A/N: So I'm taking turns between updating this, then One More Year, then back to this. It seems fair that way.

Oh, and before you venture further, let me just warn you that this chapter has mentions of: physical, alcohol, and drug abuse. All right, so let's give our OTP a little background, shall we?

Enjoy!

It transpired on the very day Clyde had come back to South Park just to check up on how everybody has been doing though Craig had a feeling that's not solely his reason. There's absolutely nobody in the town Clyde could check up on other than Kenny, Tweek, and of course, Craig himself. But other than that, everybody have moved out upon graduation without as much as a farewell party. Maybe Stan's gang had one and if they did, they must have made it exclusively for themselves like the pompous assholes they are. Clyde's dad had also moved out to live with his new wife who never seemed to like Clyde yet Craig couldn't tell if that bothers Clyde or not. It doesn't matter anymore. Clyde has lost contact with his dad ever since they parted ways. Craig could still vaguely remember how his friend used to tell him about how his family's been drifting apart ever since his mom passed away— his older sister had run away with her 32-year-old boyfriend, his dad had constantly engrossed himself with work and Clyde had spent most of his time outside or at Craig's place than at home. Clyde had only shrugged the problem off. He didn't seem to care that much.

His decision to drop by his hometown was spontaneous and Craig was surprised when he found Clyde standing by the doorstep to the apartment he shares with Tweek. Tweek was at work at that time, probably getting yelled at again for unwittingly dismantling a machine while Craig had a day-off from the pet shop. Clyde had clarified that it was Ruby who told him about his new place and Craig didn't mind, somewhat pleased to see a familiar face after years of never seeing any of his classmates. But then again, he never really missed them. Clyde was just an exception.

"Sandra broke up with me." Clyde had said with a roll of his eyes as he loudly slurped on the third can of beer Craig had handed him mere minutes ago.

The taller male joined him on the couch after taking his fourth can since his friend arrived. "None of your relationships last so excuse my lack of surprise at that."

Clyde snorted. "It's a curse, man." Another slurp of his liquor. "I'm twenty-five years old and for some reason, I still can't get people to stay with me. Damn, I've dated Bebe, Kevin, Lisa Berger, Gregory, Red, Heidi, Milly, Pete and Kenny."

"That's… nine people."

"Exactly! And I've also dated a few in college." Clyde groaned and slumped on his seat in utter defeat. Craig watched him and found that familiar despondent look flickering within the auburn specks of his eyes. It won't be long until he starts crying, that's for sure. "What the hell am I doing wrong?"

"Nothing." Came Craig's immediate answer as if he had expected that question to be hurled out in the air. "They're the ones who are pretty shitty. I mean, have you seen Kenny these days? The dude's perpetually high as fuck. At least you got to go to a university."

"That doesn't even matter anymore. Kenny has a job. I lost mine. Fucking ironic." Clyde had grumbled after a fleeting moment of chugging his beer. "Wasted four goddamn years just to end up penniless."

"What did your dad say about that?"

"Nothing. Like I said, we don't talk anymore. He just sends me money."

"Oh."

"I've never even had sex for almost a year now but knowing Kenny, I'm sure he's having the time of his life. It's messed up how I was the one who wanted to do something with my life and yet I ended up with nothing while Kenny stayed here with minimum wage and assholes and pussies to fuck."

Craig quirked a brow at this but nodded his head a bit skeptically. He didn't even know Clyde had kept in touch with Kenny. How was that fair? Craig had lost contact with him by the time Clyde had reached his third year at the university. "I thought you had Sandra?"

"She's asexual. The most that we did was having her wank me off."

"Wank…?"

"Shit, sorry. She jerked me off. She's British so her terms have been embedded in my vocabulary."

Silence followed the brunet's words as the two guys just drew out in immersing their attention on their drinks, their eyes fixated on the flat screen television standing before them. Craig wanted to look at Clyde at the time just to get a hint of what he was thinking because for some weird-ass reason, he always knew what would be on the brunet's mind just by simply casting him a single glance. However, he figured that perhaps now was not the right time to do that. Clyde seemed really down with where his life was heading. Among their circle of friends, Token and Clyde were the only ones who have gone onto prestigious universities with Token being the brilliant kid that he is and Clyde with his football scholarship. Unfortunately, Clyde had dropped out just when he finally reached his final year and he refused to tell Craig about it which was odd. Clyde's the type who always doesn't seem to mind telling everything about himself.

"So how are things with Tweek?" Clyde was the one to break the silence and judging by the tinge of indolence in his tone, Craig could tell that the alcohol was getting to his system.

"Fine." Craig shrugged, only realizing that there really wasn't much to say about his relationship with his partner. Everything's still pretty much the same since Clyde and Token left.

"Sounds boring." Clyde chuckled. "But I guess that's the way you like it, yeah?"

"Why did your girlfriend break up with you?" Craig automatically shifted the topic. He really didn't want to talk about his life right now because compared to Clyde who must have been greatly admired at the university for his looks and natural skills in sports; Craig's life was as plain as Lorde's music. His relationship with Tweek has been nothing but bittersweet. He couldn't kiss him or hug him for too long or else the blond would start shaking frenziedly again for fear of suffocation. Every night, he has to sleep with his back turned to him because Tweek is scared at the thought of spooning. Affectionate gestures are rare between the two but their genuine words aren't. Pecks on the lips and sweet I love you's are always exchanged.

Clyde scratched his head at the question and Craig took the opportunity to spare him a glance, catching a look of slight disturbance on his friend's face. "I dunno, girls are weird. She said I was too damaged… emotionally."

"Huh?" Craig couldn't stop himself from shooting Clyde a quizzical look and Clyde stood up from the couch immediately as though he had predicted that kind of reaction from him. "Emotionally damaged… how…?"

"Got any more beer?" Clyde ignored him though Craig figured that answering his question was pointless for he had already pulled the fridge open for his fourth can. "Wow, you sure have a lot of canned coffee here. Old habits die hard, huh?" Clyde chuckled with a shake of his head as he kicked the fridge close before popping his beer open. "I remember how I used to bring a can of coffee with me to school every day just in case Tweek freaks out again about drinking the last drop of coffee he had. I can still remember that cute smile he used to give me whenever I'd hand it to him. We should get together sometimes. You , me and Tweek. Token still hasn't—"

"Clyde." Clyde was avoiding his question, Craig noticed. "Why did she think you're emotionally damaged…? You aren't, are you?"

The brunet took his time in sipping his beer again as he wandered to the shelves near the television, seeing the photos of their adventures together as kids neatly displayed in pastel-coloured frames. Finally, after one last swallow, he gave his companion a shrug while keeping his eyes on the photos as if they're far more interesting than the matter at hand. "Maybe I am. I don't really know. If I am, then perhaps that explains why I keep getting dumped. That's one mystery solved." His voice was calm and collected but there was still a tight tinge to it that did not escape Craig's notice. He was evidently holding something back— something that he must have been going through for years now and for a moment, Craig felt bad for not being there to listen and comfort him. It was what they used to do after all.

When they reached high school, Clyde had stopped crying in front of people. He had learned to laugh through it or shrug it off but as soon as he was alone with Craig, that's when his water works would start to present. Clyde was always told by his father and the other kids that he shouldn't cry so much, that only girls cry and that real men need to keep their emotions to themselves if they don't want to be seen weak. Clyde had always hated himself for crying so easily but ever since he managed to have full control of his tears, he started hating himself more. His cries had gotten heavier and painful; a sight that was only reserved for Craig. Clyde has always been an emotional individual and being called weak for it just added salt to his injury.

Now seeing him trying to control himself once again from bawling his eyes out, Craig couldn't help but wonder when was the last time he had cried since he left the town. Craig wasn't with him at that time. Who did he go to when he felt the need to pour his heart out? Did he even have anyone to accept this side of his? Someone who could tell him that it's okay to cry? That showing his emotions doesn't make him weak in any way? Craig couldn't even be certain anymore if he would even still be comfortable crying in front of him after so many years.

"I hit her."

Craig looked up to see Clyde leaning back against the wall and staring blankly at his now empty drink. "What?"

"I hit Sandra." His voice was trembling and the look of regret was clear on his features. "I… I didn't even mean to… It happened twice. And I was d-drunk at both times."

Shit.

Craig immediately felt guilty for thinking before that Clyde's life was most likely going swimmingly even without him by his side. "Were you in an argument when it happened?"

Clyde nodded slowly as he combed his fringes back away from his eyes with his fingers. "She forgave me the first time it happened. I felt really bad. But the second time… I don't even know what came over me. I couldn't remember what happened exactly but all I could recall was that I woke up the next morning with a fucking serious hangover and her friends stopping by to get her things."

"Did you see her after that?"

"Of course." Clyde let out a bitter laugh as he threw his head back softly against the wall, auburn eyes aimlessly staring at the ceiling above him. "I went to her parents' house because I knew she'd be staying there but when I saw her… w-when I saw her, I realized that I really did a number on her. I wanted to apologize, to beg her to stay… but I couldn't find the right words. I don't deserve her and she doesn't deserve how I treated her. I just don't—" And with that, Clyde's legs gave in as he sunk to the floor and dropped the empty can. He buried his face on his knees and for a second, Craig had expected him to cry but the familiar sound of his sobs did not render the air at all. Instead, Clyde just threw his head back again and crossed his arms over his knees, releasing a seemingly-painful shaky sigh. "We yelled at each other a lot. I guess you could say most of our arguments were centered on the fact that I was a fucking asshole."

Craig didn't dare to disagree with him because he knew it would be futile given how he had no idea what their arguments were about. He stood up from the couch and joined his friend. "Would you be okay to tell me what you guys normally fought about?"

"I broke promises a lot." Clyde ran his fingers through his hair which Craig realized it now was a new habit of his when troubled. "I told her I'd stop drinking but then she came home one night to find me throwing up at the toilet. I promised her I wouldn't get involved in my friends' fondness for cocaine but then she noticed how dilated my pupils were when I got home. I fuck up, she gets mad and then I get mad and try to justify my actions by blaming her during my intoxicated state. But once I'm sober, I'd apologize to her, tell her that I was wrong and she would forgive me. Our relationship was stuck in that disgusting cycle. I was abusive and manipulative while she was sweet and naïve. Her friends tried to convince her to dump me, you know… I… I guess they were getting worried and tired of seeing us being at each other's throats all the time. But even then, she just kept telling them that they didn't know me like she did. She said that I was trying to change and that she was helping me do so. She always stood up for me. But after what happened… I have proven her wrong and now she has to go through her friends saying 'we told you so' and it's all because of me. She trusted me. She believed in me. And I just shut her down. You should've seen how scared she looked when I visited her. It was fucking heartbreaking."

Craig wondered if Clyde ever shared this with Kenny but then realized that this was not the time to be worrying over that. "Shit." He commented, not knowing what to say. He couldn't tell Clyde that he wasn't abusive because based on what he said, he was. The last thing Clyde needed right now was to be lied to. Noticing it now though, Clyde had managed to recount the plights of his abusive relationship without so much of a sniffle and at that, Craig could somehow tell where his sudden alter of personality came from. "Clyde?"

"Hm?"

"When was the last time you cried?"

Clyde blinked as he directed a look of befuddlement at his friend's direction. "Why?"

"Because."

Clyde sighed and looked away. "I dunno, man. It's been so long since I cried. Probably… as soon as I reached college, I guess."

"You haven't been crying for five years and a half."

"That long, huh? Wow."

That's not good. That's not even healthy. The great number of times people have told him to 'quit acting like a girl' must have pressured Clyde to suppress his feelings and without Craig by his side anymore once he hit college, he had no choice but to keep his emotions to himself. That explained why he had been drinking and had done drugs at some point in hopes of diverting his attention away from letting his emotions get the better of him. But then it wasn't enough and getting in a heated argument with his girlfriend must have nearly pushed him to the brink of bawling his eyes out so instead, he had set those emotions loose through physical abuse. He didn't cry. He hit and he hit as if his girlfriend was his punching bag. Jesus fucking Christ, he changed drastically. Before, Clyde could never lay a finger on anyone with the intention of granting harm at all. He never had to because every time somebody pissed him off, he would either flip them off or just cry— leaving the violence to Craig who was always more than willing to throw a punch for him.

"You can cry now if you want to." Craig tried, glancing over his at his friend's side only to see him shaking his head.

"I don't really feel like crying."

Liar.

Craig didn't say anything after that which shouldn't come off as a surprise to Clyde. It's how he always reacts whenever he knows Clyde's lying to him and that normally pressures the brunet to tell him the truth. However, this moment appeared to be an exception because instead of taking back what he said, Clyde completely swerved the topic to a whole new different direction.

"Can we fuck?"

"What?" Craig frowned at him. "What kind of question is that?"

Clyde shrugged, seemingly not affected by his best friend's sharp response. "You haven't had sex in a long time and so have I."

"How the hell did you know—"

"Kenny tells me everything." Clyde finally smiled as he gave Craig a playful nudge on the shoulder.

Craig didn't seem to be too impressed though. "That's another thing. How come you kept in touch with Kenny but—"

"Uuuuggh," Clyde cut him off with a groan. "can we talk about that some other day? I really need a good fuck right now. Tweek doesn't even have to know. It'll be a one-time thing. I just really need this."

"No, you don't." Craig insisted with a disapproving frown. "You're just vulnerable after telling me what happened. Hell, I bet you'd ask the same thing to Kenny too if he was in my place right now."

"Yyyeah no." Clyde wrinkled his nose in distaste. "He's my ex-boyfriend. It'd be weird to have sex with him again because then we'd be force to reminisce about the good times we had after and honestly, most of our good times were just sloppy make out's and rough sex."

"Can you not put that image in my head?" Craig scowled at him.

Clyde laughed and gave the taller boy another playful nudge on the shoulder. "Come on, Craig. I know you've longed for a good fuck too." He then sighed. "I need this." Craig was surprised at how serious Clyde looked while saying that and for a second, he was nearly convinced that Clyde really did need this. But then again, maybe this was his new way of distracting himself from crying. Craig knew that he nearly cried earlier just by recounting the things that took place in his previous relationship but he had managed to calm himself down. It was disappointing, to say the least, that Clyde refused to go to anyone anymore to let his tears out.

"Clyde…" He tried looking for a good reason not to do this because fuck, this would be wrong. He has a boyfriend who was still at work, probably thinking that he was just lazing around; watching television in the living room and not fucking their childhood friend.

"Please?" Clyde looked at him in such a sunken manner that Craig knew he could never say no to him.

"Fine."

As if he had already expected his answer, Clyde instinctively leaned in to press his lips against Craig's and Craig reluctantly returned the kiss. But before things could get any further, Craig carefully pushed him back by the shoulder. "H-Hold on, we can't do this in our bedroom."

"Right. Couch?"

"Okay."

"Wait, who bottoms?"

Craig rolled his eyes. "You, of course."

"What, why me?" Clyde pouted and Craig couldn't stop the smirk that tugged the corners of his lips.

"Because you were bottom when you dated Pete, Gregory, and Kenny. You only got to top when you dated Kevin."

"So? This was my idea."

Craig sighed and stood up from his spot, stretching his arms up in the air with a contented moan— intentionally letting his plain white shirt ride up with his movements to present his pale expanse of skin to the brunet. "Well, it's either I top or no sex at all. Easy as that."

"Okay, okay, okay! I'll bottom."

Craig didn't even get to say out the snarky response he had devised in his mind because the minute he turned around, Clyde had already jumped at him with desperate kisses and impatient tugs of his shirt as they made their way to the couch.

What was supposed to be a one-time thing eventually turned out to be a constant occurrence ever since Craig had decided to pay Clyde a visit at his new job at City Wok after that and the brunet had thought that giving him a tour in the storage room was a far better idea. And just when Craig had realized that he could actually be caught doing this behind Tweek's back and could really hurt him, he was already in too balls-deep— literally and figuratively.

Fuck my life.

A/N: Clyde's a manipulative little shit in this one. It's completely up to you if you want to hate him or not.

All right, we'll get some Creek fluff on the next chapter and maybe some more rough sex. Hehe. Alrighty, tell me what you think!