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”No I’m not going in there.” Said Craig in his usual dead voice. He and his so called best friends, Clyde, Token and Jimmy, stood on snow covered pavement in the slightly below freezing weather. The fourteen year olds were right outside Tweek Bros Coffee, Token already had a hand on the door. The only things stopping them was Craig.
Craig avoided Tweek at all costs. He wouldn’t speak to him, look at him, not even breathe around him for too long. Not because he hated Tweek, he found the blonde quite cute actually. And that was the problem, he liked Tweek. Craig felt his heart flutter every time he was near him and never seemed able to tear his eyes away.
There should be no problem either, Craig was in fact fairly certain that the boy was his soulmate. The words on his wrists were so incredibly specific that it had to be him.
’Hi welcome to Tweak Bros Coffee what can I get ya?’
Those words were written on his wrist, those would be his soulmates first words to him. Craig had never been to Tweak Bros Coffee before, but he knew that Tweek worked there so logically they had to have their first interaction there. The alternative, that mr or mrs. Tweak was his soulmate… well Craig didn’t like thinking about that.
He knew, his friends knew, everyone who knew him knew that he had to go there at one point. All his friends constantly tried pestering and tricking him into going there but Craig always refused. Nope he was not going, not a chance that he would, can’t be paid enough, not going, no way. He always refused, because he wasn’t ready. The finality of meeting your soulmate was too daunting for him. Because as he understood, meeting your soulmate would change your life.
He’s heard so much about the first meeting, the first words. he had heard of the butterflies, the fireworks, the immediate and undying love you felt. In the movies when people met their soulmate they would kiss passionately, no questions asked, and then sign away their life for each other. He just wasn’t ready, he didn’t feel ready at least. His friends could never understand that, their words all indicated they’d be older when they found out and they were longing for a distant day in the future.
”C’mon dude, you have to do it eventually.” Whined Clyde. ”Besides I want coffee.”
”Then you can get it yourself, I’m not going.” Said Craig and spun around to leave. He heard his friends complaining about him but he didn’t care. This was his decision and he would postpone it as long as he could.
—
Turns out he could avoid it until he was sixteen. It hadn’t been easy but he had managed to interact with Tweek in and out of school so often that it was second nature. Any class he had with Tweek he’d try to switch out of (which is how he ended up in AP), he didn’t go near the coffee shop and if Tweek waved at him in the hallways he’d look the other way. He couldn’t risk it. Through the grapevine he’d heard that Tweek didn’t like him particularly much, but to be fair that was a class wide statement. No one who didn’t know him liked him very much.
It was a shitty night in late May that finally made him crack. He was seated on his kitchen table at almost 1am with one Kyle Broflovski. The next morning Craig would have to take a math exam he had missed and such had enlisted the red haired boy as study help. And since Craig found math so difficult they had to pull an all nighter.
They had taken a momentary break, Craig was thinking of how hard he was going to fail the exam and Kyle was going through snapchat stories on his phone. From what Craig gathered Kenny and Stan had gotten high and were posting all their deep, philosophical questions. Kyle looked up from his phone analyzing Craig for a second.
”I think we need coffee dude.” He commented with a groggy voice. Craig nodded, they sure did. He slowly pushed himself of the table almost knocking a couple of papers over and dragged his half dead body to the coffee maker.
”Fuck, I think we’ve ran out.” Said Craig and ran a hand through his hair furiously. He turned to look at Kyle who was getting up and grabbing his coat.
”Then we go out and get some.” Craig couldn’t help but agree despite better judgements about being out so late and followed his friend.
They walked through the empty streets, occasionally encountering some drunks or junkies. There was only one place open at this time at night on a tuesday. Specifically there was only one coffee shop that was open this late. Tweak Bros Coffee.
Craig felt his nerves raising as they got closer. Maybe he didn’t need coffee after all since he got so much energy from the adrenaline alone. It didn’t help that him that they looked like total disasters. Both had on pyjama pants, Craigs being a pair of lame emoji ones that he had gotten from a distant aunt. Kyle had half of his unruly jewfro in a bun and Craig's hair looked like he hadn’t showered in weeks. He had dark circles under his eyes and he smelled like shit.
Tweek would not be impressed with his soulmate.
The jingle of the bell over the door broke Craig out of his thoughts. Kyle held the door open for him, giving him a tired smile of encouragement. Craig took a final breath of the fresh crisp air and walked in.
The smell of coffee hit him immediately, as did the way too bright lights. But the place was cute, some potted plants decorated it and the whole thing felt homely. Craig carefully stepped up to the counter, looking at who was there.
Tweek.
Craig gulped as he saw the twitching boy look at him. No discernible emotions in his blue eyes. He vaguely registered that Kyle hadn’t entered the store with him, leaving him alone to his fate.
”Hi welcome to Tweak Bros Coffee what can I get ya?”
Craig felt his entire body go warm. The words sounded so very right. His heart fluttered and he couldn’t help but smile. He reeled for a second before saying the first thing that came to mind, the first words to his soulmate.
”I’m sorry it took me so long.” He breathed, he could visibly see the gears turn in Tweek’s head before the blonde boy smiled hugely.
”You’re my soulmate!?” Asked Tweek excitedly, Craig gave him a nod. ”Holy shit dude!”
Craig didn’t feel even slightly tied down, there were no locks, no finality around the situation. It felt like his world had brightened, like a door had opened and he was not scared at all to take this leap with his soulmate. He wasn’t signing away his life, he was improving it. And there weren’t any fireworks or butterflies, no passionate kiss either. But as they finally started talking and the warmth in Craigs heart got stronger, he knew he’d never be able to ignore Tweek again.