Chapter Text
They were twelve years old, and holding hands in Craig’s backyard. It was the June before seventh grade, and they had spent most of the summer firmly connected by the hands.
“Can we go inside now?” Craig asked, tugging a strand of Tweek’s hair and curling it around his finger.
“Craig, it’s only sunny like three days out of the year in South Park. I’m taking full advantage of this one.”
Craig sighed, leaning into the large oak tree behind him.
“Whatever. As long as I get to be with you.”
The words escaped his mouth without him even deciding on them, and he blushed. The sentiment was a bit much for a random Thursday morning. Tweek only giggled, craning his neck to look at him sweetly.
“I feel the same way.” He said.
Craig smirked, giving his hand a light squeeze. Tweek was so attractive when he smiled. Almost..pretty. Like an angel.
“Hey Craig?” Tweek asked.
“Yeah, honey?”
“How long have your parents been married?”
Craig was surprised by the question. Whatever it was he’d been expecting, it certainly wasn’t that.
“I have no idea.” He answered honestly.
“Really?” Tweek asked. “No idea?”
“Zero.”
Craig couldn’t really bring himself to care about details like that. Who cared how long his parents had been married?
“Well, mine have been together for 15 years.” Tweek said proudly.
“Oh?” Craig asked.
He had really didn’t know where Tweek was going with this.
“Yes.” Tweek said. “And I think that’s really cool.”
He paused, looking a little nervous. With the hand that wasn’t holding Craig’s, he picked at the time grass.
“Do you think...we could be together that long?”
Craig’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained as straight as it always was.
“Tweek.” He said seriously. “I think we could be together forever.”
“Forever?” Tweek asked with a smile.
He liked the sound of that.
***
“Tweek’s been acting really fucking weird lately.” Clyde Donovan stage whispered, pushing away his lunch tray.
It was lunch hour in September of their senior year, and he was whispering conspiratorially to his friends in the school cafeteria.
Across the round table, they looked skeptical. Clyde said a lot of questionable shit. It was only two weeks ago that he tried skateboarding off the roof of his house.
“Tweek is always weird.” Craig replied simply.
Craig Tucker was endlessly loyal to his boyfriend, but he was also a realist, which meant he had to be honest. Tweek was a weird guy.
“No!” Clyde insisted, waving his hands. “Like, weirder than normal.”
“W-weirder like h-h-how?” Jimmy asked.
Clyde huffed, taking a long and rather disgusting slurp of his chocolate milk before speaking.
“Like, for example-“ He cut himself off, wiping milk off his chin.
“You’re disgusting.” Token said in a barely audible whisper, rolling his eyes.
“He called me an idiot in fifth period today.” Clyde continued.
His friends exchanged glances, unsure whether it would be appropriate to outwardly express their amusement.
“Uh Clyde?” Token piped up after a moment.
“Yeah?”
“You are an idiot.”
Clyde glared at him over the milk carton as Craig and Jimmy smirked.
“That’s not the point!” He said. “The point is that Tweek never calls me an idiot! He’s nowhere near as big a douche as you guys.”
Jimmy was actually giggling now at the dramatics in front of him, picking at his lasagna with a fork. Token scoffed.
“You probably provoked him.” Craig reasoned. “Did you say anything stupid?”
“I-“
“Because you probably shouldn’t be in AP Lang with him in the first place. The principal only agreed to it because he wants free shoes from your dad’s store.”
Clyde’s glower deepened, and he kicked purposefully under the table.
“Ow!” Token cried, and Clyde winced, looking immediately apologetic.
“Sorry! That was for Craig!”
Craig just sighed, giving Clyde a halfhearted kick of his own. In truth, he had noticed a change in Tweek recently. He’d been more reserved, and more tense. Like maybe he was hiding something.
Yesterday, Craig kissed him and he just froze. It was maybe the first time in eight years that he hadn’t kissed back.
“Tweek h-h-has been acting kind of strange, though.” Jimmy pointed out. “He’s hardly been t-ta-talking.”
“Exactly!” Clyde agreed. “And normally he won’t shut up!”
“I guess that is true.” Token conceded. “Maybe he’s sick or something?”
“Maybe he’s cheating on Craig!” Clyde suggested excitedly.
Craig flipped him off. There was no way in hell that Tweek was cheating on him.
“Guys! There he is now!” Clyde hissed, looking behind the others to where Tweek was approaching.
Craig turned around in his seat to face his boyfriend, expecting Tweek to reach the table, bend down, and kiss him as he did every day during lunch. But he didn’t. Tweek ignored their routine completely and instead stopped in his tracks, looking worried.
“Craig, can you come here for a second?” He asked.
Craig frowned. Tweek looked very disconcerted about something.
“Of course, baby.” He answered. “Is everything okay?”
“Just come here.”
As their friends stared curiously, Tweek led him to a quieter corner of the cafeteria and an empty table. They sat down, and Craig found himself becoming more confused by the second. Tweek took a breath, seeming to build courage and-
“Will you meet me after school today?” He asked.
Craig blinked once, confused by the question.
“What? What do you mean? I meet you after school every day to drive you home. Are you okay, Tweek?”
Tweek shook his head back and forth a few times on a swivel, and Craig noticed that he was pale.
“No.” He corrected. “I mean later this evening. At Stark’s Pond. Can you come?”
Craig was still confused. He leaned in closer, setting a hand on Tweek’s.
“Okay, honey. But why? If you want to mess around, we can just-“
Tweek turned immediately red, shaking his head again.
“No! No. Not that. I just want to talk.”
Craig nodded and gave his hand a squeeze.
“Okay. I’m sure it won’t be an issue. Is that all you wanted to ask?”
“Yes!” Tweek said too quickly. “I have to go to the library now.”
“What?”
“I have to go to the library! I’ll see you tonight, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
And with that, Tweek stood up, swung his bag over one shoulder, and began to speed walk away.
“Bye, Craig.” He said simply.
“Bye! Love you!” Craig called.
When Tweek didn’t say it back, Craig told himself he must not have heard.
****
The sun was almost beginning to set by the time Tweek decided he wanted to meet. The pond had a thin layer of ice on it, and both boys stared at their reflections instead of meeting eyes.
Tweek had called him at 6:00 on the dot, announcing that he was ready for their evening meeting.
“Do you need a ride?” Craig asked.
He often joked that his was Tweek’s chauffeur due to how much he drove him around. To school, to therapy, to get fast food when he was hungry. He never minded though. It just meant that he got to spend more time with his boyfriend.
“So, what’s the deal, dude?” Craig asked now.
He figured this whole thing would be rather simple. Tweek would explain his odd behavior, Craig would calm him down, and then they’d go back to his house and play with Stripe. As it turned out, things weren’t exactly so simple.
Tweek shifted his body so that they were facing each other, and stared at him almost blankly. It made Craig uncomfortable. Tweek’s habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve meant his emotions were easy to read, and now he just looked like stone.
“Tweek?” He prompted.
Tweek’s face didn’t change, but he pulled the backpack he was wearing from off his shoulders and set it on the floor. Silently he knelt down, unzipped it, and pulled out an article of clothing folded into a bundle. Craig couldn’t tell what it was.
“Here.” Tweek said stiffly, standing back up. “This is yours.”
Craig took it from, confused, and unfolded it. It was a hoodie. His own hoodie, actually. Navy blue with the NASA logo spread across the chest. Tweek had been wearing it for forever.
Craig had gotten it for Christmas two years before, but Tweek had latched onto it immediately. It was oversized to begin with, which meant Tweek absolutely swam in it. He’d said once that in made him feel close to Craig, even when he wasn’t here.
“Why are you giving me this?” Craig asked, bringing down the sweater so he could look Tweek in the eyes.
“Why are you giving me this?”
Tweek stared at the ground.
“I don’t want it anymore.”
Craig just stared back, like if he looked at him for long enough it would tell him what the fuck was going on.
“You don’t want my jacket anymore? Why not?”
“I’m-“
He stops. He takes a long, shuddering breath. Craig can feel his heart sinking to his toes.
“I’m breaking up with you.” Tweek finishes.
Craig thinks he might actually throw up, and the nausea only increases with each passing moment.
“What?” He asked. His voice is embarrassingly shaky.
“I think we should stop doing this shit.” Tweek said coldly.
It was the flattest Craig had ever heard his voice. It didn’t shake. He didn’t twitch. The words were just...there. Craig was thrown for a loop.
“What do you mean?”
“This. All of this. It was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it?”
There it is. He’s twitching now. The real Tweek is boiling over the cold surface and rudely interrupting his break up speech, and Craig can tell that he’s annoyed with himself for letting it happen. He shakes his head.
“This? This as in us?” He asked in disbelief. “You’re breaking up with me? After five fucking years, you’re breaking up with me?”
“That’s what it looks like!” Tweek snapped, abandoning the facade completely.
There was spit flying out of his mouth and crimson rising in his face as he spoke, causing Craig to take three steps back. He knew better than anyone how willing Tweek would be to throw the first punch.
He was furious about something, that much was clear, but Craig didn’t know what. Had he done something to deserve this? Hurt Tweek somehow?
“This isn’t supposed to be happening.” Craig said, almost to himself. “We’re the power couple, Tweek. Everyone thinks we’re perfect.”
Tweek actually screamed then, releasing an animalistic noise from deep in his throat.
“Are you kidding me, Craig?” He shrieked.
Craig rolled his eyes, sighing exaggeratedly. Tweek glowered at him.
“Our relationship has never gotten to just be about us.” He said darkly. “This whole town thinks everything is their business when it isn’t, and you’re seriously about to make this about them too?”
“What the fuck is this about?” Craig shot back, ignoring Tweek completely.
His own anger was coming to a head and would soon give way to heartache; he could tell. He felt as though the world was crumbling at his feet.
Tweek looked almost as confused as he did, throwing his head back as though making a a silent plea to the heavens.
“I just-“
His sentence broke off almost immediately and he turned away, trying his best not to break down into tears. Craig felt a pang in his chest. Guilt. Misery. A terrible, terrible rush of anxiety. He stepped forward to comfort his (ex?) boyfriend, but Tweek brought a hand up to stop him.
“I’m fine.” He spat out. “I don’t always need you to protect me, you know? I can handle my own emotions.”
Confused, Craig reached out his hand a second time.
“Tweek, I know th-“
“Not that you’d know anything about emotions, you robot.”
Craig lowered his hand slowly, carefully. He didn’t want to set off any more yelling.
Something on his face must have resonated with Tweek as he did this because the other boy froze. His own expression softened just the slightest bit, like he was just now remembering that boy in front of him was Craig Tucker.
Craig Tucker, who had held his hand and helped him with math homework and soothed him through anxiety attacks for the last eight years.
“Craig,” he started, “I’m sorry for doing this, okay? I just need some time.”
Craig gaped at him. It didn’t make any sense. None of this did. He and Tweek were supposed to be the couple everyone envied! The one they wanted to be! And sure being the token gay couple was annoying, but it was a hell of a lot better than whatever this was.
“Tweek..” He said, choking back a sob.
Tweek looked at him expectantly, visibly miserable.
“I love you.” Craig said eventually. “I love you so...much.”
Tweek was practically hyperventilating now, and his lips were trembling. As angry and confused and upset as he was, Craig hated it. He still wanted Tweek to be happy. He probably always would.
“I know, Craig.” Tweek whispered. “Me too.”
“Then wh-?”
“I have to go home now.” Tweek said simply.
Craig didn’t answer.
“I have to go.” Tweek repeated.
He looked heartbroken, and angry, and little bit horrified with this whole thing. As he turned on his heel to leave, Craig snapped out of his trance.
“Do you need a ride home?” He asked in a rush. “It’s getting dark outside.”
Even to his own ears, he sounded absolutely pathetic. Tweek just looked irritated again.
“I can take care of myself.” He said firmly, and began walking in the other direction without another word.
As Tweek left, Craig felt something inside him snap in two. This couldn’t possibly be happening. This couldn’t be his new reality. Maybe it was naive of him, but he’d kind of thought he and Tweek were...forever. Or something close to it.