Archive of Our Own ^beta

Senior year was treating Tweek Tweak very well.

He was in a sound mind frame going forward into college; his grades were excellent, and he was practically promised a place in a business degree if he could just survive long enough to graduate and make it out of South Park. 

He was in a happy relationship. He and Craig had realised early into their sophomore year that they were it for each other. They spent some time apart in middle school and freshman year, dating around and staying close friends. Still, nothing ever stuck; eventually, they decided to take their relationship for another spin. Now, they planned to move to Denver and live together after graduation while Craig studied Engineering.

He had excellent and supportive friends. South Park wasn't that big, and while there were plenty of people in the one high school in the district, many friendships had just continued from elementary school. Most Fridays were spent at big parties held at Tolkien's house, and on the nights he wasn't with Craig, he played video games at Clyde or Jimmy's houses until he had to walk home. The five boys sat with each other at lunch every day, sharing pieces of gossip or doing their late homework. He sat with Wendy in his English class and ran the school yearbook with Jimmy and Bebe. Their meetings mainly consisted of her trying to rip information out of the boys about how Clyde was handling their 'break up of the month.' And on the off chance that his friends were all busy or at football practice, he sat with Wendy, Bebe, Red, and Heidi while they told him gossip and tried to pull details about his relationship with Craig out of him, despite Red's disgusted objections.

To put it simply, he was happy. On top of everything, he was healthy and getting better at controlling his sometimes crippling anxiety and paranoia. 

So everything, really, was as perfect as it could be. All except for-

Slam!

"Watch where you're walking, Twitch! Can you not even walk in a straight line without Craig around? To be fair, I'm not sure anything about you is straight. You probably enjoyed copping a feel of me, didn't you freak?" Eric Cartman.

While almost every other boy in South Park had grown up to become more mature and branch out from their cliques of bullies, Eric Cartman remained childishly spoiled, narcissistic, and a pest. Tweek and his friends didn't see much of him anymore. Instead, choosing to avoid him as much as possible simply to avoid the pain. But of course, Tweek had now crashed straight into him, sending them both into a chaotic crash in the middle of the hallway. 

"You know that's not my- ack- name, Cartman!"

"Ack! Ack!" Cartman made an impression of Tweek's ticks, jerking his head to the side and squinting his eye. "Jesus, man, I thought you grew out of your weirdness." 

"Is there a problem?" A deep, nasally voice asked from behind Tweek, followed by familiar arms circling around his waist and a body firmly taking a stance beside him. Tweek looked up slightly to meet Craig's eyes, boring down into his own, silently asking if he was okay.

"What? No, no, man. No problem. Tweek was just asking me for help on his math homework. You know, because I'm so smart." He held his hand to his chest as if offering Tweek his incredible knowledge was a selfless blessing.

"Is that right?" Craig deadpanned, asking this directly to Tweek instead of glancing towards Cartman as he stood by his blatant lie. Craig was a math tutor. He knew very well that Tweek didn't need homework help.

"Gr- yes. Everything is fine. Let's go." The blonde began to pull his boyfriend's sleeve towards the direction of their lockers, but he was shrugged off as Craig firmly shoulder-bumped Eric into the wall of lockers beside him, resulting in a loud slam as he began to whine. Tweek yelped.

"Watch yourself, fatass." Craig's mundane voice warned, snaking his hand around his boyfriend's waist again, "Leave Tweek alone, or there's so much more where that came from." 

As they walked away down the hall, Tweek swore he could hear Cartman mutter about how he wasn't fat. Craig just held onto his boyfriend tighter.

"Are you okay?" He muttered. He would sound disinterested to anyone else, but Tweek had been with him long enough to hear the worry deep within his voice. He was sure then that Craig had seen Cartman's mocking, and he suddenly felt ashamed.

"You didn't have to do that, you know? I can fight my own battles."

"I know." The edge of Craig's mouth lifted as he leaned down to place a kiss on Tweek's temple; the strings of his worn-out chullo hat fell into Tweek's face in the process, allowing the boy to focus on a sad and faded yellow pom-pom that swung in front of his eyes. He had no idea why Craig still, after all these years, refused to lay the old hat to rest.

Craig pulled his red varsity jacket off and draped it over Tweek's shoulders. The familiar weight of the oversized fabric weighing down his arms became surprisingly more calming every time he wore it. Tweek silently laced his hands through the armholes and pulled the jacket on properly. He couldn't find the energy to be embarrassed about the white 'Tucker' he knew was displayed along his lower back.

As the bell rang, they walked tucked in side by side to their first class; history. It was the only one they shared together anymore. Craig made small talk that Tweek absentmindedly nodded along to. His mind was suddenly very stuck on the encounter that just happened. It wasn't anything new. There were still assholes all over the school that liked to single Tweek out whenever Craig wasn't around. Their shots were cheap, always about his tics or his appearance. 

Tweek slid into his seat, staring straight ahead at the blackboard. He could feel his eye twitching, and he bit his lip to stop any accompanying sound from coming out. His therapist told him to ride out his anxiety and focus on calming down, so he allowed himself a moment to breathe. He could hear Craig mutter something to him and felt his hand slide perfectly into his own.

To be perfectly frank, Tweek was getting tired of everyone thinking he was some damsel in distress. Sure, he knew it was because he was jittery and meek when he was around Craig. He was sure that everyone in the cafeteria glanced at the two at least once during lunch every day. Saw the way he would melt into his boyfriend's side the minute they were together and shrink in on himself because, god forbid, he could afford to let his guard down for an hour.

Tweek was not weak. No. He just never cared to start conflicts. Sure, he wasn't on the football or baseball team like his friends. He was also notoriously one of the shorter people in their high school, barely standing above the freshmen. He once heard about how coffee stunted children's growth, and he had been drinking it since before he could even remember. 

He could feel Craig give his hand a firm squeeze.

He was also very skinny. Maybe that's why people thought he wouldn't pack a punch? Or perhaps it was because he never fought back when people shoved him into lockers by the front of his shirt or made comments about his shaking.

There was a wave of anger starting to brew within him now. He squeezed Craig's hand, maybe a little too tight, as suddenly his boyfriend's confused gaze snapped to him. "Tweek?" He whispered. 

"Craig Tucker." Their teacher suddenly called out. Both boys snapped their attention to the front of the room where their teacher's bored expression was laid upon them. She was holding a slip of paper. "Principal's office."

Craig groaned, leaning back in his chair and muttering something that sounded vaguely like 'fucking Cartman.'

"Now, Craig."

He turned to Tweek then, studying his face intently. Tweek shifted uncomfortably as he felt all eyes in their classroom focused on the two boys, most likely wondering what Craig was in trouble for this time.

"Go dude, I'm fine." Tweek whispered, biting his lip. Craig rolled his eyes but left the class with his things nonetheless. Tweek looked down at his books as he finally opened them up. The teacher began to drone on with the lesson.

Cartman must have told someone that Craig attacked him in the hallway, which most likely meant that Craig would miss the remainder of this class and be served a lunchtime detention. This meant that Tweek had nothing else to do for the rest of his history class but to brood over his anger. 

— — — — — — — —

His next class really wasn't much better. He sat with Wendy as usual and pretended to be okay when she asked out of courtesy. They typed away at their upcoming English assignment in silence.

His mind still stormed. He couldn't see why Cartman was always left to say and do whatever he wanted to anyone. There was a good reason most people tended to stay out of his way. The kid had left a trail of traumatised and broken people behind him.

"Hey, Wendy?" He spoke up suddenly, pushing down the top of his laptop to meet her eyes. She looked up intently like she had been waiting for him to say something.

"I didn't understand the assignment either. I mean, how are we supposed to follow the prompt while also bringing in-"

"No, no." He waved his hands to slow her down. "I uh- I wanted to ask you about Eric Cartman."

"Cartman? What about him?" 

"I mean, uh… Don't you think he's kinda mean?"

She closed her laptop at this and folded her hands on the table, a small smile haunting the edges of her lips. "I think he's a loudmouthed, spoiled, childish bully. But 'mean' works as well."

"Don't you think someone should do something about it? Like- hng- like put him in his place or something?" Tweek broke their eye contact then, instead choosing to stare out the window.

"I would love to see that. He's been like this since we were all children. He was always there when I was dating Stan, poking fun at me. I don't know what his problem is. No matter how often he gets his ass handed to him, he never changes." She hums, starting to play with her long hair.

"Someone fought him before?"

"Once or twice. In elementary." She smiled, her eyes twinkling as she looked lost in thought.

That was a long while ago, and Tweek didn't like to think about that time, but as he tried harder to remember, he could recall vaguely crowding around as a big fight broke out on the playground, blood painting the snow red. Was Cartman the victim of those vicious blows? It didn't seem possible.

Wendy cleared her throat and composed herself. She sat so straight; her posture was perfect. Her beret sat perfectly on her pin-straight hair. Not a single hair was out of place, as always. She was such a stark contrast to Tweek. He sat slouched over, all jagged bones and messy clothes. He had taken to wearing sweater vests over his shirts to hide the buttons he still couldn't get his shaky hands to button correctly. His hair, unlike hers, had never looked neat a single day in his life.

"I don't see how that would happen now, though. We're all going to graduate, and he'll be able to dissipate into adulthood and terrorise a whole new world of people." 

"That's bullshit!" He bit out, a little louder than he intended. He looked around to ensure nobody had heard before lowering his tone, "What gives him the right?"

The bell rang to signify the start of lunch, and Wendy began to pack up her things before she stood and paused, "Tweek?" Looking up, her eyes were more intense than he was expecting, and his head spasmed to the side against his will. 

"Hm?"

"I've got your back, okay?" She smiled, walking off and out of the classroom with a flick of her raven hair.

He didn't know what that meant, but when he stepped out into the hallway and stared at the fluorescents lining the ceiling, he suddenly knew what he had to do.

— — — — — — — —

Tweek set his jaw as he collided his shoulder into Cartman's locker, revelling in the resulting metal slam through the hallway. He ignored the loud sound of protest from Eric as he pressed on with his heated confrontation. "You know what, fatass? You win. I'll fight you. That's what you want, isn't it? To show everyone how- ack- weak I am?"

"What the hell is up your ass today, Twitch? Besides Craig, of course." Eric looked mighty proud of his little joke, no matter how uncreative it was.

"I'm sick and tired of your little comments, Cartman. Nobody ever fucking says anything to you because you're a psychopath well- hng- well, now I am. After school. In the parking lot." A group of students were surrounding them now, muttering to one another and watching in earnest as the exchange became more and more heated. The two boys were glaring at one another, standing face to face.

"Haha. Very fucking clever. Get me to show up to fight you, and then set your giant guard dog of a boyfriend onto me. I'm not a fucking idiot. Craig could fucking kill me." Great, so Cartman was terrified of Craig, but he seemed to think he could pummel Tweek into the asphalt. He seemed to forget when he and his friends convinced Craig and himself to fight during elementary school. The two children had beaten each other so severely that they ended up in the hospital.

"After school. Today. Unless you're too embarrassed to get your fat ass handed to you?" Tweek dug his nails deeper and deeper into his palms to stop himself from throwing Eric to the ground right then and there.

"Hey! I'm not fucking fat!" Cartman yelled, stamping his foot. "And I'm not scared of you either. I'll be there. You're gonna wish you had just kept to your goddamn self like you always do, spaz."

With that, both teenagers went their opposite ways down the hallway. Tweek hummed in satisfaction and made off angrily towards the cafeteria, hoping to get food before his last class. However, he was caught on the arm and jumped back in shock to find a familiar face. Kenny. 

"You're insane if you do this, Tweek. Cartman plays dirty. I know he used to get into fights in elementary, and he kinda sucked ass, but…." He looked lost for words. Well, actually, he looked as though he was panicking and reaching at straws to find any reason for Tweek not to fight. Tweek continued walking stubbornly, and Kenny followed suit just before him, walking backwards to keep facing him. "He's sneaky now. He packs more punch than you would think just looking at him."

"And I suppose you think that I don't?"

Kenny raised his hands in surrender, opening his mouth into a feeble smile that revealed his missing tooth. Kenny had lost his right canine when they were thirteen. Tweek had arrived at the scene just in time to see the reckless boy slam face-first into a tree while driving around the neighbourhood on the quad bike Mr Marsh had bought Stan for his birthday. The group of young boys stood around Kenny in a circle, jaws dropped in awe as the blonde raised his head from the ground, pulled his orange parka down enough to show off his cracked lips, and spit his tooth into his hand. The boys had erupted into cheers.

Nowadays, Kenny didn't wear anything to cover up his golden hair, and that missing tooth was always right there on display for anyone to see. "I just don't think you should do anything too hasty there, buddy." Tweek bit back a comment about how sitting with someone in science class to copy homework from didn't exactly mean that they were buddies, but he assumed it was an attempt to cool him off. "What about Craig, huh? I doubt he's on board with this." That pushed Tweek over the edge just enough.

Tweek adored his boyfriend. He loved him in a way he imagined people would spend their entire lives searching for. They were just lucky enough to have met each other as children. He loved being known as Tweek-and-Craig; he loved that people knew if Craig were invited somewhere, Tweek would tag along, and vice versa. But what he couldn't stand was that for the last eight years that they had been together, people couldn't seem to realise that Tweek had been his own person before they met. Hell, he still was his own person outside of their relationship. He didn't have to check every decision by his boyfriend, and he never expected the same.

"Craig has nothing to do with this!" He jabbed his long finger into Kenny's chest, scowling. "I'm so sick of that asshole thinking he can just say and do whatever he wants because there are no- ack- consequences! Leave me alone, man. I thought you were supposed to be Cartman's best friend, anyway." 

"Me?! No way dude." Kenny snickered, "Maybe when we were kids, but nowadays, I only occasionally hang around him when Marj is busy and I can't find Stan or Kyle." His eyes flicked up then and met with blue ones down the hallway. Marjorine smiled kindly at the two boys, closing her locker and holding her books firmly to her chest. She wore a powder blue coloured dress with a cardigan, her hair held back with brightly coloured hair clips that revealed the pale scar that ran down from her forehead, through her now blind eye, and into her cheek. It was always such a shocking contrast to her bubbly and bright persona that Tweek felt ashamed to even acknowledge it.

"That'll be my cue to go." Kenny's voice had become a happy sigh that made Tweek want to gag. He felt Kenny's hand clap over the shoulder and resisted jumping at the sudden contact. "Try not to die, eh? We'll be there cheering for you." He then rushed over to greet his girlfriend, who kissed him on the cheek when he immediately scooped all her heavy books from her arms and escorted her down the hall.

God, Tweek thought, were he and Craig that insufferably in love? 

— — — — — — — —

"Is it true?! Are you and Cartman fighting after school?!" Clyde attacked him as soon as he got close enough to the lunch table. Tweek stepped over the bench seat and sat in his usual spot between Craig's vacated seat and Jimmy.

"Good afternoon to you too, Clyde."

"Dude!" Tolkien cried out, impatient.

"Yes, okay. Jesus. I challenged Eric to a- hng- fight." Tweek's eye twitched as he stared down at the table. He usually arrived later than everyone else to the cafeteria and would sit down to find a plate of food in front of him, half of it eaten. Craig would lean over and leave a kiss on his fluffy blonde hair, and then they would talk about their classes to each other while occasionally making conversation with their friends too. It was nice. It was a routine that ensured Tweek didn't have to anxiously wait in line, eat nauseous portions of cafeteria food, or find a seat. 

Today, however, while Craig was in his lunchtime detention, Tweek was left to the intense stares of his friends with nobody to tell them to cut it out.

"You know that means he's probably gonna like... hit you, dude." Clyde frowned. 

"I think he understands that, idiot." Tolkien rolled his eyes, pulling on the collar of his shirt.

"And just to be clear, you're... gonna hit him back?" 

"Yes. I know what a fucking fight is, Clyde."

"Huh." The brunette slumped back from where he leaned across the table. "Craig isn't gonna like that. What'd he say when you told him?"

"Yeah... um."

"Dude!" Tolkien cried out again, some food flicking up from his tray in the frenzy. 

"Craig tutors after school in the library on Fridays. By the time he's finished, so will the fight! He won't have to worry about anything because he won't know and won't be there." Tweek shrugged.

"Wow. You really have all this figured out. How long have you been pla- planning this, dude?" Jimmy's brow furrowed.

"This is something I have to do." Tweek shrugged, staring at the bare table in front of him.

"Whatever the hell that means." Clyde muttered, stabbing at his salad. He looked pained.

"You could just as easily leave the guy alone. I mean, we have what? A month and a half of school left? What if you get suspended? What about college?" Tolkien reasoned.

"My permanent record is clean. One little fight isn't going to ruin my chance at getting into a college." To be perfectly honest, he was lying about that. A huge part of him was very worried about his chances of getting anywhere near that dream college in Denver if they looked at his record and saw that he got into a fight as a senior in high school, so close to graduation. He could be ruining the plans he and Craig had spent so long crafting.

"With Cartman, though? He doesn't exactly play f- fa- fair." Jimmy placed a hand on Tweek's shoulder, making him jump again. What was it with people touching him today?

"I know. I know. Come on though guys, you know he deserves this. How long have we all just shut up and let him say whatever he wanted? Played along with his plans just… because." They were all silent after that. 

Tweek could feel all of the eyes in the cafeteria on his back, much to his distaste. If there was one thing that didn't ever change about this town, it was that rumours spread fast.

"Oh, man." Clyde whimpered, "Craig's gonna hate me for not telling him."

"You damn crybaby." Tolkien rolled his eyes, elbowing Clyde in the side.

Tweek zoned out after that, absentmindedly nodding along to the conversation his friends started up to change the subject. He rested his head in his hands as he stared into the table, trying to push down the impended feeling of dread.

When lunch was finally over, he set off like a rocket to get to his final classes, ignoring the looks he received from classmates staring him down left and right. He focused hard on the work he had to do in class. Piano practice, painting, math problems, anything but thinking about what was about to happen. But soon enough, the final bell rang, and he carried himself out towards the parking lot.

— — — — — — — —

"Finally show up, huh? Thought you would have left town by now, Twitch." Cartman laughed as he approached. He was pushing the glasses he wore up his nose; an evil look glinted in his eyes.

Tweek rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into the pockets of Craig's jacket, staring right ahead at Eric through the parking lot. People had begun to surround them in a circle.

He looked up to see none other than Kyle Broflovski drag Stanley Mash along to watch from the sidelines too. He was reminded of when he had fought tooth and nail to earn Kenny's spot within their friend group. Cartman had been there too at the time. At the time, Tweek wasn't doing great in terms of making friends. His nine-year-old brain had thought this would be a great opportunity to finally get some. After all, the four boys were notorious for having the most fun out of their whole grade.

"Get him, Tweek!" The blonde almost laughed when he heard the distinct voice of Wendy Testaburger ring loudly through the parking lot. He looked up to see her just about jump over Bebe's back to see the standoff. He remembered now that she was the one who had beaten up Eric so severely before, back when they were in elementary school. He was sure she would be thrilled to see someone finally follow her lead after all these years. He met her eyes and gave her a solid, friendly nod.

Tweek reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his trusted headband, quickly pulling the fabric band around his head and pushing his unkempt hair out of his face. He then discarded Craig's jacket and threw it at Clyde, who received it to the face with an 'oof!' All around the two boys, a giant crowd had formed, leaving them no room to escape. Phones were recording the whole thing, people were sitting on top of cars to see more, and just about everyone was yelling now, egging on the fight.

"Fuck him up, Eric!" Jason?

"Show him no mercy!" He couldn't place the voice.

"Can you fucking start already?" Definitely Kyle.

"The spaz can barely stand already; just fucking swing at him, dude!" The voices were all merging into white noise. Tweek imagined this is how it would feel to be standing in the middle of a sports field, a stadium of people roaring passionately around you. 

"Punch his stupid face, Tweekers!" Marjorine. 

Nobody in their whole town had been broken down and pushed around by Eric Cartman quite as much as she had been. Tweek cringed at the even limited knowledge he had of what she had to endure her whole childhood. He remembered the sad little boy he used to be somewhat friends with. The boy who would be grounded just about every day but come to school with a happy smile on his face, only to be sent back home traumatised by the end of the day. He glanced at her now, watching her eyes light up in excitement at the knowledge that her terroriser might finally get what was coming to him. Kenny stood directly at her side, an arm wrapped protectively around her waist. He was never far from her, and Tweek remembered his thought from earlier. Maybe he and Craig really weren't that different.

He saw Kenny's eyes widen as he went to yell something before Tweek felt a fist smash into his cheek that made him fall hard to the asphalt.

He blinked a few times rapidly to get his bearings again. Everything was too loud and bright. The noise around him had become hazy, as though being heard through a wall. Cameras were pointed at him, and the faces of many people he didn't know laughed. Looking up, he was met with the evil, smirking face of Eric Cartman. His hand was still clenched in a fist, presenting it to the crowd like a trophy. He felt so overwhelmed that, at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to push his way through the group of people and run away.

Fuck, he thought, maybe I really am weak. 

He remembered now that he had gone with Stan and Kyle to learn boxing with his uncle when he was a kid. He could remember how uncomfortable he was slipping the big red gloves onto his shaking hands. They were sweaty and stunk and never fit correctly, as they weren't meant for children. He could only remember a little about the long and tedious session. They had gone over stance, posture, and terminology. He practised punching and dodging with Stan's uncle and his friend for too many boring hours. Almost all of it went directly in one ear and out the other.

There was, however, one thing that he still remembered from that training session.

Tweek brought his foot up sharp and hard into Eric's groin, and the crowd gasped.

"Augh! Fucking- not cool, man! That's so fucking not allowed." As the injured boy bent over and whined, Tweek returned to his feet and traced his fingers along his cheekbone. It was tender to the touch and would become a very ugly bruise. Enough was enough.

"You fucking- gah! Started this, asshole!" Tweek screeched before he launched forward and tackled Eric to the ground, swinging punches into his face. 

The two squabbled around on the ground, throwing punches and kicking left and right. Everywhere around them, people were yelling and jumping around. It felt like all the energy in the universe was right there in that parking lot.

They rained punch after punch on each other, rolling around on the ground. "Is that all you've got?" Cartman laughed, spitting blood as he grabbed Tweek's face and ground his cheek into the asphalt. In return, the blonde cried out and turned his head enough to bite at Eric's arm and sat up.

His advantage didn't last long as, quick enough, Tweek's hair was being pulled hard enough to send his face smashing directly into the door of a parked car they had somehow moved towards. The crowd hissed as Tweek cried out. 

"Where's your boyfriend when you…." Eric was breathless, "Need him, huh, spaz?"

Tweek whined, feeling blood drip down from his hairline. His unfocused eyes could recognise that his face had left a big bloody dent in the side of the car. Aggravated, the blonde grabbed the arm connected to the hand in his hair and used all his strength to swing Eric around and crash against the car's hood. All around the stationary vehicle people cheered.

"-week!.. Tweek!"

Tweek lifted Cartman by the front of his shirt and swung him back onto the ground again, pinning his arms above his head as he readied his fists to punch again. 

"Tweek!" He hesitated when he heard Craig's uncharacteristically distressed voice ring out. With Cartman winded, Tweek looked up in time to see his boyfriend barrel through the crowd, separating them like waves. They locked eyes for a brief moment before Eric took his opportunity and threw Tweek off of him with a stiff knee to his side. "Get the fuck off him, Cartman! I swear to god I'm gonna-" 

"Dude," Tolkien spoke as Clyde helped him hold Craig back from interrupting the fight. "I actually think he's got it." 

Tweek elbowed Eric in the face, crawling back to his feet and stumbling backwards momentarily. He wiped the blood from his face and deeply breathed, watching his opponent rise to his feet.

They continued to fight for what felt like an hour to the tired boys. Their kicks and punches were slower now, shoving each other around more than aiming to hurt. 

"Kick his teeth in, babe!" Craig's nasally voice called out. Tweek smiled to himself and aimed a punch right to the corner of Cartman's mouth. 

Looking down at the other boy, he could see something brewing in Cartman's eyes now. That sudden evil, psychotic glint shocked Tweek to his bone and made him hesitate to a stop.

He watched as the boy reached into his jeans pocket, holding eye contact, and extracted a switchblade. He quickly flicked it open and swiped it forward into Tweek's arm in slicing movements before he could react.

Tweek watched the ribbons of blood trail quickly down his arm in horror. As though watching from a distance, he saw Cartman readjust his grip on the blade, getting ready to jab it towards Tweek's torso. 

Crack!

Cartman let out the most agonising wail he'd heard in a long time, sitting up and bringing both hands to his nose as blood poured down his face. Tweek didn't realise what had happened until he stared at his clenched fist. He had punched Eric in the middle of his face in a panic. 

There was a clink of metal as the switchblade fell to the ground. "Y- you fucking freak! You broke my fucking nose!" 

Tweek stood, leaning so badly that he nearly toppled over but caught and righted himself. He was panting heavily, his face so sore and tender. His eye was swollen shut, and blood ran down his face and arm in rivers. There was blood dripping off his fingertips and leaving a morbid trail behind him as he took one step after the other towards the boy on the ground who was so self-absorbed now, he didn't even look up until Tweek grabbed him by his hair and forced him to look up at him as he loomed over the wounded boy.

Cartman's hands held his nose, blood pouring through his fat fingers. "Who's the fucking freak now?" Tweek bit out. He received a whine in response, Eric shaking his head. "Do you give up?"

The boy nodded vigorously, and Tweek let go of him, pushing him away so hard he fell backwards into stumbling steps until he was caught against a firm chest. He nearly cried with relief as achingly familiar hands hesitantly wrapped themselves around his middle to keep him from toppling over. 

"Let's go." Craig's voice was something Tweek had yet to encounter in their eight years together. He sounded like the blank space between every emotion. He was mad, and he was scared, worried, shocked. Maybe even a little bit proud. 

"Please." Was Tweek's only reply as he melted right back into Craig's side as though nothing had happened.

Safe, he kept repeating in his head. He was safe now.

His boyfriend walked them towards his car slowly. The large crowd of students had fizzled out, people chatting away and discussing things loudly as cars began to pull out from the lot and drive home. Tweek looked over his shoulder to see a group of students he didn't recognise run up to Cartman and help him off the ground, talking loudly and gesturing wildly as they began to herd him in the opposite direction. 

Tweek felt conflicted as an ugly part of himself had hoped that Eric would have been left to bleed through his fingers in the dark parking lot overnight. But more than that, he felt relieved, which was a feeling he also fucking hated. The guy had tried to stab him, but he was still relieved that he had friends who cared enough to ensure he was okay and get help.

Looking ahead, he recognised Stan and Kyle again, muttering frantically to each other beside Stan's dirty pickup truck. They had changed so much from the boys he and Craig had been friends with until middle school. Looking at them now, he could imagine them as the small boys he used to play superheroes or fantasy games with.

Stan's hair had been bleached on the ends, leaving yellow tails contrasting his dark regrowth. He had tried hiding the greasy mop in a red beanie that hung off his head. Tweek noticed that he was burlier than he had been as a child, and his lips were wrapped around a sickly-smelling cigarette. 

On the other hand, Kyle stood about a foot above his... friend? His red hair surrounded his face as it always had, but no longer did he hide it all in a bright green hat. He leaned cross-armed against the rusted truck but looked shocked as he noticed Tweek and Craig walk close. He nudged Stan silently with his elbow to grab his attention too.

"Dude," Stan spoke up, waving at the two boys with his cigarette between his fingers. "That was sick."

Kyle nodded, looking directly at Tweek. There was a very vulnerable look in his eye that set the injured boy back on edge. "I- um... You really..." He opened and closed his mouth, searching for what to say.

Craig pulled Tweek closer to his side, hiding him protectively within the fabric of his hoodie. He glared and swiftly extended his hand toward them, flipping them off.  

Kyle curiously just smiled at that with a nod. He looked away from the two and flicked the cigarette out of Stan's hand, stamping it into the ground despite the other boy's cries of disappointment.

They walked faster towards the taller boy's car, Craig supporting Tweek's shaky legs the whole way. Their friends were waiting impatiently, lighting up as they approached the vehicle. 

"Tweek! That was fucking badass. I mean, how did you even learn to scrap like that?! We could've really used you on the football team all these years if we knew you could take a punch so-"

"Clyde." Craig's voice cut through his best friend's ramblings.

"Right. Sorry. I just wanted to give you your things back, dude. Oh shit! Look at your fucking arm!" He reached out to grab it, but Tweek pulled it away from his reach, holding it against his side.

"I think we should leave them b- be, fellas." Jimmy spoke up.

"Jimmy's right, Clyde. We'll check up on Tweek later." Tolkien grimaced, beginning to lead the other two friends away from Craig's car before he hesitated, "You really were a badass though, Tweek."

"Thanks, man." Tweek smiled, walking around the car, pulling open the passenger side door and slipping in.

Shutting the door behind him with a bang made him jump. He'd been all over the place today with his anxiety, and he was letting it get the better of him again. He took a deep breath and stared down at his hands as they shook, his knuckles split open and raw. Blood was still dripping quickly down his arm from where Cartman had sliced him, and he tried to tuck it into his shirt so he didn't bleed all over Craig's car.

The silence was nice. Very different from the yelling and cheering, the cameras and the faces of students he knew and didn't. All he could hear now was the mumbling muted voices of Craig, Tolkien, Clyde, and Jimmy as they discussed who knows what just beyond the safety of the quiet car. Tweek didn't care.

It was getting dark now, and the street lamps had just flicked on, illuminating the parking lot and the few groups of students hanging around. He looked out to see if he could spot Kenny and Marjorine again, but he knew Kenny didn't have a car, and his girlfriend wasn't allowed to drive. He often saw them walking home together when Craig drove him home from school. 

Looking the other way, he saw Stan's pickup finally drive off with a roar of the engine and a plume of petrol filling the space. He wondered whether Stan and Kyle ever came to Tolkien's outrageous parties. They didn't really seem like the type. He wasn't sure he ever saw them talking with anyone but each other for a long time, especially since Stan and Wendy had broken up.

The fiery redhead uncharacteristically struggling to articulate his thoughts mere moments ago had thrown Tweek for a loop. He should have asked him what he wanted to say or said anything at all, for that matter.

As Craig opened the driver's door, Tweek jumped as his thoughts dissipated. He was so sick of being jumpy today. 

"You good?"

"Yes. Uhm- are you good?"

Craig nodded, "I'm gonna bring you back to my house. Will you tell your parents I'll drive you home tomorrow?" 

Tweek hummed, feeling around for his phone with shaky hands. He started to panic as he searched his pockets and found them empty. Before he could articulate his issue, Craig's gentle hand reached for his own and placed his phone in his palm. 

Oh. It must have been in the jacket pocket.

Tweek wiped his eyes and sent a very minimal text to his mother to tell her he wouldn't be home until the next day. He sighed in relief as Craig started the car and began their drive home. He slipped the phone into the centre console and closed his hands into fists in an attempt to get them to stop shaking so bad.

The silence that filled the car now was suddenly more painful than the previous yells and faces.

"You're mad at me."

"No I'm not."

"Then why aren't you- ack! talking?" He was met with silence. It's not exactly like he wasn't used to his boyfriend being taciturn and brooding at the best of times. Still, with the headache he already possessed and the gruesome feeling of blood dripping down his arm, he couldn't handle the tension looming over them as Craig silently drove them toward his house. 

The silence dragged on for a few more blocks until Craig finally spoke, sounding choked, "He had a fucking knife, Tweek. He could have killed you."

Tweek scoffed, "With that little thing? Do you really think I'm that weak?" He tried to joke bitterly but was met with silence and the sound of the road beneath tires. 

"Did you start it?"

"So what if I did? Does it matter?"

"I'm just confused. You never get into fights, not like I do." His grip on the wheel tightened, "You're smarter than that. And with Cartman of all people. You know the shit he's done. I've never even seen you fight anyone, and I was already scared, and then that asshole pulled out a fucking knife-"

"It was just a switchblade."

"Okay! A fucking switchblade or whatever you want to call it. You're still bleeding nonetheless!" The silence swept back in after Craig raised his voice. He looked furiously at the road ahead, breathing deeply to calm his anger.

Tweek cleared his throat, "I'm tougher than I let on, Craig. I mean, I beat you up pretty good in elementary school, if I remember correctly. You even showed me that scar you still have." Tweek leaned over, poking Craig in the side with his good arm, right where he knew the scar sat underneath a blue hoodie.

Craig hummed, the edges of his mouth lifting ever so slightly, "I'm pretty sure that I was the one who kicked your ass back then." Craig pulled the car to a stop outside his house, Swiftly pulling the handbrake and cutting the engine. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face Tweek, "Will you let me help you? Like… Patch you up and um… stuff?" He sounded so unsure.

The blonde realised then that Craig was just repeating the actions that he knew Tweek took when their situation was the other way around. The knowledge made Tweek want to cry. He unbuckled his seatbelt and fell forward into Craig's chest, sighing when big arms came up to hold him close.

"Yes." He whispered painfully into Craig's shoulder. He could feel Craig's breath hitch, and before they parted, his boyfriend passionately kissed the top of his hair.

As they approached the house, Craig's fourteen-year-old sister stood in the doorframe, holding her phone up and practically shoving it into Tweek's eyes, "Is this really you?!" She gaped. 

"Where did you get that?" Craig huffed, grabbing the top of her head and pushing her to the side so the two boys could move through the door.

"Karen." She shrugged.

"And how does Karen have it?" Craig mumbled over his shoulder, slowly leading Tweek up the staircase. 

"I don't know. Do you want my help or not?" Tricia called out, pausing the movement of the two boys.

"Huh?"

Tricia just groaned, rolling her eyes. "The med kit is already in the bathroom, and I just texted Mom and Dad telling them to have dinner out because we're going to 'watch a movie.'"

Craig hummed, turning back around to help Tweek up the stair again.

"Thank you, Tricia." Tweek called over his shoulder, his voice rough.

"You fix him up, Craig! I'll kill you if you don't." Tricia flipped her brother off and received a middle finger right back.

Reaching the bathroom, Craig sat Tweek down on the closed toilet lid and got to work. 

Tweek zoned out as Craig touched his face, patching up cuts and picking gravel out of his cheek one by one. His boyfriend calmly removed the headband from his hairline, allowing the blood-soaked blonde strands to fall back around his face. Tweek stared blankly ahead; the tears streaming down his face were the only indication he was reacting to what was happening.

"You know, this reminds me so much of that dorky little headband you used to run around in when we played superheroes as kids. What was your name again?" Craig patted Tweek's hair to get it to sit more neatly with the band removed. "Tweek." Craig whispered, shaking his shoulder to get him to focus.

"Wonder Tweek." Tweek croaked out; his eyes were unfocused and tired as they finally stared into Craig's.

"That's right." Craig smiled, a tear slipping out of his own eye. "That's right, we were a team, weren't we? Wonder Geek and Stupid Craig, huh?" Tweek fell forwards into his chest.

"No no wait. Wait for a second, honey. Your arm." Craig pushed his boyfriend back onto the seat and pulled his arm out to get a better look. He hissed when he was met with the severity of the lacerations. "I'm going to- I told him he wasn't allowed to lay a... fuck, Tweek." Craig was losing his composure by the second, "Why'd you do that?" 

Tweek simply shrugged, "I beat the hell out of him, huh?"

"You really did. I doubt he'll even come to school until his nose is fixed." Craig began wrapping Tweek's forearm in gauze, focusing hard to ensure it wasn't too tight. Once he was done, he confirmed it was tied correctly, then laid a kiss on top.

"I should take you to the hospital. You'll probably need stitches or- or you could have a concussion. What if your ribs are broken?!... I... " Craig looked down in shame as his lip quivered.

Tweek lifted his boyfriend's chin with his hand, watching the silent tears fall from his green eyes curiously. "You're starting to sound like me now, dude. Are you sure you weren't the one knocked on the head?"

Craig laughed, shaking his head as he rose and offered Tweek his hand, "You're such a douchebag." Tweek took it eagerly.

They ambled back into Craig's room and tossed their dirty clothes, replacing them with mismatched pyjama sets. Years upon years of sleepovers had left so many of their clothes and things scattered between houses.

They curled up in each other's arms. Craig's fingers drew shapes around Tweek's bruises to wind him down as Tweek stared at the glowing star stickers they had put on the ceiling when they were eleven. It was long before either spoke up again; both were on the edge of sleep.

"Don't scare me like that ever again." Craig pleaded, curling around Tweek and tucking his face into the smaller boy's shoulder.

"Never." Tweek promised, unable to help the small smile that found his split lip, "I was just tying up a loose end, that's all."