Work Text:
Craig Tucker stood at the train station alone. He was on a solo trip visiting his grandmother. He had flown in alone and wasn’t quite 25 yet, meaning he was unable to rent a car. He didn’t know anybody and like hell, he was going to force his grandma to chauffeur him around all week, especially when she hardly liked driving as is. He was also way too broke to Uber everywhere. As such, didn’t have access to any kind of car or personal transportation.
He was fully reliant on the train system within this city. Luckily, he was pretty adept at using public transit, and he could get to most places he needed to go through their system, even if it meant he couldn’t just go out without a plan.
It was a cold and cloudy night. He hoped that those clouds wouldn’t start to drop rain. He, despite being used to the chill, was hardly well-suited for rain at this moment. His layers were more well-suited to keeping the biting cold that came with harsh winds and snow away rather than wicking moisture. If he got wet, it would just take him forever to dry his clothes out.
With new annoyance at the forefront of his mind, he sighed and stuffed his hands into his coat as he felt a gust of wind hit him from the side. It was getting pretty cold, even for him. He could feel his toes beginning to ache in his boots.
He has been alone at the station for one over half an hour, waiting for the next train. Due to its decreased usage except for the local University population, which was out on break right now, the frequency of public transportation left something to be desired. Craig was consistently checking, his smartwatch over again, becoming accustomed to the way that it would light up his face and the surrounding air before going dark.
However, his continued usage of his watch might not be the best in the long run. It didn’t help that his phone was mostly dead, so the only way he was going to be getting any notifications, checking location services, or being connected to the world at large without his phone dying was through his smart watch. He was about to check the watch again, as if that would make any difference when suddenly, a noise broke through the monotonous sound of the buzzing of the fluorescent lights and the quiet chirping of insects.
Craig recognised the sound. It was footsteps. He looked up from his watch, and suddenly found himself nearly face-to-face with a striking stranger. Despite the messy blond hair being the most defining feature of this stranger, Craig found himself drawn into his eyes. Those eyes was so - intriguing. Bright and blue, but also green. Oh God, they almost looked otherworldly.
Craig had never seen anything like them before. He’d never understood the phrase “Getting lost in someone’s eyes” until he’d run into this stranger. Hell, he never liked looking into people’s eyes until he met his stranger. It was an odd feeling. He felt himself getting further and further drawn in…
And he was staring, wasn’t he?
Shit, he was definitely staring.
Craig painstakingly drew his eyes away from the stranger’s and resolutely didn’t look back. He, instead, took in the rest of the other guy’s appearance.
The guy was pretty cute. Seemed to be about Craig’s age, too. Craig wasn’t usually one to go for people based on looks alone but if this guy’s personality meshed well with his…
Well. That was beside the point. He was pretty cute, and also infringing on Craig’s personal space. Craig could nearly feel the lack of body heat, that he assumed the wind was stealing away from the guy, which raised an alarm bell somewhere around the back of his head.
He also seemed to be shivering. Well, that wasn’t exactly surprising. He couldn’t exactly blame the guy for such a normal reaction, especially because he wasn’t wearing anything other than what looked to be a well-weighted button-up shirt but he wasn’t about to go sharing his jacket with him either.
The trembling guy looked Craig up and down, seemed to like what he saw, and finally spoke to him.
“Hello.”
Shit. Even his voice was cute. A bit higher and scratchier than Craig was expecting, but pleasant and masculine all the same.
His tongue felt heavy in his mouth as he responded. “Um. Hi.”
“Are - ngh - you waiting for the train?”
Craig was bad at small talk. This was an unalterable fact. Unlike the suave Casanova, he often liked, to think of himself as, he found himself glancing off to both sides before levelling his stare back at the man in front of him. “Seems so.”
This, inexplicably, made the man in front of him chuckle good-naturedly. It wasn’t funny. In fact, it was rather bitchy, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
The man in front of him held out a hand. A free hand - Craig noticed - as the other one was holding a steaming to-go cup of… something. And had a messenger bag slung on that same shoulder. With a breath in, he found it to be a strongly scented cup of coffee. God, he’d be smelling that for days.
Craig also noted that due to their proximity, he wasn’t able to extend his arm all the way, keeping it crooked at the elbow and the wrist a little limper than Craig would expect of a regular guy.
Was this dude sending him subtle signs or something? Well, he was pretty cute…
“Tweek,” The stranger offered. Craig raised a brow and shifted his body weight away from the stranger. Maybe the stranger wasn’t as cute as he obviously thought.
“Um. No, thank you.”
The stranger stared at him, narrowing his eyes and scrunching his brows, his electric eyes flicked over his face for — Craig didn’t even know. Maybe a sense of sincerity? Well, he would find it. Craig seldom ever said things he didn’t mean.
“No, um.”
He seemed to have thrown the stranger off of whatever script he was interacting from. Aside from just his confusion, the other man had let his hand drop slightly. Craig felt a little bad, and uneasy, at the shift in the other man.
“My — my name, ngh , is Tweek. Um. Two e’s.”
“… Oh.”
Well, now they both felt awkward, and Craig felt a bit sheepish.
“Um.” He began trying to explain. “I just — I assumed that,”
The other man - Tweek - let out a breathy laugh. Craig resolutely tried not to let the sound affect him.
“I get it, man.” The other man’s eyes flicked up and down his face - down to his neck and back to his eyes. Craig, once again, found himself staring into those enticing eyes before painstakingly ripping his gaze away, and down to Tweek’s hand, where he once again offered it to Craig.
“Well, my name - agh - is Tweek.” Tweek’s hand was trembling. It looked cold. And pale.
“Craig.” He offered simply, a mirror of how Tweek had previously attempted to introduce himself, as he grasped the other man’s hand to shake, which was out of character for someone like Craig. He was unsure if he’d ever introduced himself like this to someone outside of a work environment.
Tweek’s hand was, indeed, cold underneath Craig’s. Despite their palms being roughly the same size, Tweek had long, delicate fingers that wrapped around Craig’s hand easily. Craig resolutely attempted not to feel the heat in his cheeks as he quickly gave Tweek’s hand a firm shake then let it go, dropping his hands to his sides.
The other man seemed to take it in stride, glancing around them before refocusing his gaze on Craig.
“Do you… mind if I wait with you?” The guy, Tweek, asked him. He seemed to be eyeing him, which made Craig feel a little nervous. He’d never had a cute guy look at him the way this stranger was.
“Um.” In order to not make an ass of himself, Craig simply nodded. That seemed to be the right thing to do, as the guy’s face lit up slightly.
Tweek stepped away from being right in front of Craig, opting to casually stand to his side, in his field of vision, angled toward him.
“Thank you.” His voice scratched pleasantly at Craig’s brain. “You’re a kind person, Craig.”
Craig dubiously snorted.
“You don’t even know me.” Although his tone didn’t give anything away, Craig was quite amused by this guy’s antics.
“No, but I’d like to.” Came the quick reply.
… This dude was flirting with him, right? That’s what this was?
Craig, hoping that he wasn’t reading the other guy’s tone wrong,
“Oh,”
Craig’s mouth obviously hadn’t caught up with his mind. There was no suave, intelligent reply on his lips. Much the opposite, actually.
Again, the stranger that Craig had recently become acquainted with seemed to take pity on him, laughing softly at his unfortunate response.
“Well… let’s start slow,” The other man’s raspy voice was gentle and his eyes were electric.
“Where are you going?”
“Oh. Just.” Craig wracked his brain for something that sounded cooler and more in line with what people in their twenties should be doing instead of ‘heading back to my grandma’s house even though she won’t be there to rewatch a 90s anime and then probably pass out.’
“Downtown.”
What the fuck?
Craig was fairly certain that he had never ventured downtown, nor did he have any interest in doing so. He enjoyed being remarkably unremarkable, and a key principle of that was that he seldom went out - when he did, he always had a very direct purpose for doing so, hopefully, one that would take him home as soon as possible.
However, now he’d lied, and he’d have to stick with it. He hoped his poker face was good enough for the stranger in front of him.
“Hm.” The other man’s eye winked rapidly at him before calming. They two stood for a few moments before Craig remembered the social niceties that were instilled in him.
“Um. How about you?”
“Oh.” The other man tittered. “I’m heading downtown as well.” Craig’s interest was piqued. He didn’t offer that information up as soon as Craig stated his supposed location - why make him wait?
“I’m meeting some friends, actually.” The blond man continued. He then glanced around the empty station around them, not a trace of a train to be seen. The man worried at his bottom lip with his teeth. “I hope I won’t be late…”
Striking blue-green eyes fixed on Craig’s own, and this time, he didn’t immediately tear his gaze away.
“The trains — they usually run on time, right, Craig?”
Something about how the man said his name was so alluring. Craig found himself nodding along dumbly before truly taking the other man’s words in and backing up.
“Well, usually for the university kids, yes. But, they’re on holiday right now so—“ he trailed off lamely.
“ Hgnh. ” The other man responded with an odd, nearly painful-sounding noise as his face once again scrunched up.
Craig noted that the man took the opportunity to eagerly take a sip of the steaming beverage he held.
The to-go cup didn’t have any sort of cosy on it, and the man had been holding it in the same hand the entire time. Damn. This guy must have nerves of steel.
“Do you usually take the train?”
Craig quickly tore his eyes away from the other man’s hands, meeting the amused eyes of the man. His trembling seemed to have lessened after taking a sip, which Craig was grateful for. Like hell did he want this guy to freeze, but at the same time, he was also in no position to be lending his coat - even if he was layering. He ran cold, after all.
“Um.” Craig couldn’t seem to reply to this man like he’d responded to literally any other stranger in his life. Something about him was different. Something almost made him flustered.
“I mean, sometimes.”
“Oh?”
He cringed at his dumb response. He hurried to clarify. “Not - I mean, not usually, but right now I’m stuck taking the train.” Some stranger didn’t care about him visiting his grandma, so he wouldn’t be getting into it.
Craig quickly snuck another glance at his watch, the light briefly illuminating the space between them before Craig lowered his wrist again.
“Yeah. Um. So, I’m still getting used to it.”
Tweek hummed softly, and then once again invaded Craig’s personal space.
“You’ve a — arhgh — striking look to you, Craig.”
Craig could practically feel the gears in his head slow to a halt.
“Hm?”
“Yes. I’ve never,” He saw Tweek’s eyes flick from his own eyes down to his lips, even lower - around somewhere from his neck to chest, before coming right back up. “Never seen someone who looks like you before.”
This guy… was filtering. There were no ifs ands or buts about it now. This was flirting.
“I -“
“Such a pity,” The stranger interrupted him before he could truly form a sentence, causing Craig to clamp his jaw firmly shut. “You seem to be covering a lot of yourself up from me, hm?”
Craig didn’t know how to react to that.
“Can I show you?”
“Okay.”
The word, which would usually be spoken in a bland monotone was barely breathed out. Craig felt like he was suffering from whiplash. This guy, this stranger, was going through conversation topics faster than Craig was used to, and flustering him at that.
The stranger, who was already closer to Craig than he would usually allow people to get, took a few steps toward him and leaned in.
“Well…” He began, deliberately lifting his free hand so as to telegraph his movements to Craig. “Let’s start… with your hat.”
“My… hat?”
“Mhm.” Tweek made a humming noise of confirmation as he, somehow, got even closer. His hand finally ghosted over one of the long strings connected to the ear flap of his hat. The action, despite not being connected to any of his nerves, caused goosebumps to ripple over Craig’s skin.
He could barely suppress a shiver as the other man made contact with something on his being, as he could feel his breath fan out over his chin and neck, and he could smell - well, he could only smell the potent coffee scent that the man seemed to be drowning in, and a slight undertone of — cigarettes? Almost none of the other man’s natural scent seemed to be able to permeate through his vices, which was dangerous… and enticing.
Shiiiiiit.
Craig, pulled from his thoughts by a slight pressure on the left-hand side of his hat, was suddenly hit with a slight chill on the side of his neck, which caused a full-body shiver to wrack his frame.
“If,” The man in front of him began to explain his actions in a low, soft, raspy tone, “You sweep the side of your hat over your neck,” his gaze was slipping lower, no longer focused on Craig’s face, and instead seemed to be following the motion of his own hands, “and place it over the back of your shoulder…” The soft, familiar weight of his hat was once again put on Craig’s body, but the opposite side of his shoulder than he was used to.
“I can see you. Much, — ngh — much better.”
The man’s gaze seemed nearly hungry before he flicked his eyes back up to Craig and averted them entirely, in rapid succession. He seemed almost bashful at being caught staring. It made Craig feel a bit embarrassed, but also… desired. Attractive. He almost craved the man’s attention on him again.
“I— it.” The man’s bashfulness showed in his voice, slightly more timid than he sounded before. “It hid the entire shape of your jaw and, and - nghh - neck before. Some of your cheek, too. That’s - ugh - that’s no good.”
Electric blue-green eyes flicked back up to meet Craig’s gaze briefly again.
“I much prefer being able to see more of you.”
Craig was sure that he was at least pink at this point. Hopefully, the other man would allow him to blame it on the cold if he were to notice.
Tweek did, indeed, seem to notice Craig’s state. He froze and his eyes widened. His hand retracted from Craig’s personal bubble and, against all odds, Craig found himself slightly missing the feeling.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” The stranger’s voice was still low and raspy. Craig, somehow, found the tone intoxicating.
“I—“
“My bad, man.” The blonde man steamrolled over his response. “It’s just - you looked a bit… tense is all. Sorry, dude.”
With that, the spell over Craig seemed to break. The forced casual tone Tweek was using, and the quick retreat from Craig’s personal space weren’t lost on him. Usually, this would be the exact response that Craig would want to hear from strangers that found themselves close to him, but for some reason, this man… this man in front of him was different.
God damn it.
“Um. No it’s,” He stumbled over his words “It’s fine.”
It wasn’t completely fine, of course, he knew literally nothing about this guy aside from that he apparently was totally his type, but that didn’t seem to even register in his mind in this moment. He just knew that he wanted Tweek to stay, and keep speaking with him. Even if their interactions made him feel weird in his chest and stomach.
“Yeah?” The other man studied his face. Craig ensured to keep his carefully crafted blank look on so the other man wouldn’t be able to see even the barest hint of doubt. Craig gave a short nod.
Tweek smiled.
It was a little thing, a slight upward tilt to his lips and a barely-there narrowing of his eyes.
It was the most breathtaking thing Craig had ever seen.
“Well… that’s good.” The other man finally stated after the silence dragged on a touch too long.
They then lapsed into a more comfortable silence. The sound of cars driving along the road in the background was the only thing that interrupted the serenity of the scene in front of them.
However, after only a few moments, Craig couldn’t help himself anymore. He tilted his wrist, making the screen illuminate as he took in the numbers. He looked both left and right, but it was in vain. There were no lights that indicated any machinery. Craig sighed before resolutely stuffing his hands into his pockets to ward off the cold.
It had easily been 15 minutes since Tweek had arrived.
Craig let the silence continue, but could only last a few moments before checking his watch one more time. Only two minutes had passed. Craig furrowed his brows.
“Still nothing,” Tweek’s voice interrupted Craig’s repetitive motions. “Do you think there’s been an accident or — ngh - or something?
Craig shrugged in response.
“Hm.” Came Tweek’s reply.
They, once again, lapsed into silence. However, this time, it was Tweek who made a move. He took a long sip of his beverage before staring at Craig from the corner of his eye.
Craig avoided catching his eye, allowing Tweek to believe that he could just sneak glances at Craig without him knowing. He was coming to find that he enjoyed having the attention of the other man on him. He felt… nice… when Tweek was looking at him like that.
Craig would probably make small talk with the other man if he was any good at it, but he wasn’t. So he didn’t.
Eventually, the silence surrounding them was broken, not by either one of them, but a low rumble from the sky above them, followed by a soft pitter-patter of rain droplets hitting the ground.
Both men tilted their heads up, staring at the sky. One in mild surprise, and the other in annoyance.
“Seriously?” Craig grumbled.
Tweek simply held his free hand up and allowed a few droplets to collect on his palm. “It’s - ngh - raining.”
“Astute.”
Tweek shot him a playfully annoyed glare. “It was just an observation, Craig. ”
The way he said his name shot shivers down his spine.
The rain suddenly increased from a sprinkle to a drizzle. If the train didn’t come soon, and with another glance left and right, Craig could say with certainty it wouldn’t, they’d get soaked in a matter of minutes.
The train station they were at wasn’t one that Craig would call ‘well-maintained’ nor ‘well-designed’, so they were stuck with very few structures - and none that could fit two grown men - to try to stay dry under.
“Fuck.” He cursed under his breath. He lowered his gaze from the sky to glance around the station to ensure he hadn’t overlooked anything before opening his mouth and turning to Tweek.
“Tw—“
But the other man was digging around in his messenger bag.
Upon hearing Craig’s aborted sentence, Tweek looked up at him with those dazzling eyes and blinked. “Hm?”
“Um. We - the rain.” Craig fumbled lamely. “We’re gonna get soaked. You don’t have anything for the weather so,” he half heartedly gestured around them “If you want to take cover somewhere, I can just wait here.”
The other man’s lips twitched upward as he pulled an umbrella out of his bag. “Or,” he nearly purred. “I can use my umbrella.” he eyed Craig. “You don’t have one, hm?”
Craig shook his head.
“We can share,” Tweek undid the Velcro holding his umbrella closed with his teeth, not letting go of his beverage for a moment. He glanced up at Craig as he did so. “I don’t mind.”
Tweek held the umbrella up, and Craig gratefully slouched in order to fit underneath with the shorter man.
The forced proximity with a stranger was… weird, but Craig would take it every time rather than standing out in the rain.
The umbrella sharing also enabled Craig to get closer to the other man, to study him closer than he was able to before - both due to the bad lighting and not wanting to come off as a creep.
He really was cute. A bit odd. A pretty okay conversationalist, and apparently into Craig for whatever reason.
However, only a few moments passed before Craig found an issue.
The man’s previously shaky hands were positively trembling by now. Craig was worried for the guy that he’d spill his drink, and for himself that Tweek would drop the umbrella. One situation was much less unfortunate for Craig personally, but neither was preferable.
Tweek’s singular shaky hand wasn’t doing quite enough to steady the umbrella against the sudden downpour plus the harsh winds.
Craig decided to do something he seldom did - be bold. He quickly brought one of his own hands up, clasping it around both Tweek’s hand - which was freezing , Craig wondered idly if hw was even able to feel the blood circulating through his hands at all - and the stem of the umbrella.
With Craig’s touch, both Tweek and the umbrella froze. Bright eyes flicked up to look at Craig’s before lowering bashfully, an almost perfect mirror of their previous interactions.
The small, almost nervous action made something in Craig’s chest warm. His lips nearly twitched up, but Craig suppressed the instinct in case that would fluster or embarrass the stranger in front of him.
Craig averted his eyes when he could feel the beginning of Tweek returning his gaze.
God, he felt like a middle schooler flirting with his crush, he was sure that they looked ridiculous, but he also… couldn’t truly bring himself to care.
“Craig.” Tweek’s voice was lower than it was before, Craig assumed due to their proximity, “Are you cold?”
Craig was a bit startled at the question. He cocked a brow.
“I’ve had worse.”
“That’s not — not what I asked.”
That was true.
“Well…”
“It’s just -“ Tweek, despite having asked the question, cut him off.
“You have a nice coat… but it doesn’t seem — ack — quite enough. To ward off the chill.”
Craig snorted at the reply and pulled back from Tweek just enough that the stranger could see the incredulous look on his face. The other man, however, didn’t seem to understand what Craig thought was so funny, furrowing his brows at Craig.
“Dude,” Craig began to explain. “You’re just wearing a thin shirt and you’re worried about me? ”
Tweek looked down at his lacklustre clothing, almost as if only just realising that he hadn’t dressed properly for the weather. It was absurd, surely Tweek would have been able to feel the chill, if not his own shaking, at this point. Unless he had become completely numb.
“Oh.” The man muttered. He looked slightly embarrassed. Craig found it inexplicably cute.
“Yeah, dude.” He snorted. “If anyone should be asking about someone warding off the chill, it should be me.”
“I’m fine.” The other man deflected. If either of his hands were free, Craig was sure that he would have been waved off alongside the comment.
“I’ll take your word for it, dude,” Craig muttered. Not much else he could do. Not even offer up his jacket, seeing as Tweek seemed to think he was already cold with it on.
However, with the issue of cold now brought to his attention, Craig noted that Tweek’s trembling seemed worse than it was when they had arrived. His hand was also nearly entirely frozen beneath Craig’s. Either that or Craig had already gone numb. Not a good sign either way.
He checked his watch again, twitching his lips downward at the water droplets making their home on the surface and slightly distorting his view.
“I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around here before.” The sudden statement had Craig looking down at the other man. He raised a brow.
“Huh?”
“Well, you said you’re stuck taking public transit, right? I just —“ Tweek half-sighed, half-grunted. “I think I would have remembered seeing someone as striking as you.”
How could someone be so forward?
“Um. Well,” Craig stumbled over his words. “I also haven’t seen you around, so…” The argument was weak, they both knew it, but it seemed that Tweek was well-prepared.
“I actually… I live not too far from here.” There was an almost bashful lilt to the other man’s tone and a twinkle in his eye. “Walking distance, for — ngh — for sure.” Tweek offered casually. Craig’s heart jumped into his throat.
“Oh?”
Holy shit.
“Yeah,” The other responded easily, taking his monosyllabic responses in stride. “We could… sit down,” his casual tone was almost ruined by how hard his hand was shaking under Craig’s in what Craig assumed to be nerves. “Get dry… get warm… have a cup of coffee,”
Tweek must have seen the way Craig’s face scrunched up at the offering.
“Or tea,” he hastily added. “hot cocoa, even…” Tweek seemed to get an idea, and a playful glint entered his eye. “Or wine, if you like wine.”
Holy. Shit.
Craig did, in fact, like wine. He also… liked Tweek. Tweek, a cute guy, was inviting him back to his place to dry off. Drink together… maybe, maybe do other things together, too.
Craig, despite being able to play it off as not a big deal most of the time, was wildly inexperienced. He was inexperienced, and now a golden opportunity was falling in his lap. From a cute stranger who was totally his type and inviting him home.
“I mean, I have a nice place. It would be… nice to get away from here. Nice to get away from the rain.”
The scene Tweek was painting with his words was a nice one.
“This isn’t exactly… the safest part of town. I’d hate for us to be half-frozen, in the dark, alone…”
That scene… that one was much less nice.
“It’s not safe here. You should… you should come with me. I like you, Craig. I’d like to see what we could do together.”
Tweek’s offer, despite taking a weird turn, was enticing…
However, Craig Tucker knew better than to follow strange men home. He glanced away from sunny yellow locks and bright, enchanting blue-green eyes.
“I dunno, man.” He offered.
Tweek’s hand wilted slightly underneath him, the grip on the umbrella tilting, but attempted not to let his disappointment show.
“No, no. That’s — ngh - perfectly fine. I understand.”
Craig was quick to refute.
“I just - what about the train?”
“The train?” Tweek repeated, soft humour in his tone as if Craig was something incredibly cute that just said something incredibly stupid.
“The train’s not coming.” Tweek practically whispered near Craig’s face. His electric eyes flicked away, to the tracks. “No…” He mused. “Not at all.”
Blue-green eyes came back to Craig’s.
“So… I think you’d have a wonderful time with me, Craig. Just give me the chance to show you.”
Craig, however, felt shocked.
“It’s… not coming?”
“No.” Giggled Tweek. “Of course, it’s not.”
He said it as if it were a fact, set in stone. It nearly made Craig uneasy. He began to loosen his hand over Tweek’s before the umbrella began to sway dangerously, threatening to topple. He regained his previous hold.
He glanced suspiciously down at Tweek.
Tweek returned the gaze sweetly.
“I like a lot about you, Craig,” Tweek told him bluntly. That was the type of confession he had always secretly hoped for - no games, no uncertainty… but it seemed so out of the blue. Too convenient.
“You don’t want to stay out here, all alone… do you?” There was that tone again as if Craig was something small and amusing. As if Tweek was toying with him.
He very much could be, as he took a minute step back, bringing the umbrella with him, and Craig followed.
Craig found himself simply staring into Tweek’s eyes.
“… no.”
Of course, he didn’t. Well, maybe at the beginning of the night, but especially not now that it was raining.
What the hell was this guy saying to him? What kind of game was he playing?
A small smile graced the other man’s lips.
“Good.” Was Craig’s response.
He was left floundering. What… what was this guy playing at? What was he saying? Was he trying to trick Craig into doing something? Or - or was he trying to see if his feelings were reciprocated?
Craig, never very good in any social situation as is, was at a complete loss. He was floundering.
Tweek looked up through his lashes at him.
“Craig,” he nearly purred. “Without a train… is anyone expecting you tonight? Anyone… we need to call?”
‘My grandma’ was on the tip of his tongue, but Craig decided to swallow that information back. Tweek, this pretty cool stranger he’d met, the stranger that seemed to be interested in him, really didn’t need to know that the only person expecting him was his grandmother. Especially when the other man himself had been planning to meet up with friends.
He didn’t want to shatter any illusion that Tweek may have had of him being even a little interesting.
He ended up shaking his head in the negative. Tweek almost imperceptibly perked up.
“Well then. You have no reason - ngh - no reason at all…. To avoid me.” Tweek seemed glad to be saying that, a glint in his eye that Craig couldn’t quite decipher, but it was definitely positive. Excited, even.
Craig felt slightly uneasy. Maybe it was Tweek’s seeming delight that Craig had nobody to go back to, or maybe it was nerves. Nerves that he might… be spending the night with someone like Tweek.
“You know, Craig,” Tweek spoke softly. “I think it’s fate that we crossed paths. This is - ngh - this is just too perfect to be anything else, you know?”
Craig’s confusion must have shown because Tweek smiled at him and softened his gaze into something almost… fond. It made Craig’s chest feel funny.
“Think about it, man. The one night when a train isn’t coming, we’re the only people here, and…” Tweek lowered his gaze, seeming to try to find the courage to keep talking before glancing back up to Craig. “… and I think you’re - well, you’re perfect.”
That, if nothing else, had Craig flustered. He could feel his cheeks light up red immediately, and could feel Tweek’s gaze on his reddened cheeks. He seemed proud of his handiwork, which only served to further fluster Craig. Tweek took a victorious swig of his potent coffee.
God, that stuff was strong. Craig was sure it would be all he would be smelling for the next day at least… the thing was, he wasn’t generally a coffee guy, but for some reason, maybe just because it was Tweek’s, he didn’t seem to find himself minding the scent too much.
However, on principle, he still wrinkled his nose in slight distaste. Tweek seemed unaffected by his scent preferences. In fact, he seemed to be studying Craig rather than getting invested in his reactions.
“I also think you’re lonely.”
The psychoanalysis came out of nowhere and Craig balked at his… acquaintance?
“… Dude, what the fuck?”
The other man simply shrugged at him before his neck suddenly twitched to the side with an almost pained-sounding groan.
“You talked back to me.” He said simply. “Do you know how rare conversation is nowadays?” Craig didn’t answer. “Especially with someone as cute as you?”
Craig was sure his face was on fire, but he still didn’t answer.
Tweek chuckled.
“Didn’t think so.”
He could feel Tweek’s eyes boring holes into him.
“I can fix your loneliness, you know.”
Tweek - the stranger that Craig had just met - offered… and Craig found himself considering the offering. Tweek seemed to notice that he wasn’t getting immediately rejected and pounced.
“I don’t think anyone sees you as you truly are…”
Craig wanted to drown in the validation that likely didn’t truly mean anything.
“But I do. I see you, Craig. And I appreciate you, I appreciate you for exactly who you are.”
It felt nice. This man hadn’t known him for more than half an hour. This man didn’t know the first thing about him. This man didn’t even know he was staying with his grandma, but… it almost felt as if he did know Craig. In the way that mattered. Deep, deep down.
Craig felt… seen. That was a new sensation for him.
Tweek’s eyes seemed almost more vibrant than ever before as he gazed up at him intently.
“Craig.”
The way he said his name was beautiful. Craig was entranced.
“I’ve been looking for someone like you… just like you for - ngh - for a long time.”
Tweek all but dropped his drink as he brought his hand up to cup Craig’s cheek. Craig didn’t even notice the liquid spilling and pooling around their feet.
“People have intrigued me, but nobody has been quite right. Nobody has been you. ”
Was this love-bombing?
“I see you.” Another small twitch. “And I like what I see, Craig.”
Craig didn’t actually seem to care if it was love-bombing, so long as Tweek continued talking to him like that.
… What the fuck was this guy doing to him?
“But… I don’t think you do.”
Craig’s hazy, pleasant thoughts suddenly screeched to a halt.
“You’re lonely, Craig…. And I don’t think you like what you see in yourself very much at all.”
Tweek took a small, poignant pause.
“That hurts you.”
Craig wasn’t even sure if that was true before, but… but it almost seemed as though it didn’t matter what he previously thought, because Tweek was telling him this, now. Maybe he was lonely. Maybe he didn’t like himself very much… Maybe, deep down, he was hurting because of it.
Hadn’t he pulled something like Tweek was saying before? Because he was insecure and couldn’t express himself? He pulled away from everyone he knew, and put a box over his head rather than communicating with loved ones.
Maybe Tweek was right.
Tweek hummed softly, sympathetically, and brought himself impossibly closer to Craig. They were standing chest-to-chest, the umbrella locked between them, pressing up against both their bodies.
Fuck, Tweek was so cold. He needed to get out of this weather and soon.
“With me…” Tweek started softly. “You won’t have to feel that way again.” He said it with such conviction. “ Never again.”
The repetition was making him feel funny.
He was so hesitant to go with Tweek just a few moments before but…
…. But what harm could the guy really pose?
Craig found himself letting some of the tension out of his shoulders.
“I could take care of you, Craig.” Tweek had whispered to him. Craig had to strain to hear the words of the other man.
“If… you would let me.”
Craig would let him.
“If, you would trust me.”
A flicker of uncertainty made itself known in the back of Craig’s mind before he extinguished it.
Craig… would trust him.
“If you would… follow me.”
… Would Craig follow him?
Tweek, seeming to sense his hesitation, pushed.
“ Ngh - it’s not a good place, here.”
His eyes clamped shut and then opened in rapid succession.
“It’s dangerous here.”
His tone was so enticing. Craig wanted to listen to him forever.
“But…” Tweek let himself trail off, and then only began speaking again once he was sure he had Craig’s attention. “I can bring you somewhere safe.”
… Safe sounded good.
“Somewhere warm. ”
Warm sounded better.
“Somewhere with just the two of us.”
Craig was enjoying the implications of Tweek’s suggestion.
He slowly felt himself nodding before he forcefully snapped himself out of it.
“I-“ he began.
Stopped.
Considered.
Tried again.
“I shouldn’t.” He firmly stated.
At Tweek’s questioning look, he began speaking again.
“I, the train -“
“Isn’t coming.”
“Other people -“
“What people?”
Craig was floundering.
“Y- your friends?”
Tweek just smiled at him.
Craig had run out of excuses, but this alluring stranger was still looking at him with interest.
“Craig.”
His soft, scratchy tone really was nice. He made eye contact with Tweek, and those eyes seemed to look right through them.
“Do you want me to go away?”
The question threw him off.
“I — ngh - I will. If you’d like.”
The offer hung in the air. Much longer than Craig should have let it.
It shouldn’t even be a consideration. Craig should have said ‘yes, go away’ to the stranger who was attempting to get him home with him. He should tell the stranger who lied to him about waiting on a train to go downtown to meet friends to go away right now.
… However, Craig had also lied about waiting on a train to go downtown.
“But…” Tweek’s voice seemed to bounce around Craig’s head, that singular word taking all his focus.
“But… that’s not what you want.”
Tweek sounded sure of what Craig wanted. Once again.
Was this guy manipulating him?
Or was this guy just… correct?
“Come on, Craig.” The use of his name was so frequent with this guy. Did he do it with everyone, or was Craig special?
… Was Craig ever special?
Craig couldn’t think of the last time, aside from his conversation with this man, that he felt interesting, or wanted.
“You want to come with me.”
Craig, actually…
… Craig thought about it.
Craig weighed the pros and cons.
Craig had no form of transportation and his fingers and toes were completely numb. He was shivering.
Craig’s phone was almost assuredly dead in his pocket, and his watch wouldn’t be far behind.
Craig was tired.
Craig was… lonely.
Craig thought the stranger in front of him was pretty cute.
The stranger - Tweek - had offered him a place to dry off.
Tweek had insinuated that Craig could stay the night.
Tweek… was alluring.
Tweek seemed to understand Craig.
…
“Okay.”
It was barely a breath. It so easily could have been lost in the din of the rain or on the air as it passed by, but Tweek had heard it. He smiled.
That damn smile. Craig couldn’t fathom a simple expression having so much power over anyone, least of all someone like himself, but Tweek seemed to be full of surprises.
Tweek’s recently freed hand found Craig’s free hand. Craig could tell, when their palms connected, that it was freezing, but his fingers were so numb at this point that he couldn’t tell if Tweek’s hands were as cold, or worse than they were earlier this evening.
The walk itself to Tweek’s home was uneventful… aside from the other man’s trembling becoming notably worse than it had been at the station.
Craig chalked it up to the cold. He, himself, had begun to shiver sometime along their journey, and he’d had layers. He couldn’t imagine how cold Tweek was feeling.
They opted to venture in silence, the wind would have taken away their words and they would have ample time to talk in the comfort of Tweek’s home, anyway.
———
Tweek’s home was, to put it simply, fucking massive. Craig had never seen anything quite like it before. He was impressed. He could feel his eyes widening and his jaw becoming slack. There was no way someone like Tweek - the same age as Craig, or so he had assumed, was able to afford a place like this.
Tweek seemed nonplussed at his reaction and simply led Craig inside with a kind of urgency that Craig hadn’t seen from him all night.
Perhaps he was truly antsy to get out of the rain.
The first rush of warm air that hit Craig’s face when he and Tweek crossed the entryway of the house was welcome and jarring. It felt like pinpricks along his face and neck, which had remained exposed since Tweek had messed with his hat earlier that night.
Craig had nary a second to bask in the new warmth, just enough time for Tweek to shut the door before a sudden, strong force pushed against Craig’s shoulders.
The breath left his lungs as his back collided with a hard surface — the very door that had just closed, and the next thing he knew, Tweek was pressed against him, mouthing at his neck.
“Oh,” he breathed out, his shock at the situation not allowing him to do much more.
Tweek’s breath, unlike the rest of him, was hot against his neck. His lips were chapped and slightly scratched the sensitive skin that he’d previously uncovered.
Craig had assumed that they’d start slower that’s this - he’d assume that they’d start with, perhaps, getting dry clothes, getting warm… maybe even taking a shower — separately, of course! — but… he, he wouldn’t complain about this.
It felt nice.
The man was teething at his neck.
Craig’s face scrunched up. That didn’t feel as good, and he was sure that if Tweek continued his current mission, he’d be leaving an obvious mark - one that he wouldn’t be able to hide from his grandmother. He made a quiet noise of protest deep in his throat.
The other man didn’t pull off his neck, in fact, it almost seemed like he doubled his efforts. He was teething at Craig’s neck with a passion now.
Craig braced his hands against Tweek’s shoulders and began attempting to pry the other man off of him.
Tweek, however, sunk his teeth into Craig’s flesh.
“Ow, fuck, dude!” Craig shouted. He pushed harder against the other man, who clamped his jaw down.
Craig gasped and attempted a shout.
Tweek’s hand came up to cover his mouth as he felt the other man’s teeth breach his skin.
Adrenaline shot up Craig’s spine, his heart pumping blood through his body fast and hard, which he could feel slowly trickling down his neck.
The man was sucking on his neck with fervour, drawing more blood out of Craig and ensuring that the puncture was deep. The seal of his mouth around Craig’s skin was practically immovable, and Craig felt a mixture of fear and … something else. Something he’d rather not think about in this situation, flood his body.
Tweek’s mouth, once he found that Craig wouldn’t be able to push him away, somehow increased in intensity. He sucked the blood out of Craig’s neck, which felt - odd.
Craig didn’t like it. It hurt.
He was sure that, when he got out of it — if he got out of it — his brain supplied, the spot would be horribly tender for days. Oh god, what did this guy think he was doing?
Holy shit.
He was getting his blood sucked.
Was this guy -
Was Craig in the situation where he had encountered.-
His knees were becoming weak.
“Twee—“
His weight crumpled into the arms of the other man, the steady man, the one who wasn’t trembling any more, as his vision went blurry.
He could feel the slight vibrations of the man’s answering hum against his skin. He wanted to shudder and push away.
Black spots were overtaking his vision, and his appendages felt tingly.
“Tw—“
The other man parted from his neck, Craig could feel the warm puff of breath he let out before a tongue, one sticky with something — Craig’s own blood - licked from his collarbones to the new puncture wound.
It felt warm, and, in any other situation, it would probably be nice, but the fear clouded Craig’s mind, and his heart was still beating wildly. He was sure that his new wound was still leaking blood sluggishly, but he didn't have the time nor the ability to worry about that, as he was slumping further and further into his acqu — into the stran — his atta —…
Into Tweek.
“Goodnight, Craig.” A voice too soft for the the situation at hand floated into Craig’s ears.
His knees completely gave out on him as his vision failed him. He felt dizzy, he felt nauseous, and he was unsure as to what - if - the next time he woke would bring him.
As he drifted, he could have sworn Tweek’s small, raspy voice met his ears, although it sounded watered-down.
“I find myself hoping… your heart is stronger than my last few meals.”
His hat was plucked from his head and bony fingers combed through his hair.
“It’d be — ghk — such a waste for you to die.”
He felt a scratchy, warm pair of lips ghost over his forehead.
“Rest, now.”
He succumbed.