Sp Sky Au p1
Raising Stripe ch.1
And a Little Dottie ch.1
Tweek in Buddhaland ch.1
Tales of the Immortal Tweek ch1
trying on a metaphor

oozey mess
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
dirt enthusiast
we're not kids anymore.
Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
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Misplaced Lens Cap

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Jules of Nature

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he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
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Xuebing Du
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@kata-sans
Sp Sky Au p1
Raising Stripe ch.1
And a Little Dottie ch.1
Tweek in Buddhaland ch.1
Tales of the Immortal Tweek ch1
And a Little Dottie
Ch 2
Craig was pulling out the crib bedding from the dryer when Tweek ran into the laundry room.
“Craig! She's changing. Come see.”
Craig left the laundry basket to follow Tweek back into the room. He could hear grunting noises coming from the box. When he peeked in, the guinea pig was gone and in its place was a pale skin baby girl laying on her back. Her black hair covered her ears and her cobalt blue eyes roamed around the room in confusion.
She noticed her hand and proceeded to chew on her fingers. Tweek reached in to gently pull them out causing her to angrily squeak. She tried to put her fingers back but Tweek placed a pacifier in her open mouth. Sucking on the pacifier seemed to calm her down and Craig reached in to hold her.
Dorothea squirmed and growled. She was clearly uncomfortable with being held and touched. Craig held her firmly looking at her with awe. Earlier he felt reluctant to take her but now he never wanted to let her go. Is this what having a daughter feels like?
He gently rocked her and softly spoke to her. “Hi Dottie. I'm Craig and I'm going to be your daddy. This is Tweek, he's your mommy. You also have a big brother named Stripe. Welcome to the family.”
Tweek leaned on Craig's shoulder. “Dottie, huh? I like it. Welcome home Dottie.” Dottie's eyes began to droop. The rocking seemed to put her to sleep.
The couple worked together to dress her in one of Stripe’s potty training diapers. It was too big but they would have to wait until they could go shopping in the morning. Craig also pulled out one of Stripe's baby onesies to dress her. It fit a little loose but was much better than the diaper.
Tweek finished setting up the crib in the guest room they chose for her new room. He felt nostalgic seeing Stripe’s crib ready for a new baby to lay down. He stepped aside to let Craig gently lay down the raven haired baby.
The couple was so exhausted, they decided to climb into the guest room bed together. As soon as they rested their heads on a pillow they were fast asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stripe rubbed his sleepy eyes. The house was oddly quiet. Usually Mommy would make a ruckus in the kitchen making breakfast but it didn't sound like anyone was in the kitchen.
He peeked into the empty kitchen and concluded Mommy had slept in. His tummy rumbled so he walked to Mommy and Daddy's room.
“Mommy?” Stripe called out as he opened the door. He peeked in and was shocked to see the empty bed. “MOMMY! DADDY!”
He collapsed in the hallway crying. He had never been left alone at home. He didn't know where they went. He jumped when the guest room door opened.
“Stripe! Baby are you okay?” Tweek called out. Stripe quickly ran into his legs crying and babbling incoherently. Tweek quickly lifted him into his arms.
“M-mommy. M-me no s-see oo.” Stripe said between sobs.
“Oh Baby, we didn't mean to scare you. Daddy and I fell asleep in the guest room.” Tweek rubbed his back and kissed his head. Slowly Stripe’s sobs turned into hiccups and sniffles.
“Why *hic* Mommy hewe?” Stripe sniffled.
“Oh right. Stripe, there's someone I want you to meet.”
Tweek carried Stripe into the room. Stripe was relieved to see Daddy sleeping on the bed. He also noticed the crib in the room.
“Wha da?”
“That's a crib. You used to sleep there when you were a little baby.”
“Me no baby.”
“No, not anymore. That's why you have a new bed.”
“Why cwib?”
“Because, Mommy and Daddy need it.”
“Mommy n Daddy no baby .”
“No we're not. But we have a new family member that is.” Tweek walked closer to the crib. He made sure Stripe was able to see the baby sleeping in the crib.
“Mommy wha da?”
“Stripe, this is your new little sister. Her name is Dottie.”
“Doddy? Why?”
“Yes Dottie. She's going to live with us now. What do you think?”
“No fan oo. No wan’er.”
“Oh Sweetpea, you just met her. I'm sure you’ll like her overtime. Now why don't you wake your Daddy while I go get dressed. We need to go shopping. Mommy will make you some yogurt with cereal for breakfast.” Tweek set Stripe on the guest bed before leaving the room.
Stripe stood up and carefully walked towards his sleeping daddy. He threw himself onto Craig's stomach knocking the wind out of him.
“Oof! Stripe…I told you…not to do that.”
“Wa’Up Daddy!”
“Good morning you little terror.” Craig proceeded to tickle the toddler in his lap.
“Haha…Daddy…No…tickies…”
“Sorry I can't hear you. More tickles?”
“No! No…haha.”
Craig let the toddler escape and run out the door. He peeked at the crib and noticed Dottie was awake. She was staring at her hands with full interest ignoring the previous commotion from the people in the room.
“Huh, you're pretty quiet. Good thing you're not bothered by your noisy brother. He's a good kid. You’ll love him.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stripe loved going to the store. Now that he was older, he got to sit in the basket part of the shopping cart. His daddy would sometimes push the cart super fast to make Stripe giggle.
“Mommy. Toy?”
“Not today, Sweetpea. We need to get some supplies for your little sister.”
Stripe huffed. He didn't understand why Mommy and Daddy wanted his sister. She was icky and smelly.
“Mommy, Doddy melly.”
Tweek was about to chastise him but he realized he was right.
“Craig, I think we better hurry to check out. Dottie's going to need a change.”
Craig nodded, he dropped a few bows into the shopping basket before pushing it to the checkout counter. While he was placing their items on the counter, Tweek reached for the bag of diapers.
“I'm going to go change Dottie while you finish paying.”
“Mommy me go.”
“No Stripe you need to stay here. I'll be back soon.”
As soon as Tweek walked away, Stripe began to cry. He tried to climb out of the cart but Craig managed to catch him before he fell.
“Stripe! Behave. You're gonna fall and hurt yourself.”
Stripe cried harder but remained seated. He didn't know which way Tweek went so he had no choice but to stay put. Craig finished paying and pushed the cart towards the restrooms just in time to see Tweek come out.
“M-mommy no *hic* lea’me.”
Tweek put Dottie back in the baby seat. “I didn't go far, Sweetpea. I went to the bathroom.”
“Nooo. *hic* Me go w-wi’oo.”
“Okay next time you can come.”
Craig and Tweek loaded the car and buckled the children. Halfway home, Stripe dozed off to sleep.
“Is our little Terror asleep?” Craig asked.
“Don't call him that.” Tweek said, punching his arm.
Craig chuckled, “Hey they don't call it terrible two’s for nothing. He almost jumped out of the shopping cart earlier.”
“He was probably still scared from this morning. You know he hates being away from us.”
“More like he hates being away from you. He adores you and hates sharing you.”
“Ngh! Reminds me of another possessive boy that I used to know.”
“Hmm did I know this kid?”
“Yes, he had crooked teeth but gorgeous green eyes.”
“Really? What else?”
“He used to have thick raven hair and was a great kisser.”
Craig parked the car in front of their house and leaned on to Tweek's side. “A great kisser, huh? Wanna show me?”
Tweek snorted but leaned in to reciprocate. Before their lips could meet, they heard whining coming from the baby seat. Craig groaned about children picking the worst time. Tweek rolled his eyes and quickly pecked his lips before leaving the car.
Ch.1
And a Little Dottie
Ch. 1
“Stripe, come here. Help me pick up your toys before dinner.” Craig called out to the two year old sitting in front of the T.V. Stripe carefully stood up and walked towards his daddy. He picked up his stuffed bear and noticed a loose button.
“Daddy, Pooh owie,” Stripe said as he held up the bear. Craig inspected the stuffed animal and nodded in agreement.
“You're right, Stripe. Pooh needs some fixing. I'm sure Mommy can fix him after dinner. Now finish picking up while I put Pooh in a safe place.”
Stripe picked up the last two cars on the ground and placed them in his toy box. At that moment Tweek walked out of the kitchen and noticed the clutter free floor.
“Stripe, did you clean up all your toys? Good job, Baby.”
“Mommy! I hungy.”
“Yes, Stripe dinner is ready. I made your favorite creamy broccoli soup.”
Stripe squealed excitedly. He rushed past Tweek into the kitchen. When Tweek walked in, Stripe had already pushed his high chair towards the table and was trying to climb onto it.
“Careful Stripe. You can fall and hurt yourself.” Tweek warned trying to help the toddler when he slipped.
“Mommy me do. Me do.” Tweek smiled. His baby always tried to be independent and it filled him with pride and melancholy.
“Of course you can do it. You're growing up so fast. I'm going to be sad when you're no longer my baby.”
“Mommy! Me no baby.” Stripe said proudly. He lifted his arms to allow Tweek to place the high chair tray.
Tweek laughed and picked up a bowl of soup he had already set aside. After inspecting the temperature, he set it in front of Stripe and encouraged him to start eating. At that moment, Craig finally arrived in the kitchen.
“I set your plate on the table, Dear. Eat it while it's hot.”
Craig looked at the soup and made a face. Tweek crossed his arms and gave him a stern look. “What?”
“Nothing, Honey. It's just broccoli’s not my favorite vegetable. Maybe I can have a ham sandwich instead.”
Tweek huffed in frustration. He turned to the toddler who was almost done with his portion and would most likely ask for more. “Stripe, which tastes better, a ham sandwich or my soup?”
Stripe giggled, “Mommy sou! Mo’e pease.” He held up his empty bowl ready for seconds.
“I thought so. Go make yourself a sandwich while Stripe and I enjoy my good soup.” Tweek said filling up Stripe’s bowl.
Craig made his sandwich and joined Tweek at the table. They ate their dinner with light chatter in between bites. As they finished off their meal, Tweek's phone began to ring. Craig motioned his husband to answer while he worked on cleaning up the kitchen.
“Hello? Oh Kenny, how are…wait, slow down…now?” Craig stopped working as he overheard his husband's conversation. “Kenny, it's almost bedtime. Are you sure it can't wait?...Fine, let me talk to Craig first…okay, bye.”
Craig decided to ask Tweek about his weird phone call, “Honey what does Kenny want?”
“Ngh! He wants us to come over to his lab immediately. I told him it was almost Stripe’s bedtime but he says it's urgent. What do you think?”
Craig sighed, “I would say to ignore him, but Kenny doesn't play around with emergencies. I’ll pack the diaper bag and you can change Stripe… I will reserve the right to punch him if this isn't as big a deal as he's making it.”
Tweek agreed and they packed up to make the trip to Kenny's lab.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenny paced the living room of the lab. He couldn't believe he had f*cked up this badly. When he inherited the lab from the late doctor, he had accomplished many great things.
For one, he had managed to become a certified geneticist thanks to his groundbreaking research into organ regeneration as an alternative to organ donations. His research was so meticulous, the University of Colorado had offered him a medical degree in exchange for 3 annual visits to discuss his research to students in the medical department.
The deal had even included money to help renovate the old lab and continue his research. Once in a while, students from the university would approach him with a letter of recommendation from a professor in the hopes of studying under his expertise. He had no problems with this arrangement until now.
Every student he took in was given the same rules:
1.No food in the lab area
2. Always wear protective gear in the lab area
3. No horseplay
4. No guinea pigs
Usually students would raise an eyebrow at rule number four, but the rule was still respected. With those rules in place, Kenny had never had any problems. Unfortunately there was always someone that had to ruin a good thing. In this case his name was Aiden.
From the moment Kenny met Aiden it was obvious his arrogance would cause a disaster. Aiden came from a family of doctors that were willing to pay his way through life and school. Kenny later learned his letter of recommendation had been bought by Aiden's father in an effort to spruce up his resume.
All of this would have been fine with Kenny if Aiden had followed Kenny's rules. Everyday, Aiden would show up late with fast-food in hand. He managed to contaminate multiple samples because he refused to wear a mask in the lab.
It was clear, Aiden had no interest in the medical field, but only chose it to continue living his privileged lifestyle. Kenny was ready to write Aiden a letter to excuse him from further work in the lab until the punk decided to break one more rule. Now he had chased off his troublesome assistant and was left with a huge problem on his hands.
Luckily it seemed help had finally arrived. Kenny rushed to open the front door and let in his friends and their sleeping child.
“Tweek! Craig! I'm so glad you're here. This way, hurry.” Kenny gestured to them to follow. “I’ve had the worst week. I was mentoring a new student. The kid’s a menace. I should have kicked him out sooner. It would have saved me from this disaster.”
The couple walked by a large print poster with Kenny's rules. Craig smirked as he pointed out the fourth rule to Tweek. Tweek bit back a chuckle as he cradled the reason for that rule.
“Anyway, enough about that guy. The real reason I called you is to help me with the problem he brought into the lab.” Kenny opened a random door and led them in. “As you both noticed, I have a strict rule on guinea pigs. My idiot lab assistant tried to prank me by hiding one in my lab, and you guys can guess how that went.”
Craig and Tweek's jaws dropped.
“K-kenny are you telling us…”
“You let it happen again!”
Kenny held up his hands, “Hey! I told you this was not my fault. I fired my assistant as soon as I realized what he had done, but that's not the point.” Kenny took a deep breath, “Guys I'm prepared to fix it but I called you here because I wanted to ask, how would you feel about adopting another guinea pig baby?”
Craig was ready to punch him in the face, but Tweek grabbed his arm. “Wait. Let's think about this. I wouldn't mind giving Stripe a sibling.”
“Tweek you can't be serious.”
“I am. We still have Stripe's baby stuff. I think this is a great time to add on to our family.”
“We never discussed growing our family, Tweek. We need time to discuss our options. We can't just jump into it.”
“We kinda did when we had Stripe. Sweetie, I know you're worried but I promise you we can handle this. We've got us. We have our friends and family. And unlike last time, we've got experience.”
Craig still looked reluctant but followed Tweek into the room. Inside they saw a cardboard box sitting on a lab table. Tweek quickly approached the box curious to see its content.
“Kenny, I thought you said it was a baby.” Craig stepped forward to see what Tweek was talking about. Inside he spotted a black and white guinea pig curled up in a corner. He looked at Kenny for an explanation.
“Based on my research from the last time this happened, the transformation should begin in about 3 hours. I can stop the process from happening right now, but I thought I should give you the option to choose if you wanted to raise a baby or a guinea pig. Either way, that thing is not staying in my lab.”
Craig reached into the box to pick up the guinea pig. It squeaked and squirmed for a moment as Craig inspected it. “She's a girl. She's also smaller than Stripe. I'm guessing she's a Peruvian guinea pig because of her longer hair. Tweek are you sure about this?”
Tweek smiled reassuringly, “We’ve got this.”
Craig nodded. “Alright Kenny. We're keeping her.”
“Great! She's all yours. I'll call Butters in the morning. That should give you time to settle down and pick a name.”
Tweek perked up, “Oh Craig. Let's call her Dorothea. Dorothea Patricia.”
Craig raised an eyebrow. “That sounds like a mouthful.”
“We can give her a nickname like Stripe.”
“Fine but where did you get a name like Dorothea?”
“I…saw it in a book. I thought it was cute and it pairs up nicely with your sister's name.”
Craig shrugged. He placed Dorothea back in the box for safekeeping. “Well we better get back home and settle these two for the night.”
The Tuckers returned to their car. They gently buckled Stripe to his car seat and Tweek held on to the box. Craig gave Kenny one last middle finger before driving off
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Craig tucked Stripe into his toddler bed. He was glad his son was able to sleep through their trip to the lab. Now he could focus on their newest member of the family.
He walked into the bedroom where Tweek had decided they would set down the box. His husband was sitting on the floor looking into the box.
“Can you believe, Stripe is still sleeping.”
Tweek chuckled, “Of course. He sleeps like a log, just like his daddy.”
Craig held out his hand to help Tweek off the floor. Tweek graciously accepted it.
“Have you noticed any changes?”
“No. She did fall asleep though. I think it may be a sign that it’ll start soon.”
“Should we set up the crib?”
“Pfft, do you still have the instructions?”
“I don't need the instructions, I've got you.”
“Bold of you to assume I know how to set it up.”
“No, but I know you well enough to assume you kept the instructions.”
“Touche.”
Raising Stripe ch.1
Ch.2
Tweek on Buddhaland
Ch.5
“So…what's with your obsession with my cousin?”
“WHAT?”
“You’re going through a lot of hassle for him so what's the deal?”
“GHA! SHUT UP! IT'S NOT YOUR BUSINESS!” Tweek shouted, causing thunder to rumble in the distance.
“Fair enough.” Kyle interjected. “Can we ask about your anxiety?”
“NGH! What do you want to know?”
“Well is there a reason you're so…on edge about everything?”
“I'm always like this!”
“Okay but why?”
“I DON'T KNOW!”
The sky flashed in warning letting the rabbit and mouse know not to continue their questions. Soon they made it to a clearing where they found a decent sized cottage. As they approached the dwelling, loud noises could be heard from inside.
Tweek could hear things tossed around inside. There was a female voice barking demands. Under all that cacophony there was a sound Tweek recognized instantly.
Tweek wasted no time slamming the door open. Inside, he found this world's version of Bebe and Scott. Bebe was dressed extravagantly in a bright red ball gown with gold trimmings, while Scott was dressed in a white uniform with a chef's hat.
Bebe threw a bowl of oats at Scott reprimanding him. Scott managed to dodge but still rubbed his ear where the bowl swiped past him. Behind Bebe there was a cage where a frantic guinea pig was squeaking in distress.
“EVERYONE SHUT UP!”
The chaos in the room halted and all eyes turned to Tweek. The blond looked ready to snap at the first sign of movement. He purposely moved into the room making his way to the cage. Bebe and Scott silently moved aside, afraid to disturb his path.
Gently, Tweek extracted the shaking guinea pig. He began to rub the piggy between his eyes and under his chin. To everyone's shock, the frightened piggy began to purr.
“How did you do that?” Bebe asked. “He's been squealing all day and won't eat anything. I don't blame him, Scott is a terrible cook.”
“Thaths not thrue. The raths just picky.” Scott stated in defence.
“SHHH… I Told You To Shut Up. Stripe hates arguments. He's sensitive.” Tweek turned to the piggy in his hand, talking to it like it was his baby.
“Dude this guy is insane. I've never seen anyone talk to the Duchess like that.” Kyle whispered to his friend.
“Yea man, not to mention he's talking to that hamster like it's his own child.”
“HE’S NOT A HAMSTER! He's a guinea pig and he belongs to me and my boyfriend.” Tweek corrected, having heard them.
“Wait, your Craig's boyfriend? The Queen asked me to take care of Craig's guinea pig since he hasn't been tidying up after it. If you're its owner you must take responsibility for it.” Bebe then turned to her chef. “Scott! Prepare the supplies.”
Scott soon handed Tweek a backpack full of Stripe’s items. “Here is everythin’ he came with. Say, would you like me to geth you a new skirt. I see your old one ripped and your walking around in your panthies.”
Kyle and Stan tried to signal Scott to shut up but it was in vain. Tweek gripped Scott's collar and pulled him nose to nose. Maybe the collar was preventing oxygen to his brain but Scott could swear he could see a storm in Tweek's eyes as he simply said, “No.”
With that Tweek turned back to Bebe. “Thank you for caring for Stripe, Duchess. I have a favor to ask. I was told by Stan that you can help me get inside the Queen’s castle.”
“Wait! Stan is here?” Bebe finally took a look at the Hare and mouse standing at her door. “You have such a nerve showing your face around me after what you did.”
“Bebe, it's not what you think. I really am just trying to help Tweek. He wants to see Craig his…wait you're his boyfriend?” Stan looked at Tweek confused.
“It's complicated.” Tweek growled.
“How? Are you two not talking? Is it something he did? Was it something you did?” Kyle questioned.
Tweek was shaking, gripping his hair with his free hand. “No, I-i didn't…He just…nghrrrr…I DON'T KNOW!”
Bebe gave the two friends a hard look before moving to comfort Tweek. “Hey, why don't you talk to me about it. I happen to be an expert in relationships. Maybe I can help you.”
Tweek nodded before telling her all about his relationship with Craig. “Then one day he put on that stupid box and wouldn't talk to me. I just wish he would tell me what I did wrong.”
“I don't think it's something you did wrong. You said those boxes are meant to help people with anxiety. I don't know about anxiety but I do know boys don't usually like to talk about feelings.” Bebe explained.
“But I talk to him about my feelings all the time. Why doesn't he trust me to do the same?”
“It's not just about trust. It takes courage to talk about your feelings.”
“I don't feel courageous when I talk to Craig. I feel like a burden.”
“Well that's not true. Would you feel Craig was a burden if he shared how he feels?”
“NO! He could never be a burden. He's special to me a-and I promised I would fix whatever hurts him.”
“And don't you trust him to do the same?”
Tweek was stunned. He knew Bebe was right, but there was always a little part of him that worried he was too much and Craig would tire of him eventually. “You're right. I will keep talking to Craig about my feelings and also get him to talk about his. There's gotta be more I can do for him. Maybe if I try harder he'll talk to me again.”
“That's great, Tweek, but don't forget you can also share your concerns with your friends. If Craig’s stuck up in his box don't feel like you can't share your feelings with someone else.” Tweek nodded. It was nice to share his feelings with someone other than Craig. It was definitely better than feeling shut out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Craig quickly shut and locked the door behind him. He didn't want anyone to find out what he had done. It was tricky enough hiding it from his parents. He thought it would be harder to keep it from the nurses, but here he was with his secret tucked safely in his jacket.
Now inside the hospital room, he opened his jacket to reveal his guinea pig, Stripe. After a week of reading and talking to his motionless boyfriend, Craig decided he needed to find a more effective way to pull Tweek out of his slumber, hence their guinea pig.
“Hi Honey. I brought you someone who's missed you.” He walked to Tweek's hospital bed and gently set down Stripe.
The guinea pig sniffed the air to identify his new surroundings. Stripe looked around and recognized his blonde caretaker that had been absent for some time. He immediately scurried to his face eager to rub his nose but was stopped by a plastic dome. It covered the blond’s mouth and nose making it impossible for Stripe to get closer.
Defeated, Stripe laid down on Tweek’s chest where he could feel it rise and fall. Craig took his boyfriend's uninjured hand and gently placed it on the guinea pig’s back, hoping the touch would rouse the sleeping blond. “Tweek, can you feel that? It's Stripe. He keeps looking at my bedroom door hoping to see you, so I brought here.”
It didn't work, but Craig wanted to believe Tweek's dreams would now be more peaceful with the help of their fur baby.
“Mom said you kept him while I was…unavailable. Your dad gave him back to me. He said you gave him extra treats. He did seem a little more chubby, haha…I'm not mad if you're worried about it. As long as he's happy and you're happy… If you woke up, I would be soo happy.” Craig blushed realizing what he had just said. He looked at Tweek who hadn't twitched at his confession.
Feeling secure that no one would hear him, Craig began to speak the words he never had the courage to say. “Tweek. I… I need to tell you something. I wish I had told you before but I'm a coward. Talking about feelings is not the Tucker way. I admire you so much for doing what I could never do. I guess it's just another one of your wonderful talents. Maybe if you wake up you can teach me how.”
Craig grabbed Tweek's hand before continuing. “Anyway the point is, I… I'm scared Tweek not just about talking about my feelings. The truth is every time you tell me about your feelings, I just want to help you but I don't know how. Everytime I try to fix things I just seem to make it all worse somehow. Nothing I did seemed to make it better and I started to fear you'd be fed up with my incompetence and leave me. I felt overwhelmed so I hid behind that stupid box and…now look where you are. I'm a sh*tty boyfriend who couldn't help you when you needed me most.” Craig finally broke down in the privacy of that hospital room. “P-please give me a chance. I promise I can fix this.”
“Squeak!”
Craig looked up at Stripe. The guinea pig had stepped forward and was reaching out with his nose to Craig's wet cheek. Craig smiled, Stripe always seemed to know when he needed comforting. “You're right Stripe, crying won't solve anything. I need to keep trying. Tweek didn't give up on me and neither will I.”
Craig picked up his guinea pig and tucked him into his jacket. He rubbed Tweek's hair before heading out the door. Behind him, the blond boy continued to slumber completely still except for the slight twitch of his fingers that had previously been resting on Stripe.
Ch.4
Ch.6
Tweek in Buddhaland
Ch.4
Tolkien’s instructions had been clear, follow the path into the forest until he reached the clearing. Simple, but the more Tweek wandered into the forest the more anxious he felt. He walked what felt like hours and he had not seen any signs of reaching his destination.
Tweek clutched his pocket knife nervously. He couldn't see the sky due to all the trees but he could faintly hear thunder in the distance. When Tweek was ready to give up and walk back he suddenly saw a break in the trees.
Just as Tolkein said there was a clearing in the middle of the forest with a large table set up for a party. The table was covered in multiple pieces of fine china in a variety of colors. In fact, none of the dishes or teacups seemed to belong in the same set.
Each plate also contained a variety of desserts. Tweek felt his mouth water at the sight of multicolored macarons, chocolate raspberry cheesecake, and gooey chewy brownies. There were so many sweets and treats, many of which Tweek wasn't sure he could name.
Despite the abundance of snacks, the party only consisted of three guests. Tweek was taken aback by the sight of three familiar faces he least wanted to see, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny.
Stan was slumped on the table taking turns sobbing and sipping from a teacup. He was dressed similar to his usual outfit but was missing his hat, revealing a pair of dark black rabbit ears.
In front of Stan a shrunken version of his best friend, Kyle, was frantically trying to rouse him. He also dressed close to his usual self but he now downed mouse ears and a tail.
The final member of the trio, Kenny was seated at the head of the table snickering at the sight. Tweek almost didn't recognize him due to his drastic change in wardrobe. Instead of his normal parka, Kenny was wearing an orange suit jacket with matching ripped pants. To finish the look he had a bright orange top hat on his head.
Tweek decided to ignore his dislike for the three friends and focus on his goal: finding Craig. He approached the table ready to plead for Stan's help when he overheard Kyle's voice.
“DUDE! GET UP! THIS PARTY WON'T BE READY IF YOU AND KENNY DON'T HELP ME!”
“She broke up with me. *hic* Why? *hic* We were so happy.” Stan said, breaking down into sobs.
“Grrrr…KENNY! DO SOMETHING.”
“Hey Stan. Why don't we go look at the flowers in the garden. I heard there's some gorgeous roses that get pretty wild if you're into thorns.” Kenny suggested.
“She used to love roses.” Stan cried out.
“Oh come on man! This party isn't gonna fix itself you know.” Kyle said, stomping his foot.
“Uhm…excuse me I'm looking for Craig's cousin.” Tweek finally spoke up.
Kyle spun around with a surprised look on his face. His expression switched to a suspicious scowl. “Who wants to know?”
“I need his help to find Craig. Please, it's urgent.” Tweek begged.
Kyle considered the request before he was struck with an idea. “Alright I'll point you to his cousin under one condition. How good are you at making hot beverages?”
#########################
After an hour, Tweek could feel his left eye twitch. Stan and his friends were getting on his last nerve.
Tweek was used to serving difficult customers. It was a given working as a barista in his family's shop. Working in a coffee shop required a lot of patience and understanding, but Tweek was running out of said patience and was done understanding.
“NO, NO, NO! You're supposed to heat the water then add the tea leaves.” The demanding mouse shouted.
“*Sob* Do you think I'm a slob, too? *hic* She said I was a slob.” The insufferable hare whined next to Tweek.
“You know I dig a guy that can walk around in underwear with no shame.” The top hat weirdo said with a flirty tone.
Tweek could feel his rage simmering in his chest. He struggled to focus on his goal. He was doing this for Craig, he thought.
The mouse continued to nitpick his work, the hare continued to cry, and Tweek continued to try to brew enough tea to satisfy the party hosts. Tweek almost found peace in the rhythm of filling a teapot, boiling the water, and adding the tea leaves. Rinse and repeat.
Everything was going well in Tweek's opinion when suddenly he felt a hand on his hip. He flinched and dropped the teapot in his hands. It crashed on the floor and all the voices Tweek blocked out rushed in at full volume.
“MY TEAPOT!”
“She used to love that color.”
“Oops! My bad, I just wanted to feel the material of your panties.”
Tweek snapped. The sky above the clearing was instantly filled with thundering clouds. “This…isn't….my.. UNDERWEAR!”
*BOOM*
A bolt of lightning landed between Tweek and the three friends. All three took a step back and looked on in panic. The storm didn't seem to bother Tweek in the slightest.
The three party hosts began trying to placate the irate blonde.
“N-no of course not you're d-definitely not wearing underwear.”
“Y-yeah they look great o-on you.”
“Yeah they make you look sexy.”
The mouse and hare gave Kenny a death glare. Suddenly a bolt struck the mad hatter turning him to dust. Kyle and Stan were horrified at the sight of the empty orange top hat.
“Oh my God! He killed Mad Kenny!”
“You bastAAAAHHH!”
The two friends barely dodged the bolt of lightning aimed at them. It was clear they needed to act quickly before they met the same fate of the Mad Hatter.
“WAIT! You said you needed our help! You needed Stan to find Craig! Remember!” Kyle tried to reason with the enraged teen.
Tweek's deadly glare hardened for a moment. “How are you going to help me?”
“St-Stan is his cousin. He knows where he is.”
“I know where he is! Why do I need you two?” Tweek shouted.
“Well if you know where he is you must know about the Queen's army.” Stan said.
“A-army?” Tweek rage vanished and in its place was a look of confusion. The dangerous lightning was gone and a rush of wind took its place
The boys took advantage of the change to calm the storm.
“Hey it's okay if you didn't know. Most people don't talk about them. Luckily for you, Stan is close to the queen and he can help you get past them.” Kyle said reassuringly.
“Really? You can do that?” Tweek asked full of hope.
“Well, the queen and I are currently going through a rough patch but I know someone that can help us.” Stan assured him.
Tweek nodded with a smile. “That sounds great…Wait, weren't there three of you guys?”
The two friends gave each other confused looks but being worried about setting off another storm quickly brushed him off.
“Our friend just wandered away, don't worry. Let's get going before it gets too dark to see.” They steered Tweek away from the orange top hat sitting on a pile of ashes. They concluded Tweek was unaware of his actions and that truly terrified the hare and mouse. They hated to see what else the blonde teen was capable of.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The flowers in Tolkein’s hands felt heavy. He wasn't sure if it was the grief of knowing his friend was in such a fragile state or the feeling that he could have somehow prevented it.
He was grateful to have his friends with him. Like him, Jimmy and Clyde had expressed wanting to visit Tweek, but felt nervous about going alone. Visiting together gave them the confidence to see their friend in such a vulnerable state.
They originally wanted to include Craig, but Craig had avoided them since the accident. They were not surprised as Craig tended to isolate himself when he was stressed or emotional. His friends respected his need for privacy during those times and were confident he would confide in them when he was ready.
Walking into the hospital room, Tolkien felt all the bravado from his friends’ support vanish at the sight of Tweek's pale and bruised face. He was worse than he imagined. The gasp from beside him told him Clyde was also caught off guard.
Jimmy, who could never stand a silent room, broke the silence with his dark humor. “Man, Tweek I’d h-hate to see the state you l-l-left the other guy in.”
The guys chuckled. “Jimmy's right. You've always been a tough fighter. I'm sure you're fighting hard to come back to us.” Tolkien said, taking Tweek's hand.
The door opened behind them. “YOU!”
Everyone was taken by surprise by the harsh tone of Craig's voice. Tolkien was further caught off guard when he was roughly pulled away from Tweek's side only to meet the furious eyes of Craig.
“What was your idea? You saw him struggling and you thought you could take advantage of him! If you were so set on being his hero, you would have prevented this from happening!” Craig accused.
Tolkien felt outraged and pushed Craig back. “You've got a lot of nerve throwing accusations around. Yeah, Tweek was stressed. Instead of wondering why, you're here accusing me of trying to steal your boyfriend. Why don't you ask why he put that stupid box on his head?”
Watching his friends butt heads, Clyde suddenly collapsed to the ground crying. “IT'S ME! I told him to wear it that morning. I-i saw him on the bus and I…oh God why did I encourage him to wear it?”
“No Clyde. I r-r-ra- saw him in sc-school before class. He wasn't wearing it, but I, too, e-e-encouraged him to try it. I re-re-re feel guilty for it.” Jimmy confessed.
Tolkien looked at his friends' guilty expression and felt the weight in his heart increase. “Craig you're right. I did notice Tweek's anxiety, but I was never a hero. I wasn't even a good friend. I left him to deal with it alone.”
Craig looked stunned. “But you went to group therapy with Tweek.” He pulled out the flyer from his pocket to show Tolkien.
Tolkien gave him a sad look. “Craig this therapy was for Buddha Box users. I was there with my dad. Tweek was there with you.”
“What! I don't remember that!”
Jimmy nodded his head. “Tweek did a lot for you wh-when you wore the b-box.”
“Yeah, he even refused to wear the box because he was worried about you.” Clyde added.
Craig slowly approached Tweek's bed. He placed a shaky hand on his cheek. Looking at his face, memories of that day suddenly made more sense.
He remembered stepping out of his mom's car with his hand stretched out. A familiar warm hand took him and led him to his seat. All the while he was focused on his phone, happy to ignore the world outside his box. Did he ever thank Tweek for walking him to class?
He remembers feeling someone shove him to the ground. He yelled at them, worried about finding his phone. When he looked for the person responsible, he only caught a brief sight of blonde hair as they ran out the door. Could that have been Tweek?
He remembers waiting outside the classroom with his hand held out waiting for the familiar touch to guide him. How long had Craig been waiting to feel Tweek's hand unaware that his boyfriend had been in a terrible accident. How long had Tweek been laying on the floor in pain?
He remembers the moment he came across that dreadful article. His boyfriend fell down the stairs at school and he found out from a news article shared by his cousin on Twitter. He removed his box in shock and was surprised to see he was sitting in the counselor's office with his parents by his side. His first words to his parents: Where’s Tweek?
Craig gently took Tweek's hand, the familiar warmth was gone. The pain in his heart almost crushed him. “I did this.”
Ch.3
Ch.5
🐶🍄
🌞🐶🌞🐸
Tweek in Buddhaland
Ch. 3
“OMG! Is he dead?”
“Dude quit poking him with a stick. He might attack you.”
Tweek startled awake feeling something poke his cheek. “AAAAHHHH!”
“AAAAAAHHHHH!”
“AAAAAAHHHHH!”
“WHO ARE YOU! WHAT DO YOU WANT!” Tweek yelled looking for something to defend himself with. He suddenly remembered the Swiss army knife he carried around and swiftly pulled out his weapon to point to whoever poked him.
“WAH! DON'T STAB ME! TOLKIEN WOULD BE SAD IF I DIED!”
“CLYDE! DON'T TELL THIS PSYCHO MY NAME!”
“Wait…Clyde and Tolkien?” Tweek opened his eyes and actually looked at the boys standing in front of him. They looked like his friends but they were dressed like the clown from McDonald's. “Why are you dressed like cheap Ronald McDonald lookalikes?”
“Hey! I won't take criticism from a stranger that took a swim in a coffee mug!” Clyde crossed his arms.
Tweek finally took notice of his soaked clothes. He wasn't surprised he could hardly smell the coffee at this point. He would definitely need to change clothes and…wait STRANGER?
“What do you mean stranger? We go to school together! We sit together at lunch! I helped you hide Kyle's calculator after you broke it!”
The brunette shrugged his shoulders, “Sorry, I've never seen you before in my life. Anyway, let me introduce ourselves. I'm Clyde Dee and this is my twin Tolkien Dum. Don't be upset if you confuse us. Most people can't tell us apart.”
Tweek gave Tolkien a questioning look. The dark skinned boy gave him a sheepish look acknowledging his light skinned partner's ridiculous claim. Tweek facepalmed, “Listen Clyde. I don't know what game you're trying to rope me into but I need to get home and change before I catch pneumonia. Gha!”
“Gasp! You need clothes! We can help!” Clyde stepped aside revealing a wooden chest behind him.
“Wait…th-that chest w-wasn't there before! Wha…” Tweek was shoved inside before he could protest. As quickly as he was trapped he was released. “WHAT JUST HAPPENED!”
“There, no more wet clothes. Don't worry about paying us back. Consider it the Buddhaland Special.” Clyde said with pride.
Tweek confusion turned to rage as he noticed his change in wardrobe. His green shirt and brown shorts were replaced with a light blue knee length dress with a white apron. His regular worn down sneakers were now black mary jane shoes. Tweek tightened his grip on his pocket knife.
To everyone's horror, Tweek shredded the blue skirt to pieces. He only stopped when he was left with just the white pettipants underneath. “There, that's better.”
“Dude, Tolkien, I think this guy is insane. Why would anyone want to run around in his underwear?” Clyde whispered to his twin.
Satisfied with his work, Tweek finally processed the events in the last 10 minutes. “Wait? Clothes don't change l-like tha-at. Chests don't swAllow peoPle EiTheR! WHERE THE F*CK AM I!”
Suddenly the bright blue sky above began to turn dark. Ominous clouds began to accumulate and a chilly wind began to blow. Everything seemed to get darker as Tweek began to freak out.
“Wow. Hey take it easy man. Just calm down. We don't want you losing your mind.” Tolkien frantically spoke. He nervously watched the sky darken and lightning flash.
Tweek was on his hands and knees. His body trembled in fear. He was on the verge of completely shutting down when he heard the two imposters speak.
“WAAA! Tolkien do something!” Clyde wailed.
“I'm trying but he won't listen to me.”
“Oh if only Craig Rabbit were here. He knows how to deal with maniacs.”
“C-c-craig? He-ere?” Tweek spoke between his panicked breaths. The storm also seemed to calm a little.
“Wait, you know Craig?” Tolkien asked.
Tweek nodded. “W-w-where?”
“Uhh… well normally he patrols around Buddhaland but lately his anxiety has caused him to stay at the Queen's castle. You might try there.” Clyde suggested from behind his ‘twin’.
He almost expected the storm to pick up again but it seemed to settle as Tweek's panic calmed. The grey clouds however didn't go away. They stayed, leaving the sky dark and gloomy.
Tweek unbothered by the strange weather phenomenon slowly composed himself. “C-craig…a-anxiety…I need…to help him. T-take me to h-him.”
“Oh no man. You don't want to go anywhere near the queen. She's insane!” Tolkien urged.
“Anyone that crosses her gets sentenced to THE DISINFECTING ROOM.” Clyde added with horror.
“WHAT?” Tweek screeched.
Tolkien slapped his hand on Clyde’s mouth looking at the darkening sky. “Hey it's okay. What my twin here forgot to mention is that Craig's cousin is dating the queen. Maybe he can help you get to Craig without upsetting the queen.”
The grey clouds settled again telling Tolkien his suggestion had worked.
“Where can I find this cousin?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I don't understand why she won't speak to me, Kyle. It's not my fault I had the flu.” Stan sobbed to his best friend.
Kyle rolled his eyes. This was a common scene and nothing he said now would matter when his friend reconciled with his girlfriend. Kenny tried to lift Stan's mood with a playboy magazine but Stan only sobbed harder when he saw the woman had black straight hair.
Craig cringed at the scene. He hated Stan and his friends. They always seemed to be in the middle of every problem in their town. Craig was sure they had some part to play in what happened to Tweek. It wasn't too far fetched as Cartman had a habit of stressing Tweek.
“Hey, Marsh! Which of your friends messed with Tweek?” Craig accused, slamming the table.
“Dude, what are you talking about?” Stan asked.
“Don't act surprised. When things go wrong you and your friend are always responsible. I want to know what you did to Tweek and who's responsible, so speak now or face the consequences together.”
“Wait, Craig there must be some mistake. If this is about the accident, we're innocent.” Kyle spoke. “Tweek bumped into us that day. He was freaking out but when we tried to talk to him, he punched Kenny.”
Kenny pulled down his hood to reveal a bruise on his left cheek.
“Listen man, what happened to Tweek was horrible, but if you want to know what happened Butters was there when it happened. You can ask him for details about…”
“I know what happened! He was running with that stupid box on his head and he fell down the stairs. I want to know why! Why was he running? Why was he wearing that box? Why didn't he…nevermind. I can see this is pointless.” Craig walked away only sparing a minute to flip Stan's group.
Craig was walking towards his locker when he heard his name called out. He turned to see Kenny walking up to him, his hood was still down.
“What do you want?”
“Hey man, I don't know if this helps but I heard Tweek went to a group therapy session in the school gym. I heard Tolkien was there too. He might be able to help you find what you are looking for.” Kenny said, handing Craig a flyer.
Anxiety Management Group
Please join us in the school’s gym
Bring a loved one for support
“Tweek and Tolkien went to this meeting?” Craig asked.
“I heard it from Red. I hope this helps.”
“Yes, thank you.” Craig waved him off and focused on the last line of the flyer. He felt a pang in his chest. Why would Tweek and Tolkien attend a counseling meeting together? Did Tweek not trust him with his problems anymore?
Regardless of the reason, Craig was determined to get to the bottom of things. His next step was obvious, find Tolkien.
Ch.2
Ch.4
Ch 2
Buddha Box Recalled after Tragic Accident. Consumers in South Park are advised to immediately stop the use of this product and demand a refund. This recall was issued after a 12 year old boy suffered a massive injury while using a Buddha Box. The CEO of the company has issued the following warning, “DON'T WEAR THE BOX.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tweek groaned as he opened his eyes. He was disoriented and confused. Where was he?
He looked around and noticed everything was dark. Was this inside the Buddha Box? He couldn't see anything. Was this normal?
He continued to look around trying to find…something. As luck would have it, that something turned out to be a small door.
“Who the f*ck builds a door that small?” He began to tug on his hair in frustration when he noticed a small round table behind him. “Ahh! WHAT THE F*CK! That wasn't there before! I'm going insane!”
After a moment of panic, Tweek willed himself to look at the items on the table. There was a key and a macaron that said “eat me”.
“No way man! I've seen enough spy movies to know random food is laced with poison.” Tweek said turning his nose away only to turn back when he smelled coffee. He was shocked to see the macaron was replaced with a teacup full of coffee with a note saying “drink me”.
Tweek knows this is a trick to let his guard down. He just wishes he wasn't so weak-willed about coffee. He picked up the cup and emptied it in one gulp. Immediately he felt his limbs tickle and he feared he was right about the poison. Before he could lament his choice, his limbs started to shrink. In the blink of an eye he was the size of a mouse.
“Ahhh! I shrunk! That coffee shrunk me!” Tweek froze mid panic. “Wait, this actually helps.”
Tweek quickly ran to the door believing it to be the exit to this weird place. He gripped the door handle and his face paled when he learned it was locked. He slowly turned to look up at the table with the key far out of reach.
“Grrrr! Why didn't you tell me to get the key, you stupid note!” Tweek yelled, stomping his feet. He ran up to the table and kicked it. Unexpectedly, the macaron reappeared and fell off the table, almost hitting him. The previous note slowly landed in front of him almost to mock him.
“Fine! I'll eat your stupid macaron.” Tweek took a big bite of the giant macaron. He didn't freak out when he felt his body growing until he noticed he was larger than his original size. In fact the dark endless room now seemed small and cramped.
In an effort to stop the rapid growth, Tweek reached for the teacup that had mysteriously been refilled. He gulped it down and returned to his shrunken size…without the key. Tweek looked at the unbitten macaron on the floor and took his time coming up with a strategy that would get him what he wanted.
“Okay, the macaron makes me grow but this teacup fills up with shrinking coffee. I can use these things to grab the key and fit through the door but I need to act fast otherwise I might grow too big or risk losing the key.”
With his strategy in place, Tweek took a bite of the macaron. As soon as he was able to reach the table, he pocketed the key and gulped down the coffee. As he shrunk, he tried to set the cup on the table to avoid accidently breaking it.
Tweek cheered and made a dash for the door. He was unaware that the cup had tilted over and began to spill its contents. He was also ignorant of the fact that the teacup continued to try to refill itself only to continuously flow out onto the floor causing a puddle to form.
Tweek quickly reached the door and used the key to unlock it. He pushed it open ready to leave the darkness. He was confused to see an endless blue sky with no ground in sight. Before he could close the door, his feet were swept up by a large stream of dark brown coffee.
He barely managed to grab the door frame before he fell down with the rich smelling cascade. “AAAAHHHH! HELP! Someone help me!”
He tried to hold on but the stream grew in size and power. Tweek could feel his grip loosening and he knew it was a matter of time before he let go. “No! Oh geez! Please No!”
Finally, his grip gave out and he was sent free falling into the blue abyss. He couldn't see an end in sight despite failing for a while. As he was losing hope, he spotted a dark brown spot fast approaching.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a vast ocean of coffee. He landed with a splash. Tweek barely knew how to swim, but in a panic he swam with all his might. He broke the surface but was knocked back in by a wave.
He fought hard but could feel his strength slowly leave him. When a large wave knocked him over, his body slowly sank deeper and his last breath left in a swirl of bubbles.
He closed his eyes and let the darkness lull him to sleep. Now that he stopped thrashing, he could hear faint beeping matching his heartbeat. Beep…Beep…beep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beep…Beep…Beep…
“It's time to wake up.”
Craig jerked awake. His eyes frantically searched the room trying to remember where he was. Oh, that's right he's in a hospital room. He must have dozed off. He felt a hand gently touch his shoulder.
“I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to scare you. I just came to inform you that visiting hours are over and you need to say goodbye to your friend.”
Craig nodded to the nurse. He closed the novel on his lap revealing the title “Alice in Wonderland.”
“I see you took my suggestion seriously. Most patients I've worked with recovered quickly with a good reading book.”
Craig set the book on the side table next to the hospital bed. This gave him a good look at the pale figure laying on the bed. His beloved boyfriend, Tweek.
Tweek looked frail, connected to different wires and tubes. His complexion was pale and clammy making his usual eye bags stand out. He had a large bruise on his right cheek and thick bandages wrapped around the top of his head.
Craig gently took Tweek's unbroken hand and kissed it. “I’m out of time today, Honey. I promise I'll come back immediately after school.”
He sighed at the lack of response from his usually chatty boyfriend, but coma patients are not able to do so. He hates seeing Tweek laying still. Even his usual twitches were gone. Craig almost didn't recognize the person laying in the hospital bed. “Rest well, Babe. I promise I'll be here when you wake up.”
Craig reluctantly stepped away from the bed and walked out of Tweek's room. He noticed Mr. Tweek talking to the doctor in charge of Tweek's care. He felt no shame eavesdropping on their conversation.
“As I said Mr. Tweek, the trauma to his head was severe and while we managed to control the swelling, there is no telling when your son will regain consciousness.” Tweek's father looked like he wanted to continue talking to the doctor but stopped when he noticed the blue clad boy approaching.
“Thank you Dr. Thorn. I have more questions but I need to take my son-in-law home first. My son is gay you know.” Craig cringed at Mr. Tweek's unsolicited info dump. The doctor, as was typical of this town's adult ludicracy, congratulated Craig. Craig flipped him off and sped off to the closest exit.
On the car ride home Craig hoped the somber circumstances would discourage Mr. Tweak from starting any small talk, but that would be out of character for the charismatic man. “So Craig, how is school?”
“It's fine.”
Mr. Tweek hummed approvingly. “It's good to see the Buddha Box had positive results in your anxiety. I just wish it had worked for Tweek.”
Craig bored expression evaporated and he gave Mr. Tweek his full attention. This was his chance to learn more about Tweek's accident. Craig had only found out about the event from a news article posted on social media which didn't mention any details. Now he could start to piece together the steps that lead to his boyfriend's horrible accident and deal with whoever was responsible for it.
Richard sighed, “Well unfortunately the box didn't seem to help. We bought it when we noticed his anxiety was worsening. He was against the idea but we insisted. His teacher mentioned he wasn't wearing it during class but the accident happened after he left the classroom. In any case our lawyer is confident the lawsuit against the manufacturer of the box will go in our favor. I hope this can help our family begin to see the silver lighting in the heavy downpour of tragic events. Like the rainbow coming down to illuminate the right earthy tones of a freshly brewed mug of coffee in the middle of a rainstorm...”
Craig went back to ignoring Tweek's father. He shouldn't have expected much from him, but the bit about Tweek's anxiety was helpful. So it seemed Tweek's anxiety had been spiraling before the accident. Now he needed to find out who caused him so much stress and make them pay.
Ch.1
Ch.3
Ch.1
It's not easy living with anxiety. Tweek knows this first hand. The fear, the mood swings, and the insecure feeling that everything is out to get you. It's a feeling he would never wish on anyone.
When people started claiming to have anxiety, he was distraught. Was it possible for anxiety to spread like a virus? Suddenly people all over town were putting boxes on their heads as a remedy to their crippling anxiety.
It seemed ridiculous. Tweek had gone through multiple treatments to alleviate his anxious episodes. Not a single option had included the use of a box.
Tweek was ready to call the whole thing a sham until his beloved Craig became afflicted with anxiety. Tweek would have never expected his stoic, strong-willed boyfriend to fall victim to anxiety.
For years, Tweek had relied on Craig to ground him when his nerves got the best of him. Now Tweek was determined to repay all his boyfriend's kindness.
Tweek did his best to support Craig in his struggle. He acted as a guide to and from classes, made copies of all his notes, and attended group therapy with him. Everyday he made sure to pack extra snacks he knew Craig loved and took care of Stripe's needs.
Tweek tried really hard to make Craig's life easier, but he was disappointed to see things remained the same. In group therapy, he shared his frustration at the lack of communication and was reminded of how selfish he was acting. Craig had done so much for him and here he was complaining after a week.
Tweek pitifully sighed at the sight of Craig locked inside his box. They were sitting at a cafeteria table eating lunch. Actually, Tweek was feeding Craig as his hands were busy with his phone. Across from them, Tolkien was doing the same for Clyde.
Suddenly Tolkien shoved Clyde's tray on the floor. “This is bullsh*t Tweek! I refuse to cater to a bunch of lazy idiots!”
Tweek gasped, “D-don't say that! They're our friends a-and they're suffering right now!”
“No Tweek! They're just using us to keep ignoring the world around them.”
“You don't understand! Having anxiety is terrible! Anything can trigger a response. It makes you wish you could leave this world!”
“Oh please Tweek! If the box actually works, why don't you have one?”
Tweek paused. His friends were well aware of his anxiety. They had witnessed his panic attacks on multiple occasions. While it could be possible the box could help him, Tweek refused to think on it further.
“I-i can't Tolkien. Craig needs m-me right now. I got to help h-him first.”
Tolkien rolled his eyes. “Whatever! Have fun with your boxed up boyfriend.”
Tweek let him walk away without a word. He understood it wasn't easy caring for a person with severe anxiety.
Tolkien was not used to tending to others. He didn't blame him for throwing in the towel. Tweek himself often wished he could take a break, but Craig never took breaks around him. He would push through for Craig's sake.
~~~~~~~~~~~`````~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After leaving Craig safely in his house, Tweek arrived home. He was tired and his body twitches were acting up. His mother had already set up the dinner table so he took his seat.
The Tweaks ate their dinner in silence. Occasionally Tweek would involuntarily make noises that broke the quiet ambient. Finally Mr. Tweak spoke up.
“Son, your mother and I noticed your twitching is flaring up. Is everything alright?”
“Gah! Everything's f-fine.”
“Well we thought it was a good time to try some alternative treatments for your anxiety.”
Tweek froze. “A-are you changing m-my meds again?”
Mrs. Tweak chimed in, “No not at all. We were thinking of trying an unexposure treatment.”
“W-what?”
Mr. Tweak reached under the table and pulled up a familiar box. “It's called a Buddha Box. It helps you block out everything that causes you anxiety. Doesn't that sound great!”
“We contacted your teacher to let him know you will be wearing it in school tomorrow.” Mrs. Tweak said.
“No. I-i can't. I'm helping Craig with h-his anxiety.”
“No buts Tweek. I talked to the school counselor and he agreed the Buddha Box is a good option for you. Now I expect you to take and wear that box to school tomorrow.”
Tweek sighed but didn't argue with his mother. He would just have to find a way to help Craig while wearing that box.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, Tweek sat on the school bus with his box on his lap. His parents were expecting him to wear it at some point but Tweek was hesitant. He knew the box would make it impossible to be aware of Craig and his needs.
“Oh w-what should I-i do?”
At that moment Clyde was entering the bus. Unlike the day before, he was no longer wearing his box. He chose a seat across from Tweek.
“Clyde! Is your anxiety better?”
Clyde crossed his arms. “No! But my dad's new girlfriend thinks I shouldn't wear a box anymore because I dropped my lunch yesterday.”
“Ngh! S-sorry to hear th-that.”
“Oh, hey is that a Baddha Box? Why aren't you wearing it?”
“Gah! M-my parents want m-me to wear i-it, but I c-can't. Craig n-needs me to help h-him w-with his anxiety.”
“Wow dude! Calm down, you can't help Craig if you're panicking. Maybe you should try the box. It might help you better understand Craig at least.”
Tweek looked at the box trying to weigh the pros and cons. For now, he would keep it off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tweek found Craig in the same place he had all week, on the sidewalk in front of the school. Mrs. Tucker had worried that Craig would hurt himself walking to school with the box, so she would drop him off in front of the school entrance. Tweek would arrive a few minutes afterwards on the bus.
Tweek took Craig's extended hand and led him into the school. He walked Craig into the classroom before going up stairs to his locker. He set the box inside his locker for safekeeping.
“H-heya T-tweek!”
Tweek jumped and screamed. He turned around to see his friend Jimmy.
“Jimmy! Y-you scared m-me.”
“Y-you seem more tense than usual.”
“Gah! You sound l-like my parents. They even b-bought me a B-buddha box.”
“Aren't you going to w-w-wea- use it?”
“No! Craig needs me! I-i can't l-let myself get d-distracted.”
Tweek shut his locker with a slam and made his way into class. He was a few minutes late and was reprimanded by the teacher. He nervously took his seat next to Craig. He pulled out the two sets of notes he had written for class and set one in front of Craig.
“Alright kids, I hope you studied your notes last night cause you're gonna need it for this pop quiz.”
“WHAT!” Tweek gripped his hair tightly. He had spent an hour at home rewriting his notes for Craig. Craig didn't have a chance to study.
The teacher placed the quiz on every student's desk before sitting down and pulling a magazine from his desk. Tweek looked down at the paper and realized he knew all the answers. He looked at Craig's blank paper and the distracted teacher. A plan hatched in his brain to help Craig once again.
Tweek quickly got to work on the quiz filling every blank line with the correct answers. When he was done, he scribbled Craig's name at the top of the page. Now all he had to do was switch papers with Craig without the teacher noticing.
When he felt the teacher was distracted, he pulled the paper from Craig's desk. Slowly he placed the finished test on Craig's desk when suddenly…
“Tweek! Are you cheating?”
Tweek screamed and lost his balance from the teacher's accusation. He accidentally fell against Craig's desk causing Craig to fall out of his chair. His Buddha Box fell revealing his confused face which quickly changed to anger.
“Watch it *sshole, I’ve got anxiety!”
The school bell rang, and Tweek quickly got up and ran out the door. He felt mortified. Not only did he make a fool of himself in class, he had gone and agitated Craig's anxiety. What was wrong with him!
In the crowded hallway, he kept bumping into people. The hallway seemed so much smaller now. He crashed into Kyle, causing his binder to spill out. “Ahh! My history notes. I spent 2 hours organizing it.”
Tweek sloppily gathered the pages, his eyes were blurring. He forcefully pushed them into Kyle's hands. Kyle looked like he wanted to say something but Stan approached them from behind sobbing and blubbering something about his girlfriend.
Tweek tried to back away but bumped into another body. He felt cold fear when he was grabbed from behind by Kenny. He swiftly turned and punched his face before running off.
He ran past Wendy who was freaking out over being covered in vomit. He accidentally bumped into Bebe and messed up her makeup. Tweek's anxiety worsened at every familiar face he encountered. He only stopped running when he arrived at his locker.
He frantically pulled on the handle to pry open the door. He hesitated at the sight of the box but the memory of Craig's angry face broke any fear he had about using it.
Finally… he was alone.
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷
Ch.2
Raising Stripe
Epilogue
Stripe waddled towards the kitchen. He was struggling to keep his balance but was stubborn to get to his destination. He could see his mama and Nana moving around and he felt curious. What were they making?
“Oh no you don't.” Stripe squealed as he was lifted from the ground. He was turned over to sit comfortably in his dad's arms.
“Dada! Dow Dada.” Stripe pleaded wiggling his body.
“Sorry Buddy. Mama and Nana are still busy with your surprise.” Stripe pouted. He wanted to play with his mama but it seemed his Dada wouldn't let that happen. “Hey now. Don't give me that face. We can't have the birthday boy moping during his party. Where's my happy baby?”
Craig quickly moved his fingers to tickle Stripe’s sensitive side. Stripe shrieked and giggled. He tried in vain to squirm out of reach but Craig wouldn't risk dropping him. Stripe was saved from his daddy's tickle torture when the doorbell rang.
Craig adjusted his hold on Stripe and moved towards the front door. Stripe turned his head trying to get a good look at who was at the door. When the door opened he kicked his feet and pointed excitedly. “Dada! Pooh!”
Craig groaned at the sight of his friends all holding gift bags with his child's favorite bear. As much as he enjoyed seeing Stripe's gleeful face, he wished his son would soon grow tired of the blond bear.
Despite his disapproval, Craig stepped aside to let Jimmy, Clyde, Tolkien and Nichole into his home. The guests set their gifts on the coffee table and settled in the living room. Tweek came out from the kitchen to greet everyone.
“Gah! We're so glad you all could make it. The table is ready if you guys are ready to eat.”
Everyone migrated into the kitchen with Craig and Stripe following behind. Inside the kitchen, Stripe's face lit up in awe. The kitchen was completely decorated with red and gold. Everywhere Stripe looked, he saw balloons, streamers, and pictures of Winnie the Pooh.
“Babus! Dada!” Stripe pointed, hoping he could reach out to grab a balloon. Craig pulled down a balloon floating nearby allowing Stripe to grab it. Stripe squeezed the balloon excitedly but was shocked when it popped in his face.
His eyes filled with tears and he began to cry. Stripe held out his arms towards Tweek asking to be held. He clung to his Mama's sweater hiding his face.
“Oh my poor baby.” Tweek cooed, rubbing Stripe's back. He smiled knowing exactly how to cheer him up. “Don't cry, Baby. Nana and I made cheesy broccoli.”
Stripe quickly looked up, still sniffling, but fully interested in the offer. “Eesy coli?”
Tweek nodded, wiping Stripe's face with a napkin. He placed him in his chair which had purposely been placed at the head of the table. Everyone had already sat themselves and were filling up their plates.
Stripe's plate was promptly placed in front of him, and he immediately reached for the cheese covered broccoli. In no time, Stripe cleared his plate and happily watched his favorite adults chatter together. He noticed his Mama and Nana clearing the table and his tray.
Stripe was curious when he saw his mama pull out a treat from the fridge. His eyes were drawn to the bright colors used to decorate it. Stripe thought it looked pretty.
The pretty treat was placed on the table in front of him and Stripe was even more impressed by the treat. He could now see the image of Winnie the Pooh on the surface of the treat as well as a single candle. Someone used a lighter on the candle and suddenly cameras were flashing.
Stripe was familiar with being the center of attention. As the first nephew and grandbaby, he was often subjected to impromptu photo shoots. He was however unfamiliar with receiving a cacophony of tone deaf singing.
Stripe was surprised when everyone began singing the birthday song. They sounded terrible but Stripe clapped with glee. He bellowed his own nonsense attempting to join them.
When the song was finished, Stripe was told to blow the candle. He had no idea what that meant. His uncle, Clyde, tried to teach him through example and made a show of puffing out his cheeks. Stripe copied him but ended up blowing a raspberry without affecting the flame. Everyone laughed and Craig ultimately put out the candle with his fingers.
The cake was then divided into smaller pieces, and served on red paper plates. The first piece was offered to Stripe. As usual, Stripe tossed aside the spoon on his plate in favor of using his hands. His mama always tried to keep him away from sugary things but his Dada had sneaked him enough treats to develop a sweet tooth.
Tweek watched Stripe devour the cake with enthusiasm. He felt apprehensive about letting Stripe eat too much sugar but couldn't bring himself to deny him a treat on his birthday. He also couldn't deny it gave him an opportunity to take cute pictures.
“Mama!” Stripe tapped his fingers together signing for more. Tweek shook his head, the last thing he wanted was a baby with an upset stomach. Stripe tilted his head with a teary expression giving Tweek the saddest puppy dog eyes.
Tweek almost fell for the pitiful act, but Craig pulled him aside to help bring in the gifts from the living room. Stripe huffed, he almost had more treats. His sour mood shifted to curiosity when he saw his parents come back with colorful bags and boxes.
“Aw sweet! Have him open mine first.” Clyde said, pointing to his gift.
Stripe's eyes widened as a blue gift bag was placed in front of him. He turned to his parents with a questioning look.
“Go ahead Stripe. See what's inside.” Craig reassured him.
Stripe shyly poked the picture of Pooh on the side of the bag. He loved Pooh and was content to just keep looking at the bag so Tweek decided to step in. He pulled out the tissue paper and tilted the bag to show Stripe his real gift, a pair of red shoes.
“Aww! Look Stripe. It's Pooh.” Tweek said, pulling out the shoes for everyone to see.
“Wow Clyde this is the most sensible gift you've ever given. I was worried for a second there.” Craig complimented his friend, until he heard a squeak. “Wait, are those…?”
SQUEAK…SQUEAK…SQUEAK.
“Aww he likes them. These squeaky shoes are our newest product for baby footwear. Aren't they adorable?” Clyde gushed, unaware of the death glares coming from his best friend.
Tweek laughed nervously putting the shoes back in the bag and quickly redirected everyone with the next gift bag. Stripe took the initiative and pulled out the tissue paper from the bag when Tweek tilted the bag in his direction. He pulled out a fuzzy yellow blanket.
Stripe rubbed his cheek against the soft material. Jimmy smiled proudly at his gift before speaking up, “Now this reminds me of a j-joke. Why did the blanket get a job at the bank?.... It was great at handling security.” Everyone laughed while Tweek prepared the next gift from Tolkien and Nichole.
Stripe set his blanket aside to pull out the next gift quickly. He squealed and pulled out a new Winnie the Pooh doll. Unlike his regular plushies, this one was stuffed but still soft. Suddenly, Tweek pressed one of Pooh’s paws and the doll began to speak.
Stripe cried out excitedly, “Mama! Pooh!”
Tweek nodded and proceeded to the last two gifts from Stripe's favorite aunt and grandparents. He received five new outfits and a couple of new bedtime books.
After opening his gifts, Stripe let out a big yawn and began to rub his eyes. Slowly guests began departing and the Stripe was carried off to bed. Soon Tweek and Craig were left alone.
“Boy am I glad it's over. That's more than enough socializing for me.”
“Oh Craig. I know you weren't thrilled to host such a large crowd but you have to admit Stripe enjoyed himself.”
Tweek pulled out his phone and strolled through his camera roll. He shared his favorite pictures with Craig. “I still can't believe our baby is one. It's only been six months but it feels like everything is happening so fast.”
Craig kissed his husband's cheek. “Yea he's growing like a weed.”
Tweek elbowed him, “Don't call him that! My baby is too cute to be a weed. He's cute like a flower.”
Craig laughed, he loved seeing Tweek act defensive over their son. He stroked Tweek's hair and watched his fake scowl turn mellow and relaxed. Craig was proud to know he was the only one capable of switching his husband's mood. Speaking of moods…
“Honey…” Craig whispered, “The baby is sleeping. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”
Tweek wrapped his arms around his husband giving him a flirty look. “Hmm perhaps. Does your plan involve our bed?”
Craig smirked.
~~~~~~~~~~ 3 Doritos later~~~~~~
The tired couple were dead asleep. They had crashed into bed barely sparing a moment to change into sleep wear. In their deep sleep, they didn't hear the door open or the soft steps approach the side of the bed.
“Mama.”
Tweek almost jumped in fright but composed himself upon recognizing his son. “Stripe? Baby, how did you get out of your crib?”
Tweek didn't get a response but feeling too tired to investigate he simply made space in bed for Stripe. Tomorrow he and Craig would discuss modifying the crib to avoid an accidental fall. Stripe also seemed tired and he quickly fell asleep.Tweek felt content laying between his two favorite people.
The End
Beginning
Ch.35
Thank you to everyone for reading. While I doubt I will ever get to write the sequel to this story I may post the 3 chapters I began writing as a bonus. I will also begin posting my next story "Tweek in Buddhaland" soon so look forward to these. Thank you again.
Raising Stripe
Chapter 35
“That’s it! I'm placing a restraining order. I'm done with this hostile work environment. I’ll SUE! I’ll sue everyone for emotional damage!” Kenny ranted empty threats to the crowded room.
Tolkien handed him an ice pack. “No you won't. Cause you don't want Dr. Mephesto knowing about your secret lab rats.”
“Fine. But I do deserve some compensation for three consecutive black eyes.” He argued pointedly at Craig. His response was the typical middle finger.
“Craig…apologize.” Tweek admonished from the couch. Craig mumbled something close to sorry before continuing to recheck all of Tweek's injuries. “Craig I-i’m sorry. I shouldn't have left the house like that. I put everyone's lives in danger. Please forgive me.”
Craig pressed his lips against Tweek's cheek to stop his ramblings. “I’m so glad you two are okay. When I saw the car I… I don't know what I would do if you or Stripe were hurt.”
“Dada!” Stripe called at the mention of his name. He had been playing patty cake with his uncle Clyde but lost interest when he heard his name.
Craig reached out to pick up his baby and return to Tweek's side. “Hi baby, I was so worried about you. Are you okay?”
Stripe wasted no time babbling nonsense only he could understand while his daddy and mommy listened and nodded along. They looked like a perfect family.
“Uhh, not to ruin the mood or anything but… have you guys decided what you want to do with Stripe?” Everyone’s eyes shifted to Jimmy. “The su-su-suspense is killing me.”
Tweek and Craig turned to each other before addressing the room. “Guys we need a moment to talk. Please take Stripe.” Craig handed Stripe to Tolkien and led Tweek into a separate room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The wait was becoming too much for everyone in the room.
Tolkien was busy keeping Stripe distracted from the absence of his parents. Jimmy had taken out his phone to entertain himself. Kenny was napping thanks to a pain killer he took. Finally Clyde, who was known for his impatience, was pacing the room like hen in a coop.
“AHG! I can't take this! If they don't come out soon I'll lose my mind!” Clyde exclaimed.
“Clyde, this is a big decision. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes them all night to come to a decision.” Tolkien said as the voice of reason.
“BIG DECISION! It should be obvious by now! Maybe I need to go in and…”
“A-and what? Force them into a choice they will re-reg-resent later. What's best is to let them decide.”
“Jimmy's right. All we can do is sit and support them through whatever choice they make, even if we don't like it.”
“If I didn't know better, I would think you guys were hoping they keep the munchkin.” Kenny said, surprising everyone that thought he was asleep.
“So what if we do? He's a joy to have around and Tweek and Craig are much happier with him.” Clyde said, stepping towards the blond genius.
“Really, are you sure? Cause Tweek and I had an interesting talk before you guys showed up, and I’m concerned.” Everyone's attention focused on Kenny.
“What concerns do you have about Tweek?” Tolkien asked.
Kenny sighed, “Do any of you know where he was going when he ran away?...No, I didn't think so. This road leads to South Park Cemetery. He was planning to visit his parents.”
Kenny glanced around to see their jaws drop before continuing, “Tweek confessed to me that Stripe has caused him to reflect on his relationship with his parents. I think we can all agree that his parents contributed to many of Tweek's mental problems. I'm worried this may cause him to set him back on all the progress he's made.”
Everyone silently reflected on Kenny's revelation. They all knew about the problems Tweek faced growing up. His mental health took a nosedive when his parents died that the Tuckers resorted to moving away.
Jimmy decisively broke the tension. “Fellas. I for one am t-taking an active role in supporting our friends in whatever th-they choose. Who's with me?”
Everyone wholeheartedly agreed. They continued to wait for their friends to announce their decision. This time they were ready to accept whatever outcome came from their discussion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Craig and Tweek sat in silence for a moment to gather their thoughts. It was a strategy they had learned in therapy but was often forgotten when tensions ran high. After ten minutes, Craig was ready to start.
“Tweek, I want to start off by asking you a few questions.” He waited for Tweek's nod of approval before starting. “First I want to understand our stance on children. Before we married we discussed being child free but this experience has clearly changed us and I want to know how you feel about it.”
“Craig when we first discussed children, I was scared of the idea of caring for someone so vulnerable. My parents had messed me up so badly, I thought there was no chance I'd be better at it. I was relieved when you said you didn't want any kids.”
Craig nodded, “I always thought kids were bratty and annoying. I couldn't understand why anyone would willingly subject themselves to that torture.”
Tweek laughed at Craig's honest opinion. Craig smiled, he was always happy to see Tweek laugh. They waited for the laughter to die down before continuing.
“Okay back to your question. I was completely on board with our child free life until Stripe. When Kenny said we would have to care for Stripe, I felt terrified. All I could think about was all the ways I could mess things up. I read that baby book cover to cover. I never told you this but, I even looked up parenting blogs in my free time.”
Craig burst into laughter imagining Tweek joining a mommy group on Facebook. Tweek punched his arm to shut him up.“You *sshole. I'm trying to be honest here. Anyway, I kept feeling like I wasn't good enough until our anniversary dinner. When Stripe crawled to me, I felt so much joy. He needed me and he felt safe in my arms. I think that’s when I changed my mind about children.”
Craig lifted Tweek's hand to kiss it. “Honey I always thought you were a natural with Stripe. It's only natural that Stripe loves you so much. Okay it's my turn to share. I still think most children are bratty and annoying, but ours is the exception. When he cries I don't feel annoyed and everything he does makes me laugh. We have the cutest kid in South Park.” Tweek hummed in agreement. “Remember when Stripe called me Dad for the first time. You asked me how I felt and I didn't have an answer. I'm ready to tell you how I felt.”
Tweek nodded, encouraging Craig to speak. “Tweek the truth is I was scared. Just like you, I didn't feel capable of being a father. Everyone knows I'm not a sentimental or caring guy. You and Stripe are the only people that get to see that side of me. I couldn't find it in me to care for anyone else that way.”
“Oh Craig. You're not incapable of caring. I've seen it with my own eyes. The way you step up for our friends. That time you threatened Tricia's date to her prom. The lengths you go through to show up for your mom's holiday gatherings. It's one of the many qualities I love about you.” Tweek finished his speech with a kiss.
“Honey, I…I still feel scared that Stripe might resent us for this. Tricia gave me a great pep talk about how natural it is for kids to disagree with their parents’ choices but I-i think it would break my heart.”
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Tweek noticed tears gathering in Craig's eyes. He reached out to cup his cheek in an effort to stop them from falling.
“Oh Sweetie. How could anyone say you're not sentimental when you have such a big heart. I wish I could tell you that Stripe is never going to argue with us but that would make me a hypocrite. I can promise you that if that day ever comes, we will overcome any conflict together. I promise. …. Craig I have a confession to make.”
Tweek took a breath and looked straight into Craig's eyes. “When I ran out, I was planning to visit my mom and dad.”
“What?” Craig sat up fully attentive.
“I know it's hard to understand. I used to rant about how much I hated my parents. When they died I felt so much guilt and self-hatred. Everyone told me my hatred was justified so I ignored my guilt. I willed myself to forget about them and pretended they never existed. I thought ignoring them was the only way I could live in peace, but caring for Stripe brought back memories.”
Tweek took a breath and continued, “I started to remember my parents, but for the first time I didn't feel angry. For years, all my memories with them were arguments and hard work, all the things I felt guilty about. When I started caring for Stripe, small things would cause me to remember happier times with them. You know that mash potato recipe your family always begs me to make on Thanksgiving, my mom taught it to me. We used to cook and bake together and she would call me her Special Helper. Dad loved his coffee shop and now I see he was trying to share that passion with me. He left a journal with all his marketing strategies and I only recently started reading it. The Santa idea was his way of ensuring I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas. Every year he made me work on my birthday and offered a free coffee to everyone that sang the birthday song to me. I never knew why so many strangers were singing to me because he kept the promotion a secret only shared by word of mouth.”
Craig was speechless, he had no idea the Tweaks had done those things for Tweek. He wrapped his arms around Tweek, happy to feel him return the affection.
“I'm sorry I didn't ask this sooner, how do you feel about your parents?”
“Honestly, I'm still conflicted. They made many mistakes and I don't think I can forgive everything. The most painful part was growing up feeling like an afterthought, but this shows me they did love me. I know not everyone is going to agree but I think that's all I ever needed.”
Craig cleared his throat, “Honey, do you think our love will be enough for Stripe?”
“I hope it is but if it isn't, he will have the love and support of our friends and family.”
“Yea, that should be enough.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The door finally opened and everyone held their breath. It was the moment of truth.
Craig left Tweek's side and marched decisively to Kenny. The blonde genius lifted his arms as a shield. He expected another punch just to even the numbers and was shocked to see a hand extended towards him.
“Sorry Kenny but we won't need your treatment. We've decided to keep Stripe as he is.”
The guys erupted in cheers. Tolkien lifted Stripe high while Jimmy and Clyde chanted his name. Kenny took Craig's hand and firmly shook it, “Alright, but let me know if you ever need anything. I mean it, anything.”
Craig nodded and rejoined his husband's side. Tweek was laughing at their friends’ silly antics. They embraced each other unsure of the future but happy to provide Stripe a loving family.
Ch34
Epilogue
🥲 So close to the end. So close to a new beginning.
Which Story should I focus on next?
And a Little Dottie
Tweek in Buddhaland
Raising Stripe is almost complete. I have 2 stories I've started working on but I want to focus on one at a time.
And a Little Dottie- a sequel to Raising Stripe. Tweek and Craig juggle raising two guinea pigs turned human. Easy right? Except for sibling rivalries, new parenting experiences, and a mysterious stalker.
Tweek in Buddhaland- Tweek finds himself stuck in a strange place called Buddhaland. He goes on a quest to find his way home while encountering familiar faces and dealing with his inner demons
Raising Stripe
Chapter 34
Tweek's head was throbbing. The ringing in his ears didn't help at all. Slowly the ringing started to fade into background noise only to reveal new jarring sounds. He could now clearly hear a car horn and… a crying baby?
“STRIPE!” Tweek jerked awake searching his surroundings. He was glad the horn stopped, but was shocked to find himself in the driver seat of Craig's car. The snow had fully covered the car making it impossible for Tweek to see outside.
“MA?”
Tweek scrambled to unbuckle his seatbelt and squeeze his body into the back seat. Tweek immediately started working on unstrapping and soothing the frightened infant. He checked Stripe for any signs of pain or discomfort, but Stripe only seemed to be scared.
“It's okay, Sweetpea. Everything's going to be okay. You're okay.” Tweek repeated those words hoping to find comfort in his own utterances.
When Stripe was in a calmer state, Tweek focused on recalling the events that led to him being stranded in a snowstorm. He remembered the argument with Craig and the impulsive decision to leave with Stripe. The idea had been so sudden, he couldn't even remember where he was going.
Tweek reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone, but was disappointed to see the bars on the corner were gone. Wherever he was, there was no signal. Where was he even?
Tweek pushed the car door open to glance at his surroundings. He hoped to see any familiar buildings but was horrified to discover he was surrounded by trees. Why the f*CK had he driven this far out of town?!
There was no chance anyone would find him out here in this weather. Should he wait here or try to walk back into town? Which way is the town? Tweek's head hurt as his panic started to rise.
“Ma!” Tweek's stressful thoughts paused as he focused on the baby in his lap. Stripe stared up at him intently and began sucking his bottom lip. Tweek recognized it as a sign that Stripe was hungry. He let out a small chuckle.
“Of course you would be hungry in the middle of this catastrophe.” Tweek searched the car for the diaper bag he had thrown in the backseat. It had fallen to the floor during the crash but everything inside was still intact. He quickly fixed a bottle of formula and began to feed the hungry baby.
As he fed Stripe, Tweek used his calmer state to weigh his options. His memory also seemed to improve as he could now recall what road he had been traveling before the crash. With that knowledge he now knew it would be too far to walk back into town, but there was another place he could walk to.
As soon as Stripe finished his bottle, Tweek placed the baby inside his own jacket to keep him warm. He turned off the car and placed the diaper bag over his shoulder before finally opening the door.
He peeked inside his jacket to make sure Stripe wasn't cold. He looked at the only marker on the road to guide him in the right direction. Satisfied, he began treading forward with a tight grip on his baby. “Alright Stripe, let's go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I don't care! I need to go find them!” Craig paced anxiously by the front door.
“Listen Son, we're worried too, but all the roads are closed and my car ain't gonna drive in this weather. All we can do is wait and hope they found a safe place to stay.” Thomas tried to console his son.
Laura ran out of the kitchen clutching her phone. She and Tricia had been calling everyone they knew in town for leads on Tweek's whereabouts. “Craig! Sharon says her husband saw your car driving past Tegrity Farms about an hour ago.”
“Sh*t, that's outside of town. Where was Tweek going?”
“I don't know Dad, but I need to go find him even if I have to walk!” Craig said, reaching for the doorknob.
HONK! HONK!
Craig and his family rushed to look out the door. They were shocked to see a snowplow parked outside on the road. The passenger door swung open and Craig could see his friends inside.
“CRAIG! Tolkien rented this thing to help search for Tweek. Let's go!” Clyde called out.
Craig didn't waste any time running to the open door. “Mr. Marsh saw Tweek pass Tegrity Farms. Let's go!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenny was mad, wait no, he was livid! He was watching Hot Chicks in Bikini in the Snow when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He was shocked to see Tweek shivering and clearly hurt. His shock turned to rage when he heard Tweek's explanation and he quickly rushed to tend to his wounds.
“Ouch, Kenny that stings.”
“Quit complaining! I told ya I ain't no doctor. Now hold still!” Kenny snapped back, pressing harder on a cut above Tweek's left eye. He pulled out medical tape and secured the gauze to the twitchy blonde’s forehead. “There! That should help with the bleeding. You are an idiot by the way.”
“HEY! I told you the cold numbed the pain. Besides, I needed to make sure Stripe was safe first.” Tweek responded.
“You call this safe! What the h*ll where you doing driving in the middle of a snowstorm! If you're so concerned about keeping Stripe safe here's a tip: Don't take him out on a drive… IN A F*CKING SNOWSTORM!”
“I-I was under a lot of pressure. I needed to clear my mind.”
“I bet that concussion helped with that. Okay, next question… Why here? All your friends are in town and I doubt you were coming to see me.” Kenny said, crossing his arms.
“It's nothing. I just started driving and wasn't paying attention to where I was going.” Tweek quickly tried to brush off Kenny's question.
“Bullsh*t! We both know where you were going. What I wanna know is why you want to see them.” Kenny said, jabbing his finger against Tweek's chest.
“Y-you wouldn't understand.”
“Really? Why don't you try me?”
Tweek sighed, “My parents weren't very good at parenting.” He ignored Kenny's fake gasp. “They neglected me a-and only seemed to care about their…ngh… stupid coffee shop. When the secret of their coffee came out I hated them so much and wished they would die. I-i got my wish.”
“Hey man, it's not your fault.”
“You sound like my therapist. I don't feel guilty about it, not anymore. The Tuckers did so much for me back then, they even moved us to Denver. When Craig and I moved back, we didn't think too much about my parents. I never thought about them until…” Tweek paused looking at the sleeping baby on the couch.
“Until Stripe…”
“They always said I would understand when I became a parent. Truth is I still don't understand everything they did but… is it weird that I finally feel like they might have actually loved me?”
“Aw jeez Tweek, they didn't deserve you. You were a great son to them, they just didn't have their priorities straight. Listen man. I'm really sorry about this mess, but the good news is I can start the process to change him back. In fact, since you're here I can start now.”
Kenny tried to move towards the infant sleeping on the couch, but was stopped when Tweek tightly grabbed his wrist. “What…” His words were cut short when he saw Tweek’s distraught expression.
“P-please…don't take away my baby.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“STOP!”
The truck screeched in its effort to brake but Craig had already pushed open the passenger door. He jumped off and ran towards the wrecked car.
“TWEEK!” Craig called out before yanking the door open. He was disappointed to find it empty. Tolkien and Clyde approached him from behind. “He’s not here.”
Suddenly Clyde gasped, “I-is that blood!”
Craig whipped his neck at the steering wheel where Clyde was pointing to. He felt his heart drop as he confirmed Clyde's observation.
“He’s hurt. TWEEK! PLEASE! ANSWER ME!” Craig called out hoping his husband was close by.
“Hey, isn't the lab up ahead? Maybe Tweek went there for help.” Clyde's suggestion prompted everyone to return to the truck and continue their search. In no time they arrived at the entrance of the infamous lab.
Before Craig could knock, he heard a familiar voice pleading from inside. He tried opening the door and was pleased to find it unlocked. Wasting no time, Craig ran inside following the noises he heard.
He ran into a living room and paused as he took in the scene before him. Stripe was sitting on a couch screaming and crying for his mama. Tweek was on his knees gripping Kenny by his jacket. He was sobbing and pleading for something Craig couldn't make out. Finally Craig saw Kenny in the middle of the chaos.
Kenny was helplessly trying to understand and calm down the agitated blonde. As soon as he looked at the enraged noiret standing in the entrance he began to plead. “W-w-wait it's not what you think! I-i…”
POW
Finally it was silent…for a minute.
“Dude…WTF!”
Ch.33
Ch.35
Raising Stripe
Chapter 33
Craig stared intently at the phone in his hand. His stomach was in knots. Four days ago he was watching Stripe play in the living room when he received a message from Kenny.
Trial successful. Will be ready to start treatment on Stripe within 2-3 weeks.
Craig should have been thrilled about Kenny's progress, instead he felt a stone settle in his gut. This is what was best for Stripe, to be normal. How could he justify keeping Stripe in this unnatural form?
Doing the right thing is not always easy but Craig's heart twisted as he watched his family shower Stripe in love. His parents were eager to spoil their only grandbaby. Trisha had bragged to everyone they knew that she had the cutest nephew. And Tweek… Tweek had taken to parenting as he did with most new experiences: full of fear but somehow naturally gifted.
Craig would always be guilty of boasting of his husband's talents, but everyone could clearly see Tweek was a great father. He cared for Stripe with love and a surprising amount of patience. Craig would even admit that Stripe seemed to favor his Mama, and Tweek was equally attached.
Craig sighed. All this made it hard to accept what needed to be done. Over the past four days he found himself hovering over the phone wanting to call Kenny and cancel the plan but then he thought of Stripe.
As a baby, Stripe was as worry free as he was as a guinea pig. He was fed, cleaned, and thoroughly cared for. It was nice, but Craig knew it couldn't last forever.
Stripe would grow up and he would be burdened with human problems. Could he blame him if Stripe grew up to resent his parents for depriving him of a carefree life. He couldn't risk it.
“Craig?”
Craig almost dropped his phone in surprise. He didn't hear anyone coming. He quickly shut off and pocketed his phone.
“H-honey! Did you, uhm, need something?”
Tweek looked at his husband with unmasked worry. “Craig what is going on? I can clearly see something is bothering you and I want to know what!”
Craig knew it was pointless to hide it, but he refused to bring down the holiday mood. “It's nothing, babe. Do you need help cleaning up dinner?”
Tweek growled in frustration. Before Craig could react, he shoved him onto the bed. He reached into Craig's pocket and pulled out the poorly hid phone.
“Tweek! What…?”
“This is your last chance! Tell me what is going on or I will find out myself!”
Craig was trapped. This wasn't how he wanted this to go, especially since his family was down the hall. He didn't want anyone to meddle in this conversation.
“Tweek, please, I promise to explain everything after my parents and sister leave.”
“Ha! So there is something! Well you better tell me now! Whatever it is, it's getting in the way of you enjoying our first Christmas with our baby.”
Craig's body tensed. “Don't say that.”
“It's true you've been moody and withdrawn…”
“I meant don't call him that!”
Tweek stumbled back in shock. “W-what?”
“We need to stop this Tweek. Calling Stripe ‘Our Baby’ is going to make it harder for us to do the right thing.”
“And just what IS the right thing?” Tweek said clenching his fists at his sides.
“We both know what I'm talking about. We knew from the start that Stripe was always going to change back into a guinea pig. I… We got a little carried away in pretending he was our child…”
SMACK!
“SHUT UP!” Tweek’s body shook. He looked like he wanted to slap Craig again but instead pointed his finger menacingly. “IT'S NOT PRETEND! I have loved and cared for Stripe. I AM HIS MAMA AND HE IS MY BABY!”
“TWEEK! Listen to yourself! We let this go on for too long. We are growing attached to something that was never gonna happen…” Craig grabbed Tweek's shoulders trying to reason with his husband. “This isn't right. We need to do what's best for Stripe.”
Tweek pushed back, “A-And what exactly is THAT?”
Craig hesitated before answering, “Kenny… he's ready to start changing Stripe back into a guinea pig.”
Tweek stumbled in shock. His face became ashen and he used their dresser to stay upright. “W-what? When did…”
Craig pointed to the phone in Tweek's hand. “He texted me four days ago.”
Tweek scrambled to unlock the phone. He quickly found the message Craig had been hopelessly staring at before the confrontation. Tears filled his eyes as he looked at the proof staring right at him.
“I called him as soon as I read the message. He's confident the treatment will work. It will take a few rounds to fully transform but he will be completely changed back.” Craig explained calmly. “We can finally go back to the way things were before.”
“No.”
Craig almost missed Tweek's quiet rejection. “Honey, please. I know this is hard but it's what's best.”
“BEST FOR WHO! Who benefits from this? Stripe is happy just the way he is! I-I'm happy! All our friends and family are happy! I-I thought you were happy… Craig, a-aren't you happy?” The tears in Tweek's eyes finally spilled over.
“OF COURSE I AM!” Craig yelled, revealing the tear marks on his face. “You and Stripe are my happiness. I hate seeing you like this but I can't let Stripe live a life he never chose. We are his parents, Tweek. We put his needs above our wants.”
Craig tried to place a comforting hand on Tweek's shoulder, but he was shrugged off. “I'm sleeping in Stripe's room tonight.”
Craig silently watched Tweek leave. This night had been a disaster. He could only hope that Tweek would calmly reflect on his words and understand where he was coming from.“
Well you handled that spectacularly.”
Craig's eyes narrowed. He was not in the mood to discuss his problems with anyone, especially not his sister.
“Buzz off, I'm not in the mood to talk.”
“Good! Cause all you need is to listen.” Tricia said, adopting a stern pose. “You are a blind and selfish piece of sh*t. Your pitiful noble act is not convincing anyone. All this talk about putting Stripe first is nonsense and you know it. Just do us all a favor and admit you never wanted to be a dad. At least then we would believe your need to change Stripe back.”
“That’s not true, I loved pretending to be a father.” Craig argued back.
“But that's all it was, pretend. This was all just a fun game of house you got a chance to play with Tweek. Now you're jumping at the chance to end this charade and put your baby doll away.”
“Shut up! Don't put words in my mouth. This was never a game. You don't know how hard it is to set things right when it makes you miserable.”
“Craig, be honest. Why is it so important for Stripe to be a guinea pig? Do you truly think Stripe can't live happily by being human? Is it such a bad thing to let things go on as they have in the last two months?”
Craig felt his gut stir with conflicted feelings. “I just don't want him to hate us for this. When he's older and he realizes where he comes from, he's gonna think we're selfish monsters”
Tricia scoffed, “And what if he doesn't? You are so hung up on a future you have no way of predicting that you are throwing away what's in front of you. “ She sighed before changing her tone. “Craig, do you remember when Mom and I used to fight all the time?”
Craig snorted, “You still do.”
“Whatever, back when I was in Highschool, it was worse. We would yell all the time and Dad would always try to mediate between us. One time, I actually told Mom I hated her and wished she was dead. I felt really guilty about it afterwards but I still remember what she said to me then. She said parenting is about doing things that'll make your kids hate you for the right reason.”
“Trish, I… you're right. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Now are you done moping about the future or are you ready to be a present father.”
“Only if my kid has an awesome aunt to pull my head out of my *ss.”
They shook hands before breaking out their signature middle fingers.
“You better go find Tweek and apologize for being an idiot.”
“I’m not sure that's a good idea. Tweek doesn't normally want to see me when he's this mad. Maybe I should let him sleep on it.”
“Or you can stop being a p*ssy and go talk to your husband like an adult.”
Craig took offense and stormed out determined to prove his sister wrong. He almost lost his courage in front of his son's closed door, but ultimately gave a firm knock.
“Tweek, Honey. I need to talk to you. I…you were right. I was being a coward and ignored what was best for our family… Honey, please talk to me. I need to know we are on the same page moving forward.”
Craig pressed his hand against the door and was surprised to see the door wasn't fully closed. As the door opened he noticed Tweek was not in the room and to his shock neither was Stripe.
“Tweek… TWEEK! Honey! Where are you? ANSWER ME PLEASE!”
Craig frantically began to search his house. He almost missed his parents and sister stepping out into the hallway. They were alarmed by Craig's shouting.
“Craig what's going on? Why are you yelling?”
“I-I can't find Tweek or Stripe!”
The Tuckers quickly spread out in search of the missing family members. Tricia checked the bathroom. Laura searched the kitchen. Finally Thomas opened the front door to make a grim discovery.
“Craig, your car is missing.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stripe whined in exhaustion. His mama had taken him out of his warm bed and strapped him to his cold car seat. His eyes lazily wandered to the window where he could see more cold white stuff falling from the sky.
Stripe's eyes were heavy with sleep but every time he closed them, the car would jolt and his mama would make a frightened sound. Just as he was dozing off for the last time, he was jerked awake when the car started to spin. He heard his Mama shriek, “OH GOD!” before he heard a loud CRASH.
Ch32
Ch34