Chapter 4: Darker Than Black.

The sound of Craig's phone quickly awoke Tweek with a jolt. He grunted, trying to move but the heavy arm over his upper body prevented him from escaping. Craig was a big boy and weighed a lot. This usually happened in the mornings, after a party or a sleep over, he would wake up a little too early beside his best friend and he wouldn't be able to get up until he did. Tweek twitched underneath Craig's muscled arm, his breath on the back of his neck smelled horribly of alcohol. He wished he had brushed his teeth or something.

But nonetheless, the still sleeping boy crawled closer towards his friend. His nose tucked into the crook of the blond's neck. Shuddering from the lack of warmth, only covered by his clothes and a thin blanket from Clyde's dresser. He didn't remember much of what happened last night. But then again his face was in Craig's chest a majority of the time.

The bedroom door opened, Token had made a pot of coffee for the three other boys. Clyde was laying in his messy bed, head sandwiched between two pillows. He was complaining about a headache. It was probably because of how much he drank. The boys left Bebe's house after Clyde demanded it. They ended up driving to Clyde's and drinking a lot more. Even Token had drank a bit more than he should. But he appeared to be fine by morning. Craig restricted Tweek's drinking, so he didn't wake up with a sore head.

In the end, his plan worked and Tweek felt fine. He nudged Craig lightly, earning a quiet moan from his lips. His breath still smelled really bad. "Come on sleepy, time to get up." Token nudged Craig's back lightly with the end of his foot. The only reaction he garnered was a middle finger. Token chuckled, setting down the the coffee and four mugs onto the small table Clyde kept in the room for them to eat at when they woke up on mornings like these. "Come on Craig, poor Tweek is being suffocated."

"No he's not." Craig replied with his usual monotone. He responded by holding onto Tweek tighter, earning a high pitched squeak from him. Token sighed in response, he didn't expect the black haired male to make an effort to get up. "Whatever. Clyde I got you some aspirin." He ran a hand through his thick, black hair. "I have a work meeting to go to. So I'm using your shower." Clyde groaned in response, murmuring a quiet 'thank you' to his friend. "By the way." Token lingered by the doorway, "Tweek you should take one too, I'll take you to work on the way."

Tweek jittered, "Th-Thanks, ngh!" Craig sighed and held him closer, the blond pushed against him but couldn't find the strength to fall out. The silence rolled in until they could only hear the patter of the shower in the next room. Clyde let out an audible sigh and he finally sat up from his bed. He smelled like sweat, alcohol and something else. Maybe shame or regret. Or both. He brushed the hair matted with sweat to his forehead back, moving his legs to the side of the bed and stepping off.

Walking past right by the duo on the ground, he sat down on the single chair and poured himself a mug of hot coffee. He made sure to add four spoonfuls of sugar and two of creamer. Of all things, he could not stand bitter coffee. "That's got to taste like shit." Craig grumbled, rolling away from Tweek and releasing his iron grip. He sat up, put on his blue chullo and stood up, stretching his strong arms over his head until he heard a loud snap of his joints. "Fuck off man, not the time." His hungover friend complained, taking another long gulp of caffeine.

Craig smirked, pulling out an old chair to sit down beside him. Tweek remained on the floor for another few minutes before he was finally the last to get up. He twitched, holding his head, bed hair more wild and unruly than usual. Checking his phone, it was 7 in the morning. He had to be at work at 7:30, but a shower would only take a few minutes and Clyde would lend him a shirt and some pants. His dad would be suspicious if he suddenly turned up smelling like alcohol and Craig's cigarettes. Tweek didn't hate the smell of the latter, but his parents really, really didn't like Craig.

Emerging from the doorway again, Token had redressed in a pair of Clyde's clothes (going ahead without question from the other) and a towel around his neck drying his damp hair. "We're leaving in ten minutes Tweek." He spoke to the blond, "R-Right. Thanks Token!" Tweek stuttered in response, making a quick rush towards the bathroom. Token then found a seat on the bed, he knew Tweek would be a while in the bathroom. Although they were all very familiar with Clyde's house, Tweek still had trouble doing things like cleaning up in the houses of others.

Opening the shower door, the blond turned on the hot water. He placed his hand under the water, yelping as it was far too hot. With a sigh, he turned the cold knob to turn the temperature down. Gently, Tweek stripped his clothes off and placed them in the hamper. Although Clyde's mother had passed away some time ago, his father was kind enough to do the laundry and return their clothes to them through his son. He really loved the family, even his little sister was a kind little girl.

Finally stripped to nothing, Tweek stepped into the shower and began to wash himself. It was nice to wash away all the sweat and bad smells. Tilting his head down, he allowed the water to wash over his hair, eventually matting it down flat. He ran his ratty, bitten nailed through his hair and washed it with shampoo and conditioner. It was a ten minute shower at most and after hearing Token knock on the bathroom door and drop some clothes in through the door, he got out and dried himself off.

Clyde's clothes almost never fit, he was taller and much wider. So he wore most of his old clothes from when they were adolescents. He put on a light grey shirt that just fit, and a varsity jacket from their middle school year that was now small on Clyde but huge on Tweek. Tweek gave up on the trousers and used a belt so they would stay above his hips. He didn't bother with his hair and would let it dry in the cold air. There was no way of taming it and over the years he'd just let it grow out and be wild.

Token knocked on the door again, "It's time to go!" He announced loudly, causing Tweek to jump. "C-Coming!" The blond answered through the door. Patting his cheeks and he rubbed the bags underneath his eyes with the pads of his fingers. Finally finishing up with deodorant, he left the bathroom to say goodbye to his friends. Though they all knew they'd probably see each other that night or the day after. He walked by Craig and Clyde, smiling his crooked yet genuine smile. Clyde grumbled a quiet, 'see ya' and Craig took a single look at Tweek and scoffed, "Later." Token shook his head at the unlively pair and led Tweek outside so they could get to their respective jobs.

The small bell attached to the door rang softly as Darcy entered. He searched for the table by the side of the window and straight away he could see the blond head sitting upright. Noticing the other boy by the coffee machine he sent him a short, friendly wave and earned, "N-ngh! Hey man." This caused Pip to turn his head over his shoulder and grin. "Darcy!" Pip squeaked.

Walking towards their usual spot, he took a seat in front of his friend. "How's it going?" Darcy asked lazily. The other shrugged his shoulders, he was wearing his usual red pea coat. "Well." He responded shortly, "Did you have fun at Miss Bebe's party? I saw photos on the Facebook." He claimed, smiling. It was then Darcy who shrugged, "It wasn't awful." He replied, thinking. "I think I did something really stupid though."

Pip tilted his head to the side, asking Darcy to continue. The dark haired boy glanced over to where Tweek was working. He was not close to them and working pretty hard. Darcy leaned in and spoke softly, "I kind of made out with Clyde in the closet."

Staring back at him with doe eyes, Pip burst into cute giggles. "Oh my goodness. That is quite.. Well, unsurprising I have to admit." Darcy scowled, leaning so his back was against the back of the seat, "What are you implying, dear Pip?" Darcy questioned with a little bit of intimidation. Shaking his head in response, the blond bit back another laugh. "No, no. Not about you. I've always had a feeling that Clyde was, well.." Making a particular hand gesture, Darcy understood straight away.

"Really?" Darcy arched an unconvinced brow, "What makes you think that?" Pip sighed, looking down towards his blank screened phone. "I remember in middle school, there was a rumour about Clyde making out with Tweek behind the school.. though of course, Craig beat up anyone who believed in it. Despite the eyewitnesses." Pip shrugged, "And of course, the other rumour that he had confessed to Kyle but really who knows."

"N-ngh! A-Are you guys ready to order?"

The pair at the table glanced up towards Tweek, he had just appeared after their talk about Clyde's possible sexual preference. Darcy was tempted to ask right there and then if that old rumour was true. But he didn't want to be on the other side of Craig's fist.

"Yeah. Just the usual, man." Darcy replied for the both of them. Pip nodded in agreement. The waiter scratched his elbow nervously, "Regular hot chocolate with a vanilla shot and a large cafe latte with day old pastries?" Writing down the order, he left the two to their devices. Darcy watched as the twitchy blond walk away. He was skinny with small hips that naturally swayed as he walked. He wasn't bad looking and would see why Clyde would go for it.

"You finished looking?" Pip asked with a raise of his voice. Darcy blinked, distracted and he turned back to face his friend. "Oh." He pulled on the drawstrings of his coat. "Yeah I'm done."

Pip laughed in response, shaking his head. "You Americans, always so shameless."

"Thanks for walking me home, Darcy." Pip and Darcy stood at the blond boy's doorstep. The lights were on inside, which meant his step parents were home. He had already met them, they were weird and foreign. "Don't mention it." Darcy replied, shrugging his shoulder. "Thanks for coming with me to the grocery store." He added, lifting the plastic bag they had just obtained at the store. "My aunt wants me back before dinner so I can help her. Sorry I can't hang out anymore." His friend brushed it off, shaking his head. "It's quite alright! I have homework and stuff to do anyway."

They said their goodbyes and Darcy began to walk home once he heard the door shut. He sighed, removing his phone from his back pocket to check the time. It was just a little while past 10. Their family always ate late, usually an hour or so before midnight. Both his aunt and uncle worked late and also Michael usually didn't return home until the late hours of the night. Darcy was somewhat of a night owl as well.

Hopping over the chainlink fence, he decided to take the much quicker route to his house through the kid's park. The street lamps were rather far away only illuminating the streets as he was closing in towards the basketball court. There wasn't a single soul in sight, only abandoned toys and junk. It was cold outside and the snow was only sprinkling, a chilling wind passing by every now and then. Darcy pulled at his coat in a sheer attempt to warm himself up. But it proved to hopeless.

Finally passing by the basketball court and into the shopping district, the street lights made it easier to follow the sidewalk. It was quiet as he made his way west, estimating it'd take him another twenty minutes to walk home. Making the corner, he could see some shadows walking towards him. They were tall and clearly older, but Darcy didn't pay attention to them. Maybe if he was a girl or a little bit younger, he would be. But he wasn't, he never ran into trouble in San Diego.

Crossing paths, Darcy side stepped to avoid collision. But his shoulder was racked anyway, causing him to drop his grocery bags. The two men stopped in their path and turned towards him. "Hey there lil' lady, you seemed to drop something." The boy sighed, holding his tongue as he went to pick up what he had dropped. But instead, one of the men, the shorter one picked it up for him. As Darcy reached out for it, the man pulled his hand back. "No need to be shy. Ain't it a bit late for you to be out anyway?" His friend added, Darcy could tell they had just hit the bar. The shorter one reached out and grabbed Darcy's upper arm, his grip was like iron and pulled him close. Causing the boy to stumble and bumping into his chest. It was hard and muscular and he was still a head taller despite being the shorter of the pair.

Pushing against him with his free hand, Darcy tried in vain to be released. But he didn't let go and instead turned him and shoved his chest into the trunk of a solid tree. "Come on, let's hear that pretty voice." The stranger whispered into his ear, his breath stank, and his body was pressed roughly up against his back. "St-Stop, I'm a guy!" Darcy finally gave in, his cheek against the rough of the bark. It scratched his skin and made him itchy.

There was silence between them, the only sound was the flicker of the street lamps and the hum of crickets. It was almost uncomfortable. "..Well, a hole is still a hole." The other man laughed, the one standing behind Darcy agreed and proceeded to pull at the collar of boy's coat. It came off easily and fell to the floor in a clump of thick fabric. He shuddered in the cold, arms bare and suddenly covered in goosebumps. "Get the fuck of-!" Darcy yelled, loudly, but he was cut off by a large palm covering his lips. Both his hands were caught behind his back, held with one hand. The assailant's other hand went around and began to unbutton his jeans. The zip came down and his pants fell to his knees, preventing movement.

Darcy's struggle didn't falter, he tried to bite the hand silencing him, but was to no avail. "Hey, hey, no need for teeth. Let's use that mouth for something else." With those words he removed his hand but then Darcy screamed. He shouted and tried to bite the man. Then, he didn't hesitate and punched the boy rough and hard in the stomach. This caused Darcy to double over and cough. He lost his breath, not being able to make a sound as his underwear was being removed. "N-No.. please!" He begged, struggle becoming slow and weak.

"That's better, now open that pretty little mouth and I'll give you a treat." Darcy clenched his teeth and braced himself, tightly closing his eyes and waiting. His chin was lifted up, but before his eyes could meet with his attacker, a cloud of smoke blinded him. Sparks, almost like fire crackers could be seen in the darkness. He could hear their crackle and snap.

"Wh-What the hell was that?"

"I don't know, hey who-ugh!"

Falling to his knees, his hands were released. Like they were pulled away from him. Quickly, without much thought to who his savior could be. Darcy pulled his underwear and trousers back up his hips. The cold wasn't an issue anymore, simply covering up what was exposed was his concern. As the smoke died down, he could see two bodies on the ground. They were moving, not dead thank God, but he could hear their moans. There was someone else though, standing behind the two unconscious men. He was dressed strangely, in a cape and hood. His clothes were fitting, tight on his body. And there was.. a question mark symbol above his head.

With no regard for who his savior was, Darcy quickly picked himself up from the snow. His coat and the groceries were abandoned, not high on his priority list. He followed the streetlights until he could see his street sign. W. Bonanza. Cursing under his breath, he fell on his ankle. It rolled, causing him to fall. "Mother fu-" Something loud, like wind whipped by behind him. He could feel his hair move, just in the slightest.

"Darcy Park." The voice, low and mysterious spoke behind him. Darcy moved to stand up and make another dash for it, but he stumbled forward instead and winced in stinging pain. It hurt way too much. "P-Please.. I promise I won't say anything. Just let me go home." He pleaded, looking up towards the man. He was a clad in purple. His face covered by a mask, only his lower face showing. They scowled, "I'm not here to hurt you."

Shaking, Darcy asked, "How do you know my name?" The man stood not even a foot on front of him and all Darcy could think was, 'Tall. Scary.' He stepped closer until he eventually kneeled in front of the injured boy. "You twisted your ankle." He stated, reaching out to touch the injury. Darcy glowered and stopped his hand by grabbing it at the wrist. The fact that he ignored his question did not go past him.

They met eyes. His were blue, they weren't diluted by grey and were the purest shade of ocean. Darcy's words left him and the man's hand pulled away and took him at the waist. Effectively lifting him up with both arms.

Standing on one foot, knowing well the pain of his joint, he stood. "W-Wait." Holding onto the mystery man's shoulder to keep his balance, Darcy kept his eyes carefully on the other. "At least tell me what.. your name is." He asked carefully, the man turned his head away. "Not now." He responded in a whisper, Darcy barely picked it up. Narrowing his brows, he was ready to scold him but then he decided not to. He didn't really feel like he should be angry at someone who saved him from almost certain rape and then death.

The mysterious man continued to avert his gaze, looking everywhere by at Darcy. How suspicious. ".. Alright, well just take me home. I live on-" He was cut off, "2211 W. Bonanza St." The man finished his sentence for him. Darcy looked taken aback, but considering this guy already knew his name and his circumstances it wasn't surprising he knew his address as well. ".. Whatever, I have to make dinner so hurry up." He said somewhat bossily, hopefully his aunt wouldn't be too.

Hearing a deep laugh from beside him, Darcy rolled his eyes. Moving his hands, the man guided Darcy's arm over his shoulder and then lifted him up into his arms. With a startled yelp, the boy grabbed onto his savior's chest. "H-Hey, what's the big idea?!" He scowled, pulling on the fabric as if to make a point. "Don't you think I've had enough tonight?" The man above him smirked, looking down towards him briefly, "It's alright. No one can see us." Darcy pouted, clenching his fist but decided not to say anything about it. Better not.

They walked slowly, almost painfully slowly. It made Darcy think that maybe he was a little bit heavy. No, that can't be it. He could see the muscles from beneath his tight clothes. The arms that carried him looked strong and well worked. He must be pretty toned underneath that. Biting his lower lip, he was pulled out of his daze from a loud cough.

"We're here." The man stated, dropping him gently on the front door step. Darcy landed on his good foot, his hand on the door to balance himself. He turned to face the mysterious man, the corner of his lips underneath his mask turned into a smirk. "I hope your ankle is alright. Try not to put any pressure on it." Darcy stared up at him, eyes glazed over in a dreamy stare. He reached up to touch his hood but then he was stopped. "Why won't you let me know?" The stranger shook his head, leaning down until his lips were beside Darcy's ear. He shivered.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Darcy blinked, lips drawn to respond but he was gone. Nothing in his wake. He stared at the space that used to occupy the purple clad of a man. Reaching out, his fingertips only touched cold air. Nothing. Nothing was there.

The window on the second story opened up with a loud clack. His cousin's curly, black haired head poked out with a cigarette between his lips. Michael stared down towards his younger cousin with nothing with boredom in his eyes. "What are you doing just standing there? Fucking retard." Closing the window, he went back inside away from the cold. Darcy rolled his eyes, fishing for his key he pushed it through the lock and popped it open. Stumbling inside, he closed it behind him and walked towards the kitchen.

No one was there, it was empty and dark. He sighed in relief, his aunt and uncle must still be out. Darcy rarely saw them, only on the mornings and sometimes when he came home. Lazily, he opened the fridge to find something to for dinner. Judging by the lack of dishes in the sink, he assumed Michael was waiting on him to make something. Finding some chicken and leftover vegetables, he put them into the sink to prepare. Then he closed the fridge, noticing a post it note in the middle of random brochures and older notes.

'Please make dinner for Michael and yourself, Darcy. We'll be home later tonight.'

Darcy breathed, looking down towards his feet. He took a deep breath, he still needed to think about his homework and assignments. Maybe tomorrow. "Michael, dinner will be ready in half an hour!" Darcy shouted, he knew his cousin heard him. Even if he didn't he'd get him later.

"Wow, so you really did trip over a homeless guy?" Bebe asked in bewilderment, beside her was Wendy and Red, kneeling down in front of Darcy who was seated on the bench on the edge of the football court. He had to tell them he couldn't participate in the cheer because of his ankle, but of course he couldn't tell them the real reason. "Yeah, he was just lying there and I fell straight over. Hurt my ankle pretty bad but the doctor said it'll be fine to walk on in a few days." He rubbed his sore joint, bandages wrapped tight.

Looking up towards his blond friend, he smiled, "Sorry about this, I know how eager you were to give me a place in the routine." Bebe shook her head, arms crossed over her large chest. "It's fine! This kind of thing happens we understand. Just watch for now, Wendy and Red know the routine super well and you'll learn it in no time!" She assured, rubbing his shoulder. Wendy nodded, grinning at him after she stood. "Yeah, it'll be great! I can't wait to show you the moves. We're partners in the routine, so let's sit out together, alright?"

Red and Bebe giggled in unison, glancing between each other. "Right! Well you two have fun, alright?" Red smirked, turning with the blond to make their way towards the other left side on the edge of the football field. Bebe took charge and began to direct the other girls and few guys to their routine. The males looked strong enough to lift two girls at once. Maybe more, even. He couldn't say the same for himself though.

"So.." Wendy began, crossing her legs. They were long and smooth, she looked like she did a lot of cardio. Must be pretty fit to be the captain of the cheer squad. "Why don't you tell me what really happened?" She broke the stare from her legs and Darcy snapped back towards her face. He smiled, not really listening to what she said. "What?" Wendy shook her head, giving him an unconvinced gaze. "Come on Darcy, the other girls may believe your bull but I don't." She touched his shoulder gingerly, "What really happened? It must be important if you felt like you need to hide it."

Darcy swallowed, looking down towards the wet grass. It was warmer today so the snow had melted a little bit. "What are you, some sort of head doctor?" He asked with a slight eyebrow raise, she giggled in response, bumping shoulders gently. "No, I am just good at studying facial expressions." She reassured him and he didn't seem too convinced of that fact. Wendy was obviously a very smart girl and definitely didn't get enough credit for that. But he knew that he couldn't get around her so he gave in.

"Alright, but I'm trusting you with this information." Wendy nodded and gave him a thumbs up, Darcy breathed in deeply, "Last night I was walking home from Pip's house and I ran into some trouble. These two guys were really drunk and we kind of just crossed paths and well.. I guess I was in a heap of trouble." Wendy looked concerned, but Darcy reassured her with a smile. "Anyway, so as I thought my number was up this smoke cloud appeared and then.. I don't know, this guy in purple showed up and beat up the guys harassing me. I was scared so I tried to run away but then I tripped. He then took me home and disappeared. I almost thought it was just a dream but I woke up to my ankle sore as fuck.. And the coat I had dropped then was there on my bed, folded up with a note that had only a question mark on it."

Darcy brushed his bangs back, his heart speeding up at the memory. ".. Yeah, that's the story. It sounds dumb, right? I mean.. I don't know. Do you have any idea who that could be? He was pretty tall, I'd say a head taller than me and his eyes were blue. Not the grey kind, but really, really blue. You know what I mean?" Wendy tilted her head to the side, thinking with her fingertip to her lip. "I understand. I know someone who has eyes just like that." She smiled to herself, eyes cast in a direction past Darcys head.

Following her gaze, he realised she was looking at the football team practicing. Darcy recognised a few faces from class; Stan, Craig, Clyde and Kenny. And then others from different classes below, above and in the same year level. They were guys with mostly similar builds. With strong backs, arms and legs they all must be used to the field. Both Darcy and Wendy were distracted in silence until the loud cheers from the cheer squad interrupted their thoughts.

"Anyway." Wendy breathed, "I have no idea. Tall and blue eyes aren't really much to go on. Are there any other clues that you could tell me?" Darcy hesitated, thinking back on that night. He remembered the important details he thought, but then it suddenly hit him like a train. "He said.. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Before he disappeared." Wendy cocked her head. "School? So that means.. He attends South Park High." The girl scrunched her brows in thought, "That doesn't really narrow it down. But I guess it closes the age bracket." She paused, "Are you sure it was a guy?"

Laughing softly, he nodded firmly. "Believe me, I know. He's definitely a guy." Wendy giggled, nudging his shoulder again. "Sorry, I have no idea. But I'll help you figure out who your mystery man is. Some detective work could be fun"

The football flew over the field, above the heads of practising athletes. Stan ran backwards, arms up to catch the flying pig skin. Glancing for only a second towards the cheerleaders as they began in uproar at their routine. He noticed Wendy beside the new kid, Darcy he thought. Watching carefully, his ex girlfriend touched Darcy's shoulder and they both laughed. They were sitting very close as well.

Not remembering his situation, the ball flew and dropped onto the grass beside him. Clyde and Kenny looked towards each other, the blond then sighed. "I'll see what's wrong now." Clyde pat him on the back as his friend ran over to the raven haired captain. "Stan!" He called, approaching him but his friend didn't look away from them. Kenny followed his gaze towards where Wendy and Darcy were and he frowned. "Dude, don't dwell on that sort of thing." Though of course, Stan didn't pay attention and his jaw tightened, Kenny gave him a sympathetic expression and picked up the football. He shoved it into Stan's hands. "Dude." He said firmly.

Finally giving in, his captain broke away from his daze. "Like I care. Really." Stan rolled his eyes, "Everyone take a fifteen minute break!" He called over the other players, everyone seemed to be happy to have a break and dispersed appropriately.

Kenny touched Stan's shoulder, looking slightly worried. "Let's talk."

I kind of wanted to write more about Stan/ Kenny/ Kyle/ Cartman but I spent too much time dwelling on Darcy.. I'll try to write more of the other characters in the future :) Sorry about that I kind of just wanted to get some plot in there instead of waffling on about nothing.