The Evermore Dissociate(Creek)

0057

Though it was early afternoon, the coffee shop was dull in comparison to the snow outside. A hushed chorus of chatter echoed throughout the small area, and customers came and went in a relatively routine manner. During his short stay there, Stan had noticed Craig continuously checking his phone for the time. It was obvious he was irritated, and if Stan were in a better mood, maybe he would've revelled in his suffering. Now all he wanted to do was to go home. He wanted to curl up in bed and go to sleep, though he doubted he'd be able to if he tried.

After mimicking the action by checking his own phone in a similar manor, he decided now was as good as any to leave. Perhaps if Craig hadn't been there, he and Tweek could've talked some more, maybe even reached a topic less likely to make Stan's nerves shiver, but he could sense his welcoming fading. "I should get going."

"Right now?" Tweek's voice faltered. He didn't want Stan to leave, not yet anyway. There was still so much he wanted to know. So much he needed to know. Besides, Stan gave him the same feeling his father did, a feeling of recognition, and a sense of familiarity. "You could, I don't know, do you want to hang out with us today?"

"Ehh, I don't know about that." Stan said. He could sense Craig tensing beside him. He could feel himself tensing. "I have some studying I was wanting to get out of the way."

"Please."

Stan regarded Craig with an unsure side glance. "Would you be alright with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Craig responded. He knew he'd answered correctly when Tweek smiled from across the table, and despite his plans for the day being entirely ruined, he didn't all that mind anymore. Sure, he was slightly annoyed, but when he really thought about it, he wasn't sure taking Tweek on a trip down memory lane was as urgent as he'd first made it out to be.

It attempt to keep the peace, Stan forced a smile, one which clearly indicated he'd rather be doing anything other than smiling right now. "So what were you guys planning on doing today?" He asked, looking between the two friends.

Silence met the air, with Tweek looking to Craig for answers, those of which were lost by him. He couldn't say he was planning on taking Tweek to the same playground they'd spent endless hours playing in when they were kids, hoping he'd remember him once again. He couldn't tell them how much thought he'd put into the idea, or how he'd woken up early just for today. So he didn't. Instead he looked towards his lap, feeling stupid for allowing his emotions to slip, for allowing himself to feel a little let down. He held onto his phone for support, breathing in as though he was in deep thought before acting as though he'd only just remembered what he was going to say. "Uhm, Clyde's house. He's been bugging me to bring you over."

This wasn't exactly joyous to hear, for neither Stan nor Tweek. On one hand, Tweek didn't feel as though he were ready to mingle with so many people at once. People he'd supposedly been friends with before. Then on the other hand, there was Stan. He too wasn't thrilled about spending the day with their group. If he was going to hang out with anyone, it would've been Kyle, but even then he wasn't feeling up to it. It wasn't much of a surprise for him though, since he knew they didn't do much other than hanging out at one another's house.

"Isn't he at school?" Stan questioned.

"No, he's twisted his ankle or something."

"Damn, that's gotta suck, especially with a big game coming up."

"Who cares? So he'll miss one game, he'll get over it." Craig drawled. His irritation was swaying his words, making him say things he wouldn't necessarily direct towards Clyde. In actual fact, he and the others were always the brunettes biggest supporters, excluding his girlfriends of course, so potentially not having to attend a game was strange in the least.

"Right..." Stan mumbled beneath his breath. "I just remembered, Shelley's coming home today and I said I'd be there." It was a lie, one he could afford to tell in hopes of avoiding more time spent with the wrong group of people. In truth, his sister wasn't due home from college for another week. "I'll see you tomorrow though, yeah?" He asked Tweek.

The blonde nodded with slight disappointment, but any debate he had towards the matter was soon shut down when Stan up and left the coffee shop with a quick 'bye' over his shoulder. Now there were only two, and as Tweek glance back over to Craig from across the table, he could sense he'd said something wrong. "What's up?"

"Nothing, what's up with you?"

"Nothing." Tweek said. He carefully watched Craig with interest, though he wasn't entirely sure why, just something about him intrigued Tweek. Perhaps it was the unmoving expression of boredom he wore, or the way his eyes refused to lift once he'd sensed Tweek's staring. "So, we're going to this 'Clyde' guys house?"

"Only if you want."

"I don't want to."

After taking a collective breath in, Craig looked out of the window as a new set of snow began to gently fall from the sky. "There's somewhere else we can go. As long as you promise to stop inviting people along."

"Yeah, sure. Where?"

Craig still felt dumb saying "the playground," so rather than making himself cringe, he instead stood from his seat without another word. He figured Tweek would just follow as he headed out the door, but when he looked back, Tweek wasn't there. He was outside by himself, and as the snow collected on the top of his hair, Craig shivered as he walked towards the window. He frowned once he'd seen Tweek on the opposite side of the glass. He was warm and cosy as he tried to down the rest of his coffee, while Craig felt like a human icicle as he watched.

There was still half a cup full when Tweek noticed Craig, and at first all he could manage was a guilty look as he took another small sip. He gestured for Craig to come back inside, but the noirette continued to glare in the midst of a scenery so beautiful that Tweek couldn't help but smile. He didn't understand how someone as hostile as Craig could blend so well into the peaceful weather around him. Maybe it was his pink nose that glistened through the window, or that he just accepted the snow that piled up on himself.

It was when Craig flashed his middle finger that Tweek decided to leave the rest of his oh so good beverage to join his friend in the cold. Stepping outside, he was greeted by a silence only he could find relaxing, and as he looked towards the sky, with snow falling into his squinted eye, behind him, Craig unknowing rolled a snowball.

Tweek was just about to speak when the snowball connected to the side of his head, startling him out of his dazed expression as he cupped his burning ear with his glove covered hand. He turned to glare at Craig, but once he saw the playful smile rippled across his face, it became contagious, and before he knew it, he too was smiling like a fool. Before he could even think about throwing one back, Craig revealed the second snowball from behind his back which drew a small laugh from Tweek as he begged him not to do it.

Of course Craig didn't listen, and as he stepped a little closer to taunt Tweek some more, his face hurt from the cold, his cheeks hurt from smiling, but he didn't care. He felt alive in this moment. So alive that he didn't care if any passerby's saw him acting so childish in the open streets. And for the first time in a while, Craig felt happy.