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Hopping from town to town every decade or so was just par for the course for Craig Tucker. He didn't need attention drawn to him, not anymore. Once upon a time it was fun, 'saving' the day, doing a few good deeds in his stupid little baggy costumes (he learned fast the clothes get tattered and ruined so often it was better to grab whatever was on the racks at a Good Will or Wal Mart than spend tons of money being flashy or dark and mysterious). He assumed he had a pretty forgettable face as well; no one ever caught on and eventually he had dropped the mask along with the theatrics.
People moved on a lot faster too, as time went on. With the distraction of being connected to everyone instantly all of the time, his once praised for months deeds went on forgotten within a day or so. Some new crises occurred out of reach, people went up in arms, then something else happened and they all rallied around that cause. Rinse and repeat. He was honest with himself – it was exhausting. He just didn't have that carefree energy anymore. Didn't have the desire to be praised and hailed as a hero. No, he was just fine wandering around, maybe helping a cat out of a tree or donating a few extra dollars to the really nice street performer. Simple. Boring.
He couldn't even remember at this point how it all started. There were a few others, some close friends he kept; a strange phenomenon in their small strange town. A flash of light, maybe a low hum of voices, Craig thinks, but can't really place anything else besides returning home during Christmas Break from college and then being unable to age or die.
Him and the few others had turned to Kenny McCormick first, many years later when a group chat popped up asking "why the fuck am I celebrating my 38th birthday still looking like I did at 21 years old," but the blond had shrugged from his torn couch, flipped his vape over a few times while explaining he hadn't had any Eldritch Horror conversations in years, so who knows what kind of interference this was.
It certainly didn't involve him, he reassured, throwing his hands up in mock surrender while Kyle Broflovski threw a stomping hissy fit and Stan Marsh groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Eric Cartman stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed, arms crossed and a strange sort of silence they might have picked up on if they weren't all having their own versions of panic attacks. Craig had angrily flipped Kenny off, commiserating with Tolkien Black on how they really should not have came back once they got out, a few FaceTime conversations would have been perfectly a-ok, why is it always you four- they had finally made it out god damn it all.
Clyde Donovan and Tweek Tweak were doomed no matter what.
Craig sucked in a breath at the thought of his ex-boyfriend. It halted all the other thoughts, the more depressing ones of friends and family lost through the inevitable passage of time, the ups and down and trails and tribulations that came from realizing they really had no weaknesses - at least none found yet on Earth – nothing to hold them back from doing whatever they wanted whenever they wanted.
No, all he could think of was that beautiful blond mess of a man he called his for, fuck, it felt like several lifetimes. It was hard to keep track of time when time meant nothing. He couldn't remember the time of the day or the current date but he could, at the drop of a pin, recall all about the first time Tweek had asked him out, their first date, their first kiss, their first apartment, their first time. The time, day, year, how the weather was, if Tweek's eyes looked a little more green or blue that day.
Craig could remember their first fight.
He could remember their last fight.
He didn't think it was his fault. Weather the passage of time sullied the memories he had spent countless drunk nights wrestling with or not, he believed he did everything he could. He wished he could change it, wished he knew the right words to say, to end the shouting and shaking and crying and absolute trail of destruction left in their wake. But Craig knew it was only a matter of their endless time.
Tweek Tweak was not meant for immortality.
Craig sucked in a shuddering breath, dull blue eyes finally sweeping over his surroundings. It wasn't uncommon for him to wander around and get lost in changing street names and lanes. He had plenty of time to figure out where to go.
Well, maybe not this time. He checked his phone for the time and any missed messages, grumbling softly at the lack of response from Clyde. Not surprise, just annoyance. He had plenty of experience in dealing with Clyde's aloofness, making plans just to forget or meet up with someone else instead. He stopped taking it personally ages ago.
At least it was at a cafe so he could enjoy a hot drink and something sweet.
Craig sent out a quick text to Clyde to let him know he was at their meeting spot, just in case it just slipped his mind, or just in case he was on the way. Either way the line was ridiculously long and he wondered if his friend even knew how popular this place was. It was a comfortable kind of roomy, homey in its deep olive colored walls and multi-colored plants and random photography scenes covering every inch of available wall space. A few spread out tables filled the middle of the room, a long rectangular table pushed against the only wall that was just windows with a few bar stools resting underneath.
He blinked down from the crowds of people taking up every available seats when he felt something nudge against his leg, a cocked brow at the purring calico arching and leaning against his jeans. Oh, cute was his first thought, thinking nothing of it as he bent down to rub at her head, smiling softly as she immediately headbutted his palm, purring amping up.
This was nice. He could come back here.
“Ggrah- Carla!”
Oh shit tits bitch.
Craig didn't want to move. Didn't want to look. Ignored the annoyed coughing noise of whoever was behind him. He'd know that voice anywhere, from miles away, from years away. It was scratchy and deep and always upticked at the end to be slightly higher pitched, as if he was ending in a question, unsure of anything that came out of his mouth despite always taking the time to make sure he knew exactly what he was saying before he said it.
“Nngh- Sir? Are you ready to order? Sunny will still be here.”
Fuck.
Craig cursed on under his breath, clearing his throat. The cat – Sunny, God, what a cute name – was still nuzzling into his hand and his head was still tilted down even as he slowly straightened his back. It was too late to slip out unnoticed, he really should have been paying attention; Tweek was taller than him and he'd be able to pick that wild blond hair out of any busy crowd so how did he not notice. He chalked it up to not seeing Tweek for nearly five decades and having not left him in the States.
“Uh, yeah, can I get-” Jesus if looks could kill. Craig had been trying to avoid Tweek's gaze but he heard his breath hitch and couldn't stop himself from making eye contact. It made him weak in the knees, even if the blond was staring up at him in a confusing mix of surprise and anger, left eye twitching rapidly even as they stayed wide open. His shoulders had hunched up and Craig could tell he was fighting with himself to try to relax them, practically vibrating with the shaking effort.
“No.”
“Is that how you talk to all your customers?”
“Just you. Rrgh- get out.”
“Oh, come on. I just want a-”
“What can I get for you, ma'am?”
Okay, this was not going well. Tweek stared past him, having shifted one step over to smile pleasantly at the woman standing behind Craig. She looked more than a little confused herself, eyes sliding between the two men, fingers tightening around her purse. “Um,” she began, unsure as Craig was not moving from his spot where the barista was still pointedly ignoring him. He wasn't going to move, either, because he wanted his drink. And there was a cute little calico balancing herself on his beat up sneakers and he didn't have the heart to disturb her.
“How long have you been here?” Craig tried as the blond took the woman's order and rang her up before moving to make it. Blue eyes watched him slide this way and that behind the counter, hunched back spasming underneath his loose fitting green shirt. The question hung unanswered, Tweek's mouth pulled into a jittery straight line when he turned to place the drink on the empty counter space a little further down, grabbing a cookie and petit four to place on a small ceramic plate. Craig could tell he wanted to chew up his bottom lip but the plump skin remained jutted out, plush and pink and soft and he definitely wasn't staring at the mouth that used to compliment, kiss, bite, scold, yell... fuck, why did things have to go sideways.
It was only a matter of time, the breakdowns worse, the powers becoming unmanageable...
“Is this your place or are you just working here?”
Another bout of silence.
Craig waited patiently as Tweek took a few more orders, the latter still ignoring his presence and the former ignoring how he was standing right in the way of the card reader. Craig could and would do this all day, though, or at least until the shop closed at its posted time of 4pm. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the line slowly dwindled but kept most of his attention on the blond. The way he jerked around but his hands stayed still while he was working, effortlessly conversing with the customers as they came and went. He'd wring his hands together when not preoccupied, shaking them as if trying to work out all the jitters being stored up.
He looked...better. Healthier. Calmer. His cheeks a little chubby still, nose sloped and crinkling every so often, and his eyes. Good Lord his eyes. A beautiful peridot green that still shone so brightly under the florescent lighting, tiny random specks of deep blue standing out. Little dark crescents still haunted under his lids, standing stark against his pale skin. The last time Craig had saw them they were red rimmed instead of the dark blemish from late nights. Always red rimmed.
A deep, tired sigh brought Craig out of his thoughts, blinking slowly at Tweek who was standing still in front of him, arms crossed and leaning against the counter to hold his slouched over weight. He pulled an arm away to wave his hand out in front of him and Craig realized a little belatedly that the line had finally cleared out.
“Can I order now?” He asked a little too hopefully, cheerful and forced, hands stuffed in his jean pockets as he rocked forward slightly to the tips of his toes, eyes carefully tracing over the dim LED screen menu above their heads. Sunny huffed slightly at the movement, carefully fixing her position on his feet- her new bed. Tweek narrowed his eyes at him and Craig could see the way his tongue dragged over his top teeth behind his lips.
“Why are you here?”
As if after years and years of keeping his distance and the radio silence after being yelled at to get lost and his ugly mug wasn't welcomed around him anymore Craig would be so low as to stalk him at his place of business for the slim chance Tweek would want to talk to him again. As if.
He hadn't done that in a long time.
“Well,” he drawled out, taking his time to retrieve his phone from his back pocket, squinting at the screen as it lit up. “Clyde wanted to meet here.”
“...Then where is he?”
“Good question,” Craig hummed, a little annoyed his best friend of a millennia and a fucking half hadn't even read his texts, let alone responded to them. He briefly wondered if the man knew Tweek worked here; Clyde had made this place his home a long, long time ago, less concerned than their other cursed friends about being found out. He wasn't big into travel, he explained with a sheepish grin, “And anyways, nothings bad happened yet!”
The thought of a plot against him faded as quickly as it came, Tweek's surprised expression at the mention of their childhood friend vanishing only seconds after Craig had looked back up from his handheld screen. He didn't think Tweek had any connections with anyone anymore, save Kenny who gave Craig sporadic important updates such as “Yeah, man, he's still alive.” Very useful. Extremely irritating in their vagueness.
During the last meltdown he had bared witness to, when he had decided to finally cut ties with Craig, it apparently meant everyone else as well, the blond leaving all their group chats without so much as a goodbye. All heads immediately turned to Craig, constantly asking him what happened until he had snapped and growled out a “I don't know I'm not his fucking keeper.” And that was the end of that.
“Nngh- how is Clyde?” Craig could tell he was trying to be as nonchalant as possible. Unfortunately for Tweek, he did not mix well with that frame of being. His fingers were tugging at the hem of his shirt sleeves, eyes constantly darting to the door as if hoping someone else would walk in. Maybe their old friend, so Craig could hurry up and get the hell out of his life once more.
He could barely look at Craig, let alone keep eye contact.
“He's good. Got some job helping Tolkien with some kinda photoshop project.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah,” Craig continued on, a little more encouraged by Tweek's lessening hostility, “He wanted to meet up 'cause I just got back from G-”
“I didn't ask.”
Right. Right, cool, okay. Backslide.
Craig tried not to wince at the cold tone, practically able to see the ice flecks drifting from Tweek's barely parted lips as he spoke. His eyes were narrowed angrily, staring at some offending spot out of the corner of his eyes that Craig couldn't place. He cleared his throat awkwardly, busing himself with taking in the menu once more. An awkward silence filled the spaces between them, Craig wanting to just order his drink and snack but pretty damn positive he would be told to fuck off. It had been so long since they had even been in the same room together, he was a little surprised he wasn't being forcibly removed. Not that Tweek could ever physically move him but it sure had never stopped him from trying.
A few more people filtered in and Tweek's demeanor changed, all bright smiles and happy customer service voice back in place. Craig checked his phone again, even sending off an SOS and if Clyde wasn't a naturally flighty person he might have been concerned about the lack of response. Just another day of being friends with someone with five plates worth of activities to attend to and the attention span of a rodent.
“You must really want a drink.”
Craig glanced up at Tweek as he spoke to him again, still unable to quite get over the fact that Tweek was speaking to him again. He would have brought flowers or at least cleaned up his appearance if he had known he would be running into him again. He knew he was a little shaggy looking in his ripped up jeans and faded band shirt that doubled as a night shirt. He had a bit of stubble, messy splotches of dark black hair that covered the lower half of his face, hair sticking up in odd bedhead angles that almost rivaled Tweek's naturally messy hair. Subconsciously he ran a hand through his hair but the cowlicks just sprung back up and he gave an awkward, crooked looking smile.
“I mean, that's why I came here.”
“Hmm.” Tweek hummed and Craig watched his eyes dart over his figure, wondering if he was thinking the same thing he was. He was a just rolled out of bed at 2pm kind of mess. Craig once more tried to flatten his hair, scratching at the nape of his neck as his fingers reached the area.
Then Tweek was walking away and Craig watched in surprised confusion as he began dissembling the machines behind him. The blond didn't spare him another glance, throwing bits and pieces of the torn down drink mixers into the nearby three binned sink. “Well, you're too late. I close in twenty.”
“Dude.” Not the most articulate response but Craig couldn't think of a better one. Stared wide-eyed, feeling all sorts of mixed emotions. Did he really stall him for an hour so that he could avoid making his drink? He couldn't even feel upset at the glare the blond threw his way before continuing his work, vaguely aware of the crowd of people in the shop getting smaller and smaller as they all began filing out.
He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. Tweek clearly had no intentions on serving him, if that wasn't obvious from the moment he told him to get out, but Craig really wanted his drink. Not because it was Tweek that was going to make it or anything, of course not, but because he had pulled himself out of bed this afternoon for the sole purpose of getting something nice for himself after the headache of figuring out his living situation, working with the soul drainer that was Kyle on getting his fake paperwork organized, and finally getting all his boxes and furniture moved into his small apartment.
The thought of just going to another cafe didn't even cross his mind.
“Closing in ten,” Tweek's voice rang out, Craig unsure if it was meant for him or for the few laggers left over. He stayed glued to his spot that he had been standing in since reaching the counter, watching Tweek run the soap water before grabbing a nearby broom to begin sweeping. He wiped down table tops, a wet rag draped over his shoulder, throwing chairs on top of the now clean tables as he went. Craig was impressed with his multi-tasking, as small as it might have seemed. Before Tweek would only handle one at a time, making sure each checklist item was done before being able to move onto the next thing. It was small, insignificant, but it was change.
He wondered what else had changed, ignoring the sudden ache of longing and regret punching his chest.
“You have five minutes to get out,” came Tweek's next warning, the only thing spoken in the last five minutes, Craig watching as he spun a keychain around his index finger, his free hand resting on his slightly jutted out hip. Clearly wanted him out before his timer ran empty but Craig ignored the warning, glancing down at the cat contently curled up on his feet still. Small rumbling purrs vibrated against his shoes and he made no move to try to remove her. Tweek had followed his gaze down, a frown tugging at his lips.
“Isn't it like, against the law to move an animal?”
He got a smile. It was small, a barely there twitch upwards that Tweek couldn't hide from him even as he turned his head down, still glaring at the small animal as if she had personally betrayed him. Maybe she had. They didn't go around breaking laws anymore after all.
Silence once again as Tweek continued his cleaning, seeming to give in to his law abiding companion as he locked the door before returning to his sweeping. He pointedly ignored Craig's outward staring, humming quietly to himself as he worked. The only sounds in the shop was the music flowing from the speakers and Craig found himself looking around again, taking in the decorations, how neat and tidy everything was.
“Hey, Tweek-”
“Don't. Say my name.”
Tweek's voice was low and scratchy once more, a faint warning in the tone, Craig noticing the way he white-knuckled the broom, bristles repeatedly scraping at a bit of crusted croissant on the ground that just wouldn't come up. Craig pulled his lips in before pursing them, shoulders slumping. He wasn't surprised, not really, but he had so much he wanted to say to Tweek and no space to let it out.
“Hey, guy...” He tried again, trailing off. Tweek's soft snort but lack of scolding words encouraging him. “I miss you.”
The store's temperature dropped several degrees. Craig tugged his jacket closer to himself, hands slipping into the pockets, fingers curling and thumb running over his knuckles, trying to fight off the biting cold that still slipped in. The glare Tweek sent him made the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end and he was honestly surprised the heat of the stare wasn't enough to chase away the cold in the store and boil him alive.
“You don't get to do that, Craig,” Tweek snarled at him, the faint noise of wood beginning to snap as he tightened his grip on his broom. Lips pulled back angrily to show off coffee stained teeth, hair rippling and standing straight up in the electrical currents surrounding him.
“Do what?” Craig must have a death sentence. He'd find that thought humorous if it held any ground but years and years and years of putting himself in stupid dangerous situations made his sense of self preservation dwindle to less than nothing. He held his ground, nonchalant as ever, only sparing a quick glance to the waking cat on his feet.
“Rrgh- you don't get to come back and say that to me! You don't get to run off and-and-and-”
He was getting stuck in a loop, fingers of his free hand raising to pull at his hair roughly and Craig had to fight down the instinct to rush over and gently pry his hands from pulling out strands. “Run off?” Craig scoffed, his own eyes narrowing before rolling towards the ceiling. Don't start a fight don't start a fight don't- “I'm not the one who made Iceland an actual ice land.”
“Craig, you destroyed Athena's shrine!”
Oh sure, bring that up. Like Craig didn't regret that almost every single day of his life.
“You set fire to half of the Amazon!”
“You made the Leaning Tower not lean!”
“You turned me into a popsicle for three days!”
“Oh my God. You threw a fucking Sphinx at my head.”
“Yeah well you-you...are you laughing?” Craig had to pause because Tweek had turned completely away from him but he had already been caught. That stupid wonderfully cute grin before his hand had risen to cover his lips, biting down on a knuckle as his shoulders shook. Craig's own shoulders dropped and the tension rushed out of his body as the room's temperature began to even itself out. “Jesus, you are. You fucking imp.”
“Shut up, I'm still mad at you.”
Craig couldn't hear any anger. Voice wobbling as he tried to keep the laughter out of his words. He kept himself from being too hopeful, shifting his feet to try to suggest to Sunny to move off him. She seemed to take the hint, giving a long stretch before prancing away. Slowly he approached the blond, fingers ghosting over his back, working his way up his spine. Tweek froze, a shiver running through him but he still faced away, head tilted upwards to avoid making eye contact with Craig.
Craig tilted his own head up, taking in the sweet scent of cinnamon and spice and everything nice he had been avoiding, nose brushing up against the hairs on the back of his neck that he could just barely reach. “I miss you so much.” Voice lowered, a deep rumbling whisper that had Tweek flinching away. He still heard the sharp inhale, felt the way he began jittering under his touch.
“It was too much,” Tweek mumbled, slouching over but not pushing or pulling away. He continued to stare at the ceiling, even as Craig tilted his head to see his face. His brows were furrowed, eyes squeezed into little slits to try to see as little of everything as he possibly could. Craig knew it was. He knew all along, had tried to work with Tweek to keep him calm but the panic attacks became worse, the outbursts and angry rambling became unbearable for both of them. There was so little he could do, even as he tried everything possible to help. It wasn't his battle. It was something Tweek had to figure out on his own, as much as it pained Craig to keep his distance. He kept away and he regretted it and didn't, eyes scanning over his little shop Tweek had made his haven.
“I know.” But you didn't have to push me away. Craig sighed, letting his hand rest fully on the small of Tweek's back, watching little puff clouds dance across the blond's face. “You look better,” he commented quietly, Tweek's eyes darting to him before looking away again, relaxing slightly back into his touch. A short jerky nod.
Craig shouldn't interrupt his peace. Shouldn't strong arm his way back into his life and force him to be around him. Not when he seemed to finally have pieced it all together to his liking. He didn't want to be the one to tear it all down, not again. It hurt, it would always hurt, but he pulled himself away, hand returning to his pocket.
“It was really good to see you.”
And that was that.
Craig would click the door unlocked and walk out into the bright sun and warm weather and not look back. He'd go on about his day and go back to his small home and sit on his couch and stare at the wall until his eyes finally felt heavier than his heart. He could pretend he never came into this shop, could steer Clyde away and suggest another place; he could never mention this moment to anyone and continue his life as he had been.
A hand on his jacket sleeve made him stop short. He slowly looked down at it, watching long bony fingers curl into the fabric, eyes flickering up and down a few times, brain trying to connect the fact that Tweek was holding onto him, back still facing him, fingers shaking. Breath hitching and catching rapidly.
“I don't...I can't...nngh- you...”
It was on pure millennia-old instinct that made Craig move, arms slipping around Tweek's waist like he had done millions and billions and countless more times before. Pulled his back to his front, cradling him as if he were a piece of glass, face burying into the space between his shoulder blades. Tweek slumped back against him instantly, all will to fight and argue and growl gone, still holding tightly onto his sleeve as he rolled the fabric between twitching fingers.
Craig sighed softly into his shirt, eyes falling closed as he just took in he was holding the blond again, feeling the contentment deep in his bones, having to stop himself from just completely melting and toppling them over. Too many lifetimes away from the man wrapped up tightly in his arms. “Do you remember that time in Berlin, we were visiting Stan-”
“You got into a drinking match and puked all over me.”
Craig grinned into his shoulder, holding back laughs as he nuzzled the bone poking into his face. Tweek's voice was tense, a little confused, but he could hear the underlying amusement. So he nodded, squeezing the other to him a little more. “You took such good care of me anyways. Got us back to the apartment, got us cleaned up and in bed...” his voice trailed off, thumb gently stroking over the patch of skin on his stomach his hand was resting over. “You always took such good care of me,” he added as he started to sway them. Tweek was a little stiff in his grasp but moved along, a soft sniffle of a laugh caught in the back of his throat.
“You got so reckless, I didn't have a choice,” Tweek grumbled but Craig could hear no more bite. A low fondness, maybe a little bit of exasperation. But the anger was gone, a soft acceptance of his presence. Craig nodded along, silently hoping he didn't say or do the wrong thing after this bit of progress.
“I think we both got a little reckless,” Craig mumbled as his head tilted up, voice rumbling against his ear, delighting in the way it still made Tweek shiver in his arms. He couldn't see his expression but he kept melting back into his arms and that was good enough for now, feeling long fingers of one hand slowly release his jacket to hesitantly trail along his arm. Feeling the soft brushes of rough pads drag along the back of his hand made him feel like he was floating, a rush of warmth settling along his bones and the pit of his stomach that he hadn't felt in so long.
“Maybe,” Tweek agreed, letting himself be turned. Craig's hand slipped onto his waist, gripping his hip in a firm hold as he ran his other hand up Tweek's arm, fingers slotting together as if they belonged there in between his. Craig swayed them a little more, a lazy dance that didn't fit the music still buzzing and breaking the silence of the room but neither seemed to notice or care, too caught up in the presence of one another.
Tweek's hand landed restlessly on Craig's shoulder, pinching and folding the fabric there, letting their foreheads fall together and his eyes slip closed. Craig let himself eat up the relaxed expression and slight uptick of his lips like a starving man, relishing in the complete trust Tweek still held in him to guide their movements through the shop, carefully avoiding chairs and counter tops. If Tweek told him to get out as soon as their waltz ended he would, and this interaction would be enough. He would force himself to believe it was enough.
He kept the dance going though, through the next two songs, some upbeat jazzy numbers that still didn't match their own lazy made up dance but he thought it fit them. A hailstorm on a bright sunny day. Something hectic and beautiful and out of either of their control.
It would never be enough.
Craig stopped as soon as Tweek's rigid frame forced him to, deep blue eyes still watching as bright green fluttered open to stare back. The music had faded to static, a signal to end a day Craig wanted to live over and over again up until the point that Tweek frowned at him, a soft sigh leaving barely parted lips.
He knew nothing he had to say would change anything but he still wanted to try, wanted to hold onto fleeting hope and he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the feel of Tweek's chapped and bitten lips against his own and it was his turn to melt into the blond man. Hands desperately clawing at the back of his shirt, bodies pressed together like the silent clicking of puzzle pieces and Craig had to hold back a sob welling at the bottom of his throat as Tweek's hands cupped his face so gently, keeping him still and close and in the present.
He didn't want to pull away, even as his lungs burned, protesting the lack of oxygen but he wouldn't pull away first.
When Tweek retreated first he didn't pull back far, eyes still closed and forehead resting against Craig's. They stilled against each other, catching their breaths and letting the silence wrap around them, Craig taking in the warmth of the body wrapped up tightly in his arms, not wanting to admit the prickling fear of what would happen next. It was clear what he wanted, what he always wanted but Tweek held the reins here; the fate of their once more briefly intertwined lives in his hands.
“This doesn't...nngh- doesn't fix everything.” Tweek sighed after a few moments, eyes fluttering open to lock onto Craig's already staring up at him. He nodded silently, throat bobbing as he swallowed thickly.
“I know,” Craig offered back in the quiet, squeezing at his waist as if it were any more comforting than his words.
“We have a lot to work on, Craig. Your anger and impulsiveness and my anxiety and hardheadedness-” Tweek's ramble cut off short as Craig snorted as if saying what an understatement, throwing him a glare with no real heat behind it. Craig grinned lazily in response, half-lidded gaze staring at the other with nothing more than adoring admiration. Tweek flushed faintly under the intense stare, pulling back slightly to glare at the ground instead.
“We'll work on it. A lot has changed since I last saw you.” Instead of bitterness a soft whimsical note took hold in his tone, hands sliding down broad shoulders and clothed arms to reach Tweek's hands, holding them with a gentle squeeze. “I really didn't think I'd ever see you again.”
Tweek nodded, mouth pulled into a thin line as he pulled his lips in before releasing them with a sigh. “I gotta- go. Nngh. Stuff to do. But, um. Come back in the morning?” Stuttered words, halting and a little unsure as his voice trailed off into a whisper but the other nodded quickly, giving his hands another reassuring squeeze.
Craig could feel his heart pick up, a creeping worry that once he left he would be alone again. That Tweek somehow had a pocket dimension to pack up his shop and move without another word once more, finding some place out of his reach. But he wouldn't push his luck- would trust his lover once more. Everything would be fine, he wouldn't fuck up again. Couldn't.
So he pulled away slowly, fingertips brushing against Tweek's as his arms finally fell down to his side before his hands shoved into his pockets, least he lose the little self control he had to actually leave. Craig chuckled as he was spun and shoved lightly towards the door, listening to the blond's little grunts and grumbles as he dug his feet into the ground, just a little, shoes squeaking against the hardwood.
“Think I could get that chai latte tomorrow, then?”
Tweek snorted as he reached around Craig to unlock the door, opening and giving the other a light shove past the threshold, back onto the street into the warm sunny midday.
“Bye, Honey.” He was pushing his luck, he knew it. But it was worth it, seeing Tweek's pale face flush, a dusting of pink to bring out the light freckles covering his cheeks and nose. A shy grin pulling his lips up and apart, the little gap between his front teeth making dumb warm tingles spread across Craig's body.
“Bye, Asshole.”