Disclaimer: As every chapter before already mentionend; nothin' mine... sadly...

Thanks for the comment Yune (Ach ja, Ed...), Kidiu Anaji (Me neither...) and MadmoiselleNini (South Park muss einfach auf Englisch geschrieben werden, alles andere klingt seltsam XD)

and to InsomniaticFrenchToast, who is finally back from the... dead?, for being my Beta again. ^^

Chapter Five

Not surprisingly, South Park citizens were used to grow up in the cold. But there were times, when even the winter seemed colder, when the kids would do everything to hide under a warm blanket with a hot chocolate in the hand instead of playing in the snow, their noses red and running.

And Tweek, for a matter of fact, would hide under his bed, watching the cutting wind blowing the branches of the trees in front of his window with a stack of approximately twenty-two plus one blankets, a gas heating, three hot-water bags, a ration of food for about a month stacked in his closet and an unknown number of any form of lighter and matches stolen from Craig and, of course, an uncountable number of thermoses filled with coffee.

Of course.

That was Tweeks routine when South Park was waiting for an oncoming blizzard.

Just like today.

But some stupid wanker just had to decide to do fucking charity work.

"I can't believe I'm doing this for that… that manwhore!"

"Don't call Kenny that."

"Dude, it's the freaking beginning of a fucking blizzard! I've got better things to do than help that notorious nympho. What's he going to do, huh? Bone you as a way of thanks, or what?"

"I wish."

"No you don't", Tweek replied firmly, hoping his hands wouldn't freeze off. He was of the stern opinion that this might not be a very good thing to happen for his future life and career – whatever it was going to be; he hadn't decided yet.

"I'm not the nice neighbourhood boy", Butters defended himself, though his voice was shaking and barely audible over the bleak, blowing wind that made that unbearable cold even more intolerable. His face was hid behind the hood of his parka, his rubber boots almost to the rim sunken in the white snow.

"Yes, you are."

"I… I do this for myself", Butters tried again but Tweek wasn't buying that shit. His hands were clasped around the string of a , that was loaded with woods he had stolen from his father's shed.

"That was your favorite doll house", the spasming blond pointed out, his hand unable to show exactly what he was talking about. He wasn't going to remove it from the warm shelter that was his pocket just to prove a point. "And the thing beneath looks like one of your old cupboards, if I'm not mistaken."

"So what?"

"So what? So what? You are a fool, that's so what!" Tweek gave Butter's slide a once over, rolling his eyes and then continued his disturbingly long way to Kenny McCormick's almost but not quite sort of garden shed house, wading through unreasonable and even for South Park's standards unbelieveable high masses of snow. "I can't believe I agreed to this. I even stole some of our wood. What if the electricity goes off and our heater won't work anymore and then we have to rely on our wood and then we don't have enough and it will be my fault because I was so nice to give someone I totally don't agree with some of our's and I hope, I'm so going to heaven for this. Oh no! I will end up in Hell because I killed my parents! Butters! I will end up in Hell just because of you!"

"We will meet there, then", Butters replied, one hand on his hood to avoid it blowing off.

"I'm probably not going to heaven, anyway" Tweek suddenly realized, staring at the white masses in horror. "That fucker made me a homo. The fatass told me they were going to hell because God hates them and all."

"You're not going ta hell 'cause you're a homosexual." Butters rolled his eyes and shook his head. "If ya do, probably more 'cause of that 'Giraffe' thingy."

"What? … Who told you?" Tweek yelped, grabbing the hem of the other boys parker. "I bet it was That Brat. I told Craig she is a spy, but nooo, does he listen to me? Just because she's his little sister she can't be a spy? As if!"

"Relax, Tweek. Craig told me." Butters answered, removing the hand from his parker so they could move on and be back home before the blizzard would hit them with full force – whenever that may be.

"Why? I mean, why would you even talk to each other?"

Butters face was beet red because of the cold wind directly blowing in their faces, so Tweek was surprised when he noticed his face could turn even redder.

"I … asked him."

"What question would lead to that topic?"

"I asked him 'bout… uhm, ya know, that."

"What? Kinks?"

"NO! I mean, not directly, I mean—

"Roleplay?"

"TWEEK! NO! I asked about …sex… gay sex." – the last statement spoken under his breath. Poor, shy Butters. He couldn't even fathom the stress the boy had to go through to ask Craig about something like that.

"Why," Tweek started, trying to keep his breath steady and his voice from hyperventilating, "would you ask my boyfriend about gay sex?"

"Who else should I talk to?"

"I don't know! Somebody else?"

"How could I? I thought Craig was the only one who wouldn't laugh at me. D'ya know what he did? Nothin'! He jest looked at me and then told me everythin' I wanted ta know… an' more. … Without crackin' a smile or any hint of amusement. Jest like totally emotionless."

"Yeah, that part really turns me on, too…"

"What?"

"Joking." Tweek sighed, rubbing his temple. "See, couldn't you have asked Mister Nice Guy?"

Butters frowned, stopping for a moment to rub his gloved hands together. "Stan talks ta Kyle 'bout everythin' an' Kyle is, ya know, Kyle."

"Then what about that male prostitute?"

"Would ya stop callin' Kenny names?"

Tweek rolled his eyes. "No, I was really talking about that one prostitute on Main Street."

"What prostitute?" Butters asked, clearly slightly unnerved from that line of conversation.

"That guy your father caught you flirting with."

"I did not—wait, that was a prostitute? I thought they were only female!"

Tweek gaped at him, before he shook his head. "Butters, I'm really surprised you made it this far in life."

"There are lot of things, I am surprised 'bout ya."

"Like what?"

"Like Craig's influence on ya."

Tweek furrowed his brows.

Not surprisingly, Tweek had been the type to hide under his blanket.

Not surprisingly, Butters had been the type to pat that blanket.

Butters had been the type to sit still, idly waiting for the other blond to stop shaking and cursing and struggling. He would wait, sometimes for hours, watching the branches of the trees in front of the house throwing dark shadows on the ceiling; he would think of stories arising from those dancing shadows and would tell them to Tweek.

At first, Tweek would yell at him to stop talking nonsense.

But Butters would continue, talking about cute little fairies and dragons hiding beneath the creaked shadows.

Tweek would yell at him to stop making up stupid childish stories.

Butters would talk about the dragons being slaughtered by a fearless hero, emerging from a lonely leaf still hanging on the bare branches, wildly fluttering in the wind.

Tweek would pout and tell him to shut up, though one eye would glimpse from beneath the blanket to watch the swirling shadows on his ceiling, no longer frightful but instead fascinating.

Butters wouldn't take notice, so deep in his fairytale, wouldn't notice Tweek slowly crawling out of his soft shell and to his side, supported by his two hands, watching the telltale dark figures, small branches turning into a galloping horse with its knight and beside him, two brave lads, frightened but still standing tall against a beast with rapacious teeth and dragon flames about to burn everything surrounding them.

The story would continue until Tweek was falling asleep on Butter's side, blanket around his small shoulders and Butters would eventually notice and, with a slight smile, tucked the tuckered out blond into his bed.

This had first happened during their farewell trip of their last year in elementary school and had continued on into their last year of junior high. The fairies had turned into pretty girls from their school both boys thought were cute and the dragon into mean bullies they both hated.

However, the hero had remained the same.

Without ever giving the hero a name, they both had known who it was.

"Craig, of course."

"No, it was Kenny."

The two blonds had stared at each other for about one second before Tweek jumped off the bench, pointing one accusing finger at Butters who continued to lick on his ice pop. "You were purposely misleading me!"

"No, I was not."

"Of course you were!"

"Tweek, I was not." Butters emphazised every word, watching the stressed boy from the corner of his eyes but otherwise ignoring him.

And thus, their admittedly strange but blooming relationship had turned into a quarreling but caring friendship. It had absolutely nothing to do with Craig. Tweek always had a foul mouth. He was swearing and cursing a lot, but his stuttering and his spasms were quite in the way.

So, Tweek couldn't talk to everyone like he did to Butters.

And Butters sure as hell wouldn't talk to anyone like he did to Tweek.

It must have been their way of saying I care, without exactly saying it. Or maybe it was just because they both were rather peaceful creatures, trying to avoid drama and anything that would get them into big trouble. They just couldn't see each other as potential danger or threat.

Whatever it was, they somehow connected and had really only one topic they would constantly fight over.

That asshole Kenny McCormick.

There were a lot of things Tweek really, really hated about that sucker. One being that that motherfucker somehow, for whatever reason, just loved to stick his tongue down Craig's throat whenever Tweek was around. The blond had the feeling that prick was only doing it to get him rilled up – they had never been on good terms.

Least since Tweek had to learn that Craig and that sex addicted nut case had their first same gender experience with eacht other. And if Craig had been more a passionate person and if that slut didn't love sex as much as he did, they might have regretted that incident but as it was, they just dispassionately and calmly decided they would never do that again with each other - but the sex at least was good - and kept on behaving like nothing had ever happened.

Of course Craig had told Tweek about it. They hadn't even been dating back then and Craig and the whore just wanted to try something and maybe they were drunk or stoned or both – Craig couldn't remember – so it wasn't that big a deal but for fucks sake, why Kenny McCormick?

Not only was that douche – there weren't even enough words to insult that bugger with, he had to create new ones! – getting a thrill out of tormenting Tweek whenever he had a chance, no, he was the sort of best friend of his boyfriend and the crush of his sort of best friend. He couldn't even avoid him if he wanted to, which he desperately did.

"I really hate him", Tweek breathed, glaring at the small house that was barely visible through the snow storm. "I wish he would just drop dead."

"That's not funny, Tweek."

"Wasn't s'posed to," Tweek answered, removing his vibrating mobil phone from his pockets. "Yes?"

Butters looked at him, before he turned his face away, sulking.

"Where the hell are you? I've been looking all over for you."

"I'm at the McCormicks. Almost."

There was silence on the other end. "Come again?"

"Butters here decided to help them out a bit. Say 'Hi' Butters."

"Hi, Craig."

Tweek didn't know why Butters assumed that the other person was Craig. He was used to him and his boyfriend somehow reading his mind. He just hoped that the FBI or CIA or whatever organisation wouldn't become aware of their talent. They would probably catch them and do strange and painful experiments on them and then—

"Tweek, stop it. I can just hear you fantasizing about stupid shit. Just stop it."

See? There it was again.

If those FBI guys would really come to get them, Tweek would have to kill them. But then they would end up in jail and some strange guys would rape them and—

"Why do your fantasies midway always end with one of us in prison being raped? I tend to think this is quite disturbing. Or is that one of your secret fantasies? You know, I won't mind acting that one out. Just like the one with the 'Giraffe'."

"Craig! Stop reading my mind!"

"You are just predictable. Anyways, I'm coming to get you."

"Huh? What for?"

"Did you forget?"

Tweek glanced at Butters who had turned his face away, staring at the white snow, trying to look like he didn't care about the phone call. "Forget what?"

"I told you we were going sleding."

"… I beg your pardon?"

"Forget it. I'll catch you at Kenny's." With that said, Craig just hung up and Tweek continued to stare stupidly at his cell phone.

"What's up?" Butters asked after a moment when Tweek was still silently listening to the beeping of his phone.

"Apparently, we are going sleding."

"Oh." Butters said. "I think I heard Clyde talk about it. You going to put the sled behind the car right?"

"We what?"

"They did that before, you know. With Clydes car. They would fix the on the towing hitch and drive down the streets until they fall off. That way they have broken about four slides."

"They did what?" Realization sunk in. "They want me to do what?"

"I know, I think it's impossible with the streets and fields like that", Butters motioned to the ridiculous masses of snow. "And then there is a blizzard on the way."

"Forget the blizzard!" Tweek screeched. "I'm going to break my neck. Oh no! I hope they don't want to use Craig's car. I hate that car!"

"You know, I sort of envy you."

"Envy me? For what?"

No, really, for what?

For being the laughingstock of biology and chemistry class? For having hypertensive nerves that made him panic about ¾ of his life, for being a fucking coffee addict even though it makes his nerves none the better? For stuttering when he was around people he couldn't get used to although he'd known them since elementary school? For being a loud mouth even though he would really like to avoid anything remotely painful?

For what?

"You are always doing something fun."

"You mean like the slide ride?"

"Yes."

"You call breaking your neck fun?"

Butters just looked at him, before he turned his face away, making his way over the snowbound lawn of the McCormicks, hesitantly knocking on the door. It took a second and a third knock until they could hear noise behind the wooden door, then a yell.

"Who's there?"

"Hey, it- it's me, Butters. Is, uhm, Kenny there?"

Tweek stopped beside Butters, attentively watching the door as it was pried open and a boy with brown hair stuck his head out, examining them with dull eyes. "Ma, 's Ken's boytoy an' some freak o' nature", he yelled back into the room, finally opening the door wider to let them in.

"I, I—" Butters started but broke midsentence, glancing at Tweek.

"Didn't think that far, did you?" he whispered, not without a hint of perverse satisfaction. Tweek was of the opinion that no amount of social help gives you anything back. Helping somebody else, especially that asshole McCormick, could only bring you some sort of random pain. He liked Butters, but really, there was a limit to anything.

"Wood."

The dumb brunette just stared at the even dumper blond, trying to process what kind of meanings the word wood could hold. Finally, Butters hesistantly pointed to his slide.

"A dollhouse!" There was a squeal, a flurry of orange and then pain in Tweek's left foot because the flurry of orange seemed to have a solid body that just ran pass him and jumped down in the snow. The two boys turned around to watch the squeal stop infront of the slide, a sense of nostalgic memento lingering on the back of the orange parker with the associated hood.

"I feel like nine again", Tweek said as he watched the parker rummaging through the piles of wood stored on the slide.

"Can I have this?", it finally asked, turning around to watch the stunned teenagers.

"Come back in th' house", the brunette barked, pushing the two blonds to the side to grap his sister by the hand and drag her back in.

"But the dollhouse, but the dollhouse", she whined and Butters just followed the siblings in. So Tweek followed Butters.

"Oh, ain't it dat timi' boy", Kevin's mother said, casually crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Whad'ya want? That son o' mine ain't in."

"Look! Look! That's Stancy and that's Kyle!" The orange parker squealed again, pushing two dolls into Butters' face. "My brother named them!"

"I, uh, brought some wood, because I thought, uhm with it gettin' so cold and well… An-and yeah, cu-cute dolls."

"Aren't they?"

The women just shrugged. "Thanks, I guess?"

Tweek was kind of overchallegend with the chaos going on, but one look around showed him that the McCormicks actually really needed something to feed their fire with. The doors to the other rooms were all closed and sealed up with what they had for cupboards. It looked like the family lived in only one room, an old and rusty grill placed in the middle, sleeping bags and some dirty, ragged blankets unfittingly neatly folded at the side.

"Where would you like it?" Butters asked politly eventhough they both knew where. There was only one corner, with not even a handful of sticks of wood. The house was cold, they probably only lit a fire as soon as it turned dark. Butters had told him their heating had been turned off a month ago - wherever he had gotten that information from - though the jerk was currently working part time to pay the next bills.

"Well, it's an obnoxiously cold winter, for sure." Tweek mumbled, more to himself. South Park was used to the cold, but there were some limits, honestly.

"Kenny's on the way to fetch new one", the girl said, when she saw Tweek's face of disgust, totally wrong interpreted. "He wanted to buy some lignite briquette as well, but mum said to save it."

"These briquettes aren't—ow, what the fuck do you think you are doing?" Tweek glared at Butters, then at his foot that had been stepped on for the second time in less than ten minutes.

"Kevin! Move yer ass an' help 'em boys t' get th' wood in."

The boy grunted in displeasure but got back to his feet and opened the door. With one swift movement, he just grabbed the cords of their sled and howled them into the room, before he pushed the door shut again.

Interesting.

Stupid but strong.

"'Suppos we could work wit'at", the woman said, eyeing the wooden rubbish on the floor.

"Not the dollhouse! Stancy and Kyle would like to live there! Really, they told me. And Kenny said they will marry soon and get a baby and a little pet dog so they need a bigger house!"

Yeah, Tweek could see that in the near future, too.

"Maaa! Give me that doll house!"

"Our work is done, Butters", Tweek said, reaching for Butters arm to lead him out of the house.

"Yeah, we'll be on our way again", the blond second, following the others lead to the door. "Uhm, and, uhm, don't tell Kenny I was here. Maybe, please?"

"Wouldn't hav' bothered anyways", the red-headed woman said, waving them off with a lax movement of her hand, while her oldest son just threw the wood of the ges on the floor and gave them back to the two blonds waiting at the door.

"Bye bye", Butters said as he opened the door.

"Yeah, bye, hope we never meet again", Tweek mumbled under his breath, ignoring the odd look the brunette brute sent his way and his demonstrating loud banging of the door that sent loads of snow down the roof, hardly avoiding them.

"I hate snow", Tweek reflected, wading through the snow to the side walk. "They could at least shovel a footpath clear of snow, if anything."

"You hate a lot", Butters reminded, the two ges fixed to each other dragged behind him.

"I don't hate you."

Butters was weak to compliments, Tweek knew that, he would blush and shut up, because otherwise he would mumbled incomprehensible shit and Butters liked to avoid these situations, which was a plus for Tweek because the other blond would finally keep quiet for awhile.

"I-I- uhm, don't hate you, too", was all the blond faintly mumbled, before he hid his face under his hood and Tweek felt the urge to put his arm around the smaller boys shoulders but decided against it. He just stuck his hands in his pockets, noticing with a hint of ease that the snowstorm was constantly lessening, but the sky was still dark grey. At the end of the day, the blizzard will come, Tweek was sure.

And he would be somewhere at Wild Flower Field with a broken neck.

Just great.

They stood in silence for a moment, Butters nervously shuffling from one foot to the other, eyeing his friend out of the corner of his eyes every once in a while.

Tweek gave a little sigh. "That gay thing", he started, his eyes fixed on the white of the sidewalk. "are you asking because of that—"

"Tweek." The other blond intervened, his voice sounding tired.

"… McCormick", Tweek offered as a sign of friendship. "Well, if so, Craig told me that he is a good teach—"

"How was your first time?" Butters suddenly blurted.

"My first—B-B-butters-gah!" There it was again. His nervous habit. "F-for gah-ods sake. Don't- fuck. I hate this!" Tweek embrassed his upper body, willing himself to calm down.

What did Craig say?

Think of something else?

Shit, that only worked with the black-haired boy beside him but not in the snow, somewhere at the end of South Park with his supposedly best friend who asked him straightface about his freaking first time.

Or maybe not as straightface, Tweek rackoned when his eyes darted to the other boy, whose face must have been at least as red as Tweeks.

"I-duh-I mean…" Butters started but stopped, hanging his head low. "If ya don't, I mean, it's jest that I know nothin'bout anythin' like that. Ya know, Wendy was right 'bout me, that is, but that doesn't mean-"

"Not-nothing exciting" Tweek eventually admitted, his face hidden under his hood, stopping Butters nonsense rambling. "No- no cameras, neither drunk nor stoned, no internet performance, not in a car or a toilet stall, no t-toys or an-anything for that matter. Just m-me and Craig and a single bed, too small for two. Nothing like what Stan or Kyle or Craig or Wendy or Clyde had – ju-just plain boring f-for you, b-but I don't regret it."

"I-of course- I was jest askin'-"

"I was a freaking wreck, I had backed out a couple of times before. I was just waiting for Craig to drop me like the frigid I am. There were no flowers or sparks so beat that crap. It was not painful but uncomfortable – the internet wasn't any help either. I was so nervous I couldn't even concentrate a-and Craig just stopped halfway through and… he just looked so helpless—"

"Ya…ya really don't have t-ta tell me this." Butters interrupted, nervously knocking his knuckles together.

"So you'd rather hear that it was one of the best experiences of my life? Well, it was… anway…"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, freaking lame, says much 'bout my life, don't you think? It wasn't great, I doubt sex with me could be that good—"

"Hey—"

"Shut it."

Tweek closed his eyes, could see the memory of that night lingering in the back of his mind. He loved Craig, he couldn't say it out loud, no, but he did. He didn't even deserve the other boy. He had never seen Craig so helpless as at that night, when he admitted he didn't know how to make Tweek feel good, how he could do it that the blond enjoyed it.

"After we got over the first part… well somehow, you know, it's just… It wasn't the guh – act that mesmerized me. It had been Craig." Tweek blushed even harder and he could just see the stupid smile that was probably gracing his lips. "I'm … I'm scared about everything new. My first time away from my parents, my first day of school; elementary, junior, middle, high school – you name it - and I will be scared when we go to college… I was scared about my first kiss, my first time falling in love… but with Craig, you know, my first times always turned out alright in the end. And I'm sure it will be the same for you…"

"I doubt it."

"I will have my first break up with Craig, too", Tweek continued as if he hadn't heard Butters. "And I can see it in the near future, too."

"That's bunkum!"

"It's like it is. I'm surprised we are still together."

"Tweek—"

"No, really, he should just go and find someone else to date. I will just drag him down - I'm not being pessimistic it's just that I don't get him. I force him to give up his bad habits but I am allowed to keep mine. When I confronted him with his smoking he just threw the pack he was having with him in the fire. He didn't complain, it's just like Craig to do something like that. And he tries, he tries so hard to keep his promise, so I ignore that he still smokes sometimes, even though it's bugging me, but what's bugging me even more is the fact that he wouldn't do that to me."

"Now I may be no expert—"

"No shit."

"—but I think there's only one reason he doesn't force ya ta do somethin' he knows ya don't like."

Tweek gave a weak sigh, before he let his shoulders fall. "Because he's a better man."

"Don't be a retard", Butters barked and Tweek widened his eyes in surprise, staring at Butters. "It's because he cares for ya and loves ya the way y'are, ya stupid nitwit. Do-Don't go all depressed on me. Ya yerself told me, that life ain't no fairytale and love even less. And from where I stand an' from what Craig had told me 'bout your… well, private life, it ain't looking like he thinks ya're boring or bad. He actually admitted ta—…"

"To what?"

"Uh… Nothing."

"Butters! To what?"

"Oh lookie, Craig's car!"

"I so. don't. care! What did he say?"

"Well, he said—" Butters eyes darted towards the oncoming car.

"Don't think I will drop this subject just because Craig's next to me."

"Can't ya jest ask Craig, please? I promised ta never tell ya. Please, Tweek."

The blond eyed his friend with anger and suspicion, until he gave in with a sigh. "Don't you ever", Tweek started, closing in on Butters when Craig's old, beat-up probably sixth-handed BMW, he had spent his whole savings on, parked next to them, "ask Craig a personal question. As we have come to understand, he doesn't know the word 'privacy'." With that said, he turned around on his heels and opened the white door on the otherwise red car open. "What do you like about me?"

Craig didn't even bat an eyelash when he looked at Tweek.

"Catch", was the only response and the blond noticed a thermobottle thrown at him, which he akwardly caught with both hands. "Who knows."

Tweek only rose an eyebrow, before he turned his attention to the smell of coffee originating from the blue thermos he held in his hands. The liquid he really needed after the conversation with Butters.

"Well… uhm… I will be on my way then", Butters said, waving at the two boys.

"Where are you going? You're coming with us", Tweek stopped him with one hand on his shoulder. "Get in the car. I'm not the only one who's going to break his neck."

Butters knoched his knuckles together, hesitating for a moment, before he pointed to the ges. "Just throw them in the trunk," Craig answered impatiently, glancing at Tweek who got in the car and took a big sip from the dark liquid, looking at his boyfriend out of the corner of his eyes, just shrugging as an answer to the unspoken question.

Butters did as said and then climbed on the seat behind Tweek, fastening his seat belt for decency's sake.

"What about Kenny?" Craig asked, watching the shy blond through the rear view mirror.

"He's dead", Tweek replied, sipping on his coffee – just the way he liked it: strong.

"I asked Butters."

Butters shrugged shyly. „Well, he ain't home."

"Equals dead."

Tweek usually tried to be a teensy bit friendly for Craig's sake, but he was a tad aggravated right now, glancing at his boyfriend. The car smelled faintly of smoke but it had been already when the dark-haired boy had bought it, as excited as he hadn't seen Craig in a long time. The car couldn't even drive anymore back then and it had been in the garage for about two months in which Craig and that bastard had worked on it, sometimes Stan came over to help and Tweek and Kyle had watched them work – or more like, Tweek had the seductive snake under watch and Kyle had looked like he read a book but actually checked out Stan's… assets.

That had been around the time Stan tried to get into Kyle's pants and his plan had seemingly taken effect on the clueless Jew, at least as far as Tweek could tell.

Now that Tweek remembered, he had seen a lot of Butters back then, the other blond had always followed him to Craig's garage and played with The Brat and became her bestest friend, while he had probably secretly watched that asshole.

Tweek shook his head, giving a small sigh.

He just didn't understand Butters.

But, well, there weren't that many people that understood Craig.

Tweek among them.

"What's gotten into your pants", the dark-haired suddenly asked, watching him out of the corner of his eyes. Craig was driving slowly. It had been snowing for a while and the streets were icy due the snow and missing snow clearance vehicles, furrows leading their way.

"You", Tweek answered, making Butters blush and Craig blink.

It was frightening how well Craig could read his moods, how well Craig knew when to keep silent and when to calm him down with soothing words. At first glance, most people wouldn't even think him capable of reading anyones moods; he was just a block of ice, desinteressted to everything going on around him.

However, to Tweek, Craig was the epitome of coolness and calmness. He moved with a calculated gracefulness, each move performed with as less effort as possible. He wouldn't talk much but if he did his words stung with cruel honesty and hit with cold force, hiding the lingering heat behind the cold exterior.

But when they were together, his voice was warm and embracing, his kisses hot, his touches burning – he wanted to be the only one to know that heat, to learn, that ice can burn and fire can send cold shivers down your spine.

Tweek wanted to be the only one.

But ever since he started dating Craig, he had become jealous, obsessive, overbearing and bitchy. He had become so ugly, worse than he was before and Tweek hated himself, because he knew he kept on spoiling himself with the other boy's presence – and he knew, that he was far too selfish to give Craig up.

Subconsciously, he let his hand drop down on Craig's resting on the stick shift, his eyes scanning the white monotome landscape, while Butters tried to play invisible as something suddenly caught his eyes.

"Hey, I think that's Sparky over there!" he said, pointing to a dirty grey dot in the otherwise white landescape.

"And I think that's Stan's arm", Craig voiced, hitting the break with too much unreasonable force, the car slightly stirring in the snow.

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing?" Craig barked as he opened the door of his car and leaned on the roof.

"What the fuck does it look like what I'm doing, asshole?"

Tweek and Butters left the car, closed in on to the arm and voice of very probably Stan and his dog, that was happily munching on the boys arm, though, on closer look, seemed to try and drag that arm around. Craig leaned over a hole, a smirk on his lips, when he saw Stan standing on his toes, trying to reach something he could hold on to.

"That shitty dog just had to jump around like the airhead he is and just so had to fall into a hole."

"And you just had to jump after?"

"Like hell I did. Now get me outta here."

"Say pretty please."

"Fuck you."

"Not infront of Tweek."

"Gah!" That was a habit Craig had adopted of none other than frivolous flirt of the year award winner Kenny McCormick, but contrary to the flirt, Craig wouldn't wink at anyone, he would just impassionately mutter these words, a trademark smirk playing on his lips.

Craig reached one hand out, hardening his crouched stand on the ground, and pulled the other boy out of the hole, tumbling back himself.

"Thanks dude", Stan puffed, when he lay arms spread in the snow, Sparky licking his face. "What do you say we leave for California?"

"Come again?"

"If we travel all night we can make it by the morning." Stan continued to the sing-song. "Man, I want some sun."

"Well, get up and in the car", Craig just said, before he turned around and seated himself on the drivers seat again. Tweek and Butters followed him, both sitting in the back, while Stan joined Craig in the front, Sparky to his feet.

Tweek guessed if Butters could tag along, Stan could as well, though he was a bit surprised by the silent invitation. Craig and Stan weren't exactly enemies; truth be told, though they would never admit it, they had a lot in common – first and foremost in taste of music as they would constantly chat about this topic, though they would at one point take different turns and start fighting. However, they … just weren't that much into each other.

Stan turned the radio on, as soon as the engine was started again, and some girl was blaring on about how she will keep on walking for a year, then started rummaging through the glove compartment.

"What are you looking for?"

"A CD, USB-stick, something to listen to."

"Look in the - fuck."

Tweek grabbed for the holder, cursing under his breath. He knew, this car wasn't safe, the slightest change in weather and the stupid wheels would just sway!

"Whoa, dude! Slow down, will ya? It's not summer, man."

"That wasn't me, that were the furrows in the snow."

"Sure, man – What the- The Exies, Gnarls Barkley, The Swayback – are you for real? Don't you have anything decent? Like AAR or Green Day or whatever?"

"Just go emo on me and listen to your FOB and MCR, prissy."

"Fuck you, underground grudge."

And that was the point, when Tweek was constantly totally lost and didn't even knew what they were talking about anymore. He would just avert his attention and listen again as soon as the bitching was over. Really, if there was someone Craig could really fight with it was with Stan over music.

"Where are we going by the way?" Stan continued. Tweek never thought the other boy was the talkative type, not that he spent that much time with him.

"Wild Flower Field."

Stan blinked, before he reached for his mobil phone, pushing one button. "You're crazy. This will never work out with the streets like this."

"Who are ya callin'", Butters asked tentatively.

"Kyle", Stan answered. "Asking whether he wants to come as well."

"Don't. He will spoil the fun and say, it's not a good idea."

"Well, it isn't. But it's fun and he knows that too. - Wild Flower Field in ten minutes." And with that he hang up. If Craig would do something like that, Tweek would be totally bewildered. "And I just love to see him in conflict with himself." Stan continued, smirking.

"Here, The Offspring." Craig said, shoving a CD in the other boys hands.

"I can live with that", Stan said after a pause, putting the CD into the slot.

It didn't take them long to arrive at Wild Flower Field – a place belying the name as they hadn't seen flowers bloom there since – since Tweek could remember going to that place. Usually it would be a wide green coated field without anything, maybe bits and pieces of wheat, now it was a wide white space that let him loose sense of direction.

He could see Clyde and Token from afar, waving for a welcome.

So, it was supposed to be just the four of them alone, for old times sake, he mused.

Their group had kind of split after they had taken on different majors. They were still good friends, but Token and Clyde were more in the It-crowd, while Craig was seen as some random bad boy with a steadily dropping reputation and Tweek was only an odd-ball among the high school kids. Neither Token nor Clyde would deny their friendship to the two supposed losers, but Craig just couldn't stand most of Token's new friends and Tweek wasn't really a social networking person to begin with.

"The two brats tagged along and Kyle will be here anytime soon." Craig greeted their friends, his hands stuck in his pockets, Sparky jumping at Token as soon as he had left the car.

"The more the merrier," Clyde answered with a warm smile, sitting on the hood of his car.

"Someone else coming?"

"Yep, Jason and Kevin. They'll be coming together I was told."

Tweek picked up his ears. Maybe not just the four of them then. However, he was surprised to hear that Kevin was coming, as he had moved away somewhere around … some schoolgrade Tweek couldn't really remember. He had been to South Park last year, to visit his grandparents and they were all surprised how the supposedly refined boy had taken a change to the worse – for his parents. For South Park standards he was so normal he was almost boring, if it hadn't been for that subtle craziness that came with every person living in this shitty town.

"And the rest?"

"Hiding in their bedrooms, assuming that the oncomming blizzard will turn South Park into a swamp of hypocrisy, just like last year."

"Pussies", Craig mumbled, looking at his feet deep in the snow, then at the dark sky. "Then again, I doubt we can pull it of. I had trouble getting the car this far."

Clyde just answered with a grin, holding out three wooden sticks in his hand, which he held first to Craig, who took one, then to Token, with the last and shortest to himself. "I'm fucked." He mumbled, the smile fading off his lips, as they compared the sticks.

"So is your car." Craig replied, smirking.

"Well then, let's start." Token cheered, patting Clyde's car on the roof.

Tweek stepped a few steps away, standing right next to Butters, who watched the boys rummaging through the trunk of Craig's and Clyde's car, exposing a sturdy rope and a few battered ges, which looked like they had seen better days than the one ahead.

"Just hope you don't break your neck", Tweek said unoptimistic, watching as the boys professionally started to fix the tightrope to the hook of Clydes car, looking sick.

"Yes, I do wish for that as well", a voice suddenly demanded and Sparky stopped chasing Token for a while and jumped up against the chest of a grumpy looking Kyle Brovlowski, who wasn't very thrilled with the dirty, wet dog against his probably not so cheap clothes.

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport", Jason piped up, appearing behind Kyle, Kevin at his side, and tapping the redhead on the shoulder, before he moved forward to Clyde and put him in a tight bearhug. "I see you're still as cute and girly as I remember. I'd bone you on the spot if wasn't for that thing between your legs."

Tweek rolled his eyes.

Jason had turned into a bulky, sports-addict and you wouldn't want to cross with him or he would tackle you like Darrell Reid when he wasn't allowed in his favorite night club. Girls were fanning over him and boys would like to crush him, because he didn't actually care about anybody's girlfriends, because, basically, every girl he wanted, was his girlfriend.

"I can't believe you got me to tag along", Kevin said, his head hid under a dark blue hood, which was pretty normal for the boy. "Dude, it's like one in the afternoon, I've only slept for two hours on the train or somethin'."

"The next time you go to a rave, you better remember your dates", Token replied.

"I don't go to raves, I am a rave."

"Who cares?" The black boy answered, shrugging,

"Alright, who's the lucky first?" Clyde interrupted, wriggling himself out of the embrace. Jason winked at him. The brunette just rolled his eyes and got into the car. "Get on the and you better hope I don't drive 30mph, you asshole."

Though it didn't sound much, but if you sat on a that was always on the brink of throwing you off, it could probably really scare the hell out of you – at least Tweek assumed, watching the other boys getting close to Clyde's car and Jason's big form on the small ge. The wooden toy sunken deeper with the heavy weight of the brunette, almost too deep and Token eyed it with a critical look. Clyde pressed on the gas pedal, the wheels were spinning and with a sudden and probably unhealthy – if Craig's face was any kind of indication; he had a soft spot for cars – jerk, the car screwed on the icy layer of snow and speed over the white field, with Jason on the ge for about a second before he tipped over, landing on his back, and the ge hardly avoiding him, when Clyde was hitting the break again.

The owner of the car leaned out of the window and merely stuck his tongue out.

"Only you can look so cute", Jason yelled back with an affectionate smile, as he stood up, padding the snow from his clothes. "But I guess this won't work", he added, turning to Token and Craig that nodded in agreement.

"I get the griddle."

"And I think I have skies somewhere."

About now, Tweek was nearly hysteric and Butters just watched them wide-eyed. Probably in awe.

"I guess, we better leave."

"Huh?" Butters asked brilliantly, staring at Tweek. "But… but… I would really like—"

"—to break your neck, we have established that already."

"No, but… Craig, Craig's getting a griddle! I want to see!"

Of course he wanted to see, because watching some stupid boys not on a ge but on a device meant for baking was obviously so much more fun.

Whoever said that Craig was level headed must have been insane; the boy had a bloody curious temper, if it was according to his own pace. He just didn't like surprises.

Tweek watched as his boyfriend got the baking plate out of the trunk, probably not big enough to fit either of their bodies but he doubted that would prevent them from trying. The skies on the other hand looked fairly new, but Token would never suggest using them if they weren't some redundant junk he wanted to get rid off.

Kyle watched the other boys with his arms crossed infront of his chest, eyeing the ongoing with suspicious interest. He was probably just itching to try it out himself but his pride was yet in the way – probably not for long. Stan watched the red-head out of the corner of his eyes, while they tried to find a way to fix the griddle to the rope, his challenging smirk not missed by anyone.

And Kyle looked like he wanted to jump him.

Sparky was rubbing his head against Token's leg, begging for attention until the boy finally turned to him, petting him for a moment before he turned back to the task at hand.

Kevin just watched them, bored or sleepy.

It could have been all so peaceful if it hadn't been for Jason, who was again hitting on Clyde – Tweek slowly but surely got the feeling that the football player was unwittingly serious about his advances, though he certainly wouldn't be the one to bring that to his attention. Jason was so macho he would pummel you to the ground and kick you until you beg for mercy, that is, if you were still conscious. Be it friend or not.

"They got it!" Butters suddenly said, excitment audible in his voice as he pointed at Stan, who just sat down on the griddle, wiggling his eyebrows at Kyle as he reached his hand out. It took a moment, a frown and then a resigned sigh until the Jew accepted the hand and stepped onto the griddle.

"They are not!" Tweek voiced appalled.

"I think they are", Butters commented anxious.

Clyde got into the car and Kyle somehow fitted himself on the griddle as well. Stan had his arms and legs around the other boy's waist, while the red-head was holding onto the metal plate for them.

"You better don't do anything naughty!" Jason laughed, but was ignored.

"I can't watch…" The nervous blond gulped, when he heard the engine, closing his eyes. Just a few seconds later he could hear a shriek - that had been Butters next to him - and an even louder 'Fuuuuuck' that came from either Stan or Kyle or both, he couldn't tell, but the car was still running and the other boys cheering with laughter and when he opened his eyes, he saw Kyle, still holding on, a frown belieing the excitement visible in his eyes and Stan with a joyous smile, tightly pressed against the other boy's back, trying to keep them in balance, while the car was speeding up.

It was only a matter of time until Kyle lost his grip and both boys tumbled off the griddle on the snow. The others laughed and whistled and as the Jew sat up, he just looked at Stan, who was lying in the snow with a stupid grin on his lips.

"Stop giving me that look, Ky. I know you loved it" the dark-haired boy said as he sat up. Kyle kicked him against one leg and Tweek could hear Stan chuckling, before he leaned up and gave his boyfriend a kiss on the lips.

Kyle shoved him back and dunked his head in the snow.

Nice.

"That hurt, Kyle" Stan complained, then turned towards the other boys, "Alright, it works!"

"Okay then, Tweek, Butters, get over here you scaredy cats!" Jason suddenly screamed over the field, and Tweek was about to flip him off – a gesture that came naturally after being confronted with it almost every day of his life – but he decided against it, just threw Butters an intensive look. Said boy knocked his knuckles together, watching Tweek through his thick eyelashes that made girls green with envy.

"I absolutley don't get you", Tweek finally muttered, grapping Butters by the hand and dragging him over the field to Clyde's car. "I think I don't even want to get you."

"But-but even Kyle doesn't complain!" Butters tried to reason, but in Tweek's opinion Kyle was not the yardstick for everything sane, seeing as that boy tended to throw reason and common sense into the dusties, darkest place of his subconciuose, whenever Stan was involved. Which was, what Tweek excatly told his equally insane friend.

"I heard that", Kyle answered, a fine eyebrow rising but Tweek just ignored him and put Butters on the griddle, that, on a second look, was actually bigger than he thought, while the other boys watched them in amesument. They must be the strangest couple in the world, Tweek thought, instructing Butters on how to stay alive, preferably with every extremities and inner organs save and sound.

"Sit further to the back, Butters, so that the griddle is slightly above the snow in the front", Token added, "if it get's dangerous let yourself fall off. Don't let the thing hit you."

"And take care of your fingers", Kyle said, showing him one ungloved hand, that had red marks on his knuckles and one finger was slightly turning blue. "Keep them at the front. Or else the baking plate will hurt you."

"I didn't know that", Stan said, looking at the pale hand Kyle was again putting in the glove with a guilty conscience.

"You were busy laughing," the other answered, then winked at him. "And I'm no baby, Stan. I can take a hit or two."

"Yeah, whatever," Tweek said, interrupting their sweetass foreplay, then pointed at Clyde. "You, you better be careful!"

"Ay, sire!" Clyde replied jokingly, saluting, slowly getting his car started and driving as slow as he could. Which was still too fast in Tweek's opinion, but Butters was smiling and seemed genuinely happy.

"You do realize, you are mothering him." Stan pointed out.

"I don't. He's my best friend and I just don't want to see him hurt." Tweek balled his hands to fists, his chin high as he turned his face to the other boys. "You got a problem with that?"

"I think Tweek just grew balls", Jason voiced, putting the spasming blond into his trademark bearhug, playfully ruffling his hair.

"What- gah - do you know", the blond yelled, stomping on the other boys feet and pushing him into the snow. He was seriously worried about Butters well-being in more than one way and he didn't need to be made fun off.

"Is it just me, or is The Tweezer slightly spiky?"

"Not funny", Kevin replied and scrunched his nose in disgust. "Neither you nor your irresponsible insensitive, independent loud mouth."

"Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"I second that. The mouth part, that is", Craig agreed, giving a slight nod. "You do are funny. Just never when you want to be."

Jason just crossed the arms infront of his chest and continued to sit in the snow, sulking, and, before he could voice any further form of protest – not that anyone would have cared – Token's face paled, before he started dashing towards Clyde's car.

"Oi! Butters! Don't do that!"

Tweek turned around, looking for his friend, who seemingly had lost his balance on the griddle, holding on with only one arm to the the metal plate, his other one wildly brandishing, as his left foot was trying to stop the car – in vain of course.

Stupid boy.

"Just let go!" Jason called, jumping up and following his friend.

"I told him so", Tweek merely said dispassionately, while Token was about to catch up to the other blond, Clyde probably not even driving 5mph. "I'm going to build a snowman."

"Oh! Me too!" Stan agreed, while Tweek just watched him out of the corner of his eyes.

"Pretty agreeable, aren't we today?"

"Pretty aggressive, aren't we today?" Kyle returned on Stan's behalf, but closing in on Butters and Token, who had caught the fallen blond in his arms, while Clyde had finally noticed the commotion behind him and stopped the car.

Stupid ass.

"You got any problems, Tweekster?" Stan asked, when they were alone, both forming snow in their hands to small balls, while the other boys joined Token and Butters, Kyle lecturing Clyde on how to be considerate and curteous, when you have a Butters Stotch behind your car.

Kyle and Stan both had the unpleasant habit to meddle with what was not of their concern.

"None of your business", Tweek replied, bending down to pat some snow on the small ball to make it bigger. He wondered if it was possible to make a snowman twice as big as himself.

"Don't be like that."

He could hear Jason's laugh that almost sounded like a bark, Kyle's slightly hysterical coloured angry voice and Token's calm tenor, Butters' incomprehensible stuttering and he didn't even have to turn around to see that the blond had his face cast down in shame, knocking his knuckles – a very bad habit he just couldn't get rid off.

"Say, Tweek." The blond turned to face Stan, who started to roll the small ball he made in the snow. "About Butters getting hurt, you know, he won't do that."

"As if you would know that."

"It's the reason he is bashing his head in."

"Which doesn't seem to help much."

Stan sighed, shaking his head. "You're not going to tell him?"

"Never. If there is something I will carry to the grave it's that. And you too!"

"I don't intend to say anything. Neither does Kyle" Stan added hastily before Tweek could interrupt him. "It's something they have to work out on their own, we know that. And Kenny doesn't like people who meddle with his affairs."

"Right, that's why he choose you two as his best friends."

"As long as we don't comment on his life style", Stan explained, rubbing his fingerless gloves together. "And we don't meddle with anyone's life", he continued, scrunching his nose as he had finally caught up with the insult.

"Sure you don't." Tweek answered dryly.

"I'll help you", Kevin interrupted them suddenly, bending down to Tweek's ball before he rolled him through the snow, leaving Tweek behind. "It's better than watch that choleric keep on rattling on Clyde. You should keep your wife in check, Marsh."

"You're one to talk. Your girl needs a leash", Jason interrupted, obviously having enough of Kyle still going on about safety in combination with Leopold Butters Stotch. It's not like Butters was mentally challenged or anything, he was not retarded – well, not in the official sense of the word – and he was a normal sixteen year old boy, not a dense child, so Tweek couldn't understand why the redhead felt like the blond needed a special safety manual.

On the other hand…

"Does anyone have a first-aid-kit in their car?" Kyle interrupted, Butters by the hand. Tweek's eyes widened when he saw the blood contrasting on Butters' light blue parker and in the blink of an eye he was by the blond's side and dragged him towards Craig's car and opened the trunk, looking for the small case.

"Oh god, I hope you haven't hit any important blood vessels! What if you die of blood loss and then—"

"Tweek."

"—your parents will come and question us and accuse us of murdering you. Oh god, what if they think it had been Clyde? He will probably put in jail—"

"Being raped?" Craig called after him.

"Oh god, what if Craig hasn't restocked his first-aid-kit after his last accident with the car two weeks ago?"

"I did that!"

Tweek looked over the trunk towards Craig and raised an eyebrow before he continued to look for the kit.

"Ah… it's nothin' serious, Tweek", Butters tried to calm him down, removing the glove, "I jest cut myself on the metal. It kinda broke on somethin'." The blond finally found the first-aid-kit inbetween jack, danger sign, different tools and other junk and looked at the cut between thumb and pointing finger.

"Oh god! That must hurt!"

"… A little."

"Not just a little! Here!" He bandaged the hand professionelly, having visited more than one class on medical first-aid after Craig had gotten a car and Tweek was constantly chased by nightmares of him dying because nobody knew about the simplest mouth-to-mouth and nose ventialition.

After he had finished he nodded at the clean bandage.

"Thanks, Tweek", Butters mumbled.

"I told you, you were going to die! What did I say? It's dangerous."

"But it's fun…and I don't want ta always stand on the sideline."

"Who cares? You will never get on that thing again!"

"That ain't difficult", Kevin, who was still rolling the ball through the snow, said, and Tweek turned towards the boy who pointed at Jason who had one shard of the baking plate and Token with the second.

"Well then", Craig started, smirking.

"That leaves the skies", Token continued and the glee in their eyes made Tweek twitch.

And they called him crazy?

Without further ado, Craig just took the skies from the ground and marched up to the car.

"You just won't give up, do you?" Clyde commented from his car, shaking his head. "It's my poor baby, that suffers the most. Have some consideration, man!"

Token and Craig just ignored him.

And Tweek's mind was running in chaos.

Of course Craig would never, but he would.

Totally.

"Craig's gonna die", he mumbled to himself, his eyes twitching nervously.

"No, he isn't" Butters replied, "Nobody will die, Tweek, so calm down."

"Can't", he answered, as he noticed with growing anxiety, that Craig had put on the skies and bended down to pick up the rope. Clyde leaned out of his car window, waiting for some kind of signal that he could start, while Token gave last instructions on the footing on the skies.

Alright, he knew he was just panicking, of course Craig wouldn't die, his mind was just acting on its own again. He would not spoil Craig's fun just because he was worried about something impossible like death. Stupid mind, stupid mind, if he could just hit a switch that would block those thoughts, especially when he knew they were total nonsense.

Just calm down, take a deep breath and calm down.

That was, what Craig used to tell him, when he was overreacting again.

Think about happy things like little puppies - without any kind of virus, of course. Or kittens - that had survived and weren't eaten by their mother, a newborn calf – that wasn't killed a month after being born to become meat for humans.

"For gawds sake." Tweek growled.

Craig was going to die.

„He ain't goin' ta die, Tweek! Seriously!"

It was then that Craig glanced over to him, the playful smile that had been gracing his lips vanishing, his features hardening. Token stopped in his instructions to follow Craig's eyes and as soon as they noticed, the other boys turned around to look at them, too.

"Tweek, calm down", Butters whispered sideways, smiling shyly due to the sudden attention.

"That's what I'm trying, stupid."

"Craig's goin' ta worry."

"I know!"

At that moment, Craig dropped the rope to the ground as he kneeled down to open the buckles that kept the skies to his feet.

"It's alright!" Tweek yelled, trying to assure him and keep the twitching to a minimum. "Just do it!"

Not!, his mind objected.

However, the boy had already handed the skies to Token, who was changing places with him, putting on his skies, while Craig marched pass the small group to his car and opened the drivers door, retreated a bottle of water and Tweek's thermobottle, handed the latter to the blonde.

"Th…anks", Tweek mumbled, looking down.

Damn it.

They stood in silence, Butters looking back and forth between the two, until he fled to Kevin's side. The snowball had by now an impressive size and it didn't look like the raver was going to stop anytime soon.

"After Token, we're doing it together", Craig suddenly decided, taking a sip from his bottle.

"What… together?"

"That", his boyfriend replied, pointing at Token, who had given Clyde the sign. The brunette had started the car slowly, picking up on speed and Token kept his balance surprisingly well, Sparky always close behind.

"No!"

"Yes." With that said, Craig moved towards the rest of them, who had decided to join Kevin in his task of building a snowman. Tweek followed him hurriedly. "Don't do that, Craig!", he winced, when he reached him.

"So you want to do it alone?"

"I don't want to do it at all."

"Just try it. It's not dangerous", Stan butted in.

„Stop. Meddling. Marsh!" Tweek growled.

"But just look at Token", - who was currently fighting for balance but lost the fight spectacular, releasing the rope and landing smack down in the snow, the skies dangling from his feet hold up in the air.

"You have to try something out, before you condemn it.", Craig said, watching him carefully.

"But… but, no! Just look… look at Butters!"

"I'm fine, Tweek..."

"Butters had been careless."

"And you can be too. Me too. Especially me!"

"Can't you stop fighting?" Kyle asked, probably not really expecting an answer, so Tweek just glared at him.

"Geez, that had been my back", Token said, leaning on Clyde and the skies, as he walked up to them. "Who's next?"

"Just take the risk", the dark-haired boy replied determinded.

"What's going on?" Clyde asked, looking around.

"Craig is going to force Tweek on the skies." Kyle answered, a tint of disgust in his voice that made Tweek frown.

"I'm going to build a ramp. That's going to be more fun", Kevin said, disinterested in their conversation, the hip-high snowball abandoned next to him as he walked out further in the field.

"I… will help", Jason agreed hastily, following the hooded boy. "And then we put Tweek on the skies and let him jump over it."

"No." Kevin shoot back.

"Don't be mean", the fay brunette stepped in, hugging Tweek with one arm around his shoulder. "Just let him of the hook this time, Craig."

Craig looked at Clyde, then at Tweek and shrugged, before he turned around. "Whatever. I'm helping them build the ski-jump. After that, it's my turn."

The blond furrowed his brows.

There was no doubt Craig would use the ramp just to annoy him. He knew Tweek would be scared to death. However, if he got with Craig on the skies, he would probably avoid the death trap for his sake.

Tweek was biting his lip, following the blackmailer with his eyes.

Goddamn it.

"You want to continue building a snowman?" Butters suddenly asked, taping against his shoulder.

"Can someone help me for a moment?" Everybody looked at Token, who was pointing with the thumb to his car. "I'm freezing to death, but I've got a camping heater and hot chocolate!"

"'Course!" Stan exclaimed happly. "Could need something hot to drink!"

"Sure", Kyle agreed, heading towards the Bugatti.

Tweek and Butters stood beside each other, the latter nervously knocking his knuckles together. "Let's finish the snowman", Butters started again and Tweek nodded absentmindedly. He bent down with the other blond and started to roll the abandoned snowball.

"How big is this going to be?" He asked, not really interested in the answer but it was better than keeping quiet and thinking about what the other boys were doing.

"Until we can't roll it anymore?" Butters asked back, his eyes sparkling. "Like really, really big!"

"Must be tough, being with him."

Tweek stopping dead in his tracks, and turned his head towards the three boys that stood at the black EP 112, where the hushed whisper had been coming from.

Stan was holding his hands up, ready to be loaded by whatever was Token going to force on him.

"He knew what he was getting himself into", Kyle replied not as quiet as his friend had tried to be. "It's not like they had met the first time the day they started dating."

Tweek gritted his teeth.

"Everything's fine", Token interrupted them, pushing the camping heater in Stan's arms. "It happen's. And Tweek can actually hear you." The dark-haired boy straightened his back, while Kyle just shrugged. "I knew. I wanted him to."

Stan stomp on his boyfriends foot, earning an angry glare from the redhead.

But Tweek started to roll the snowball again, leaving Butters behind.

As if they knew anything about him and Craig.

As if he didn't knew he was tough to deal with, stubbornly trying to force his will on Craig. As if he didn't know that! But he couldn't change even if he wanted to. They had no right to talk about his affairs.

That's why he couldn't stand them, because they always had to evaluate everything, because they always had to have an opinion about everything and everyone.

It just wasn't fair that he was the way he was.

He never wanted to be like… like that.

He stopped, biting on his lower lip.

Whoever said that he wanted to be born as Tweek Tweak?

Tweek Tweak, the coffee addict, that faggot freak, the psycho, the spaz, that crazy kid, you know, the one with the nervous twitching, give him something to drink and he makes you a shake, that's right, the one talking about the world's end, just give him the missing sign, correct, the wrack you want to put into the next nut house.

Fuck them.

Who needed them anyway?

And who needed him.

"Tweek!" Butters called and he looked up, turning to Butters who pointed to the snowball. "That's big enough!"

He could see Clyde approaching him, brightly smiling. "That's going to be a huge snowman", he said, hurring up to him and Tweek finally noticed the size of the ball he had under his hands. "Let's get it back. Kyle and Butters are making the second one!"

Tweek looked up, watching the two running around in the snow, then glanced to the cars, where Stan and Token where busy with the camping heater.

What did they know?

"Okay," the blond answered finally.

Clyde nudged their shoulders together in a comforting gesture, standing next to him and putting his hands beside Tweek's, that left melted prints on the cold surface.

They knew nothing.

The other boys had finished the small but wide skie-jump and Token was beckoning them back, holding up an aluminium cup.

Craig sat next to Tweek on the hood of his car, close enough he could feel his warmth. Tweek wasn't really that cold, but he moved in closer, their arms touching, Craig accepting one of the silver cups Stan was distributing, him with his thermos.

Nothing.

"Whatcha doing?" Jason asked, accepting the cup Token handed to him as he nodded to the snowball that was going almost to his hips now.

"Apparently, it's going to be a huge snowman! You gotta love it!" Clyde announced, voice brimming with excitement.

Jason looked at him. "You sure are a fag."

"Speak for yourself", Tweek replied, angry.

"Now listen", Token started, diverting Jason's attention from Tweek, knitting his eyebrows. "I have it with your fag-comments! Clyde might be the gayest person alive. Yes, I mean, gayer than Mister Slave. I mean, gayer than the gayest gay in South Park—"

"Gayer than Butters?", Kevin interrupted jokingly.

"Nobody is gayer than Butters," Kyle commented, sipping on his cup. "He isn't even included in such statements."

"Butters is the sole winner of the Fairies Fag Award since it was founded sixteen years ago." Jason added, giving the boy in question a once-over, Butters nervously shifting under his eyes. "Totally justified, by the way".

"But Clyde," Token continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Clyde has piercings," - he pointing at the plucked fine brown eyebrow, then at the piercings at the tip of his ears - "he cries with Bebe over Titanic and every teen movie ever produced. He loves to go shopping with the girls and will probably become the best Make-up artist on this earth – for this is truly his dream - but" Token emphasized. "but he is not gay."

"He is as straight as an arrow", Craig confirmed.

"Yep", Butters agreed, nodding.

"Well", Clyde said, blushing. "That's not entirely true."

The other boys looked at the brunette, his eyes averted as he stared at the snow. "I do think Token is hot."

"Dude," Stan started serious. "Everybody thinks Token is hot. My dog wants to jump him." He pointed at Sparky, that had been sitting suspiciously close to Token again.

Crazy dog.

"Then why doesn't he get a girlfriend?" Jason asked.

"Oh, you wouldn't want him to, would you?" Tweek mumbled under his breath. "You'd get jealous and snatch every girl away."

"Come again?"

The blond just ignored the bulky brunette, taking a gulp from his coffee. He could feel the irritated stares, but he couldn't care less.

"He can't get one", Token said, probably saving Tweek from a very painfully long-winded death. "There's no girl from South Park and an outsider is out of the question."

"What he said." Clyde confirmed.

"How so?", Butters asked timidly.

"You remember unwritten rule 26? 'If you ever date some outsider, you have to introduce them in two weeks time'?" Token asked and Butters nooded. "Right, and who would like to introduce a bunch of fags like you as their best friends?"

The other boys looked at Token, frowning.

"True," Kyle finally acknowledge.

"You just can't reason with facts." Kevin seconded, shrugging.

"Yeah, have you ever tried to argue with Kyle?" Jason exclaimed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Excuse me?"

"… I said facts, Jason, not fags…"

"I know, I just wanted to say that." The sturdy boy answered, laughing over his own joke, while the other boys decided to ignore him.

"Just like Cartman", Kyle almost spit, frowning.

"Apropos Cartman. Why isn't he coming?" Token realized.

Stan wrinkled his forehead. "I only called Kyle and Kyle sure as hell doesn't call Cartman."

"He either invites himself. Or Kenny does." Kyle continued, putting his cup to the side and getting back to the second snowball. "I think that's good enough. Let's get it on the first and continue to the third."

Everybody nodded and put their empty to half-full cups to the side and got down to the task of creating the biggest snowman since the come-alive snowman from summer two years ago that finally got the government to admit that maybe, a little, they still had to argue a bit, but somehow the possibility of something abstract like global warming could be possibly existing. Maybe.

Just as everybody had, to Tweeks reassurance, postponed the idea of getting him on the skies and Craig for getting on the ramp, there just had to be a disturbance by the person he wanted to see the least for the rest of his short, and heart-attack-ended life.

"Where's that Butters Stotch?" his voice suddenly rang from a small hill, where the snow had visibly lessened due to them rolling the snowballs.

"Right here," Jason called back, ignoring the looks he received from the other boys – just like everything else.

Tweek wanted to slap him.

"Seriously, he's blood thirsty. I would hide myself," Kevin advised, when he saw the blond nuisance stomping through the snow in Butters direction.

"You come with me", the infurated bugger said as soon as he reached them, grapping Butters by the upper arm and dragging him away from the other boys, a short greeting for Kevin on the way pass him.

"Go for him!" Jason cheered, Stan boxing him against his shoulder.

Tweek mentally thanked him.

"It's going to be difficult to find a private spot here", Token called after them, not that that stupid jerk would care.

"What's gotten into him?", Kyle wondered aloud and Craig looked at Tweek, who just shook his head.

He knew from the beginning that Butters was just getting himself into trouble again, when he went to ask him for help.

Though Tweek wouldn't trust Stan as far as he could throw him, but he was right on one thing: that bastard just didn't like meddling – whoever it may be. And worse than meddling was charity, especially if it was meddling charity, as what one could call Butters' behaviour.

So what if he saw Mister McCormick in Skeeter's bar?

He was just jumping to conclusion – alright, so these conclusions turned out true, but he still didn't have the right to rub it under that stupid git's nose by thinking he could help him out with bringing the McCormick's some stupid wood.

Butters was doing unnecessary stuff, which is probably exactly what that popular loner was going to tell him.

"You know something, Tweekster?" Craig asked.

"I don't care anymore", was all the blond answered, before he turned his attention toward the huge snowball that lay abondend. "I told him he was going to get in trouble. Lets get this thing on the first."

Kevin joinend him and the other boys followed suit, glancing once in a while to the strange couple, but otherwise trying to ignore the bastard's angry hushed whispers, while Butters just stood in silence; but as curiosity would have it, they still tried to get at least bits and pieces but nothing was reaching their ears, until Butters suddenly decided to speak.

"Enough!"

Tweek stopped for a second in his task of heaving the second huge ball onto the first, same as everyone else for that matter, to turn around and look at Butters, who had his hands balled into fists.

"It's enough already, I get it!"

"The fuck?" Jason voiced everyone's thoughts, the dirty bastard's included, Tweek was sure.

"I'm sorry I said I… I like ya!"

"The fuck?"

"I—I know ya hate me so much, you jumped infront of a truck, when I said it. But you're still—still nice to me. I—I know it's you're personality, but—but it's enough. I—I can't do this anymore, so stop being nice ta me and stop being cruel ta me! Stop-stop talking ta me and stop yelling at me! Stop helping and then hurting me! Je-jest ignore me!"

The snowball was gradually becoming heavier with every passing second but Tweek didn't care, neither did the other boys, to enthralled with Butters unexspected open confession. So what if everybody knew Butters was head over heels for Kenny fucking McCormick, nobody actually expected him to realize, let alone confess.

The other blond's voice was still low when he answered, and now the boys were really craning their necks, desperate to hear what the reply would be. Except Kyle - but Kyle would probably hear from the trash talker a few days later about this incident – and Craig, because Craig really didn't care for anyones lovelifes. He had enough trouble with his own.

They still couldn't hear and decided independently from each other to take a few steps forward, cold water running over their hands, drenching their gloves, the snowball quite heavy on their shoulders and arms.

Butters eyes widened, before tears started to well on his eyes, his jaw tightening.

"He made Butters cry", Kyle assessed dryly, blinking.

And Tweek was out for blood, but before he could stomp off to the two blonds and pummel that motherfucker into the ground, Kevin and Craig both grapped after his shoulder, at the same time fighting to shoulder the heavy snowball and replacing Tweek's suddenly missing support.

"Let me go", he growled, but before anyone could react, that soon-to-be receiver of Tweeks wrath just stomped of.

"I don't care." He shouted, obviously frustrated, while Butters was staring to the ground, his whole body stiff with hardly suppressed anger, disappointment and most of all sadness.

Tweek kept watching Butters, noticing somewhere in his subconscience that the boys had finally let him go and placed the heavy snowball on the first, fixing it with more snow.

He didn't know what to do, he wasn't really the comforting type and more of, he was glad that Butters had finally been rejected. Because he knew, one word and Kenny McCormick could have Butters on a silvern plattern if he wanted.

He stood their a few moments, unsure of what to do, when Butters' body suddenly softened and he turned his face towards the nervous blond, strained smile on his lips.

He hated that smile.

But "You coming or what?", was still all he called, before he turned towards the other boys, working on the third snowball, eventhough the snowman was already bigger than Kevin. But Kevin was sort of a shorty among them.

"Do we have something to make a face of", Butters asked innocently as he reached the small group.

"What did Kenny say?", Jason asked blatantly, the boys glaring at him. "What? I'm sure, I'm not the only one who wants to know!" He defended himself, when Stan wacked him over the head – Tweek mentally thanked him again.

"What do you think Kenny has said?", Kyle asked rhethorically. "Probably: 'Why, Butters?'."

"Dude…" Stan said, giving his friend a reproachful look.

"Can someone please just play some cheesy lovesong, like Lovefool? We cry, we laugh, and with the song this freaking daily soap atmosphere will hopefully vanish as well." Kevin said.

"I'm sure Craig has something like that in his car."

"Talk for yourself, Marsh." The black-haired boy shoot back, his hands wandering to one of his pockets that only touched air. Tweek noticed the look of dejection that flinchend over Craig's sharp cut features, the slight sigh escaping his lips.

"Finally! Have one!" The raver squealed; the first time on this day that either of them had seen him this energetic.

Tweek's left eye started to twitch when he saw Kevin almost throwing himself against Craig's chest. "I hate smoking alone and those fellas are all non-smokers!" He wailed, holding his cigarettes under Craig's nose. "Ya goin' t' join meh, ain'tcha?"

"I don't smoke anymore" the dark-haired boy answered, his eyes darting to Tweek who could just see the words 'in front of Tweek, at least' in those dark pupils.

"Whaaat? Because your boytoy doesn't like it?" Tweek was surprised. Kevin was sharper than one might expect. "Geez, when have you become such a pussy? It's like you're totally henpecked. And I always expected you to be the man in this relationship."

Craig was unfazed, while Tweek was on boiling stones.

"Kevin, that's enough", Token interrupted, glancing at the blond.

"Maah, when I heard about them I just had to come and see for myself. I mean, they have been stripping each other with their eyes for years, it was really just a matter of time. Have been waiting for years, took you quite a while to figure it out." Kevin withdraw a cigarette, putting the package back into one of his pockets. "And then, finally, Token called. Though Clyde let it slip", Kevin explained further, lighting his cigarette, moving provocingly closer towards Craig. "Or more like, I was on the phone, when Clyde stormed into Token's room and announced it with all the grace and air of a gossip newscaster. Couldn't believe it. Thought I hadn't seen you guys for awhile and could connect the two things. Though I really couldn't imagine you two together."

"You wouldn't want to", Jason commented, laughing heartedly.

"Guys, stop that. I mean it!" Token said, close to anger as he could get.

"No really, it's just – weird."

"Well, then just imagine Craig with McCormick, if that's better", Tweek growled, clenching his jaw.

"Oh! That's hot!" Stan exclaimed without thinking and Tweek froze for the blink of a moment.

"Stan!" Kyle scolded.

"Oh, they would be a good couple", Kevin agreed. "Pretty interesting."

"Enough!" Token yelled, then glanced at the blond, who didn't even knew how to react. He could feel the anger slowly dissipating, replaced by dazing revelation.

That… had stung.

He had known that Craig and him were strange, and he know he was just asking for it, when he said that, but to actually hear it from someone else. Tweek could only stare at the white snow. Craig on the otherhand merely snatched the cigaretts out of Kevin's hands and headed back to his car.

"Now you have done it." Token said, not looking at anyone in particular. "You really made him angry."

"How could you tell?" Jason asked, following Craig with his eyes. "That guy is as expressionless as a stone."

"He didn't flash us the finger", was all Token answered, before he turned around, nudging Stan and Kyle in the side to help him lifting up the snowball.

"Hey, I wasn't serious", Kevin defended himself. "And it's not like Craig cares what I say. I'm THE Douche, remember? Tweek, you know it was just a joke, right?"

"Leave him alone", Butters demanded, pushing himself between them before he leaned towards Tweek. "Tweek", he whispered quietly, taking him a bit to the side, "Don't just stand here. Shouldn't ya talk ta him?"

"No. It's true. Kevin's right. He would be better off without me."

But why did it hurt so much?

"I never said that!" Kevin called over.

"Shut your mouth!" Butters growled, then turned back to his friend. "Tweek Tweak! Now we had that topic today, but ya just don't seem ta get it, ya self-conscious little brat!"

"What did you just call me?"

"I named it! There's a reason Craig's together with ya, why don't ya get it? Just 'cause ya suffer from self-doubt issues ya think Craig has the same problem? I told ya today that there is a reason he is staying with ya. Even if other people have a problem with the two of ya, and can't imagine ya together" – he threw a warning look at the boys in question, who tried to hide behind the huge half-finished snowman – "and don't think about that others might would have a problem with imagenin' them as well, if it hadn't been thanks to some video, that everybody knows excatly what they are doin' in their bedrooms."

"Now really," Kyle started, but was brushed aside.

"I know I'm not someone ta talk, 'cause I don't… don't have any experience, but what I do know is that keepin' secrets and always holdin' back can only turn out ta the worst."

Tweek didn't need to hear something like that from Butters. They were all just liars, telling him pretty little white lies, he wouldn't feel inferior, would feel save but it was just sweet talking. They were his friends, they were supposed to comfort him.

He didn't trust them.

"Has someone popcorn? This is turning into a real-life teen drama movie. That's worse than 'We will Strock you'. Disgusting French copy-cat singers."

"Shut up, Jason! You've done enough already!"

They knew nothing.

Right?

Tweek gritted his teeth, then turned around and walked towards Craig's car.

The boy was crouched down, the backleaning against the red door of his BMW, the cigarette hanging from his lips and the hands in his pockets, staring at the dark-grey sky.

Right, Craig?

Tweek followed his eyes, but could only see depressing clouds dimming the sun. It was clicheé weather. All they needed now were them dripping in the rain, with a car driving by and drenching them even more.

"I can't change what had happened", Craig suddenly started, without really acknowledging Tweek's presence. "And to be honest, I don't want to change anything, because it wouldn't have lead me to where I stand right now."

Tweek looked at him for a long time.

"It's not about what Kevin said?"

"Who cares what Kevin says. He's a douche." Craig answered, wrinkling his forehead. "Look, what happened between Kenny and me, I'm not going to apologize for anything—"

"That's not it!"

"So, you're making a big deal out of this, because?"

"I can't tell you!"

Craig didn't give a reply, just took the cigarette between the fingers, tapping the ash off on the snow, while Tweek nervously started to chew on his lips, watching the nondescripted features of his boyfriend, the lack of any kind of emotion.

"So you don't trust me?"

"I keep telling you, that's not it!"

"You'd rather let me keep on worrying about you?"

"Yes, I mean no… but", Tweek balled his hands to fists, his whole body tensed. "Because it's stupid! And I know it's stupid and not justified and I'm just being paranoid! I know it all! And that's the problem! Because I know, I can't tell you! It would make me even more pathetic than I'm feeling every freaking day of my stupid life!"

Craig watched him out of the corner of his eyes, exhaling. "It all comes down to one", he suddenly said, though Tweek didn't understand the meaning behind those words. "In the end, I'm no good."

"Huh?"

"Should have know from the beginning, that we'd just keep on running in circles." Craig's voice was still calm and collected, he still wouldn't face Tweek, cigarette loosly between his fingers. "Tweek", Craig sighed, then turned to face him. "I love you, but you're really running me down. And I don't know how long I can keep up with that."

"I don't… what … do mean?"

"I'm tired of, of this," Craig spread his arms, showing everything and nothing, "of you constantly doubting me, you not being honest to me, of us always fighting about something I don't even know or understand, and you don't even try to explain."

"What are you talking about?"

Though he already knew.

"For once, I think your parents were right, I'm not fit to be with you. Looks like I'm really just a snobby half-baked brat, still wet behind the ears, knowing nothing about the way of the world, impatiently waiting for something that was probably fated to fail."

Tweek's body was shacking. He could feel something wet on his cheeks, hoping it were just snow drops melting on the warm skin, hoping that the burn in his eyes was because of some allergic reaction.

But.

"Just say it", he finally bit out, and Craig turned to watch him through cold eyes.

"Let's break up."

Tweek stared a long time at the other boy, his jaw clenching, his lips tightly pressed together. The snow drops running down his cheeks were peculiar warm and tasted salty on his lips. It was so cold even his nose started to run and his vision blurred.

And it hurt.

It hurt so much more than he could have imagined, and he hated himself that mere words could hurt him so much his chest felt like he was suffocating, so much that there was some unnamed dull ache he always felt when he saw Craig and that bastard running off somewhere without him, someplace he didn't knew and never would.

"No", he whispered, though he doubted that Craig could hear him. "No!" he repeated, louder, stubborn, firmly.

Craig raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"No!" he almost shouted, his eyes closed, and he wiped with his sleeve over his nose.

"Then we will continue as we have till now?"

"No, I don't know. Yes? I, I don't know!" Tweek crouched down, hiding from everyone that might see him, hiding his face behind his hands.

"That's so pointless."

The blond opened his eyes wide.

"You… you asshole!" he screeched, reaching for snow and throwing it at the darkhaired boy who just lifted an arm to save his cigarette. "Have you… have you any idea how I feel?"

"No", Craig answered, inhaling the smoke. "How could I? You don't talk to me about stuff like that. Of course, I could guess, but that's just to vague."

"What is your problem?"

"Problem? I don't have any."

"Of course you have! What's this attitude for?"

"You might not know, because you are hero-worshipping me, but I can be pretty petty. It's just a case of 'how about a taste of your own medicin?'."

"You", Tweek started, furrowing his eyebrows, when he understood the meaning behind these words. "You think this is easy for me? This whole new let's-start-dating-thing you just threw at me? I spent my nights reading stupid girlish novels and crazy women magazines with 100 tips and tricks on how to make him happy and what to do on your first date and all that rubbish! I agonized over what clothes to wear just to end up with the usual ones! I drove Butters. insane. with my nervous flips!"

"Same here", Craig admitted, snipping the butt to the ground. "Just with Kenny", he added.

"I don't believe you! You always look so composed, like you know what you are doing and I – I have become ugly. I don't even like myself anymore."

And he was hating himself even more with every word, because he knew that he was selfishly putting his fears on Craig, because he detested everything that left his lips, and he was crying eventhough he had tried, so many years, to just ignore the burning in his eyes, he had never cried before, because he was a boy, and boys don't cry, but ever since Craig, who would just put up with his fits, he had felt like he could be himself infront of the other, that he could cry, when he felt like it, and be demanding, when he wanted to. He had even cried the first time Craig wanted to kiss him – he had been kind enough to try not to scare him and gave him a short warning, but it had just backfired; he had cried the first time Craig had told him he loved him – that sucker had been drunk back then, thanks to some stupid jerk, but still, Tweek just couldn't help it. And he was crying because it hurt, but the tears wouldn't stop, and Craig was looking as if he wasn't even concerned.

"I hate your face." Tweek started. "No, that's wrong, I mean…" He just let his shoulders hang helplessly. "You haven't always been like this, devoid of any emotions, it's something you have aquired over the years, which wasn't part of you when I thought you were my idol, I don't know whether it's something I learned to love or whether it's the reason I did fall for you. I… I mean, I don't feel insecure, when you look at me." His thoughts were a jumbled chaos he couldn't organize. "Because your expressionless face shows me honest interest, because I know it's just your way of trying to hide, but still, you're not someone who plays with his expressions like other do. If you're happy, you smile, and if you're angry, you frown, but right now, what are your feelings? What do you think? I can't read you anymore, why aren't you angry, why don't you feel sad? I would accept every emotion, that you would show me." Tweek sniffed into the fabric of his sleeve. "Craig… why is this so difficult?

"I'm scared. I know I'm no match for him and I don't want to change everything I am just to be able to compete with him. He is everything I am not, he can give you everything you need and you deserve so much better, so much more than I can offer, but you and Butters, you are all I have. And I will be alone, if he takes you away from me. I know I'm selfish, I know I can't give you up without a fight eventhough I know I should just let you go, beause I know I'm just a bother." Tweek wiped with his sleeve over his face, the tears slowly stopping.

"But, but Kenny, he is bright, outgoing, he likes to do fun stuff and doesn't hide in his bedroom, he easily connects with strangers and has so many friends. Why can't he just let me keep you two? How will I be able to ever compete with him, when I become even uglier than I already am?"

"Tweek, Kenny is the loniest person I know."

The blond looked up in surprise.

"Sure, he has lots of people on his hands left and right, drinking buddies and girls he meets in suspect bars, but they are nothing you can call friends. You think they'd be there when he needed 'em? You think he could talk to them about things he worries 'bout? Take a look at Stan and Kyle, to engrossed in each other they only see each other. Those are his friends, his best friends, but who do you think these two would choose? And you see, Butters? He would choose Kenny without a doubt, to bad Kenny thinks he is a molester for even having dirty thoughts about him. And me," Craig stopped, taking a deep breath. "I would choose you over him anytime, and he knows that."

Tweek blushed when he heard the last sentence and his heart made a quick thud.

"Don't get me wrong, I like Kenny a lot, but I would never date him."

"Then why would you sleep with him?" Tweek asked quietly. "Have you any idea how awful I felt, when you told me? I was coming to terms with my feelings for you and you betrayed them, fully aware that you were. Even though we never talked about it, you probably knew at that time, that I… that I… was… so, so much."

"Yeah, I did, but Tweek, I told you I'm no hero", Craig replied, "you have to get that image out of your head. I panicked. When I noticed your feelings, I tried to handle them as I saw fit, which probably wasn't the best way around, I don't know. I sorted them out. With Kenny. And I panicked, when I wasn't as disgusted as I probably should have been. So I actually considered it. But then again I didn't even knew whether I could do it with a man, it's not like a dick usually turns me on."

"Craig!"

"And I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship if I suddenly figured out, that I couldn't do it. I don't regret what happened with Kenny, but I do regret knowingly hurting you. But if it had come to us having sex and I would suddenly chicken out, what would you have done?"

Tweek knew what he would have done, probably wailing in his sorrow, before he decided to never leave the house again until his mother forcefully threw him out and he tried to act normal but it only turned out he had become even more edgy and as soon as he saw Craig he would fleed the scene and ditch every class they would share. Craig would probably try to talk to him a few times but he wouldn't listen, because he was twitching like an idiot. In the end, he would never get into a relationship ever again and die alone in a hospital without friends – because somewhere after high school nobody would want to have to do anything with him – alright, that sounded strange…

But yep, that was like him and his future.

"Then what about him?", he asked tentatively, his eyes casted down.

"Kenny is special."

"Stop saying that!"

Craig gave an irritated sigh. "Because he doesn't have expectations."

Tweek absentmindely played with the snow, evaluating the statement.

"He acts like an asshole because he likes to tease you, but in the end, he was really putting me in my place and explained to me that, yes, indeed, I had a thing for you even a blind man could see and he was surprised that we weren't already screwing our brains out. Quote, unquote. The thing about Kenny is… you can talk to him and he wouldn't condemn you, you could complain, and rant, and he would just quietly listen to you. You could tell him that your lifelong dream is slicing a cow open to bury yourself in their intestines to feel secure and he would just lay a hand on your shoulder, sigh, and put you in the next nut house, but he would visit you every day. Trust me at least on this one, he is the loyal kind of guy, he is the last person to steal someone's lover, he is unexpectedly moral concerning that topic. So stop worrying. I won't cheat on you with him and he will be damned if he would even consider something like that."

"It doesn't have to be Kenny, you could leave me for everyone. Maybe you should."

This time it was Craig throwing a snowball at the blond, who looked up in surprise, tears blurring his vision, but he could still make out Craig, his arms opened in a welcoming hug, and Tweek just stumbled up to throw himself against the darkhaired boys chest. "You really are a handful." He sighed and Tweek could hear the wild beating of his heart.

"You too", he sniffed.

"I could have it easier without you, probably, but do you think I would cope with all this shit if I was just killing time until someone better comes along?"

"And I just don't get it. What do you like about me, I really just don't get it."

"Not your confidence, I assure you."

"Asshole!"

They fell silent, Tweek trying to still the beating of his heart, listening to Craigs breath, matching their pace.

"It's about little things, about everything and nothing." Crag said slowly. "True, there are things I don't like, but there are the simple things that make me like you more – why do I even have to explain something like this? Shouldn't you know it yourself?" He sighed, staring at the sky.

"About what?"

"Do you know that when you sleep you sometimes mumble incomprehensible stuff? And inbetween things like 'gnoms are going to rule the world' and 'please, don't gouge my eyes out' you throw stuff like 'I really love you Craig', eventhough you can't say it out loud, because you think some satellites will catch it and tape it and someday it will be used against you and some governmental guys will come to your house and blackmail you into rescuing the world James-Bond-Style, while I will be sent to prison until you have finished the job, being raped – we really have to talk about this fantasy."

"Have you read my diary?"

"I love to tease you, because when you suddenly start twitching you remind me of Stripe."

"What?"

"And I love to calm you down even more, because it's something only I can do. It's your sleepy face in the morning, when you're still to dazed to have your brain work up crazy fantasies and you just smile at me and mumble something I never can make out but is probably something like 'Good morning'."

"You can stop now", Tweek demanded, his face bright red, he could feel it.

"It's how everytime I call at four in the morning you would pick up the phone without hesitating, without being angry or complaining, eventhough I can just tell you had been sleeping and you try to make me believe you had been awake all the time."

"Please, just stop."

"It's about everytime you stood up for me, when I was being accused falsely for whatever had happened, eventhough I couldn't care less about other people, eventhough I could see how scared you were."

"Alright, stop it!"

"To have you going psycho again because you doubt me? No, thank you very much."

"Why are we dating again?"

"How would I know? Maybe some governmental agents are controlling our brains and forced us to get together because the alliance between us somehow saves the earth from an alien attack and there is a bigger plan behind everything, but we just can't see it – and if we wouldn't obey, we would be put in prison. Getting raped, of course."

Tweek was debating with himself whether Craig was making fun of him – or really had read his diary.

"You know, questions like 'What do you like about me?' are difficult to answer. I could just throw it back at you—"

"You understand me, you know excatly how to react and what to do whenever I get one of my fits. I like your hands and your fingers when they trace my skin. I like your voice when you moan my name—"

"Whoa, Tweek!"

"I like how you truly try to give up smoking but cannot follow through. I like how you always be so honest your words sting—"

"That's not really—"

"It is, because you don't want to hurt people—"

"You are hero-worshipping me again."

"Well you are! At least for me, ever since we were kids!"

Craig just buried his face in Tweeks shoulder, but the blond could still see the red tips of his ears.

"I don't want to be your hero, and I don't want to be your idol. I don't want to play the brave one, because someone has to. And though I may act cool, I get anxious too. Half the time I don't even know what I'm doing but you follow me blindly. I don't want that. I want to be your lover, who is allowed to make his own mistakes, who is allowed to have his flaws and fears."

"You are, you do!" Tweek reassured, pushing himself from Craig's chest to look at him. "And I love you even more for them."

"You see, that's why I can't picture you two together," Stan suddenly said, appearing over the roof of the car. "Craig being all lovey-dovey, that just exceeds my imagination. My brain is fractured and my world shattered just from that one sentence."

Craig looked up, before he just flashed the intruder the finger.

"I…I wanted ta stop him, really, but he jest thought ya were making out, or somethin'." Butters explaining from the other side of the car.

"Fuck off, Marsh", Tweek growled, but distanced himself from Craig nonetheless. "And Craig is way nicer than you or any of the other assholes!"

"That's not nice." Stan frowned. "I just wanted you two to know that we have finished Johnny Bick Bolls."

"No, he really was just curious, what kept you so long", Kyle argued, dragging his friend from the car roof, "but just keep on flirting or fighting or whatever this is. Probably both."

"It's called foreplay, Kyle!" Jason's voice called. "But as we all learned, you two don't know about that!"

"Whould you stop with that fucking video already?"

"Never!"

Tweek watched the guys disappear through the window of the car, before he looked at Craig again, then shied away, watching the broken blurry reflections on the snow. "Are… we going to continue this?"

"Is there something we have to continue?"

He didn't answer, just traced circles in the snow.

"Fact is, I like you the way you are, I won't cheat on you, Kenny is not your competition, I have to vow my love to you every day again for the rest of my life – I'm prepared for that - and we will never repeat what happened today. I hate all that emotional talk and I never want to see you cry again."

Tweek nodded.

"So you will trust me and never doubt me?"

"Depends…" Tweek answered after a long moment and Craig just took a handful of snow, throwing it against his head.

"Great that this is solved."

Though it wasn't and Craig knew that, just like Tweek, who would never like the asshole McCormick and who would always feel a pang of jealousy, when he would see them. But he would try to work on himself.

If he couldn't trust Craig, who else could he trust?

And, as he had said himself, every first time with Craig always turned out alright in the end.

Even his first break up.

And so will the first time fully trusting someone.

He stood up, reaching his hand out to Craig who took it in an instant. Over the roof of the car, he saw the other boys, offering the snowman – Johnny Bick Bolls, he guessed - something to drink, steam coming out of the aluminium cups, Jason laughing over something he had told the others, who just frowned in answer, while Kevin whacked the brunette over the head.

"We better get going", Tweek said, but Craig stopped him, tracing with his thumbs the skin under Tweeks eyes, before he pressed their lips together in a light kiss that tasted of salt, coffee, chocolate and cigarette smoke, but Tweek didn't mind, didn't even mind Jason's loud whistling obviously meant for them. He just closed his eyes, resting one hand on Craig's waist, while the other hand just flipped that asshole off, and he felt Craig smile against his lips, as if he had seen it.

"Let's get going", Craig whispered, his breath brushing over Tweek's cheek.

"Yeah, the guys are waiting", Tweek replied, not moving an inch.

"No", Craig said, smirking. "Home."

It didn't even take a second and Tweek was opening the driver's seat door, climbed into the passenger seat, winding down the window and yelled at the others to bring Butters home, pretty please and thanks a bunch guys, while Craig started the engine.

"My parents ain't home", he said, watching his friends looking at the leaving car from the side mirror, saw Jason, making a pretty straightforward gesture with his hips. Tweek just rolled his eyes. Then he glanced at Butters, making out his dejected face.

"But you know, there is still something I don't get", he eventually said, looking at Craig. "How come he choose him? Why Butters?"

The darkhaired boy just smiled. "How should I know?"

Tweek just leaned back, ignoring the blatant lie. Actually, he didn't care, it's not like he cared about a bastard like Kenny McCormick, who just happened to be his personal Cupid with bow and arrow and who wasn't probably such a bad guy at all.

Which didn't make him like him more.

At all.

Hope you liked it, I'm pretty sure not everybody agrees with my characterization of Tweek, but oh well. ^^°