A/N: Hi. So, uh... Sorry for taking so long. I've been sitting on 4 or 5 half-written chapters for... oh, months now. Between a pretty bad depressive episode and my life going from zero to f #king crazy lately this just sort of fell to the side. But I'm going to do better, and an end to Exothermia should be coming within the foreseeable future! And after that, boy do I have plans for spring. Another multi-chapter fic, a comedy similar to Water but with dramatic threads, and a few one shots.
That's all, sorry.
xxx
"The Moon," The Swell Season"The Moon," The Swell Season
xxx
Craig jerked awake at five AM.
The sudden clatter of a passing gurney and three EMTs passed through the half-empty Emergency Room pulled him out of a hazy sleep. Sharp pain clenched in his neck, and he instantly regretted falling asleep in the chair.
Exhaustion pulled at every fiber of his body, but he knew sleep was a thing of the past.
His mom was in the hospital. Ruby was with Token. His dad sat across from him, his chin bobbing against his chest as he dozed in and out of sleep. Ginger whiskers almost half an inch long covered his jawline. Mom usually made him shave.
He'd come home just past two AM and met Craig in the waiting room. They weren't allowed past the white door into the triage yet, and Craig suspected that neither of them really had the guts to venture there yet anyway.
Craig noticed the ER had its own kind of rhythm. After a while it was natural to filer out all the noise and chaos and all that was left was the awful quiet and the gurgling fish tank and the flickering television.
Around seven he gave up, pulled his hat over his messy hair and walked outside to watch passing traffic. He almost wished he was a cigarette smoker like Tweek, if at least for something to do with his hands.
Back inside, he found father in the cafeteria with a bowl of cheerios.
"Morning."
"Morning," Craig said.
"Here, eat something," he said, handing Craig a few crumpled dollar bills.
Craig sat across from him, shaking his head.
"I'm not hungry."
"Sure?"
"Yeah."
"I just heard from her nurses, a few minutes ago."
"Oh."
"She's going to be fine. For now, at least."
"Oh."
Craig was staring at his sleeve cuffs again, pulling them over his hands.
"Uh, great," he said.
"Yeah. But I need to discuss… insurance, and options. I'm going to pick up Ruby from the Black's, and drop you both back off at home. You need to get some sleep."
"Okay."
The house was quiet as a graveyard, and despite himself Craig fell asleep on his couch, next to a pile of books and school papers and bits of popcorn and Rosie's bedding.
By four PM, his mother was discharged from the hospital and for the first time in ages, they were all home again. Craig watched cartoons with his sister for while his parents locked themselves upstairs, the low rumbling sound of his dad's voice leaking through the floorboards. Finally, his father emerged again. He turned off the television, and sat across from his children.
"Your mother's taking a nap," he began.
"Is mom still… sick?" Ruby asked.
His father, the tall, hulking, ginger man he had always feared and respected and loved unconditionally couldn't look his daughter in the eyes. He sighed and stared at the floor.
"That's the thing, honey. We've talked this over, and decided the best thing is for your mom to go to rehab. We found a good program out in Springsdale with a 60-day inpatient program we can afford."
Springsdale was four hours away. Still, this was important. This was good. Craig pulled his knees up to his chest like Tweek always did, gripping his elbows.
"But it might take longer than that," his dad continued. "I don't know. I honestly just... don't know. We need time to give our family a second chance. And that means time, and protecting both of you. It's not going to be a pretty process."
"But what about you? What about your truck route?" Craig asked.
"Yeah. I can't quit that. We can't afford it. So I've been talking with our relatives, asking for help, for a place for you two to live while we sort all this out."
"Who exactly have you asked?" Craig asked. There weren't a lot of Tucker relatives, and there were very few he could actually stand.
"For starters, Aunt Helen."
"Aunt Helen?" Craig asked in disbelief. He glanced at Ruby, who sat silent on the couch, staring at the floor.
Aunt Helen was a disgraceful slob. She had a hoarding problem, and the family usual did their best to ignore her.
He pressed on before Craig could argue.
"She's offered to take in Ruby. She's close to home, and that's what counts."
"Wait- But, only Ruby?" Craig asked.
A moment of silence. "Yes. Thankfully, Craig, the Donners have opened up their home to you."
"As in your cousin Donny Donner? In Maine?" Craig felt livid shock. There was no way. There was no way he was being sent to Maine.
"Craig, I'm sorry, I wish there was a better way, but..."
"No… My entire life is here. How would we even pay for me to go there?"
"I'm doing the best I can."
"Why can't I stay here?"
"What, all alone? Craig, you're seventeen!"
"Yeah, seventeen! Nearly an adult. I'm going to be leaving home soon enough. I have to learn sooner or later, right? And, I mean... my grades have been better this year. I've been doing better." He paused, stared imploringly at his dad. "Please don't send me to Maine."
He heaved a sigh. "Okay, I'll think about it. That's it. No promises."
Craig started chewing on his lip. He couldn't go to Maine for a month. His school was here. It would fuck up his graduation. Tweek was here. Clyde was here, Token was here. He literally wasn't sure he could function without those three assholes.
"When is mom leaving? When are you leaving?"
He realized Ruby and his dad were still talking, neither looking at each other.
"That's the thing, honey. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
Of course he was.
"I'm really sorry. If I could change this, I would."
"So, what does that mean?"
Craig realized Ruby was pale, clutching her hands in her lap. He wanted to do something, wished he wasn't such a gigantic asshole, fucking up something that was equally awful for his sister. Wished he hadn't…
"I need you to pack tonight. I'll take you later early tomorrow when I leave." Ruby went back to staring at her hands. "I'm taking your mom too, and dropping her off at the facility on my way to Idaho tomorrow."
Craig wondered if they had already booked a flight for him, but didn't ask. Ruby left to pack, and Craig sat alone on the couch in the empty room for a while, staring at the silently flickering television.
It was the same game show he'd half-watched with Tweek last weekend.
He stood at Ruby's door twenty minutes later, stomach heavy and churning. He knocked.
"What? What do you want?" her voice was muffled through her closed door, but he knew permission to enter when he heard it. He slowly opened her door and entered, closing it after himself.
She stared at him in indignation and rolled her eyes before resuming folding up clothes.
Her room was still the same awful shade of lavender she had insisted on painting it nearly ten years ago. She had posters for her favorite bands hung up, most of them featuring an attractive, scowling male lead.
Her room was a twin bed, striped pink and blue comforter, dresser and floor and nightstands littered with nail polish, eye shadow, painted ceramic figurines, body spray and colorful gel pens, barbie remnants, a training bra, her soccer equipment. He closed the door after himself and slumped down, sitting against it.
"What are you doing in my room?" She was facing her closet.
"Ruby."
She ignored him, folded up two sweaters.
"Ruby, come on."
"What? What do you want?"
"I don't know."
She looked at him. The fear, uncertainty, and anger bled through her eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said. He hadn't meant to, the words just sort of spilled out.
"It's... not your fault."
"I know. But still."
The intensity in her eyes cooled somewhat, but she didn't respond. Turned back to the closet.
"What are you going tell Tweek?" she asked.
"I don't know."
"I know you two are like, making out or whatever now."
"That figures."
"It's super fucking obvious."
Normally Craig would flip her off for that, but he didn't have the energy, and she was probably right. She looked at him again, but the antagonistic teasing light usually in her eyes when she asked about Tweek was gone.
"You really like him?"
Craig shrugged, nodded.
She paused, blinking quickly and staring at a pile of shirts, swallowing. Craig could practically sense the words fighting their way out.
"Thank you," she said finally. "For, you know. Mom. And everything."
He crossed the distance between them and wrapped her in a hug. She froze her shoulders and didn't return it; they never touched. He didn't mind.
"It's going to be okay," he said, trying his best not to choke up. "I'm going to stay here, and I'm going to make sure you don't have to stay with her as much as possible. Okay?"
He could feel her nodding, didn't blame her for not responding. Her arms wrapped around him in return.