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It’s 3am when he gets a text. Well, five texts actually. There aren’t many people who would endeavour to text him once at this time, let alone five and Craig isn’t exactly in the habit of ignoring the one person who would. Rolling over, he grabs at his phone and stares at the screen, blinking against the harsh light. Tweek's name is staring up at him along with the contact picture of him smiling over a steaming cup of coffee. Tweek would probably freak if he found out that Craig had been snapping random pictures of him at any chance he got, but Craig can’t begin to care, he’s hoping that one day Tweek would find it an endearing habit of his.
Opening the messaging app on his phone, he scrolls through the messages that Tweek has furiously sent him.
Tweek T
You awake? Craig, it’s snowing man.
Tweek T
Actual snow dude.
Tweek T
It looks cold
Tweek T
I wanna go out in it.
Tweek T
I’m gonna go out in it.
Craig sighed, of course Tweek would be obsessing over the snow, as though it was something he hadn’t grown up in. As far as Craig knows, Tweek grew up in South Park, and he had lost count of the times he’s been told about how shitty and cold the weather is there compared to Denver. Permanent snow, Tweek had said. But it had yet to snow while they were at college and as someone who grew up in slightly warmer climates Craig is kind of happy for that, but apparently Tweek's been missing the snow enough to decide he wants to go out in it at three in the morning. Shaking his head, Craig shoots off a reply to Tweek and sinks back into his bed. He’s not doing it. He’s not going out in the freezing cold, in the snow, just because Tweek Tweak decided he had wanted to freeze to death before finals. He was in absolutely no way going to do it.
Who was he kidding? He’s totally going out there.
Tweek's reply is instantaneous, a barrage of smiling and snowflake emojis and Craig cursed Tweek's love of communicating in nothing but stupid emoticons. A second later his phone is vibrating and Tweek's contact picture pulls up again.
“Tweek what the fuck?”
Tweek laughs down the handset, but doesn’t say anything else. Craig sits up in bed and rubs a hand over his face. “Dude. It’s three in the morning. Don’t you ever sleep?”
“Ha. It’s like you don’t even know me.” Tweek is breathless down the phone and Craig sighs and pulls himself out of bed. Looking over at the empty cot on the other side of the room, he frowns.
“Is Kenny with you?” He asks in distaste, because the answer to this question alone is enough to have Craig rolling back into his bed and ignoring his phone for the rest of the night.
“What? No, why?”
“He’s not here.”
“I’m not his only friend, he’s probably with Stan or something.” Yes, friend . Craig will never understand Tweek and Kenny’s friendship. Mainly because Craig finds Kenny somewhat desteable and Tweek utterly adorable. It’s a weird mix, and even weirder to watch the two interact. They’ve been friends for years apparently, before college and Craig and Tweek’s budding friendship that he is hoping one day will become more. It was pure shit luck that assigned Craig and Kenny to be roommates, and Tweek is the only good thing to come out of having to cohabit space with Kenny McCormick for a whole school year. Not that Kenny is a total dick, it’s mainly his shitty choice in friends, but Craig hates him by association with them, so really Kenny has no one to blame but himself.
There are moments however, late at night when he is alone, that Craig thinks he probably should be thankful to Kenny for introducing him to Tweek in the first place; but it’s not something he is ever planning to voice out loud, especially when he hates admitting to himself as it is. So, in typical Tucker family tradition, he ignores it and moves on.
“All the assholes together, it makes sense.” He says and Craig can almost see Tweek's eye roll, his fluffy hair unbrushed and messy but looking absolutely right on Tweek, his green eyes bright and vibrant, the freckles dotting his face and-
Yeah, yeah Craig’s got it bad . How embarrassing.
“You should really come out here, it’s something,” Tweek breaks their silence and Craig’s wandering mind and Craig is already pulling his jeans on awkwardly with one hand, not that Tweek needs to know that.
“Tweek you come from a mountain town man, why are you obsessing over snow now?”
“Come out here and you’ll find out.” The line beeps at Craig as Tweek hangs up and he smacks his forehead with his phone. This crush- because that’s all this is, a harmless and small crush (and shut the fuck up Clyde ) - is really going to kill him and he really needs to shake it off.
He’s pulling on his jacket when he gets another text.
Tweek T
You coming or what?
Craig
Yeah yeah, just putting on my coat jeez. Where are you?
Tweek T
Outside the main building, by the Quad. Can’t miss me.
Craig feels that, but what Tweek doesn’t realise is that he pretty much always misses Tweek Tweak, as sappy and stupid as that sounds. Even when he’s only in his own dorm room halfway across campus. Craig wishes he could say he was, but he’s not exactly subtle about it and Craig really fucking hates that about himself. He’s pretty sure everyone knows about his raging crush ( because it’s just a crush, just a crush- ) on Tweek, and he’s not sure what is worse, everyone’s knowing smug looks in their direction or the fact that Tweek still hasn’t cottoned on yet. Craig’s not sure whether to thank Tweek's raging anxiety or his aloof obliviousness for it all in all honesty.
Picking up his keys he slams the dorm door as he leaves, shivering even before he has hit the outside. Tweek is right though, it doesn’t take him long to find him. Standing and staring up at the black sky, hands held out and catching snowflakes. Craig pauses to snap a picture, because why the hell wouldn’t he when Tweek is stood like that, looking as beautiful as Craig ever saw him, before he makes a noise to announce his presence. Tweek still startles though, and Craig internally shakes himself off with a you tried as he gets closer.
“Hey.” Tweek smiles at him and Craig is weak.
“Hey yourself man,” he replies and they stand there awkwardly, just staring at each other.
“So…” Craig kicks at the snow under his feet and Tweek shoots him an amused look. “You can go back to bed if you want,” he says and Craig glowers at him, pointing a finger in his direction.
“Do not be saying that when you’re the reason I pulled my ass out here in the first place.” Tweek laughs, looking up at the sky again. There is a serene look on his face and Craig thinks Tweek may have forgotten Craig is even there until he finally breaks the silence.
“I don’t know whether I should be scared or in awe.” Craig follows his eyeline up, “of what?” he says, and Tweek gives a half shrug when Craig glances over at him.
“The sky. Space. The future.”
“There’s a lot to unpack there.”
“Kinda funny.”
“Is it? Tweek, what’s going on?” Tweek turns to look at him like it's the first time he’s seen Craig before, like he has only just realised that Craig was in fact, standing next to him,
“Nothing.” He says simply, and Craig gets the feeling that is the exact opposite of what is happening here because Tweek is definitely hiding something from him.
“Then what are you doing out here?” Tweek shrugs, turning his back on Craig and picking up a pile of snow in his hands. He compacts it into a ball, turning to look over at Craig with a mischievous smile and Craig can already see where this is leading.
“Tweek, don’t you dare…” he begins, but Tweek throws the ball of snow at Craig anyway. Craig somehow manages to dodge it and turns to laugh at Tweek's rubbish throw when another ball hits him squarely in the chest.
“Ow Tweek, what the fuck?” He glares, rubbing his chest.
“Don’t be a pussy, Tucker.” Tweek throws another ball of snow at Craig who jumps to the side and bends down to grab his own batch of snow. Tweek is laughing openly and loudly, completely void of any of his usually anxiety and Craig is desperately trying to mentally record the sound all the while dodging a barrage of snowballs. Craig curses what is undoubtedly Tweek's mountain town experience at snowball fighting, when he gets another ball to the face.
That's it he thinks, picking up another handful of snow, instead of throwing it however he charges at Tweek who yells in shock and about-turns to run in the other direction. He’s not fast enough though, mainly due to Craig being mostly leg and seconds later Craig has an arm around his waist, pulling Tweek flush against his chest and is dumping a handful of snow all over Tweek's head. He squirms in Craig's grasp and then squeals when the feeling of cold sludge slides down the back of his coat. Tweek, in a desperate attempt to escape Craig’s grasp, throws his whole weight to the side and the two of them go tumbling down into the snow.
“Ow.” Craig moans, body lying haphazardly over Tweek and yeah, Craig is trying really hard to ignore the exact train of thought that his brain seems dead set on trailing him to with that.
“You are an asshole Craig Tucker.” Tweek pushes Craig off of him and rolls onto his back, and Craig covers his moan of mourning at the loss of Tweek's body underneath him by laughing awkwardly.
“You started it.”
Tweek throws an arm out and hits Craig in the stomach good-naturedly and Craig laughs genuinely this time, smiling over at Tweek. Tweek isn’t looking at him however, he is staring back up at the dark night sky.
“Wow.” Tweek says.
“What?”
“Everything looks even better from down here.” Craig joins him in looking up, the blanket of night somewhat diluted by the streetlamps steadily lit around the Quad, but the small pinpricks of light from the stars can just somewhat be made out.
“Hey,” Tweek finally says, his voice but a whisper.
“Hmm?”
“I wanted to say sorry, about Kenny. The other day.” Craig turns his head to the side to look at the man next to him. Tweek is still looking up but he is biting his lip, and there is a frown on his face. Craig sighs. “Yeah well, I’ve kinda acknowledged that he’ll always be kind of a dick. I don’t take any notice so you’re cool.” Except that is a complete and utter lie, because what Kenny had said had been rattling around Craig's brain for days. Kenny was a grade A douche, Craig had always accepted that, but he didn’t think that Kenny would take his assholish behaviour to the next level when he had called Craig and Tweek out with their ‘obviously disgusting flirting’. In fact, Kenny’s exact wording had been something along the lines of: ‘Just do us all a favour and bone each other already. I’m fed up catching Tweek Tucker written all over the notes I steal.’
Acknowledging what Kenny said meant that there was a bigger chance than Craig could ever hope for. That the way he looked at Tweek some days was the exact way Tweek was looking at him , and Craig...he couldn’t ever be that lucky. Craig was used to assholes like his ex Michael who spent more time speaking to other guys than he did actually spending time with Craig, who was used to being called ‘boring’ and ‘anti-social’ because he didn’t want to go out and get drunk every weekend with a bunch of strangers. He was used to guys who weren’t amazing, and sweet and gorgeous and, well basically everything that Tweek was . So when Kenny had dropped his asshole comments Craig had pointedly told him to shut up, because more than anything Kenny was probably just mocking him , rather than making a point to Tweek .
“You didn’t?” Tweek mumbles back at him, and Craig turns to look back at the sky.
“Honestly dude, no. In one ear and out the other.”
“Okay.” The two lie there, snow cold against their backs and the brisk air prickling along their faces, but it’s comfortable. There is no tension, no expectation, just them and the snow and the sky and the silence. Craig closes his eyes, knowing that if he were back in his bed he would probably be falling into a deep sleep by now.
“Craig?” Tweek says and his voice seems sort of far away to Craig now.
“Hmm?”
“It’s true.”
“Sure.” Craig says, only half listening to what Tweek is saying except as his brain runs through the conversation again, there are only a few topics Tweek can really be referencing here and he stutters.
“Wait. What?-” Craig opens his eyes to see that Tweek is leaning over him and instead of the dark endless sky, his vision is nothing but bright green eyes and soft, pale skin.
“I said...I said it's true.”
“Tweek I do-” Tweel leans down to kiss him and his whole brain shuts down. It’s not even a proper kiss, just a quick peck, a brush of lips against lips; and Tweek’s lips are cold and chapped against Craig’s own and he has never felt anything so good in his life. Tweek leans back and then flops back into the snow and Craig is just lying there, waiting for his brain to reboot because he doesn’t understand. Tweek has been his best friend for months now, he would know if there was ever something as big as this going on...right?
“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Craig asks and Tweek laughs bitterly, “because you would look at me just like you did then.”
“Tweek.”
“Yeah.”
“Do it again.”
Tweek freezes, head turning slowly to face Craig.
“Ack- what?”
“Do it again. I want a redo.” Still staring at the sky, Craig grasps the closest of Tweek's hands. “Do it again. C’mon.”
Sitting up, Tweek hesitantly leans over Craig like he isn’t sure if Craig is joking or not, and Craig has never been more serious about anything in his entire life, so he arches an eyebrow at Tweek and gives him a smirk.
“You need directions?” Tweek glares down at him, moving his head back and further away from Craig as he does so. Seeing that his teasing is having the opposite desired effect, Craig grabs a fistful of Tweek’s jacket, pulling him down and crashing their lips together. Tweek’s eyes are pinned open in shock as he brings his hand up to Craig’s chest, pushing back slightly to give himself more balance. When they finally pull away from each other, Tweek frowns and opens his mouth to speak, but Craig cuts him off.
“If you ever tell him I said this, I’ll...hide your coffee or something but fuck, maybe McCormick was on to something.” Tweek laughs and moves to lean down again but Craig tugs on his coat, forcing him to move faster. Tweek closes his eyes and moves his lips against Craig's, basking in the feeling.
“Closer.” Craig complains into Tweek's mouth and Tweek pulls back slightly only to adjust himself so he is straddling Craig's lap completely. He braces one hand in the snow next to Craig’s head and the other still firmly planted on Craigs chest. Craig cups Tweek's face in his hands as they both lean in and their lips move together, he pulls back and nips Tweek's bottom lip, who groans and responds in kind with his tongue.
They’re not sure how long they are out there for, making out in the snow. It’s stupid because it’s cold and it’s cheesy because how many people confess to each in the freezing snow in the dead of night, but Craig can’t even begin to care because holy fuck , he is kissing Tweek and Tweek is kissing him back and it is perfect .
When an involuntary shiver runs through Craig, Tweek pulls away, ignoring Craig’s moan as he nuzzles their noses together and sits up, both hands resting on Craig’s chest. Craig looks up at him, admiring how he looks with the dark blanket of sky behind him and a soft smile playing at Tweek’s lips.
“If it isn’t obvious, I like you. Like, like you like you.”
“What are we in? Fourth grade?” Tweek flicks his forehead in response.
“Hey, fuck you.” Craig says, rubbing at his forehead. He lets out a breath and watches as there is a small flurry of wispy air. “Look Tweek, this is actually a little awkward.” He rubs his nose and Tweek tilts his head to the side.
“What? Why?”
“Tweek, I don’t...like you like you.”
Tweek's face falls, eyes looking around wildly, confused. “But you- you just-?”
“Because I think I’m actually a little bit in love with you so…” Tweek pauses mid-freak out and Craig watches as the gears turn in Tweek’s head as he registers what Craig actually said. He can’t help the amused look on his face and he begins to laugh as Tweek’s eyes widen.
“You absolute jackass Craig Tucker!” Tweek pounds at Craig’s chest over and over and Craig lifts up his arms in defence, his laughter echoing through the quad.
“I’m sorry, uncle uncle!” Tweek stops hitting him and instead crosses his arms, glare burning into Craig as he looks up at him, hands going to the side of Tweek’s thighs.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. But it’s true, ‘like’ isn’t really enough to put words into how I feel about you okay? And I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to fuck up anything good we had together because I would rather be your friend than not be in your life at all. You’re amazing Tweek and McFuckmic is an asshole and I could have killed him for going off because I know he KNOWS I have this huge thing for you and I thought- he was just purposely dangling it in front of me like a dick but apparently not, so. So maybe, quite possibly, he’ll catch a break from me for about five minutes. But I think you’re fucking incredible and even if there is snow down my back and I’m cold, I’m glad you called me out here at 3am.” Tweek drops his arms and folds his hands over Craig's chest as looks down softly at Craig.
“No one has ever...said that to me.” Craig feels his chest constrict because Tweek should be told how amazing he is every single day and there is something so infuriating that Tweek has gone this far in life without being told at least once.
“I wanna spend every day for the next however long telling you that, if you’ll let me.” Tweek huffs out a small laugh as he nods his head, leaning forward to plant a chaste kiss against Craig’s lips.
“You’re such a sap. Wait until I tell the guys.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“I’m joking, it’ll be our little secret. Now shut up and kiss me Tucker.”
It’s another ten minutes before the two break apart again, the cold finally getting to them. The time rings four thirty-five by the time the two are clambering up, hands held tightly together and the unsaid decision to head to Craig’s still seemingly empty dorm. Clothes are strewn across the floor, wet and soggy from the outside weather but uncared for when there is a calling of a warm bed and each other's embrace. Which is exactly how Kenny finds them in the morning, Craig’s first class of the day missed but completely worth it when he cracks an eye open at the sound of Kenny’s laughter and is met with the sight of Tweeks chest and the tight grip of his arms around his waist. Yeah, he could really get used to this.