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Tweek had mixed feelings about graduation.
Don’t get him wrong, he was ecstatic to finally get out of his parents’ house and leave South Park for good. He definitely wouldn’t miss the town or their manipulation.
But he’d miss his friends. He’d miss the familiarity.
He’d miss Craig.
Tweek always knew it was coming. He and Craig made a plan a long time ago. Since South Park couldn’t survive without them together, they would pretend to move out of South Park together as a couple, claiming to go live in some cozy apartment in a city together while they go to college, that way everyone could assume their love story lived happily ever after.
But the reality was, the moment they were out of town, they’d go their separate ways.
They’d have to share the car for a little while, sure, but that was a small price for freedom.
Except…Tweek couldn’t help the anxiety and dread that filled him when he realized that day was getting closer and closer.
Call him insane. He’d grown to really like this…thing between him and Craig. It was comfortable. It was routine.
Funnily enough, despite Tweek’s phobia of pressure, he never felt like the pressure from the town was world-ending. Even though everyone’s happiness relied on their lie staying together, he was never afraid.
Maybe it’s because Craig carried the burden with him, and Craig made him feel like anything and everything was possible.
They’d gotten in such a routine of it all, too. Craig drove him to school, he always brought him coffee from home (ever since he found out what was in Tweak Bros’ Coffee), he always rebuttoned his shirt for him outside of school, he’d walk him to his locker, and then they’d part for class.
Craig had gotten especially good at turning Tweek’s head and pressing his thumb between their lips to make it look like a real kiss to other people. There was never true contact, but Tweek always smelled his minty fresh breath and it made him weak in the knees every time.
The idea of losing that. Of not having that everyday. Of not seeing Craig everyday…it was almost too much for Tweek to handle.
But he knew he had to be strong. For Craig’s sake. Craig’s waited so long for this, and Tweek wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize it for him.
“What’s your plan for after graduation?” He asked Craig as the two relaxed on the couch, playing video games. Something they’ve been doing together for the last ten years.
Craig didn’t even look away from the screen. “You know the plan.”
Tweek frowned, but didn’t pause the game. “No, I know the plan we tell everyone. I mean your real plan.”
Suddenly the game paused. It was so abrupt that it took Tweek a second to process. When he did, he looked over at Craig in confusion.
Craig was looking right back at him, equally confused. “Tweek, what the fuck?”
“W-What!?” Tweek stammered, completely thrown. “What do you mean ‘what the fuck’? W-What’s wrong with what I asked!?” He tugged on his sleeve subconsciously.
Craig gently set his hand over Tweek’s to stop the action. He frowned. “What do you mean when you say my ‘real’ plan? I thought our plan…was the plan.”
Now Tweek was even more confused. “W-What are you talking about? We came up with this plan years ago! S-So we could leave town and then live our own lives!”
“Holy shit, Tweek, we made that plan when we were eight!” Craig snapped. Craig rarely sounded angry. Even his angry voice didn’t sound very angry, but it was just different enough that Tweek could tell he was upset.
Tweek scowled, hand shaking under Craig’s. “S-So? We never talked about changing it! Besides w-what’s wrong with that plan? It’s a good plan! If that’s not the plan then what the hell is the plan!?”
“The plan was to move out to the city together!” Craig repeated.
“I-I know that! I’m asking you what the real plan was!”
“THAT WAS MY REAL PLAN!” Craig exclaimed.
A silence fell over the two, with the exception of Craig’s soft pants as he tried to process his own outburst. Even ten years later, Craig still wasn’t good with his own emotions.
Tweek looked at him, baffled. “Wait…you…you were serious about all that? But…you never talked about it…”
Craig hesitated, opening and closing his mouth a few times, before just glaring at his lap.
His expression made Tweek pause. He knew when Craig got overwhelmed that he could go mute, or at the very least need a few minutes to figure out what he wanted to say. It took Tweek a while to realize that, but once he did it definitely helped with their communication.
So, he kept silent. He just gently squeezed Craig’s hand in his and waited.
Craig glared down at his lap for almost three minutes, before taking a deep breath and speaking quietly. “I guess I just…even though I knew this wasn’t real, knew that we weren’t…real…I never…fuck, it never occurred to me that that meant a future without you in it.”
Tweek’s eyes widened.
“I know that’s stupid and doesn’t make any fucking sense. Obviously the plan was to split off. Obviously we were doing all of this just to make the town happy, but I didn’t…I forgot what…what all of that would actually mean…” Craig let out a shaky breath, shoulders beginning to tremble. “That in three weeks…this is over.”
Tweek couldn’t believe it. He and Craig have had some really good talks before, about the deep stuff. But never like this. This might be the most intimate conversation they’d ever had, and Tweek had never heard Craig’s voice sound so…defeated.
And the fact that his body was trembling…
“Are you…crying?” Tweek whispered, trying to lean his head down a little to get a look at Craig’s face.
Craig quickly turned his head away from him, sniffling. “N-No…that’s stupid…I’m Craig Tucker, I don’t cry over anything. W-Why would I cry over losing something I never even really had?” His voice cracked against his will, and that seemed to be the last straw. He set his controller down and curled up, hugging his knees and burying his face in them. “…Fuck.”
Tweek didn’t even hesitate. He set his own controller aside and scooted over until he was pressed against Craig’s side. He pulled him into a tight hug and buried his face on his shoulder.
Craig didn’t reciprocate the hug, but he rarely ever did. Instead, he nuzzled into Tweek’s hair. “…Thanks.” He sniffed.
After a few moments in the hug, Tweek pulled back to speak softly. “Craig…I’m…really confused about all of this…but…” He bit his lip. “You know that…we can stay in touch, right? I mean, graduation doesn’t have to mean we’re not friends anymore. I just…I didn’t think you’d want that.”
Craig’s head whipped over to look at him in disbelief, and it allowed Tweek to see the obvious tears in his eyes. “Tweek, seriously, what the fuck? Do you think the last ten years meant nothing to me? I know I’m shitty with my emotions, but that’s next level dickish.”
“I’m sorry!” Tweek sputtered, scrambling to explain himself. “I just- I thought- After dealing with me for so long and not being able to go out with anyone, I thought you’d be excited! You can finally go out with girls and stuff!”
“Dude, why would I want to go out with girls?” Craig questioned, taking a moment to wipe his eyes on his sleeve.
Tweek frowned, rubbing his arm. “Well…when we first were being shipped together…you…you said you were upset because you wouldn’t get any chicks…”
Craig groaned and ran a hand over his face. “Jesus christ, Tweek. Why are you basing all of this off stuff I said ten years ago!?”
“Because we haven’t talked about it since!” Tweek protested. “We haven’t talked about anything! If I’m wrong, tell me then. Tell me what it is you want and what you’re expecting in the future!”
“Do we have to have it all figured out right this second!?” Craig questioned, almost anxiously. He was nervously tapping his fingers on his leg.
“How can you start your future without a plan!?” Tweek freaked.
“BECAUSE I DON’T CARE WHAT MY FUTURE LOOKS LIKE AS LONG AS YOU’RE IN IT!” Craig blurted out and effectively silenced the room once again. He looked surprised at his own declaration, and rubbed the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes tightly. “Jesus Christ, that was the gayest thing I’ve ever said.”
Tweek stared, mouth agape. “You…You’re…” His heart all but stuttered. “What are you saying, Craig?” He whispered.
“Fuck if I know, this is all pretty new and confusing for me too.” Craig mumbled, decidedly not looking at him. He let out a heavy sigh. “Look…I know what I said all those years ago, but…I can tell you confidently that it was all bullshit. I’m not…I’ve never been…” He clicked his tongue and finally looked Tweek in his eyes. “Tweek, I’m gay. Like fully gay. Like, so gay that it’s really cringe. I’ve always been gay, and I’m always gonna be gay.”
Tweek’s jaw couldn’t get any lower. His eyes were threatening to bulge out of his skull. “…So…the Asians were right all along?”
Craig’s face scrunched up in annoyance and disgust. “Holy shit, don’t phrase it like that. It’s because of them that it took me so long to accept myself.”
A million thoughts were running through Tweek’s mind. Craig’s been gay this whole time. He’s known for at least a little while, if not always. He thought their future plans were actually real. He thought that he and Tweek were going to move to the city and live together. He doesn’t care what his future looks like as long as Tweek’s in it.
Tweek’s going to pass out.
“Uh…dude?” Craig spoke awkwardly. “You’ve been sitting there staring at me like I’m an alien for like two minutes. This is getting homophobic.”
Quickly, Tweek shook his head around rapidly to snap out of it, his whole body shaking with adrenaline. “ACK- no! I’m sorry! I meant- I just- When did- How did-“
Craig set his hands on Tweek’s shoulders to steady him. “Deep breaths, honey.” He told him calmly. “And to answer your sort-of questions, I figured it out when we were fourteen, and it was when we had a sleepover. I woke up in the night to you laying partially on top of me, snoring away, your pajama shirt buttoned incorrectly, and was given my first awkward boner. Thanks for that by the way.”
Tweek was going to combust. He was just going to explode and they’d have to scrape his remains off the wall. “Jesus Christ.” He choked out.
“Yeah.” Craig huffed a little. “You were my gay awakening. Congrats. I mean, there was other signs before then I guess, but I didn’t really know it at the time. And I guess after a few years I just…forgot that our dating was fake?”
“You- You what?” Tweek’s mouth was dry as a desert. If he wasn’t already sitting, he’d have collapsed.
Craig rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Around age sixteen it just…felt so natural. We had the routine down, you know? We knew how to answer any question people threw at us, we hung out everyday, we had pretend kissing down to a science…it was easy to forget.”
“And you were- you were okay with that?” Tweek stammered. “Okay…with me?”
Craig looked at him with a frown. “Tweek, I don’t do things that I don’t want to do. You know this. Do you seriously think I was with you for ten years just for the sake of the town? I don’t give a shit about anyone in this stupid place except for you.”
Tweek’s eyes grew wet at his impossibly sweet words. He felt like his heart might actually burst. “…Craig.”
But then, Craig grew uncomfortable and backtracked. “I guess I sort of give a shit about Token, Jimmy, Timmy and Clyde, but like, not nearly as much.”
Tweek let out a watery laugh and hugged him again. He felt Craig awkwardly pat his back, which made him chuckle further.
“Okay, we’re reaching my limit on this feelings talk.” Craig mumbled. “The point is with all of this is that I love you and I don’t want this thing we have to end. So regardless of whatever plans you’ve already made…uh…forget them and just come be gay with me in the city.”
Tweek’s tearful laughter turned into full-blown cackling. He clung to Craig for support as he wheezed uncontrollably.
“Why are you laughing?” Craig frowned. “I’m being serious here, Tweek.”
Tweek lifted his head and grinned at Craig so hard that his mouth hurt. “I love you too, even when you’re so stupid.”
Craig made a noise of offense. “How am I stupid? I just laid it all out very clearly-“
Tweek ignored him and gently cupped Craig’s face in his hands, pulling him into their first ever real kiss.
It was very different from when Craig would kiss him with a thumb between their lips. It was very different without having a thousand eyes watching them.
It was clunky, their teeth knocked together a few times, their teeth weren’t brushed. Craig tasted like the gummy worms they’d shared earlier.
It was incredible. It was everything Tweek could ever want.
Because Craig had balled his hands into Tweek’s shirt and was kissing back. Because his lips were so incredibly soft. Because he was being careful not to lean his weight on Tweek even as the kiss grew more intense.
He was always so thoughtful. So attentive.
And now they had the rest of their lives to be together.
Tweek broke the kiss as he started to tear up again. He gave Craig a wobbly smile. “So…being gay in the city together, huh? That’s our plan?”
“Sounds like a perfect plan if you ask me.” Craig told him casually, with blown pupils and not so subtle glances at his mouth.
“Will we go all out and get a small dog too?” Tweek teased. “Will we hang a pride flag from a balcony?”
Craig snorted. “Wow. That’s pretty gay, Tweek.”
“You’re pretty gay.”
“Blame the Asians.”
The two stared at each other, before bursting out into childish giggles like they were nine years old again. Craig laid on the couch and pulled Tweek along with him. Tweek buried his face in the crook of Craig’s neck, still snickering.
Graduation was a few weeks away.
But Tweek wasn’t scared. Not anymore.
He knew exactly what his future held.