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Craig clustered together all of the allowance money he had, sloppily tucking it into the pocket of his jacket. He had abstained from the urge to spend it for weeks. After slipping his shoes on, he finished the look by throwing on his signature hat. As if on cue, he heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. He threw his door open and stomped down the stairs, clearly not hesitant to make noise. At the end of the stairs, his dad was putting on his jacket and looking for his keys.
Craig put his hands in his pockets, “Is he here?”
“I think so. Why don't you go ahead and open the door?” With that, Craig swung the door open and was met with blue eyes. Tweek was wearing his usual button-up and jeans, which were accompanied by a scarf and gloves due to the cold.
Craig’s lips curled into a small smile, his braces almost peeking through, “Hey, Tweek.”
“Hi, Craig.” Tweek beamed, nervously tugging at his shirt.
“Let's go to my dad’s car.” Suggested Craig, stepping out into the snow and leaving the front door wide open, earning a scowl from his dad. Tweek followed, separating from Craig and going to the other side of the car. Soon after, Craig’s dad closed the front door and got into the driver's seat.
“I’ve never been to the aquarium before!” Tweek blurted as he tugged harshly at his blonde hair– twitching a bit in his seat as well. Craig looked at the boy with curiosity, furrowing his eyebrows marginally.
“Dude, you talk about the ocean like all the time.” Craig was genuinely surprised. He often heard the blonde talk non-stop about underwater creatures, and Craig was more than happy to listen.
“Yeah, but I've never gotten the chance to actually see this stuff in person!” Tweek remarked, pulling his seat belt down and finally sitting still enough to put it on correctly. Abruptly, the car started pulling out of the driveway and into the street.
—
It took about 15 minutes to get to the large building, which thankfully had hardly anyone in it. Craig touched the pocket of his jacket, making sure that his money was still with him. His hand was intertwined with Tweek’s, which trembled much less than usual. Examining the blonde, Craig couldn't help but take notice of the faint smile that he was wearing. Tweek was typically a very anxious person; however, his presence was calm. The couple walked toward the entrance of the building.
“I'm paying.” That was all Craig said as they walked in, but it seemed to disturb the peace Tweek was feeling earlier.
“Agh– what? I can't let you do that!” Tweek let go of Craig’s hand. His hands flew to his wild hair, gripping tightly. The sudden upheaval caught Craig off guard. Before Craig could reply, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
“Alright you two, I'll come to pick you up in a couple of hours.” Craig nodded and waved goodbye to his dad. He then adjusted his attention back to Tweek, who was still visibly distressed.
“Babe, it’s fine.” Craig took Tweek’s hand and held it tightly. Tweek nervously groaned in response, but not protesting. Craig took the money out of his pocket, giving it to a woman that worked there. She smiled in response, letting the two know that they were free to go inside.
Craig loved the color blue. Suddenly, he was surrounded by it. The building had a good deal of vivariums which varied in size. Most of which were entirely transparent, making it easy to see the aquatic wildlife. It was breathtaking. Best of all, there weren't many people there. It almost felt like it was just him and Tweek.
“Craig, look!” Tweek dragged Craig towards a large tank, which was populated by some type of jellyfish.
“These are called moon jellies, the least dangerous jellyfish to humans. They are carnivores. And even though they live in the water, they can barely swim!” Tweek went on with a wide smile on his face. Tweek was staring intently at the jellies, but Craig was just looking at Tweek. It was rare to see Tweek smile like this. The lighting made Tweek look perfect, and Craig could swear that he saw stars in Tweek’s eyes.
“You’re pretty.” His words came out in a slight voice crack. Craig’s cheeks flushed and he felt his heart drop. He was stunned by his own words; however, he wasn't exactly wrong.
“I know! They really are–” Tweek paused, taking in a sharp breath. He turned to Craig, nose scrunched up in confusion.
“Me?” He asked, trying to fight a smile and feeling his face get increasingly warmer. Craig looked down at his feet.
“Uh, no.” Craig blurted, almost wincing at his words. Tweek’s face got redder but from embarrassment this time. Unsure how to reply, Tweek silently turned his face back to the moon jellies.
“I mean–” Craig kept his eyes on the floor, taking in a deep breath. “Yeah– yes, you are pretty.” It almost came out in a whisper. Craig rocked back and forth, still refusing to look at Tweek. At this point in their relationship, they were still faking; however, Craig has recently felt differently about Tweek. It wasn't negative, but he wasn't sure what to call it. All Craig knew was that he felt happier with him.
Tweek looked back at Craig, his mouth slightly agape.
“Oh.” Tweek breathed, looking at the floor and smiling. Craig finally peeked at the boy and stepped a little closer. Out of instinct, he reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers. Both of the boys continued to admire the jellyfish, before deciding to move on to the other creatures.
Eventually, they looked at all there was to see. They decided to sit on a bench outside, just enjoying each other’s company.
“Hey, Craig?” Tweek spoke up, moving his body to face Craig.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for taking me here today.” Tweek brought Craig into a tight hug. Both of their faces were tinted pink when they pulled away.
“Of course, babe.”