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‘Wonder Tweek’s special performance left everyone stunned!’
‘Colorado’s gifted hands - Wonder Tweek raised to the top again!’
‘Wonder Tweek’s performance last night was Wonderful!’
Wonder Tweek and Tweek Tweak are two different people, or at least that’s what Craig thought.
Tweek Tweak is a seventeen-year-old boy addicted to caffeine and is very opinionated despite his quirks. He’s the person who’ll fidget and stutter in between long minutes. Tweek’s fidgets have gone better now than when he was ten; but still, it could become a chronic behavior now. Tweek’s appearance, however, didn’t change its original mess: lazily buttoned shirt, uncombed long hair tied into a messy low ponytail, eye bags, and fingers covered with colorful band-aids. If one didn’t know about Tweek, the first thing they would think when seeing him would be something similar to a delinquent. Although that’s not really true, Tweek does have a reputation for being a troublemaker - or more accurately - a freak.
But when he stepped on the stage, Tweek Tweak turned into someone completely different, he became Wonder Tweek.
Seventeen-year-old Wonder Tweek was dubbed wonder for one main reason: his prodigy piano-playing skills and occasional actor’s charisma. Having been playing since younger than ten, Wonder Tweek’s fame grew steadily outside of South Park thanks to his uniquely produced music that ‘as if mimicked the weather’s intensity.’ The pianist was known for the songs he played ridiculously fast, almost electrifying . His appearance, however, doesn’t link to that chaos: usually seen in formal wear, hair combed and tucked in a bun, face polished with light makeup, gloved hands, and a reserved persona as completion. A young star raising is an image that’ll sell hotcakes as his parents usually flooded the pianist’s poster in their coffeeshop, how surprising .
Craig knew both Tweeks in more ways than one. Tweek Tweak is Craig’s classmate, boyfriend, and the one barista that the raven-haired can say he’s a regular of. Tweek Tweak, to Craig, is the kind of person that will kick his ass as a hello but apologizes when he accidentally turns off the TV during a Red Racer episode.
Wonder Tweak, however, is Craig’s frequent magazine model, loyal audience, and (discreetly) boyfriend. The photographer didn’t get to interact with Wonder Tweek as much as he desired for the blond’s professional image, but he did sneak backstage to deliver his boyfriend’s precious coffee during the pre-show.
But they never co-exist as one, not that Craig recalled. He wondered why, but both personas are always split and never as one—
That’ll have to change soon.
At school the next day, Craig decided it’ll be the time to ask him for that opportunity.
“Hah? You want to see me practice my piano?!” Tweek raised a brow and stuttered midway through his sentence while closing his locker, “what’s that suggestion about? I thought you had that whole magazine gig there?”
“I finished my work,” Craig lied, “I just want to spend more time with you. We’re both working teenagers with little time for ourselves, doesn’t that suck?”
“Yeah it does suck, not gonna lie, I didn’t get to drink as much coffee as I wanted to ‘cause of my boss and my dad, oddly so,” Tweek rolled his eyes, “but whatever, all for the image of fame, I guess,”
“I would love to see a scandal of Wonder Tweek drinking coffee. What will it be? ‘Wonder Tweek’s music jitters because of coffee?!’ That'll be such a cool title that will make my job much better,” Craig teased.
“What? You’re tired of seeing me getting praised?”
“Yeah, it gets old when you have to stare at them blankly all day, okay? They should praise me for putting you on paper instead,”
“Oh, you.” Tweek gave Craig a playful kick to the latter’s foot, “So, what time works best for you? I usually play after-school in the music room and will be there for, like, 2 hours until I have to work at my parents again,”
“Okay, after-school sounds good; I’ll see you there,”
“You better be. I keep promises like it’ll be the death of me,” the bell rang on perfect timing as Tweek almost became those threatening figures in the movie and slowly backed away until he was completely gone from the crowd.
Tweek Tweak is also a hypocrite. ‘You better be,’ he said, as he didn’t show up after school until ten minutes later.
“Fuck–sorry about that!” Tweek threw his bags down the moment he rushed to the Music room. The blond breathed rapidly, and his clothes somehow got messier. Craig raised a brow, thinking if a person could become more of a mess than how they were.
“Do you…Tweek, do you always look like that pre-show?”
“Hah?! Of course not! God–if I did, I would’ve been fired long ago! And my parents would still send me to slavery because I disappointed both the coffee and the music business! My whole family, and–”
“Okay okay, I’m sorry…Jesus Christ,” Craig rubbed the back of his neck, “But um, you’re more…nervous than before, I think?”
“Ack–well, isn't it because of me rushing here–?”
“No, not that. Usually, you’ll just drink more coffee to subdue your rush and all; why don’t you do that?” the photographer titled his head, studying his boyfriend more.
“Ugh, I’m not allowed to drink coffee before I play ‘cause boss said it’s ‘not good and ‘will interfere with my playing, with no evidence whatsoever,” Tweek frowned, “but also, ‘cause I usually play here alone and…you’re suddenly here, and it’s just…a bit new for me,”
“You’re not used to this? I thought you always play in front of hundreds and hundreds of people?”
“I do - but I’m always accustomed to, like, either zero or a hundred people looking at me. And now it’s just one,” the blond glanced at Craig, then rolled his eyes amusingly, “and it’s my boyfriend, of course, I’ll be nervous,”
“But I always attend your shows–I literally stand behind you backstage or right in front of you?”
“Yeah yeah I know! But, you know, you never sit down and watch me like a true audience. There’s a difference between, well, observing and watching in the music world,” as the pianist rambled, he began to tie his hair to a high ponytail and made his way behind the piano before settling down, “you’re always studying in my world, but you never truly immerse in them - that’s the difference.”
“You look cute with a high ponytail. Is it because you’re too late to tie it in a bun?”
“Precisely,”
“Hmm…,” Tweek has a point, now that Craig reflected on it, the photographer’s purpose in the stadium was to record and report for the newest magazine numbers. He rarely sat in an audience during Tweek’s performances, but even then, it was with his family - never by himself. Now, hands-free from the camera - and just by himself, it felt different from the experience that he should experience every day -like a true, loyal audience.
“I guess you’re right, I’m also so invested in your looks rather than your songs, so for today, I’m all ears,” Tweek was relieved at that comment, “by the way, what’re you going to play? You always do songs from well-known composers, right?”
“Yeah, but that’ll be too, like, professional for this time being. I don’t play stuff like Tchaiknosky or something - that’ll be too superficial. I want to play for you something, like, fun and relaxing of some sort,”
“Hmm, makes sense. Do you have anything in mind?”
“I do, actually,” Tweek gave a toothy grin, “it’s Starlight Parade from Sekai no Owari!”
“The Japanese band–that’s unexpected, but sure, okay,” Craig didn’t think that Tweek would choose such a song like that. Before Craig knew it, he felt someone else was with him, dripping with the aura of professionalism and charismatic intimidation - but somehow still familiar and warm.
Suddenly, bandaged fingers lightly pressed the piano’s keyboards - and everything else became an experience outside of the real world.
The first few notes were like their own cinematic scenery: light and quick notes almost like how each star quickly brightens one by one, almost like the image of ‘twinkle twinkle stars’; little did Craig know that those simple notes have opened the gateway to something beyond his mind.
Then, the melody increased the intensity after a quick slam on the keyboards before maintaining his usual tempo, keeping his pace on the tune. In an instant, Craig was looking at something else. Not merely stars twinkling along the melody, but suddenly shooting stars drew across the dim music room and flew past the photographer. Under this dreamy atmosphere, Tweek kept smiling with his eyes closed as one hand focused on the beat, while the other quickly moved on the rhythm - harmonizing the song like the night sky filled with consistent high and medium-sounding notes.
As Craig immersed himself in the piano’s tune, the feeling…felt as if Craig was twirling and dancing under the night sky with mysteriously illuminated white light, glittering as he continued to dance like ballet. As the music quickened its pace, the photographer felt strangely lighter with joy and the motivation to levitate himself with the stars, becoming as flow and quick as the shooting stars.
And Tweek would be below him, still maintaining that composure as he played. It was how Tweek behaved that really made a difference: sure, he was playing professionally - but this is not Wonder Tweek's persona, nor even Tweek Tweak despite the messy outlook. This kind of person, this embodiment, this beauty - is truly how Wonder Tweek and Tweek Tweak could co-exist as one; and to Craig, his eyes widened to how beautifully human Tweek is currently.
God, that magazine gig made him become a poet rather than a photographer.
Shooting stars, twinkling stars, dangling stars, bright stars, everything produced by Tweek was combining and evolving so vastly like outer space that Craig would dance for eternity if there was no stopping. He would explore and enjoy all of it - every little note and tune shift, that’s how miraculous this melody was. Though in the end, Tweek’s tempo decreased as he delivered the few remaining ending notes making Craig slowly depart himself from the miracle night sky.
Putting his foot to the ground, Craig finally opened his eyes from the immersion, staring back at Tweek’s sparkling eyes.
“Good, huh?” the pianist sighed out of completion.
“Holy shit…” Craig exclaimed, “what the fuck are you?”
“I don’t know, just, um, just a kid who plays for his boyfriend,” Tweek teased, “so, what did you think?”
“It’s…it’s…,” Craig stuttered, “no amount of photos would even describe that despite a picture worth a thousand words. You…you’re the embodiment of music, not just as Wonder Tweek or Tweek Tweak, just you– Tweak ,”
“Holy fuck, that’s so cheesy of you,” the blond broke out a chuckle, “but thanks, I really appreciate it–”
Without knowing it, Craig threw himself against Tweek’s lips, kissing him so sweetly before pulling out.
“No matter who you are, a complete mess or a professional one, you’re the most beautiful, starlit sky I ever pictured from,”