Craig wakes up to the blaring of his alarm, his eyes taking a minute to adjust to the bright light streaming through his window. He picks his phone up off the night stand and turns the screen on briefly, vaguely registering that today is Halloween.

He sighs and rolls onto his back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He stares at the stars above his bed, a sick feeling settling in his stomach. The same feeling he's been having nearly every day for the past month and a half, ever since he made the stupid decision to give Clyde a second chance. He never realized how many things in his life reminded him of his former best friend until he had a real reason to want to forget him.

Craig has barely heard anything from Clyde since that night. He knows Clyde is avoiding him. He's not exactly subtle about it. He averts his gaze whenever they pass in the hall. He makes a point to avoid leaving his house when Craig is sitting on the porch smoking. Craig has even caught him taking the long way through the science wing just to avoid walking by Craig's locker on his way to some classes. The look on his face when Craig ran into him outside the bio lab on his way back from a smoke break was priceless. Needless to say, Clyde doesn't take that way anymore.

If Craig is being honest with himself, he's still angry. But now he can't pinpoint if he's more angry at Clyde for being an asshole or at himself for being so stupid. Token and Tweek have tried their best to comfort him, but there's only so much they can do. Although Craig does have to admit that hanging out with Tweek on the weekends has helped immensely.

Craig throws his blankets off and climbs out of bed, grabbing a change of clothes before heading to the shower. He's almost to the bathroom when he's intercepted by Ruby, already dressed and showered in spite of her school day starting later.

"Are you going anywhere tonight?" she asks.

Craig shrugs. "Not planning on it. I'll probably just stay home and watch movies."

Ruby rolls her eyes, the family resemblance abundantly clear in that moment. "That's boring. Where's your Halloween spirit?"

"I'll only watch scary movies then."

"You could come with me and Karen. We were just gonna wander the neighborhood in our costumes," she offers.

"I'm not dressing up with you guys," Craig says, readjusting the clothes under his arm.

"Aw come on! We do still need a Buttercup," Ruby gives him her famous puppy eyes, and Craig sighs heavily.

"I'll think about it," he says, and he closes the bathroom door behind him before Ruby can say anything else. He knows she's gonna do whatever it takes to drag him out of the house tonight, and if he's honest with himself, he's not entirely opposed to the idea.

Other than Token and Tweek, Ruby has been the biggest help in the mess Craig currently calls his life. She prods and meddles and goes through his phone a lot, but Craig can honestly say he doesn't know where he'd be right now without her seemingly infinite middle school wisdom. He makes a mental note to ask her later how she got so smart about relationships as he finishes undressing and steps into the shower.

By the time Craig makes it out of the shower and dressed, he's running late and cursing himself for his inability to not completely space out while bathing. Craig makes it to school with only a minute to spare, his boots semi-untied and his bag haphazardly shoved in his locker. He grabs his books for his first class and turns only to run headlong into the one person he didn't want to see today.

"Sorry," Clyde says and stops, his eyes wide, but for once he looks right at Craig for more than a split second. "I- how are you?"

Craig raises an eyebrow and wants to punch himself when he feels the flutter of hope in his chest. Better to quash this now. "Busy," he says shortly, and he pushes past Clyde before he can say anything in response.

He wants to punch himself even more when he feels guilt replacing that hope on his way to class.

Clyde doesn't try to talk to him for the rest of the day much to Craig's relief, but he still can't seem to shake his regret at how he acted earlier. He can't even begin to understand why he is feeling guilty. He starts to wonder if maybe he enjoys Clyde's revolving door act as he watches houses go by through the bus window. Why else would he still care how Clyde is feeling?

He grips his bag tight and trudges off the bus, fighting the urge to glance toward Clyde's house. He starts wondering how different things would be if he had actually made an attempt to strike up a conversation, if Clyde would have tried to make amends, if maybe he could have gotten some real answers for what's been going on between them.

He shakes his head as if trying to shake the thoughts loose and unlocks the front door, dropping his bag and coat in the same spot he always does. He skips his after school snack and heads straight for his room, not really feeling in the mood for eating, but stops in the doorway when he sees a big plastic bag sitting in the middle of his bed. He walks closer and sees a pumpkin shaped sticky note stuck to the top, his lips quirking up slightly in spite of himself. He pulls off the attached note only to find a poorly drawn jack-o-lantern and 'Happy Halloween' written in unmistakable handwriting.

He rolls his eyes in spite of the ever growing smile on his face and reaches into the bag, pulling out a short green dress and a pair of white tights. He rolls his eyes again and pulls out his phone, sending the culprit a quick text.

To: rubes

you planned this didn't you?

He repockets his phone and lays the costume out on the bed, sighing quietly to himself. He knew as soon as their conversation ended this morning that there was no way he wasn't gonna end up in a dress by the end of the night. He stands there for a moment before grabbing his pillow and shaking the pillowcase off of it, figuring that if he's gonna go outside in a tight dress, he might as well get some candy out of it.

Only a few short hours later, he's dressed up and slouching around the neighborhood behind Ruby and Karen, his pillowcase filled with a decent amount of candy. He's just thankful none of the adults have deemed it necessary to question why he is still trick or treating and for the fact that he hasn't run into anyone he knows yet.

Ruby and Karen are talking animatedly about some TV show he doesn't care about as Craig stops to adjust his skirt, cursing it for constantly riding up on him. He tried to tell Ruby it was too short, but she wouldn't hear it, insisting instead that he could still rock it.

"Tucker! Is that you?"

Craig resists the urge to groan dramatically and turns to see Kenny bounding up to him. He's still wearing his orange hoodie and his favorite jeans that have seen better days, the only difference being a mask he's got resting around his neck.

He comes to a stop in front of Craig, his eyes roving over Craig in an obvious display. "Nice outfit."

Craig scowls. "Nobody asked your opinion, McCormick."

Kenny grins, waving at Karen and Ruby. "How's the trick or treating going?" he asks.

Craig shrugs in reply. "Boring as fuck, but I couldn't let those two go out a Powerpuff Girl short, so I did what I had to do."

"And we're all grateful for your sacrifice, Mr. Tucker," Kenny says, saluting him. "Especially since you look hella good in a dress."

Craig snorts and does a brief curtsey, his skirt hiked up a bit higher than necessary just to fuck with Kenny, and he grins when he notices how Kenny keeps discreetly shuffling from one foot to the other.

"So what are you supposed to be?" Craig asks.

"Wolfman," Kenny replies and pulls the mask back up over his face. "Same as every year."

"Couldn't spring for something else this year?"

Kenny shrugs, pulling the mask back down. "I saw Karen looking at that costume and figured I'd buy it for her," he says, and he smiles in Karen's direction, a soft smile Craig knows is reserved only for his little sister. "Besides, I kind of like being a wolfman."

Craig smiles at him and pats his shoulder. "You're a good brother, McCormick. Don't ever let anyone tell you different."

Kenny beams at him and hefts his bag of candy up over his shoulder, trotting on over to Karen and dumping his loot into her bag. He gives his sister a brief hug and Ruby a pat on the head before heading off again, a wolfman disappearing into the night.

As soon as they make it back home, Craig is out of his dress and tights and back into normal clothes, his thighs feeling chafed from the nasty material the tights were made of. He, Ruby, and Karen sit sprawled on the floor of the living room, swapping candy, a horror movie playing in the background.

Craig listens to them talk about school and their friends and boys and decides that he's kind of glad Ruby dragged him out of the house tonight. Especially when he realizes he hasn't once thought about anything to do with Clyde since the night started.

He wants to thank his sister but feels awkward doing it in front of Karen, so he pulls his phone out instead, typing a quick text and hoping she'll understand his meaning.

To: rubes

thanks for tonight. i feel a lot better.

Ruby picks up her phone as soon as it buzzes, her eyes roaming over the text quickly before fixing on Craig, and she smiles. Craig smiles back and tosses a couple tootsie pops into her pile, knowing they're her favorite.

She tosses a couple boxes of milkduds into his pile before standing up, announcing that she's going to get some apple cider. She ruffles Craig's hair on her way by him, and Craig laughs, throwing his only king sized candy bars into her and Karen's piles.

The thoughts don't start coming back until the middle of the night when they're all sprawled on the couch, Ruby and Karen fast asleep from a sugar coma on one end and Craig wide awake and in the middle of a Halloween marathon on the other. He sighs quietly and gets up, grabbing his cigarettes off the coffee table and pulling on his boots, not bothering to tie them as he slips out the door, taking his spot on the porch steps and lighting up.

He turns his gaze up toward the sky, watching the stars twinkle brightly and the smoke billowing from his mouth rising up toward them in wisps. He sits there so lost in thought that he startles badly when he finally notices someone standing a couple feet away watching him. He blinks a couple times before Clyde's face finally comes into focus in the dark. He doesn't know if it's the fact that it's late and he hasn't slept, but he can't seem to muster any of the anger he's been feeling toward Clyde now. Instead he nods his head a bit, a quiet "hey" leaving his lips.

Clyde fidgets a bit before moving forward and claiming the spot next to Craig, their knees and elbows brushing as he settles.

"How was the party?" Craig asks for lack of anything better to ask.

Clyde doesn't say anything for a while, and Craig starts wondering if Clyde even heard him. He's about to repeat himself when Clyde finally answers, his voice almost too quiet to hear.

"I broke up with Bebe," he says, and Craig glances over at him, not saying anything in response.

Clyde drums his fingers against his knee as he talks, not waiting for a response. "You were right all along. I can't force myself to be in a relationship with someone I can't love. It's not fair to me, and it isn't fair to her, and I couldn't do anything with her without feeling guilty because every time I was with her, I kept catching myself thinking about you instead," he says in a rush, pausing to take a breath before continuing.

"I don't mean sex either. I haven't had sex with her since we got back together, but like, every time we kissed or hugged or went on dates, I just... I don't know. I kept thinking about how different it would be if I were with you." Clyde stops but doesn't look at Craig, and Craig can't stop watching his fingers twitch on his knee. He wants to grab Clyde's hand but stops himself, sitting quietly instead.

"It's all fucked up isn't it?" Clyde continues, "I always thought something was wrong with me. My relationships never worked out. I could never fall in love with anyone. I always thought I just wasn't able to love people. Like maybe I was all messed up on the inside and couldn't love. How fucked up would that be?" He laughs humorlessly, and Craig feels his stomach drop, thinking about how he's questioned himself over the same things.

"But it was never that. I was always in love. Just not with who I thought I should be in love with," he says, and he finally looks at Craig, his eyes wet but no tears falling yet. "Craig, I've loved you for as long as I can remember. Since elementary probably." He laughs a short laugh, mumbling "so fucked up" under his breath as he turns away again.

Craig swallows heavily, his heart thudding in his chest, but he still can't bring himself to say anything. Clyde looks back at him again, and Craig shivers, just now noticing how cold he is without a jacket. Clyde immediately notices and shrugs out of his Letterman's jacket, draping it over Craig's shoulders.

Clyde sighs. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry. None of this was your fault, and you didn't deserve any of it. I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore, but if you do, I would like to try and be friends again."

He doesn't say anything else after that, and Craig's mind is still reeling too much for him to say anything. He settles instead for wrapping his arm around Clyde's shoulders, pulling him close and relaxing against his side.

Craig wakes late the next day to Ruby poking his cheek and bats her hands away, rolling over.

"Are you gonna sleep all day?" she asks, and Craig feels her climb on the bed next to him.

"Maybe," Craig mumbles, pulling the blanket over his head. He's too exhausted to say much else, having spent nearly the entire night out on the porch with Clyde. He starts thinking back through their conversations, but quickly stops himself, his brain still too tired to try and sort through everything that was said.

"Clyde's here," she says and almost falls off the bed when Craig shoots up suddenly. "I'm just kidding," she quickly adds, laughing when Craig glares at her.

"Fuck off," Craig grumbles and lies back down.

"So it was him you were talking to last night," she says, and Craig groans, really starting to hate the fact that he can never hide anything from her. She's the only one who can compete with Token as the nosiest person in his life.

"So do I have to kick his ass?" she asks.

Craig snorts at that mental image and sits up slowly, shaking his head. "I think we're good for now."

Ruby moves so she's sitting across from him, leaning forward with clear interest on her face. "What did he say?"

Craig rolls his eyes but relays most of the conversation to her anyway, knowing she'll weasel it out of him sometime if he doesn't.

"I always knew there was something weird going on with you two," she says after he's finished, and he makes a noise of disbelief.

"How could you have possibly known that back then? You were in elementary school when we stopped talking."

Ruby just smirks at him and pats his head. "It's simple, dear brother. I know everything," and with that, she gets up and leaves the room.

Craig wants to question her on that but can't help thinking that she's right.

Craig spends the entire morning before school on Monday wondering how things will be different now that he and Clyde are supposedly back on speaking terms. He feels all his anxieties about the whole mess worming their way back into his brain as the bus stops in front of the high school. He brushes past a couple kids on his way inside and makes a beeline for his locker, his nerves starting to get the better of him.

"Hey!"

Craig jumps at the sudden loud noise and nearly drops his books, glancing over at Clyde. "Hey," he says back, his worries evaporating in an instant.

Clyde smiles at him and moves a little closer, leaning against the locker next to Craig's. "How are you?"

"Tired," Craig answers immediately, shutting his locker and turning to face Clyde fully.

"Me too," he says, and pauses, glancing up over Craig's shoulder.

Craig turns and sees Token standing there, a strange look on his face. He looks at Craig, ignoring Clyde for now. "Hey man, are you okay?"

Craig gives Clyde a brief look before moving closer to Token. "I'm fine," he says. "We're all good."

Token gives Clyde the side eye before shrugging. "Alright, but if he hurts you again, I'm kicking his teeth in," he says just loud enough that he knows Clyde will hear. He pats Craig's shoulder before heading off in the other direction.

Craig sighs before turning back to Clyde, who's looking decidedly awkward.

"Well, that makes three people who are gonna kick your ass if you hurt me again, so you know, tread carefully," Craig says and grins so Clyde knows he's kidding.

Clyde smiles back and follows as Craig starts the trek to his first class. "Who are the other two?" he asks, and Craig laughs.

"Ruby and Kenny. I'd probably get a punch in too. Another punch, I mean."

Clyde laughs too and bumps his shoulder. "You're the one I'd be most afraid of. Your punches hurt."

"I don't know, man. My sister can be pretty scary," Craig says and smiles when Clyde laughs harder.

"That's true. She could probably destroy me," he says and stops with Craig outside his first class. "Don't worry, Tucker, your virtue is safe with me."

He smiles before turning toward his own class, and Craig stands there for a moment trying to ignore the acrobatics his stomach has been doing all morning.