Chapter Text
Craig was unable to forget about the kiss the rest of the weekend. He ignored almost all of the texts that were sent to the group chat, especially if they were from a familiar perky blond boy. He couldn’t stand to read any of them, couldn’t take it knowing that something so enchanting had happened Saturday night and Tweek wasn’t going to remember any of it.
Getting up for school Monday was torture. He had spent every moment of his Sunday in bed, watching from afar as Stripe moved around his cage and occasionally stopped for a drink of water. Even the warm fur of his guinea pig could not cheer him up. Craig didn’t even bother plugging in his headphones, knowing that it would be too much to handle, knowing that he wasn’t going to feel anything on his own even if he tried.
To make things worse, it had been dark, gloomy and dreadful all of Sunday, and he was now waking up to another crappy day. The sun was completely gone, drizzling rain gently falling against the sidewalk and pitter-pattering against Craig’s window. Dark storm clouds crowded the sky for days, angry thunder clapping loudly in his room.
His parents had tried to ask him about the dance and the party, curious to know how it had gone. But Craig would offer them no answers, shooing them away and refusing to come down and eat dinner.
Besides the regret he had felt for kissing Tweek while he was drunk, Craig had no idea how he was going to face Clyde. Part of him hoped the other wouldn’t remember, that they would remain friends as though nothing had happened. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that Clyde knew and was furious with him, and rightfully so.
Embarrassed, Craig ran his hands over his face. He couldn’t believe that he had been so jealous that he had actually punched his best friend. Not to mention what Tolkien and Jimmy were going to say to him as they had witnessed the entire thing. It was humiliating how angry he had gotten–and now there would be absolutely no denying his feelings for Tweek.
Craig was sure that the vibrations that had come from his phone all of yesterday and now this morning were from his friends, angry with him for having hurt one their own. That or they were teasing him for whisking Tweek away from the scene, and Craig wouldn’t be able to handle that either.
He laid in bed until he no longer could, begrudgingly heading for the bathroom so that he could shower and hopefully wash away all of the terrible things he had done over the weekend. No matter how much he regretted attending prom or wished that he could go back in time and stay home that night, Craig knew that it was no use. He had punched Clyde and kissed Tweek, and that was not going to change.
He placed a familiar blue hat over his slightly damp hair, studying himself in the mirror. There were gray bags under his eyes–Craig had hardly slept the last two nights, too anxious to rest. He could barely feel Tweek the previous day, much to his appreciation. Feeling the other boy would simply be too much right now; he knew he couldn’t handle it.
As he brushed his teeth, Craig wondered what Clyde was thinking at that moment. He knew he was angry, of course, after Craig had busted his lip open, but what else was he thinking? Was this the last straw for him? Would he want to try and reconcile with Craig after he had done such a thing? What if Clyde had decided that he had had enough of Craig and never wanted to speak to him again? Craig didn’t know if he could go on knowing this best friend was done with him, that they were now enemies for good.
But more than anything, Craig thought about Tweek. What was the blond doing right now? Was he still dealing with a hangover, had he remembered any of what he and Craig had shared just a couple of nights before? Or had he gone to the other guys for answers, asking them what had happened that night, and when they inevitably told him what Craig had done to Clyde, would he want to cut him off, too?
The thought hurt Craig like crazy, though he couldn’t help but wonder miserably if it were for the best. He knew now, clear as day, what he felt for Tweek, but what if the other didn’t feel the same way? Or worse, what if he did feel the same way and they started going out, only for Tweek to leave a month later for college? Craig didn’t know if he could handle being apart from him. Weeks ago he had been contempt with enjoying his time with Tweek while it lasted, but now that he had kissed him, Craig didn’t know if it would be that easy to let him go.
Leaving South Park had been Tweek’s dream, and Craig knew that. Was it possible for them to even date if Tweek was destined to leave the town for good? He was unsure before if he, himself, would be enough reason for Tweek to stay, but now he knew for sure that he was not. Hypothetically, even if they did end up together as the universe had foretold, what would Tweek even do about college? Surely, he wouldn’t stay?
Craig rubbed at his eyes a final time, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. He didn’t want to deal with going to school that day, ready to apologize to Clyde for overreacting but not ready to see Tweek. He knew that he had no choice but to see him, had no choice but to attend school that day, but he knew that it was going to be extremely difficult.
He slung his backpack around his shoulder, making his way down the stairs for the first time since Saturday. His parents were awake and ready to greet him, but one look at Craig’s face told them that it would be best not to push their son for any information for a while. Craig carefully crept through the living room before swinging the front door open and shutting it behind him.
The day was still just as miserable as when Craig had woken up. He popped the hood of his hoodie over his head, jamming his hands into his pockets and began walking to school, or rather, his inevitable doom.
The rain was still slow for the time being, but there were puddles littering the floor of the earth, mud forming all over the sidewalk. Craig scrunched up his nose, doing his best to step over the mushy, clumpy earth. It felt unusual for Craig to be walking to school, so used to being picked up by Tolkien for a ride every morning, but even if Tolkien wasn’t upset with him, Craig didn’t think he really wanted a ride, anyway. The coolness of the outside air sprung at his cheeks, sizzling against his hot skin.
When he had made it to school that day, Craig felt a miserable whirlwind of anxiety twisting around his gut, hoping, pointlessly, that none of his friends had showed up. He had done his best to get there early so that he could approach Clyde right away. Craig stood in front of his own locker for quite some time, fiddling with the strings of his hoodie as he nervously watched the front doors, waiting for anybody he recognized to walk through.
To his astonishment and relief, Tweek, for some reason, was not with them. Craig felt a grateful tug in his heart, releasing a shaky breath as he watched Tolkien, Clyde, and Jimmy sauntering into the school. Their expressions were pretty unreadable to Craig, the three of them talking to one another. Craig took a final deep breath and approached them.
They didn’t notice him at first, but when they did, the three of them stopped in their tracks and stopped talking at once. They each had a blank expression on their face, eyeing Craig suspiciously. The blue-eyed boy offered them a small smile that none of them returned.
“Um,” Craig started quietly, “hey.”
The other three gave each other a look, still silent, before turning back to look at Craig. The taller boy gulped nervously, biting at his lip.
“Clyde–”
“Save it,” the boy said grouchily, ready to shove Craig out of the way and start walking away when Craig held out his arms and stopped him. Clyde had definitely remembered everything.
“Wait, please!” Craig begged, heart hammering. “Clyde, I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry–”
“How could you do that, Craig?” Clyde asked in disbelief, “I’m supposed to be your best friend.” His eyes were starting to get a little teary. “I didn’t even do anything–”
“You didn’t,” Craig agreed, nodding, “you did nothing wrong. It was me, Clyde. It was all me. I just… I just got so angry, seeing you with…” he trailed off, looking away guiltily.
“I just… I never thought you would ever hurt me, dude.” And there was a soft sadness to his tone when he said it that didn’t sit right within Craig.
“I know,” Craig said quietly, “I didn’t think so either. I was…” he gulped, breathing sharp, “I was jealous. I didn’t like you touching… him. I-I didn’t really realize just how much I felt for him until that night, when you were dancing with him at prom. And I tried to let it go, I really did, but then seeing you two holding each other,” Craig let out a heavy sigh, embarrassed, “I just couldn’t take it.”
Craig looked back up at Clyde, who was looking clearly hurt and confused. Craig continued,
“I was thinking that the two of you might actually be good together, and it hurt. I didn’t want him to choose you. I wanted him…” to like me.
Clyde let out a huff, folding his arms across his chest. Firmly, he stated, “I do not like Tweek, dude. I like girls.”
“I know,” Craig replied pathetically, though he had to admit that the declaration deeply soothed the ache in his gut. “I know. But Tweek… he’s always admired you. He thinks you’re really popular and cool–”
“Well, I am.”
“And I guess seeing him be so friendly around you just set me off. But that was no excuse to punch you. I never want to hurt you, Clyde. And I never will again. I swear to god, I never will again. You’re so important to me. All of you are,” he admitted, eyeing the other two that were staring at him strangely.
Craig finished, swallowing a lump in his throat, “I don’t want to lose any of you because of my own selfish dick feelings.”
Clyde looked away from him then, eyebrows furrowed. Craig would have given anything to know what he was thinking, if he was contemplating forgiving Craig or not. Not that Craig deserved it–he had been totally out of line punching his best friend, someone that he had known and loved for over half of his life. He would have completely understood if Clyde never wanted to speak to him again.
“...So you punched me because you were jealous?” Clyde asked, clarifying. He had raised a hand to his chin, deep in thought. “For no other reason than that?”
Craig, feeling embarrassed for acting out over something so stupid, nodded his head. Clyde let out another huff, rolling his eyes.
“You’re pathetic,” he said to Craig, shaking his head. Craig nodded quietly, looking down at his shoes. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how else to further explain to Clyde just how truly sorry he was for the awful encounter they had had just days before. He supposed he should have apologized for ignoring them all the day before, too, but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat.
The four of them stood in silence for a moment, none of them entirely sure what to say next. Craig was desperate for their forgiveness, needing his friends now more than ever. He didn’t want to ever fight with them again, swearing to himself that he would never be so stupid as to hurt them ever again. He wished that he was better at speaking, wished that he was better at putting together the right words to say.
An idea suddenly popped into Craig’s brain, and he had to fight to keep the smirk off his face.
“Yeah, I was jealous,” Craig sighed, throwing his hands up dramatically. “How could I not be? My best friend is just so cool and smart…” He closed his eyes and slouched his shoulders for dramatic effect. It hurt his own ego to be saying such things, but right now he didn’t care.
“I was jealous,” he repeated, “because of how funny and popular and strong you are, Clyde.”
He peeked an eye open and saw a small smirk rising on Clyde’s face. Jimmy and Tolkien gagged.
“Oh, barf–”
“And you’re so, so handsome!” Craig continued, internally gagging, too, “so very, very good-looking! More gorgeous than I could ever even dream of being. Truly, it is as though you were sculpted by the hands of the gods themselves–”
“Okay, prick, shut the hell up,” Clyde cut him off, but he was laughing much to Craig’s delight. He punched the taller boy in the arm lightly, testing the waters. Craig only smiled back at him, the pair eyeing each other warmly.
“I guess I forgive you,” Clyde murmured, “I mean, after all, you sort of embarrassed yourself enough already.” He scrunched up his face angrily, holding up his fists in front of himself and saying in a high-pitched, mocking tone, “’Stay away from my soulmate!’ You’re so fucking cringey, dude.”
Craig felt heat rising to his cheeks, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Yeah, that was pretty pathetic, Craig, even I have to admit,” Tolkien added matter-of-factly.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that mad, Craig,” Jimmy said, and the other two nodded in agreement. “I mean, s…seriously, you looked really dumb–”
“Alright, alright, I get it,” Craig said, smirking smally. And then, internally cringing at what he was about to say, Craig sighed deeply and said, “Love makes you do crazy things–”
“Oh my god, fucking shut up.”
“Dude, ew!”
“You’re disgusting, Craig.”
The four of them started laughing at Craig’s bad joke, each of them cringing disgustingly at what he had said. They stood in a peaceful silence for a moment, eyeing each other fondly. It was an extremely comfortable silence between them. Craig felt enormous relief that he had not lost his friends for good, knowing that he would be on thin ice from now on but not caring; he would never risk losing them again.
They stood in front of Craig’s locker now, watching as Craig stuffed some books from it into his backpack.
Tolkien was the first one to break their silence.
“Hey, man,” he asked cautiously, “what’re you gonna do about Tweek?”
Craig sighed slowly, shutting his locker and leaning against it. “I don’t know, dude. What can I do?”
“Well, you could tell him how you feel, that’s for starters.”
Craig rolled his eyes. “No. I won’t do that.”
They looked at him crazily. “What? Why not?”
The taller boy licked at his lips. “What’s the point? He’s going off to college soon, anyway. It’s not like we could start a relationship or anything now. He’s going to leave and never come back to this stupid little rat town.”
The other three looked at each other suspiciously, saying nothing.
“I’m not gonna hold him back,” Craig explained further. “He deserves to get out of this town. I don’t want him to–”
Craig cut himself off. A sudden burst of energy had swarmed in his gut, the feeling overpowering anything else in his chest. It was strong and sudden, completely extinguishing his own burning flame. The feeling was definitely not coming from him.
“Craig!” a voice shouted from somewhere beyond them, and the four of them whipped around to see Tweek coming barreling through the front doors of the school toward them.
Without warning, Tweek shoved his way through their other friends and threw himself at Craig, wrapping his arms tight around his neck in a warm embrace. It stunned him, unsure of how to react for a moment before he was hesitantly hugging him back, arms folding around him in an awkward fashion.
“Uh… hi?”
“I got in!” Tweek squeaked, backing up from Craig excitedly and shoving a paper he had been holding in his hand into his chest. Craig grabbed it before it fell to the ground, the piece of paper nearly completely crumbled from where Tweek had been holding it so tightly. Craig did his best to flatten it out before reading along the lines of the letter.
It was a response from a college Tweek had applied to months before, the first line congratulating the blond into their school. Craig was ecstatic for him until he saw what particular college had accepted him.
It was an out-of-state college, eons away from South Park. Tweek was jumping around on the balls of his feet in front of him, eagerly waiting for Craig to finish reading.
Craig’s heart had shattered into a million pieces, at a loss for words. Tweek’s own emotions were so strong that they had completely overthrown Craig’s, the blond completely unaware that Craig was slowly breaking from the inside out.
Craig lowered the paper from in front of his face, crestfallen. Tweek was staring at him happily, face screwed up in pure joy, the brightest shining smile overtaking all of his features. How could Craig say how he was truly feeling, when Tweek was staring at him like that, as if he had just won the lottery, as if Craig had just handed him a one-way ticket out of their shared town?
Reluctantly, Craig feigned a smile. “That’s great, Tweek.” He gulped down a lump in his throat. “Seriously, this is amazing.”
Tweek let out an excited squeal, taking the paper back. “I can’t believe it! All that hard work really paid off! Well, I won’t know if I got a full-ride or not until final grades are due, but if we get an ‘A’ on our project then surely they can’t reject me, right?! Ack, this is so exciting!”
“I’m happy for you,” Craig said softly, trying to keep tears out of his eyes.
“Um, yeah, we’re happy for you, too, Tweek, since you seemed to have forgotten we’re here!” Clyde said grouchily, and Tweek turned to them with a smile on his face.
“I got in, guys! I did it!”
“We heard,” Tolkien said jokingly before offering Tweek a high five and a pat on the back.
“Congratulations, Tweek,” Jimmy smiled at him. Tweek let out an exaggerated sigh, hugging himself, unable to stop himself from bouncing off the walls. He looked so happy, sharing such big news with all of them, Craig noticed. It was like all of his soulmate’s dreams were coming true, which is everything Craig possibly could have wanted for the other boy.
The bell suddenly rang, and Craig’s four friends let out a gasp at the noise.
“Aw, shit, I’m gonna be late for math,” Clyde said, waving at them all and running off in the other direction. “Good job, Tweek!” he shouted over his shoulder before he was whipping around a corner, out of sight.
Jimmy and Tolkien were both hurrying off to their own classes, too, after hying Tweek up one last time. Craig watched them walking away, off to whatever class they had next and unbearably leaving Craig and Tweek alone.
Craig was just getting ready to set off for his own class when Tweek suddenly stopped him, grabbing at his bicep.
“What’s wrong?” asked Tweek immediately, voice soft and expression full of worry, as though he was actually deeply concerned for Craig. The older boy felt his gut filling with anxiety again, Tweek’s own emotions finally dying down enough to notice that Craig was clearly upset. He hated that Tweek could feel him, hated that he could figure him out so easily.
“Nothing,” Craig answered at once, and it was so obviously a lie. “I’m really happy for you, Tweek.”
The blond huffed, letting go of Craig and crossing his arms. He didn’t believe Craig.
“Come on, tell me,” Tweek pressed, eyeing him scarily. “You know you can tell me anything.”
Not this, Craig thought helplessly, I can’t tell you this.
“It’s nothing,” repeated Craig firmly, eyes hooded. His feelings were giving him away. He so desperately wanted them to disappear, wanted his own stupid hurt to vanish in favor of Tweek. It was a big day for the blond, and Craig couldn’t stand that he was ruining that. “I’m gonna be late for class, Tweek.”
But Tweek shook his head, scoffing. He stepped a little closer to Craig, the smell of coffee overwhelming him. The stench suddenly made him sick, stomach becoming more queasy the longer that they stood together. Craig didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to hide how upset and hurt he was, knowing that he didn’t deserve to feel either of those things at all.
“Craig,” Tweek said again softly. Craig wanted him to stop prying, so scared that if the other kept pushing then he would spill out all of his secrets right all over Tweek. He didn’t want that–he had to keep them hidden away in his heart so that Tweek would never find them, so that he would never know.
After Craig started walking away again, Tweek made another grab at him, his hand desperately reaching out for the taller boy’s.
“Are we not going to talk about it?”
Craig’s soul left his body, the shards of his broken heart digging into organs and piercing his bones. A spike of anxiety went shooting up through his spine, his skin prickling and sweat forming on the back of his neck. Oh god, Craig cried internally, oh god, he didn’t forget–
“Talk about what?” Craig snapped stupidly, turning around to face Tweek again. The blond looked at him stupidly, rolling his eyes and placing a free hand on his hip, paper crumpled underneath clean cut fingernails.
Craig felt another shock of anxiety pierce through him, this time not coming from himself. Tweek had suddenly grown nervous and embarrassed, and Craig didn’t need him to say it out loud to know why.
Tweek let out a shaky breath. “You kissed me,” he whispered, “you kissed me, and I thought–”
“What? You thought what, Tweek?” Craig spat, a rush of anger spiking through him like an electric shock. Tweek looked taken aback, releasing Craig’s hand and taking a step back. Craig could feel the hurt that coursed through him, and deep down he hated himself for making Tweek feel that way.
Furrowing his eyebrows, Tweek muttered softly, “why are you doing this, Craig?”
Exasperated, Craig threw his hands up in the air. He was feeling too much now, too much sadness that Tweek had been accepted into a college out-of-state, too much anger that Tweek couldn’t seem to understand why Craig was so upset. A broiling was settling at the base of his stomach, fumes pushing against coal that was beginning to spark. Like a dam opening in a river, Craig’s feelings came gushing out through the gate full speed.
“You’re leaving,” Craig mumbled, shaking his head with rage, “you’re leaving, Tweek.”
Tweek’s eyes widened a little, mouth opening slightly. The hand on his hip fell slowly, both of his arms hanging loosely at his sides. He was staring at Craig as though he had grown an extra head, mind boggled. Craig could both physically and emotionally feel the whirlwind of Tweek’s emotions at the realization, brain connecting the pieces together and feelings settling heavily in his gut next to Craig’s.
How had Tweek not figured this out sooner? He had told Craig so many times that he had to get out of South Park, that he couldn’t stand being here, that there weren’t enough reasons to stay. Tweek had wanted so desperately to get out of town that he hadn’t even thought about the risks of leaving what was most important to him behind.
Biting at his lip, Tweek thought quietly for a moment. Craig waited rather impatiently for his response, feeling agitated and full of rage, but mostly hurt. Hurt, that Tweek hadn’t realized just how fucked up the situation they were in was, just how cruel the universe had to be to pair them together when it knew of Tweek’s intentions all along.
The blond dropped his gaze for a moment, heart feeling too much. Craig could feel him, but the overlapping emotions that filled him confused Craig to no end. At least, maybe, Tweek had now realized just how serious the situation was and had pieced together the fact that perhaps the universe had been wrong and that they weren’t meant to be.
Tweek’s voice had become rather shaky, looking up at Craig with a hopeful, scared, but determined expression.
“So, tell me to stay,” he said quietly, voice almost at a whisper. He had said something that Craig had been so afraid that he would, sealed Craig’s own worries. He had known deep down that if presented the idea, Tweek would say that in a heartbeat. “If you tell me to stay, I will.”
The power Tweek had just given him wasn’t fair. How could the blond say such a thing? Didn’t he realize how awful it was either way, no matter what Craig said? Didn’t he know that desperately he wanted Tweek to remain there, in South Park, with him? But he couldn’t do that, couldn’t tell Tweek to stay. If he did, then the blond would be miserable and resent Craig later in life.
If he stayed just for him, the guilt would eat Craig alive, from the inside out. What a selfish thing to say, to tell Tweek that he wanted him to stay, to basically ask Tweek to give up something that he had worked so hard for just so that he could be with him. The idea was like telling Tweek to choose Craig over his dream, which was something Craig just couldn’t do.
Alternatively, Craig could tell Tweek to go and damn himself to a miserable lonely life of torment without the blond. How was he meant to exist, now that Tweek had meant so much to him? How was he meant to go on with his life, knowing Tweek wasn’t by his side?
How unfair this decision was, which was basically insinuating that one of them had to be unhappy. And if that were the case, there was no way Craig was going to let Tweek give up on his own happiness over Craig’s. Out of the two of them, the one that deserved happiness the most was Tweek.
Craig felt like his entire world was crashing down on him as he stood there, looking at the blond. Tweek’s face was etched with worry but confidence. However, Craig knew he was faking it. His feelings were giving him away, too, a pit of dark fear consuming him. And Craig was scared, too, so scared of losing him. But if Craig had to go everyday for the rest of his life miserable while knowing that Tweek was happy, then he would gladly do so.
If Tweek going off to college and never seeing Craig again made him happy, then who was Craig to tear that away from him? If he really loved Tweek, then wasn’t the best decision here to let him go? It wasn’t like Tweek needed him. He had said it so many times before, but Tweek truly was so smart, smarter than Craig would ever be. And he was funny, charming, and beautiful. He could so easily put a smile on anyone’s face, enchanting everyone in the room just by simply existing.
But Tweek also made music more captivating than anything Craig had ever heard in his life. And a kiss from him was even better, like being sent up to heaven or like falling into a world of nothing but happiness, sunshine, and beaches, beaches like the one Tweek had created in his heart so many months ago.
Craig knew that he could never possibly be enough for someone as amazing as Tweek. What did he have to offer the boy, other than himself, which was nothing. He was nothing compared to Tweek. And the blond deserved so, so much better.
With a heavy heart, Craig finally stood up straight, stepping away from Tweek and finally shaking his head, his lips held tight together. It was impossible to miss the way Tweek’s heart fell, his feelings exploding, his anxiety racing all across his gut. And Craig wanted so desperately to calm him down, but he knew it was for the best that he didn’t.
Tweek’s emotions were all over the place once again, but it wasn’t endearing as it usually was. He was panicking from the inside, hands beginning to twitch and shake at an alarming pace. The blue waves inside of his stomach were sloshing all around, thunder rumbling, storm brewing, as though he was trying to come up with the right words to say to Craig.
Only there were no right words to say.
Craig’s eyes left Tweek’s, and he began to turn around and walk away. He was beyond late for class now, not that it mattered. Nothing mattered anymore.
But again, he didn’t get far. Tweek came racing after him again, the piece of paper he was holding falling unceremoniously to the floor, opting to hold Craig instead. With two hands, he closed his fingers around Craig’s right wrist, directly over the place where both of them knew Tweek’s name was. The touch suddenly burned, Tweek’s name creating a hole in his wrist and his heart.
“Tweek–”
“I know you like me!” Tweek cried, and Craig turned back around slightly, staring at Tweek with bewilderment and sadness. Tweek had begun to cry, tears running down his perfectly pink cheeks, right over the freckles that Craig had gotten to know so well. His eyelashes were wet with tears, clumping together prettily, Craig thought with a pang of his heart.
“I know that you like me,” Tweek sobbed again, softer, grip loosening from Craig to come up and clutch over his own hurting, beating heart. “So, why…”
Craig didn’t answer at first. He was too focused on where Tweek was using his wrist, the same one that held Craig’s name, to wipe over his hot tears. He had hurt Tweek to the point of tears, a fact that would haunt Craig for the rest of his life.
Why couldn’t Tweek understand? This was for the best. It was for both of their own sake that weren’t together. Being together would only cause each of them to hurt, would only cause Craig to hold him back. Why couldn’t Tweek see that Craig was doing this for him? He wanted Tweek to live the best life he possibly could, and there was no way he could do that with Craig around. Craig would never forgive himself for keeping Tweek from reaching his full potential.
His full… potential.
If Tweek was gone, then Craig would never be able to feel the music again, he realized with a start. If Tweek wasn’t there to play for him, then Craig would never again be able to drift away into their shared universe, the one they had created just for them. The feeling scared him at first, realizing that Tweek had taken over his love for music completely, and that he could no longer feel for it again the same way that he did before. He had known that music had no longer sounded the same without Tweek, but it was dawning on him at full speed the true consequences of Tweek leaving the town forever.
Craig had only ever existed before for music. But now, he was existing for Tweek. And if Craig were to keep him here, he would only be doing his existence a disservice. After all, hadn’t he just said that Tweek was the only one that mattered?
He would have to give it up. Craig would have to give up feeling his music forever for Tweek. The thought should have made him afraid, considering that he had only ever known how to feel music before he met Tweek and he would have to relearn it without him, but it mostly just brought him peace. Peace, knowing that the same wasn’t going to be said for Tweek; he had spent years creating his own music without Craig; surely, if Craig weren’t around, Tweek would still have the same feelings of his piano to keep him grounded while Craig couldn’t be there.
Craig hoped, for his own sake, that Tweek would understand. That he had to push him away in order for Tweek to be happy. That one day in the future he would know why Craig wouldn’t tell him to stay, that they couldn’t be together.
After all, if they weren’t together, then Tweek would be free to leave with no regrets. If Craig were not there holding him back, then Tweek would have no reason to stay.
Craig looked at him for only a moment, taking in the last few sights of Tweek as his emotions settled down inside of himself. Even when he was crying, Tweek looked so beautiful. Even though he was hurting because of him, Tweek had managed to take his breath away.
After a final once over of the blond, Craig screwed up his face in mock anger and disgust, furrowing his eyebrows as he stared directly into pale blue eyes and said menacingly,
“I don’t see how you could have ever thought I would like you, Twitchy.”
First, he could feel Tweek’s shock, and then his sadness, and then his heartbreak. Then, Craig felt one last tug on his heart. He was overcome with the feeling of loneliness again, feeling as Tweek’s heartbeat slowly faded away from his own. Then, he felt nothing at all.
The bond between them had broken, and Craig Tucker no longer had a soulmate.