A/N: Hello! If you are reading this story for the first time, I humbly thank you for choosing to read my work! In the case that it happens to look/sound familiar, well that's actually because I originally posted this on ao3! I wanted to test the waters and see if it got any traction on here as the writing process has me in a rather tough pickle. There is a chance I end up deleting this on here and sticking with ao3, but I might also keep it up; again it all depends on the traffic! Fair note: it might be a bit ooc, but then again that is the beauty of an alternate universe. But thank you, and happy reading!
Growing up, Craig Tucker had always loved the stars. He enjoyed staring at them through his bedroom window, watching the way they danced beautifully with the moon in the dark sky. He remembers his parents forcing him to go to sleep, as they knew he would stay up past his bedtime to admire the twinkling constellations scattered across the canvas that was nighttime. And although he could not paint a picture so beautiful, his floor was littered with thick textbooks filled with nothing but diagrams and photographs of every single star he could think of. Could he understand the plethora of sophisticated phrases and symbols highlighted throughout each page? No, but it truly did not stop him from falling in love with the plasmic spheroids that bid him goodnight in the evenings. As if he was floating in outer space, chasing the stars with his own two hands, Craig had never been happier with the life he lived.
He was most content when morning came, as he would see the biggest star of them all: the sun. Oh, how he truly, madly, deeply, loved the sun. Its beautiful and brilliant rays casting through the curtains, which signaled the arrival of daytime, would cause him to wake up every morning with a smile. He greatly admired the massive orb that rose from the east to light up the earth and set in the west, allowing the smaller stars to shine together with the moon. It seemed as though no matter what time of day it was he would always be surrounded by stars. Such a vision was fact, as he knew the stars never really disappeared, but it was the sun that cast a light so bright it would keep them hidden during the day. Could it be said the sun was his favorite star? He honestly couldn't confirm nor deny such a thing. After all, what could a six year old Craig possibly know?
Well, there was one thing he was absolutely sure of: Craig Tucker was a boy who hated the rain. Despite the constant explanations and metaphors used by his parents to describe the necessity of rainfall, he refused to appreciate its natural occurrence due to one simple reason. If it rained, there would be clouds. And if there were clouds, the sun would not shine, and Craig could not bask in its glorious beams. Of course, his dislike did not apply to just rain; snow, hail, and even fog were included in this list, though if you were to catch him tasting snow he would beg you not to tell a soul. Rainy days spent inside his bedroom consisted of scheming devious ideas to rid the Earth of all precipitation while still supplying the grounds with plenty of water to survive. His parents had no heart to tell him his plans were all but possible, and so Craig continued to scheme, and he firmly believed he would never love the rain the way he did the stars.
And because he did not let those negative feelings become bothersome, Craig Tucker continued to live his life the way any other boy his age would. The thought of him ever changing his opinion on the matter never occurred to him.
Not even when the universe decided to make an attempt at persuading him, because one should stay firm in their beliefs, right?
Well, he's not so sure of it now. Not when he's currently standing in the pouring rain, umbrella and raincoat shielding him from the cold yet humid droplets that fall upon him. It's not a heavy rainfall, definitely not the kind that sends him running inside screaming and grabbing the nearest pencil and paper to begin devising ways to eradicate the rain. He'd describe it more as a light shower, quite similar to running through sprinklers. He still feels uncomfortable; his skin a texture of sweat and stickiness, a combination that sets off his annoyance easily, and yet he can't bring himself to move. His brain is jogging through multiple facts and theories, his thoughts running amok as he tries his best to grasp at the situation at hand.
The boy found himself staring directly at the sun, and the sun was sitting on the sidewalk sobbing into its knees. He watched the sun's shaking shoulders, tiny whimpers loudly escaping despite its face hidden beneath arms and legs. Craig considered reaching out, as there was no possible explanation as to why the sun would be so close, especially not when it was pouring the way it was now. He always thought the sun would be protected from conditions like this considering its distance far up in the sky, and yet here it was, right in front of him on the cold, wet ground. There were no clouds to hide it, and the rain fell all over it. And as desperate as he was to make a break for it and run home to be warm and dry, the thought of leaving the sun alone to feel the misery he always felt in this weather kept his feet glued to the pavement.
He had never seen the sun so helpless, so sad, so afraid. How he just wanted to reach out and comfort it, to tell it everything would be okay and—
"Stop… Stop looking at me, " the sun had finally spoken, shaking the frozen boy out of his trance.
And it was on this day, a gloomy and humid day in the middle of August, that Craig discovered the sun was composed of fair skin and deep cerulean eyes. A tiny gasp escaped his lips as he realized the crying sun had finally decided to show its face. He learned that the sun blinked just like any other human, except its eyes would also take turns blinking on their own, almost as if unintentionally winking, and such a thing fascinated him. He let his gaze fall upon the sun's small hands, hands that perhaps were even smaller than Craig's, and he watched as they latched onto the sun's rays and tightly tugged on them. But most importantly, he learned that the sun could feel the way he felt, that it could cry the way he cried, and maybe it even hated the rain the same way he did.
But how could he possibly hate the rain, if it had brought him the opportunity to meet the sun? And yet, how could he love the rain, if it was the reason the sun was currently distraught?
At least that's what he had hoped. His mind quickly pushed those questions to the back of his brain, along with any and all plans of fighting the weather, as it finally dawned on him that he was, in fact, not staring at the sun, but at a boy. A boy who looked to be around his age, shivering and sobbing as the cold and wet rain poured down on him endlessly. The boy looked back at him, his gaze a mixture of confusion and fear, and he wiped his nose before he spoke once more.
"Why are you looking at me?"
And Craig can feel the way his eyes open with wonder. He had spent most of his time reading and absorbing all the knowledge he could regarding the sun and its surrounding stars, even if he had to simplify certain words he couldn't yet understand. Yet every textbook, every diagram, every scientific journal failed to teach him a fact so beautiful it was currently leaving him speechless. For no one ever told him the sun had a group of tinier stars glistening across its face.
'Why does the sun look like a boy?''
Despite the rain decreasing his field of vision, he was awed at how perfectly and clearly he could still see them, and he was so sure he could count them all if he had all the time in the world. So he began to get closer, his blue rain boots inching towards the crying child softly. Craig considered joining him on the sidewalk, perhaps it could serve as an opportunity to finally interrogate the sun with the many questions that were spewing in his mind. Unfortunately, the sun had other ideas.
"Go away!" it shouts with arms stretched out. Craig jumps back in shock, feeling a dent form in his heart as he watches the sun curl up and continue to weep again. He needed to do something, and he needed to do it quickly. He couldn't bear another second of seeing the sun so upset, and being shooed away only made him feel worse. But what else could he do besides stare? Should he ask if it was hurt or scared? Could there be a chance it had mistakenly fallen from the sky, now doomed to roam lost on the earth disguised as a human child?
"Why are you here?" he ultimately asks, his nasally and monotone voice catching even himself off guard as he officially confronts the boy he had mistaken for the sun. The question, completely unexpected to both parties, sets a new scenario turning Craig into a secret agent, questioning an alien life form that mysteriously appeared in town. He wondered if it was the right thing to ask, perhaps it was too straightforward, too accusatory. It most certainly didn't sound like there was any concern in his voice.
Yet the sun still chose to lift its head and respond. A brand new set of tears began to pool in its eyes and stream down its face as it answered with a broken voice, "Mom and Dad… they were supposed to be here. They… they promised!" And the heartbroken sun once again choked on its sobs. "They said they would come get me but—" soft whimpers quickly turned into loud ones as the sun could not finish its sentence.
Craig can only stare as it once again buries its face into its knees, shivering from cold and despair. He's really not sure what to do; his heart is asking him to reach out and comfort the sun, while his brain orders him to pursue the topic of its parents further. Could it be that they got stuck in traffic? What if they were involved in an accident? Does the sun even know where they are right now? Question after question races through his mind, although time passes slowly as the boy in the raincoat watches the weeping sun.
"Where are they?" He chooses to follow his brain.
"I don't know," the sun replies with a sniffle. "But they need to be here right now! They said they'd come but they left me alone!" Hands once again take hold of the sun's radiant rays and tug. "I want Mom and Dad!"
"What do you mean they left you?" Craig presses further, his tone becoming much more stern. He wasn't sure if he was angry or disappointed. How dare anyone abandon the sun, how could someone abandon the sun? Afterall, the sun's only job was to shine bright in the morning sky, which meant it could do no wrong. Simply abandoning it was some form of cruel punishment it did not deserve. "Why would they—"
"Go away…" such a command is made through a whisper, and Craig would've missed it had he not been so focused on the sun's face. "Stop looking at me… please," the sun pleads with eyes firmly shut, its voice raspy and faint. It was a tone he very much recognized; such a tone escaped his own mouth when he was frustrated, when he would shut down and refuse to speak with anyone. It meant he was upset and needed both time and space to process the world around him in order to calm down. And the boy once again acknowledges that the sun can feel the same emotions he can.
Though when it came to following the sun's sudden orders, he chooses to listen to his heart. His rain boots slowly inched closer and closer, yet the sun did not notice or simply chose not to. He hoped it was the latter, especially since his newfound discovery meant the sun was more than capable of being as stubborn and closed off as he could be. Once close enough, he stretches his arm towards the sniffling sun and allows his umbrella to encase them both.
"I wanna help you."
And silence pours down above them as quickly as the rainfall. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground now harmonized with the stronger sound of them reflecting off Craig's blue umbrella, and it causes the sun to slowly open its eyes. It lets out a tiny gasp, and Craig takes it as an opportunity to bask in all the features that composed the sun's face. He can finally see the tear stains streaming down its cheeks as they are no longer blending in with the rainwater, he can see the faint pink blush caressing its nose, and he can especially see the tiny constellations floating across the entirety of its face. Despite speaking only mere seconds ago, Craig Tucker finds himself completely speechless as his eyes meet those belonging to one of the greatest stars in the whole world.
For no one ever told him the sun truly was so beautiful.
His observations are quickly interrupted as the sun lets out a shaky sigh. Eyes now moving towards the ground, it decides to talk once more.
"I don't like rain," it states with a quivering lip. "I don't like getting wet. But I don't know when Mom and Dad are gonna get me." Its breathing speeds up again, and Craig knows this can only mean more tears, "I don't— I don't know—"
Thankfully he quickly comes up with a solution.
"Can we go look for them? Maybe they're playing hide and seek!"
He didn't need to be older than six to understand what lying was. His parents did it all the time when it came to his younger sister and the sudden outbursts that came with being three years old. Of course, he also remembers being taught that lying was never the right thing to do… unless it was for good reason or to spare someone's feelings. If the second half of that lesson hadn't been added, perhaps his sister would be a much crankier girl, as he would feel compelled to admit their parents were fibbers.
Sure he didn't know where the sun's parents were, but he knows very well that they aren't playing such a childish game. He's also not sure what the exact situation here is; either the sun's parents are absent due to a serious predicament, or they simply chose to abandon the most radiant object in the sky. He sincerely hopes it's not the latter. But he really couldn't last another second of watching the sun wallow in despair, so he had to make do with the current information he had. Its parents were missing, and the task of uncovering the truth regarding their disappearance had been unknowingly bestowed upon him, with the added obstacle of keeping the sun calm and content while their search began.
"They promised they'd be here, didn't they?" The boy in blue starts. "Maybe they wanna surprise you! They're probably just being silly right now," he says with a laugh.
"Being silly?" The response is soft, yet hopeful, and it only encourages him to keep lying.
"Yeah! Maybe they thought they could make the surprise bigger by playing hide and seek with you!"
"Really?"
He takes the opportunity to, once again, study the sun's expression, finding himself completely mesmerized in the melancholic beauty depicted in it. Its face the perfect combination of stars and raindrops, such items he would later realize were nothing more than freckles and tears. The trembling lips he saw before slowly began to waver as if debating on whether to frown or smile. He gazes as small teeth pop out, latching onto its bottom lip. Perhaps one more lie would do the trick.
"Yep! So, c'mon! We gotta find them before they think you got lost!"
Craig hated lying. Even though his parents explained the significance of white lies and tiny mistruths, he always preferred to be honest. However, he didn't really have a choice when it came to supporting the fibs that comforted his sister, his reward coming in the form of her humongous smile and cheerful laugh.
So when he heard the sun giggle gently, he knew there was no turning back from this lie. Especially if the truth was much worse.
"Can you stand up?" He asks while offering a hand.
The sun complies, to his surprise, and grabs onto him. Once on its feet, Craig begins to mentally note the new discoveries he made about the star in front of him.
'The sun is small. It is shorter than me. It has really bright rays and blue eyes and tiny stars on the face. I am holding the sun's hand but it's not hot. It's really cold and wet. It's the rain's fault.'
"What are we gonna do now?" the sun questions.
'The sun is just like me. The sun has a mommy and a daddy. It also hates the rain.'
"Where do you think they're hiding?"
'The sun is lost. I don't like seeing it be sad.'
"Maybe…" It hesitantly wonders, "They're hiding at work!"
'I didn't know the sun can be sad like me. And I hate the rain too.'
"Okay, where is work? How do we get there super fast?" He asks with a grin.
"I know the way! Follow me!" The sun now beams with anticipation as it takes a step forward. "We can walk this way—"
And the sun lets out a yelp as the rain begins to shower it with its freezing droplets once more. Having grown confident due to Craig's small pep talk, it had completely forgotten about the current weather conditions surrounding them. It had forgotten their plan was devised under the safety of a small and blue umbrella, which it now found itself out of. But before it can run back to its shelter, a small weight is placed onto its head making its vision go dark. It grunts in confusion as its hands reach upwards, gently feeling whatever was now covering its bright blonde rays. It's soft, it's warm, it's—
"You can wear my hat if you want," the other warmly suggests.
It's a sapphire chullo.
It takes the sun a moment to truly process its softness and warmth, but by then it also begins to feel an itch. Finally moving the hat out of its face and fixing it properly on its head, it comes to terms with an entirely different predicament.
"It's getting soggy," the sun pouts. It didn't want to complain, after all its parents always reminded it to be grateful. But it couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling of heavy wet yarn pushing its weight onto it. "It's getting wet."
Yet Craig solves the problem by taking one step closer, encasing them both under his umbrella's protection.
"I hate the rain too," he whispers. "But when you have my hat and my umbrella, the stupid rain won't bother you anymore."
The sun seemed to like that detail, as it now sports a teeth-exposing grin. And our young scientist takes a second to jot down a few more observations.
'The sun really doesn't like being wet. It lost a tooth too! It really is just like me!'
"Let's go find Mom and Dad!" It proudly exclaims. "It's this way! I know we'll find them!" It says as its hand grabs hold of Craig's.
Craig fails to notice the way the sun's hand overlaps his, their combined grip now holding the umbrella steady. He doesn't notice how cold and frail its fingers feel on top of his own, and he certainly doesn't notice how their shoulders touch every few steps.
'I am helping the sun find mommy and daddy and I let it wear my hat. I am making the sun feel happy. The sun is just like me.'
He's not too sure about the route the sun chooses to take as their feet are trudging through puddles down sidewalks he's not even familiar with. But if it grants a hundred percent probability of finding the sun's parents, then who was he to question it? And so, he allows himself to be pulled along, a tiny fragment of hope stirring up inside him. Somewhere along their trek, he decides to sneak a quick glance at the one walking beside him. The sun's bright blue irises darting side to side as it recognizes certain shops and street signs, its small teeth popping out here and then to gnaw at its bottom lip, and the occasional tiny but visible smile that crept on its face were enough to keep Craig fully entranced.
'I think the sun is—'
"Hey! We're here! This is where they work!"
Notes are quickly interrupted by the excited shriek released from the sun's lips, and he is once again brought back to reality. It seems their quest had reached its end and its outcome was leaning towards great results rather than terrible ones. Quickly examining their current position and location, he determines they're standing in front of one of the local coffee shops, a family owned business by the name of 'Tweak Bros. Coffee'. He thinks it's a peculiar name for a place to get coffee, yet chooses not to offer his personal opinion, especially upon seeing how the sun once again began to shine as it viewed the building in front of them.
Peeking through the windows, Craig realizes the cafe is tremendously emptier than he imagined it would. There's no line poking out the door, no crowd amongst the register, and only a table or two contain any customers. He wants to ask the sun if they're at the right place, maybe it's a different coffee shop they're supposed to be at, but it eagerly runs inside giggling before he can even say a word.
'I feel happy when I hear the sun laugh.'
Without hesitation he closes the umbrella they shared, his fingers suddenly feeling much colder than before, and he follows the sun inside. The bell hanging above the door gently chimes, alerting the owners of the establishment that new customers have arrived.
"Good afternoon, and welcome to Tweak Bros. Coffee! Here, you'll find the finest— son?!" Craig watches in bewilderment as one of the workers runs towards them. "Son, why are you soaked?! Were you out in the pouring rain this whole time?!"
'Is this the sun's dad? He calls it sun too. I really did meet the sun.'
The sun nods while sniffling, still refusing to say anything, and Craig wonders what it must be feeling right now. Did he do the right thing by bringing him here? What if he got the sun in trouble? Its 'dad' certainly didn't seem too excited to see them. The man standing in front of them places his hands on the sun's shivering shoulders, his frown only getting bigger by the second. "Look at you, you're shaking! You're completely wet, you must be so cold!"
Before it can utter a response, the only other visible worker in the store dashes towards them. Appearing to be a woman about the same age as her male counterpart, Craig inferences that perhaps this was the sun's mother. He notices that compared to the actual sun, their rays lean towards a more golden brown color, not as bright and definitely not as captivating. He silently waits as she kneels down in front of them and cups the sun's face with her own hands.
"Tweek! What happened to you?! Did you leave the house without an umbrella?" Despite the frustration in her voice, she speaks in a softer and gentler tone. At the sound of her voice, the sun's lips begin quivering, yet not a single tear makes an appearance. The woman proceeds to gently stroke her thumbs across its cheeks, a gesture that seems completely soothing to the sun.
Letting out a sigh, the sun finally decides to talk. "I found you," it whispers with a newfound smile, its parents responding with puzzled looks on their faces. "You promised to pick me up, but then you started playing hide and seek to surprise me! So, I came to your favorite hiding spot!"
"Hide and seek?" Its father asks.
"Yes! You decided to play, but you forgot to tell me! I thought you forgot to pick me up…"
Both adults turn to look at each other with an expression that Craig is surprisingly all too familiar with. It's the same look his own parents give each other when they realize they messed up. A mixture of fear, regret, shock, maybe even the tiniest hint of sadness. Given their situation, he knows the reason they're frozen in place is because they were the ones who made a mistake. Not him nor the sun.
'I don't think the sun's parents are nice people.'
And quite similar to his parents, such expressions dissipate within seconds, the two adults suddenly bursting into laughter.
"You guessed it!" The man confirms. "Of course we wanted to make your special day even more exciting for you!"
'It's a lie.'
"But son," the woman begins. "Did you spend all that time waiting in the rain until you finally figured it out? Maybe you should've waited at home."
The sun shakes its head. "You told me to wait on the corner. I didn't know you were playing until he told me."
And all eyes fell upon Craig Tucker.
Now, there were many things Craig Tucker didn't like: the rain and lying being two common examples. Others included changes in plans, seeing someone upset, clouds, and an extreme amount of attention. Currently victim to the last item on his list, his own eyes fall to the ground and stare at the way his rainboots lightly tap against each other. He absolutely despised it when people stared at him; it made him feel like they were waiting for him to do something embarrassing, or maybe even get him in trouble over things out of his control. Was he about to be scolded for helping the sun make it here safely? He had done a good thing, hadn't he?
Still uncertain on whether to remain quiet or not, he slowly lifts his gaze to meet the eyes of the sun's parents. Their faces are completely unreadable. That is, until the woman posing as the sun's mother allows an eerily familiar smile to begin spreading across her face. As her eyes close into tiny crescents, he recognizes the expression almost immediately. It's the same smile his mother offers when her friends bore her with the many stories surrounding their pointless lives. Now cocking her head to the side, Craig stares as she brings her index finger and thumb to latch onto the poof at the very top of his hat, which was still on the sun's head. He continues to watch silently as she swiftly removes the chullo, once again exposing the sun's rays, and gently tosses it to the floor.
"All that matters is that you're safe and here with us now," she declares while running her fingers through the sun's rays.
He thinks she is undeserving of performing such an action.
'I think this lady is mean. Is she really the sun's mommy?'
"Thank you for helping our son, young man," the sun's father says as he brings a hand to lightly tap its back. "Now c'mon son, we made your favorite cupcakes just for you!"
He can hear the way the sun softly gasps with delight as it proceeds to follow its parents further into the shop, but the mere mention of treats is enough to get his own stomach grumbling. A battle between his brain and heart begins once again; his brain telling him to turn around and exit the establishment, while his heart tells him to inquire more about these 'favorite cupcakes.' He had chosen to follow his heart once, perhaps doing so one more time wouldn't hurt.
"Cupcakes?" He impulsively blurts out. He prays no one hears him. But when the sun immediately turns its head around, he knows he looks like a deer caught in headlights.
"Yeah," it begins. "It's my birthday. That's why mom and dad made this surprise for me!"
The sun has a birthday too. Just like me.
"Wait here!" The sun demands, and the boy can't find it in himself to disobey. He waits as the sun runs past its parents and behind the counter, returning in seconds with hands behind its back. "Please close your eyes and gimme your hands."
And Craig does so. He feels the faint touch of the sun's fingers brush against his palms, immediately followed by a rougher texture. It feels like paper, however a deliciously sweet scent emits from the mystery object in his hands, and he patiently waits for the sun to give him another command.
"Okay, you can look now!"
Looking down at his hands, his eyes widen as he sees a vanilla cupcake had been placed into them. He licks his lips as he examines the vanilla frosting swirled on top, followed by small red sprinkles scattered amongst it. He thinks back to the delicate little stars he noticed across the sun's face.
"It's for you," the sun whispers. "Thank you… um. Thank—"
"Tweek, those cupcakes were made especially for you," its father interrupts. "You can't just hand them out to whoever you want!"
"But I want to give him one dad. He helped me find you."
Although they're quite a distance away from the counter, Craig can see the way the man's face twists into a scowl. Despite how enticing the pastry is, he begins debating on whether to accept the offer.
"Does your little friend here have money to pay for that treat?"
"I don't know… but you can take it from my allowance if you want to… I want to give it to him."
The sun gets an allowance. I don't think its dad is nice at all.'
"Very well then. I'm sure his parents must be looking for him too, so be sure to send him off quickly!"
And he finds himself face to face with the sun once again. As it flashes a toothy grin, he takes note of the enchanting features he had discovered moments earlier; the sun's bright rays, its clear blue eyes that blink one after the other, its adorning stars all around its face. He also takes notes of features he hadn't seen before: faint purple shadows hanging from the bottom of its eyes, sunken cheekbones, and the smallest hint of a dimple.
'I think the sun is beautiful.'
"Thank you," the sun reiterates. "Um… what's your name by the way? I don't think you told me."
Another short silence fills the air as the question is processed.
"Craig Tucker." He wants to say more, he really does. But the embarrassment of not introducing himself before offering to help the sun is currently eating him alive. He gulps while bowing his head down, hoping the simple gesture would be enough to convey his feelings. He's grateful the sun wanted to give him a cupcake, but he's even more grateful just being in its presence.
The sun nods in return. "Okay, my name is Tweek. T-W-E-E-K. Tweek."
'The sun has a name. The sun is just like me.'
"It's your turn to find your mom and dad," it jokes. "But, maybe we can have a playdate together soon!"
Either the sun was beaming extremely bright, or his embarrassment was stronger than ever, as Craig can feel the heat radiating off his cheeks. He doesn't know how to respond, he honestly can't even move. All he can do is stare as the ever beautiful sun stands smiling in front of him.
"Tweek? It's time for your friend to go!"
'The sun's name is Tweek.'
"Thank you, Craig," The sun sighs as it finally begins to walk away. "Thank you for making my birthday the best!"
He remains frozen in place, observing the way the sun runs into its mother's arms. He sees the way she pats his head, before releasing herself from its grip and proceeding to ring up a customer. Its father had gone through a door labeled "EMPLOYEES ONLY," who knows for what reason. The cupcakes had now been moved onto the counter next to the register, and he can see the way the sun eagerly jumps up and down trying to reach them. Its mother smugly laughs at its attempt before eventually grabbing one and handing it to her son.
'The sun gave me a special cupcake. It's a birthday cupcake.'
Removing the wrapper from the 'special' cupcake, he brings it towards his lips and takes a bite. The cake itself is heavenly soft, the frosting the perfect blend of sweet and creamy, and he excitedly takes another bite. It's the best cupcake he's ever had in his six years of life, so he finishes it within seconds. As he hurries over to a nearby trash bin to toss out his trash, he takes one final look at the counter behind him. The sun was now sitting on a stool, a cupcake in one hand and an iPad in the other. Smothering its bright rays were a pair of big black headphones and it was clearly invested on whatever was displayed on the tablet's screen. Its mother was now cleaning their surroundings, and its father simply stood near the register with a mug in his hand.
Without further hesitation, Craig exits the cafe with a smirk on his face. The smirk quickly disappears, however, as he realizes he is once again out in the pouring rain. The horrible dreaded rain. Letting out a small groan, he pulls his raincoat's hood over his head and opens his umbrella. The boy closes his eyes, counts down from three, and immediately breaks out into a sprint home. For a few minutes, he believes he's lost as he's unsure which direction to run in. But upon stumbling into the community park, he easily retraces his steps and hurriedly runs towards his favorite destination.
The scolding he receives from being out in the rain so long was one he probably should've seen coming. Yet his parents' worried faces did nothing to stop the starstruck look on his own after meeting the most beautiful star in the galaxy. At the mention of meeting the sun, said parents are unsure of how to approach the situation; was their son suffering from a concussion? Perhaps all that time out in his least favorite weather tired him out to the point of delusion? The sun was a burning star that existed at a distance quite far from Earth, definitely not a small person that lived in South Park. But Craig refused to change his stance on the matter; he had met the sun, and the sun was named Tweek and its parents worked at a coffee shop.
'The sun looks like a boy.'
Throughout the scolding, and throughout dinner too, all he could speak about was the sun and their surprising encounter. Even while his mother gave him a bath, all he could do was mention the many things he learned about the sun, or ask questions that she honestly couldn't answer.
"The sun said we can have a playdate together, Mommy!" He squeals while she scrubs shampoo into his hair. "Doesn't that sound like fun?!"
"That sounds nice, honey. But are we sure we're talking about the same sun that's up in the sky?"
"Yes! It was really the sun! I promise!"
"You said he looked like a boy though?"
"It did."
She decides not to press further.
The same conversation unfortunately continues into bedtime.
"Mommy, do you think the sun hates the rain?" he asks as she tucks him in.
"If you say he's just like you, then he definitely hates the rain, sweetie," she responds with a chuckle. It's then that she remembers she has a question of her own. "Craig, honey? Did you lose your hat by any chance? I hung up your things to dry and noticed it was missing."
The boy begins to recall the events at the coffee shop; the puzzled look on the workers' faces, the way the sun's mother looked at him, the way she plopped his hat onto the cafe floor. "The sun has my hat," he answers. "I didn't want it to get wet."
"So," his mother starts. "We need to visit him and get it back, is that what I'm hearing?"
He tries to hide the faint smile beginning to form, but his mother catches on immediately and sighs in defeat. "Okay, no promises we can get it back tomorrow," she whispers as she cups her son's cheek. "But I can promise we will get it back sometime this week. Where did you say his parents worked again?"
Craig furrows his eyebrows. "I don't remember the name. It starts with a T… it's like the sun's name I think."
"Well? What's the sun's name again?"
"Tweek, mommy! I told you it was named Tweek!"
"Tweek?" He tilts his head as she makes her infamous thinking face. "Tweek… Tweek. Do you mean Tweak Bros. Coffee?"
And the boy gasps in surprise. "Yes! I think that's it! Can we go tomorrow?! Please?!"
His mother can only laugh at her son's newfound enthusiasm. "I already told you, not tomorrow, kiddo. But I made a promise, and you know I don't like breaking those."
Craig nods, his tiny smile reappearing.
"Alright," she says as she gives Craig's forehead a kiss. "It's time for you to go to sleep. You've had a pretty long day." She makes her way towards the door, a thought making her freeze halfway. "You know," she turns around, eyes meeting the twinkling ones belonging to her son. "I may or may not know the owners of that coffee shop." She tries to subdue a laugh as the mention of such an idea causes Craig's jaw to drop instantaneously. "I think you might've met their son today. Who knows? Maybe the sun really is just a boy."
Finally reaching the bedroom door, she gives the boy one last loving look. Craig remains staring at her with widened eyes, perhaps still processing her theory. "Goodnight sweetie," she says as she turns off the light. As she closes the door, she faintly hears the other whisper back to her, a signal it was time for her to sleep as well.
In the peace and quiet of his bedroom, Craig is left alone with his own thoughts. He allows himself to begin winding down from the exciting and unexpected day he had. His eyes trail towards the ceiling, counting the many stars scattered across it. As a birthday gift from his parents, he had them stick glow in the dark star stickers in various sizes all over. While the majority of them were stars, there were also some meant to resemble planets or asteroids. As he counts them one by one, he comes across one in the shape of a crescent moon. Seconds later, he finds one of the sun.
"Who knows? Maybe the sun really is just a boy."
He grins as he traces the shape of the sun with his finger.
'The sun is a boy named Tweek.'