Buried (a Creek fic)

10. Fix

It wasn't until the sky had started fading dimmer into its evening colors when Craig had realized just how long he had been at Tweek Bros. The two boys had been sitting and chatting at their table since they had gotten there earlier that afternoon and they had stayed there since. Craig was on his third cup of coffee and his sixth cupcake, when he received another text from his father, who basically told him to get his ass home. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, he announced to Tweek that he needed to start heading home.

"Oh," Tweek mumbled, sounding disappointed. "O-Okay."

"Sorry, dude," Craig told him, hopping out of his chair. He tucked the container encasing the remaining cupcakes into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He then picked up his coffee cup and drained the rest of the addictive drink from it.

Tweek rose out of his chair with Craig and stared at the floor. "Um... Can I - I mean, i-if it's o-okay with you... can I m-maybe h-have your num-number?"

"Jeez, keep it in your pants, Tweek," Craig teased, tossing the empty coffee cup into the nearest trash can. "We properly hang out for one day and now you're all over me?"

Tweek's face furiously reddened and his twitching intensified. "N-No! I j-just m-meant maybe w-we c-could t-talk or - "

Craig laughed at his sudden defense. "Relax, spaz, I'm just messing with you."

"O-Oh." Tweek gave an embarrassed chuckle, shoving his hands awkwardly into his pockets and fixing his eyes on the floor.

Craig held out his hand to a now confused-looking Tweek, until he understood what the gesture meant and he handed his phone to Craig. He quickly typed in his number and returned the phone to the still flustered boy.

"I'll see you around," Craig declared with a wave over his shoulder, pushing open the coffee shop door and stepping into the chilly evening atmosphere.

"Y-Yeah, see ya!" Tweek called after him.

As he shut the door, he glanced over his shoulder to see Tweek through the glass door, who was turning away from him and walking into the back room. Quickly before Tweek could turn back and see him, Craig briskly walked to the side of the building and entered the alley.

"Stripe!" he softly proclaimed, hoping no one inside the shop would hear him. He lightly snapped his fingers and sharply whistled for the dog. "It's me - it's Craig. C'mere, boy!"

As if on cue, the bony dog came trotting out from behind the grimy dumpster where he usually stayed behind, hidden away from the rest of the world. Craig couldn't help but cringe a little at how skinny he was. The poor thing must've been hungry. He probably had only eaten the apple Craig had given him this morning.

The concerned boy dropped to his knees in front of the now cheerful pup. After giving him a pat on the head, Craig whipped out his bag and snatched out the remaining cupcakes. Figuring the frosting would be too rich for the dog, he wiped it off before setting them on the ground in front of Stripe.

After sniffing it with curiosity, the dog pounced on the cake and graciously gobbled it up. Craig began to stroke his fur as he finished off the treat and he began to wish he had more to offer him, knowing that this probably wouldn't hold him over until the next time he saw him.

As Craig was telling Stripe about how much he had missed him, he didn't seem to notice the sound of a door closing in the distance, followed by the sound of footsteps coming closer to him. It wasn't until he heard a shriek coming from behind him that he knew he wasn't alone.

"Sweet J-Jesus, Craig!" Tweet cried out from behind him, making Craig jump with shock and causing Stripe to back away in fear. "Th-that's the second t-time you've scared me here t-today!"