Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

FAGE… The 13th.
Title: light in the dark
Written for: Katrina Rosalie Quin
Written By: Gillyfluffball ( Tweekscoffeebean on ao3)
Rating: PG
Ship: Craig Tucker/ Tweek Tweak(aged up characters-creek are 16)
Fandom: South Park
Also special thanks to the following people.
Banner made by: brierlynn03
Edited by: animatednydia

Prompt used: Glad you came- song is by the weekend.

Summary: Craig Tucker comes face to face with his past when he escorts his sister to a sibling dance at the local community center.

It’s a bright and clear evening, no colder than any other this time of year. The moon is a pale crescent taking shape just beyond the setting sun. Its radiant glow mixed with the skies bruised reddish-orange hue casts a spell on the night.

A teenage boy, about sixteen, stands just in front of the community center’s entrance. He is dressed in simple dress clothes. A dark pair of trousers, a crisp, freshly-laundered white dress shirt and a dark blue suit vest. His raven locks are brushed back out of his face. An indifferent frown sits on his pale lips as his emerald eyes scan his surroundings.

A younger teenage girl of about fourteenstands beside him. Her pale green dress falls just beneath her knees and frills out at the bottom. She wets her sparkly painted pink lips and reaches up to adjust one of her trademark strawberry blond pigtails. She turns and glares at her chaperone for the evening. Her pale green eyes harden as she stares at her brother.

“Craigory, you better not get in my way!” She hisses before she flips Craig off.

Craig rolls his eyes, and then returns the rude gesture by showing off his own middle finger before turning his back to his sister.

“It’s not my fault you’re too ugly to get a date.” Tricia scoffs at that.

“Oh please, I could get way more dates than you..” Craig reaches over and ruffles her hair, messing up her perfectly parted pigtails. He smiles at her affectionately, before his trademark indifference falls back across his face.

“You wanna bet on it?” Tricia shoots him a look of annoyance as she fixes her hairstyle.

“I am younger, cuter and have a better personality." She informs him. She flashes her brother a wide smug smile.

“So the real question isn’t if I want to bet, but how much are you going to give me?” She pushes her outstretched hand towards Craig and wiggles her fingers.

Craig just stares at her like she had suddenly grown a third head and spider legs.

“Twenty bucks,” he quickly scans their surroundings and watches as the various other kids from his high school escort their younger siblings into the building.

“Twenty bucks says that I get asked to dance before you do.” Tricia folds her arms across her chest as she studies her brother’s expression.

“You actually have to dance with the person, and it has to be a slow song and it can’t be Clyde or one of your other stupid friends.”

Craig returns the sour look she is giving him, and then after a moment (where he pretends to be in deep thought) reaches out with his left hand and takes his sister's outstretched hand.

“Deal.” He shakes her hand and then drops it.

“But that means no dancing with Clyde either.” He teases.

Tricia’s entire face changes, a dopey little smile falls across her lips, her cheeks flush as if she is wearing an extra dusting of blush, and she sways slightly in spot. Craig laughs on the inside as he watches his sister moon over the mere mention of his friend. He flicks her shoulder with his middle finger and glares at her love sick expression. She ignores her brothers taunting and stares up at him with wide hopeful eyes.

“W-why did he say something about me?” She nervously reaches up and twirls her fingers in her right pigtail.

“Nope,” Craig says materfactly and then he brushes past her entering the dance. Tricia follows behind her brother muttering under her breath how stupid the concept of sibling dances are. In fact if it wasn’t for some of her own middle school school mates being watched by their equally annoying older siblings, Tricia would have thought this whole ‘brother-sister bonding moment’ was some lameness created by her parents. Tricia shakes her head in disgust.

“It looks like it's decorated for a preschool dance,” she quips as she walks up to her brother who is leaning against the wall looking as bored as she feels. Craig laughs, something Tricia forgot he knew how to do, before he looks up at the ceiling.

“I don’t know, it has its own cheap charms.” Tricia flips him off.

“I am going to get some punch,” she calls out as she heads to the center of the room.

Craig waves her announcement away like it’s meaningless. He sighs wearily and sinks more into the wall behind him.

The music swells as the song changes, a medley of popular Lady Gaga songs fill the room. Gaga sings about boys being monsters and how she just wants to dance so stop calling her! And other nonsensical things about love.

“Must be nice,” Craig mumbles to himself. Honestly speaking he is pretty sure his sister is going to win their little bet. It's not that he isn’t popular enough, in fact, not meaning to brag, but he has been voted most attractive boy by the girls at his school for the past six years. The problem isn’t so much that he doesn’t get enough attention it's just from the wrong people. He envies Tricia. she won’t have problems getting dates. She won’t have to sit back and watch as her friends find love one by one. She won’t ever know just what it's like to wait forever for someone that isn’t coming back.

Craig isn’t quite sure when it happened, when things became more than what they were. He isn’t sure when the walls he had built around his heart had crumbled. It hadn’t taken more than a few nervous smiles, a few lingering glances before he was changed. To be fair it wasn’t really something he could have prevented. The first time their eyes had met, Craig was a goner. The stars had fallen from the sky that night and had cast their spell, and the stars were in the shape of a blond haired, blue eyed boy by the name of Tweek Tweak. A boy who he hasn’t seen in person in over a year.

Craig sighs, it was hopeless. Tweek’s family had picked up and left in the middle of the night. Okay, so maybe he was being a bit melodramatic, but when the boy you were secretly in love with confesses that not only was he also in love with you but was also moving across the country the next day. It kind leads to melodramatics.

Lady Gaga’s voice gives away to an all male vocal group, the weekend. The music starts slow. A pretty blond girl approaches him from the right, head held high, hips swaying, face over painted in makeup. She looks at him with coy mascara drenched eyes.

“Craig,” she purrs.

“No.” He says, emotionless.

The words to the song tug on his heart strings. He needs air, he needs to escape, he needs to be free from the memory of Tweek Tweak.

He turns his back to her, and stumbles to the entrance. Barely making it outside as the chorus starts, “The sun goes down…” But it's too late and the lyrics have already wrapped around him, pulling Craig backwards into his memories.

It was a night much like this one; the air was a bit chillier because it was in the middle of November, but otherwise it was the same. There had been a nervous energy in the air that night, almost like the heavens had been trying to warn him that his life was about to change. Tweek had been more neurotic than usual. His appearance more unkempt, like he had rolled out of bed and then stuck all ten fingers into an electrical socket. His usually wild honey blond hair was a mess, sticking up everywhere. He wore an oversized wrinkled button up olive green dress shirt, the buttons pushed in the wrong holes leading to an ill fitting appearance. He had on dark blue skinny jeans that were ripped at the knees and stained with various dark substances- which Craig highly suspected was from the coffee he drank in unhealthy amounts. The boy was a total utter mess - but to Craig Tucker in that moment Tweek Tweak was the most beautiful shining object in the entire universe. He was, in Craig’s humble opinion, nothing short of a fallen star.

He had gulped as Tweek had kind of launched himself at him, wrapping his arms around his sobbing friend, secretly berating himself for enjoying their closeness, while his friend was in such an obvious state.

In the course of their friendship Craig had become kind of like a rock to Tweek, the only one who could bring him back from the brink of madness. Somewhere through the years Craig had fallen for his anxious friend, but he had never told the other, never wanted to risk what they had. Plus, Craig didn’t do emotions. He was perfectly content keeping them just as they were, somewhere between lovers and friends. It's not like they didn’t have all the time in the world. It’s not like either one of them had shown interest in anyone else. If truth was to be told Craig was just a coward.

It seemed like Tweek had other ideas though, and that he was finally going to push the issue. Not only was he crying but he was also clinging onto Craig like he would never get to touch him again. Like the clock had stopped and they had just run out of time. He took a deep breath before Craig could say something, anything to comfort him and then he did the most unexpected thing. Tweek buried his face further into Craig’s chest, and he began to sing.

“The sun goes down, the stars come out and all that counts is here and now.....”

The words that Tweek was singing were muffled, and it took Craig a moment to place them. The song's lyrics wrapped around him like a security blanket, filling him with an immense sense of relief, after all there was only one reason Tweek would be singing this song. But then the realization of just what part of the song Tweek was singing hit him, and dread coiled it’s awfulness around his spine.

Tweek couldn’t sing more than a few lyrics before he was sobbing again and Craig was just left standing there, arms wrapped tightly around his best friend, shock radiating through his entire being. Tweek was confessing but why had he chosen that song? Craig opened his mouth to say something, to demand an answer, to tell Tweek that he felt the same and that had so much time, they had forever, they were teenagers after all.

Tweek had pulled away from him, wiped at his eyes, and then dropped the bomb.

“Dad sold the shop we’re moving to Seattle.” A pained breath and then he was crying again,

“Tomorrow. I thought I had more time.” Tweek looked back at Craig, “I shouldn’t say anything," He had shook his head, “I know that I am not being fair to you, but gah! This is too much pressure, I can’t leave without letting you..”

Craig almost regretted the words the minute they left his mouth.

“Tell me what?”

He reached out and took Tweek’s hand, he could tell by the way the other leaned closer to him, by the look in the blonde’s eyes, that Tweek was about to tell him everything he had always hoped, but at what cost? It felt like someone had dropped him into a minefield, like Tweek had taken a razor blade and cut out his heart. Lady Gaga was right, boys were monsters.

Still being the stoic jerk that he was, Craig had just stared at the other waiting for the other to say the words that would mess them both up forever.

Tweek didn’t say anything instead he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Craig’s and somewhere in the middle of his chest, Craig’s heart both came to life and died at the same time.

All he could really do in that moment was kiss the blond back, kiss him like they only had this one kiss, this one moment, which technically they did.

“I love you,” He had whispered against Tweek’s lips and then Tweek had pulled away from him and turned his back on everything that could have had.

“I love you too," He had confessed, before walking out of Craig’s life forever.

That had been one year and four months ago, not that Craig has been counting or anything.

The song ends and reality comes crashing back, it had almost felt like for a moment he was back in his room and that Tweek was still in his arms.

Craig blinks away the tears threatening to spill, he is a Tucker and Tuckers don’t cry, no matter how much they may want to. He just needs to catch his breath, gather his wits and then force an indifferent look back onto his face. Later he will call Tweek, not to tell him how much he misses him, and how much he wishes things were different, no, that would be totally lame, no tonight he will call him just to hear his voice, and then he will feel better. Craig has come to terms with their situation a long time ago, he will love Tweek from a distance quietly, and as long as Tweek stayed his friend, as long as he didn’t completely forget him, then Craig could do it. He is so caught up in his thoughts that Craig isn’t even aware of Tricia as she joins him outside.

“You really are stupid,” she states from his left. Craig sighs and looks at his sister with annoyance.

“You can’t win the bet if you keep rejecting everyone that tries to get close to you.” Tricia shakes her head, “I practically handed you a date on a silver platter, so why are you, “ she pauses, lets out a dramatic sigh, and then pokes Craig on the arm, “standing here like you’ve lost you whole world when you could be dancing with dream boat over there..”

Craig rolls his eyes at Tricia’s stupidity. “ There isn’t enough money in the world to make me dance with some dumb girl.”

Tricia’s laugher grades on his last nerve.

“You must be adopted, because no brother of mine is this stupid.”

“Shut up brat, shouldn’t you be off doing something far away from me?

Another laugh, and then she smiles. A wide, Cheshire grin that sends little ribbons of panic coursing through his veins. Craig knows that look. His sister is up to no good.

“You can thank me later, not only with that twenty bucks but also a month's worth of chores.”

What in the world is the brat talking about, why would he thank her let alone do her chores? He opens his mouth to put sound to these very logical questions when she turns her head and looks behind him.

“God for someone sooo in love,” she make questions marks in the air at the word love, “you’re so dumb, like shouldn’t you…” she taps her index finger against her lips as she tries to find the words she is looking for. “be able to sense him or something.”

“Shouldn’t I what?” He demands. “And what does Tweek have to do with anything?”

“Ah, so my love sick stupid brother actually has the sense to speak his name.” she nods her head satisfied with whatever damn scheme she has been planning.

“Oh, and one last thing before I do myself the favor of ridding myself of your lameness.” She points behind Craig with a perfectly polished finger. “look behind you,” and then with one last wave of her hand she walks away chucking to herself.

Craig glares at her, how dare she ruin his perfectly somber mood, so what if he’s at a dance brooding instead of dancing? It's not that there is anyone here worthy of his time, besides there really is only one boy he wants to dance with and he isn’t here.

Taking an extra moment to direct both his middle fingers in the direction his sister had walked off in, Craig ponders his revenge (like maybe telling his parents about her failed math test) before he turns around.

“Hi, Craig,” a familiar soft voice replies.

Criag’s eyes widen as their gazes lock and all he can do is stare, as Tweek Tweak walks towards him.

Chapter Text

Tweek stands all by himself staring at the front entrance of the community center, indecision keeping him glued to his spot. Tweek’s honey blond curls frame his face, his pale blue eyes dart around frantic with worry.

He catches his reflection in the mirrored windows of his mother’s station wagon. His black dress slacks are only slightly wrinkled, and his emerald green dress shirt is properly buttoned. Instead of a suit jacket he wears a simple indigo blue hoodie unzipped. His mother had tried to talk him out of the hoodie but considering it once belonged to the very boy whose heart he hopes he still owns Tweek had refused to take it off.

He is far too nervous. He had gone over the plan numerous times with Tricia. He had originally planned on telling Craig over the phone that his parents were getting a divorce and that he was moving back to South Park with his mom. That was his intention when he had dialed his “maybe boyfriend”’s cell number.

Tricia being the bratty sister she was, had stolen Craig’s phone to write fake text messages to Clyde (allowing him to date Craig’s sister naturally) when the phone had rung. She had almost not answered it till she saw Tweek’s contact light up. Craig had changed Tweek’s name to ‘honey’ in his phone, which had both made Tricia giggle and roll her eyes at the same time.

“Hey honey,” she had answered Craig’s phone, which of course had made Tweek freak out and apologize for a good solid ten minutes about calling the wrong number, until she was able to get him to shut up long enough to explain to Tweek just who she was.

He hadn’t meant to tell her he was moving back; it had just all kind of fallen out of him, as Tricia’s reasoning for his little nickname had danced around like a poisoned promise in his head.

Tricia had convinced him he should make some kind of grand romantic ploy for Craig’s affections because in her words, her brother was a mess of a boy,who was too sad and pathetic to do anything himself, even something as simple as confessing.

The whole idea had seemed like a good one when they had originally thought of it. It seemed like such a grand and romantic gesture to show up at this dance a bouquet of sunflowers cradled in his arms. He had half convinced himself that Craig had still felt something for him. That all their correspondence kept them tied together, but the truth was he had no idea if Craig still harbours feelings for him. After their initial confessions and stolen kiss the subject of their feelings had never been brought up. Tweek had spent so much time over the last year and four months - not that he was counting or anything - trying to decipher just what those rushed words had meant. He had tried once shortly after he moved to Seattle to gauge just what they were but Craig had automatically changed the subject. If it wasn't for the fact that Craig had kissed him back, Tweek seriously would wonder if he hadn’t made up the whole thing in his head.

And that is how he found himself in this moment, standing nervously in the parking lot of the community center trying to psych himself into going inside.

He takes another deep drawn out breath, “you can do this, Tweak!” And then after one last look at his reflection in the car’s window he attempts to straighten the winkles in his shirt, and starts to walk towards the community center.

Tweek is half way there when he sees him. Craig is longing against the outside of the building like some kind of Purivan god. He is still tall but he had started to fill out quite a bit over the last year and four months. He now had an athletic build which matched with his natural good looks, well he could be a model, if Craig cared about stuff like that, which he didn’t.

Craig is talking to a petite red-haired girl that takes Tweek a moment to realize is Craig’s sister Tricia. Tweek’s eyes crinkle slightly when Tricia catches his gaze then she turns to Craig, says something and then she is gone. Craig watches his sister walk away, glares, flips her off and then shrugs. He turns and looks in the direction Tweek is standing. And finally Tweek is left alone with the boy who he had left his heart with over a year ago.

He shifts nervously in place and offers Craig a slight smile.

“Hi craig.”

For a moment all Craig can do is just stare at him, and then as if time and space had collapsed. Like as if a tunnel to the past has opened, Craig is rushing forward, running towards him and all Tweek can do is stay rooted in place as his past and future collide.

“I brought you sunflowers because you once said they were your favorite andTricia said…and oh my god this is too much. pressure!” Tweek rumbles his words coming out in a jumbled mess.

Craig doesn’t answer instead he wraps his arm around Tweek and just holds him close.

You’re really here?” Like really here? “ He reaches up with a shaking hand and touches Tweek’s face.“You’re like real, like not a figment of my imagination?”

Tweek gives him a puzzled look, of course he’s real, what did Craig think that he was a Tweek clone replaced by the gnomes? That he was sent here to capture Craig and force the both of them to work in their underground lair sorting stolen underpants.

“Gah! Why wouldn’t I be real?” He twitches slightly in place. “ Oh God, I am not a gnome, or an alien pod person, or…..”

Craig chuckles at Tweek’s nervous ramblings. He both loves and hates when Tweek gets like this, he hates that Tweek is anxious but he loves that Tweek he is just so... Tweek. He nods his head, “Tweek, honey relax.”

“You believe me right, Craig, that it's me..”

Craig leans forward and gently kisses the top of Tweek’s forehead, “ I believe you.”

He closes his eyes savouring the others' closeness, “Tweeky,” he says softly against the other boy’s blond hair, “Sing it to me again.”

The blond boy’s rapid fire anxious ramblings stop instantly. All thoughts of gnomes and alien pod people are forgotten. Tweek shifts slightly in Craig’s arms before he asks in a timid voice.

“Sing what?”

Craig swallows suddenly nervous, what if he had misread the entire situation and Tweek no longer thinks of him in that way? He closes his eyes and snuggles more into the other’s embrace.

“The song you sang when you asked me to be your boyfriend.”

A small audible gasp, and then Tweek nods his head.

“Okay,” he clears his throat and then presses himself further against the other. “Craig, will you sing it with me?”

“For a price,” Craig teases.

Tweek raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend's cute antics. “Oh, and what exactly do you want?”

“I want you to kiss me,” Craig’s voice is suddenly gruff. Tweek laughs.

“I think I can manage something like that,” He teases as he nudges his nose against Craig’s nose.

“I meant a real kiss, honey,” The pout in Craig’s voice is so darn cute that Tweek can’t think of a single reason to deny his request. He leans forward, and time seems to speed up and freeze all at once. The closer he gets to Craig’s lips the slower time seems to go, and then without warning he is kissing the other, and it's like magic.

When they finally pull apart Tweek barely has enough time to gather his breath before Craig is kissing him again.

They spend the rest of the evening lost in their own little bubble of time, lips pressed against lips, hearts beating at once.

They never do get a chance to sing that song together, but it’s okay, Tweek muses as Craig kisses him once again because they have all the time in the world, they have forever, and neither one of them will ever be the same.

Both boys are so wrapped up in eachother, that neither one of them sees Tricia Tucker standing behind them. A smug look falls across her pink painted lips, as she lifts the polaroid camera in her hand up and snaps a few photos of the two. She’s sure Craig would want a memento of this occasion, for a price of course.

With one last glance in her brother’s direction she smiles faintly and then turns around. She reaches up and tugs lightly on her pigtails before removing the compact from her purse and checking her makeup. When she is satisfied with how she looks, she puts the compact away, and walks back into the dance.

Now that she’s helped bring Craig and Tweek back together, it's time for her to find her own Prince Charming. She hums the love song from Snow White and the seven dwarfs under her breath as she scans the room. Her gaze falls onto Clyde Donovan. Perfect, she thinks, as she walks slowly towards Clyde.

Clyde’s handsome features light up as she approaches him, he bows slightly and then offers her his hand.

Tricia accepts his hand and the two of them walk onto the dance floor. It’s time for her to take control of her own destiny, it's time for her own love story.

The End