Chapter Text
Tweek sat in front of the mirror, staring at the bald patches on his head. He couldn't help but run his fingers over them, feeling the prickly regrowth that was slowly starting to appear. It had been a particularly bad week for Tweek The stress of school, family, and friends had all built up until he felt like he was going to burst. And so, he turned to his hair as a way to cope.
He knew it wasn't healthy, but it was the only thing that seemed to make sense at the time. Pulling out his hair gave him a strange sense of control, even though he knew deep down that it was anything but. He tried to hide it from everyone around him, but sometimes it was impossible.
Tweek sighed and ran his fingers through his hair one more time before standing up and walking out of the bathroom, feeling his body jerk and twitch as he was riddled with anxiety. He fell back onto his bed twitching as he scrolled through his phone trying to distract himself, feeling his hands run through his hair. He was dragged out of his thoughts by his phone ringing, it was from his boyfriend
"Hello?" Tweek answered.
"Hey, honey?" Craig replied. Tweek smiled to himself as he heard his boyfriend's voice.
"What's up?" Tweek responded.
"You wanna come over? I'm bored and I got a new videogame I think you'd enjoy," Craig spoke, mind obviously being focused on something else.
"Sure!" Tweek smiled wide, sitting up as he looked for his stuff.
"Cool, see you in a bit, love you," Craig spoke sweetly before hanging up.
"Love you too," Tweek quickly responded before he heard the click of the phone hanging up. Tweek changed and gathered his stuff. He went downstairs and poured himself coffee into a thermos
As Tweek made his way to Craig's house, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. Being around his boyfriend always seemed to calm him down and ease his anxiety. As he walked into Craig's room, the familiar sight of video games and snacks greeted him.
Craig handed Tweek a controller and they began playing the new game together. Tweek felt himself relaxing as they played, the stress from earlier slowly melting away.
As they took a break from gaming, Craig noticed Tweek absentmindedly running his fingers through his hair again. He gently took hold of Tweek's hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze.
"You okay?" Craig asked softly. Tweek felt his body twitch as he squeezed one eye shut and open it quickly.
"I'm fine," Tweek jerked his head to the side as he partially lied to Craig.
"You sure?" Craig looked at him reassuringly. Tweek thought about telling him, and honestly debated telling him but ultimately decided against it
“Yeah,” Tweek stuttered out. Craig looked at him concerned, not believing what his boyfriend said.
"Okay, I'm here if you need to talk," Craig said, squeezing his boyfriend's hands once again. Tweek shook his head and returned to playing video games with Craig. Though this time, when there were pause breaks or if Craig did not need both hands on the controller they were in his hair as his movements were still shakey. Tweek sipped on his coffee trying to calm his nerves. Craig watched him carefully worried about him, and though he could tell how stressed Tweek was he didn't know the root of it.
As they continued to play, Tweek's anxiety began to resurface. He couldn't help but feel guilty for not telling Craig about what was bothering him. Tweek knew that he should be able to confide in his boyfriend, but the fear of burdening him with his problems always held him back.
Craig could sense that something was still bothering Tweek and decided to take a break from the game. He turned towards Tweek and took both of his hands in his own.
"Tweek, I know you're not okay," Craig said softly. "You don't have to tell me everything if you're not comfortable, but please know that I'm here for you no matter what."
Tweek felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes as he looked into Craig's caring gaze.
Tweek couldn't shake off the guilt that was consuming him. He knew he should tell Craig about what was bothering him, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He had been struggling with a habit that he had ever since he was little, though it seemed to have gotten worse recently. It started when he was feeling anxious or stressed, and before he knew it, his hands would be in his hair tugging at the strands until they came out.
He found comfort in doing it but also felt ashamed and embarrassed by the patches of missing hair on his scalp. Tweek didn't want to burden Craig with his problem or make him worry about him more than he already did.
But as Craig held his hands and looked at him with concern, Tweek felt like he might burst with emotion. He didn't know how to explain what was happening to him without sounding crazy or weird. So instead, he just nodded silently and let Craig's words wash over him like a warm blanket. Craig sighed, feeling as if he wasn't going to get a response out of Tweek.
"You wanna take a break and watch a movie?" Craig asked, changing the topic in the hope to get whatever was bothering Tweek off of his mind.
"Sure," Tweek smiled lightly, feeling relief in Craig changing the topic.
Craig led Tweek to the couch and searched through their movie collection for something they both would enjoy. As they settled in, Craig wrapped his arm around Tweek's shoulders, pulling him close. Tweek leaned into Craig's embrace, feeling safe and loved.