The Thief and the Barbarian

Revelations

"So...what do we do now?"

The two were sitting in the cave as it poured outside. Tweek didn't know how to answer Craig's question. His original plan was to have Craig killed so that he could be admired by his people for once, but now that he'd gotten to know the boy a bit better after talking awhile, he was having second thoughts.

"I...I don't know...I don't think...I want you dead anymore...But how can I return to my people empty-handed...? They'll think I'm even more of a failure than they already do..." He sighed, covering his face with his hands. Craig looked to the side in thought.

"You know...you don't...have to go back." Craig offered. Tweek turned to him in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Why would you want to go back to people who constantly put you down? That's why I struck out on my own. So I could be my own person without judgement, ridicule, or expectation. I can be me. Why don't you be you?" Craig asked. Tweek fiddled with his hands as he looked down with a sigh.

"I-I...I don't know...I've never been on my own before. I've always had somewhere to call home. Someone to come home to. Being all by myself out here...I don't know if I could handle the loneliness..." Tweek blinked in surprise when he heard the thief scoot closer to him. He looked up at him to see him smiling slightly.

"Who said you have to be alone?" Tweek's cheeks grew a faint shade of pink as he gazed at the boy wide-eyed.

"Wh-what do-"

"Look, I know we didn't get off to a great start. You almost killed me, I almost killed you, and it's been kind of back and forth. But...look at us now. After all of that, we're here together...talking. Talking as if it never happened."

"What are you getting at?" Tweek asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I think...I think we can be friends. That is...if you want to. I feel like we'd make a great team." Craig said as he smiled at the other boy. Tweek couldn't help but mirror the thief's expression. Tweek wasn't so sure if it was the greatest idea to trust the boy, especially after everything that happened, but it's not like he had much to lose. And he had to admit...the boy was really starting to grow on him. Maybe more than he preferred. What would he tell his family, though? He was tired of living with the barbarians and constantly being undermined, but if they hated him so much, then maybe leaving was the best option. At least Craig seemed to have a lot of faith in him. The thought made his heart race and his cheeks warm.

"I...think I like that idea." He said softly.

"Shake on it?" Craig asked as he held out his hand to Tweek. The barbarian boy took it. Craig's hands were surprisingly soft. "From here on in, the dynamic duo of Feldspar the thief and Tweek the barbarian will be an unstoppable force the likes of which Zaron has ever seen!" Tweek and Craig both chuckled before releasing each other. Craig let out a sigh of relief and lied back, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed position. "It feels good to know I won't be running from my life from you anymore." He said. "You're a really resilient fucker." Tweek chuckled.

"It's in my barbarian blood." Tweek's expression then dropped a bit as he began thinking about their situation. "So...what exactly do we do now? Are you going to keep stealing? And what about me? If I'm not out here chasing you down, then what am I to do?"

"Well...since there are now two of us, surviving will be much easier. Especially with those sick hunting skills of yours. I won't need to steal anymore. In fact, we may even be able to make a nice life out here." Craig suggested. Tweek looked out of the cave in thought, staring at the rain as it pelted down.

"Hm...I guess we could. But I hope you know that I have to tell my family that I won't be staying with them anymore."

"...I thought they didn't like you."

"True, but...I mean...they're my parents. I have to tell them." Tweek reasoned. Craig scoffed.

"After the awful way they treated you, you still want to answer to them? Dude, you're old enough to make your own decisions. You don't need mommy and daddy to give you their blessing." Tweek flinched at the venom in Craig's voice, leading him to realize that Craig had never once mentioned his own family.

"Whatever happened to your parents, Craig?" He asked. Craig stiffened slightly.

"...Don't change the subject."

"Craig..." Tweek said softly, giving him a pleading look. Craig stared at him in unamusement before looking away. He sighed.

"They're not dead, if that's what you're thinking." Tweek gave an internal sigh of relief. "But they kicked me out when I was younger because I was a compulsive kleptomaniac."

"Klepto...what?"

"Kleptomaniac. Someone with a disorder that compels them to steal things with no reason. It helped with being a thief, but not so much with family life..." Craig sighed. "I couldn't stop stealing things...it was just...it felt so right. So...they got tired of me causing trouble and kicked me out. I never even got to say goodbye to my little sister, Tricia..." He was silent for a moment as his expression grew downtrodden. He sighed again before continuing. "That's when Clyde took me in." Tweek blinked in surprise.

"Huh...and here I thought the Lord of Darkness was a heartless bastard." Tween commented. Craig finally cracked a smile and gave a soft chuckle.

"You'd think so with what people say about him and his title, but he's actually a real crybaby." Craig snickered. "I woke up at 3am from the sound of him screaming that there was a spider in his room, and he was too scared to deal with it, so you know who had to?" Craig pointed to himself with an disappointed expression. "This guy." Tweek couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Hahaha, really? Wow, that is...unexpected. Some Lord of Darkness." The barbarian boy joked. Craig chuckled and nodded.

"He may have been a pain, but he was the best damn friend a guy could ask for." Tweek noticed a longing gaze on Craig's face as he spoke.

"You miss him, don't you?" Craig looked over at Tweek with an eyebrow cocked.

"Huh?"

"You seem like you...I don't know...really miss him." Tweek replied. Craig looked up in thought and was silent for a good bit before finally speaking.

"Well...I do miss him, but I can't deny that I prefer this way of life. I just...I used to have a stupid little crush on him is all." Tweek blinked.

"A crush? On Clyde? Does that mean..."

"Yes, I'm gay." Craig said with a flamboyant wave of his hand. "At least, I think so. I've never really had an experience with a girl to tell me otherwise, so yeah. Pretty sure I'm gay."

"Oh..."

"Why, is that a problem?" Craig asked, starting to look a bit disappointed. Tweek quickly put his hands up and shook his head.

"O-oh, no, not at all! I...I actually like boys and girls, so...I'm kinda in the same boat as you."

"Huh, cool." Craig said with a smile. "So, have you ever kissed a girl or boy?" He asked suddenly out of curiosity. Tweek shook his head. "Yeah, neither have I. A life on the run doesn't really leave time for romance and all that crap. Though, I guess I'm not really on the run anymore, so..."

"So...?"

"So, I guess I can start looking."

"O-oh! Yeah. Right..." Tweek said, quickly looking away.

"Is something wrong?" Craig asked in concern. Tweek hesitated before giving Craig a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, everything...everything's great." Tweek said, standing up. Craig gave him a skeptical look. "Well, when this rain lets up, I'm going to go hunt. We're gonna need food if we are going to stay here."

"Right..."