Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You've been walking, you've been hiding
And you look half-dead half the time

-

The room was spinning. 

That's what it felt like, at least. It was probably between 1 and 4am., it gets hard to tell. All Tweek knows is that he hasn't drank any water in 24 hours and he feels like there's someone in the walls. 

He laid there, unmoving, for what felt like a few seconds but was definitely at least two more hours. When he finally snapped back into reality, he instinctively grabbed the cracked cellphone sitting next to him and read the time, 5:42am. He had to be at work by 7. 

With a heavy sigh, he blinked heavily a few times before sitting up, looking around the dingy, borderline scary, bedroom. The faintest traces of sunlight were beginning to emerge through the torn curtains and broken blinds, indicating morning was imminent and yet another day had started. Tweek got out of his bed and shuffled into the bathroom, not even bothering to look into the mirror, knowing he'd just see a shell of a person who reeks of despair. He grabbed his toothbrush and applied the smallest amount of toothpaste he could, before shedding his sweat soaked pajamas and hopping into the shower. He had to brush his teeth and shower at the same time, because once the warm water runs out for the day, and it runs out fast, he's forced to use the cold water. And the cold water doesn't look right. Definitely not clean. He's unsure how that works, or if the whole pipe system is even up to code, but he doesn't complain. He's getting what he's paying for, $550 worth of monthly problems and roaches. 

Once he finishes his quick shower, he throws on an off-white button up, and puts a green sweater vest on top of it to try and hide a few stains. He was determined to make the most out of this shirt, not wanting to waste any change at the laundromat when he can get away with a few more wears. By the time he's done brushing (more like fighting) his hair, it's already pushing 6:30. He doesn't have much time to spare. On his way out the door, he settles for grabbing a granola bar that somehow found it's way onto the couch, shoving it into is mouth as he zipped up his jacket and made his way to the nearest bus stop.

The bus ride from his apartment to the cozy coffee shop where he worked was about 20 minutes, give or take. Plenty of time for him to sit with his depressing thoughts. 

He gets to work and unlocks the front door, as he's the first person to arrive. Not wasting any time, he dives right into his morning duties. Wiping the counters, taking the chairs down from the tables, sweeping the floors, prepping the register, all those menial tasks. Without looking at a clock, he can tell it's 7:30 when he hears the bell over the front door jingle.

"Good morning, Tweek!"

It's not a good morning. It's never a good morning.

"Mornin', Wendy."

The girl smiled happily to herself, walking behind the counter and clocking in. Tweek was busy filling the display case, but watched her curiously out of the corner of his eye. She puts her long, jet black hair into a low ponytail before grabbing her brown apron off of its designated hook and effortlessly tying it around herself. "It's supposed to rain later, maybe it'll be slow." She said, mostly to herself it seemed. 

Tweek simply responded by giving her a small hum of acknowledgement. He didn't like slow days. He liked when it was busy. It provided him with a good distraction, giving him a few hours where he was too busy to think about his life and how it came to be what it was. 

Unfortunately, Wendy was right. It did rain and business was slow. Wendy was fine, leaning against the counter and scrolling through her phone, while Tweek was freaking out. The coffee shop was small enough, but he was starting to feel like it was shrinking. It felt like his stomach was shrinking too, all the meals he hasn't been eating threatening to spill out all over the display case he was restocking. 

"Hey, everything good?" 

A gentle voice broke him out of his trance. He blinked rapidly and looked up at the girl, slightly dazed and not remembering where he was or who was talking to him. He stood up from his crouched position and rubbed his temples, trying to ease his throbbing headache. Once he felt halfway decent, he looked down at Wendy and gave her a strained smile. "I'm fine. Just a small headache."

"Do you want some Ibuprofen? I should have some in my purse."

"No!" Wendy flinched slightly at his quick response, sending a flood of guilt through him. He didn't mean to sound harsh, but the thought of taking any type of pill was almost enough to send him back into a haze of confusion and anguish. Tweek shook his head, trying his best to reduce her concerns. "I don't want anything. I'll be fine. I'll just take a quick nap when I get off." That was a lie. He wasn't going to take a quick nap. He was either going to be up all night or sleep like a brick for 24 hours. There seemed to be no in-between for him. But Wendy didn't need to know that. She was a good friend to him, and if she knew then she'd try to make it her personal mission to help him and he just didn't want that right now. Or ever. 

Wendy just gave him a soft smile and pat his upper arm. "Okay. But take it easy. You have a double today. Actually, when was the last time you weren't working open to close?" 

Tweek looked around nervously, not wanting to make eye contact with Wendy as he lied to her. "The other day. I went home early." He hasn't left early a single day. Since he's been working at the coffee shop, and it's been over a year now, he has worked open to close. The manager was so happy to have Tweek join the team, he's already become the most dedicated worker they have. And he didn't even ask for extra pay, he just wanted to come to work, forget about the world, go home and lie awake in bed all night and then get back up in the morning to do it all over again. 

She stared him down, as if trying to break down his soul and get him to confess to his lie. Tweek wouldn't budge. Luckily, he was literally saved by the bell, a customer walked in and pulled Wendy's attention away. She went over to the register to take their order and then Tweek made their drink. 

The topic was dropped as a steady flow of customers began making their way inside, Tweek silently thanking whoever may be out there listening to him. 

Soon, Wendy clocked out and Tweek knew he wouldn't see her again until the closing shift on Friday. She only opens on Mondays and closes on the weekends, due to having classes all day throughout the week. A girl that Tweek wasn't close with came and clocked in to take Wendy's place. Jenny or something like that. She didn't talk much, opting to do her work and leave as soon as her duties were finished.

The rest of the day went by somewhat smoothly. Tweek had to step in once when a customer was arguing with Jenny over her being a cent short in giving back his change, but other than that, things were alright. Busy enough to keep Tweek grounded in reality. 

He closed alone, like always, telling Jenny that she could leave once she wiped the tables and stacked the chairs. The rest of the nightly tasks fell into his hands, and he preferred it that way. He counted the money, wiped the counters, swept and mopped, and turned everything off. It was nice. Peaceful. Sure, he was stuck alone with his thoughts, but he at least wasn't forced to make small talk with anyone. 

It was dark when he got off. He quickly checked his phone, seeing that it was almost 9pm. The bus stop wasn't too far, and the bus usually arrived at the same time every night, so he wouldn't have to wait too long. He always got scared when he had to wait too long, afraid of something, or someone, jumping out at him from the shadows.

After 30 minutes, he was finally home. If he could even call it that. From the outside, it would look like the whole complex was abandoned. Although that observation isn't too far from the truth. The owners are far too busy building a new complex on the nice side of Denver, leaving behind this crappy place that hasn't seen renovations or maintenance in years. As far as Tweek knows, only 10 other people live here legally, the rest are squatters and rats. He's just glad that nobody bothers him, mostly because the ex-con that lives down the hall has taken a liking to him and even threatened to shoot some homeless guy for staring at Tweek the wrong way. It's...strange. To say the least. But it's this or the streets.

He unlocked the door to his unit and walked in, being careful not to inhale too deeply lest the smell of mildew attack his nose. With a heavy sigh, he kicked his worn down sneakers off his feet and flopped onto the couch that has surely seen better days. There was a small TV, but there was no point in turning it on since the only options were Hallmark movies and the news. 

An hour passed. Or maybe three. Tweek didn't know. He never knew. All he could tell was that it was still dark outside. He got up and went into the small kitchen that was just a smelly fridge, a broken oven, a cracked sink, and a loud microwave, all tucked into a small corner. He could never stomach food. Last time he had a proper meal was probably over a month ago, but it came right back up about an hour later. So he just survives off of coffee, crackers, lunch meat, granola bars, and the occasional bottle of water. Every day he's surprised he's even still alive, though at this point he may as well just be considered a walking corpse. 

Tweek grabbed a few slices of lunch meat and a couple crackers, practically shoving it all into his mouth before retreating into his bedroom. As if on autopilot, he took off his clothes and threw them on top of his laundry pile on the floor, then grabbed one of his many oversized T-shirts and put it on, before jumping into bed and praying for the Heavens above to let him sleep for once. 

It was times like this that made him wish he was back home. Where he had all his legos and a bedroom where he could at least walk around in a circle without hitting a wall. He didn't have to worry about rent or groceries or a crackhead breaking in in the middle of the night. All he had to do was sit back and let the medication take over. The worst part of it all was that there were no 'times like this.' It was always like this. Dark, lonely, painful. There was nothing that could alleviate this feeling. Nothing that he could get without sacrificing his freedom, at least. But was he really free if he was constantly held down by the weight of his memories? He was over 1000 miles away from the source of his nightmares and pure bliss. It was sick. He was sick. He is sick. Everything is hell. Maybe the only true way out is to just die. 

But he couldn't move. He was glued to the bed, figuratively and literally, as his night sweats had already began to drench him in the sticky product of his desperation. At this point his bed was just a pool of sweat. Maybe that's part of the reason he can never sleep. But he doesn't care. He's not going to pay to wash his sheets if they're just going to get drenched again the next night. 

So he stayed like that. For however long. Until the sun came up, and he got out of bed to do it all again. 

Chapter Text

All the things that I've done and I've seen
Still I don't know, don't know what it means
To be human 

-

Another day, another round of annoying customers, shitty neighbors, and not getting enough nutrients. 

But it was Friday. That should mean something, right? No. Weekends don't mean shit anymore. All it meant was a bunch of young teenagers coming in, ordering the weirdest drinks with the most difficult modifications and then sitting down for over an hour, laughing and shrieking like there weren't other people around who wanted to have some peace after a long week. In fact there were five of them at the moment, sitting around at two tables that they pulled together. They had been there for at least 30 minutes. Tweek could never tell how much time had passed, but in this instance he could feel every minute. They all couldn't have been any older than 14, making Tweek wonder where their parents were. His parents never let him go anywhere except school without them. Looking at these kids now, he was almost glad. This is annoying. But at least he's caught up with all the 9th grade drama.

Occasionally he caught Wendy listening in on their conversation and giggling a bit at their audacity. There was a brief calm period where no customers were walking in, and Tweek was mindlessly wiping down the same machine he had already wiped five times. 

"Man. I miss being that young and that stupid. Caught up in all the cheerleading drama and who has a crush on who. I definitely took it for granted." Wendy sighed, leaning back against the counter and reminiscing on her high school years.

"You were a cheerleader? Didn't expect that." Tweek replied. He didn't really care. But he didn't want her to think she was being ignored.

Wendy smiled and leaned closer to Tweek, making him a bit nervous that he may have said the wrong thing. "Yep. Team captain too. Don't judge people by their looks, Tweek. I'm not a dumb, perky blonde, but I was a damn good cheerleader. And a damn good volleyball player. Just like you're damn good at making coffee. If I didn't know you I would have expected you to be some type of chess mastermind or something."

This actually made Tweek laugh. A small laugh, but a genuine one. In all his years of living, nobody had ever told him he looked like he played chess. To be fair, a lot of people didn't talk to him at all. "Nope. I suck at chess. I'm pretty good at piano, though. And I boxed for a couple years as a kid."

She enthusiastically gasped and hit his arm playfully. "Tweek! What? That's so cool! You should tell more people that. Bebe is always going on and on about learning self defense, maybe you could teach her a few things. And if you ever have a recital, just know that I'll be in the front row with my old pom-poms."

Tweek simply smiled and returned to his task, not knowing what else to say. He didn't want to tell her that he'd never have a recital because he wasn't good enough for that. And that he couldn't teach self defense because he wasn't good enough for that either. He wasn't good enough for anything except this damn coffee shop that he'd probably be working at for the rest of his meaningless life. 

His mini existential crisis was cut short by a loud laugh coming from one of the teens, followed by the little chime of the doorbell. He sighed out of relief, thankful that he was pulled out of his self loathing thoughts, and began to prepare the order as soon as Wendy finished ringing it in.

The rest of the day went by fine. The annoying group of kids left eventually, and it got really busy near closing, since of course everyone in town decided to want coffee at 7:45. But after that headache of a rush, it was time to close. Wendy usually insisted on staying the whole time, not wanting to leave Tweek alone for some reason. It was an endearing effort, even if Tweek would prefer she didn't do it. 

The two worked in silence for a while. Then, out of nowhere, Wendy's phone started blowing up with text after text. Tweek had almost forgotten that sound. He doesn't get any texts except for the occasional scammer. 

"Sorry." Wendy grabbed her phone and silenced it before taking a break from stacking chairs to read and respond to the messages. It didn't bother Tweek, he just kept counting the money from  the register and moving it to the safe. That is, until he was interrupted by Wendy suddenly standing right next to him, phone in hand and a wide smile on her face. He braced himself for whatever she was about to ask of him, already prepared to say no. "Guess what?" He raised an eyebrow. "The fair started today! I blanked and thought it was next weekend. Bebe is asking me if I want to go tomorrow after work, and she told me to ask you too! So...up for it?"

Bebe. Tweek had met the girl a few times, and knew that she and Wendy were close. She's...a character, for sure. Very nice, but also way too energetic. She liked attention. The thought of going anywhere with her and being pulled into the center of attention by her boisterous personality made Tweek's skin begin to itch.

"No."

Wendy frowned, crossing her arms and looking Tweek up and down. "Why not?"

He sighed, already knowing she was going to make this into a bigger deal than it needed to be. "Multiple reasons. It's going to be dark and late. I'm going to be tired from work. And I - ack - just don't want to." Fuck. He usually didn't tic anymore, unless he was stressed or nervous, and just the thought of being around all those strangers and forcing himself to pretend he's having fun was beginning to stress him out. 

Wendy noticed this and softened her expression. "I guess you don't have to go. But we really want you to. And you work too much, you need at least one night where you can have some fun. But, I won't pressure you." 

On that note, the topic was dropped and they resumed their closing duties. They finished up quickly and both went their separate ways, Wendy getting into her car and Tweek getting on the bus.

That night, he laid awake, like always. Mind racing. 

"Dad. S-s-some kid at school is - gah - having a b-birthday party. They invited th..the whole class."

"That's nice, son. Now hand me that bag there."

"C-can I go? To the - nngh - party?"

"Of course not. You have responsibilities here. Don't ask me again. They say that little boys who pester their fathers with silly requests get visited by closet monsters at night. You don't want a closet monster to get you, do you son?"

"No! I won't ask a-again!"

A single tear escaped his eye. He sighed, not even bothering to wipe it. Never in his life has he gone anywhere, done anything. As soon as he was old enough to go to school, he was working at his parent's coffee shop. That was it. No birthday parties, no playdates, no vacations, no dates and definitely no prom. Tweek didn't know what it was like to 'hang out' with anyone. He wouldn't know what to do, what not to say, or even just what to wear. But did he really want to spend the rest of his life like this? When he reaches his deathbed and his life flashes before his eyes, all he'll see is himself working. Is that what he wants to remember before he dies? Even if it's just once, even if it all goes horribly, maybe he should go. Just to try. So when he dies he can have at least one semi happy memory to look back on. Maybe there's more to life than struggle, sadness, and pain. But that's a big maybe.

For now, there was definitely nothing more than the dark, damp room he was in. He contemplated trying to actually close his eyes to sleep for once, thinking maybe if he was halfway well rested then he could potentially even enjoy himself the next day. But of course it's not that easy. By the time he felt even an inkling of sleep beginning to take over his body, the sun was beginning to peek through the curtains. Over the past week he's probably gotten a total of four hours of sleep. Pitiful, really. But he wasn't going to be getting any sleep now, it was already time to get ready for work again.

It was 1:58pm when Wendy arrived to clock in for her closing shift. 

It was 2:45pm when Tweek decided to change the trajectory of the rest of his life.

"What time does the fair close?"

Wendy's eyes widened as a smile crept onto her face at the question. Tweek was already regretting this. "Midnight! So if we get all our closing stuff done a little faster today we can be out of here at 8:30, then go home and get ready and meet at the fair hopefully around 9 or 9:15? Then that gives us like a solid three hours to hang out!"

It was nice that she at least had a plan. Tweek closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself before opening them and looking down at Wendy with a strained smile. "Yeah. Okay. I guess I'll go."

She excitedly clapped her hands together, accidentally pulling the attention of a few customers who were sitting at tables doing work, but they quickly turned away and went back to whatever they were doing. "I promise, you'll have so much fun! The rides are so fun, and the food is so nauseatingly good. And if for some reason you don't have fun, I swear we can take you back home."

He absolutely did not want them seeing the horrible conditions he lived in. "That's fine. I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun."

The rest of the day went by incredibly fast. Before Tweek knew it, it was already closing time and Wendy was excitedly cleaning up. He finished all he needed to do and the two went home, Wendy saying she'd text him to let him know when her and Bebe were on their way to the fairgrounds. 

God, this was already exhausting. Tweek had only just walked into his apartment and was already exhausted at the prospect of social interaction. What was he supposed to wear? Maybe he should just call Wendy and tell her he wasn't going to make it. But it was already almost 9. He'd look like an asshole cancelling now after she's been excited about it all day and he's supposed to leave to meet them soon. 

With a deep exhale, he went into his bedroom and began digging through one of his suitcases. He still keeps all his clothes in suitcases, for some reason. It just wouldn't feel right to fully unpack. Even if it's been a year. It would make this place way too home-y. 

He truly had no idea what to wear. This was casual, so maybe he could keep on the jeans he had on during work. They at least smell more like coffee than sweat. And he could just switch out his green button up for a green sweater. Wow. He needed more clothes. Everything was green and white with the occasional khaki or blue denim. But he hadn't received new clothes since he was back in California. Going shopping alone seemed like such a daunting task, one that he didn't really have the time for. He also didn't have the time to be getting lost in thought. He quickly changed his top and then went into the mirror to tackle his face and hair.

Whew. He looked a mess. Eyebags so heavy he looked skeletal. His hair was all over the place and tangled. He wet his hands and ran them through his hair before grabbing the only brush he had and doing his best to brush out all the tangles, at least enough that he could then tie his hair back into a low ponytail. He then grabbed his mostly empty makeup bag and put a shit ton of concealer under his eyes, and put on some eyeliner to hopefully distract from everything else. 

Now he looked halfway decent. Maybe less than halfway. At least a solid two percent. The easy part was out of the way, now came the hard part. Actually surviving the night. 

Chapter Text

Hide the sun
I will leave your face out of my mind
You should save your eyes
A thousand voices howling in my head

-

"Tweek! You look so good!" 

The loud high pitched voice cut through the cool night air, ripping Tweek from his thoughts. He looked over and saw Bebe and Wendy waving at him with wide smiles on both their faces. They were waiting by the ticket booth, not having bought them yet so that they could all three buy them at the same time and walk in together. It was sweet. Almost enough to stop the growing ache in his stomach. 

He walked over and laughed lightly in shock as Bebe pulled him into a hug. They were not that close, but apparently that's just the type of person she is. He wondered if she greeted everyone with a hug or if he was somehow special to her. But he knew that was a crazy thought. Of course he wasn't special to anybody. 

"Love the fit. And the eyeliner. Suits you. Oh my god, I haven't seen you in so long! We need to all hang out more often." Bebe said, squeezing him tightly. He awkwardly returned the hug and pat her back, Wendy just laughing at the sight.

"You look...good too. Love the hair." He replied, feeling obligated to give her a compliment in return. But it wasn't a lie. He did love her hair. He wished his could be like that. Her hair was luscious, shiny, and just flowing in the wind. Instead of unruly and greasy and annoying like his.

Bebe then grabbed both Tweek and Wendy by their arms and dragged them over to get in line to buy entry tickets. Luckily the line wasn't too long and the tickets were only ten bucks, so at least if Tweek didn't enjoy himself he didn't have to regret wasting a bunch of money. Though he was taken by surprise when he found out that he had to also buy a bunch of little tickets to be able to ride the rides. That made no sense to him. But he coughed up 30 dollars to buy himself some tickets, opting to just follow whatever Bebe and Wendy were doing as he was clearly inexperienced.

The two girls were quick to maneuver through the crowds and get on many different rides. Tweek was struggling to keep up. Not to even mention the fact that they had to give him a pep talk to get on every ride. He just didn't trust them. What if it broke down? What if a fire broke out while they were on the ride and they couldn't escape in time? Also, are these things even up to code? The fact that these fairs get put up in just a matter of days screamed hazardous to him, and he didn't know how everyone could just be so normal about it. He felt like a nuisance, though. Wendy and Bebe just wanted to have fun after a long week, and here he was lecturing them on safety and bothering them with his paranoia. Maybe he should just go home. 

They ran around going on different rides for a little while longer until they ran out of tickets. Tweek figured they would go home. But then they started talking about buying more. When does this end?

"Okay. Game plan. Take a quick break, eat up a little. Then get more tickets and tackle the rest of the rides. Sound good?" Wendy asked, the three forming a little huddle as if they were actually a sports team making a plan to win. Or something. Tweek didn't fully understand how sports worked. He could never get into them.

"All good here. Just, don't go overboard on the fried Oreos. We don't need a repeat of last year." Bebe said with a laugh.

Wendy's face went red, making Bebe laugh even harder. "Shut up! We said we weren't gonna talk about that!"

Meanwhile, Tweek was just kind of confused. "What the hell is a fried Oreo? That sounds gross." He said, immediately regretting it once the two looked at him like he was an alien.

Bebe dramatically gasped, then grabbed Tweek's arms and shook him back and forth. "You've never had a fried Oreo? They're only like, one of the top three fair foods! Nothing can beat a turkey leg and funnel cake though. Come on, you have got to try one. Get out from under this rock you've been living under!"

And that was how he got dragged from food truck to food truck, being made to try all types of greasy, sugary, processed, and probably toxic foods. At least she was right about the turkey leg and the funnel cake. Everything else just tasted a bit...strange. Nonetheless, Tweek was trying new things. He was almost proud of himself! Almost.

The group got up and threw away all their trash and began heading over to buy more tickets. Tweek zoned out for a moment, wondering if all that food would be making its way back up sooner or later. He was swiftly pulled back into reality by a scream. He almost panicked and ran off, but then remembered that Bebe is just loud and incapable of showing her emotions in a calm way. He's not one to judge, though.

He looked up to see what she was screaming at and saw her pulling a girl who was not Wendy into a hug. Noted. Tweek is not special, Bebe just hugs everyone. 

"Girl! What have you been up to? You're always so busy with your little chemistry stuff, I never see you anymore!" She exclaimed, grabbing the girls bright red hair and twirling it around. "I love, love, love the haircut!" 

The girl was a bit shorter than Bebe and right around Wendy's height, and had skin a bit on the tanner side. Again, she had bright red hair. Despite that, she seemed to have a 'don't fuck with me' vibe about her that sent chills down Tweeks back. She wasn't alone either, accompanied by a guy with crutches and a lopsided smile, and a taller guy who shared her borderline scary aura. Tweek has always been lanky and tall, and this guy almost gave him a run for his money. But also, the guy was kind of...hot? It was weird. Tweek never found himself attracted to people, always too busy trying not to just die all of the time. There was something about this guy though. Maybe it was his nice jawline, or his cute hat, or his piercing green eyes, or the silver nose ring pierced through his septum, or his-

"Tweek, this is Red. We go wayyy back. Actually, all of us do! We all grew up together!" 

Shit. He wasn't staring, right? No, he definitely was. The guy was staring right back at him now, his expression unreadable. But he definitely didn't seem too happy about Tweek dissecting his entire face with his eyes. Hopefully he isn't the violent type, or would that just make him hotter? No, absolutely not. 

Anyways. Enough. Stop that. 

Shifting his focus back to the girl, he awkwardly smiled and gave her a small wave, that she unenthusiastically returned. Red was a fitting name for her, but he wondered if that was really her name, or just a nickname. Again, he had no room to judge. His first name is the same as his last name and they're both weird. Maybe his parents truly did hate him from the start. 

"Do you go to CU Denver too?" Red asked. 

His face began to heat up as he awkwardly shook his head. He hated admitting to people that he wasn't in school. But he was too anxious to even try to lie. "N-no...I'm not in school right now."

Red raised an eyebrow curiously. "Then how did you meet Bebe?"

He began to sweat and started fiddling with his fingers, picking at one of the many bandaids adorned on his hands. Being put on the spot like this was nerve-wracking. It wasn't even a difficult question, but it made him want to throw up and never talk to another human being ever again. Thankfully, before he could just start screaming and running away, Wendy chimed in for him. "We work together."

That seemed to be enough to satiate Red's curiosity. She stopped her interrogation and everyone began to move in the same direction, forming some sort of super friend group. Well, maybe not 'super.' But anything more than just himself was a large group in Tweek's mind. 

Wendy kind of hovered around him for a minute, as if silently checking in to see if he was doing okay. He just flashed her a small smile, hoping it would be enough to get her to stop worrying about him. It wasn't, but she at least didn't put him on the spot about anything so he was grateful for that. 

The night went on, though it was definitely awkward now that there were strangers involved. Tweek decided to just quietly hang back, hoping maybe they'd just forget he was even there and maybe he could slip away and get on the next bus back home. 

As luck would have it, the girls wanted to go into the funhouse. Tweek absolutely did not. He didn't fully understand the concept, but he's seen them on TV. They look terrifying. He'd surely have a panic attack in there. 

"Nah. I'm g-g-good." The guy with the crutches answered when asked if he'd go into the funhouse with them. 

Bebe pouted and looked over at the tall guy with her best puppy dog eyes. "Fuck no. I hate those things." His voice was deep yet nasally. Suddenly Tweek felt like the temperature had just rose at least 20 degrees. Despite them all walking around together for a while at that point, this was the first time the guy had spoke. Or at least the first time he spoke while Tweek wasn't spacing out. 

"Tweek?" Bebe pleaded, clasping her hands together as if begging him.

He felt bad, but there was no way in hell he was going in there. If he did, they'd surely never talk to him again. They'd think he was crazy. They wouldn't be wrong, but still. Not wanting to sound or look like a jackass, he just mumbled a quick 'sorry' while shaking his head.

"You guys are no fun! It's not called an unfunhouse. We don't need this negativity anyways." Bebe huffed, a slight smile on her face. Tweek got nervous. Was she being serious? Did they really think he was no fun? Maybe he should just suck it up and go inside.

It was too late for regrets, as the three had already excitedly run inside, leaving the boys outside to stand there awkwardly. It was evident that the two boys were friends, but they didn't want to talk to each other in front of Tweek. God, he felt like he was ruining everything for everyone. 

Tweek looked around, eager to find any reason to walk away. His gaze landed on a small booth where a ring-toss type of game was set up. This was something he had only seen in movies, and always wanted to try. He walked over and reluctantly handed the carnie a dollar, giving him three tries to land the ring on one of the many glass bottles. Maybe he could even win a plushie to take back and liven up his drab apartment with it. 

The game looked so easy on TV. But it was very obviously rigged. Any time the ring was only just a centimeter away from landing on a bottle, it would suddenly tilt the other way and fall to the ground. It was beyond annoying. So why did Tweek keep paying for more chances? This must be what gambling feels like. Just as he was ready to finally throw in the towel, 6 dollars later, he felt a presence behind him and flinched. Automatically his mind raced, thinking of every plausible answer as to who this could be. It could be security, coming to escort him out. Even if the only crime he committed was being ass at this game. Or maybe it was a murderer, here to stab him to death. It was the perfect attack. The murderer could just run into the crowd and Tweek would never find him because he would be dead. Maybe it's his dad. Who just suddenly knew where he was and decided to show up right at this moment to snatch him up and drag him all the way back home. 

"Let me try."

Oh. That voice. It's just hot guy. No, it's just guy. Not hot guy. Don't call him 'hot guy.' 

He handed the carnie a dollar bill, and before Tweek could even protest, the guy flicked his wrist and threw the ring, which promptly landed right on a bottle. Wow. It was all so...effortless. Like this guy was just put on Earth to be cool. The carnie rolled his eyes and asked him which one he wanted, and to Tweek's surprise, he looked over at him to pick. Such a gentleman.

Tweek pointed a weird looking blue cat alien thing. The carnie handed it to him and then walked away to steal from another unsuspecting fairgoer. "Thanks..."

"Craig."

Hm. Anticlimactic name. But it fits. He looks like a Craig. Oh god, does Tweek look like a 'Tweek?' Hopefully not. He'd die if anyone ever told him that.

"Thanks, Craig. H-how'd you do that?" Shit. Don't stutter. Be calm. Cool. Normal. Super normal.

Craig shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets, Tweek catching a small glimpse of black nail polish as he did so. Woah. Could this guy get any cooler? He was doing all the things Tweek wanted to do growing up, but was too scared to do. And things he could never pull off now. "I worked at a fair one summer in high school. All these bullshit games are rigged as hell, but I learned a couple tricks for some of them." 

Tweek nodded in acknowledgement, not knowing what to say. God, he never knew what to say. Why couldn't he know what to say just this once? What if he says the wrong thing and this guy hates him for all eternity? Or what if he says nothing and looks like an incompetent jackass? 

"Do you want a fish?"

What? 

Tweek looked over at what Craig was looking at and saw another one of those little game booths, but the prize was fish in bags instead of plushies. "It's illegal to give away real fish now, but some fairs give away these weird robotic bath toys that look like fish. They usually stop working after a few days, but I dunno. I guess they're kinda cool."

Craig was rambling. Tweek noticed. No way. Was Craig...nervous? Oh god, he was probably scared of Tweek because he was failing to be normal.

"Sure. I'll take a fish." He replied, awkwardly smiling to seem more friendly and less scary, though the smile was probably more frightening than he intended it to be.

The two walked over to the booth, and it was one of those water gun games. Craig handed the carnie a dollar and began playing, winning effortlessly again. At this point Tweek was beginning to think that this guy was just a show off. He handed the little plastic baggie to Tweek, who held it carefully, not wanting to accidentally puncture it and embarrass himself by having to walk around with wet pants. "Thanks, again. I wish - gah -" He stopped talking. The last thing he wanted was to twitch or tic in front of Craig, or anyone for that matter. After the ruthless bullying in school growing up, his twitching has became the bane of his existence. It's not like he could control it, but he really did try. 

Yet, to his surprise, Craig didn't make a face or laugh. He just watched, and waited for Tweek to finish talking. The simple act of respect made Tweek's stomach turn. 

"I wish I could w-win you something back. But I obviously suck at...at these games."

Craig laughed, or really just blew a little bit of air out of his nose. "You can buy me something to eat."

"Oh, sure. What do you want?" The thought of the fair food made Tweek's stomach hurt even more. He was sure to throw up any minute now.

"Not here. I don't like this food. It's all triple fried sugar with no nutritional value. You can buy me something to eat somewhere else. Another time."

Tweek's face begin to flush. The prospect of hanging out with Craig in any capacity after this made him want to keel over and die. No way he wanted to hang out with Tweek. Tweek! Of all people! If he truly knew how flawed he was, maybe he wouldn't. He'd go running and screaming. That seems like the most reasonable reaction. But maybe Tweek is selfish. Maybe he won't tell Craig just how flawed he really is, because he wants to keep him around. Even if he is giving him a massive stomach ache. But then he'd be a liar. He's not supposed to lie. God, this is difficult. He didn't trust his mouth to not spew out every terrible thought he was thinking, so he settled on just nodding.

They walked around a bit more, eventually ending up back at the funhouse, where the girls were waiting outside. Their faces perked up at the sight of the two returning. "Finally! I was about to report you two as missing." Bebe teased, making Tweek's eyes widen. He absolutely could not have a single person call the police on him for anything. Especially not to report him as missing. He started to panic. "Hey, I'm kidding!" He sighed in relief as Bebe reassured him. He still wasn't good with the whole sarcasm and joking stuff that friends do sometimes. But he was a little peeved that Bebe would joke like that. It's not her fault though. She doesn't know. It's his fault for keeping everything to himself and never trusting anyone with the truth. 

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm exhausted. I think we've hit every ride, you guys ready to call it a night? I have to get up and finish some assignments before work anyway, I don't need to be out all night." Wendy said, pulling the attention to her. Everyone sort of murmured in agreement.

When he got home, the first thing Tweek did was put the little fish into one of the few Tupperware containers that he owns, letting it swim around in the minuscule body of water. The second thing he did was place his new weird looking blue cat alien friend on his bed. The third he did was lay down in his bed, holding his new inanimate friend tightly, letting it wash away all his bad thoughts. The fourth thing he did was fall asleep.

Chapter Text

We're on the borderline
Caught between the tides of pain and rapture

-

It's cold. Stupid cold. November is definitely around the corner. And Tweek is definitely not prepared.

He almost died last winter. Probably. It was fucking freezing, and all he had was a cheap thin jacket to get him through it. Doesn't help that the heater in the apartment definitely doesn't work. Technically he could afford a thicker jacket, but the thought of buying more clothes seemed like such a daunting task. California was never this cold. It almost made him miss it. Almost.

The walk from the bus stop to the coffee shop wasn't too long, maybe three minutes tops. On the way there, he passes a small convenience store. Today he decided he'd drop in really quickly before he had to open the store. 

The cashier greeted him, but he didn't respond. He did not come in here for conversation. What he came in there for was conveniently displayed at the front. He grabbed five little containers of Tic-Tacs and paid for them quickly, not bothering to get his change or say any form of goodbye to the cashier.

As he continued his short trek to work, he opened one of the containers and shook it into his hand, watching intently as four little candies came out. He then quickly popped them in his mouth, swallowing hard before shoving the container into the pocket of his jacket. The pocket had a small hole, but whatever. 

The day was fine. It was a Friday, so a little busy at times but nothing ridiculous. Wendy arrived at 1:57. They made small talk. It was fine.

At one point, Tweek's back was turned to the door as he was wiping down the back counters. Then he heard a shriek, the same one that Bebe always does. But it wasn't Bebe. It was Wendy. Odd. She was usually not that...loud. Regardless, Tweek quickly turned to see why she did it, and saw the same girl from the fair outing two weeks ago. Red. Or something. She was accompanied by the same guy. Craig. Tweek remembered his name for sure. The two must be best friends if they're always together. Or maybe they're dating. For some reason Tweek really hoped that wasn't the case.

The two approached the register and the girls began talking. Craig looked up from his phone and caught Tweek staring, giving him an awkward smile. Tweek's face began to heat up and he turned back around, embarrassed by being caught. 

After a minute or so more of just chatting, Red finally ordered something, and Craig did too. Red ordered one of those specialty drinks that Tweek hates, and Craig just ordered a black coffee, which Tweek respected, though it made him curious. Most people their age didn't order just black coffee. They always ordered the specialty and seasonal drinks and then added 15 modifications. Anything for an aesthetic instagram post. But Tweek didn't want to overthink it. Could be a reasonable explanation. Or maybe Craig is crazy. Or weird. Not like he had any room to judge though. 

He quickly prepared the two drinks and handed it to them. Red grabbed her drink and continued talking to Wendy. The two were talking about some drama or something, he heard the name 'Heidi' tossed around. He didn't know who that was so he didn't care. What he cared about was the fact that Craig was talking to him. Shit. Craig was talking to him and he had zoned out and didn't hear a single word.

Craig stared at him expectantly for a moment before softly smiling. The smile did something to Tweek. Something uncomfortable. It stirred a warm, queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach and sent a shiver down his spine. 

"I asked you for your number."

What.

Why the hell? Is this real? Tweek's mind began to race. This all felt very surreal and he almost reached out to grab Craig just to ensure that he wasn't dreaming. He instead settled for clenching his fists, digging his nails into his palms. He definitely felt the pain and he definitely wasn't dreaming.

"Uh...why?"

Now it was Craig's turn to be nervous. At least, that's how it seemed. Tweek could swear he saw the faintest bit of blush creeping onto the other boys face. But at the same time Tweek hadn't had a single drop of water all day so maybe he was hallucinating. 

Craig fiddled with the lid of his coffee and looked away, not wanting to making eye contact with the blonde. Tweek assumed it was probably because Craig thought he was ugly. "We're having a little Halloween get-together tomorrow. Small thing, really. But the girls want you there so...I need to text you the details."

Tweek just stared at him, thoroughly confused. Why was Craig asking and not Wendy? Why do they even want him there? He knew he should've said no to the fair, now he's going to be invited to stuff left and right and he doesn't want to seem like the worlds biggest asshole and say no to everything.

"Okay..."

This was weird. Too much was happening. Tweek's mind still couldn't even fully comprehend the fact that he had even met Craig let alone the fact that Craig wants to hang out with Tweek. Or 'the girls' want to hang out with Tweek. 

It didn't matter. He didn't want to seem rude. So he quickly grabbed a napkin and a pen and wrote his number down. It took him a second, as he doesn't have his number fully memorized. Literally the only people that have his number is Wendy and his manager so obviously it doesn't get much use.

A few customers suddenly walked in, taking away everyone's attention. "We'll get out of your hair now, see you tomorrow!" Red exclaimed, enthusiastically saying bye to Wendy before glancing at Tweek and just giving him an awkward nod of acknowledgment that he didn't know how to reciprocate.

"I'll text you later. See you." Craig said, fully to Tweek, not even bothering to say goodbye to Wendy at all. Tweek isn't good at goodbyes. Or hellos. Or any type of brief social interaction. Or long interaction. But he didn't want to be rude, so he settled on giving the boy an awkward wave. 

For some reason, after the encounter Tweek found a smile creeping onto his face a few times randomly throughout the rest of his shift. The thought of Craig would suddenly cross his mind and he just couldn't get himself to stop smiling. It was weird. Definitely scary. Nauseating, even.

"You gonna go? Might be fun." Wendy randomly spoke up while they were closing up. 

At first Tweek didn't even realize she was talking to him, but then he looked over and saw her staring back at him expectantly. He panicked a little, hating being put on the spot like that. "Uh. I don't. I don't know. Maybe. Potentially. I'll have to see." 

Wendy just gave him a small smile and then continued with her sweeping. A few minutes passed by and she spoke up again, "You should go. Bebe always has fun with you. And Craig seems to like you. I'm sure you'd get along with everyone else too." 

He simply nodded, not knowing how to respond to that. He hated when people assumed he would get along with someone that he doesn't know. How would they know? What if he goes and everyone decides they hate Tweek? Even Craig and Wendy and Bebe? Or what if he goes and hates everyone, then what? Does he just have to sit and be phony for hours? What if everyone hates his outfit? Oh God, what would he wear?

"Bebe and I are going to match. We're both going to be leopards. I'm not looking forward to it but she insisted we wear matching leotards." Wendy said with a slight laugh. It was almost as if she read his mind, and the possibility sent a shiver down his spine. "I'm not sure what everyone else is doing, but honestly, don't worry about it. I'm sure they won't even care if you don't have a costume. But maybe you can get a headband or something, just in case." 

At this point Wendy was mostly talking to herself. She was directing her sentiments towards Tweek but he couldn't find it in himself to respond. The whole thing was weird to him. How did he go from being isolated and lonely to now actually having to hang out with people? In a casual close setting? The fair was one thing, he could at least have made some type of excuse to leave, since it was so open and public. But this? A 'get together', whatever the hell that even means. It's much more private and closed off. If he leaves, literally everyone will know. And he'll need a good excuse. But he fucking sucks at lying so he'd just have to suck it up and stay. For how long? Who knows. He doesn't know the first thing about hanging out. Like when is the best time to leave? Should he bring something? A bottle of wine? Some snacks? Drugs? Please, not that. 

This whole thing was already making him want to scream and he hadn't even confirmed if he was going yet. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a container of tictacs, shaking a few into his hand and throwing them into his mouth, swallowing them and then continuing on with his closing duties.

It was the end of the night and he had already changed into his pajamas and mentally prepared himself to lie awake for hours while sweating like nobody's business. That is, until, an unfamiliar ding sound echoed throughout the living room. At first he was startled, but then Tweek remembered that that was the sound his phone made when he got a text. He figured it was his managers switching his hours or days or whatever, as they always make sure to give him one off day every week. Usually it's Wednesday but sometimes they move it around if someone else bails. But to his surprise, it wasn't that.

10:24pm

unknown: hey 

unknown: you up?

What. What is this. Is this a scammer? A stalker? Who the hell is texting him this late? Is this the last thing he's going to see before he dies? He's glad he was already sitting on the couch, or he may have fainted. 

He looked around in a panic, trying to see if someone was hiding behind something. Luckily the room was so small there were virtually no hiding spots. Wait. That's not good. If someone is here to kill him he wants to be able to hide. Quickly, he darted over to the front door, triple checking that it was locked and looking through the peep hole at least five times. There was nobody there. His phone dinged again. 

10:31pm

unknown: sorry i know it's late i was busy and couldn't text you

unknown: it's craig btw 

Oh.

Tweek lightly laughed to himself, a little embarrassed that he freaked out over nothing. But to his credit this never happens. He never has random hot guys asking for his number. At least not guys that don't seem like total creeps. His face began to flush at the preposterousness of it all. A hot guy had his number. Craig actually wanted it. He wanted to talk to Tweek. There's no way this is real. Maybe Craig is some type of robot. Or alien. Or something. Definitely not human.

10:35pm

tweek: im awkaje 

craig: oh good 

craig: we're all gonna meet at my apartment at around 7 tomorrow 

craig: (address)

tweek: i gsve wrk 

craig: that's okay you can come after work

craig: wendy is gonna be late too don't you guys work together

tweek: yeha we cloise totgghwr 

craig: cool see you tmrw

Tweek turned off his phone and threw it onto the other edge of the couch. His heart was racing, his palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy. He was surprised there wasn't vomit on his sweater already. 

There's no way he did that. He actually talked to someone. Someone attractive. Well he didn't talk. He typed. Very poorly. His hands were shaking too much and he doesn't know how to turn on autocorrect nor does he feel like bothering to try. It seems almost uncanny though. Like, is this really real? It can't be. Craig is in a whole league of his own, while Tweek is only fit to mingle with scum. The bottom of the barrel. He doesn't understand how we was so lucky to meet Wendy and have her introduce him to all these people. But maybe it's not good luck. Maybe it's bad luck. 

Now he has to lie. He has to lie to everyone and pretend that he's not broken. Pretend that he's normal. Pretend that he's not absolutely clueless about social interactions. Pretend that he's not thinking of just bailing. But he couldn't do that. Craig wants to see him. 

Oh shit. What is he going to wear?

Chapter Text

I think my fate is losing its patience
I think the ground is pulling me down
I think my life is losing momentum
I think my way are wearing me down

-

All day. All fucking day. Tweek was twitching all day.

It was so annoying. Sometimes the store would get busy and he wouldn't even have time to think of all the things stressing him out, but as soon as Craig and the imminent 'get together' crossed his mind he started to twitch again. Sometimes it was manageable. Like just his eyes or his eyebrows. Or he'd mutter under his breath uncontrollably. Other times it was much more noticeable and even a little embarrassing at times. Like when his whole arm would randomly convulse, making him spill half of the cup of coffee he was working on. That one happened twice. Or when Wendy was talking his head off and he just snapped, telling her to shut up. That one, he wasn't sure if it was a tic or if he really did just want her to be quiet. Either way, he apologized profusely.

By the end of the night he had gone through an entire container of tictacs. These things were not helping him like he thought they would. He had tried to play a trick on himself. Reverse psychology maybe. But it wasn't working and it was stressing him out and making him twitch even more.

As he counted the money, he was tapping his foot. As he wiped the counters with one hand, he was biting the nails of the other. As he went into the backroom to take inventory, he was humming to himself. And by the time he was mopping, he was full on spasming. Pulling his hair. Head jerking one way or the other. Even the occasional yelp. He was so glad that he convinced Wendy to leave a little bit early and not wait for him so that she wouldn't have to see him like this.

By the time he got home, it was 9:30. Or around that time. That's what time it was when he got off the bus. He had stopped by Walmart on his way home and picked up a random costume. Well, not even really a costume. Just some antennae on a headband. He didn't know if it was supposed to be an alien or a bug. But if anyone asked he would just say he's a beetle because he likes the Beatles. He doesn't. But he figured nobody else would either so nobody should ask him any questions.

It was 10pm when he finally left the house and got back on the bus. He was rushing, since he was already three hours late. But he quickly changed, putting on the only black sweatshirt he had and somewhat brushing his hair, throwing it into a low ponytail. He put on a little bit of eyeshadow, eyeliner and chapstick and then darted out of the door. He knew if he didn't move fast then he'd psych himself out and just end up staying home.

When he got off and approached the apartment building, it was like he had gotten whiplash. Going from the shitty part of town where he lived to this nice area that was clearly inhabited by mostly college students was mind boggling. Tweek had forgotten that Denver was actually a nice city, since he was so used to seeing the horrible parts. Even the coffee shop isn't in the best part of town, though it is closer to the college campuses. It was all so weird. He felt like he didn't belong, and he was right. He doesn't belong here. He doesn't know these people. He's not a college student. Shit, he's barely even a high school graduate, it was a miracle he got out of that place.

But whatever. He's here now. Maybe since it's so late people will already be sleepy and ready to leave and then he won't have to stay long. Though he knew that was wishful thinking. It's Saturday night and these are college students, of course they're not going to bed any time soon.

His feet were on autopilot and before he knew it he was standing outside of their apartment door. The building was quite nice. Definitely up to code, unlike his. He could hear music on the other side of the door, though the whole hallway was pretty loud. It seemed like every unit was having their own parties. God, maybe it's a good thing he never went to school. Tweek couldn't handle going through this every weekend.

He knocked on the door gently, hoping maybe they wouldn't hear it and he could leave and at least say he tried. But no. Things never go his way. Almost immediately, the door flew open and Craig was standing on the other side. His eyes were red and he reeked of liquor. A sheet of paper with a big red 'S' drawn on it was taped to his chest. A dopey smile grew on his face and he threw the blond into a hug. "I thought you weren't gonna come anymore. Thank you. For coming. Please, please. Come inside." His speech was slurred and all his words were running into each other, but Tweek understood him. For the most part. As soon as Craig let him go he went inside and looked around.

There were...a lot of people there. Way more than he expected for just a 'get together.' They all stopped what they were doing and stared at Tweek. He wanted to scream.

"Oh my god! Tweeks! You made it!"

His eyes darted over to the source of the voice and he relaxed, seeing Bebe practically running up to him and throwing her arms around him. He doesn't know why she likes him so much, but now he was just glad there was a familiar face. Once she got off of him he looked over and saw Wendy as well, and she gave him an enthusiastic wave. Good, she wasn't upset over the whole 'shut up' thing.

"Let me...let me introduce you to everyone." Bebe said, way louder than she needed to considering she was right next to him. She was definitely drunk too. He wondered if everyone was drunk at this point. Bebe grabbed him and turned him so that he was facing Wendy. "You know Wends. We love her. And you met Red. That's Heidi, and that's Nichole. We're all really good friends. You should hang out with us all sometimes! You know, away from these jackasses."

Her statement earned a few eye rolls and groans from all the 'jackasses' sitting on the other side of the room. She stuck her tongue out at them and turned Tweek so that his body was now facing them. "You know Craig, of course. And you met Jimmy. That's Clyde, I hate Clyde." This 'Clyde' guy started to protest the statement but she ignored him. "That's Kenny. He's cool. And there's Tolkien and Kyle and Stan. I have no thoughts about them. There's Butters, he's annoying, but he's alright. And there's Cartman. I have no idea who invited him or why. Cartman fucking sucks."

"Hey! Fuck you, Bebe. Nobody even fucking likes you." Cartman retorted. Nobody seemed to agree with him, making Tweek wonder the same thing as Bebe. Why was he invited?

"Bebe. Don't suffocate him." Craig said, coming up behind them and gently pulling Tweek away from the blonde girl, and bringing him over to the kitchen. Craig grabbed a bottle of...something, and poured a little bit of it into a shot glass. "Here, try this."

Tweek quickly shook his head. He had never drank before. He's thought about it, but never had the chance. He's too young to buy it legally and too paranoid to get it illegally. "N-no thanks. I have, I have work tomorrow."

Craig frowned but seemed to be understanding and didn't push the issue, but then one of his friends, Clyde, came out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around Tweek, causing him to twitch. Clyde either didn't notice, or didn't care. "Man, come on! Let loose. Wendy has work tomorrow too but she's drinking. And Ken and Stan too. Don't worry, dude. I only get the good stuff."

The brunette grabbed the shot glass out of Craig's hand and practically forced it into Tweek's hand. Craig opened his mouth in protest but Clyde put a finger up, silently shushing him. "Don't speak for him, Craigory."

"I told you not to call me that. That's not my name."

God, was this 'Clyde' character always such an asshole? And was Tweek always such a people pleaser? Because before he could stop himself, he brought the glass up to his lips and quickly threw the liquid into his mouth. It burned. Like, really bad. He wasn't expecting that. He'd seen it on TV all the time, people just drinking and drinking like there's no tomorrow. How the hell can people be alcoholics when it tastes and feels this bad? Maybe they're just used to the taste. But Tweek is not.

He tried to contain it but he quickly erupted into a coughing fit. Which turned into a gagging fit. At that point he was sure he would throw up. And all he could hear and feel was Clyde's laughter and the boy roughly patting his back.

"Dude, back off. Kenny, get your damn boyfriend."

Craig's voice seemed to drop an octave or two as he spoke. Like he was serious. It was scary. And kinda hot. But Tweek couldn't even focus on that. He was just focused on not dying.

Once he got his bearings and was able to breathe, Craig handed him a water bottle, which he quickly accepted and began to chug. Luckily everyone else had fallen back into their conversations and nobody was watching Tweek embarrass himself. "Listen, Clyde is an asshole sometimes. Especially when he's drunk. He just...doesn't fucking understand boundaries. Don't listen to a thing he says." Craig explained, as Tweek finished off the bottle. Sadly, he almost felt like the water would make him throw up too. It's been a while since he properly hydrated himself, and he knew that this wasn't enough, but still. It felt weird.

Tweek caught his breath and handed the now empty bottle to Craig who went and threw it away. Craig then nodded towards the group in the living room and guided Tweek over to join the rest. The two sat down at the end of the couch and Tweek did his best to keep to himself. He didn't want to ruin any conversations or accidentally touch anyone. He just wanted them to forget he was there.

"Hey, dude. Tweek, is it? What's that about?"

Hearing his name, he looked around in a panic. He locked eyes with a ginger. This one is...Kyler? Kyle? Something like that. God, please let this one be normal. He had on a weird outfit. Like a Victorian era type of get-up. But as he spoke, Tweek caught a glimpse of some, hopefully fake, fangs. So he was probably a vampire or something.

"Uh...yeah. It...it's my name."

"Yeah. But like...why?"

"Dumbass, you can't ask people why they have a name. Obviously his fucking parents gave it to him." Craig interjected, earning an eye roll from Kyle...r. It seems the two didn't have the best relationship, but Tweek didn't want to assume based off of just this interaction.

The boy next to the ginger was blonde. But not naturally. His dark roots were showing. He had a beer in one hand, and his other was intertwined with Kyle's. Yeah. His name is Kyle. Probably. Either way, it was kinda cute. "How'd you meet Craig?" He asked. That one is Stan. Tweek remembers that. Maybe. He had some ears on a headband, and a red flannel. Was this supposed to be a werewolf costume? It was a bit lazy. Though it's not like Tweek put much effort into his either so he had no room to judge.

"Through...Wendy. W-we work - ack - together."

Tweek noticed a few of them flinched at his tic. Shit. Please nobody mention it. Please nobody

"Dude, what the hell was that? Don't do that."

Fuck. And of course it was Cartman. Tweek didn't even know this guy and already hated him. He wanted to snatch that blue wizard hat right off of his head. 

The thought of being ridiculed for something he couldn't control just made him twitch even more. His right eyelid was out of control. He was furiously pulling at the ends of his sleeves. He was one more inconvenience away from just completely melting down and screaming and probably throwing something. It was times like this he understood why his dad kept him so heavily medicated all of the time.

Instead of freaking out, which he really wanted to do, he just ignored the boy and grabbed the container of tictacs he had in his pocket, shook a few out into his hand, and threw them in his mouth.

"Ooh, I want tictacs! Give me some." Cartman demanded.

"Of course you do, fatass." Kyle said, like it was second nature. Tweek could tell that they didn't get along either. Maybe nobody gets along with Kyle. Except Stan, maybe. He doesn't want to assume.

"Guys, lay off him. You're making me look bad." Craig scolded. The others seemed to listen, and left Tweek alone.

Man. This is weird. It's hard. It sucks. Having friends sucks. Well, these people aren't his friends. Maybe if he actually knew them then this wouldn't be so bad.

A few more minutes went by. Maybe five. Maybe thirty. Tweek doesn't know. He was zoned out. Just focusing on the heat radiating from Craig, the hip hop music in the background, and the faint chatter of everyone talking. Or arguing. This group seemed to argue a lot. But out of nowhere, Tweek felt a present next to him and looked over to see Ken. Or Kenny. The blond guy that is dating Clyde. Or someone. Tweek was having a hard time keeping up.

"Hey man, what are you supposed to be?" Kenny asked, gesturing towards Tweek's antennae. Kenny himself was wearing a sort of masquerade ball type of mask, and it was then that Tweek realized that Clyde was doing the same. So they're matching. Cute.

Tweek shrugged. "Uhm...it's supposed...it's supposed to be a beetle. Like the Beatles. I like their m-music."

"Oh, cool. I don't listen to them, but which one is your favorite?"

Fuck. Tweek knew he should've looked them up before he came. God damn it. "Uh...J-John..." Please God let there be a man named John in the Beatles.

Kenny's eyes widened and he quickly put a finger up to Tweek's lips, like he was stopping him from continuing. Little did he know that Tweek had no intentions of doing so. "Don't say that name around Butters. He gets weird about it."

Wow. So he was right. Maybe. This is all so weird and confusing. Why couldn't Craig just have normal friends? Well, Tweek isn't really normal either so it makes sense. A little.

He settled on just nodding, which seemed to be enough, as Kenny then changed the subject. "I know this is a weird group. If we all met now we probably wouldn't be such good friends, but we all grew up together. Little town called South Park. Where you from?"

This guy just radiated scary energy. He was laidback and threatening at the same time. His shaggy mullet was radiating menacing energy. And judging by the scars littering his knuckles and face, Tweek could tell this guy wasn't one to be messed with. Or maybe he's just like Tweek, always picking at his skin and hitting himself on things.

"I...I'm from California. San Fran-...sorry. San Francisco."

Kenny's eyes widened as his smile grew. Tweek absolutely didn't want to tell him that. But he sucks at lying. He remembers when he told Wendy and Bebe they made such a big deal about it, as if being from California is the greatest thing in the world. It's just like being from any other place.

"Woah, really? That's cool as hell. What's it like there? What made you come to Denver then? Do you go to school here?"

Question after question. It was annoying. Tweek was just happy that Craig and everyone else was too busy talking and drinking to overhear. "It was nothing s-special. I didn't...I didn't get out much. So I don't really. I don't know." Tweek took a deep breath. He was stumbling over his words and could feel himself getting worked up. At least Kenny seemed to be patient. So maybe Craig had at least one decent friend. "I just wanted to get out. I needed to. This was as f-far as I could go under such - gah - short notice."

Kenny nodded, and hummed in response. He then reached over to grab something off the coffee table and handed it to Tweek, who had no idea what it was. Then Kenny pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit the end of it, and made a motion like he was imitating smoking a cigarette, which Tweek had never done. But he knew this wasn't a cigarette. At least not a regular one. For some reason though, he trusted Kenny, and took a small hit. He coughed a little, but way less than he did when he tried the alcohol.

"Keep it man. It should help you relax. And you can always hit me up if you want more."

Interesting. From the limited knowledge of drugs that Tweek had, he assumed that this was weed. Although he isn't sure if weed is even a drug. Or legal. Actually, nevermind. It's Colorado. Of course it's legal.

Tweek nodded again and took another hit, this one a little longer. "I get it, dude. Needing to get away. If it weren't for my sister and Clyde I'd do the same thing you did. Get on a train or a plane or whatever the fuck and just get as far as I can from South Park, and from Colorado as a whole. But like I said, I can't just leave my sister or Clyde. My sister's still in high school. My parents don't give a fuck about any of us, so I have to work and pay for an apartment for her and I to live in. And Clyde. I love him, but he's a dumbass sometimes. He's got a good head on his shoulders but he has trouble keeping it straight. But I respect what you did. I don't know your whole story, but I know it takes balls to leave a bad situation."

On that note, Kenny stood up and walked away, going back to sitting next to Clyde and holding his hand.

Wow. What a...nice guy. Very confusing. Tweek has had his fair share of oversharing customers, but this was different. He felt like he just bonded with that guy. Huh. Maybe he should start being more open with people too. It could help him bond. Oh who is he kidding, he's not going to do that.

A little more time passed, Tweek smoked the rest of whatever the hell was in his hand. Kenny was right, it had helped Tweek relax and he felt much less restless.

It was late at this point. A few people had left. That Nichole girl. Butters, if that's really his name. Tweek can't judge anyone's name. Heidi left too. Kyle seemed like he was ready to go but Stan wasn't. And over the course of a few conversations he eavesdropped, Tweek learned that Craig, Clyde, Jimmy, and Tolkien all lived together in this apartment.

"Hey, let's play MarioKart!" Clyde suggested, seemingly out of nowhere. Before anyone could even agree or protest the suggestion, the boy was up and practically running down the hallway and into a room, most likely his bedroom. A minute later he returned holding a nintendo switch and a few controllers of assorted colors.

Tweek remained silent. He does not know how to play this game. Or any game. He remembers when the switch first came out, he practically begged his dad for one.

"Dad, please! All the..all the kids in - ack - school are talking a-about it! I think it, it could help. Me. With my episodes, and stuff."

Mr. Tweak shook his head at his son, a pitiful grin adorned on his face. "No, son. You don't understand your condition. You're a very special boy. Things that are normal and natural for other children just isn't for you. And that's okay. You're unique, like a...like a flower in the winter. And winter flowers don't get gaming devices. That's just nonsense. You'll be just fine without it. Besides, you don't want anything distracting you from school, do you?"

"But...but...but dad! That doesn't even - gah - make any...that doesn't make sense! What is a winter flower? I'm a person! Not a p-plant!"

"You're acting out again, son. I don't think you've been taking your medicine like you need to."

Mr. Tweak grabbed an unlabeled prescription bottle off of the kitchen counter. It was filled with an assortment of pills, and Tweek had no idea what any of them were. He protested and swore that he already took his medicine of the day, even grabbing his pill organizer to show his father that he did take his medication already. But his father wasn't having that. He shook some out of the bottle and put them into his son's mouth, watching intently as he swallowed.

"Good job, son. Now go get dressed. You have to get to work soon."

Tweek flinched as he felt a hand land on top of his. He looked over and saw Craig looking back at him with a curious expression. Tweek then looked down and noticed that it was Craig's hand touching him. The revelation made his face begin to heat up.

"You okay? You were out of it. And..." Craig gestured to his face, making Tweek touch his own and realize that he had shed a few tears in his trance.

He quickly wiped them away and looked around, noticing that they had already set up the game. Bebe, Kenny, Kyle, and Tolkien were currently playing. Tweek wondered just how much he missed and how long he was spaced out.

"Yeah...I'm good. Thanks."

Craig lightly squeezed his hand before pulling away and turning his attention back to the game. The action, seemingly small and insignificant, sent butterflies straight to Tweek's stomach. He couldn't even be upset anymore. Now he was only focused on not freaking out just because Craig held his hand for thirty seconds.

The rest of the night went by somewhat smoothly. Tweek was able to avoid playing the game and embarrassing himself by showing off his severe lack of video gaming skills. Though Clyde did put up a fight. Other than that hiccup, things were fine. Kind of. Tweek zoned out a few more times so he's not entirely sure. He also wasn't sure when it would be appropriate to leave, but luckily Wendy had mentioned something about having work and Tweek was able to piggyback off of her statement and get a good excuse to leave.

"Let me walk you back home."

Oh goodness.

Tweek and Craig were standing by the door, everyone else still wrapped up in the game. "No, it's...it's fine. I live far. So. Yeah."

"No, but it's cool. It's late, I don't want you walking alone."

Despite being pretty tall himself, Craig was still shorter than Tweek. So the thought of Craig wanting to protect him almost made him laugh, but he was able to keep it together. "Really, man. I live far. I'm just gonna take the bus."

Craig shook his head, moving a little too fast and seeming to get disoriented. The action reminded Tweek that Craig was still drunk, and definitely didn't need to be roaming the streets.

Not knowing how else to ease his worries, Tweek pulled the shorter boy into a quick hug. "Thanks for inviting me, man. I'll see you l-later." Then he quickly left and closed the door behind him before Craig could follow him out.

For the first time all day Tweek was able to breathe deeply and think clearly. Somewhat. The feeling of Craig's touch seemed to linger, scrambling Tweek's thoughts. He needed to get home.

The night air did little to clear his mind. Especially with the wind carrying the chatter of college students and the blaring music from multiple house parties taking place. Halloween is so dumb. But people will just use any holiday as an excuse to get drunk. Everyone had such revealing costumes on, it was strange. How are they not cold? Or self conscious? Whatever. Tweek doesn't want to look or get caught staring. So he just sits at the bus stop and messes with his fingers, pulling at a hangnail and scratching a couple scabs. It was a horrible habit that he just couldn't break.

By the time he returned to his apartment, he was actually tired. Exhausted, definitely. And surprisingly sleepy. He couldn't stop yawning the whole way up the stairs. He quickly glanced at his phone and saw that it was well past 1am. Well, it's not the latest he's ever stayed up. It's actually the earliest he's gone to sleep in a long time.

So without even bothering to change or anything, Tweek collapsed onto his bed, shut his eyes, and went to sleep.

Chapter Text

His eyes slowly blinked open and his head was pounding. How much did he drink last night?

He grabbed his phone off his bedside table and saw that it was already past 2pm. Great. At least he didn't have classes today. This is the last time he drinks anything that Clyde gets his hands on.

Craig slowly sat up, still weighed down by his desire to go back to sleep. He stretched and willed himself to get out of bed, knowing if he didn't that he'd never get up.

The memories of the night before slowly crept into his mind and he felt a rush of heat going to his face.

"Craig, you're so fucking obvious. Watch when he gets here guys. Craig is fucking whipped." Bebe teased, speaking even louder than usual. Craig hated being around her when she was drunk. It was hard enough being around her while she was sober.

He flipped her off and leaned back into the couch, taking a small sip of his beer. "You should've seen him. He was on edge all day. So excited to see his boyfriend." Wendy added, earning a laugh from Bebe and the other girls.

"Oh, I can't wait to meet him! I need to see if he's really good enough for my best bro. If he gets the Clyde seal of approval then he's all yours, Craigory. But just know that I'm hard to impress."

"Oh please. You dated Bebe. And you're fucking dating Kenny. If this guy is blond and annoying then you'll fold immediately." Cartman responded, earning an eye roll from Clyde.

"Just because I have a history of dating blondes doesn't mean I automatically like any blonde. You don't see me trying to fuck Butters."

Butters face went red and he smiled. "Oh no thanks, Clyde! I'm not interested. But that's sweet!"

Everyone groaned at Butters obliviousness. "Hey, I'm just glad you've finally got a little crush. Nice to see you getting back out there after...y'know." Tolkien said, voice trailing off as he wasn't sure if it was still too soon to bring up the sensitive topic.

"Can you all leave me the hell alone? I don't have a crush on Tweek. And don't even bring that fucking asshole into it, I don't want to think of him tonight. Or ever."

Ugh. His friends were so embarrassing. Tweek definitely was uncomfortable. And Craig felt like a bad friend for not doing more to ease his worries. Whatever. It's over. Next time he'll do better. Hopefully there even is a next time.

It's still weird for Craig. For someone to make him this nervous and have him overthinking everything. Usually he doesn't give a fuck. About anything or anybody. Sure he has his friends but he doesn't even give a fuck about them. Well, he does. But he's not that good at showing it. With Tweek, he gives a fuck. Which is so weird. They haven't known each other long and don't even really know the first thing about each other. But there's something about the anxious boy that compels Craig to get closer to him.

Doesn't matter. It's too early for this. Or at least Craig feels like it's too early.

He heads into the bathroom to pee and brush his teeth, and when he comes back into his bedroom he properly checks his phone. He groans upon seeing the top notification.

3:21am
asshole do not respond: hiiiiiiiiiiii
asshole do not respond: crasaaagiggggg
asshole do not respond: i mishissssb uuu
asshole do not respond: u sshud com overrf

Gross. Craig felt gross.

He opened the contact and his thumb hovered over the 'block' button for a moment. He contemplated it. What makes the most sense is to just block the guy. Be done with it. But Craig doesn't want to. He can't. Why though, is what he doesn't have the answer to. All he knows is that if he was going to do it then he would've done it a long time ago, so he just ignores the messages, like always, and opens up a different notification.

It's a few pictures from his mom, pictures of his little sister and her friends dressed up. They seem to be some characters but he doesn't know from what. He hearts the message and decides he's done with his phone for now, not wanting to see anything else irritating this early in the day.

He left his room and went into the kitchen where he saw Kenny sitting at the kitchen island and eating a bowl of cereal. Images of Kenny sitting right next to Tweek last night flashed in Craig's mind, but he did his best to ignore them. He just wanted breakfast.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty."

"You don't even fucking live here. Is that my cereal?"

Kenny laughed and mixed the cereal around with his spoon. "Nah, man. I don't know. I'm just hungry as hell."

"Don't you have work? Or diapers to change? Or literally any reason for you to not be here?"

Craig didn't dislike Kenny. But he also didn't necessarily like Kenny. He thought the guy was a bad influence on Clyde. And the guy is just kind of an ass sometimes. A good friend when it counts, but most definitely a troublemaker. It's no surprise that Kenny has spent his fair share of nights in jail. Craig just hates to see his best friend get wrapped up into it.

The blond shook his head and watched Craig go into the fridge and dig out some leftovers from probably three or four nights ago. They were overdue a grocery shopping trip.

"Don't get your tighty whities in a twist. I called out of work today, Clyde didn't feel too hot this morning. Went overboard with the shots. Think you did too. How you feeling?"

The way Kenny spoke, it was almost attractive. So nonchalant but with the right amount of charm and flirtatious intonation in every word. But Craig wasn't into that. Maybe. Probably not. It screamed 'fuckboy' which just gave him another reason to disprove of Clyde's romantic choices.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I can handle a little liquor." It wasn't a complete lie. Craig's not a lightweight, not at all. But he doesn't drink often. That one night will always serve as a reminder for him to never get that drunk again.

He reheated his food and decided to eat on the couch, just trying to put a little distance between him and Kenny, though luckily the latter finished his cereal and retreated to Clyde's bedroom. As if like clockwork, Tolkien then emerged from his own room and entered the common area, a little surprised to see Craig sitting in the living room since he usually doesn't do that.

"Hey, man. I was thinking of going to get some coffee or something. I completely blanked and forgot I had an assignment due tonight but I'm so fucking tired. You wanna come with?"

Craig thought about it. In all honesty, he doesn't like coffee. But he likes a certain barista. Well, he enjoys the company of a certain barista.

"Uh, sure." Craig was finished with his food anyway. "Just let me put some clothes on." He only had on a t-shirt and some boxers.

Tolkien nodded and waited as Craig threw away his trash and then went into his room to change.

This isn't anything special, like a date or anything. But Craig wanted to look presentable. It was a little silly, him caring so much about this when he didn't even know if Tweek was working or not. Regardless, he settled on a casual outfit, something neutral. Just a dark blue jacket thrown over his black t shirt, and some black jeans and converse sneakers that have seen better days. And of course, he grabbed his blue chullo hat.

"Was hoping you'd go without the hat today. You've been wearing that thing since we were kids." Tolkien teased as Craig exited his room.

Craig simply responded with a flash of his middle finger, not bothering to try and defend his choice of accessory. He didn't even really know why he still wears the hat, but it brings him a strange sense of comfort. The thought of going without it made him uneasy.

The two made their way out of the unit and into the hallway, where the distinct scent of vomit immediately attacked their nostrils. Both boys instinctively grabbed their shirts, pulling them up to cover their noses. As they approached the elevators, they noticed the puddle of vomit in the corner. It wasn't all the way dry yet, meaning someone had recently done that. The two exchanged a look and silently agreed to take the stairs instead.

Once they got outside, they went into the parking garage and then got into Tolkien's car. He plugged his phone into the aux cord and a song by Tyler, The Creator started to play.

As Tolkien began to drive off, Craig spoke up. "We should go to the one Wendy works at."

"Why? There's a different one closer." Tolkien responded, most of his attention being on maneuvering the tight corners of the apartment parking garage.

Craig shrugged. "She might give us a discount."

Tolkien just hummed in response, then turned up the volume of the music as his favorite part of the song came on. As he sang along to the rest of the song, Craig leaned back in his seat and looked out the window, watching students and other pedestrians walk around. He saw a few people walking dogs, and some people handing out flyers. Everyone seemed lively. A stark contrast to the backwater town that he grew up in, where everyone secretly hated everyone and someone always had an ulterior motive.

Two more songs played, and the two pulled up to the coffee shop just as a third began. The pair of friends got out of the car and walked in. The warm atmosphere of the coffee shop was perfect given how cold it was outside. Craig immediately felt his muscles relax upon entering the cozy environment. And despite not liking the taste, Craig found the smell of the fresh coffee beans to be quite calming.

There were a few customers in line, and behind the counter he saw Wendy taking someone's order. She looked over at him and Tolkien and flashed them a small smile before returning to her task. Behind her was a tall, lanky, blond guy. Tweek. He had his back towards the door and seemed to be busy making an order of coffee.

"Ohhh. You wanted to come here so you could see your boyfriend."

A faint blush began creeping up Craig's neck. He turned to see Tolkien giving him a teasing look. "What? No. He's not my boyfriend. And I'm not here for him. I didn't even know he was going to be here."

"Yeah, if you say so. I don't buy it."

Tolkien's teasing earned another flash of Craig's middle finger as the flustered boy looked away, hoping nobody would see him blushing.

The two stood in line quietly, Craig hoping that if he didn't speak then his friend would stop the teasing. His strategy seemed to work, as after a few moments Tolkien pulled out his phone and busied himself with texting someone.

After a short wait, they made it to the front of the line. "Hey guys! What can I get for you?" Wendy asked cheerfully.

"Well I forgot I had an assignment due tonight, and I feel like I can barely move. So anything to keep me awake." Tolkien responded, his tone exasperated.

"Yeah, I feel you. I'm gonna kill Clyde. Whatever he brought last night was way too strong. I could barely get out of bed this morning and I was almost late." Wendy said, before looking over at Craig expectantly.

He glanced behind the girl and saw Tweek wiping a portion of the counter. Wendy followed his gaze, turning to look at the blond before turning back to Craig with a mischievous smirk. Before Craig could even tell her not to say or do anything, Wendy had already started putting on a show.

"Oh crap, I just remembered Bebe said she needed to call me for something urgent. Tweek, do you mind finishing up their order while I go in the back and call Bebe? I promise I won't be long."

Craig glared at the girl, who just had a shit eating grin on her face. Behind her, Tweek had flinched at the mention of his name, like he was zoned out or something. Craig couldn't hear it, but Tweek muttered something to Wendy while nodding, and she walked off while he approached the register.

"Uh...hi guys. What c-can I get you?"

"Sorry. Jimmy's freaking out about something. Gotta handle it. But Craig, you know what I want." Tolkien said, patting Craig's shoulder and giving him a knowing look before walking away to go and sit at one of the few small tables scattered around the shop to take a phone call that was most likely fake.

Craig took a deep breath and made a mental note to get revenge on both of his friends for putting him in this awkward position. He then looked back at Tweek, making eye contact with him. The blond seemed tired, like he wasn't even mentally present.

"I don't know what he wants. Something to keep him awake, I guess. And I'll just take a black coffee."

Craig watched as the man in front of him tapped away at the buttons on the screen, grumbling under his breath when he rang something up wrong and had to redo it. Craig wondered if Tweek was this agitated in front of all the customers, or just him.

"Uhm...thanks for stopping by yesterday. I know my friends can be...a lot. But I hope you had fun. I did." Craig said, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit.

Tweek looked up from what he was doing and just stared blankly at Craig for what felt like at least 10 seconds. It was a little unnerving. But then, the blond's expression softened, and he gave Craig a small, barely noticeable smile. "Thanks. For inviting me. I had..fun."

Craig wanted to take advantage of the momentum of the conversation, no matter how slow it was, but before he could respond he was distracted by Tweek tapping the card reader which displayed the total of the order. Craig turned his head slightly and saw a line beginning to form behind him. Heat pricked at the back of his neck as he paid. He was so focused on the man in front of him that Craig had forgotten where they were and that Tweek was on the clock.

Tweek then turned around and began working to make the drinks for the order, leaving Craig to awkwardly shuffle to the side to get out of the way. Wendy returned from the back room and began taking the order of the next customer.

It only took about a minute or so, but Tweek finished the drinks and handed them both to Craig.

"Are you busy this week?"

Luckily he was now holding two cups of coffee, otherwise Craig would've facepalmed so hard he'd have left a mark. He didn't mean to say that. Well he did, but not out loud. He wanted to repeat it a few times in his head first to make sure it didn't come off too weird. This was difficult for no reason. Had it been any other person, Craig could easily speak to them. Because he just wouldn't speak at all. But for some reason Tweek seemed to scramble Craig's brain and he couldn't think straight.

"Uh, yeah. Working. Wednesday is m-my... my only off day."

"Oh, cool. Well, thanks. See you."

Craig turned on his heels and quickly left the shop, not even bothering to see if Tolkien had followed him out. Though that was answered once he heard his friends laughter from right beside him. "Oh my god, dude. You were freezing up so bad! Next time, I'm recording that. That was fucking funny." He teased, keeled over in laughter.

Craig rolled his eyes and practically shoved Tolkien's drink into his hand before quickly getting into the car. Tolkien got into the drivers seat, still laughing even as he pulled off.

Well, it seemed he wasn't living this down any time soon.

Chapter Text

You're a part of the dawn, where the light comes from the dark.
You're a part of the morning and everything matters.

——

Wednesdays are horrible. 

Wednesdays are usually the one day of the week where Tweek doesn't work and it's horrible. What is he supposed to do with all this free time? He used to go to this small gym on his days off, but in recent months the gym has gained more customers, getting more and more crowded no matter what time he went, so he stopped going. He never bothered to find another gym. Now he'll use his off day as an opportunity to go grocery shopping, but given he only eats a handful of things, that whole ordeal doesn't take long enough to keep him busy for an entire day. But it's better than nothing.

The cold wind nipped at his pale skin as he waited for the bus. It always felt unusual to be outside at the time that he would usually be at work. He saw people he didn't normally see. It's unnerving. At least most people were at work at 9am on a Wednesday, so the bus wasn't too crowded. It stunk though.

After an uncomfortable ten minute bus ride, Tweek got off and made the short hike to the grocery store. There was one that was closer to his apartment, but he doesn't go to that one anymore. Not after one of the cashiers told him to have a nice day and he accidentally replied 'No' because he thought she asked if he wanted his change. Just thinking about that day makes him want to pull all his hair out in embarrassment. He doesn't even know if she still works there, but he's sure she told all her coworkers. He can't ever show his face in that store again, so now he goes to this one. It's cheaper anyway. 

He grabbed only a few things. Crackers, granola bars, deli meat, and coffee grounds. He still hasn't been able to find any coffee that tastes as good as the one he used to drink at home, but he's found a brand that's somewhat decent. Luckily they had plenty in stock today, or he might have freaked out and accidentally made a scene in the middle of the store.

9:42am

craig: wyd today?

Tweek didn't see the message until he had returned home from his quick shopping trip. He reread it at least ten times to make sure he wasn't imagining it. It's still baffling to him that Craig even has his number. It doesn't make sense. Tweek is...Tweek. He's nothing special. Probably the most unspecial person in the history of people. He's weird. Ugly. Annoying. Meanwhile, look at Craig. He's cool. He's got a ton of friends. And he's hot. Infuriatingly so. What does he want with someone like Tweek? Is this all a really elaborate prank?

Nevermind that, how is Tweek even supposed to respond to such a question? He looked up what 'wyd' means, and the answer is nothing. He is doing nothing all day. Maybe he'll cry. Maybe he'll drink five cups of coffee. Maybe he'll sit on the couch and stare at the wall until it's time for him to go to 'sleep'. More than likely he's going to do all three. But he can't tell Craig that! He's going to seem like such a loser. He is one, but he doesn't want to just admit it like that. But he can't lie! Being a liar is worse than being a loser. Probably. God, this is all so confusing and nerve wracking for absolutely no reason. It would probably just be better to not respond. But then he'd look like a complete asshole, which he's not! Maybe.

10:26am

tweek: cleanng my aptment

craig: oh cool

craig: im done w my classes for the day at 2 do you wanna hang after?

What

Jesus christ. What is going on! Where are the cameras?

Tweek looked around suspiciously. He didn't like this. This...whatever it is, is weird. It's not normal. People don't ask him to hang out. Ever. Well, except for Wendy asking him to go to the fair. And Craig asking him to come over for Halloween. Okay, maybe people have been asking him to hang out more lately. But this! This is different. Those other things were group activities. Not as much pressure. Just the two of them hanging out? Being forced to stay engaged in conversation? That's way too much pressure!

What would Tweek even say? He won't be able to get away with just zoning out the entire time. What if he says something really embarrassing that makes Craig never want to talk to him again? Or what if he says all the right things and then Craig keeps wanting to hang out with him? God, which one is worse?

10:40am

tweek: ok

craig: i can pick you up from your apt if you want

tweek: jst meet me at my job

craig: okay see you later

The room was getting hotter by the second. Tweek felt like his entire face was going to melt off. He tossed his phone onto the couch, as if the action would relieve him of the uncomfortable feelings and the fact that he now actually had to meet up with Craig later. He felt like he was going to die just from Craig showing up to the coffee shop the other day, now this? He should've never told him that he didn't have work today. He should have never accepted Wendy's invite to go to the fair. Frankly he should've never even left home. 

His mind was racing yet his body was frozen. What would he wear? Oh god, he never knows what to wear. Is it too late to change his mind? Maybe he should just block Craig, not show up, and pretend they never even met. No, he doesn't deserve that. And selfishly, Tweek doesn't want to do that. This is all so complicated. He wants to see Craig. But he knows there's a 99% chance that he will royally screw something up and make Craig hate him, and he would rather just never see him again than for Craig to hate him. God forbid that 1% scenario happens and Craig actually wants to hang out with him again after this. The more he hangs out with Craig, the more he is going to have to reveal about himself, and the more Craig is going to hate him and think he's super weird.

The walls were getting closer. 

If Craig starts to hate Tweek, then what? He's going to tell all his friends. Then Wendy and Bebe will hate Tweek. Then he'll have to quit his job. And he won't be able to work anywhere else because he's sure his manager will hate him too and tell every coffee shop in the city not to hire him. And he has no other skills. He'll be broke. He'll lose his apartment. He'll have to go back home. They'll never let him out of their sight again. 

The air was getting thicker.

Tweek is going to die. Craig is going to be the death of him.

He dug his nails into the couch cushions, desperately trying to ground himself in reality.

What time is it?

As one hand reaches to grab his phone, the other reaches to pluck a few hairs out of his head.

It's past noon. God, how long had he been sitting there? 

With a deep breath, he got up from the couch and shuffled towards the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. Of course when he needed it the most, the machine seemed to want to take its sweet time. After what felt like twenty minutes, it finally finished and he drank the entire pot. It was hot, he burnt his tongue, and a lot spilled onto the floor. But god it felt so fucking good. He was able to breathe and think clearly again. 

He grabbed a handful of paper towels to clean up the mess as he went over his options in his head. At this point he seemed to be stuck with these plans. He could make up an excuse, but then he would be lying and he hates to lie. He can't keep up with lies and he knows it's just going to come back and bite him in the ass sooner or later. So his only other options were to hope that Craig would bail, or to just go and suck it up. It was getting closer and closer to the time they were meant to meet, so he figured Craig wasn't going to bail. He had to just suck it up. Try and be normal for a few hours so that Craig wouldn't hate him too much.

There was only about an hour left before he'd have to leave. So an hour to get his mind together and look halfway decent.  

Tweek went into his bathroom and splashed some water on his face. A little bit got into his mouth, making him cringe at the subtle metallic taste. He thought for a moment about what he wanted to do. If he did too much makeup then Craig would think he's trying too hard. It's not like he even knows what he's doing anyway. After a moment he decided to just go with the one thing he knew how to do which was eyeliner. 

The next beast to conquer was his hair. Sometimes he just wanted to shave it all off. Other times he wanted to pull it all out. But for now he's stuck with it. The fact that he hasn't gotten a haircut in years doesn't help, it only adds to the annoyance. He brushed through his hair, half-assing it and not bothering to untangle every little knot, and stuck it into a low ponytail. Putting his hair back helped him not pull on it so much, but the pieces in the front that are too short to go into the ponytail are fair game. He tucked them behind his ears, knowing full well he'd more than likely just end up messing with them all day. 

Now came the worst of all. What to wear. 

Tweek is not a stylish person, not by a long shot. He does his best to look presentable, but he's so far behind the times. He has no clue what's trendy, what's 'in' or 'out'. It seems like entirely too much pressure to keep up with those things. But he doesn't want to look lame. What if his outfit is uncool or basic and then Craig is too embarrassed to even be seen with him? Or someone might laugh at his outfit and then Craig will realize that Tweek is lame and weird and doesn't even deserve to hang out with him. So Tweek needs a good outfit. For a good outfit he needs nice clothes. He doesn't have nice clothes. 

Shit. 

Well. He will have to make do with what he has. He has a green graphic hoodie that he found at a thrift shop once, and he considers it the coolest thing he owns. Though he has no clue what's on it. Is it a band, a brand, a quote? Whatever it is, it looks like something that someone cool and normal would wear, so he's going to wear it today. And khakis wouldn't match, so his only option for pants are one of his few pairs of blue jeans. He decided to go for the darkest ones, since they were also the baggiest. He didn't want Craig to notice how scrawny his legs are. 

He finished putting on his clothes and then put on his old beat up converses before thinking about what to do next. Nothing. He's ready. But surely he can find something else to do? He's got to be forgetting something. Tweek grabbed his phone to check the time and saw that it was already 1:15. The next bus should be at the stop in ten minutes. Maybe he can just stall, conveniently miss the bus, and then have the perfect reason to not show up. Though, that wouldn't work for long, since if he missed the bus he could just catch the next one. Fuck, he couldn't think of any excuse that would be plausible at this point. 

Putting his doubts aside, he left his apartment. He practically sprinted down the hall, knowing if he was too slow then he'd convince himself to just stay. As he went by, he could hear arguing coming from one of the neighboring units, and the front door was slightly ajar. Oh, maybe he could tell Craig he had to help his neighbors with their argument and that could be a great reason to bail. But Craig would see right through that. There's no way Tweek could handle mediating an argument between strangers. That's entirely too much pressure. So he's stuck once again.

By the time he reaches the bus stop, he can see the bus pulling up. It's now or never. If he gets on the bus then there's no backing out. Unless there's conveniently a twenty car pile-up on the way there. Highly unlikely. 

The bus stops and the doors open. A few people get on, and Tweek is just frozen. He makes eye contact with the driver, who just stares back at him with a bored look on her face. With a deep breath, he wills his feet to move, quickly boarding the bus and sitting down in the first empty seat he saw. 

This is it. No going back now.

Chapter Text

I guess I should build some type of skin
And let breath be air
And love the things I know might disappear
And the last light of the sun
I let it slow me down
I'll crawl where everybody runs

——

His heart rate quickened with each unsteady step. 

The coffee shop entered his field of view, and he contemplated turning and running into traffic. But that would be more embarrassing than enduring this. He was truly out of options, and he could feel the bile threatening to spill out of his esophagus at any second. 

As he opened the door and entered the familiar building, he had to fight the urge to go behind the counter and start working. It was like his body was on autopilot. Luckily, he recognized that blue hat, snapped out of it, and walked over to where Craig was sitting at a table and looking at his phone. Craig noticed Tweek approaching, put his phone into his jacket pocket, and stood up.

"Hey. I was just about to text you." Craig greeted. It was a little awkward, as neither one of them knew what to do. At this point it's too late to wave, and they're not at hugging level yet. So instead they just kind of stood there, staring at each other.

After a moment, Tweek blinked really fast, trying to steady his mind and remind himself that staring is not what he's supposed to do. "Uh...yeah. Sorry if I made you w-wait too long."

Craig shook his head. "Nah, not really. I just got here a couple minutes ago." Tweek curtly nodded in response and the pair was again thrown into an awkward silence. He could've sworn this one lasted five minutes, though realistically it was probably closer to 15 seconds. Either way, it was awkward, tense, and Tweek wanted to scream and go home. "Where do you wanna go?" 

Tweek's eyes widened. He absolutely did not want to choose, or even be faced with a semblance of a choice. Decisions are one of his sworn enemies. Because what if he makes the wrong choice and dies? Or what if he regrets not picking the other thing but then it's too late and he'll die regardless?

"Please don't make me choose. Just pick whatever." He responded, his words rushing out and stumbling all over each other.

"Okay, then come on." 

Without any further explanation, Craig started to walk out of the coffee shop and Tweek had no choice but to follow him. Once outside, they just walked side by side in silence. It was unnerving. Tweek had no idea where Craig was taking him, or any idea of what he might be thinking. Is he mad that Tweek wouldn't choose? What if as revenge he purposefully takes him somewhere really shitty? 

They walked for a few more minutes, though the silence made it feel like it had been hours. Tweek wished he had brought his tictacs, even if they didn't really help. 

Eventually, Craig stopped. Tweek looked around to see where they were and noticed they were in front of a juice bar. "Do you like smoothies?" Craig asked, like it was the most normal question in the world. It probably was. But Tweek did not know the answer. 

"I...I've never had one." He sheepishly admitted. 

"Really? I think you'd like them. You just have to pick a good flavor."

Tweek thought Craig was going to make fun of him for never having tried a drink that so many people drink on the daily. The fact that he didn't was kind of...refreshing. But it did little to calm his nerves. Tweek followed him inside and as they approached the counter, he recognized the barista as one of the girls who was at Craig's apartment the other day. 

"Oh, hey Craig! What can I get for you today?" She asked cheerfully, a bright smile plastered on her face. Tweek doesn't remember much about her, other than the fact that she was pretty quiet that night. Unless he just happened to be zoned out every time she spoke.

"Since when did you work here?" Craig asked. He seemed genuinely shocked to see her. Maybe he wanted to bring Tweek to this specific place since he thought he wouldn't see anyone he knew and nobody would catch him with Tweek. Oh god, maybe Tweek should just leave now and spare Craig any further embarrassment.

"I just started last week. It's pretty chill so far, everyone's pretty nice."

Craig nodded before turning his attention to Tweek. "Do you know what fruits you like? I usually get the pineapple, strawberry, and kiwi one."

There it is again. A decision. A stupid, menial one. But a decision nonetheless.

"How about the Sunrise smoothie? That one's my favorite! It's just dragonfruit, peach, and mango. Really simple but really good." The girl chimed in.

Tweek didn't know what she was talking about and he couldn't imagine how that would taste so he just nodded, thankful that he didn't have to make a decision for himself. "Thanks, Heidi." Craig said, then he swiped his card.

"Wait, what...what are you doing? I can pay for myself!" 

Craig laughed softly, the small action sparking butterflies in the blonds stomach. "Yeah, but I invited you out. I'd be an asshole if I made you pay for yourself."

Tweek didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He just felt bad. Like a thief. 

After a couple minutes of waiting, their smoothies were done and they left. Craig was walking somewhere else, and Tweek just followed. "Do you like it?" He asked.

The question made Tweek realize that he hadn't even tasted his smoothie yet. He was a little scared, as he didn't know what to expect. Hesitantly, he took a small sip, and his eyes widened at the flavor. It was surprisingly...good? Definitely a strong contrast to the bitterness of his usual beverage of choice. It was sweet, but not sugary. Maybe he'd have to drink these things more often.

He noticed Craig watching him intensely and remembered that he still hadn't answered the question. A slight blush began to creep up his neck. "It's pretty good. Thanks...for getting it for me."

Craig smiled, it was a small one but it was a smile all the same. "I'm glad you like it. I'd feel bad if I told you to try it and you hated it." The honesty in his words were a little surprising. Tweek was used to overthinking and overanalyzing everything people said all the time, not knowing if they were being sarcastic or if they secretly hated him. But with Craig, he seemed to always say what he meant. Unless he's just very good at hiding the fact that he absolutely hates Tweek. "There's another place I want to take you. Do you like Peruvian food? There's a good place around here, it's not too far."

"Uh...I've never tried that either." Tweek looked away, not wanting to make eye contact. He felt a heat rising from his core, taking over his whole body. He wanted to just run and never see Craig again.

"That's okay. I'm sure you'll like it. And if you don't, then at least you know you don't." 

His reassurance helped slightly. Tweek was able to calm down long enough to follow Craig to the restaurant without screaming and running off. They ordered their food as takeout, neither one of them really wanting to stay in the dim, crowded restaurant. Tweek let Craig order for him, as he didn't know what anything was and didn't want to butcher any pronunciations. Though this time he was able to convince Craig to let him pay. 

Once they had their food, they left and went to a small area nearby, sitting down at one of the few picnic tables there. "Uhm, what is this?" Tweek asked, his voice small as he opened his box and stared at its contents. 

"Oh, yeah. It's called Pollo Saltado. I figured it's something kinda simple, just so you can get used to it, y'know?"

Tweek nodded and took a hesitant bite. He knows he's not good with food in general and was being extra careful not to have a negative reaction so that Craig wouldn't think he's ungrateful or being mean. But to his surprise, he actually liked it. He knew he wasn't going to eat it all, but it was better than he anticipated. "It's...It's pretty good. Thanks." Craig's expression shifted, from one of anticipation to a more neutral, relaxed look. "Can I ask...are you Peruvian?" Tweek did his best to not make his question sound insensitive in any way, but he wasn't sure if he did a good job or not.

"Yeah, actually. Well, my mom is half Peruvian. So it's not like I'm completely in touch with the traditions and stuff, but I try to keep up with my Spanish. And the food is pretty good, but my mom barely cooks Peruvian recipes anymore, so I have to get it from restaurants if I want it."

Wow. Tweek didn't know what to say. He felt like he wasn't even half as interesting as Craig. He doesn't have any unique heritage, he doesn't know any other languages. He still doesn't know why Craig even wants to be his friend.

The two sat and ate in relative silence for a while, the only noises being the chatter of pedestrians, the hum of cars driving down the nearby street, and the occasional bird chirping. 

"So..." Craig started, clearing his throat. Tweek lightly jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. He was zoning out again, almost forgetting that he wasn't alone. "You work a lot, huh? What do you do when you're not at work?"

What a horrible question to ask. Tweek didn't have a single rational answer. Well, he did. But he didn't want to give it. He didn't want to admit that he spent his days off rotting in his apartment, wallowing in mental anguish. 

"Nothing really. I have nothing else to do. So. I just work." Tweek answered, his sentences quick like he just wanted to be finished speaking as soon as possible. Craig didn't seem to react to what he said, still processing the information. "I used to go to the gym. On my days off. I don't anymore. Got too crowded." He added, for some reason feeling like Craig deserved a better answer.

This seemed to get a reaction, as Craig's eyebrows raised, as if the topic had piqued his interest. "Really? You don't strike me as the type to workout. But maybe we should go to the gym together sometimes. There's a small one in my apartment, it's never usually too crowded."

The invitation for more one-on-one hangouts flew right over Tweek's mind. He was stuck on the 'you don't strike me as the type to workout' comment. What the hell does that mean? What type of person does Craig think he is? Is that a good thing, a bad thing, or is it not even a thing at all and Tweek is just harping on something that means nothing? Who the hell knows. But his mind was going a mile a minute picking apart every part of the statement, hoping to make some sort of sense of it. 

Craig seemed oblivious to the madness he caused in Tweek's mind and just awkwardly returned to eating his food, when Tweek suddenly spoke up, "Why did you even invite me out today?" His delivery was snappier than he intended it to be and he immediately cringed. He contemplating just standing up and walking away, not even giving the other a chance to answer.

The question definitely caught Craig off guard. For a moment he just stared at Tweek, causing the blond to blush and regret every decision he made that led him up to this moment.

"I don't know. You're cool. I feel like we could be good friends. I'm sorry if I misread anything." Craig finally answered after at least twenty seconds of awkward silence.

A familiar ache began to form in Tweek's stomach as he tried to clarify, stumbling over all of his words in the process, "No! You didn't misread anything. I d-didn't mean it like - gah - that. Just, people have never wanted to hang out. With me. Not like this. So I wanted to make sure you actually wanted me around. I'm...I'm sorry." Fuck. This was bad. So bad. Tweek wanted nothing more than for Craig to not know how utterly weird and hopeless he was and how lonely he always felt, and here he is just spilling his guts out like an idiot. He ruined this day so badly. 

But weirdly...Craig...he smiled?

A soft smile, wider than usual but not as wide as anybody else may have smiled. But it was his smile. And it made Tweek's stomach do at least three cartwheels. Throwing up seemed imminent at this point.

"Dude. Yeah, I actually want you around. Like I said, you're cool. Everyone else likes you too. So don't worry about what any other assholes have said or done. I swear, if I didn't want to be around you, I wouldn't be here right now."

While Tweek still isn't proficient in social cues, he could tell that Craig was being honest. The weight he felt constantly seemed to slowly dissipate, and he began to truly focus on the boy sitting across from him. Maybe it isn't so bad if he lets himself get comfortable with Craig. A big maybe, but a maybe nonetheless.

After that issue was addressed, the rest of the day went by semi-smoothly. There were much less awkward silences. They actually got to talk, get to know each other. Still on a surface level, though. Tweek still couldn't bring himself to open up about his past, and was unsure if he ever would. And it seemed like Craig didn't like to talk much about his childhood either, save for a few stories of the antics him and his friends used to get up to.

"I remember this one time I had some birthday money, and those idiots Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny convinced me to spend it to start up a Peruvian flute band. But I just ended up losing my hundred bucks and we all got deported."

Tweek laughed, nearly choking on the last few sips of his smoothie. "Man, what? How the hell did you guys get deported? That's...a very quick escalation."

Craig lightly laughed along. They had long discarded their food and had just been sitting and exchanging random anecdotes for the better part of an hour. "It's a long story. You probably wouldn't even believe half of it. One day I'll tell you the full thing. Just be warned, it's a lot."

"That's really cool though. That you guys have so much...nnhistory. I wish I had that with someone."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be. I hate those guys, honestly. The only ones I like are Clyde, Jimmy, and Tolkien. They're the only reason that I even tolerate the rest of those idiots. And honestly, it's just dumb luck that most of us ended up in Denver. Trust me, I had planned to leave South Park and be as far from those weirdos as possible, but it just didn't end up that way for me." Tweek hummed in acknowledgement, not knowing what to add to that. He understood Craig's point of view, but disagreed. He would love if he could have his childhood friends with him now. Scratch that. He would love to have even had any childhood friends in the first place. "What is that like? Going far from home and not knowing anyone? You're from San Fransisco, right? Do you ever go home?"

The blond tensed up. He didn't want to talk about this. Craig could tell. But before he could rescind his question, Tweek took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself to answer, hoping to do so in a way that wouldn't make him tear up or seem too strange. "It's not easy. But...I didn't leave much behind. Just my parents. Things aren't good between us. So no. I don't go home."

Craig nodded. Thankfully, he didn't pry. 

A cold breeze suddenly went past them, immediately overtaking their senses with a deep chill and reminding them that it was getting late. They got up and threw away all of their trash. "Thanks again. For inviting me out. It was fun." Tweek said, teeth chattering as the relentless wind kept blowing. He was at least glad he opted for a hoodie today, but not even that was enough. 

"Yeah, dude. Anytime. We could...make it kinda a thing. If you want. I don't have much else to do on Wednesday's except a couple morning classes." 

"M-maybe." While the day hadn't gone as disastrous as Tweek thought it would, the thought of doing it again and again seemed daunting. Yet...surmountable, for once. 

The two walked together back to the coffee shop where Craig's car was still parked. "Do you want me to drive you home? I don't mind."

It was starting to get dark, but it was only around 7:00. Tweek had been out later than that and been fine. "No thanks. I'll just take the bus." He absolutely did not want Craig to see his deplorable living conditions. If his subpar conversation skills weren't enough to scare him off, then his nasty apartment sure would be. 

"Well, if you're sure. Let me know when you get back home, okay?"

Tweek nodded, smiling dumbly to himself as he waved goodbye and began walking in the direction of the bus stop. As he walked, he wondered if Craig genuinely worried for his safety or if it was just good manners to offer people rides and want to know when they get home. He tried to convince himself Craig genuinely cared, but he was sure it was just manners. Craig would probably get home and have other things to do and other people to talk to and be finished with Tweek for the day anyway. Unlike Tweek who knew he was just going to go home and hop into bed, ready to lie awake for eight hours until it was time for him to 'wake up' for his shift. 

Though, a few nights recently he's been sleeping better. This new pattern seems to be suspiciously linked to the days when he sees Craig.

Tonight that pattern remained unbroken. For the first time in a long time, Tweek had eaten a proper meal, gotten plenty of sunlight, and ate, or rather drank, fruit. His body was doing so many things it just wasn't used to. And it seemed to greatly appreciate the proper rest he got that night. 

After letting Craig know he was home, of course.

Chapter Text

"So, how was your little date yesterday?"

"It wasn't a date."

"Oh, my bad. What do you call it when two people hang out alone and one of them pays for everything?"

"I'd call it a date." Clyde answered, inserting himself into the conversation and prompting Craig to flip him the bird.

Red smiled and turned back to Craig. "See? Clyde agrees with me. That's a date. Just admit that you guys went on a date."

Craig groaned, not enjoying being put on the spot like this. He contemplated not even responding and just retreating into his room, but he knew his stubborn and annoying friends would see it as him surrendering and them being correct. "We did not go on a date. If we did then we would've called it that. All we did was hang out. Is it illegal to hang out with someone now?"

"Just because you're too p-p-p-pussy to call it a date, doesn't mean it wasn't one." Jimmy remarked, adding into the teasing with his signature crooked smile.

"Shut up. You're just agreeing with Red because she's your girlfriend. Before you got put under the wicked witch's spell you would've taken my side." 

Red flipped him off and moved closer to Jimmy, who was sitting next to her on the couch. "Don't be mad that I have a boyfriend and you don't. If you admit that it was a date then maybe he'd be your boyfriend by now."

This conversation was going nowhere. Craig knew that none of them were going to let this go anytime soon. And he thought Heidi was supposed to be the quiet one, but apparently even she's not immune to the gossip train. 

The thought of a relationship was weird to Craig. He didn't understand the hype around them. Especially after being in one himself. It was hell and he'd prefer not to go through that again. Compared to his ex, Tweek is definitely different. Better. A breath of fresh air in such a muddled, confusing world. Regardless, feelings are complicated and relationships are entirely too much work for the amount of stress they cause. 

"Speaking of boyfriends, guess who I saw sulking around campus today?" Clyde spoke up, slightly switching the topic.

"Oh my fucking god. If you're gonna say what I think you're gonna say then just shut the hell up." Craig responded, not wanting to be reminded of the constant headache he used to date.

Clyde put his hands up in mock surrender and laughed. "Chill, it's nothing interesting anyway. 'He who shall not be named' did look at me though, gave me a nasty side eye. He's lucky I was with Bebe or I was going to make a scene and embarrass the hell out of him."

"Please don't do that. You'd just end up embarrassing the hell out of me. How about you just forget he ever even existed?"

"Maybe take your own advice." Red remarked, earning laughter from both Jimmy and Clyde.

"Don't make me bring up Kevin." Craigs comment was immediately met with a throw pillow being launched at his face. Jimmy and Clyde's laughter grew as Red looked for another pillow to throw, luckily there wasn't one within her reach. 

Eventually the topic of boyfriends was dropped and the room was filled with mindless chatter about classes and the upcoming Thanksgiving break. Craig wasn't really listening, as he had returned to working on his engineering physics homework and did his best to ignore everyone else. He preferred doing his homework in his room or at the library so that he wouldn't have to hear all his annoying friends talking his head off, but he felt like being halfway social today. Though his time with Tweek yesterday has been plaguing his mind all day. It was awkward at first. Craig didn't know anything that Tweek liked and he didn't want him to think that anything he liked was lame. Thankfully he seemed to enjoy himself, no matter how nervous he was. Craig was upset that Tweek thought he didn't like him though. He knows he's bad with emotion, but it does still get to him when people always automatically assume he dislikes them or that he's being insincere. Maybe if they get to hang out more, then Tweek can really see that Craig isn't as mean as he may seem. Hell, Craig might even finally get to know more about Tweek. Even after all that talking yesterday, he still feels like he barely knows the other. If anyone asked, all he could say was that he's blonde, jumpy, and works at a coffee shop. But, he can't think too much about Tweek. He has homework to do.

Though it's as if all his friends have the superpower to know when the best time to bother Craig is, because just as Craig was able to focus again on his assignment, he was distracted by the front door opening. Quickly glancing to see who it was, he locked eyes with Tolkien who gave him a warm smile. Behind him was Wendy, who was finishing up typing something on her phone before looking up and giving everyone a small wave. Those two have been hanging out together a lot more recently, and Craig wondered what their deal was. He thought they might be dating, but didn't want to ask just in case he was misunderstanding their situation. 

"Hey, Craig. How was your date?" Wendy asked, making everyone in the room erupt with laughter.

Craig rolled his eyes and gave up on his homework for now, knowing that these people weren't going to give him a moment of peace to focus. "Did Heidi tell you too? Why is she running her mouth so much? Doesn't she have some animals to save or some protests to go to?"

"Not too much on her. All she said was that you and your boyfriend came in and ordered smoothies. And she just happened to say that in the group chat."

"Oh, please don't tell me Bebe's in that group chat. She can really run her mouth." 

Wendy smiled and gave him a mischievous shrug in response. "Why are you even here? Everyone acts like this is the couple hotel." Craig remarked, exasperated by the two girls presence and already exhausted by the fact that Kenny would show up sooner or later. 

Now that he had flipped it around on her, Wendy's face went red and Tolkien awkwardly cleared his throat. "We're not a couple, we just are working on homework together." He answered, stepping into the conversation.

"Really? You're in Compsci and she's in Polisci, what homework could you possibly be working on together?" 

"Shut up, Craig. Or I'm going to tell Tweek how you're an asshole loser." Wendy teased, seemingly wanting the attention off of her.

He simply replied by flipping her off and the two retreated into Tolkien's room. The living room was silent for a moment. "Yeah, they're totally fucking." Clyde remarked, leaning back on the couch and getting on his phone as Jimmy laughed at his statement. 

Deciding to spare himself from more relationship talk, Craig didn't want to be around when Kenny arrived and got up, bringing his homework into his own room. He set himself up at his desk and stuck his earphones in so that he could focus, settling on just listening to some white noise. 

After about an hour and a half of flipping between thinking he's a genius when he understood a problem and seriously contemplating dropping out when he got stuck, Craig finally had finished his assignment. He changed the white noise to some actual music, shuffling a playlist and lying back onto his bed as 505 by Arctic Monkeys began softly playing in his ears. He turned the volume up slightly, trying to drown out his thoughts. 

For a moment he contemplated texting Tweek. It was only a little after 7PM, but Craig didn't know if he was still at work or not. From the little that he knows about the guy, he seems to be a workaholic. Craig didn't want to be annoying or pushy. Especially since Tweek never officially said that he wanted to hang out again next Wednesday. So he's going to wait for Tweek to text him first, just to make sure that he's not misreading anything. Far too many times has he misread a situation and ended up making things ten times worse. And since he actually doesn't mind Tweek's presence, he doesn't want to mess things up. 

But thinking of Tweek made his mind wander. What if this is a repeat of last time? Though last time things didn't start off so innocent or friendly. That's probably where the mistake was, taking something that was casual and only meant to be physical and trying to put emotions and labels into it. Craig doesn't want to make that same mistake again. Luckily, things this time are going at a much more comfortable pace. He's still not entirely sure what his feelings for Tweek are, or if said feelings are reciprocated at all, but he's just glad that he's not being forced to confront them so early on. 

Just as his mind was drifting to sleep, Instant Destiny by Tame Impala began playing. Craig hates this song. It reminds him of his ex. He's been meaning to take it out of his playlists, but he never got around to it. He'll have to actually remember to do it later. For now, he just pressed skip. Next up, Oblivion by Grimes started to play. As he sat there and listened, the song reminded him of Tweek. Weird timing. He couldn't understand why though. Maybe it was the instrumental, it was funky and different and unique, but still enjoyable and almost refreshing. Or maybe it was the fact that Craig thought the song was a bit mysterious, with a hint of melancholy. Or it was probably just because Tweek was already on his mind. Why is Tweek still on his mind?

He wondered if Tweek was thinking of him too. It's a strange thing to wonder, maybe. But the idea of Tweek sitting somewhere thinking of him made a wave of heat flow through Craig's body. Maybe he should just go ahead and text Tweek, let him know that he was thinking of him. That might be creepy though. They're friends, kinda. So really Tweek shouldn't be plaguing Craig's thoughts the way that he was. It's not like Craig sits around thinking of Clyde or Tolkien or any of his other friends. Much less a person that he barely knows. So why has he been thinking about Tweek all day? Why has he been thinking about Tweek since the first night they met?

It's weird. Tweek is weird. But in the best way possible. Craig's cheeks began to flush with heat as he mentally outlined the things he's noticed about Tweek. He likes the way Tweek is so expressive and emotional. Craig sucks at all things emotion, so the more expressive people are, the easier it is for him to understand what they're feeling. When he's with Tweek he feels like he can actually understand the other on a deeper level, which is so refreshing given how hard it is to talk to everyone else. Clyde is expressive, but in a way that's just annoyingly over the top. Craig is honestly unsure how they grew to become best friends, though he wouldn't trade the annoying guy for anything in the world. Tolkien is hard to read too, but at a least he usually speaks his mind, so Craig doesn't have to strain to overanalyze every non-verbal cue he gives. Jimmy is rather difficult as well, as he loves sarcasm and joking around, and Craig can never tell when he's being serious instead. It's even worse with everyone else since he doesn't know them as well. But with Tweek, it feels almost innate? It's actually a little scary. Craig just feels like he knows what Tweek is feeling and thinking with every twitch and stutter. Sure, he may still be wrong in his interpretation, but it just feels way easier and less like a chore to talk to Tweek.

What is Tweek's deal? As the boy continued to fill Craig's thoughts, he remembered that he truly didn't know too much about him. He knows that he's from San Fransisco, but that's about it. He has no idea what his childhood was like, what his parents are like, why he doesn't talk to them, hell he doesn't even know what Tweek likes to do for fun. To be fair, it's not like Craig has necessarily divulged much information either, but still. Usually he doesn't care too much for backstory or any random facts if they don't concern him. Maybe he's selfish, maybe he's apathetic, maybe he's just an asshole, he doesn't know. But with Tweek he actually wants to know. It doesn't take a genius to see that Tweek has some issues, but Craig wants to know why. Did something happen to him? Is that just how he's always been? He knows that these aren't really acceptable questions to just randomly ask, especially not to someone you've known for barely a month, but the suspense is killing him. He should just go ahead and text Tweek. 

No, this was how it went last time. Well, not exactly, but close. He got way too invested way too soon and it was just a mess. So for now, Tweek is his friend. His cute friend that he wants to get to know better, in a friendly way of course. 

Chapter Text

More graphic nightmares
And I could make that better, but you won't let me, don't dare
So on balance, I'd say
This type of ultra cruelness is the worst kind of shade

——

This has been the weirdest month ever. 

Ever since they first hung out a couple weeks ago, Tweek and Craig have been hanging out every Wednesday afternoon. And Craig has even showed up to Tweek's job a few times. It's been weird. Not a bad weird, but not a good weird either. Just different. Tweek hates different. At first he felt like he was going to go bald from how much he was pulling his hair at just the thought of being alone with Craig, but now he's starting to get used to it. Like it's a new routine. Definitely much better than his old routine of just sitting around sad and alone when he wasn't at work. But something that he still needs to get adjusted to.

There's a new curveball now. Two of them. Craig won't be able to hang out tomorrow since he's going home for Thanksgiving break. Which sucks. Tweek had almost started to look forward to their weekly outings. The other issue is one that Tweek still hasn't replied to.

3:26pm

unknown: hiiiiiiiii tweek 

unknown: its kenny 

He didn't even see the text at first since he was at work, but once he got back to his apartment and saw it he started freaking out. What does Kenny want? What does he know? Is this blackmail? How did he even get Tweek's number?

For the past hour he's been thinking of different outcomes. He could just not reply and act like he never saw it, but if he sees Kenny again and he asks about it Tweek is a terrible liar and will end up telling the truth. Then he's going to seem like an asshole that deliberately ignored the texts and Craig is going to hate him for being mean to his friends. So if he doesn't respond he has to avoid Kenny for the rest of his life. But then he's going to have to reject Craig if he ever invites him over and he's going to end up looking like an asshole regardless. Then the other option is of course to respond, rip the bandaid off and just see what it is that Kenny could possibly want with him. But Tweek has no way of knowing or predicting what he's going to say. What if he tries to sell him weed? If that's the case, Tweek kind of wants to say yes. But what if Craig isn't into that and starts to hate him because of it? God, why does he even care what Craig is or isn't into? Whatever, it might not even be that. Maybe Kenny just needs a favor. Or what if he's trying to flirt? Then Clyde is going to hate Tweek and then Craig is going to hate him too! Why does answering a simple text have to be the hardest thing in the world? Maybe he just needs to get it over with. It may not even be that serious.

10:13pm

tweek: hi keny 

kenny: you got plans for thanksgiving? 

kenny: if not you should come hang with me and clyde we just gonna have a small dinner at his apt

There it is again. People always inviting him to things. There's no need to even overthink it. Tweek already knows he's going to overanalyze every possible outcome and he's going to end up saying yes anyway because he's a chronic people pleaser and he doesn't want Kenny or Clyde to hate him and make Craig hate him.

tweek: no i dontt

tweek: ill go

kenny: sweet see you then 

kenny: you dont have to bring anything btw

That's totally a lie, right? People say stuff like that all the time but absolutely don't mean it. At least that's how they are on TV. When someones says 'you don't have to' what they really mean is that nobody can make you do it but you're still expected to and if you don't you're going to seem like a douchy asshole and everyone will hate you and never invite you to anything ever again. So Tweek has to figure out what he's going to bring.

Naturally, Tweek spent his entire Wednesday panicking. It already sucked that he'd have Thursday off for the holiday, now he's going to have to spend both his already miserable days off panicking the entire time? It's not that far off from what he would've been doing anyway, but still. He'd like to at least try to find some peace. Instead he's been wandering around the grocery store for an hour thinking of something he can bring to the dinner tomorrow.

Big issue though, he doesn't know how to cook. At least, he's never succeeded in making anything more complicated than instant noodles. When he was younger, he did try to cook a few times. Simple things, like scrambled eggs or spaghetti. But every attempt ended in disaster. He either made a way bigger mess than necessary or ended up almost burning the house down. To this day he's still not sure how he managed to get mayonnaise everywhere when trying to make pancakes. So after a few tries, he gave up. Also his parents essentially banned him from cooking. 

What he can do though, is bake. He's only done it a few times, but he's had much more success with baking rather than cooking. Which he's not sure why given that they're essentially the same thing but with different ingredients. Either way, he knows that he can bake simple desserts. But what is an appropriate dessert for Thanksgiving? He doesn't know how to make any type of pie and is horrible at following recipes. After pie, he has no clue what any traditional Thanksgiving desserts are. This wasn't a holiday he regularly celebrated. As a young child, he vaguely remembers spending the holiday at his grandparents house a few times. Though he was too young to eat most foods, and he was a very picky eater so he probably wouldn't have eaten anything anyway, so he doesn't remember what they had. At some point, his grandparents died. Or got put in a nursing home. He doesn't know the full story, his parents were always vague about it, he just knows that one day he came back from their house and then he never saw them again and eventually his parents stopped mentioning them all together. Since then, they never celebrated Thanksgiving. Tweek's mom would just make a 'special' roast chicken, but he's pretty sure the only thing special about it was that she actually seasoned it to taste decent. 

Given his complicated relationship with the holiday, Tweek has no idea what people eat on Thanksgiving. He's seen a couple things online and seen it shown on TV, but even then it seems to be a little different for every family. The main constant is a turkey and some type of pie, usually pumpkin. But since those are both not options, Tweek is fucked. He could just ask Kenny what he should bring, but he doesn't want to seem like an incompetent loser who needs help to make such trivial decisions. Even if that's what he is.

Maybe he can just make cookies. And just make them pumpkin flavored. Yeah, that could work. Though he has no idea how to make something taste like pumpkin. He actually has no clue what a pumpkin even tastes like. Luckily, they sell canned pumpkin, so he can just use that. Hopefully it's not some type of unspoken rule to not use that. Who knows? This is all just so unnecessarily complicated. Maybe he can fake a deadly contagious illness and bail. Of course, he'd have to keep up the lie and fake his own death, which seems like a lot of work just to get out of this one thing. 

Eventually Tweek settled on cookies. It wouldn't be too hard. He vaguely remembers baking them with his mother once. 

He got everything set up in his sad excuse of a kitchen and found a simple enough recipe online to follow. Three hours and two batches later, he finally had some decent looking, and tasting, cookies. They tasted like pumpkin, maybe, and were dyed orange with food coloring. Hopefully they won't hate them. 

—☆— 

It was chilly out as he got off the bus. Definitely a stark contrast to Novembers in California. The strong wind made it even colder, and Tweeks dingy thin jacket wasn't helping him at all. Despite wanting to get out of the cold, his feet grew heavy as he approached the apartment, tupperware full of cookies in hand. So many things could go wrong tonight. There's many opportunities for Kenny and Clyde to hate him. And how will he know when to leave? He doesn't want to overstay his welcome. Hopefully his outfit is decent. Underneath his jacket he's just got on a long sleeved gray t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Nothing crazy. This is a casual thing after all. At least, Tweek hopes so.

After what felt like hours, Tweek finally came up to the front door of the unit. He knocked lightly, hoping that maybe they wouldn't hear it and he could just go back home and say that he at least tried. But just like everything else in his life, it didn't go as planned, and Kenny opened the door after only a few seconds, as if he had just been waiting nearby for Tweeks arrival. Such enthusiasm was very foreign to Tweek. 

"Tweekers!! You made it!" Kenny exclaimed, damn near yelling, his voice echoing through the sterile hallway. He pulled Tweek into a bone crushing hug before putting him down and practically dragging him into the unit, closing the door behind him. He flashed a toothy grin, the gap evident as he ushered Tweek further inside, where Clyde was on the couch fumbling with the TV remote.

The brunette looked over and smiled at the sight of Tweek, rushing over and greeting him with just as much enthusiasm as his boyfriend. Tweek could see how they were able to get along.

"Dude, I thought you weren't gonna show!" He pulled him into a similarly tight hug before pulling away and noticing the tupperware Tweek was holding. "No way. You made us cookies? I literally love you."

Surely he didn't mean that. Whatever. Tweek wanted to not overthink anything tonight. An utterly impossible task for him. 

"Yeah...thank you for inviting me." Tweek responded, hoping he didn't sound as awkward as he felt. He sat the cookies down on the counter, looking around the small kitchen and seeing the small spread they had put together.

"Of course, Tweeky! Craig's friends are my friends. Or I guess Craig's friends are Clyde's friends and Clyde's friends are my friends. Whatever. What I'm trying to say is, welcome to the family!" Kenny responded, lightly patting Tweek on the shoulder before pulling him closer so that their sides were touching. "You're gonna love what we threw together. Though I did most of the work. Unless you don't like it, then Clyde made everything."

"Hey! I worked very hard to contribute to this dinner! Don't talk shit about me." Clyde retorted, defending his name from where he had returned to sitting on the couch.

Kenny smiled and dismissively waved a hand. "I'd never dream of talking shit about my wonderfully amazingly talented chef of a boyfriend." Tweek lightly laughed at that, hoping that was an appropriate response. His worries were slightly eased when Kenny continued on with his teasing. "Peeling and cutting potatoes is such hard, honest work. You must be so exhausted, dear! Would you like a foot massage? Or better yet, why don't I jump off a bridge for you, my love?" 

By the end he was fully in Clyde's bubble, leaving Tweek behind in the kitchen. He felt out of place as he watched the couple laugh. Like he shouldn't be there, intruding on their intimate moment. Please don't let this be how it is all night.

"Leave me alone, asshole! Show Tweek what we made. Both of us! Doing equal amounts of work." Clyde said, pushing Kenny away from him as Kenny made an exaggerated kissy face at him.

The blond dramatically sighed and returned to the kitchen. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to divorce him. He doesn't love me at all." Tweek, not knowing how to respond, laughed again. "Anyway. We didn't make a whole bunch since it's just us, but I did find a fatass turkey. That's in the oven. Then we got some mashed potatoes, curtesy of Clyde's incredible knife skills. He totally didn't almost lose a finger. And he really wanted green beans so I made some of that and some corn. My sister's gonna be joining us too, by the way. She's just taking a shower right now."

Tweek nodded, following Kenny back over to the couch and taking a seat. "God damn this stupid remote. Ken, can you find me some batteries somewhere?"

"What are you trying to watch?" Tweek asked. His voice was soft and his throat was a little dry, reminding him how little he was talking. 

"He's trying to watch the game. Relive his glory days." Kenny answered, getting up and going back into the kitchen, this time searching through all the drawers, presumably to look for batteries. 

"Well if I peaked in high school then you peaked in elementary school." Clyde said. Tweek wondered if this kind of insulting banter was normal for all couples or if this was something just special to them. 

There was silence for a moment, save for the sound of Kennys rummaging and the random channel that the TV had gotten stuck on. It was broken by the sound of a door opening and closing. Tweek looked over to the small hallway and saw a girl emerging, accidentally making direct eye contact with her. Her short brown hair was wet, and she was adorned in pajamas. She seemed on the younger side, looking similar to the teenagers that frequented the coffee shop. 

"Oh, hi! You must be Tweek, right? I'm Karen! Nice to meet you!" She had a wide, bright smile, very similar to her brother. Her eyes seemed innocent enough, but Tweek could recognize a subtle darkness behind them. The same darkness he sees in his own eyes, though he's not as good as hiding his. He could tell she's been through some things, and thought back to Kenny briefly telling him about his parents. Maybe these two could understand what he's been through. 

"Y-yeah...It's nice to meet you too." He replied, offering her a small awkward wave. 

She didn't seem to mind the gesture, turning her focus to her brother and joining him in the kitchen. "Wow, who made cookies?" Karen asked, picking up the container and opening it to smell them. "Damn, these smell good. Is it pumpkin?"

Tweeks face reddened slightly at the compliment. He could only hope that everyone would like them. If they didn't, he may not be able to show his face around them ever again. "Uh, yes. They're pumpkin flavored. I made them."

"Really? Well, I shouldn't be surprised. If these idiots baked anything then there'd be a mess of flour in here. I'd bet that these cookies end up tasting way better than anything they were able to scrounge up." 

"Karen! You were being so nice earlier, don't try to show off and be a bully now that Tweek's here." Kenny reprimanded, though his tone was light so he was probably joking. 

The girl smiled and shrugged. "Hey, don't be mad at me for telling the truth."

The siblings continued to bicker back and forth for a little while, though Tweek zoned out after probably twenty seconds. He didn't really know what to say or do, and just awkwardly stared at the football game that was now playing on the TV, pretending to be invested in it, when he didn't even know what teams were playing or the rules of the game.

It wasn't until he saw someone standing right in front of him that he focused and came back into reality. He had no clue how long he was out for, but it couldn't have been longer than five minutes. Hopefully.

Standing in front of him was Karen, holding two unopened bottles of beer, and extending one towards Tweek. He awkwardly looked up to meet her gaze. "You want one? They're cold." He quickly shook his head, remembering the feeling he got last time when he drank whatever mystery drink that Clyde had given him. At least this time it's just beer, but he still doesn't want to risk it. "You sure? I know beer is nasty, but this brand is pretty good, I promise."

"Uh, aren't you a little young for that anyway?" Really they all were, so Tweek doesn't even know how they were able to get beer, though it seems like Clyde has some sort of connections when it comes to alcohol. 

Karen lightly laughed at his statement and shrugged playfully. "Maybe, but you only live once, so. And besides, these two can be insufferable, it's better to deal with them when you're not sober."

She was insisting, and Tweek is incapable of putting his foot down. So like the coward he is, he finally nodded. Karen smiled and handed him one bottle, before using a bottle opener, that she had apparently been holding the whole time, to open her own bottle. She then opened his and walked away, taking the caps and throwing them away. 

Tweek looked around and saw that Clyde was no longer sitting next to him but was instead standing in the kitchen talking to Kenny. They seemed to be arguing, though neither one looked all that upset. 

Not knowing what else to do and not wanting to continue looking around awkwardly, Tweek slowly brought the bottle up to his lips to take a cautious sip. Karen was right. This is nasty. Disgusting, even. But when he glanced towards the girl and saw her drinking it as if it were water, he decided to take another sip so he wouldn't seem completely lame. Luckily, it didn't burn as bad as last time. 

He got around halfway through the bottle, taking baby sips every time, when Kenny spoke up, saying something about a bird. Tweek wasn't really listening, but he stood up anyway and made his way towards the kitchen, which was only a few steps away. When he got closer, he saw a big cooked turkey that wasn't there before sitting on top of the stove.

"Alright," Kenny sat down his bottle of beer and clapped his hands together, momentarily startling Tweek, "Since we don't have a long fancy dinner table, we kinda just gotta all stand right here and then we can eat on the couch. But as always, we have to say what we're thankful for before we eat. I'll start, I'm thankful that you guys are here with me. And I'm thankful that our dear friend Tweek was able to join us this year!" 

Everyone looked at him, and he just offered up an awkward smile as Clyde began to speak next. "I am also grateful for you guys. If I didn't have you guys, I don't know if I could survive this holiday. I fucking hated spending Thanksgiving with my dad and whoever his new girlfriend was. So I'm glad I've been getting to spend it with you dorks instead, even if the geek squad isn't here."

The siblings laughed at the comment, though Tweek didn't as he wasn't sure who he was referring to or if he should even be laughing at an inside joke he clearly wasn't a part of. 

Karen spoke up next. "I'm also grateful for you guys, but I want to be original. I'm really thankful for my brother especially. If it weren't for him, who the hell knows where I'd be. Stuck with mom and dad, or maybe in a group home somewhere. But anyways. That's why I'm grateful for Kevin." 

Kenny lightly pushed her at the mention of this Kevin guy. "Asshole! You know that dickwad has never done shit for you." His words were harsh but his tone wasn't, so Tweek was completely lost as to what was happening.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just fucking with you, Ken! You know you're always my favorite brother. Unless Kevin wants to win the lottery and split half of it with me, then maybe you'll have to be my second favorite brother."

Kenny stuck his tongue out at her, which she promptly returned. 

Then all of a sudden, everyone was staring at Tweek, waiting for him to speak. Shit. What is he thankful for? There's not much to be thankful for in his life.

"Oh...right. Well, I'm thankful that you g-guys invited me. And uh..." His voice trailed off as he wracked his brain for something, anything to say. He didn't want to seem corny or insincere, but he also didn't want to say too much and throw off the mood. "I'm thankful that I don't have to spend this holiday alone or with - gah - my parents...Oh! And I guess I'm grateful for Craig. If...if it weren't for him then I wouldn't have even met you guys. So yeah..."

There was a beat of awkward silence, almost like the three expected him to keep talking or like they were processing his words. When it became clear that Tweek had nothing else to say, Clyde started dramatically clapping, as if he had just seen the best performance of his life. What an odd guy. Though he was at least less of a jerk this time, probably because he wasn't drunk yet.

After that ordeal, the group moved on and made their plates, migrating to the couch to eat, watch the game, and talk. Tweek preferred to just listen to whatever they were talking about, though they threw a few questions his way that he tried to answer concisely so that they would move on and not turn it into a whole conversation. Meanwhile, he just sort of pushed his food around on the plate, trying to make it look like he ate more than he did. The food was delicious, but he just got full after around two bites of everything. 

By the time they finished eating, Tweek had also finished his bottle of beer. He was definitely drunk. Or maybe just tipsy. Given that he's never been drunk before, he really doesn't know. All he knows is that he feels warm. And like all his molecules are tingly. And the smile on his face won't go away. It's weird. He keeps catching himself laughing at things that aren't that funny.

At some point, Kenny stood up and brought all the empty plates into the kitchen, and Tweek could hear them being put into the sink. He was starting to zone out again, though this time he was staring intently at the clock on the wall. Kenny came back over to the couch holding some tupperware, and Tweek remembered that he had brought cookies.

Kenny took one for himself before passing the container around, everyone reaching in and grabbing one for themself as well, including Tweek. 

"Wait...dude...these are actually good. Like, really good." Clyde said, speaking slowly in disbelief. He reached into the container and grabbed another cookie despite not even finishing his first one.

The siblings each took a bite as well, both of their eyes widening. "See! I knew it! This is fucking delicious, Tweek. Better than what these dumbasses cooked. Someone owes me money." Karen said, of course taking the opportunity to tease her brother.

Kenny rolled his eyes at her words and turned towards Tweek. "These are really good, dude. Next time you come over, please bring more of these. I just know these are gonna hit even more when I'm high."

All the compliments sent a rush of blood to Tweeks face, and he could feel his cheeks heating up. He never was good at taking compliments, and he kind of wanting to scream. Or die. But he settled on laughing, though it probably sounded a little forced. "Thanks guys...I was scared you guys wouldn't like them. I'll make more next time, if I can even remember how I m-made them this time, that is."

Even if Tweeks brain shuts down whenever he receives a genuine compliment, the night was much more tolerable after that. He wasn't constantly thinking about the fact that they all might secretly hate him. Though he's sure he'll be thinking of that one in the morning. He didn't overthink every word that came out of his mouth. At least not as much as usual. 

Eventually though, it was time to go. Or maybe it was already way past the time he should've left. Shit, maybe he's leaving ridiculously early. After all, it's only a little past 10. But he has work in the morning, so that he used that as an excuse to leave. Kenny walked him to the door, sending him off with a big smile and a wave, and an open invitation to come back anytime, which was a little odd considering that it's not actually Kenny's apartment. Regardless, Tweek just thanked him again for the invite and made his way to the stairs, he never did trust an elevator.

The cool night air was definitely enough to sober him up, though he was probably sober the whole time given that all he had was one measly bottle of beer. Despite that, this was the first time he's been able to just sit with his thoughts all day. He actually made it through this dinner without dying, crying, or completely embarrassing himself. At least, he hopes he didn't do anything to embarrass himself. He still wasn't used to this whole hanging out with people thing.

He thankfully didn't have to wait long for the bus, though he was surprised it was even still running so late on Thanksgiving night. Oh well, he's just happy he doesn't have to walk home. He's going to need all the rest he can get to brace himself for tomorrow, where hundreds of Black Friday shoppers are going to want some caffeine to give them the strength to fight through those hordes. 

For a fleeting moment, his mind went to Craig. He imagined doing something like this again, but with Craig there too. His other friends would also likely be there, but truthfully he probably wouldn't talk to them. Whenever he sees Craig again, he's definitely going to bring some cookies. Hopefully Craig likes them just as much.