The Evermore Dissociate(Creek) - Chapter 96: Chapter 96

There was so much to pack, in such little time. Tweek's bedroom was covered in clothes and other items that he was taking away with him, but the more he tried to fold, or organise, the more mess he seemed to be creating. Today, Tweek was moving to campus. Today, he was leaving South Park behind. Leaving his family and friends, to potentially start a life of his own, filled with a new sense of independence. Only last night, he'd been wide awake in bed, worrying about moving day, but now, as the wind floods through the parted windows, and luggage fills his bedroom, oddly enough, Tweek feels excited.
"Can you pass me my phone?" He asks, glancing to his right, to where Craig quietly sits, frowning at the wall. When he's ignored, Tweek irritably sighs, trying once again. "Hello? Earth to Craig."
"What?"
"My phone." Tweek repeats, gesturing vaguely to where it rests beside Craig.
As though it was the most difficult task in the world, Craig rolls his eyes as he reaches over to grab ahold of the phone. He can feel Tweek's eyes remaining on his turned head, and for the shortest second, Craig debates keeping the phone hostage. Since Tweek had asked him to come over, earlier today, to say goodbye, Craig's mood had been the lowest in a while. Obviously he didn't want to see Tweek packing. He didn't want their last moments together to be spent this way, so, he did the only thing he could in this situation, scowl. When he turns back around, Tweek's eyes fall to the object he'd previously asked for, and against his own will, Craig extends his arm to pass it over.
Their eyes meet in a brief moment of contact, and it's almost as though Tweek can feel the loneliness radiating from Craig. Hesitantly, his lips twitch, as though he's about to say something, but then he's turning away, returning to packing his clothes, and leaving Craig to silently watch. It twists something uncomfortably inside his stomach, but Craig says nothing. He doesn't know what to say, with only a quiet exhale passing through his mouth as he looks away.
The only reason Tweek refuses to acknowledge the sour mood his counterpart is in, is because today is supposed to be a good day for him, and if he, for only a moment, thinks about the sadness he'll soon be experiencing, packing would become utterly impossible. He knows packing is important, and with his mother poking her head into the room every few minutes to remind him they have to leave soon, it was also becoming stressful. So, to have Craig sulking across the other side of the bedroom, it certainly wasn't helping.
As he continued his task with packing, Craig shuffled over to sit at the end of the bed. He avoided all eye contact with Tweek, and instead, decided to become a nuisance. Whenever Tweek would put away an item, Craig would not so subtly, take another out. At first, Tweek attempted to ignore the childish action, but when Craig persisted, Tweek halted, with an unamused stare glazing across his face. "Please, stop. You're going to make me late."
"I'm not doing anything." Craig shrugged, despite currently having one of Tweek's shirts in his hand.
Leaning over, Tweek took ahold of the shirt, tugging it from Craig's grip, before folding it, and putting it away, again. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Craig took another thing from the suitcase. "Craig!" He scolds, fighting the urge to smile. "I'll make you wait downstairs."
"You can try, but I'm not going anywhere."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah," Craig replies, glancing away. "you're the one going."
"That's not fair." Tweek frowns. "You can't be okay with it one day, and then, when the time comes, get all pissed off with me."
"I know." Craig mumbles, falling backwards dramatically so that he's laying down on the bed. "I'm sorry, I just— this sucks."
Crawling across the bed, Tweek crosses his legs as he sits beside Craig. He watches him from above, but Craig's too busy chewing his nails to notice the attention. The sunlight sets perfectly across his face, shinning down the bridge of his nose in a way that makes Tweek want to trace it with his finger. "What're you going to do without me?"
Slowly, Craig raises his eyes to meet Tweek's, before he suppresses a small grin. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"I would." Tweek nods in confirmation, his expression almost nervous.
"Well..." Craig begins. He struggles slightly to rest his weight on his elbows as he faces Tweek. "I'm probably going to be avoiding people from high school. Not all of us have the luxury to move far away. I might take up a hobby. I've always liked photography. But mostly, I'll be busy with College and stuff."
"You'd be good at photography."
"Doubt it. I haven't held a camera in years." Craig replies, absent minded as he scratches his nose. "What about you? What will you be doing?"
"I don't even know. I guess I'll just have to see what happens when I get there. You're lucky you have people you know going to the same place as you."
"I'd prefer it if I didn't."
"Tweek! It's time to go! We don't want to get held up by traffic!" Richards voice echos from downstairs. It makes Craig's features morph into a disappointed frown, and when he looks to Tweek, his eyes seem silently pleading.
Forcing his eyes away, Tweek stares at his bedroom door in thought. This was the last time this room would be his own. The moment he sets foot into his dorm room, is the second his parent will be redecorating his old room into an office. It saddens him in a way. This is the room that sheltered him during the hard times. These four walls listened to his tears, the anger and the loneliness he felt from time to time. But in a sense, this would always be his room.
"Will you grab one of those suitcases?" Tweek asks Craig as he moved to take ahold of the other two. Without turning back, he knows Craig's bad mood had returned. It's as though he can sense it, radiating from the person standing behind him. Without another word, they head downstairs, with the atmosphere around them changing. The car horn beeps as Tweek's dad impatiently sits behind the wheel, and though it feels as though it's raining inside Craig's mind, the sun outside couldn't be brighter.
With his feet dragging behind him, Craig forces himself to follow Tweek out of the house, and over to where the car was parked. He watches in silence as Tweek loads the vehicle with his luggage. Continues to stare when Tweek closes the door and turns back to Craig with a smile that's entirely too forced. They're stood an arm lengths apart, but to Craig, it feels as though they were further away.
"Well," Tweek breathes, playing with his fingers out of nerves. "This is it."
But Craig doesn't reply. He can't. His lips refuse to move, and his throat tightens up. Gently nodding to himself, Tweek looks off to the side, swallowing thickly as he fights off the feeling inside his chest. He doesn't want to say goodbye. Not now, not ever, but he knows he has to, even if it's the hardest thing he'll ever have to do.
"I'll um— I'll message you when I get there." Tweek adds, his voice embarrassingly cracking. He knew Craig was never one to show emotions, but for him to stand there, expressionless as he says nothing, it was taking it a bit too far. The least he could do was say goodbye, rather than subtly nodding his head in reply. But he doesn't say goodbye, and neither does Tweek.
A whole void of emotions are confined within the deepest depths of Craig's body, and only as Tweek begins to walk towards the passenger side, with his head down low, a single word escapes past his once sealed mouth. "Wait."
Doing just that, Tweek's feet stop in place. He turns away from his dads bored finger tapping against the steering wheel, to face Craig with hopeful eyes. As though his legs were only just beginning to work again, Craig stumbles over to where Tweek stood, consuming him into a desperate hug. Their faces are buried into the crook of each other's neck, and neither of them wants to let go. Time was ticking though, reminded by the call from Tweek's dad, but for another moment, Craig and Tweek ignore the man. Feeling Craig's breath against his neck, was enough to have Tweek desperately wanting to be further away from the car, but against his desires, he pulls away from Craig.
Their eyes meet, and a genuine smile finds Tweek's lips, but for Craig, it's taking everything he has not to break. He still doesn't want to let go. His mind is telling him to hold on, but somehow, Tweek slips through his fingers. "Stay safe." The blonde whispered into Craig's ear, before taking ahold of the sides of his head as he kisses him goodbye. Then, he was gone. Once again, Craig couldn't speak. He couldn't move, couldn't think. All he could do was watch as Tweek disappeared into the car. He sees Tweek waving to him out of the window as they drive off, and with a prickle of tears in his eyes, Craig waves back.
He's left standing on the sidewalk, alone. The clouds in the sky are his shelter, and the distant hum of an engine, is his tune.