Buried (a Creek fic)

25. Beautiful

Craig wasn't sure what was moving faster; his pounding heart in his ears, his racing mind, or his feet as they sped down the sidewalk towards Tweek Bros. He didn't remember the last time he had ran that fast, or the last time he was worrying that much. He felt his heart sinking further and further down from his chest as his mind conjured up every possible scenario that it could conceivably fathom.

He kept hearing Kenny's urgent words in his ears, "Please hurry. Tweek said he really needs you."

That was all that he needed to hear. That was all the motivation he needed to keep running, even though he felt like his throat was constricting and his lungs were being set on fire, the ashes and the nicotine inhabiting it fueling the fire even more. That didn't stop him though. Nothing could.

Finally, the coffee shop came into view and that only made his legs sprint faster. He could make out the alleyway entrance and he could see Kenny's silhouette, his bright orange parka vibrant in the sunlight. He could see a smaller shape further down to the ground and as he got closer he recognized it; Stripe.

Where the hell is Tweek?  he thought desperately.

He was a few yards away, when he saw Kenny turn towards him and the blonde started frantically waving his arms, as if signalling him to hurry faster. His legs were about to collapse under him, when finally he made it to the alleyway entrance, where Kenny ran up to meet him.

"Where - Where is - " Craig tried to ask, but was cut off by the ragged breaths that escaped his mouth. He doubled over with his hands on his knees, hyperventilating from all of the running he had done.

"Craig, come on," Kenny mumbled solemnly, grabbing the boy's arm and leading him further into the alley. Stripe followed at their heels with his head bowed.

As they got further into the narrow alleyway, Craig could hear the sound of sobbing echoing off the brick walls that surrounded them and suddenly, he could make out a figure slouched against a rusty dumpster and he felt his heart painfully ache in his chest.

Tweek looked up at him from a couple feet away and with the most sorrowful expression he had ever seen anyone give him, he could barely hear him whisper, "Y-You came."

Craig ran forward and he felt his stiff legs give out from underneath him, as he collapsed on the ground next to Tweek. He shifted and fumbled to sit onto his knees, hovering over the boy. Then he realized what was splattered on the dirty cement beneath him; blood, which had started seeping into his jeans.

He gazed up in horror at his friend and just then realized why he had received a call.

Tweek was in the worst possible shape he had ever seen anyone in, which was saying something. He had witnessed the aftermath of fights before, but this wasn't a fight. He could tell that Tweek didn't fight back, considering his knuckles weren't bruised or even pinkish.

No, this was just a beating.

Craig could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He needed to be strong for him. He wiped Tweek's tears away from his swollen eyes (which weren't just puffy from tears). He pushed long strands of hair out of the boy's face, which were damp with tears and stained with blood. He rested his hand on the back of the blonde's head, feeling how much Tweek was shaking. He cleared his throat, hoping it would be able to discard any hoarseness in his voice, but it didn't. "Tweek, what happened?"

Tweek didn't look at him. He started to sniffle and ended up wincing in pain, bringing a hand up to cradle his bleeding nose. "H-He ju-just - I did-didn't know h-how to - " He didn't finish the sentence, becoming overtaken by sobs and gulping for air.