I'm afraid we won't be seeing Tweek again for some time. But we will get to see Craig's reaction to him going missing. And what does Clyde think of it? Well…

Chapter 2 – Clyde

When Clyde walked down the stairs on Tuesday morning he saw his dad talking on the phone with someone. He was talking in a quiet and hushed tone and Clyde wondered if something was wrong. He walked a little closer to see if he could hear what he was saying.

"Uh-huh. No, I understand. Yes, I'll be sure to ask him. Don't worry, Mrs. Tweak, I'm sure he'll turn up." Mr. Donovan hung up, then turned around and spotted his son. "Clyde, that was Mrs. Tweak on the phone just now," he told him, "She was wondering if you've seen her son, Tweek at all recently."

Clyde fought to keep his face calm and emotionless. He had expected this. "I saw him yesterday at Craig's house," he replied, "We were playing video games after school. She might want to try there."

"No, she called Craig's house first," his father informed him, "Craig said he left after dinner. Apparently, though, he never came home. The Tweaks are getting really worried."

"I'm sure he's fine," Clyde dismissed nonchalantly, "He's probably off having a panic attack somewhere. He'll turn up at school."

With that, Clyde quickly left the room to get ready for school. He had a feeling everyone was going to be gossiping about Tweek today, and Craig would need comfort if Tweek didn't show up.

Ever since the third grade, Clyde had fallen deeply in love with Craig. He knew it was wrong to be in love with his best friend, but he couldn't help himself. He had tried to suppress his feelings, but they only grew stronger with time. He wanted to spend every waking moment with Craig by his side.

Which was why when he started dating Tweek Clyde had become incredibly bitter and jealous. He grew to hate the little blond-haired spaz and how he had managed to get with Craig by accident. Clyde often found himself staring at Tweek, wishing he were dead or anywhere else in the world.

As Clyde approached the bus stop, he could see Craig waiting, staring down, and fidgeting uncontrollably. Taking a deep breath, Clyde walked over to him.

"Hey man," he greeted, "What's wrong? You looked distressed."

"Tweek's mom called this morning," Craig informed him, "He didn't come home last night. I'm really worried about him."

Clyde gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sure Tweek is fine," he assured his friend, "He probably just had a panic attack and got a little lost or something."

"But what if something happened to him?" Craig asked, "Something horrible? It would be my fault! I should've tried harder to get him to stay last night."

As Craig started shaking, Clyde put an arm around him and pressed him against his side. He whispered gently to him, assuring him that everything would be fine. Craig didn't reply, but allowed Clyde to hold him.

The bus finally pulled up, and Clyde and Craig got on. Clyde gently guided Craig to the back of the bus so they wouldn't be disturbed.

"I bet that Jackson guy had something to do with it," Craig muttered as the bus drove to school, "He beat up Tweek yesterday, and he's always stalking Tweek."

Clyde just barely held himself back from saying, "Yeah, I know, I saw it happen." Instead he took a breath. "Yeah, that guy is a real jerk," he said, "I can't believe he picks on Tweek so much. He wouldn't be so cocky when you were around."

Craig sighed. "I just hope he's ok," he murmured quietly.

It hurt Clyde to see his best friend so torn up like that. He wanted to say something to cheer him up, but nothing came to mind. Instead he put his arms around Craig and pulled him close. "Er, Craig?" he started.

"Yeah?"

"Um, never mind," Clyde said quickly, chickening out. Craig gave him a quizzical look, but didn't question him.

When they got to school, Clyde went with Craig to the advisor's office to get his lunch period switch. Craig insisted that he still wanted to go through with it even though Tweek wasn't there today. Afterwards they decided to ditch first period. Clyde could tell Craig wasn't really in the mood to try to pay attention in school, so Clyde insisted they at least skip first period so Craig could collect himself.

They sat outside where Craig and Tweek usually hung out. Clyde sat next to his friend, quietly smoking a cigarette as Craig rested his head on his knees. Craig didn't mind that Clyde smoked; Craig had taken up smoking for a while, but quit because it upset Tweek. He was already twitchy enough from the meth his parents put in his coffee, he didn't need the second-hand smoke from Craig. Plus, Tweek had complained that Craig's breath always tasted of smoke. So, he had quickly dropped the habit.

It was another thing that had annoyed Clyde about Tweek. If Tweek didn't like Craig smoking, then tough! He should get over it.

Clyde tried not to linger on those thoughts at the moment. He was supposed to be comforting Craig. He pressed himself to his friend's side and put an arm around him.

"It'll be ok, Craig," Clyde told him softly, "Tweek's a fighter. I don't think anything too bad could've happened to him. I'm sure he'll turn up by the end of the day."

Craig closed his eyes and didn't say anything. Clyde could feel him trembling slightly. Sighing, he pressed a little closer. He had never seen Craig so upset before. He usually kept up such a cool, uncaring air about him that didn't break down for anything. More than anything, Clyde wanted to kiss him and tell him everything would be all right. But he knew if he tried to randomly kiss Craig he would get smacked.

After first period they went to the rest of their classes until lunch. Craig's lunch switch was effective immediately, so he went with Clyde to the cafeteria. They got their food and sat down, but Craig simply stared down at his food, not eating any of it. Clyde sighed a little.

"Dude, you have to eat something," he pointed out.

"I'm not hungry," Craig muttered.

Before Clyde could argue with him, Jackson and his gang sauntered up to them, and Clyde looked up to glare at them. Oh, they were getting bold. He noticed Craig look up as well, and he could see hatred flare up in his eyes.

"Hey Tucker," Jackson greeted mockingly, "Where's your fag friend today? Didn't show up to school? Or did he finally do the world a favor and shoot himself?" His goons started laughing, but it didn't last long as Craig snapped.

With lightning speed, Craig stood and punched Jackson square in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. Everyone nearby stopped and stood up to watch, and Jackson's friends stared in horror. Clyde quickly moved to Craig's side in case he needed help. Jackson glared up at the two of them.

"What the fuck, man?" he asked.

"What did you do to Tweek?!" Craig shouted at him, "I know you had something with him not being here! What have you done to him!?"

"I haven't done anything to that fucking little fag!" Jackson snarled, "I haven't touched him at all!"

"Bullshit!" Craig hissed, "He told me what you did to him yesterday! Do you think I'm stupid? I know you idiots torment him on a daily basis! What's the matter? Too afraid to face me, so you have to settle on someone too nervous to fight back?"

"I'm not afraid of you," Jackson growled, but Clyde could tell he was lying. He could see the fear in his eyes. Craig was much tougher than him and his goons. And they all knew it.

Craig crouched down and grabbed Jackson by the collar, then lifted him up off his feet. The pure hatred that showed in Craig's eyes frightened Clyde a little. He didn't know his friend could get so worked up like this.

"I swear," Craig hissed low enough that only he, Jackson, and Clyde could hear, "If you do anything to hurt Tweek ever again, I'll make sure no one ever hears from you ever again."

To punctuate this, he gave Jackson one more punch in the stomach before storming out of the cafeteria. Without even stopping to see anyone's reactions, Clyde quickly ran after him. He quickly caught up to him as he stomped outside, and he gently wrapped his arms around him to cool him down.

"Hey, it's ok," he murmured to Craig, "Calm down. I don't think he'll be bothering you anymore."

But Craig was shaking with anger in Clyde's arms. "How dare he talk about Tweek that way?" he hissed, "If I find out he did anything to Tweek, I'll fucking kill him."

Clyde sighed and gently pressed Craig closer. "I know, dude," he said gently, "I'm worried about him too. But I don't think attacking Jackson will do any good."

Slowly, Craig stopped shaking, and he gently leaned into Clyde. Without letting him see, a smile worked its way onto Clyde's face. He leaned over and lightly touched the side of Craig's forehead with his lips. Not really a kiss or anything, more of a gesture of reassurance. He felt a single tremor run through Craig's body.

"Can you walk home with me?" Craig asked quietly, "I don't think I can stay here for the rest of the day. I won't be able to focus."

Clyde smiled warmly. "Of course, bud," he replied, slinging an arm around his shoulders, "Who needs this place?"

When they got to Clyde's house, he carefully made sure his dad wasn't home before letting Craig inside. Clyde led him over to the couch where Craig flopped down unhappily, and put his feet up on the low coffee table. Clyde went over and sat next to him.

Clyde could tell Craig didn't want to talk at the moment. His eyes were closed and he had a frown on his face. Clyde sighed. Maybe he should tell Craig what he saw last night. That would at least get him to talk. But then, he might hate Clyde for withholding information. Perhaps it would just best to keep quiet and comfort him.

"Do you want to talk at all?" Clyde asked.

"Not really," Craig muttered, his eyes still closed, "I'm just so worried about him. And you know the police won't be capable enough to do anything. I'm scared I won't ever see him again. I'm afraid…" His voice broke as he paused, and Clyde could hear the overwhelming sadness in his voice.

"Afraid of what?" Clyde wondered.

"I'm afraid I lost my chance to tell him…"

Clyde felt his heart drop. "Tell him what?" he asked, his voice low.

A tear came to Craig's eye as he folded his legs up and hugged them. "I love him," he whispered, "I kept denying it, but I can't any more. I'm in love with Tweek. And now I may never get to tell him."

"Don't say that," Clyde murmured, "I'm sure he'll turn up. Maybe he's not even missing. I mean, a person isn't technically missing until he's been gone for two or three days, right?"

Craig didn't respond but merely scoffed. Clyde sighed and moved over to press against him. "Craig, I hate seeing you like this," he told his friend, "Isn't there anyway I can make you feel better?"

"You can tell me where Tweek is," Craig muttered, resting his head on his knees.

"I don't know where he is," Clyde replied, sighing. It hurt him to lie to his best friend, but he knew this was the only way he could get what he wanted. Craig buried his face in his knees.

As he watched his friend sulk, Clyde decided to take a chance. He moved closer to Craig and gently reached over and cupped his chin, lifting his head up. As Craig blinked in confusion, Clyde leaned over and pressed his lips to his neck. He felt Craig shiver at his touch, but he ignored it as he ran his mouth over his skin.

"Clyde," Craig breathed, "What are you doing?"

Clyde paused to answer. "I just want to try to make you feel better," he said, "I can't bring Tweek back. But maybe I can get your mind off him for a little while."

He heard Craig take a breath, as if he were about to protest, but Clyde kissed his neck again, and that breath caught in his friend's throat. Clyde moved closer so he could taste more of his neck. He wrapped an arm around Craig, and he felt him start to relax a little. His knees fell, and he allowed Clyde to kiss his neck deeper. Clyde happily accepted.

After a little while of feeling Craig's neck, Clyde decided to try pushing it a little further. He carefully pushed Craig onto his back and moved to lay on top of him. He felt Craig's breath catch again, but he didn't say anything. Venturing a little further, Clyde pulled away and stared down at his friend whom he loved so much. Craig stared back, eyes a bit wider than usual, and with a spark of curiosity of what he would do.

Just barely managing to contain himself, Clyde leaned down and kissed Craig fully on the lips. He felt Craig shudder once beneath him and take a sharp breath. Clyde had to remind himself not to stick his tongue down his love's throat. No, that would come later. He wanted to ease into it so Craig wouldn't suspect anything and get freaked out. He also had to stop himself from grinding his hips against his friend. He had to stick to gentle kissing for now, which luckily it seemed Craig was willing to let him do.

Clyde decided to be a bit braver and kissed Craig even deeper. He felt his own heart pounding in his chest and he was excited when he felt Craig gently kiss him back. He knew his friend was probably only doing this out of comfort, but Clyde didn't care. He had waited for this moment since the third grade. To feel Craig pressing back on him as Clyde kissed him. Clyde gently ran his fingers under Craig's blue chullo hat and entangled them in his long black hair. He sighed into his friend's mouth.

After a while of gentle kissing, Clyde pulled away and gently tucked his face into Craig's neck. His heart felt full at the moment, and he was pleased that Craig was no longer shivering underneath him. He heard his friend sigh.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Craig asked, "I don't want to be alone."

Clyde smiled to himself. "Sure," he replied, "But we'll have to go to your house."

"Why?"

Because my dad doesn't like you, Clyde thought, He knows I'm in love with you and hates that I'm gay for you.

"I always feel more comfortable at your house," he said. It wasn't a total lie. Clyde always felt much more welcome at Craig's house than his own. Especially ever since Clyde accidentally killed his own mom, his father was distant towards him.

Craig sighed again. "Fine," he muttered.

"You're very cozy, by the way," Clyde added, snuggling himself against Craig.

"Get off of me."

Craig and Clyde decided to head to the other house sometime after 3 so Craig's mom wouldn't know he had skipped. "Mom! I'm home!" Craig called as he and Clyde entered. Mrs. Tucker appeared in the doorway. She looked slightly upset.

"Hello dear," she greeted, "Oh, and hello Clyde."

"Hi, Mrs. Tucker," Clyde greeted politely.

"Clyde's staying over tonight," Craig told his mom. Look on her face told Clyde she knew why.

"Good," she said, "I'll make sure to set an extra plate for him." She then retreated back to the kitchen.

"Your mom looked kind of sad," Clyde noted when she had left.

"She always looks sad these days," Craig commented, "But she got really upset when she got that phone call from the Tweaks this morning. She really likes Tweek. I think she secretly wants his parents to do something horrible and be sent to jail so she can adopt him."

Clyde grinned at his statement. "He does have that 'adopt me' kind of charm, doesn't he?" he said, gently nudging his friend.

To Clyde's joy, Craig allowed himself to smile. "Yeah," he said quietly, "He did." Then he frowned again as he started thinking of Tweek. Clyde gently wrapped his arms around him in comfort.

"Come on," he encouraged, "You want to play a game or something until dinner is ready?"

"Sure," Craig muttered. He followed Clyde out to the living room. They played some random shooter games until Mrs. Tucker called them for dinner. The family ate quietly, and Clyde was annoyed. He knew that all three of them were thinking of Tweek. After dinner, Clyde took Craig's hand and took him up to his room. They sat down on his bed and Clyde looked at Craig.

"Are you doing ok?" he asked.

Craig shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted, "I can't stop thinking of Tweek. I would give anything to know what happened to him. Where is he?"

Clyde felt his heart drop again. He knew what happened to Tweek. He had seen everything. He had seen the man's face clearly and he knew who it was. He knew Tweek couldn't see well in the dark or dim lighting, but he could. He had been watching from behind a tree when Tweek was abducted. It would be so easy to just come clean and tell Craig everything. To end his misery and suffering.

But at the same time, Clyde knew he could never tell Craig what he had seen. If Craig knew he had been holding back that kind of information all day, Craig would never forgive him. He had just started getting Craig to know his feelings for him, and he didn't want to ruin by having Tweek return. He knew he had to stay silent.

As Craig sat staring at the floor, Clyde slid over next to him, leaned over, and kissed his neck. He heard Craig take a sharp breath and lift his head.

"Clyde…" Craig began.

"Hush," Clyde whispered into his neck, "Just let me do this for you."

Craig didn't reply, but silently let Clyde continue kissing him. Clyde grinned and started kissing Craig's throat, gently running his mouth over his skin and tasting him. He felt Craig's breath catch as he started kissing along his jawline. When he was done kissing every inch of Craig's neck and making him shudder, Clyde gently pushed his friend onto his back. He carefully moved on top of him and laid himself down, covering Craig's body with his own. He waited a moment, to see if Craig would protest, but he didn't.

Leaning down, Clyde decided to kiss Craig's neck some more, now that he had a better angle. He felt Craig shudder once beneath him as his lips lightly touched his skin. Clyde liked the way Craig tasted; he kissed his neck deeper so he could taste him. He kissed his way up his throat before finally capturing Craig's lips with his own. He kissed him gently at first, but slowly started kissing him deeper and harder. Craig closed his eyes and accepted his friend. Clyde's heart lifted when he felt him gently kissing him back.

The two of them lay there, gently kissing until night fell. Clyde didn't know exactly how much time had passed, but for him, he felt like he could lie there and kiss Craig all night. He had Craig's shoulders pinned to his bed, while Craig had an arm wrapped around him while his other hand was tangled in Clyde's hair. They kissed deeply, and in Clyde's case rather passionately. When they finally stopped kissing, Clyde carefully rolled off of Craig and lay beside him. They lay in silence for a while before one of them spoke.

"Clyde?" Craig said in a low voice.

"Yeah?" Clyde asked.

"Thanks for trying to take my mind off of things," his friend said, "I really needed the comfort today."

Clyde smiled. "Of course," he replied, "I would do anything for you."

Craig didn't respond, but moved himself over so he was snuggling up against Clyde. Clyde wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer. He took a sharp breath when he felt Craig gently press his face into his neck. Before long, Clyde could hear his peaceful breathing. He was asleep. Clyde smiled to himself.

Finally, Craig belonged to him. And there was no Tweek around to steal him away.

That's the end of that chapter! I want to try to make every chapter at least three thousand words long. It'll be hard, but that's my goal.

Anyway, I hope this insight to Clyde's mind clears a few things up. You may hate Clyde for lying to Craig and not telling him what he saw, but don't condone him too much. He's doing it out of love.

Please leave a review and constructive criticism is always welcome!