6 - Craig, King of Equanimity

"And where the hell have you been?!" A rough voice demanded as Craig crept in through the backdoor. It was his dad-well, he was less of a dad than a prison guard. And an angry one at that. "Do you know what time it is?"

Craig blinked up at Thomas, keeping a blank expression. "It's 10 pm. I was out with friends."

"Out with friends? That's all the explanation I get? Listen up young man, you might think that since you're in high school you can act up, but I'm still in fucking charge, you got that?!"

"Yes sir." Craig's curfew was 11, so really he shouldn't have had to give an explanation other than 'out with friends' but at this point he'd found it easier to go through the motions than argue. That would just make the beatings worse.

"Thomas? What's going on?" Craig's mom slid out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes. Craig felt kind of bad for her. She was so tired, worn out from trying to keep the peace between Craig and his dad. She didn't deserve this.

"Go back to bed! This is none of your business!" Thomas snarled.

Craig shoved the man back. "Don't you fucking talk to her like that, asshole!"

It happened in seconds, so quick that the noirette could barely register anything. The belt slid out of its loops, flung into the air. Thomas' face contorting into something between anger and pure hatred. The metal struck Craig in the side, recoiled, and struck again, this time catching him in the eye. There was a scream, and Craig saw stars. He reared back his fist in an attempt to punch the fatass in the stomach, but Thomas grabbed his hand and returned a blow of his own. Craig doubled over, coughing up spots of blood. He'd lost this one.

Thomas took a fistful of his son's hair and pulled his head up to look him in the eye. "Next time, I'll fucking kill you." He dropped the boy and stormed out, leaving Craig in a crumpled heap on the carpet.

"Oh, honey…" Laura whispered. Craig felt her slender fingers brush over his face and gave her a weak smile. He normally never smiled unless he was joking around with his friends, but this was what she needed. She needed to see that her son was okay, even if it wasn't. She needed to know it wasn't her fault.

"It's okay, Mom. I'll be fine."

"Let me get you some ice," she murmured.

He shook his head. "I'm going out. If I stay here he's more likely to get angrier. I don't want him to hurt you."

His mom pursed her lips. "Alright. Be careful, honey." She helped him up and opened the door, leading him out of the house and onto the porch.

Craig gave her one last look and said, "At least he didn't find out about the ballet."

She nodded and watched as he walked off, wincing.

He didn't know why, but he headed straight for Kenny's house. Tweek was another option, but Craig didn't want to freak the boy out. Kenny was a pretty chill guy, and something between them had changed once they had a common secret.

Instead of going for the front door, Craig opted for tapping on the window of Ken's bedroom. He saw some shadows moving inside, and soon Kenny was helping him through the window.

"Woah, what happened to you?" Kenny asked, eyes wide as he looked Craig over.

"My dad. It doesn't really matter. I just need a place to crash."

Ken helped him to the bed. "I'll be right back."

When he left the room, Craig leaned back against the headboard and looked around. Kenny's family was the poorest in South Park, so he didn't really have much to decorate his room. There was a chest full of old toys-and probably some raggedy porn magazines-a poster of a picture of the Playboy Mansion playmates, and clothes littered all over the floor. It was shit, but somehow it felt more comfortable than Craig's own home. The only thing he missed were the star stickers on the ceiling.

The door opened, and Ken entered with a bag of frozen peas. "Sorry, this is the closest thing we have to an ice pack," he said as he handed it to the noirette and sat down next to him. "So what happened?"

Craig winced as the ice touched his stomach, where a bruise was already forming. "I got home later than usual. Even though my curfew hadn't passed yet." Ken leaned his head on Craig's shoulder, and somehow Craig didn't mind. He let out a long sigh. "It's hell, living there. But I can't just leave my mom."

Ken sat up again, looking out the window. "That sucks."

"Some people have it worse."

"That doesn't make it any less painful, Craig." Kenny reached up at patted the noirette's head. "You need to get out of there, even if your mom can't."

Craig didn't answer. He just looked into those ice blue eyes that were so much like Tweek's. Without thinking, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against Kenny's. It was calming, just listening to their breathing sync up. "It's your turn," he said softly.

"My turn for what?"

Craig pulled himself back, leaned against the bed frame again. "I shared something, now it's your turn. What's the deal with ballet for you?"

Ken took a breath. "I guess I'm just questioning myself. It's nice to be able to be a girl sometimes." It was easier to get out that he'd expected it to be, and it felt good to tell someone other than Karen.

"Genderfluid."

"Huh?"

"That's called being genderfluid, I think. My cousin Red is like that. She explained it to me."

Kenny bit his lip. "Do you think that's weird?"

"No. It's different, but I understand."

They sat there in silence for a moment, and then Kenny asked, "So why didn't you go to Tweek's house? He would've taken you in in a heartbeat."

"He's already stressed about everything else. I don't want him worried about me."

"Right. Well, we should probably get some sleep."

Craig shifted and layed down, pressing the frozen peas against his stomach a bit harder. "Night, Ken."

"Goodnight, Craig."