Word Count: 1322
Trigger Warning: mention of a fatal car accident, mention of abuse, mention of suicide, mention of self-harm
Tweek's POV
And so, there we were, in Pete's car, outside of Token's house. After a long silence of me fidgeting with my hands in my lap, I felt Pete shift next to me, and I looked up to face him. He had mixed emotions, almost like awe and confusion; His eyes asked what happened.
I took a long breath and sighed. "Let's not talk about it, yet. Can we just... go back to your place?" I mumbled. As much as I love my parents, I'd rather not have to deal with them just yet. It's not like they cared much anyways. I looked down at my phone as Pete started the car:
16:12 (4:12pm)
Missed call from 'Craig the Dad'
12 unread text messages from 'Craig the Dad'
No older notifications
I sighed but ignored Craig's constant texts. I had no reason to answer his texts or calls. He needs to understand that I'm not his fucking property. We're not anywhere close to dating, and he is being overprotective. Imagine if we were dating.
Yeah, 'I don't trust him,' I call bullshit. He has no right to tell me who I should be friends with. All Tuckers bring problems.
Once we got back to Pete's, I told him the issue.
He hummed, taking in the problem in his head. "I understand how you feel, and I would love to add onto your argument of how that is complete and utter bull, but I'd rather not interfere and try to influence a hatred for someone who seems so important to you. Especially when the argument is about me. In my opinion, I get why you're frustrated, but it wouldn't be fair to either of you to lose each other over something so trivial, and don't get me wrong, I understand, I just think that when this blows over you'll laugh about something like this," Pete explained.
"I understand. Thank you for listening at least." I chuckled to lighten up the mood.
After this day, I had learned a plethora of facts about Pete. If you really looked at him, you could still see the 'non-conformist' goth side of him that he had described from older years. Pete explained that he had taken himself out of the toxic environment that was 'the Goth Kids' when he started sophomore year. In reality, he was the only goth kid that had a reason to be the way they were.
Michael, the leader, had an older brother to take care of him along with his loving mother and father. Henrietta wasn't much different with a little brother, Bradley, and her mother and father, who just wanted her to be 'normal.' Firkle reasoned that he was a social outcast. He had a passion for animals, more specifically insects. He had also left the group when he reached 3rd grade. He became friends with Ike, Karen, and Ruby, the popular gay kids at school. Though I didn't know them, I was happy to hear that the generation following was so accepting.
That brings us to Pete. Pete had a sister who had died in a car crash two weeks after getting her driver's license. After that day, his parents didn't act the same. His father had placed the blame on everyone but her and took it especially hard on Pete. He had abused him and kicked him out of the house. About a week after Pete left, he got the news that his mother had committed suicide. So you could say that not even Satan could help him.
Michael took Pete under his wing and kept him safe for so many years, but he was taught bad habits that did everything but help him. Pete wanted to live a good life. He was already skipping his classes, so he got a full-time job as an office assistant for a fantastic boss. With that money, he bought himself an apartment in Denver to start his life over, including slowly getting rid of his addictions. Now, he is a junior at our high school and still works for the same boss, part-time. If that isn't inspiration, I don't know what is.
Pete wasn't even complaining about it. He spoke of it as if it was this amazing experience that he had.
I stared back at him in awe. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head in some form of embarrassment.
"So that was how my life has been; Now how about you tell me about yourself?" He asked in more of a statement than a question.
I stared down at the ground. I like to keep to myself. No one in South Park knows about my past, and I intended to keep it that way, but Pete... there was something about him. I felt trust and acceptance from him. He had been taking care of me, and nothing that I could say about my life would be worse than his.
"Hey, you don't have to if you don't want to, Tweeky." I felt my face heat up at the nickname.
I took a deep breath before I looked back up at him. "No. I trust you. How about we do a rough summary?" I chuckled. He laughed and nodded. Here goes nothing...
So, I told him everything. The peppy parents, the stuttering and anxiety, the ADD, the coffee addiction, Jack Tucker, the self-harm, homosexuality. Everything.
When I finished, I looked back up to his hazel-green eyes. He smiled. "I'm happy that you got out of that situation, Tweeky."
Goddamnit. Again with the nickname. I looked down at the ground once more, but he used his index finger to push my chin up.
"Stop hiding your face from me," he started, "It's beautiful."
If my cheeks could warm up anymore, that's what they were doing in this moment. "Th-thank you, Pete," I beamed at him.
Craig's POV
Yeah, following people to their apartments isn't the best idea in the entire world, but I still did it.
Here I am, sitting outside on a tree, listening intensely to their conversation. Tweek hasn't ever told me about the things he's telling Pete. I understand now why he hurt himself in the past.
It hurt me to see him put so much trust into a person he had barely talked to when he refused to tell me anything.
I see you guys sitting on your chairs or your beds or walking around through the house like, 'But Craig, you shouldn't be listening to other's conversations, Craig, why the hell are you there and how did you get there?'
I have a valid reason. That reason is jealousy and worry. As for how I got here? I drove to where Tweek was on his snapmap and asked what apartment Pete was in at the front desk. Some hell of security they have here.
So, again. Here I am. In a tree.
"I'm happy you got out of that situation, Tweeky." He said in a soothing tone. That stupid ass nickname.
Tweek looked down again, hiding his blush.
"Stop hiding your face from me. It's beautiful."
I scowled at his touch on Tweek's chin. He's manipulating him and Tweek put so much trust in him that he isn't noticing.
"Th-thank you, Pete," he smiled up to him.
They inched closer and closer together. My Twitches, millimetres away from another boy's face. I growled.
Slowly, Tweek tilted his head and sealed the distance between their lips. I felt my heart breaking and withering away.
They're kissing, and I can't do anything about it. Pete was kissing back and pulled Tweek onto his lap, just as I had when we had kissed. Tweek obeyed and wrapped his legs around Pete's torso, hands around his neck. Pete wrapped his arms around Tweek's chest and pulled him even closer.
A warm wet substance falling from my eyes, I let myself fall down the tree. This is my fault for being so jealous. Tweek has moved on in a matter of 12 hours. I guess that's it for me.
I slouched walking back to my car.
A/N: Hmmm. I don't really like this chapter. ¯\_(._.)_/¯. Nevertheless, it's a chapter, and I don't hate it. Enjoy the rest of your Monday/Sunday (/whatever day you read this on in the future)! Leave a vote? Have a wonderful day and don't do anything really stupid.
~Beru <3