Anything For You [Creek]

Ch. 1 - The Only Thing in Our Way

It was a cold Thursday night in early October. We had school tomorrow, but I didn't care. I couldn't remember the last time I had gone to bed before midnight, anyway. 

We were sitting on a bench looking at the frozen pond that stretched out into the distance ahead of us. My arm was wrapped around his shoulders and his around mine. This helped us stay warm, but we would be sitting this way even if our town was experiencing a heat wave. We just wanted to feel close. As the moon continued to rise in the sky, he laid his head on my shoulder. 

"I love nights like these, Craig," he said softly. "It's the only time I actually feel relaxed."

I squeezed his shoulder and pulled him closer to me.

"I love it too, Tweek," I said, nearly whispering. "I love...everything about us."

I turned my head to face him, making him sit up and look into my eyes. 

"So when are we gonna...ya know, come out? When can we finally tell everyone we're together?"

He sighed. "You know I care about you, Craig, but..." his voice trailed off as he lowered his eyes.

"But what?"

"It's just...my parents."

"What about them?" I asked, my tone sounding a bit harsher than I intended. "Your parents are progressive. They wouldn't have a problem with their son being gay. I'm the one who should be worried about his parents."

"It's not that. It's, well, you know how your reputation is around here..."

"What? That I'm the most badass kid in South Park?" I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, Craig," he replied, remaining completely serious. "And that's not exactly a good thing."

"I know I'm a little rough around the edges, but I'm not a bad person. You don't think I am, do you?"

He rose his head, returning his eyes to me. "Of course not. But I'm afraid my parents do. There's no way they would be ok with me being with you."

I sighed. "We can't keep being secretive like this, Tweek. Wouldn't you like to be able to walk around town together? Hold hands in public? This can't go on forever..."

He lowered his head again. "I know, Craig. I know..."

We sat in silence for a long moment. His eyes remained fixated on the ground while I looked out beyond Stark's Pond. I never thought I'd be willing to change for anyone, but he was different. I would do anything to be with him.

"What do I have to do?" I asked bluntly, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I have to do to be accepted by your parents? I'll do anything, Tweek. I really...I really like you."

"I mean you would need to quit smoking, stop skipping school, stop being so..."

"So... What?"

"Well, you'd need to be nicer to people. You can come across as kind of..."

"Mean?"

"No, just kinda apathetic towards people and their feelings."

I nodded my head. "Alright," I announced. "I'll work on it, Tweek. I promise. But if I do this, you need to promise that we'll come out to everyone as a couple once I fix myself up. This is gonna be really hard for me. You're asking me to change a lot about myself. I need to know that it'll all be worth it."

He turned to look at me, a hint of doubt on his face. "Alright, Craig," he muttered, forcing a smile. "I promise."

I rubbed his shoulder, trying to offer some level of reassurance. I laid my forehead on his and placed my hand on the back of his head, twirling his golden locks with my finger. After a long moment of holding each other, we decided it was time for us to head home. We stood up, took a few seconds to look out at the water and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere one last time for the night, and hugged. 

"Goodnight, Craig," he whispered into my ear. 

"Goodnight, Tweek. I'll see you tomorrow."

We slowly pulled out of the embrace and went our separate ways toward our homes. An overwhelming flood of thoughts ran through my head as I walked along the lonely street. It was nearly impossible to imagine my life without cigarettes, flipping people off, and just general debauchery. I just needed to remind myself it was all for Tweek. Everything I did from this point on would be for him. For us.

I reached my house and walked around to the back. I needed something to help clear my mind. I pulled out a cigarette and brought it to my lips. I lit it, took a deep inhale of smoke, leaned against the wall, closed my eyes, and exhaled.

I'll quit tomorrow.