Archive of Our Own

Rare pair Steek 2

*****

I'm all out of love . I'm so lost without you…

Stan sighed. He supposed he deserved this. This being forced to listen to terrible sappy music while trying to get some work done. The fact that his roommate was asleep meant it truly was coming from his head, from his soulmate. 

Different people had different soulmate markings. Some were lucky and got names or dates they would meet. Others were unlucky and got stupid indicators like being color blind until they met their soulmate, or hearing whatever music their soulmate was listening to. 

Stan had ended up with a lame one. Who the fuck wanted to listen to Air Supply? Of course, when Stan had been rebellious and dating people clearly not his soulmate, he'd listen to it anytime his heart was broken. It was obviously payback. But never in his time had his soulmate ever listened to music as a mood thing. Whoever his soulmate was hardly listened to anything at all and when they did it was usually stuff one would meditate to or some piano bit or some odd, absurd musician or hymes he'd never heard before. It left Stan unable to really track down what his soulmate enjoyed. When it was a bop or something more popular, it just seemed obvious to Stan they weren't listening to it so much as someone was making them. 

But his soulmate was listening to the 1980’s hit song. Stan was curious as to why. 

Giving up on trying to actively study as the song began playing again, Stan grabbed his phone and earbuds and went and sat in the hall. 

It wasn't completely uncommon to see others in the hall this late either studying or crying from stress. So seeing someone sitting in the hall, head in his knees, was not surprising. Stan sat against his wall and pulled out his phone, flipping through a couple of songs to see if he couldn't, maybe, figure out why his soulmate was forcing him to relive his cringy high school years.two

Only one song could convey his message properly and Stan was going to use it in the worst way possible. He quickly pulled up a YouTube video and as soon as the last note played, he hit play on his phone. A smile threatened to split his face in two at the video editing of He-Man to “What's Going On,” it never failed. 

Movement down the hall distracted him a moment. Head up, Stan recognized him as the cute and weird blonde guy who couldn't keep a roommate. Everyone said he was impossible to live with. He'd never been forced to live off campus but everyone was afraid they'd get roomed with him. Stan was glad his roommate was his best friend from childhood. It was easier to deal with minor annoyances when you'd literally been to hell and back together. Though he was insanely jealous of his best friend. Kyle had had an easy time finding his soulmate, a few words written on himself and that was it. 

Music began playing, pulling Stan's attention back to his phone. It took him a hot minute to recognize the song was about being cheated on. His soulmate had a partner. Stan couldn't blame them. It was hard for someone like them to find each other. The best Stan could do would be to listen to John Denver's Rocky Mountain High on repeat and hope his soulmate got the hints. Maybe throw in some 3OH3 Colorado sunrise. Though now he supposed he would have to listen to California Love or Californa Girls. Still there was a chance his soulmate wasn't even from the states. That would make the whole thing more difficult. The rise of the internet had made such things easier. Make a post on a soulmate page and hope they see it. 

The song stopped abruptly before Akon began playing in his mind. Of course he was lonely as well. Especially if everyone else seemed to have their soulmate. Stan tapped his thumb against his phone trying to think of a comforting song. Promises he couldn't keep sounded too cheesy even for him. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling his soulmate wouldn't like it anyways. 

If sappy poetic love songs weren't the ticket, then the opposite would at least make Stan feel better. Somewhere in the back of Stan's mind, he'd recalled his soulmate listening to a song after he and Wendy had split for the last time and he was listening to Air Supply on repeat again. His soulmate had put up with a lot of bullshit from his emotional ass over the years. The vague idea of the song pulled up an odd list of songs but he recognized two of them. He quickly chose one and went with it. Nothing like a nice song about murdering ex lover's lovers to really brighten the mood. 

Stan couldn't help but crack a smile. He'd loved Voltaire once, the over the top, cynical lyrics were just up his alley. He hoped his soulmate got what he was putting out there. 

A song came back that Stan recognized as one his soulmate often listened to when he'd been upset over breakups. It shouldn't be comforting listening to a song of your unknown soulmate drowning all your ex lover's to be the most important person in your life, but it was. They went back and forth, playing break up songs and songs about taking care of exes. An accidental song from Rainbow Unicorn Attack changed the entire mood and they began playing just weird songs. 

As Stan tapped away at his phone, a song played about going to bed. He didn't blame them, it was late for him to start with. Who knew how late it was for his soulmate. Stan played the same goodnight bit and allowed the silence in his head take over. The guy at the end of the hall was gone and he wondered when he left. He'd been so absorbed in his soulmate, Stan never noticed. However, it was the first time his soulmate and him had had a conversation of sorts. The grin was plastered on Stan's face as he fell asleep. 

***

Something had changed. Stan could just feel it. Walking up to the almost haunting version of “Bring Me to Life” was a definite sign. He liked it. The choice in song and the underlying hint his soulmate was getting at. For the first time in a long while, Stan wondered what his soulmate was like. They were obviously wanting proof last night wasn't a one off thing, at least Stan didn't want it to be. 

Unable to think past his sleepy haze, Stan grabbed his phone and hit play on his phone. The loud honking as the song started, woke him up along with an unfortunate Kyle. Stan burst out laughing as “We Like to Party” played loudly from his phone speaker as Kyle yelled at him. It was the song he'd planned on playing during his crazy late night song chat with his soulmate. 

There was no way to convey anything to his soulmate that expressed how sorry he was about that nor how angry it had made his roommate. Stan sobered up a bit and hit pause on his phone. The thought of not sharing moments like this with someone who he was supposed to be with was disheartening. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd thought about such thoughts, but it always hurt the same.

“Sorry, about that, dude.”

“Whatever, dick. You could have at least made it a good song. Why the hell were you listening to that anyways?”

Stan gave a half shrug as he looked for a song to play his soulmate. “Well, last night, my soulmate was listening to some Air Supply-”

“Picked that emo shit up from you?” 

Stan rolled his head towards Kyle. Sometimes he hated that him and Kyle weren't soulmates. Life would be so easy if they were. So wonderful and easy. They could already communicate non-verbally for the most part. Like the look he was giving Stan said “you know it's true” and it probably was.

“Anyways one thing led to another and we had a moment, really. Dude. Like a moment, moment. Know what I mean?”

Kyle shrugged. “I guess. But what was that shit about?”

Stan smiled and went into explaining his night as he got dressed. He tried to explain how he just knew what his soulmate was going for with each song. Kyle never really understood Stan's soul marking, Stan hardly understood it himself. Anytime he tried to explain it, Kyle just shrugged it off because why would you care if you could just write “Good morning gorgeous” on your arm and that's what they would see first thing in the morning. But Kyle was still his friend, so he listened. 

It was entirely too early for class, but Stan had a hankering for coffee. He grabbed his ear buds as he left, trying to find a good song for his soulmate. He hadn't given them a proper answer. One that said “Yes, this is still a thing” instead of “I'M AN ANNOYANCE!!” 

Phone in hand, Stan looked through his list. The band Yes didn't have a song good enough. LMFAO's “Yes” was too much about living up the single rich life to really convey the message. Maybe Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps?” The song may come off a bit strong. Stan wasn't sure where he wanted this whole thing to even go. But it was a good song anyways.

Stan collided with another person, the soft mass knocking his phone out of his hand. Instinctively, he grasped the other person to make sure they were steady and okay. His heart melted as he stared into green eyes. Eyes had always been a thing for him but there was something about these ones, something that Stan just knew he'd go stupid over. 

“Jesus Christ, man!”

Stan snapped out and pulled back a bit. 

“Sorry about that. I uhh- Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Fine.”

Stan nodded and stood awkwardly before the cute blonde. He'd never been this close to him, only seeing him from down the hall. He was incredibly handsome even though his hair and clothes were a mess and he looked like he could use another 18 hours of sleep. Stan remembered seeing him in the hall last night causing a fresh wave of concern over the man. 

“I mean, I saw you sitting out here last night and- are you actually okay?” The silence hung thick. Stan quickly started talking to make it less weird. “I mean you don't have to talk about it. Just want to make sure you're good.”

The corner of the blonde's mouth turned up a bit in a smile. 

“Yeah. Yeah. I'm- uuuhhhnnggg- I'm good. I'm good now. Thanks.”

“Stan.” Stan held out his hand. 

He stared at it a moment before extending his own a bit nervously. “Yeah. Tweek. Yeah that's, uh, that's really my name. My parents, God, who knows what the fuck is wrong with them! 20 years and I still don't know, man!”

Stan's grin widened as he picked up his phone from the floor, checking it to make sure it wasn't broken. 

“Dude. Parents. I get it.”

“You don't get it. My name is Tweek Tweak, man.”

“My dad up rooted the whole family and made us move to the country because he decided he wanted to be a weed farmer. Not like right after it was legalized. Like years after it was made legal.” 

Tweek's phone alarm went off, pulling his attention away from Stan.

“Ah! Sorry! Shit! Sorry! I gotta go to class. I'll see you around, Stan! And uh- thanks.”

Stan could feel his stupid smile break out across his face and gave a small wave. “Yeah. See you around.”

Once Tweek was out of sight, Stan kicked himself mentally. He was making lead way with his soul mate. He didn't need to be getting hung up on some cute guy, but something about Tweek made him stupid. He wanted to be Tweek's friend at the very least. And he could have walked him to class. Tweek really made him stupid.

A song popped into his head suddenly. Stan jammed his ear buds in as he began walking. It wasn't perfect, but he hoped his soulmate got the message. It was a few minutes after the song ended before he heard a song. Stan groaned, knowing there was no escape from imagining some anime chick spinning a leak in her hand. 

His soulmate was still on board. And they were funny. 

***

It wasn't like he purposely went out of his way to talk to Tweek, but Stan wasn't against jogging across the courtyard to say hi, much to the surprise of Tweek. Stan had just been leaving his programming class and saw the signature blonde mess from a good distance. So what if his heart thumped violently in his chest.

He'd caught Tweek off guard, completely engrossed in his phone. Tweek let out a holler and went into fight mode. Stan stepped back, trying not to laugh at Tweek's reaction, but he was deeply impressed by the sudden fire the guy had. Stan thought he'd seemed a little on the scared side but he was showing his true colors and Stan liked it. 

“Jesus fucking Christ man! You can't just sneak up on me like that!”

“Noted. But those are some reflexes! I saw you and thought I'd come say hi before grabbing some food.”

“I thought maybe you were looking for an excuse out of classes. I'm not sure I can punch hard enough to swell your eye shut.”

Stan vaguely remembered one of Tweek's roommates had complained he had been attacked by Tweek. He wondered if it wasn't just that Tweek had been surprised and his fight instinct kicked in. Still, Stan smiled at the joke. 

“And here I was hoping for a broken nose. Maybe I'll just find a rake then.” Stan's heart fluttered when Tweek let out a small laugh. “Wanna grab lunch with me? My treat. But I'm a broke college student so no steak dinners.”

Tweek's face scrunched up in confusion. “You really know how to woo a man.”

Stan laughed. “I am a romantic at heart, you know. So how about it?”

“Alright. As long as it's not Gay Hating Chicken.”

“Never Gay Hating Chicken. How about that gyro place nearby.”

The right side of Tweek's face twitched slightly. “The what?”

“Gyro place?”

Tweek’s face said it all. He closed eyes and took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. “I'm not sure what kind of diet you're on that allows you to just eat gyroscopes, but-”

“Oh my God. G-yer-oh.”

“Why are you pronouncing the G!?”

“Because it's there! That's how English works!”

Tweek took another deep breath. Something about the whole situation had Stan on the verge of laughing. The way his face was scrunched up in annoyance, was bordering between cute and funny. He wondered what else could get Tweek's gears going. Pronouncing it I-til-ly? Did he say gif or gif?

“Not sure I can ren-dez-voos at the gy-ro establishment. I have to stay away from the ta-ziki sauce because it causes my as-tha-ma to flair up and I start hacking up puh-leg-um.”

Stan didn't try to hold back his laughter. “Fine no yer-ohs. How about pizza?”

“Don't want la-sag-nah?”

Stan chuckled. Tweek was obviously never going to let it go and he didn't mind. “Nah.”

Tweek agreed and shoved his headphones into his pocket. The two made their way to a hole in the wall pizza place he and Kyle regularly ate at. It was the best pizza Stan had ever eaten, not like his experience was much outside of chain restaurants, but it was still good. 

“I've never actually done anything like this before.” Tweek nervously scratched at his arm. “My parents were nice enough to tell me how I was going to be kidnapped, so I've always just- Uhg! Why am I telling you this!?”

Stan gave Tweek a tight smile. He was, for the most part, an outgoing person, even though he was emotional and his parents were fucked up and the two combined made is teen years a living fucking nightmare. He'd never had trouble making friends. He'd never thought about people who had shit parents being the opposite of him. He'd never felt this protective over someone, usually animals invoked this instinct in him. Like perhaps tweek was a poor bunny, abandoned by their owner. Stan scoffed mentally. Tweek was probably more like a pitbull than a rabbit.

“Your parents sound delightful and I hope they never meet mine. Because my parents once kicked me out at the age of 10, afraid I would be murdered or kidnapped by one of them because studies had said that family members are most likely to harm their children. My parents are fucking great too.”

“Jesus Christ! Shit, dude.”

“It's whatever. Important question-”

“Pineapple belongs on pizza.” Tweek pointed a finger at Stan as he began to rant. “It's delicious and anyone who thinks it should be banned is what's wrong with this country. Bash on the pineapple, but not on anchovies? That's not only hate speech but also discrimination. You can't stop freedom of expression and I will eat whatever I want on my pizza, even if it's goat cheese and jam.”

Stan blinked. The look in Tweek's eyes said he was serious, but the slight up turn of his lips said he was joking. 

“Yeah. Alright. You're going to hell for desecrating the pie like that. My friend Kyle has to eat veggie pizzas for religious purposes and gets his with light or no cheese because he's lactose intolerant. So he's FBI's #1 most wanted. But I just wanted to know when you had to leave. Because they make a double decker pizza and it's good but it takes a while to cook.”

Tweek looked at his watch. “I still have like two hours to discuss your unrefined palate and English.”

Stan's smile was going nowhere. Something was just so great about Tweek and he was enjoying it. They talked about where they were from, surprised Tweek's parents almost opened shop in South Park before deciding on a small town in Montana. He was wanting to get into forensic science. When he said this, Stan got the feeling he wasn't telling the whole story. Stan noticed small things about Tweek, like he was constantly pulling on his sleeve or how when sparked with sudden annoyance, he twitched slightly. 

But the more they talked, the more relaxed Tweek got. His speech pattern changed slightly. Tweek wasn't entirely closed off, but he was significantly less open than Stan and that was okay. He didn't particularly like getting bombarded with personal information upon meeting someone. He'd always felt certain subjects we're a bit too personal, like soulmates. His friends knew what his soulmate trait was, but he didn't go around talking about it to strangers. He especially didn't talk about his views on soulmate being an ultimatum life partner. 

Instead of deep intimate stuff, the two conversed like old friends. Their conversation was as shallow as a kiddy pool filled with sarcasm and tiny jabs at each other. Stan couldn't believe people didn't want to be his roommate, but then again, Tweek did confess one roommate left because he flipped out over a sock. The sock had been the tipping point and there were a series of reasons, but the freshly used sock flung on his bed was the last straw. And Stan, really didn't even blame him for it. Him and Kyle fought often during exam week over stupid stuff like Stan listening to music too loud or Kyle tapping his pen on his desk as he thought. A sock straight from Kyle's foot to Stan's bed would piss him off too. Though deep down Stan knew it would be his sock on Kyle's bed.

The two of them managed to devour the entire pizza much to Stan's shock. He didn't mind one bit there were no leftovers if only because of the delighted look on Tweek's face as he consumed the literal pizza pie. 

Tweek groaned as he leaned back. “I'm going to have to skip class. I can't walk.”

“Get us some wheelbarrows and haul us back to our dorms.”

Tweek smiled as he rubbed his stomach. “This was fun despite you pronouncing it gyro.”

“Yeah. It was. I'm glad you almost punched my face.”

As Stan and Tweek went their separate ways, a song began playing. It had absolutely no lyrics but Stan could still feel the emotion behind the song. It made him smile softly and his thoughts went back to Tweek. He wondered what kind of music Tweek liked. 

***

Jealousy hit Stan hard as he caught a glimpse of someone's wrist. The lucky son of a bitch had a date and time. He didn’t have to worry about anything besides continuing on with his life as normal. It probably sucked knowing you wouldn’t meet your soulmate for another three years, but at least he knew he was going to meet his. It wasn’t like he was the only person who would have trouble finding his soulmate, but all of his friends had ended up with good ones. Even Cartman had found his. He had a name. A full fucking name. The internet made that find easy.

It wasn’t like Stan was actively trying to find his soulmate anymore. He had his bio up on a few big soulmate finding sites but he never logged onto them and he hadn’t had any hits in years. It wasn’t like Stan was entirely sure he wanted to find his soulmate either. He wasn’t sure he wanted the social expectation of a soulmate in his life. He’d be expected to marry them, regardless of his feelings, and then lead a picture perfect life with them. Of course the option to not marry was there, but so was just not finding your soulmate.

As Stan left class, he pressed play on his earbuds. His morning hadn’t started out the best and it was progressively getting worse. At this rate, he would be laying in bed listening to My Chemical Romance by three. It took every effort Stan had to drag his ass to his next class and not just go back to his dorm. He turned on ambient sound so he could still listen to music while also hearing his professor’s lecture on photosynthesis. But music did nothing to block out the heart markers on the chick's hand next to him. It didn’t hide the celtic marking on another’s arm. It had been a long time since Stan had felt this hopeless. 

He hadn’t realized his music had stopped until he began hearing something completely different. A signature lyricless song of his soulmate’s. It summed up Stan’s mood pretty well, haunting and sad, yet somehow it made Stan feel a little bit better. As he walked back towards the dorms, he spotted Tweek. The music from his soulmate stopped and Stan took it as a sign. He popped out his ear buds and approached Tweek. The man’s hair appeared more wild than normal, his eye bags a bit deeper.

“Tweek,” Stan called, learning his lesson from almost being punched a few different times.

Tweek smiled when he spotted Stan approaching. Stan smiled back despite his face wanting to stay neutral. 

“Jesus Christ, man!” Tweek's yell caught Stan off guard. “Are you okay? Am I going to find you crying in the hallway later?”

Stan dropped the smile. “Nah, I usually do that in my bed. You’ll find Kyle in the hallway later.”

“Are you okay?”

People who knew Stan stopped asking him if he was okay long ago. It was a bit odd to hear it directed towards him and he wasn’t sure how to answer. He didn’t want to unload on all of his emotional problems on Tweek, especially since he already looked like he was about to crack under the weight of his own problems.

Tweek didn’t wait for Stan to give an answer, not that Stan could blame him, he was taking forever. Tweek unwrapped his headphones from behind his neck and shoved them in his pocket.

“When’s your next class?”

“Done for today.”

Tweek grabbed Stan’s wrist and led him away from the dorms. Stan didn't ask questions about their destination, he was suddenly focused on Tweek's hand so close to his own. He didn't care that his hand and arm were sweaty or that Tweek's hand was cool and boney. Tweek didn't seem to care either. 

Guilt struck Stan hard. Tweek was just being a good friend and Stan was overthinking their touch. Stan slipped his wrist out of Tweek's hand as he walked alongside him to an unknown destination. 

It was a little surprising when they stopped outside of a barcade, neither being of drinking age. Tweek barged into the place like he'd done this a million times. And judging by the greeting he got from the bar keep, he had. He said his hello and walked towards the back. 

Despite his mood, Stan got a little excited as he tried to take in everything; the lights and noises of the idle pinball machines, the retro fighting games, the flashing of shooters. He was a little surprised when they stopped at a machine that appeared to be off. Stan didn't blame the owner for not wanting to power a Whack-a-Mole type game in a bar setting. But that didn't stop Tweek. He squeezed himself between it and the DDR game with expertise, and plugged it in. 

“Just-” Tweek handed him a couple of quarters, “Just imagine your problems as the uh-” instead of finishing Tweek just pointed to the machine's screen. 

Stan wasn't sure where they found such a customized version of Whack-a-Mole but Stan was digging this version. The activist in him would hesitate before hitting an animal, but he'd beat the hell out of a racist. He brought the mallet down onto a Nazi's head, let loose a wave of emotions.

It wasn't fair he didn't have an easy time finding his soulmate. It wasn't fair that Wendy left him for hers after claiming soulmates we're a sham. It wasn't fair that he had to worry about rejection from Tweek based solely around the fact he probably was also waiting for his soulmate. It wasn't fair that he was bisexual in a society that hardly accepted gays.

It. Wasn't. Fair! Stan punctuated each thought with a swing of the mallet. The last swing bopping a Klansmen more roughly than he was meaning to. Suddenly the anger left him and with it all his energy. He turned to Tweek, glad he didn't seem frightened of what just happened. Stan knew it was silly, Tweek had suggested it, but he was concerned the violent outburst would have been a huge no from him. 

Instead Tweek gently took the mallet from him and popped in a few quarters. The game started back up and Tweek got to pounding. Stan was clear of all worries of being too violent on the machine as Tweek bonked each racist. He was a little disappointed he'd missed the squeak each hit made when he'd been at bat. Tweek let out a scream as he bopped the skin head. The noise caught Stan off guard a bit, but with it, Tweek's energy drained as well.

Tweek rubbed his eyes before turning to Stan. “You feel better?”

“A bit,” Stan answered, shrugging. He did feel better, no longer angry at the world for his circumstances, but he still felt a bit down. 

Tweek nodded. “Yeah. Yeah. Wanna hang out in my room? My roommate is out and we can get trashed if you like. I know not everyone is into underage drinking. I'm not really. I just have the one bottle that I only break open when I just- I can't-”

Tweek didn't finish and that was fine with Stan. He nodded his approval. “Yeah. That's a great idea actually.”

Tweek gave Stan a half smile. It was a dopey looking grin that Stan had come to realize was Tweek's “I was worried over this thing but it's fine” grin. Despite all the feelings of sadness and resentment he was feeling at the moment, that smile made Stan feel happy.

They made small talk back to the dorms, talking about the newest travesty to come out of CGI films. He was surprised Tweek had such strong feelings about it and the entertainment industry as a whole. Stan poked a bit of fun at Tweek stopping to get a mixer before grabbing one for himself and junk food. Classes in the morning were to be damned and Tweek seemed to be on board.

In his dorm, Tweek pulled out a box from under his bed. He was a bit curious of the contents in the discreet bags and Stan wasn't about to push his luck by asking. However, that did not stop Stan from internalizing his questions. Was it his stash? Stan knew from a guy who was friends with one of Tweek's ex roommates that sometimes Tweek did pot. It was legal in California but he knew Tweek well enough from their small interactions that Tweek would be paranoid enough to believe someone would rat him out and the feds would come get him. Stan suddenly wanted to get high with Tweek. 

A cup was thrusted at Stan, bringing him back to now. Stan studied the quarter full cup for a moment before coming to the conclusion that no amount of a mixer would make this taste good. Still he grabbed his cranberry juice and poured in enough to dilute the alcohol to a more reasonable drinking level. 

“Here's to life fucking us over,” Tweek said raising his glass for a cheer. 

Stan gave a half smile as he clashed his cup against Tweek's. The two took a big drink together and cringed.

“Alright. Too much vodka. Got it.” Tweek smiled and poured more pop into his cup. He took another drink, grimace and added more. 

Stan chuckled into his cup at Tweek's drinking tactic. Tweek's eyes were on him as he took a drink of his cranberry juice to help the vodka go down. 

“You laugh but you can't handle it either."

"I didn't pour it though."

Tweek scoffed as he took another drink, holding his face straight. "Tastes fine. You're just a bitch."

Stan laughed at Tweek. "Whatever dude. What's got you so down?"

Tweek didn't answer, choosing to stare into his cup. 

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Tweek shrugged and Stan instantly understood. Neither had really brought up soulmates before. It was like an unspoken territory that neither wanted to approach. 

"Same dude." Stan said into his cup. 

An awkwardness hung in the air that Stan wasn't sure any amount of alcohol could fix. 

"It's just, who the fuck does "fate" think they are?" The way Tweek mockingly said fate made Stan smile. "People just rely on soulmates so much they don't take a moment to think maybe your soulmate isn't actually a good person for you. Maybe soulmates aren't inherently a good thing. It's stupid that people put so much value into a system we know nothing about, and at the same time will condem people for the very thing they shove down their children's throats simply because they believe it's immortal or wrong. How can we rely on a system filled with hypocrisies! How can you push straight soulmates on abusive couples and condem loving gay soulmates in the same breath?"

Tweek almost spilled his cup twice during his rant but Stan agreed. He agreed wholeheartedly. He held up his cup in a cheers sort of way and downed the contents, forgetting how bad it tasted. As he coughed, Tweek rubbed his back, obviously holding back his laughter. His mistake restored the mood between them. 

"As a bisexual man, I could rant about injustices and hypocrisy all night."

"Yeah. Same."

They said nothing more on the subject of soulmates, instead telling ridiculous stories from their childhood, but Stan could feel a change between them. Tweek would lean in closer to Stan as he laughed, he let Stan run his fingers across his back as he laid on his bed talking about his parents using him in their coffee shop. There was more touching, a little flirting, and a lot of vodka. They both giggled as Tweek offered to escort Stan home, to which Stan pointed out he would need to then walk Tweek home and they would spend the rest of their lives escorting each other home.

"Okay. I'll escort you with my eyes safely to your door."

Stan barked out a laugh. "Alright sir! Escort me with your eyes. But don't get frisky."

The two laughed as Stan tried to stand. Eventually they both stopped laughing long enough to make it to their feet. Stan made his way back to his door, nearly tripping each time he turned to make sure Tweek was still watching him. When his first attempt failed, Stan had to pull his gaze away to inspect the lock closely to get the key in, throwing his hands up in victory when he got it unlocked. Tweek grinned and threw his hands up as well. They waved goodnight from down the hall for a while until Stan begrudgingly walked into his room and closed the door. 

Pants off, Stan face planted his bed, grabbing his second pillow and hugging it close. As Stan drifted off into a drunken slumber, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of soul marking Tweek had.

***

Stan felt good. Better than good. Amazing. Excellent! Superb!

"What the fuck has gotten into you?" Kyle asked. 

Stan just pinched his best friend's cheeks before kissing his forehead. "I'm in love."

"Again? Stan-"

"Save your breath, Kyle. It's fine." Stan's mood sunk a little as Kyle huffed. He knew his friend was just worried about him. 

Maybe less worried and didn't want to deal with Stan's overbearing emotions so close to finals.

"Whatever. Just know that this shoulder is closed when Tweek rejects you."

"That obvious?"

Kyle turned in his chair to face Stan, obviously ready to take a break from whatever he was working on. Stan was just a well timed excuse. 

"You're always hanging out with him. You don't even hang out with me that much and we live together."

"You'll always be my best friend, Kyle. Don't worry about my new crush taking your place." 

Stan flopped himself onto Kyle's bed. Kyle let out a grunt of protest at Stan "being rough with his stuff" but Stan ignored it. 

"I'm not- get your shoes off my bed!" Kyle kicked at Stan's legs. "Jesus Christ. I'm not worried about being replaced. I'm worried- get your shoes- You know what. Tweek can have you." 

Stan swiftly kicked off a shoe as Kyle turned back towards his laptop. With his sock covered foot, Stan touched Kyle's arm. 

"But Kyyyyyle-"

Kyle let out a yell and smacked Stan's leg. "Gross dude!" 

"Kheeeeel!" Stan whined as he touched Kyle again, this time getting his foot as close as possible to his face.

"You mother fucker!" 

Stan let out a laugh as Kyle lept out of the chair and tackled Stan on his bed, and began trying to force Stan's foot into his face. When that didn't work, he wrestled Stan's sock off and tried shoving one into Stan’s mouth. This just caused Stan to laugh while trying to keep his mouth closed. Kyle sucked at holding back his grin as he wacked Stan with his own sock. Even though he was taller than Stan, he couldn't quite reach past Stan's straight locked legs. But Kyle was smart.

Stan barked out another laugh as his sock grazed his nose. It stunk pretty bad. The slight distraction allowed Kyle to hit the back of Stan's knees causing him to bend them a little. The weight of Kyle's body caused Stan's knees to compress into his chest, giving Kyle the opportunity to shove the sock into Stan's mouth. He let out a laugh scream and tried fighting Kyle off. Kyle braced himself and pushed harder onto Stan. 

Neither had time to react to the sound of a crack before they were both tumbling head first into the wall. 

***

"We don't have any spare bed frames. It will be about a week before we can get you something." 

Kyle took a deep breath in before letting it out slowly. "Then where is Stan going to sleep?" 

"Well," the man began, completely ignoring Stan's shout of protest, "I'd suggest you invest in a sleeping bag. You see, y'all managed to break the bed frame and box spring, which somehow ripped the mattress. You broke the bed."

"At least get the man an air mattress!" Kyle shouted. "You can't force a student to sleep on the floor like this. My dad's a lawyer-"

"Yeah, stop right there kid. Truth be told, you can get your dad to do whatever. School will probably apologize, give your dad some kind of bullshit about education and its importance, but it's still gonna be a week before I can get you a bed. I have to fill out the forms, get it approved and then get the bed. Air mattress will take the same amount of time. Good luck. Maybe your dad can bitch enough and you'll get the bed in 6 days." With that, the man left. 

"Well!" 

Stan did his best not to groan out loud. Kyle could be overbearing sometimes and this was definitely going to be a time. 

"Come on dude, we can sleep in the same bed."

"No."

"Why not? We used to when we were younger. The bed will fit us both just fine." 

Kyle clapped his hands together and inhaled deeply. "Because, Stan, you are a cuddler and I need my sleep." 

Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kyle. Please." 

"Stan. Please." 

"If you two are done fighting in the hallway and causing a scene-" 

Stan turned to see they had indeed drawn a few onlookers, including Tweek. 

"What are you looking at?" Kyle shouted. "We fucking broke a bed. Maybe if you guys spent more than 30 seconds pleasing you partner, you'd break one too."

Stan drug his hand down his face, mumbling "Oh my God." Normally, he didn't mind, but he didn't want Tweek to get the wrong idea. Thankfully, Tweek seemed to get that it was a joke and smiled. 

"That's what I thought." Kyle declared as people retreated. "Whatchu got?" 

The sudden change in tone, obviously confused Tweek as he visibly retracted. 

"Roommate is back home for-"

The words were barely out of Tweek's mouth before Kyle was patting Stan's back. "Look at that! You don't have to sleep on the floor after all."

"Hey!" Stan yelled in protest. "You can't just take my bed, dude!"

"You broke mine and also I need to study still. So yes. Yes I can." 

Stan turned to Tweek. “Your roommate is cool with this?”

“Oh- Yeah! He was actually the one that suggested it."

It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with Tweek or that he was really upset over Kyle taking his bed, he just didn't want it to be like this. His shrug of agreement caused such joy to cross Tweek's face, he momentarily forgot about his self pity and was just happy. Maybe this would give him the opportunity to ask Tweek a question he'd had been harboring for a while.

As Stan showered, he listened to the music playing in his mind. It was calming, peaceful. Stan never really got into lyricless music but he could get behind whatever his soulmate was listening to. It almost felt like new wave. Like something Tweek would listen to. It raised so many questions in Stan, he had to ask Tweek about his soul marking. His feelings for Tweek wouldn't change, but he was curious. There were just too many coincidences around Tweek and his soul marking to ignore. 

The music was still playing as he entered Tweek's room. His temporary roommate had his earbuds in while working on a paper. Stan saw the opportunity. He could get answers hopefully without asking Tweek. A gentle tap on the shoulder was enough to catch Tweek's attention. He carefully pulled out his earbuds as he turned to Stan. 

The music kept playing. 

Stan tried not to show any disappointment. Somewhere deep inside he knew Tweek wasn't his soulmate, still it hurt knowing. 

Tweek's face fell as he stared at Stan. "Dude. You good?"

"I-" Stan was at a loss of words. "I'm not sure." 

Tweek let out a noise of confusion as Stan took a set on his bed. The song changed and didn't match his mood at all. He suddenly hated his soul marking. Music? How stupid. How stupid he was to think Tweek could have been his soul mate. How stupid was he for believing in soulmates again, even for just a moment.

"Do- do you want to- uh- talk about it?"

"It's about soulmates. I'm not sure-"

"Oh." The sound of dread was the opposite of what Stan wanted from Tweek. "I- we're friends, so, it's- alright."

Stan sat there silently for a moment, staring at Tweek. It had only been a few months, but there was a connection between them that he couldn't deny. Soulmate or not, there was something and Stan wanted more than anything to explore it.

"I guess- I just.” Stan groaned. How did he ever have a partner in the past? This was so hard. “I wanted you to be my soulmate. I just have never-”

Stan was caught off guard when Tweek squished his face between his hands. It was like he suddenly realized he was squeezing too hard and loosen his grip a bit. Had Stan not been so nervous he would have found it funny, but suddenly Tweek was moving. And his lips were on Stan’s. Stan’s brain caught up with what was going on and instinctively his hands moved. He placed one over top of Tweek’s on his cheek and the other cupping the base of Tweek’s skull. He let Tweek deepen the kiss, his tongue tentatively touching Stan’s. 

Tweek broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Stan's.

"Sorry, I- I just- God!" Tweek let out a sigh as he seemed to gather his thoughts. "I've wanted to do that for a while now."

Stan let out a laugh with his breath. "Yeah. Me too. I just didn't want to scare you."

"That make me happy." 

Stan felt some of Tweek's muscles clench under his hands. He lightly rubbed his thumb on Tweek's cheek which seemed to calm him some. At least enough to speak.

"Can we still take this slow? I know I just jumped you and all but-"

Stan cut him off with a light peck to the lips. "Yeah man. No need to rush."

"Thanks. That- uh. That does mean you're not sleeping in my bed."

Stan couldn't help but laugh, he felt so happy. "It's fine.We can go as slow as you want. Even if it means no cuddles until marriage."

Tweek let out a chuckle before he lightly punched Stan's arm. Stan couldn't help himself from thinking, life was good.

*****

Stan wasn't sure he could be any happier. Tweek and himself had Tweek's dorm room to themselves for the weekend. Neither one of them had any major work to do so they sat their asses inside. It hadn't taken Tweek long to be okay with Stan's touchy side. It never went more than cuddling and that was fine. Currently, he was resting his head in Tweek's lap while Tweek used one hand to look at memes and his other to play with Stan's hair. Anytime he found something he thought Stan would like, he showed him. And every time he was right.

"Hey Stan." Tweek's voice was uneasy as he spoke. Stan tried to reassure him by running his fingers along Tweek's leg and hummed. "I was just curious, you don't have to answer. But. Umm. Well… what is your soul marker? You don't have to answer! I have just been curious since you said you thought it was me so it's obviously not something straight forward. But you don't have to answer-"

"It's okay, Tweek." And it was. For some reason Stan didn't mind sharing with Tweek, probably because he just knew the man wouldn't leave him or judge him or really do anything that most other people did when Stan told them his soul marking or opinions on soulmates. Tweek didn't care about such things. So Stan trusted him. 

"It's music. I hear it in my mind. Whatever my soulmate is listening to I can hear it. And they hear everything I listen to."

Tweek let out a tiny hum then went silent. Stan knew he was thinking by how he was just absently playing with his hair. He did his best to stay quiet, not wanting to jump to conclusions on what Tweek was contemplating. Whatever it was, it wasn't bad, Stan knew this, but he still wanted to reassure Tweek or explain how stupid it was or how he didn't care about it, just anything.

"Have you tried singing your information to your soulmate?"

Stan froze. He'd never thought about it. He couldn't sing so he never even thought about it. 

"What?" It wasot was the onlya his brain would think as he tried to wrap his mind around this new found information. 

"Yeah like, idk, just singing your name."

"Give me an example."

"Seriously?" Tweek let out a nervous chuckle but Stan just nodded. "Really putting me on the spot here but I guess something like. 'Hello! My name is Stanley Marsh! And I attended University in San Diego!' I don't know, something like that."

"Your voice is nice." Stan was awestruck by his boyfriends singing voice. "But I don't know. Soulmates as a whole is a bitter spot for me and I'm not sure I really buy into the whole one true love thing."

Tweek let out an agreeing noise before silence fell between them, as if they were waiting for Stan's soulmate to answer or acknowledge the singing. After a minute he let out a huff which caused Tweek to start playing with his hair again. 

"What's your soul marking?" Tweek's fingers stilled. "You don't have to tell me. It's honestly fine if you don't want to." 

"I know." Tweek whispered as his fingers began to move again. "But if there's anyone I trust. It's- uh. It's you."

Stab was quiet to let Tweek say what he wanted to, but knowing Tweek trusted him made him want to scream with joy, to taunt everyone he knew that he had the man's trust.

"Mine was colorblindness." 

"Was?" Stab asked before he could stop himself. 

"Yeah. Was. I can see in color now." 

"Oh." This knowledge fell heavy in Stan's heart. Tweek had his soulmate. There was a chance-

Stab stopped that train of thought. Tweek seemed upset as he talked about his soul marking. Stan turned so he could look at Tweek. The man was looking straight ahead, his eyes glossy as if he was holding back tears. Stab placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing his thumb lightly on his cheekbone.

"He was killed when we were 15. Small Montana town, you know. Some people don't take kindly to the queers." Tweek all but spat out the word Queer. Stan felt his heart break. "The coroner ruled it an animal attack. Said he was killed by bears. You know, because there are so many bears in Eastern Montana where there are no woods. A wolf would have been more plausible. Either way, that's not what had happened. He was killed by some seniors, one of whom was the son of the sheriff. One whose dad was a lawyer. All of them were popular and loved by the town so of course there was no evidence, no prosecution." 

Tweek wiped his eyes with his sleeve before looking down at Stan. "I loved him so much. I've been filled with such hatred ever since. I hated that my parents didn't want to move away, despite the death threats. I hate that the feds never got involved. I hate that people got away with murder. I let it control me to the point, I lashed out at roommates for stupid shit. Though it was also the driving force behind me being here. Don't worry, I attend counseling now "

"I wasn't worried but you have every right to be angry."

"I guess." Tweek let out a heavy sigh, emotionally drained from the conversation. "I can't say I'm glad it happened, but I'm glad I met you."

Stan smiled as he tugged on the front of Tweek's shirt, trying to get to bend down for a kiss.

"Hey. Cheesy lines are my thing."

Tweek let out a laugh before kissing Stan.

"Sorry I brought the mood down."

Stan couldn't help but smile softly at his boyfriend. "You didn't bring the mood down. I learned something important about you. The fact you were willing to share such a thing cancels out all other emotions."

"Taking all the cheese back I see."

"I told you cheesy lines are my thing." 

Despite Tweek acting like everything was okay. He could tell Tweek was still down about the conversation. Stan had known Tweek was emotionally strong, but this just reinforced it. He didn't deserve what had happened to him and Stan couldn't help but promise to himself that he'd help Tweek find inner peace, even if they aren't together for the long haul.

***

"We gotta stop meeting like this," Tweek said while rubbing his belly. "How am I supposed to keep my twink figure if we keep gorging ourselves in food?"

"Twink," Stan snorted as he said the word. "You're more like an otter than a twink." 

"Nah, I'm a twink with a capital T. You see my body hair? No. Because I don't have any."

"You do too. It's just all blonde and light and shit. Plus you're not so small that I feel like I'm going to break you when we hug. So not a twink."

"It's because we gorge ourselves in food. I am a twink, that's what every drunk white girl says and we all know they are the expert on gays."

That got the two of them laughing. They had been out on a night walk when a group of drunk women had commented on how cute the two were together and how wonderful it was to see a bear and a twink in the wild and how they were happy that the gays could finally be free. Neither correct the group, instead thanking them and leaving quickly so they could laugh about the situation. 

The laughter settled down between the two allowing Stan to catch his breath. He watched Tweek settle down a bit, his smile natural rather than the forced grimace he usually had. Stan couldn't help himself from thinking about how his heart was as full as his belly. Tweek seemed to notice and gave Stan a questioning look. Instead of answering, Stan made a kissy face. Tweek rolled his eyes and decided it was time to leave. 

Upon leaving the restaurant, Tweek seemed to hesitate, as if pondering something over. Stan was about to ask him what was wrong, when Tweek quickly and awkwardly grabbed Stan's hand. He'd never initiated the hand holding. From how he acted, Stan assumed he didn't like it and stopped holding his hand. Instead he'd taken to walking close, their arms brushing and hips bumping playfully. He stared at their joined hands for a good moment as his brain caught up. 

Then everything clicked. Stan adjusted their hands so their fingers were inner laced. Tweek visibly relaxed and gave Stan a soft smile as they headed back to their dorms. Even though Stan was calm on the outside, his insides were a circus. His stomach was doing flips, his heart pounding, and how the hell Tweek didn't notice how sweaty his palm was, Stan didn't know. Or maybe he just wasn't saying anything. Stan decided the last thing was probably correct. It was just Tweek taking the initiative to hold his hand meant he was okay with more intimate touching. Something more than just kissing and cuddling. Tweek had mentioned his mind connected hand holding with more spicy things. 

God Stan couldn't wait to get back to the dorms and discover why Tweek's cheeks had a pink tint.

Once they reached their floor, they noticed a man pacing back and forth in front of Stan's door. He couldn't explain why but Stan knew he had to talk to him, had to say hi. Tweek squeezed his hand and gave Stan an intense worried look. Stan understood why Tweek wouldn't be concerned, and tried to relay that but didn't know how to say "I need to talk to him" with his eyes. 

Neither had time to go further as a knock seemed to echo down the corridor. The man had knocked on Stan's dorm room, then stood there straightening his tie, his badge, his backpack straps. When Kyle didn't answer the door, Stan remembered he was working on a group project. Tweek gave Stan a small nod, it was more for himself than Stan, before they made their way towards the man. A few feet away they stopped. Without much thought, Stan grabbed Tweek's hand before letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. 

"Can I help you?" Stan mentally smacked himself. Yeah that sounded cool.

"Stan Marsh." The man said Stan's name barely above a whisper, but something about it shook Stan to his core. The man straightened his back. "I need you to stop."

"What?" Stan was baffled. He felt like he should know this guy, like he did know him. And here he was telling Stan to stop. Stop what? Stan felt like he knew that answer and he was dreading it.

Quickly, Stan looked down at his name plate pinned to his shirt. Elder Harrison. Mormon?

"You need to stop. It's- It's not okay."

"You're my soulmate." Realization hit Stan like a bat. "You're my soulmate and- and you don't want me."

"It's wrong." His voice sounded as sad Stan felt. "It's a sin and I can't. You look happy enough without me. And I'll be happy living my life. So, stop looking for me."

"Not even friends? I thought we had something." Stan felt like he was grasping for straws. It was obvious his soulmate didn't really want to be doing this. That it wasn't really his choice. "We can be friends right?"

"It was a moment of weakness from me. I can't- just. No. I shouldn’t have come here. This was a mistake. I'm sorry."

Stan watched his soulmate push last him, too stunned with the events to do anything. A hand on his back brought him back to his surroundings. 

“You okay, man?”

Stan took a deep breath. “No. But, I will be. Eventually. Just-- Did that really happen?”

“Yeah, come on.”

Tweek led Stan into his dorm room, making sure Stan sat on his own bed. Once seated, Stan rested his elbows on his legs and head in his hands. He could feel Tweek fidget infront of him. Relieving his boyfriend of making the decision, Stan patted the bed next to him. When the bed dipped, he leaned into it, resting his head on Tweeks shoulder. 

“Did that really just happen?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“It’s-” Stan felt his heart drop. In the span of a few minutes, he went from such a good high knowing his relationship with Tweek was deepening to being told to never contact the one person in the entire universe that he's supposed to have a deep relationship with. “It sucks dude. It’s like being dumped but, I can’t say I’m all that sad.”

“Shock does-”

“Nah. I mean maybe I’m still a bit shocked. But- I mean I never even thought I’d ever even meet my soulmate. Not to mention so what?”

“So what?” To Tweeks credit, he kept his voice even and hand moving along Stan’s back.

“So what. Soulmates don’t mean a thing. I’ve got an amazing boyfriend who's not my soulmate. And that’s what’s important right now.”

Tweek chuckled. “It’s nice you think that right now, but if you ever change your mind I can help you look for him.”

“I might think that right now, but it doesn’t make it any less true.” Stan sat up to look at Tweek directly. “I love you, dude. I don’t think I could have a more amazing boyfriend.”

Stan was surprised when Tweek didn’t do any of his usual nervous ticks, no laughs, no twitch. Instead, a blush took over his face, turning his face beat red. Stan couldn’t help but thing it was cute.

“Not fair, man!” Tweek pulled his hands to his face and groaned into them. “You caught me off guard! I wanted to tell you first.”

“What?”

“I wanted to say I love you first. I didn’t want you to think I was pressured into it.”

Stan didn’t know what to say. He felt his smile was about to split his face in half. “I might forget everything that happened this evening so I need reminding tomorrow.”

“Whatever, dork.” Tweek uncovered his face and grabbed the front of Stans shirt, pulling him in close. “I love you,” he whispered before planting a light kiss on Stan’s lips.

“Sweet. Should I leave?”

Tweek pulled away quickly which caused Stan to glare at Kyle. 

“Yeah. Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“You know what?” Kyle closed the door, throwing his backpack at the foot of his bed, before sitting down at his desk. “You can blame your boyfriend's attitude.”

Something was up with Kyle and Stan would find out. He just had to take care of something first. 

“It’s okay. We can pick this up tomorrow.” Stan whispered before standing. Tweek followed suit and Stan escorted him out, giving him a light kiss before wishing him good night. As soon as the door was closed, he turned to his best friend. 

No words were needed. Instead Kyle let out a groan before slamming his fist on the table. 

"I was coming up the stairs when I overheard part of your conversation before that homophobic Mormon fuck scampered off. I got more information out of him- don't worry, I didn't kick his ass." Stan knew it must have taken a lot for Kyle to not punch th guy. "It's just. Fucking religion man! I know my mom gave up on me when she realized I wasn't going to just drop my soulmate because it's a dude. But you know God damn well she still wants me to marry a nice Jewish woman to make a nice Jewish family with. But to see it happen to my best friend. Fuck! You can't say it's gods wishes if it's a man and a woman but then turn around and tell your other patrons that it's a sin to act upon the same thing you told your heterosexual patrons was gods will. It either fucking is or it isn't. He's going to be shamed in the church for having a man as a soulmate. What's the point in denying something and hurting you?"

Stan felt happy that his friend was angry for him. He knew Kyle and himself had a deep relationship, something he wasn't sure a soulmate could even touch. But this just proved it. Stan had the same reaction when he had found Kyle crying because his soulmate had some doubts do to their religious upbringing. It was nice knowing the feeling was mutual. 

"Honestly. It sucks dude. Like society places such a pressure on soulmates, that it sucks when things like this happen. But man. I'm, like, super happy with my life right now. I have a super best friend that no soulmate could come close to replacing. I have an amazing boyfriend that loves me back. Soulmates be damned."

"I guess," Kyle leaned back, emotions draining from him, "if anyone could handle this. It would be your emotional ass. I got his name and shit. You want it?"

"Nah." Stan answered without having to really think about it. "It's his choice not to have contact." 

"Fine fine." Kyle dug through his bag to grab a piece of paper. He wrote something down then folded it before grabbing an envelope from a birthday card his mother sent. With it sealed and Stan's name on it, he handed it to him. "If you ever change your mind."

"Thanks."

***

Some days it hit Stan like a brick. The fact he was in love and that person reciprocated his feelings, it sent him head over heels with joy. It being three years had Stan flying. Tweek brushed past him carrying the last box of stuff from their old tiny shared apartment into their new solo spacious apartment. Which meant his hands were full. Stan gave Tweek's ass a good smack, not hard enough to hurt, but definitely surprise. Naturally, Tweek yelped and dropped the box he was holding. 

"Oh my God! My croissant!"

Stan looked at the box on the floor, thinking maybe it was some groceries and not junk from Stan's desk. It took him a moment to realize Tweek made a joke. When he finally started laughing, Tweek rolled his eyes, mumbling it took Stan long enough as he reached for the box. As he picked up the box, the lid fell off spilling some of the contents. 

"I'm so sorry!" Stan said, still laughing. "If I knew I wouldn't have done it!"

They began throwing stuff back into the box together. Stan knew he needed to go through it, clean out junk like the dead pen he just tossed back in because he wanted to find the brand, but never actually did. But Tweek made him a better person, even if it was by force sometimes, he was still better for it. His boyfriend would help him with his hording tendencies.

"What's this?"

Tweek held a red card envelope, a look of genuine confusion and curiosity covering his face. A wave of emotional memories hit Stan. True to his word, Stan hadn't heard so much as a note from his soulmate. He couldn't help but wonder if his soulmate was wearing noise cancelling headphones at church, wondering if it was something a bishop had suggested of him. Stan went down a rabbit hole a week after the run in, trying to figure out why his Mormon soulmate would have that kind of reaction. Not even Father Maxy had reacted that way to Stan confessing his bisexuality to the father. He'd learned a lot about Mormon culture which left Stan feeling bad for his soulmate. But one look at Tweek told him, he made his decision and Stan was better for it.

"It's, uh- that information Kyle got out of my soulmate." A tiny oh escaped Tweek, leaving Stan feeling a little guilty. "I honestly forgot I had it. I should burn it."

"Are you not curious? Do you not want to find your soulmate?" 

"I was, who wouldn't be? But honestly, he said he wants nothing to do with me so I have to respect those wishes. He prefers his religion, which is fine. Because I already found my soulmate." Stan punctuated the statement by kissing Tweeky forehead.

His boyfriend was silent before he let out a laugh. "OH MY GOD! YOU DID NOT!"

"What?" Stan asked, feigning confusion.

"I'm going to have diarrhea later because that was so cheesy." 

"I know." Stan kissed his forehead again, snagging the envelope from Tweek. "How about we burn this thing?"

"Is that what you really want to do?"

"Yeah! It will be a symbol of our new life together."

"Please. My guts can not take anymore dairy." 

Stan rolled his eyes and pulled out a lighter. Grinning, he flicked his lighter to the paper. As Tweek yelled no, the flame took hold, quickly making its way up the envelope. It was that moment Stan realized he had to drop it or burn himself. He let out a curse as he dropped the paper, which landed next to the box it came from. Both of them let out a yell but only Tweek was smart enough to put the fire out. He quickly stood up and stomped on the envelope, dumped the box out, and stomped what part of it was on fire. 

"I don't think we're getting our deposit back." Stan said, picking up the remaining bit of envelope and paper. 

"You could be right. Let's not set things on fire in the middle of the living room." 

"Just for you, love." 

Tweek gave Stan's ass a good smack. "Alright. Let's order some pizza and a bed then."

As Tweek's lips touched Stan's, Air Supply began playing in Stan's mind.