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Christmas was about a week away. This was terrible, actually, it wasn't good at all. How could Craig and Tweek have forgotten that Christmas was coming and that they needed to think about gifts for each other?
For Craig, his biggest problem would be finding something unique, not too expensive, useful, and suitable gift for Tweek. Meanwhile, Tweek would have to worry about finding something that interested Craig and was complex enough for him to like and be satisfied with.
Both teenagers tried to act as if they didn't have it on their minds, as if it wasn't a concern while they saw each other during that time. Until the subject came up, after the make-up exams, which took place on the 16th, they sat in the area where they always spent recess together during regular classes and talked about the exams and study routines, as well as the best things, like vacations and holidays.
A few of Craig's friends had to retake exams, which was normal, especially for high school students. However, Craig seemed to have more ease in subjects considered by general as "difficult” than his classmates. Craig never had to retake exams. He always got the necessary grades. He could technically be on vacation like people commonly did when they had already passed the year. But, to the others' surprise, he was there because of Tweek.
Tweek is a boy who has a lot of difficulty with subjects that require organization and calmness to avoid mistakes. Not only that, but his diagnostic issues sometimes allowed him to skip school. That's because staying in school would be even worse for him, for the other children, and even for the unprepared adults. At least that’s what most people thought.
Tweek needed to get good grades to pass the year, and that thought alone made him nauseous with pressure. Of course, Tweek was as hardworking as possible, but he was also very pessimistic, which could cause his results to change during exams. Clearly, Tweek was already tired, mentally exhausted, and overwhelmed after the long exams. So, the moment his extra time was up, he left the room as quickly as possible and jumped into the arms of his boyfriend, who was waiting for him outside.
They both waited for the rest of their friends and then went to their usual spot to sit and talk before saying goodbye and going their separate ways. Craig sat on a bench, and Tweek sat on his lap, burying his head in the space between Craig's neck and collarbone, while also wrapping his arms around the other's neck. Tweek was unable to remain present in that conversation reviewing what they had just done. Craig only opened his mouth to answer confirmation questions about the test, otherwise he just stared at the exhausted blond man pressed against his body.
Craig is taken aback when one of his friends asks how he plans to celebrate Christmas, something that instantly interests Tweek. Tweek pulls his sunken face away from Craig's and stares intently at him, "Ah, I don't know, I'll probably spend Christmas at home with my parents, my sister, and probably my grandma. Nothing too special, you know? We don't have much to do besides the basics," Craig replies to his friends with a hint of embarrassment. This causes him to lower his gaze to his beloved.
Everyone expected Tweek to say something about how he would celebrate as well, especially since he comes from a wealthy family and is dating someone. Tweek starts to get nervous and lowers his eyes in embarrassment at having to look anyone in the eye as he answers, “Well, from the moment my parents found out I failed, they basically left me behind and asked me to take care of things while they go on a trip far away. I don’t know, I guess it’s a business trip. They told me they wouldn’t be back until the 28th, so the chance of me spending Christmas alone is pretty high,” Tweek says something like that as if it were a positive thing. Tweek smiled, embarrassed, just for having to talk about himself in a gathering of friends.
Craig looks at Tweek with a serious face and asks, “Wait a second, so you’re telling me your parents abandoned you for a few weeks now and left you to take care of everything, besides abandoning you at Christmas?” What kind of joke were Tweek’s parents making about their own son? Craig thinks the way they treated their son is very stupid, but it wasn’t much to expect from them. It’s just sad that someone like Tweek has the misfortune of having people like his parents as parents. They don’t seem to care about their son in the slightest, except to treat him much worse than a guinea pig for meth coffee.
Craig looks at his boyfriend and leans on his shoulder, making the blond look into his eyes without quite understanding. He takes a deep breath and says to his friends, “Tweek is going to spend Christmas at my house then.” The moment he says that, it seems everyone has the same reaction. They all raise an eyebrow and look at them with a slight sarcastic smile. But Tweek acted differently, he jumped in the other's lap almost and looked at him with a startled, worried expression, actually.
"Craig, what do you mean?" Tweek looked disdainfully while his mind was already racing, thinking about how much more serious this all was than just a normal invitation, "I can't ruin your Christmas! This is crazy!"
Craig takes both of Tweek's hands, takes a deep breath, and with a slight smile, responds to him.
“My family won't mind if you spend it with us. You practically live at my house. There's no reason for them not to let you. And it'll be nice to spend Christmas together, right?”
Tweek feels his face burning, in a very positive way. However, he's so embarrassed that he grabs Craig's sleeve and tries to stop him before the invitation becomes any more concrete than that, “Craig, no, I- I- I mean, ugh… I don't know if it's a good idea for me to spend Christmas with you guys. What if my parents find out? What if I do something wrong?”, This was definitely the moment that had been asking him so many questions. The other boys laughed at Craig's calm demeanor in dealing with his anxious boyfriend.
“Tweek, you don’t have to worry! It’s just a Christmas invitation, if you want to spend it alone… I won’t judge you. I’m just saying it would be important to me,” Craig says this shyly as he assumes and looks down, so as not to get lost in the other’s face.
The moment Craig said that, Tweek looked at him with intense, blue, slightly wide eyes. He looked at Craig, after calming down, and simply smiled. A genuine smile appeared on his face. His lips made the scene even cuter than anything else. In a matter of milliseconds, Craig looked at Tweek, who was now quiet, and noticed his reaction, which melted his heart. He couldn't react stupidly at that moment because he wasn't alone with him.
"I'll be at your door at 10 pm on the 24th, is that okay with you?" Tweek asked Craig for confirmation of when he should arrive. Considering the comment, he had accepted the invitation. This made Craig even happier, "Okay-Okay, great, honey. That's fine. I'll be waiting for you."
The boys who were still standing, rolled their eyes, but with the casual knowledge that they were the third wheel for South Park's most famous couple. They thought it was cute, of course. But they were even more jealous of having to watch it from a single person's perspective. "Okay, so everyone's going to have a good Christmas plan this year, wonderful!" They laughed together, until each one gave their brief farewell and left that empty school, since nobody wanted to stay another minute in that school.
Tweek didn't want to disappoint his parents. He wanted to keep making money, even without the adults around. He served customers, made coffee, listened to complaints, and kept the money in the till. And, meanwhile, he tried to find the perfect gift for Craig. He hated the idea of it not being something surprising, because it needed to be. Deep down, he wanted to elicit a good reaction from Craig. That's what was difficult.
Tweek had an idea, but first he had to make special Christmas gingerbread cookies for his parents' shop. That way, not only would the coffee be an income, but he would also get extra money to buy something for Craig. He did it calmly, as if it were a hobby that soothed him. He started by making the dough, then smoothed it out so he could cut it into cookie cutters or use a very thin knife. Then, he would use the extra sprinkles he had saved for a while. Tweek made all the cookies look wonderfully beautiful and edible.
To attract more customers, he had to put up a small sign outside the establishment, informing not only regular customers but also passersby and those who lived nearby. He takes a deep breath, still wearing his dirty apron, and starts shouting to get attention, as he was announcing a new creation from Tweak Co. Many people showed up, which was good. The line was so long that he had to make a few more batches.
Luckily for Tweek, Craig was passing by with his mother and noticed the number of people his boyfriend was dealing with alone. He smiled and waved to the other, which made Tweek lose focus for a moment. But he could see that Laura Tucker, Craig's mother, had said something to him. Something that seemed like a comforting confirmation of permission for her son. Craig went into the store, dodging some customers and reaching the cashier, going to his side and starting a conversation before quickly stealing a kiss, half-hugging.
"Honey, what are you doing? I've never seen it so busy here... Are you managing to handle this many people?"
"Oh, Craig... I am! It's actually fun making little gingerbread men to sell! They're making me feel capable of doing things on my own, it's not always like that," Tweek replied with what seemed like honesty. This was a good thing not only for Tweek, but for Craig as well. Seeing the other's genuine happiness made him happy too, “That's great, Tweek! I'm happy for you… Just… don't tire yourself out so much! I want to have a good Christmas with you, preferably without you being as overwhelmed as you already are. Okay?”
Tweek smiles at the other's concern and approaches him, gently placing his index finger on his boyfriend's cheek and then moving a little closer, kissing the same spot where his finger had been before.
“I ended up getting some frosting here, but it's clean now. I fixed it.”
This makes Craig let out a small “Pfff” at Tweek’s joke, but inside he was melting more than that cover could possibly be. He blinks quickly and looks back at Tweek, who was quickly going back and forth to attend to customers in the warehouse. Tweek stops the moment Craig stops abruptly and calls his name.
“Tweek.”
“Tweek…”
Craig ends up grabbing Tweek’s sleeve, finally making him turn to look at him. Craig seemed a little frustrated by the delay, but he put it aside for the moment.
“Tweek, I believe you’ve been very busy… Are you sure you’re okay with all this? I can come back later if it’s better! It’s just that all these people in an enclosed space talking loudly are making me anxious… If you know what I mean?” Craig looked somewhat downcast at his position, until he felt Tweek’s hand touch his. It was a gentle and caring touch, “Craig, just the fact that you came quickly to visit me has already brightened my day! I promise everything's fine, you don't need to worry this time. And if it's bothering you too much, I don't see a problem with you going back with your mother. I wish I could give you more attention, but it seems like everyone is focused on ordering Christmas cookies and coffee…”
Craig gently pulls him by the wrist and kisses his forehead before briefly caressing his cheek with his hand. Tweek blushes and kisses the other's cheek again, until Craig walks away towards the door and they exchange not only glances but nods as well.
Tweek did a quick search for what he could give Craig, right? And he was making these cookies to save up enough money in a piggy bank to buy his boyfriend's gift. And, with only a few days left until Christmas, he managed to gather what he needed and was able to buy Craig's gift. He made a small decorated box with wrapping paper for him, and Tweek felt satisfied with his scheme. Meanwhile, he missed seeing his boyfriend so often, because he was so busy and focused on chores and surprises.
For the 24th, he had already prepared everything to take to the Tuckers. He had barely spoken to Craig in the last few days, so he missed him terribly and couldn't wait to see him.
Tweek managed to prepare some decorative cupcakes and some Christmas-themed cookies, much more detailed than what Tweek was selling. It seemed like those cookies were made with more love and dedication, and it was also a way for him to thank Craig for the invitation to spend the holiday with him. But to finish all that, he ended up being busy all afternoon, and when he realized it, there were only a few minutes left before the time he had promised to arrive at his boyfriend's family's house.
Tweek arranged all the sweets in a box that is usually given to customers who carry a lot of weight, and then he ran to his room to get ready. He put on a typical Christmas-themed t-shirt in green with red details. There were little reindeer zigzagging. It was a very cute outfit and suited Tweek very well.
Putting everything together, Tweek grabbed Craig's gift, the sweets, and set off for his boyfriend's house. Taking great care not to drop everything and ruin it. Especially since the snow seemed to make everything worse, but at least it was beautiful.
“CRAAIGGG! Tweek’s coming!”, Craig’s little sister, Tricia, shouted to her brother. She was near the window and had noticed the blond boy approaching from afar. Meanwhile, Craig was sweating with nervousness, even though he didn’t show it clearly. “CRAIG!! I’ll answer the door for you! Tweek’s already at the door!!”, Tricia liked Tweek more than any other friend whose name Craig mentioned. She herself admitted this loudly and clearly and did everything to see the two of them always together. Before she didn’t understand much, but now, she was in love with having Tweek as her “brother-in-law”.
Tweek, outside, was hoping they would open the door soon. Since it was freezing, he was almost shivering. However, Tweek felt a pleasant warm temperature warming him the moment he saw Craig abruptly open the door while trying to keep Tricia from stealing the show.
They both seemed mesmerized as they looked at each other, forgetting everything around them. Their eyes shone with the enchantment they each had for the other.
“Craig, let Tweek in already! He must be freezing!” Tricia said to her brother while trying to peek out the crack in the door. But something sweet happened. Craig couldn't resist and went outside, closing the door to have a moment alone with Tweek. This made Tricia peek through the window next door, remaining quiet, “I think I would be an excellent aunt, for your information.”
Craig takes the other's hand, pulls him close, and quickly places both hands on the other's face, cupping his cheeks and pulling him into a sweet, deep, and loving kiss, one that would warm Tweek from the inside out. After Tweek drops everything on the floor, just to avoid breaking things, Craig laughs quickly and spins Tweek around in his arms in a hug. Tweek smiles and hugs the other back, but Tricia has to spoil the romantic mood.
“Aww… They’re so gay…”
This made the dark-haired one quickly frown and want to strangle his sister, which elicited a good laugh from Tweek. He went back to gathering everything and went inside the house with the other.
As soon as he entered, Laura appeared and smiled in his field of vision, “Aw, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Craig so happy at Christmas! I’m so glad you came, Tweek! Welcome!” The woman approached the others, making her own son blush. But that wasn’t important anymore, since deep down they knew it was true.
“Mrs. Tucker, I… I brought some cookies and cupcakes to eat later… It’s my way of thanking you for the invitation,” The three Tuckers present smiled and seemed delighted by each other’s promptness. Laura smiled in approval, Tricia in delight, and Craig with pride and a heart full of cuteness. They help him set the table and then open the box, everyone delighted and impressed by the level of detail and the aromas emanating from those Christmas sweets. Laura had to go get her husband to see.
Thomas appears in the room, wearing tight pants with a belt and a typical Christmas shirt, along with a freshly opened beer in his hand. He smiles at the sight of the treats and goes to give Tweek an awkward handshake. Thomas seemed a little drunk, but he seemed more animated than usual. He was the kind of person Craig had inherited a lot of in terms of attitude. They are less about words and more about action, but that doesn't mean they didn't feel. Thomas sits at the table and the others, along with Grandma, begin to sit down to have supper.
There was a limited variety of festive foods, but those that were available were delicious and made with great care and affection. They shared good family moments there. Then, Tweek asked to leave even before finishing his meal. He got up and ran to the nearest bathroom. Tweek closed the door and suddenly began to whimper. Casually, Craig followed him everywhere, so he followed and leaned his head against the door to listen. He sensed something was wrong.
“Craig…?” he asked in a low, tearful voice, “Craig… Is that you…?” Before Craig could even answer, Tweek opened a small crack in the door to look outside. And yes, it was Craig. Tweek didn't say anything, but opened the door and let him in to keep him company. Craig hadn't even properly processed it until he looked at Tweek's face and saw not only that the other's eyes were red from crying, but also that the tip of his nose was red, making Craig carefully comment that he looked like a cute reindeer, which he punned on, turning "dear" into "deer."
"Tweek, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Craig asked, wiping his teary eyes with his thumb.
When he caught his breath, Tweek looked at him shyly and replied, "In none of the other Christmases have I felt as loved as I do here..." Tweek's voice broke into a happy high note as he smiled and looked at his boyfriend. This made Craig's heart skip a beat, "Thank you, Craig. You're the best!"
Craig smiles and pulls him into a tight hug, almost cradling him in his arms, “No need to thank me, sweetheart. Thank you too.” They exchange glances and, before leaving the bathroom together, ready to open their long-awaited presents, they exchange glances between their eyes and lips, both enchanted by each other. Incredibly, Tricia had glued a small mistletoe to the top of the bathroom sink mirror. They both notice this at the same time, and then seek each other's lips. They begin kissing under the mistletoe, as they always say, that plant makes couples officially united forever, almost a sacred blessing.
“Come on, we have presents to open!” Craig says, pulling the other to accompany him to that small Christmas tree, made with dedication and love. They all sat together near the tree and began giving each other presents.
“Craig…”
Craig stops in place as soon as he hears Tweek carefully call him, turning his face and body towards the blond boy and smiling.
Tweek takes a deep breath and hands Craig the rather large box, “I’ve been saving up to give you a nice present, that’s why I was selling cookies at my parents’ store. But, well… Open it and I’ll explain.” Craig seems intrigued, even just by the wrapping paper outside the box. He takes the box and begins to open it almost immediately.
Craig freezes in place, completely surprised when he realizes what he had in his hands. His mouth forms a perfectly circular shape of surprise, his eyes wide and bright like a child seeing a whole toy store just for them. Craig handles the box with great speed and shock, as if it were all a lie and he was waiting to be woken up.
“No way, Tweek! Is this a real telescope?”
“Yes, Craig! Did you like it? I figured that for someone who loves stars so much and studying the world out there… I think it would make sense to give you one of these. So you can see everything up close… I was undecided if it was a good idea to give you this, but I think you liked it, didn’t you?” Tweek laughed at Craig’s wonderful reaction. He felt his whole body filled with relief and warmth at the excited way his boyfriend was reacting to his gift.
“Tweek!” he pulled the blond into a tight hug, holding back tears of emotion and excitement, “You’re amazing. You’re perfect. I love you so much, babe.”
Laura smiled at the excitement of everyone in the room and grabbed a camera to take pictures and record the good moments. The boys were so focused that they didn’t even notice her action, while Tricia ate a delicious cupcake that Tweek had made with a special decoration for Tricia.
“Craig, don’t forget Tweek’s present, my son. You were so excited to give it to him!” This was supposed to be Laura’s line, but it was Thomas who said it, already quite a few beers down. He spoke a little slowly, but smiled with the emotion that permeated the walls of that house.
Craig gets a slight shock of reality and puts his gift aside, already preparing to grab the box behind him and hand it to his boyfriend's sweaty, nervous hands. Tweek hadn't expected a gift, but he did. He takes the box and carefully opens it. When he realizes what's happening, he looks strangely confused, but very happy. He pulls out a blue scarf, the same shade as Craig's chullo, and begins to delicately put it around his neck.
Craig looks at him with a smile, "It suits you so well! Did you notice the little yellow stars I embroidered on it?" Craig was proud and excited to show his boyfriend the gift he had made.
When Tweek notices the delicately embroidered stars, he looks at his boyfriend, unable to contain his emotions. He was almost about to cry with joy, but his body reacted with even more impulsiveness, and he threw himself on top of Craig. They both fell to the cushioned ground, Tweek landing on top of Craig. It wasn't clear what was happening, but they first exchanged Eskimo kisses, and then they placed their hands on each other's cheeks and began kissing right there on the floor. It was sweet and warm. Thomas laughed at the boys being so young, their laughter approving. Meanwhile, Laura tried to take a picture of the two while trying to distract Tricia from observing the scene. And Grandma was already almost asleep on the sofa.
They kissed calmly, then began to surrender themselves to each other completely, but nothing obscene. They smiled with each passing moment and didn't let go of each other's hands. Tweek didn't take off the scarf made for him, and Craig didn't stop talking about the things he liked. He talked about constellations. He tried to assemble the telescope with Tweek, and then they took the telescope to Craig's room, which was decorated with a space theme. They didn't seem to stop smiling. The glow-in-the-dark star stickers on Craig's ceiling made them both look beautiful and illuminated in the natural darkness of the room. Positioning the telescope near the window, they listened and watched the beauties that the sky offered them that Christmas. A short time later, after more kisses and things like that, they both grew tired.
When tired, they lay down together on Craig's bed. Tweek rested his head on his boyfriend's chest, his eyes shining. Their tired eyes shone even brighter when they met. A short time after this exchange of glances, they found themselves sleeping adorably together. So much so that when Laura passed by with Thomas beside her and Tricia asleep in her arms, she peeked through the door and smiled. She asked Thomas to get the camera and take a quick picture of the two sleeping comfortably. After that, they closed the door and let them sleep in peace.
And that would have been the Tuckers' Christmas along with Tweek, who, years later, would all carry the surname "Tucker." The family already considered themselves complete at that time, but they were truly made for each other. Time would only prove it more than it already did and does.
Merry Christmas.