano in the foyer when he heard a ding from his pocket. He reached in, pulled out his phone, and saw that it was Kenny.
Well, this took Tweek aback, as he had been waiting until after school before messaging his friend again.
"Oh, fuck it." Tweek said, before getting to typing.
Meanwhile, back at the South Park Elementary playground, Kenny got his text back.
Tweek:
I'm sorry. I should have texted you private instead of group, putting you in spotlight. You've had more then enough of that.
Well, this caught Kenny off guard. So much for his script.
Kenny:
To be fair, the guys were on my ass to talk to you before that and would have been without it.
"It's for your own good, dude." Stan said as he and the rest of the guys read over Kenny's shoulder.
Tweek:
Still, it should have been private.
Before Kenny could type a response, there was another text.
Tweek:
I'm okay. Some adjusting to do.
Kenny:
Tell me about it
Tweek:
We should talk about it. Maybe while we're having our talk
This was it.
Kenny:
Are you ready to have it?
Tweek:
I am. Are you?
Kenny:
Yes, you pick the time and place.
A few anxious seconds went by.
Tweek:
Tomorrow, right after school, Stark's Pond.
Kenny:
Okay, see ya there
Tweek:
See ya
Tweek could have arranged that he and Kenny meet after school that same day but he hadn't. There were a few reasons for this.
One: Tweek had felt like it was too soon and wanted to give Kenny and himself more time to mentally prepare themselves.
And Two: Tweek had promised Craig a date and didn't want to reschedule.
So there he was, strolling side by side with his boyfriend in the park, hands intertwined.
"So Token said that his parents took forever to leave you this morning, huh?" Craig said.
"Yes, they just wouldn't leave, not until they made sure I had absolutely everything I needed. That I knew how to work the tv, the house alarm, the microwave, that I still had all their numbers on my phone. Even asked if I needed one of them to stay there with me." Tweek answered, exasperated. "Did Token make it to school on time?"
"Yes, barely."
"Good."
They walked in silence for a short bit, enjoying the beautiful sunny day. It was warmer then the other day, though not quite enough for either boy to take off their jackets. A butterfly fluttered in front of the couple and landed on a patch of red flowers growing on the side of the park path. Birds could be heard chirping away. It was a preview of the summer days coming right around the corner for that small mountain town.
"I just...I just..." Tweek struggled to get the words out.
Craig stayed in silence.
Tweek faced him.
"Maybe it's...I'm just not used to all this attention, you know? At least, when it comes to parents. That doesn't have to do with trying to get me to calm down or me being gay. I don't want to sound ungrateful. I am grateful, so much so, and I know they mean well but...I wouldn't mind if they toned it down, just a little bit." holding up his thumb and index finger to indicate a little bit.
Craig sighed, then spoke. "Babe, I'm gonna real honest with you. I have no idea how to help you with this."
"It's okay Craig."
Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, while by no means neglectful, were not nearly on par with the over attentiveness Mr. and Mrs. Black had shown to Tweek. But there was one couple around that level. Who had a child who Craig and Tweek knew very well.
"But I know who can." Craig said.
"Kenny." Tweek finished the thought for him.
Tweek knew about Kenny trying to adjust to the attention that Big Gay Al and Mr. Slave were giving him. From parents that barely bothered to care, (and when they did, usually for the wrong reasons) to ones who cared so much that it was almost suffocating at times; that was some of the common ground that Kenny and Tweek now shared.
"Heh, maybe I could use that as an ice breaker tomorrow." Tweek said.
"Hmm, maybe." Craig responded.
Pause.
"Wait, I think I kinda did bring that up as an ice breaker for tomorrow."
"...Oh yeah."
Another pause.
"I hope he's able to help with parent problems better then me." Craig mumbled, realizing a second later he had said that out loud.
Tweek knowingly looked at Craig. "Craig...you did everything you could."
"Did I? Did I really? Cause I don't feel like I did. Your parents were poisoning you and I couldn't do anything about it!" Craig responded, squeezing Tweek's hand just a little tighter.
"You tried! It's not your fault no one would listen!" Tweek shouted, knowing that Craig, having his own suspicions about Mr. and Mrs. Tweak long before the truth about their business and parenting practices were exposed, had brought the subject up to several adults, all of whom had brushed his comments off, responding with things like, 'they're such supportive parents' and 'they're such a lovely family how dare he say such things'.
And then shit hit the fan, the truth was revealed and Kenny wasn't the only one who had ended up apologizing to Craig.
"And anyways, it wasn't like you got any help from me..." Tweek continued.
"Don't." Craig said firmly. "It's your parents fault for putting you in that position, not yours."
He was talking about how Mr. and Mrs. Tweak made Tweek promise never to tell anyone anything about how Tweak Bros. 'special sugar' was made or else, the recipe would be stolen by their competition and, they joked, that Tweek would be sold into child slavery to keep them out of the poor house. This fed into Tweek's paranoia and for a long time, he went along with it. Then came the game of The Stick Of Truth and Butters and another child getting caught in the middle of the 'special sugar' operation and that's when the doubts came.
But even thought he began to see something was wrong, Tweek hadn't said a word to anyone because he was afraid. Of being wrong and having to face his parents after accusing them of such horrid things. Of being right and taken away from everything he had ever known and away from everyone he cared for. Of the possibility of being stuck in an abusive foster home. Of the same thing happening to Kenny and his siblings again. And for his parents because, despite everything, they were still his parents and he loved them.
"I still didn't help matters, pushing you and everyone else away when all you were trying to do was help." Tweek responded.
Tweek had vented about his parents plenty of times to Craig and others. But when Craig or someone else started to talk badly about them in turn, Tweek would get defensive, saying that they didn't know his mother and father like he did, that they really were good parents, even when Tweek wasn't entirely convinced himself. This all had resulted in quite a few arguments with his friends and boyfriend.
"Because your parents made you feel that way! That you felt like you couldn't trust anyone! Because they threatened you! Because they brainwashed you with that fucking meth coffee!"
After he was done, Craig panted, trying to catch his breath. Several bystanders had stopped to see what was going on but that's not what concerned Craig. It was how taken aback Tweek was at the outburst.
"Tweek...I-I'm sorry." Craig said in a much gentler tone. "I just don't want you blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault."
"I don't want you doing that either, Craig." Tweek responded.
Unsure of what to say next, Craig took a deep breath and went and sat on a nearby bench with Tweek following suit.
Tweek noticed the bystanders still hadn't moved and said to them, "Move along, will ya? There's nothing to see here." while shaking his fist in the air in their direction.
At this everyone moved along and went back about their business.
"Thanks." Craig said.
"No problem, we're not a show for them to watch." Tweek responded.
The two of them sat there in silence for a few moments, unsure of what to say. A cool breeze blew on their red, sweaty faces.
"Craig, I'm gonna be real honest with you. There's going to be rough times ahead and more rough talks like this. You really okay with sticking around for all that? Cause I wouldn't blame you if you weren't."
"I'm not going anywhere. I know what I'm getting into but it's worth it. I want to be there for you."
"...Okay. But we're continuing Mr. and Mrs. Black's lessons on how to help me through panic attacks and all that stuff. And while we're at it, continue Token and the other's as well."
"Okay."