Chapter Text
The soft rays of the Spring’s morning sun filtered through bleach white curtains, dust particles sparkling and drifting in the still air almost like snowflakes. Tweek Tweak stood in front of his mirror in the middle of his new dorm room. Sporting a button up white shirt and a pair of freshly pressed, neat black slacks, he shrugged on the school’s signature red blazer, black outlining its lapels, with the initials “S. P.” emblazoned in white on its breast pocket.
He nervously pulled at his hair, now desperately trying to tame his blonde locks, which seem to stick out wildly no matter how hard he tugged. Giving up, Tweek frustratedly flopped onto his new bed.
He had just arrived at his new school, a college institute focused solely on developing talents in the forms of music and arts, after attaining a scholarship through months of applications. His parents would never have had the money to afford to send him here, so he was thankful for the opportunity to further study his passion. Armed with just a box of necessities, Tweek said goodbye to everything he knew his whole 18 years of life to start a fresh one here, at the prestigious South Park Academy of The Arts.
Tweek hadn’t been truly anxious until this moment. Lying here in an unfamiliar bed, alone in his new dorm room, it suddenly became all too real.
He could feel lips quivering.
He bit his bottom lip in an effort to still the shaking. Maybe a little too hard, as sharp teeth pierced through delicately thin skin, drawing out small droplets of blood.
He just hoped he made the right choice to come here.
A feeling started to snake through his veins, rapidly clawing their way through his thoughts, a hungry demon gnawing away on his sanity.
A sensation all too familiar to him.
You’re going to fail all your classes, your scholarship will be revoked, and then you’ll have to go back home, back where nobody loves you, spaz. The voice in his head viciously spat.
You’re wasting your time. Useless.
It’s okay.
It’s not.
I’m not useless.
But you are.
I’ve been through this. I can do this. I can do this—
You can’t do this, who are you kidding—
The door to his dorm room slammed open, interrupting him mid-thought. The knuckle white grip he held on his sheets immediately loosened as Tweek let out an involuntarily yelp. A flurry of orange practically leaped towards him, knocking them both into the crisply laundered sheets of his neatly made bed.
“Tweekers!” Long arms smoothly wrapped around the blonde’s petite frame. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since I came here a year ago,” Tweek could hear the tearful grin in the figure’s voice. “I missed you, you know,” the voice purred in his ear.
“K-Kenny!” Tweek squeaked out as he wriggled under Kenny’s iron grip, gasping for air.
“What, am I not allowed to give hugs to my favourite blonde now?” Kenny released Tweek as they both sat up, his arms now up in mock surrender.
“It’s just—man, it’s been awhile, dude!” Drawing back, Tweek took the chance to get a good look at his friend. Coarse, sandy blonde hair, golden brown lashes wreathing dark ocean blue eyes, and a smattering of dark freckles across his nose and cheeks.
He was wearing the same radioactive orange parka that has definitely seen better days, but by now Tweek automatically associates with the familiarity that is Kenny. Nothing about his older friend had changed much in the year they were apart, with the only difference being that Kenny had seemingly grown half a foot taller than himself.
“You’re telling me.” Kenny smiled widely. “So, you ready for a tour of the campus lead by yours truly?”
“It’s fine, I-I don’t want you trouble you or anything like that!”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Kenny softly chuckled. “Take it as me wanting someone to admire lil’ ol’ me during my performance later,” he grinned mischievously, playfully batting his long lashes.
“Performance? You’re…performing later?”
“Oh Tweekers, you didn’t know?” Kenny said, hand fluttering to his chest in mock indignation. “I’m part of Octavius!” he announced proudly, puffing his chest.
A beat of silence followed.
“…Octavius?” Tweek sounded out slowly, his confusion evident.
Kenny spluttered. “What the hell, Tweek? Do you know nothing about this school?”
The blonde broke into a sheepish and almost apologetic grin. Kenny responded with a flabbergasted expression plastered on his face.
“The school’s famous Acapella group?” Kenny continued.
Tweek’s only reply to that was another blank stare.
Kenny started gesturing wildly with his hands, “C'mon Tweekers, we’re so damn popular even the chicks from the other schools come over to watch our performances, and you know nothing about us?”
“I’m not one of your lovelorn ‘chicks’, Kenny,” The words spilled before he could even stop himself. “You aren’t charming me out of my pants that easily,” he grinned.
As if not expecting that response, Kenny’s mouth gaped before throwing his head back in wild laughter.
“Hey, can’t blame a dude for trying.” he snickered, wiping a tear from his eye.
“So, Acapella, huh?”
“Yeah, Acapella! You know, performing a song without the use of instruments?”
Tweek wrinkled his nose in doubt. How could voices possibly replicate the depth of sound produced by instruments?
As if he was reading his mind, Kenny rolled his eyes. “Don’t look so skeptical, dude. Come on, I’ll show you.”
The theatre was almost pitch black when both of them entered. Rows and rows of seats seemingly entirely filled with people, with most of them being females who don’t seem to even attend the school.
The crowd seemed to hold an almost tangible excitement, the air buzzing with noise and laughter. Fumbling and unable to see, Tweek stumbled, almost tripping, with his only guide being the hand dragging him to the front rows of seats closest to the stage. “C’mon,” Kenny said, “I saved you a seat up front!”.
Tweek quickly got settled into one of the empty chairs as Kenny whispered to him eagerly, “Remember to look out for me,” He winked at Tweek. And just as quickly as he appeared this morning in Tweek’s dorm, the flurry of orange swiftly blended into the crowds of people, leaving the blonde sitting alone in the dark.
After a few moments, a woman’s voice cut through the noise. “And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, Octavius!”
As if on cue, the noise in the theatre immediately quelled into a silence of anticipation.
A chorus of voices resounded out from the stage, a beautiful harmony of voices erupting, piercing the air with their melody. A spotlight suddenly flashes onto the middle of the stage, revealing a tall, slim figure.
He was dressed in a dark navy tailcoat, its ends drifting down his long slender legs. The vest seemed almost tailor made to perfectly suit and accentuate his lean body, clinging onto his figure tightly. Underneath, he wore a white button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows with the top few buttons undone, revealing slightly tanned skin underneath. He opened his mouth, a deep rumbling voice spilling out into the darkness.
Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for
The chorus sounds out again, and the figure remains still in the spotlight, face down and largely obscured by a glove covered hand, lightly tipping a black silk top hat. The other hand loosely gripped onto a ringmaster’s cane.
Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor
Tapping the cane on the wooden floor to the rhythm with a resounding clack, the low, baritone voice continued.
And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore
Despite being so close to the stage, Tweek could barely make out what the figure looked like. Beneath the hand, the blonde could only make out a semblance of a smirk on the man’s face, confidence oozing with every word he sings.
Taking your breath, stealing your mind
The smirk on his face widened, as his deep voice flooded the auditorium, the audience hanging onto every word. Tweek, and it seems the entire audience, was enraptured by the magnetic force of attraction this person seemed to emit.
And all that was real is left behind
The figure tilted his head up sharply, both hands resting on the cane now. The first thing that Tweek notices is that the singer has very bright, blue eyes. They gleamed in the spotlight, almost like beautiful sapphires, sparkling with an excitement that Tweek had never seen before.
Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya
It's only this moment, don't care what comes after
It's blinding, outshining anything that you know
Just surrender 'cause you're calling and you wanna go
Holding onto his top hat, the figure bounded across the stage, moving and striding gracefully as he sang, as if second nature to him. Spotlights flashed on, revealing the rest of the acapella group, the source of the beautiful harmonies heard before. Tweek vaguely wondered where Kenny was in all of this, narrowing his eyes before spotting his friend, singing and obviously lost in the moment.
Where it's covered in all the coloured lights
Where the runaways are running the night
Impossible comes true, intoxicating you
Oh, this is the greatest show!
Tweek held his breath in awe. Their voices melded together to form an amazing medley, complete with beatboxing, sopranos and bass altos, creating music he never thought would be possible without the use of instruments. Unlike the main vocalist, they were all dressed in the college’s signature red and black uniforms, moving along to the beat of the song.
We light it up, we won't come down
And the sun can't stop us now
Watching it come true, it's taking over you
Oh, this is the greatest show!
Tweek’s attention had now completely refocused on the one blue-eyed vocalist, who was now breathing hard, raven hair now messy and slightly plastered to his forehead, spilling out the front of his silk hat.
It's everything you ever want
It's everything you ever need
And it's here right in front of you
This is where you wanna be
The tall figure had drifted down the stage, to the audience below it. Much to the delight of the squealing fangirls seated close to the front rows, as they reached out their hands, hoping for a chance to get a brief touch of the oh-so-charming vocalist. Tweek briefly heard them shout out to the singer, watching them clamour over each other as they tried desperately to get his attention.
The vocalist seemed to simply ignore them, passing them quickly, his voice still ringing out, a sanguine smile playing on his lips. As he passed by the blonde, his eyes snapped onto Tweek’s, their gazes locking on each other. To Tweek, time seemed to slow to a complete stop.
Green eyes meeting crystal blue ones.
Tweek felt like his entire being was electrified, every nerve on edge as if lit on fire. He felt a breath escape his lips, leaving him feeling like he should be gasping for oxygen, as if drowning in the dulcet tones of this stranger’s voice.
The raven haired singer was now staring directly at Tweek as he sang, neither breaking the other’s gaze.
It's everything you ever want
It's everything you ever need
And it's here right in front of you
This is where you wanna be
It ended just as quickly as it started. Shattering the moment, the vocalist looked away as he smoothly strode back on stage to finish the rest of the performance, leaving Tweek in a daze, his heart hammering wildly in his chest.
At the end, the performers all lined up to the front of the stage, linking arms and taking a deep bow. The audience erupted in applause and whistles, a standing ovation. Tweek sat in stunned silence, releasing a breath he didn’t realise he was holding.
With the lights in the theatre now fully on, Tweek now started to notice that the noirette was really attractive. He was tall— sporting broad shoulders and a lean waist, his face all strong cheekbones and sharp jawlines. He had tanned skin, and his oil-black hair had grown a little too long, making the waves in them slightly loose and messy. A stark contrast to his almost ethereal blue eyes, which were framed by a pair of long, thick eyelashes, and brows that seem to be perpetually furrowed into a scowl. And yet, somehow, the absolutely cold expression he held seemed to only contribute to his features.
In short, his presence was entirely both mesmerising and yet intimidating to Tweek Tweak in every, single, way.
Now that the performance has ended, Tweek observed that the singer’s once fiery eyes now resembled much more like ice, and his previously playful and confident smirk had now settled into a completely nonchalant and almost bored expression. The top hat was now off, and he casually carded a hand through his hair, pushing it off his face and wiping the sweat off his forehead. I can’t believe that this is still the same person that was performing just a few minutes ago, Tweek mused to himself.
The noirette’s blue eyes drifted lazily throughout the audience, as though looking to pinpoint someone in the large crowd of nameless faces. The brunette linking arms with the raven-haired vocalist was excitedly babbling through a microphone.
“Remember, our group tryouts are being held next week! If you think you’ve got what it takes to join us,” he snickered as he got a quick elbow to his side by the person standing next to him, a black, suave looking male.
“Or you know, if you just want to hang out with the coolest kids in school—”
This time, the black male practically snatched the microphone out from the brunette’s hands. “Auditions are held here, in this auditorium at 5.p.m. to 7.p.m. next week from Wednesday to Friday,” he smiled, charm and poise practically oozing off him. “All are welcome to try out, don’t be shy!”
Throughout the announcement, the black haired vocalist remained silent, choosing instead to aimlessly stare off into the distance.
With that, the boys exited the stage, laughing and talking amongst each other as they left. The audience quickly erupted back with noise, excited chattering discussing and describing the amazing performance they’d all just witnessed.
“You should totally try out for the auditions, Tweeks. You’ve got an amazing voice.”
Kenny had found him again sometime after the performance, and the pair were now seated at a table in the cafeteria, along with the rest of the school’s busy lunch crowd.
“What? How would you know that?!” Tweek exclaimed, damn near choking on his food. His cheeks suddenly felt like they were burning red hot with embarrassment. He quickly buried his face in his hands, fork clanging loudly into his lunch tray.
“C’mon Tweekers,” Kenny cooed affectionately, “We used to do theatre together! Remember how in middle school you used to perform in like, all the lead roles?” his blue eyes twinkled, smiling as though recalling an especially fond memory.
Yeah, but that was back when he was a kid, Tweek thought bitterly to himself.
Back before he grew aware of the hushed insults and pointed looks whenever he passed through the endlessly long hallways of his old school.
Before he started fearing the rude jeers and ear-piercing laughter that erupted from his peers whenever he even dared to open his mouth.
And definitely way before he started shaking violently at just the mere thought of having to go on stage (or in front of anyone, really), sometimes so bad that it felt like the ground below him was somehow swirling and expanding and swallowing him up all at the same time.
Tweek winced at the aforementioned memories of what were, in his honest opinion, piss poor imitations of actual theatre. He picked up his neglected fork and started begrudgingly poking at his food again.
“Y-yeah right, you were always Mr Garrison’s first choice to be the lead roles for, like, all of them.” Kenny’s always been a talented actor, unlike himself, having cinched one of the university’s most coveted scholarships for the acting program.
“You just always chose to play the female roles instead, which led him to his s-second choice.”
“Hey, to be fair, I look absolutely killer in high heels.” Kenny smirked, obviously proud of himself.
“Anyways, that’s besides the point. You need to join us! Share your talent with the world!”
“W-What?!”
Tweek was sure he was just a single heartbeat away from a fucking full blown heart attack.
“What are you even saying?! I could n-never do that!”
“Why not? You’d fit right in, Tweeks.”
Sing? Kenny expected him to actually sing and prance around in front of a large crowd of actually talented students? Tweek was only here on a fucking piano scholarship, for Christ's sake.
“That’s w-way too much pressure!”
As if sensing his sudden spike in anxiety, Kenny merely leaned back and sighed. “Just think about it, okay? I think it’d be good for you,” he gave Tweek a soft smile, and that look. That look in his deep, azure blue eyes that always seemed to Tweek like he knew so much more than he ever let on.
“No pressure or anything,” he continued after a meaningfully long pause, taking another bite of his food.
Tweek tried hard to form a response, but his brain and voice just refused to cooperate. Instead, he just grunted a noncommittal reply as his hands silently shook, lost deep in a pool of his own thoughts.
A mixture of feelings boiled in Tweek’s stomach as he thought back to the performance. Who was that vocalist? The churning in his gut just grew stronger at the thought of the raven-haired male.
He seemed to exude such a confidence and an aura that Tweek could never have. Ugh, he wishes he could be more like him. How does Kenny even expect him to fit right in, with people like him? Tweek wasn’t so hungry anymore, now feeling like he was immediately going to be sick. He stabbed listlessly at his soggy salad.
But… it seemed like they were all having so much fun. Tweek’s never had that before. A stage where he could perform, with a crowd that would actually be excited to watch him, instead of looks of disgust, or worse, pity, that were usually thrown at him all throughout his life due to his nervous tics and “weird, theatrical hobbies”.
The Fucking pity, the voice in his head snarled, was the worst. It always came with that underlying condescension, a similar kind you gave to a panhandler while lying through your teeth about having no change.
Tweek wanted so much for it to be different. No more disgust. No more pity.
A group where he could be accepted.
A place that he could finally, maybe belong.
Perhaps he should try out after all.