Chapter 20:
Stan Marsh: Owner of Hat as of Recently (And Certified Jackass!)

"FIGHT! FIGHT! THERE'S A FIGHT OUTSIDE, EVERYONE COME LOOK!" Cartman's voice comes like a siren, calling out gleefully through the halls with his hands cupping his mouth. He passes right next to Craig, Jimmy and Tolkien to continue broadcasting the news to the rest of the school.

The group hasn't seen Clyde since the start of lunch break, but since they know he had been with Cartman, that probably means that right now he's outside watching it. "You don't think Clyde would try and beat someone up, right?"

"If anything, someone would try and beat hi-hi-hiii… Someone would try to beat him up."

"Let's go look then," Tolkien says, not very successfully masking his excitement at the prospect of a school fight.

They barely make it a couple steps before the person of their conversation runs up to them, the frantic looking Clyde seeming relieved to spot them. "Oh, h-hey guys… Whatcha up to?" he asks, out of breath.

"We're going to watch the fight." Craig tells him.

Clyde grimaces. "What? The fight? Pshh! It's so boring! It's not that good, you guys. A waste of time, if you were to ask me."

"But everyone's coming to see it." Tolkien points out as he gestures to everyone else that are on their way to the outside. Craig, just like everyone else, is mildly intrigued and interested to see what's going on. It's a distraction from everything else happening in his life. But the way Clyde is acting is admittedly pretty suspicious, and has him even more fascinated.

"Come on, before it ends!" Jimmy calls. They side step Clyde but someone grabs Craig's arm and has him stopping in place.

"C-Craig…" Clyde pants as their other two other friends quickly scurry off the area, "That's not a good idea. You shouldn't go."

"What are you talking about? Let go." He tugs at Clyde's hand lazily but then he's being pushed against the locker, his back making a bang noise and they both balk. Luckily, at this point they're the only ones still in the vicinity. "Ow!"

"Shoot. Sorry, dude."

"What did you do that for?!"

Clyde lets go of him, looking guilty, "I'm sorry, man. But I don't know how or if I should tell you this…" He fidgets, biting his thumb's nail with his eyes jumping around the hallway nervously. This is really fucking strange, and Craig's getting impatient.

"Just spit it out."

"Uhm. Has, by any chance, your boyfriend been in a bad mood the last time you've seen him?"

Craig pauses. And for a moment, he thinks he understands that confusing state Kyle was in the last time he talked to him. Is Clyde talking about Tweek? Is he just changing the subject? "What are you talking about."

"I think he's beating up Stan as we speak."

Craig furrows his brow.

"Now don't be mad—"

"Are you kidding?" Clyde winces, "Someone's beating Stan Marsh right now and we're not there to see it?!" Whether it really is Tweek he's talking about, which is unlikely because… Yeah— There's no way Craig is missing out on this. He doesn't hate Stan as much as he probably broadcasts, but that doesn't mean he's open to the idea of missing this out.

"Craig!" Clyde blocks him, seeming impatient himself. To be frank, Craig's a little intimidated for a half second, and shuts up. Clyde sighs. "This Tweek fellow seems very… Dangerous. And short tempered." Alright, so it seems it is Tweek they are both thinking of. But how did Clyde learn his name? Why is Tweek even here? And why the hell is he fighting Stan Marsh? "And I don't mean to be mean, Craig… But you're not really the most… calming… reasonable polite guy out there. Are you sure you can handle him?"

Craig feels something turn in his stomach.

Can he handle Tweek?

He had been doing fine at keeping Tweek calm whenever he seemed like he was going to freak out. But it's not like he'd known him for that long… and he doubts those freak-out episodes will stop anytime soon… There's so much about Tweek that he doesn't understand— he barely knows him!

If he can't reason with Tweek one of those times he slips out, then what will become of that? He doesn't like to see Tweek anxious. If he fails, will he become violent and lash out? Or will he run? Farther away than Craig had ever gone, into the forest or to hide in his pond forever and ever and give up on ever trying to understand humans. Humans like Craig, who don't understand him.

Craig bites his lip as he nudges Clyde away lightly from where he is still cornering him against the lockers. "I… I think so… I don't know." Craig admits, feeling his heart sink as he looks dejectedly down at the ground.

Clyde frowns, looking just as sad as Craig feels. "No! I didn't mean for you to question it, Craig!" He fidgets with his coat's buttons for a few seconds as they stay in silence before it seems Clyde finds his determination and sobers up. "No. We're gonna get him and talk to him! If this boy makes you happy, then you shouldn't give up on him!"

Craig purses his lips, gaze lifting from the floor to look at his best friend. What did he do to deserve such a bro? "Okay… Let's go."

Clyde smiles wide and then he's jogging towards the exit, where everyone has gone. Craig doesn't jog, so he just fast-walks that direction. He turns a few corners and he can just see Clyde push open the doors and run out on the other end of the hall to the outside when yet another person takes it upon themselves to slide in front of him and stop Craig in his tracks. "Hey!"

"Craig, wait!" Kenny's muffled voice lets out as he struggles to not fall on his ass after he slid in like he isn't even wearing shoes, but just socks.

Craig looks down at his legs. Oh. Never mind. "What do you want."

Kenny whizzes a sigh, struggling to take a breath with all the layers he has on him, especially in front of his breathing holes. "Are you really into burgers?"

Craig sidesteps him. Kenny grabs onto his shoulder and flips him around. "Okay, wait I was kidding." He smiles, but Craig doesn't respond. "Uh what I wanted to says is… I know you're gonna go out and question or reprimand Tweek or worry about him or I dunno. But, like, I talked to him yesterday you know… He's not all that stupid."

Craig frowns at him, eye twitching. What kind of impression has he been giving Kenny recently? "Yeah. I know that."

"No, I mean, Yes. Well— No…" Kenny sighs. "He's actually pretty fucking smart. Maybe not about what we 'humans' do and our traditions, and he really seems to be suspicious of pretty much anyone… But he learns pretty quickly about what a person might be thinking."

"Uh, okay? Why are you telling me this?"

"Just… Listen," he says sternly, and Craig figures that Tweek really had made some connection with Kenny for whatever reason. "I don't really know him either, but I really, really don't want him to go back to wherever he came from, okay? Don't question why. The point is, that if you mess up with him, then I'm screwed too, understand?"

Craig narrows his eyes. "I'm not planning on doing anything stupid."

"Good. So just stop acting like you know what's best for him. I'm not talking about what he does in front of others or in public; I'm talking about something more than that. Like, y'know,"

Craig's mind momentarily halts at that. Tweek is smart when it comes to something that Craig should worry about, that isn't other people. …Or not worry about, as Kenny says.

"Well, that's all I wanted to say. Bye, I guess, Craig." He waves goodbye and marches out of the building, probably to watch the fight like everyone else.

Tweek is smart, Craig agrees. He's very nice and good. There are a lot of positive things about Tweek that Craig likes. Craig starts walking at a slower pace towards the doors, this time not that bothered at the prospect of missing out on Stan eating snow. Tweek seems loyal— he came back to Craig when someone drowned at Stark's Pond the night before, and he tried his best to help with getting the Blubberry Brand Strawberry and Lemon Flavored Diet Soda and even followed Craig into the school. Oh, and he's also very pretty and makes Craig feel wanted like he had never felt before.

But despite that, Tweek is still independent and smart. He figured out a lot of the functions of human devices pretty easily after Craig had explained them to him once. In a few days' time, he'll probably be able to button his shirt up correctly. He made sure Craig knew he didn't need him when talking to Kenny. Or with his mom, for a matter of fact, when they were in the car this morning.

That's right… Tweek doesn't need Craig to protect him— maybe to show him what to do and how things work, sure— but… He doesn't need to protect Tweek from other people or situations, or his feelings, in fact. He shouldn't assume that Tweek would get hurt from Craig's emotions towards him.

If he wants Tweek to trust him, he should have faith in him as well, right?

If he can't handle it, in the end… then Craig should show him there's nothing to be scared about. If he shouldn't fear his own crush, then why should Tweek?

Craig makes up his mind, and pushes the doors open.