Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/13831536.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      South_Park
  Relationship:
      Craig_Tucker/Tweek_Tweak, Token_Black/Clyde_Donovan
  Character:
      Craig_Tucker, Tweek_Tweak, Token_Black, Clyde_Donovan
  Additional Tags:
      Alpha/Beta/Omega_Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Omega_Verse, Angst, Social
      Issues, Past_Rape/Non-con, Social_Commentary, Implied/Referenced_Child
      Abuse, Surrogacy, Mpreg, Omega_Craig, Omega_Tweek, Alpha_Token, Alpha
      Clyde, Victim_Blaming
  Stats:
      Published: 2018-03-01 Updated: 2018-03-08 Chapters: 5/? Words: 29226
****** The Art of Housebreaking ******
by PBJellie
Summary
     Token seeks out a surrogate in Craig, a somewhat forgotten friend. In
     exchange for carrying a baby for Token and Clyde, Craig and Tweek can
     move in. Tweek has reservations about the agreement, and with good
     reason.
Notes
     So like I was supposed to be writing other things, but I wrote this
     instead. Well, I guess I write ABO now.
***** Chapter 1 *****
“Take the offer or leave it,” Token shrugged, standing against the door to the
heat room the facility had lent them. Craig sat cross legged on a stark queen
size bed. The linens smelled like bleach. He supposed that was par for the
course though. Heats were messy, or at least his were.
“And you take Tweek?” Craig asked again, staring at the man in question through
the small window in the doorway. Token stepped out of the way, arms crossed in
front of his chest.
“Yeah, we can leave today, unless you’re attached to this place.”
Craig let out a dry laugh.
Token wordlessly opened the door, snarling at Tweek as he tried to come to
blows for the second time. It’s not like Tweek could ever win in a fight, but
it didn’t stop him. He’d be damned before he let a courtship challenge go
unrecognized. They’d been through this song and dance with each possible Alpha
that showed interested in Craig.
Craig brushed the bite mark on his lover’s neck, fingertips pressing into the
swollen gland. It wasn’t a real bond, not according to the staff on site, but
Tweek relaxed regardless. He leaned into the touch, hands lacing together as
Craig made eye contact, then nodded.
“I’m going with Token,” Craig whispered.
“No!” Tweek shouted, glaring at Token who kept walking towards their shared
room. It’s not like the staff was enthusiastic about the pair being roommates,
but Tweek was not easy to handle. He was prone to violent outbursts, attacking
orderlies when separated from his mate. They were mated, it’s what they told
people.
Not like people came to visit. Not in a place like this.
“You are also going with Token,” Craig added, trying to comfort Tweek in the
hallway.
“I’m not and you’re not either. We’re a couple. You and me. We don’t need
them,” Tweek snarled.
“Honey,” Craig said calmly, “don’t you want to live in a real house again? I
won’t be in a relationship with Token; I’ll be with you.” Craig tried to ignore
how Token bristled at that idea.
“This is our home!” Tweek shrieked, burrowing in the twin bed they shared. The
other bed was neatly made, hospital corners that neither one of them had been
able to master. Craig wondered if they still bothered to change the sheets.
“I can see why you’d be proud of it,” Token tried to defuse. Craig knew he
meant well, they were once friends, but it came off as patronizing. Here was
the almighty Alpha coming to whisk away the aging Omegas from living the rest
of their lives in a home. Tweek had similar thoughts, judging by the way he was
in Token’s face, standing on his toes as he jutted his chin out in protest.
“I will fight you, and win, if that’s what you really want,” Token sighed, an
open palm pushing Tweek back onto his heels. Craig shrank underneath the
Alpha’s glare, unwillingly lowering his eyes to the ground.
Craig made a note of how expensive Token’s shoes looked, shiny leather hand
stitched, probably some European country. Had he seen something like that in
the second hand magazines they were allowed? Perhaps, but maybe he’d learned
these things before he presented. It had been five years. Five years of living
in this place.
Tweek had been here almost seven.
“Babe,” Craig cooed, peppering kisses on his face, “let’s just go with Token.
It’s a good deal for us.”
“What’s the deal? We get to become baby factories for Token? I’ll pass,” he
snapped, swinging at Token’s face with a balled up fist. Token easily dodged,
but Tweek kept pursuit.
“No, that’s not it. Will you listen without getting so defensive?” Craig
pushed, wrapping an arm around his mate. Tweek rested his head in the crook of
Craig’s neck, inhaling deeply before nodding. Token shifted on his feet near
the doorway, his shoes squeaking against the linoleum.
“Okay, explain,” Tweek sighed, glancing at Token then flipping him the bird.
“He stinks. I don’t like him.”
“I know,” Craig rubbed his back, draping the blanket over them to serve as a
barrier for Token. “Token is in a relationship already.”
“So he wants a harem? He’s a pervert, so that makes it better? I’m not going to
fuck him. I don’t fuck Alphas. I’m not going to do it. Never again, man. I
can’t do it,” Tweek ranted.
“You’re not. Token is not going to touch you,” Craig reassured, ignoring
Token’s coughing.
“I’ll just get the paper work started,” Token said loudly, louder than was
necessary in such a small room.
“I don’t want to go. I’m not, man, you can’t, I’m not going,” Tweek stuttered
out, pushing the blanket away as the door shut.
“Token can take care of us.”
“Being taken care of comes with a price I won’t pay. Craig, I can’t. I won’t.
You don’t understand,” Tweek sobbed, moving to straddle his boyfriend.
“Shh, nothing bad is going to happen. Token is in a relationship. With Clyde.”
“Isn’t Clyde-“
“An Alpha. He is. And they want children.”
“So we’re going to? I’m not. I won’t. You’re going to leave me here. You’re
going to leave me here all alone because he’s got a knotted dick,” Tweek
moaned, clawing desperately at Craig’s back.
“Token wants a, uh, stable omega,” Craig said as delicately as he could. “And I
look like Clyde, so I’ll be,” he stalled, looking for a word that wasn’t mate.
They weren’t going to be mates. “Like a surrogate. It’s like a job.”
“We can’t have jobs,” Tweek grumbled, burying his face further into Craig’s
neck. “If we could have jobs, we wouldn’t be here. I mean, I might be here, but
not you man. No way, you’d be long gone. Just gone.”
“I would never leave you,” Tweek shook his head in protest. “Tweek, I love you.
This is for us.”
“I love you, too,” he squeaked out in response.
“So trust me. Please, just fucking trust me,” Craig pleaded, rocking them both
back and forth. “I’m going to surrogate for Clyde and Token. Token has a garage
apartment. We can live there, just the two of us.”
“My body will betray me, Craig. No way, too much, it’s too much. I’ll go into
heat and smell an Alpha and it’ll happen all over again. I want to stay. I
can’t, I can’t.”
“It’s taken care of, I promise, it’s taken care of. You’re going to get
suppressants. That’s part of the deal. They don’t touch you, you get
suppressants, and Token only has relations with me for children,” Craig gulped,
lightly biting the bond mark on Tweek’s neck. “Us in the garage apartment, just
you and me.”
The door was thrown open as Tweek sniffled. Craig could see the expensive shoes
that Token wore walking across the room, and he could smell the scent of an
enraged Alpha. He shrinked into Tweek who stiffened. They broke apart, Tweek
using his body to shield Craig.
“We need to have a discussion,” Token said through clenched teeth.
“Then discuss,” Tweek snarled as Craig ducked behind Tweek’s shoulder. “Discuss
without terrifying my mate, if it would please your highness.”
“Why are you like this? I’m your friend trying to rescue you from this dump. Do
you really want to rot away here? They’ll transfer you to a state run Omega
nursing home the moment you stop having an estrus, you know that right? Do you
think those are nice places?” Token asked, unflinching as Tweek rose to his
feet.
“Do you think it’s nice here? Do you think any part of our lives has been nice?
You’re not our friend. If you were our friend you would have visited us. We’re
allowed visitors. We were always allowed visitors, but where were you, man?
Huh? Where were you? Banging your way through Betas until you decided to have
kids?”
“It’s called college,” Token snapped. “It’s essential to being a productive
member of society. Not that you’d know anything about that. No, you chase away
all of your possible mates, not that I could ever imagine why any Alpha would
want an Omega with such baggage.”
“I have a mate!” Tweek screamed, pushing Token with both hands. “I have a mate
and he’s right there on the bed. His name is Craig and we are mated.”
“And you’re trapping him here. I was offering to take both of you.”
“Was?” Craig asked, grabbing Tweek in a bear hug from behind. Tweek writhed in
his grip before finally submitting.
“Colorado State law says that I would be responsible for a six-year-old,” he
grimaced as he shook his head. “I’m not ecstatic at the idea.”
“What?” Craig questioned, loosening his grip on Tweek who visibly deflated.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he groaned, diving beneath the blankets.
“Great, he didn’t disclose it to you either.”
“Honey,” Craig, pressed on the hidden lump, “I’m not mad. What is Token saying?
Talk with me, okay?”
“It’s not my fault,” Tweek’s voice was muffled.
“No, you’re just the one who came to school in heat. Not your fault at all. How
could you ever know that something could go wrong?” Token mocked, sitting on
the opposite bed.
“Stop it,” Craig chastised. Token rolled his eyes, crossing his legs as he
leaned back. “Sweetie, I’m not angry. You didn’t know you were in heat.”
“Right, if I had known I would have told you. I told you everything. We were
best friends,” Tweek sniffled. “We were boyfriends.”
“We were all friends,” Token added with a huff.
“Babe, Tweek?” Craig snuck beneath the blankets, wiping tears from Tweek’s
cheek.
“Uh-huh?” Tweek whimpered.
“Did you have a baby?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Honey?” Craig placed a hand on Tweek’s shoulder, which he shrugged off.
“Don’t make me talk about it.”
Craig pressed a chaste kiss on the top of his boyfriend’s head, no, his mate’s
head. They were mated, even if he’d kept a secret. Everyone had secrets, right?
“Still here,” Token droned, his weight shifting on the other bed, causing it to
squeak. “We need to renegotiate terms.”
“If Tweek doesn’t go, I don’t go,” Craig peeked out from under the blankets.
“You don’t have the legal ability to say that, but sure. You really don’t have
legal right to say no to my offer,” Token stood up, pulling the blankets off of
the couple. “But I’d rather not have you be a little bitch until we die.”
“Thank you,” Craig felt the words roll out of his mouth against his will. Craig
was not thankful. Tweek, his emotional rock, was crying in bed, for the second
time today, which was all Token’s fault.
“I’m not buying suppressants and taking care of someone else’s child,” Token
said coldly. “It’s not good fiscal sense to waste so much money on stopping
Tweek’s heats when I’m also going to be responsible for a school aged child.
Who, if she is anything like Tweek, will be a nightmare.”
“I don’t want it,” Tweek said, voice barely audible.
“At least birth control. Birth control isn’t expensive.”
“I’ll provide birth control, unless Clyde wants biological children. I have no
interest in mating with Tweek.”
“I’ll do it,” Craig jumped up, covering Tweek again. He didn’t like to be upset
in the open, not under these harsh lights. “If Clyde wants kids, then it’s me,
not Tweek. Okay?”
“The kid, Tweek’s daughter,” the words made Craig flinch, “lives with you, in
the garage apartment,” Token smoothed out his shirt, picking a piece of lint
that Craig couldn’t see. “According to the file, Tweek’s parents refused
custody recently due to, behavioral issues. I don’t know what that means, but
that’s on you two to figure out.”
“What is her name?” Craig asked cautiously.
“His parents named her Tweek,” Token chased his statement with a bitter laugh.
“The father never came forward. Surprise, surprise. Breed with someone without
a bond mark and this is what happens.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Tweek whispered. “I didn’t know. It was my first heat.”
“So the three of you live in the garage apartment. You have no business in the
main house, unless Clyde or I call for you. We like our privacy, and I’ll gift
you the same courtesy. Craig spends his heats with me, starting immediately.”
Tweek just pressed his face into a pillow. “Agreeable?”
“I spend my heats with you in the main house,” Craig sat down again, rubbing
Tweek’s back while they talked. They both appreciated physical touch as
reassurance. Craig wasn’t angry. Shocked? Yes. Bewildered? Maybe. Sad? Perhaps.
He certainly understood the phobia of Alphas and pregnancy Tweek had, now more
than ever.
Everyone at school had heard about the incident. An Omega presents a few years
earlier than they are supposed to, and is unsure of what is happening. They
hide in the bathroom, thinking it’s a stomach bug. Before he knows the bathroom
is swarming with Alphas looking for to mate. The janitor doesn’t check that
bathroom before locking up for the weekend, and the Omega rides out his heat
with multiple partners. They find him the next Monday morning, dehydrated and
exhausted, sleeping naked on the tile floor, while the Alphas broke out of the
school through a first floor window.
It made Craig sick when he finally pieced together who the Omega was.
“We’ll discuss it with Clyde,” Token waved off.
“Our house can’t smell like Alpha,” Craig protested, hands on Tweek’s
shoulders. “He doesn’t do well with ruts.”
“It’s a one bedroom and you will have a six-year-old,” Tweek let out a choked
growl as Token spoke, “so it’s not like there will be much in the way of
privacy in the apartment. I’m sure we will come to an agreement.”
“Tweek, honey? Is that okay?” Craig asked as Token tapped his fingers
impatiently against his dark jeans.
“I’m not going,” Tweek mumbled.
“That’s mature of you,” Token snarked, leaving the room. “I’ll finish the
paperwork. Pack up.” Craig snorted at the idea of packing. What did they even
own?
“I’m not going,” Tweek repeated.
“Oh, I heard you. You don’t have any choice in the matter.”
“Are we allowed to take these clothes? Are they even ours?” Craig asked, hoping
to ease the tension. Tweek was up, pacing around the room frantically.
“I’m not going, Craig. I’m not. They can’t make me go,” Tweek said, flip flops
slapping the soles of his feet.
“Honey,” Craig sang sweetly, “honey. Just stop pacing.”
“No!” He raised his voice, not quite at a shout but loud enough to make the
conversation uncomfortable. “No! I’m not going.”
“Tweek,” Craig tried again, while riffling through their shared dresser. He
pulled out all of the letters from his mother, those were his and he wanted
them. He tossed them into a garbage bag, figuring it was close enough to
luggage.
He’d be able to see his mother, if he was mated. Token would probably take him
by, that’d be exciting. He came from a family full of Betas that couldn’t
afford a heat room, let alone the tuition for the Omega school in town, so it’s
not like he could have stayed at home. She visited a few times a year, when
money and the car allowed for a to drive to Denver. She’d bake cookies for the
occasion, and he always shared them with Tweek.
Tweek was still. He dropped a pile of envelopes onto the bed, the one they
didn’t use, and ran his hands through his hair. Maybe ten envelopes in total,
but it could have been less. Nothing like Craig’s pile. Craig also had a
sneaking suspicion that at least a few of those were from his mother, wishing
Tweek a happy birthday.
“I never opened their letter,” Tweek sifted through the pile, hands shaking. “I
couldn’t. I didn’t want to know. They took it away before I could see. I was
too young and my parents didn’t want me at home, so it wasn’t even mine. Not
really. They could have let me hold it, but they didn’t. Dad wanted to rip the
band-aid off. Don’t get attached, Tweek. Enjoy living in a home until you die,
Tweek. This is all your fault, Tweek.”
“Babe,” Craig slowly approached him, arms out in an attempt to give him a hug.
He simply shook his head, declining the invitation. His eyes fixed on the
letters and once Craig was closer, he realized that there was only one unopened
letter, to Tweek from the Tweaks.
“I can’t open it,” his fingers twitched as he ran them over the folds of the
envelop. “I never could.”
“Hun,” Craig’s voice cracked, “you don’t have to.” The envelop was thrust into
Craig’s hands, which were far steadier than Tweek’s.
“I don’t want it. I don’t. I don’t want any of this.”
“But it’s what you’ve got,” Token interrupted, throwing a coat onto his
shoulders as he entered the room. “We’re leaving. All three of us. We’ve got to
pick up your kid from this group home, tonight, apparently. I don’t suppose
either of you have a jacket, do you?”
Craig shook his head, eyeing the donated clothes they both wore. They didn’t
even have real shoes. And they were lucky to have the shower shoes they did, a
gift from his mother for the two of them. Craig scooped up the rest of the
letters, and tossed them into the bag he had started. Tweek shrugged, keeping a
stiff upper lip as he ripped the garbage bag full of belongings from Craig’s
bed.
“It’s snowing, you’ll catch cold.”
“And that’d be bad for baby production, right?” Tweek sneered, glaring at the
woman at the front desk one last time
“I’d say what do you know about baby production, but, apparently, you know
quite a lot.”
“Stop it, please stop it. Christ. We used to all be friends,” Craig complained
as the double doors were buzzed open.
“The black car, the one that’s running,” Token said. “Both of you in the back
seat. Don’t even think about it, Tweek.”
“Tweek, come on,” Craig pleaded. "It's cold out."
“Just get in,” Token complained as Tweek dug his heels into a snowbank away
from the car.
“No, I’m not going. You can’t make me go.”
Craig turned to see the staff peering out of the windows, probably waiting for
Token to march in and try to return Tweek. He shook as the wind blew, the cold
biting down to his bones.
“Get in the car, it’s cold,” Craig reiterated. “I’m cold.”
“The door is open. I’ll get him into the car. Don’t worry about it.”
Against Craig’s better judgement, he slid into the car, melting into the seat.
It was so warm and the leather seats were so nice. What kind of job did Token
have? How could he afford to support three mates? He was only twenty-one, it’s
not like he was geriatric.
“Fancy car, huh?” A familiar voice called from the front seat. “It’s good to
see you again, bro! I missed you loads. I would have gotten you sooner but the
government wants an Alpha to have a job and housing before they’re allowed to
take a mate from an Omega house. Meanwhile Kenny’s shacked up with Butter’s,
even though they’ve barely got two pennies to rub together.
“Clyde?”
“Yea- Oh, Holy Shit,” he jumped out of car, leaving Craig to press his face
against the glass as the car door locked. Tweek was pounding his fists against
Token’s face, kneeing him repetitively in the groin as they rolled in the snow.
Clyde pulled him off, nose bloody and lip split, holding him in a choke hold.
Clyde dragged Tweek to the back seat, threw him in, and immediately locked the
door.
“I’m not going!” Tweek barked, throwing himself against a tinted glass.
“Sweetie, I’m right here. Let’s try to calm down.”
“No! Alpha’s are liars! I won’t calm down!” Tweek screeched, smashing his head
against the window. Craig stripped his shirt off, wrapping it around Tweek’s
face like a mask. Tweek inhaled a few times, still striking the window, until
he eventually petered out, slumping against the seat. “They’re liars, Craig.
You don’t understand,” he said, voice hazy.
“Explain to me,” Craig said, wrapping his mate into a hug.
“They say they’re going to get you help,” Craig looked up as both of the doors
opened, “They’re going to help you, find help, but they don’t. They fuck you on
the bathroom floor, because that’s what they want. It’s what they do, and now
we’re going to go live with two of them. They’re going to hurt us, and everyone
will blame us. Just because we’re so tempting. I don’t want to be tempting.”
“That must be awful,” Craig comforted, shaking his head as Token offered him
his coat. The smell would set Tweek off, he was certain of it.
“It is,” he keened, wiping his eyes with the old shirt. “And I’m going to have
to remember it every day because of the smells and it is going to live with us.
I don’t even know it. It doesn’t know me.”
“It?” Clyde asked, sounding somewhat confused as he stared at Tweek and Craig.
He seemed to be in a bit of a shock to see Craig kissing Tweek’s neck, even
though they had frequently kissed pre-puberty. It’s not like this was the first
time Clyde had ever seen them kissing.
“Put this address into the GPS, we’ve got to go get Tweek’s kid,” Token
grumbled, starting the car and reversing. Craig had not been in a car for a
very long time. Tweek squeezed his forearm as the gears changed again, making
the car jolt.
“Tweek’s kid? I thought we were just mating Craig. I mean, if you really want
to bang Tweek too, I guess that’s okay, but that wasn’t the original plan,”
Craig tried to overlook how he was already mated, especially as Tweek started
to stir in his arms. “Do you not like me Token? Am I not enough for you?”
“Clyde, do you even understand how babies are made?” Token asked, a lilt in his
voice.
“We both know I slept through that class, but you filled me in that I would not
be having your babies, that an Omega would have to do it, or a girl, right? Did
you two already make a baby?”
“That takes a good deal longer than that. This child is from a,” Token coughed,
flipping on a turn signal as Clyde punched numbers into a GPS, “previous
relationship.”
“So Tweek and Craig had a baby, that’s exciting. Are you excited to meet your
baby? I wonder if the baby will look like both of you, or one more than the
other.”
Craig had almost forgotten how stupid Clyde was. Almost.
“Where do you work, Clyde?” Craig asked, trying to steer the conversation away
from the surprise child.
“I manage the shoe store that my father owns. It’s not like, prestigious or
nothing, not like Mister CPA over here, but I like it. We got some new shoes
the other day and they sparkle, like they’ve got rhinestones all over ‘em. Your
sister really wanted a pair so I gave her the employee discount. Gotta be a
good friend, ya know?” Clyde took a deep breath, then immediately started
talking again.
“Anyway, how was that place? I tried to get your address so I could send you
letters and stuff but your Dad wouldn’t give it to me. Something about me being
too stupid of a mate for his son, but like, I wasn’t even trying to bone,
because I’ve got Token and we were already boning all the time. Since like age
sixteen. I just wanted to talk with my pal, but he wasn’t into it. Your dad can
be a real grump, but that’s alright. Are you excited about the baby? The GPS
says were only like twenty minutes away from where we pick it up from. Do you
know if it’s a boy or a girl? Wow, I can’t believe we live so close to the
place where they make babies for people. It’s like ten minutes from your house,
Token.”
“It’s our house,” Token corrected. Craig snickered that this was the only part
of his rant that Token bothered to correct. Tweek was silent.
“I know, I know, but it’s yours. I know we live in it, but like, it's mostly
your money and we’re not married, we’re not allowed to be married, so it’s not
like it’s really mine.”
“It’s really yours, Clyde. Your name is on the paperwork.”
“Well at least we’re not the only ones not allowed to get married, huh? Oh,
look! Token, did you see that they have bond marks? Why don’t you give me a
bond mark?” Craig’s hand went to cover his, rubbing it ever so slightly. “I
want a bond mark!”
“We don’t have them because we can’t have the whole town knowing we’re gay,
okay?”
“They have them,” Clyde pouted, crossing his arms as the GPS warned Token of an
upcoming turn.
“And I think it’s stupid, but that’s their decision,” Token rationalized.
“You have two beards, so you might as well mark each other,” Craig rolled his
eyes, shifting Tweek so that he was laying in his lap. Token raised his
eyebrows in the review mirror. “Don’t look at me like that. I know I’m a beard.
It’s whatever, I don’t care. Me being complicit in hiding your illegal
relationship is the least of my worries right now.”
“It’s not illegal if we have a pack. People are still allowed to have packs,
right? It ain’t gay if there’s at least one Omega, right?” Clyde joked, his
hand caressing Token’s.
“It’s not illegal if we have a pack. That is correct,” Token was smiling, just
a little.
“It’s still pretty fucking gay though,” Craig added. Clyde snorted, kicking his
feet against the dashboard as he laughed to himself.
“God, I missed you.”
“Missed you too, buddy.”
“Look at you, getting all affectionate,” Clyde teased as the car came to a stop
outside of a cement building. “Oh, look, it’s the place where they make babies
for people”
“Clyde,” Token complained, rubbing both hands over his eyes, then he shuffling
through some paperwork. “This isn’t our baby. Our baby won’t come from here.
Craig is going to have our baby, okay? This is Tweek’s child.”
“Shouldn’t Tweek go in? It’s his baby,” Clyde interrupted as Token stepped out
of the car he left running.
“Honey,” Craig nudged Tweek with his hand, “do you want to go in with Token?”
“I don’t want any kids,” Tweek grumbled, adjusting Craig’s shirt around his
face. “It stinks like Alpha in the car.”
“Real mature,” Token huffed, slamming the door.
“I don’t think I farted, did I? Craig? Do I stink? Sorry if I’m making you feel
bad, Tweek. It’s not on purpose. I hope I didn’t hurt you when I pulled you
away from Token, but I couldn’t have you hurting my boyfriend, you know.”
“I don’t care,” Tweek mumbled into Craig’s lap, shifting so that he was closer.
“What do you think your baby will look like?” Clyde asked, staring dreamily
into that drab grey building. “I bet that you two would have a baby that looks
like Tricia. You know how her hair is dark but her eyes are light? I bet it’s
be like that. Aren’t you two excited? I’ve wanted to be a Dad since I was,
like, twelve. You two are actually getting to do it, isn’t that exciting?”
“I don’t want any kids,” Tweek repeated.
“Oh, but you will in a minute. They're so cute. You just like, instantly want
them. I looked up lots of recipes for baby food and that sort of stuff. In case
you want my help.”
“I don’t want to have any kids, and I don’t need some stupid Alpha’s help!”
Tweek roared, ripping the shirt off of his face and springing upwards. “I can
take care of everything just fine. Craig and I were just fine on our own and
now we’re having to do this, all because some high and mighty Alphas, who were
really just morons, decided that they could change our lives. Fuck you, Clyde.”
Clyde didn’t say anything back immediately, but he did start crying. Tears
rolled down his cheeks as he wiped his nose on the sleeve of his sweater. He
opened his mouth a few times, but he always shut it, like a fish gasping for
air.
“Tweek, honey,” Craig grasped his hand, pulling him next to him. “How about we
calm down?” Craig looked up at Clyde, who was still crying. “I don’t think he
thinks you're especially stupid, just that all Alphas are stupid. He thinks
you’re as dumb as Token.”
“Oh,” Clyde perked up, wiping his eyes one last time, “that must mean I’m
actually really smart.”
“You’re all fucking stupid,” Tweek grumbled, glaring at Craig, who shrugged. “I
don’t want to meet it.”
“Her, how about we call her, her, okay? That might help. It is for objects.”
“Sorry, I wouldn’t know. I haven’t been allowed to go to school since I was
fourteen,” Tweek frowned, crossing his arms in front of himself. Craig slipped
back into the shirt as Clyde smiled at him.
“This is a really stressful day, isn’t it?” Craig asked, rubbing his hands on
Tweek’s back as he stared towards the building.
“Yeah, it is,” he started to sniffle. “I worked really hard to not have to
think about her, man. Really hard. It was supposed to just be me and you,
together. That was my happy ending to this whole fucking mess, and now I’m
having to deal with it, I mean her, her, and everyone thinks it was my fault.”
“I don’t think it was your fault,” Craig reassured as Clyde broke open a pack
of tissues. He took a few and handed the rest back. Tweek would not touch his
hand.
“Yeah, dude, it wasn’t your fault, whatever it was. Just get it all out,” Clyde
said, laying the tissues on the center console. When Clyde turned forward,
Tweek snatched them, wiping his face frantically.
“Yeah, go ahead, I’m listening,” Craig whispered into his ear.
“I couldn’t tell you. How could I ever tell you? It’s not like you could do
anything. You had no power, all it'd do is make you angry with me,” Craig
fought back his desire to correct him, that’s not what he needed. “And it was
supposed to be French fry day for dinner, but now we’re not even going to get
any. That’s like the highlight of the week, you know?”
“We can get French fries. We can get French fries from anywhere in town, if you
want. Burger King is my favorite, do you like Burger King?” Clyde was bouncing
up and down in his seat as he talked.
Tweek did not respond.
“Well we can always go somewhere else for fries,” Clyde kept talking, despite
the lack of interest. “We can talk with Token about it when he gets back with
the baby. I’m so excited. Can you believe you’re having a baby?”
“That’s not how babies happen!” Tweek shouted. “You have to have a uterus to
have a baby, and someone with working sperm has to fertilize a fucking estrus,
also known as a heat. The baby, called an embryo grows in your uterus for like
ten months, then they leave you in a heat room to give birth while some creepy
nurse watches. They take the baby away before you can see it, telling you to
take a shower and go to bed. That’s how babies are born, not in some building.
That’s what you two are so eager to make Craig do, fucking monsters.”
“Please say the f word in front of your child some more, that’d be lovely,”
Token droned, as he opened the back door closest to Tweek. He pressed his legs
into Craig, trying to scoot as far away from the small blonde child who climbed
into the seat. The door slammed, causing Craig to bite his lip.
“Hi, I’m Tweek,” the girl smiled, waving at the rest of the car. Her blonde
hair was pulled back by a headband, and she looked an awful lot like Tweek.
Right down to the tooth gap and the way she smiled with her mouth partially
opened.
“That’s funny, that’s his name too!” Clyde laughed, ignoring the glares of the
rest of the car. “I’m Clyde. It's very nice to meet you Tweek. Do you spell it
with two Es or an E and an A?”
“Both,” she said, looking a bit confused.
“His is the exact same, isn’t that a coinkidink? You met Token, right? Yeah, of
course, silly Clyde, he walked you to the car. I’m going to see if he’ll take
us to get French fries. Do you like French fries?” She nodded, inching closer
to Tweek.
“You,” she patted his leg, “look like the picture. The one grandma and grandpa
used to show me.”
“Oh yeah?” Craig responded, after Tweek went as still as a stone. Token started
the car, and Craig struggled to get her belted in.
“Yeah, Grandpa Richard said that Daddy was slutty and got ganged, and then he
had me. Are you Daddy?” Craig squeezed his hand as the blood drained from his
face.
“Let’s not say things like that, it’s not very nice, okay?” Craig asked,
staring at his mate who was shaking.
“Why not? That’s the story they told me. Is the story wrong? Did they lie?” She
asked, rocking back and forth on her hands.
“No,” Craig said slowly, “it’s just not a nice story.”
“Because of me? Do I make the story not nice? Am I in trouble for cutting
Annie’s hair while she slept? She was being mean. It wasn’t my fault,” she
cried, kicking her feet against Clyde’s seat. He didn’t say anything.
“No, not because of you,” thought Craig was pretty certain that she was indeed
part of what made the story so painful to Tweek. “Also, don’t cut people’s
hair. It’s not, uh, it’s not nice. Even if they’re little assholes.”
“She was an asshole,” she grumbled, still kicking.
“Let’s not say that word either,” Clyde’s eyes were wide, looking at the
pouting girl in the backseat.
“What? Asshole?” She asked, kicking with both feet.
“Yep, that’s the one,” Clyde sighed “Hey Toke?”
“Mm?”
“Can we get some French fries?”
“No, why do we need French fries, we can make food at home. We need to be
tightening the purse strings in preparation for a new baby, not spending more
money,” Token clicked his tongue as he started the car.
“I’m hungry,” the girl complained. “Daddy, I’m hungry! Your job is to fed me.
That’s your job. Grandpa said you’d do a bad job and that’s why I wasn’t
allowed to live with you. You’re a screw-up. I’m hungry.”
“I’m not your Daddy,” Tweek said through gritted teeth. Craig grabbed for his
hand, but he pulled it away.
“Are so! You look like him, in the picture. You have to be. The black one, he
said that Daddy was in the car. That means it must be you,” she kicked the seat
one last time at the end of her little tirade, then shrieked.
“Stop it, we don’t scream in the car. It’s not ladylike,” Token chastised.
“Tweek, take care of your daughter.”
“I don’t have a daughter,” Tweek’s jaw was clenched as Craig tried to comfort
him.
“Grandpa said you were a liar and I would grow up to be just like you if I was
naughty.”
“Grandpa is a fucking prick and I hope he gets hit with a car! Grandma too!”
Tweek shouted. “They didn’t want me to see you, or talk to you, or even hold
you. So if you want to piss and moan about me, get fucked.”
The girl froze in her seat, hands moving to cover her face. She wasn’t kicking
at the seat anymore.
“Tweek, language,” Clyde chastised. “Honey, let’s just pick something up so
they can get settled. One less thing to juggle, right? I’ll pay for it.”
“No fuck you, Clyde.” Tweek hissed, pulling at his hair.
“Grandpa said you’d try to hurt my feelings,” she cried as she balled her
fists, pressing them down into the seat.
“Yeah, I bet Grandpa also pointed a gun at you and told you that it was
practice for home invasions. It’s because he’s a sociopath. Maybe you shouldn’t
trust people in authority? Ever thought of that?”
“Sweetie,” Craig croaked out, mouth feeling dry. “Let’s not say such mean
things to our daughter. She’s just a little kid and she doesn’t know about
these things.”
“Ours?” Tweek whispered. “How can she be ours, if she isn’t even mine? I don’t
want her. I don’t want to do this, Craig.”
“Grandma and Grandpa didn’t want me either, that’s why I lived at that house.
People don’t want me,” she whimpered as Tweek half-heartedly pushed the tissues
into her lap.
“Sorry,” Tweek said loud enough for everyone in the car to hear. “I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t have said that out loud.”
“Token, come on, let’s just get some fast food,” Clyde complained as Token
white knuckled the steering wheel. “They’re having a rough moment. French fries
make everything better.”
“Clyde, we can make something. It’s only like five pm, it’s not that late. I’m
sure Tweek will be able to make it until we can cook something. Or she can
have, like, an apple, to tide her over,” Token rationalized driving through
town.
“It’s about comfort,” Clyde said. “You get a toy with the meals; it’s not like
she has any toys at our house. I get that you’re the one whose book smart, and
money smart, and all the other kinds of smart, but they’re hurting. They’re our
friends and maybe a burger and a soda would help them hurt a little less.”
“No one is eating in my car,” Token relented. “I’ll stop and pick something up,
but we’re not eating in the car.”
“Of course not,” Clyde winked, “no one ever eats in your car. Especially not
when they take it to work. Never Cheetos, because that would be very naughty.”
Tweek smiled, her teeth showing. She started to giggle when Clyde turned around
to stick his tongue out at her.
“It’ll be alright, honey,” Craig whispered, rubbing Tweek’s back. “Do you want
to sit by the window? I’ll make small talk with her and you can, uh, I don’t
know what you can do. This is pretty bizarre to me.”
“What did you mean, she was ours?” Tweek wondered aloud as his daughter stopped
drummed her hands against window.
“She’s ours,” Craig reassured. “I’m sure she’s great. This must be really scary
for her, too. Maybe we can take her to see my mom if Token or Clyde will come
with.”
“Yeah! I want to see her! Your mom makes the best cookies! They thought I was
courting you so they stopped wanting me over, but your mom would bring treats
by the store for me, apologizing for their denial,” Clyde snorted. “She didn’t
realize I had Token, poor lady.”
“Who?”
“My mom, so like, uh, your grandma,” Craig said.
“I have a grandma already. She drinks red juice while sleeping on the couch,”
she shrugged her shoulders.
“That’s nice about your grandma,” Clyde turned to smile at her.
“Sometimes she spills it on the couch and gets mad at me. That I spilled it,
but I never did, it was always her. When I said that, she hit me, sometimes.
I’m not allowed to live there anymore.”
“Jesus Christ,” Tweek, the grown man cursed under his breath, slowly inching
closer to her. His hand hesitantly brushed hers, and she immediately clutched
it.
“The new house is nice. They gave me juice, and they never lock the door when I
go to bed. Did Grandma and Grandpa lock you in the room too?” She chattered as
she swung their hands back and forth.
“Uh-huh,” Tweek admitted as the rest of the car listened intently. “So I didn’t
escape.”
“I never wanted to go nowhere. Teacher saw that I had a black eye and I got to
live at the new house,” Craig leaned over to get a clear look at her face while
she talked. She seemed to be completely serious.
“What do you want?” Token asked, stopped in front of a bright metal menu.
“I want the boy toy. The boy toy is always better,” she smiled, still holding
Tweek’s hand.
“Okay, that’s great, but what do you want to eat?” Token asked again.
“I want the boy toy! I want it!” She complained, swinging her legs.
“That’s not the question,” Token took a deep breath, then repeated himself.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Hey, Tweek?” Craig asked, sensing the desperation in the car. Both Tweeks
looked at him, and he stifled a laugh. “Do you want chicken or a burger?”
“Burger, the cheese kind,” she said, sneaking into Tweek’s lap, who seemed to
be in a daze. “I want the boy toy.”
“I’ll take a burger, I guess? I don’t know, we haven’t been to a restaurant in
ages, just pick for us, okay?” Craig said wrapping an arm around Tweek, who
just stared down at the girl sitting on his lap and swinging her feet.
“Yeah, this must be real weird, huh? Rumor has it that you don’t even see the
sun in those kinds of places. Glad you get to live with us, instead. Not that
we’re living in the same house or anything, I’m just real excited that you’re
back. Both of you, even if Tweek, big Tweek, is weirder than before,” Clyde
grinned as he looked into the backseat.
Token ordered in relative quiet, paid in relative quiet, and picked up the food
in relative quiet. It wasn’t until they drove through the big gate of the Black
estate that anyone said anything.
“Annie is gonna pee her pants when I tell her I have a Daddy. Stupid bitch.”
“Hey, that’s not very nice,” Craig tried to sound serious, but broke out into a
fit of laughter. “Don’t call people mean names.”
“I’ve never had a Daddy before. Even if Daddy doesn’t want me, it counts.”
Craig glanced over to see Tweek sobbing into her hair, both arms wrapped around
her. Token and Clyde quietly exited the car, taking the food with them. Tweek
didn’t budge, just cried hysterically. She wriggled in his grip, but then
decided to stay as he started to speak.
“I am sorry,” he wailed, “this is all my fault.”
“Shh,” Craig tried to comfort him, but was cut off quickly.
“I am so sorry. I would have kept you, I really would have. I wasn’t allowed.
It wasn’t fair, they just took you from me.”
“Because you were a slut, right?” She asked, tilting her head. Tweek cried
harder, arms falling away from her.
“Please don’t say such mean things to your Daddy,” Craig pleaded, wrapping both
arms around Tweek.
“Grandpa said. Grandpa said Daddy couldn’t keep me because he was a slut, and
maybe, if Daddy was not a slut I could go live with him,” she said as she
climbed out of the car through the door Clyde was holding open.
“It hurts your Daddy’s feelings,” Clyde said, lifting her out of the car. “And
it isn’t true,” he said louder, “he isn’t a slut.”
“Get your hands off of her!” Tweek shouted, climbing out of the car to pull her
away from Clyde. “You don’t need to touch her. I don’t get what it is with you
Alphas and thinking you can just touch whatever you want, you can’t.”
“Tweek, calm down,” Craig rationed, shutting the door as exited. “Clyde’s our
friend and he was just trying to help.”
“I don’t need Alpha help. I don’t need any help. He’s trying to trick us, can’t
you see it? He’ll be so nice and helpful and then he’ll use us. And we’ll be
fucked when they’re done. They don’t care about us, Craig. We are objects to
them,” Tweek huffed, setting his daughter on the ground.
“No, that’s not it, buddy. Just trying to help you all calm down. Definitely
not trying to trick you. I’m not like this super smart Alpha you think I am.
They didn’t even let me into college, oh Token stop making that face, I’m dumb.
I know, I’m dumb,” Clyde admitted, running his hand through his hair. “My dick
isn’t even that big.”
“It’s plenty big,” Token protested.
“I hardly even have an Alpha scent. I wouldn’t make a good leader. I’m not any
of the things an Alpha is supposed to be. I’m just here as your friend trying
to help you out of a bad situation,” Clyde walked in front of Tweek offering
his neck. “Smell, you can hardly smell me, and I’m not on suppressants. I’m
just weak. You don’t have to be so scared of me.”
Tweek inhaled, shakily, then looked as if he was going to throw up. Craig
quickly rushed to his side to steady his mate. Craig took a quick sniff and
realized that Clyde was telling the truth, his scent was far weaker than
Token’s. And Craig was certain that at least some of the scent he was picking
up was from Token, and prolonged contact to each other in the car.
“Keep him under control,” Token warned, leading the group up towards the garage
apartment with bags of food in hand.
“He’s understandably freaked, Token,” Craig protested, following the group on a
small cobblestone path. This was certainly the house that Token grew up in, but
where were his parents? “You’re not supposed to separate Omegas from their
young, you know.”
“Oh, I am well aware, and I can only imagine the hoops the Tweak’s went through
to do this,” he said as he shoved a key into a wooden door. “But that is not my
problem. I work sixty hours a week and I am only doing this because my partner
wants to have a baby. It is the only thing Clyde wants, and who am I to deny
him that.”
“Glad to hear you care about us,” Craig sarcastically replied as he followed
into a sparsely decorated apartment. Everything seemed to be made of particle
board and transported here in flat pack boxes. The couch seemed comfortable
enough though, and the kitchen had a stove and an oven, something they didn’t
have access to before. There was even a small TV, one they wouldn’t have to
share with a ton of other people. It was cozy, but the living space seemed
large enough for the two of them, well three of them.
“What’s this door go to?” She asked as she yanked on the handle over and over.
“It’s locked, why is it locked?”
“That’s a room we use for storage, you can’t go in there,” Token said very
matter-of-factly.
“Token, clean out the Christmas room so she can have a proper bedroom. I asked
you to do it like a hundred times, but did you, no,” Clyde complained, sinking
down onto the couch where Tweek and Craig were already resting. “We used to
live here when his parents lived in the main house. It was a fun bachelor pad.”
“Hey, do you want to eat?” Craig asked Tweek, the little girl. In honest, the
two having the same name was compounding an already tense situation.
“Yeah, I’m hungry. I hope I got a cool color racecar,” she rambled, digging
into a box of food Token gave to her.
“What do your friends at school call you?” Craig asked as he nibbled on a fry.
Even slightly cold they were better than the ones at the home.
“They call me T. Like Tweek but without the Week. Tweek is a funny name, I
never met anyone else named Tweek,” she giggled, stuffing a burger into her
face. Ketchup dripped down her chin, dropping onto the carpet in a splatter.
“Well, is it alright if we all call you T? I mean, would you like that?” Craig
stammered, unwrapping his burger. Tweek sat fossilized next to him.
“Yeah, I like to be called T. It’s a cool nickname, it’s a letter and a name.
There aren’t many nicknames like that,” she talked with her mouth full,
spitting food all over the carpet.
“It is. Well T, would you like to sleep on the couch tonight?” Craig asked,
swallowing his food first, hoping it would make some kind of subconscious
impression on her. It didn’t.
“I have to go home to the house tonight. That’s where I live.”
“No, you’re going to live here with me and your daddy. Isn’t that fun?”
“He is my daddy, right? Annie isn’t playing a trick on me is she?” Craig
wondered what level that six-year-old’s tricks were on, but pushed the thought
away when he saw her bottom lip start to stick out and wobble.
“He is. He’s your daddy,” Clyde jumped in. Tweek didn’t protest, just sat
staring forward for a few moments, then, wordlessly, walked out of the room.
“You know what? Would you like to have a sleep over with Uncle Clyde? We can
eat popcorn and watch movies.”
“Clyde,” Token warned, “we’re not getting involved. This is not our mess to
clean up.”
“She’s not a mess. She’s a person, Christ. Let them get sort of settled and
I’ll watch her until the morning. Tweek didn’t even eat his food. They need to
recoup, or something,” Clyde tsked, finishing his burger. Craig smiled at him,
relief flooding him when Clyde waved him off into the other room.
“Tweek?” Craig called as if he were calling for a feral cat. “You laying on the
bed?”
“No,” a hollow sounding reply came from what Craig could only assume was the
far side of the room.
“Did you make a nest?”
“Uh-huh,” Tweek responded, sounding detached. Craig saw that the bed was
stripped and that the closet door was wide open. He walked as quickly as he
could towards Tweek’s hiding spot.
“It smells like Token, huh?” Craig asked, scooting past a tennis racket and a
vacuum cleaner to settle down next to Tweek on a pile of blankets.
“It’s gross and I hate it,” Tweek bit back. “I want to go home.”
“Your daughter is cute, isn’t she?” Craig asked, crossing his fingers that it
wouldn’t bite him in the ass. “I’m glad I got to meet her and share that part
of your life.”
“Oh, the part where I was taken advantage of? The part where my parents painted
me as a meth addict so they could take the baby? Or the part where she called
me a slut? Which part of my life are you glad to share?” He shrieked, hands
wrapping through his hair. He tugged a few times, yelping as strands were
yanked out.
“Honey, it’s not like that,” Craig reassured, working to untangle his mate’s
hands. “Don’t hurt yourself, it’s okay. Don’t worry. It’s okay.”
“This is not okay,” Tweek hissed as his hands were withdrawn. “I’ll stop, but
don’t pretend this is okay. This is so far from okay. Okay is like, it’s like
one thing, and this is something else.”
“Clyde is going to watch her,” Craig whispered, tucking a blanket around the
two of them as he nipped at their bond mark. “Maybe it’ll be better in the
morning. We’re with our old friends. It’s good. You liked Token and Clyde.”
“When we were kids,” Tweek huffed, pressing his body into Craig’s as he wrapped
an arm around him. “They weren’t Alphas. They’re just going to mine us for
kids. That’s all Alpha’s ever do to us. Don’t you get it?”
“They’re our friends. They’re not going to do anything bad.”
“They aren’t our friends. Not anymore. We’re meat, man. We’re not even people
to them. You’ll see, it’s terrible. It’ll be terrible,” Tweek yawned.
Craig sighed, kissing him, then burying his head in Tweek’s chest. He tried to
settle in for some sleep, but Tweek kept tossing and turning. With some
resignation, both finally settled into an uneasy sleep.
***** Chapter 2 *****
“Tweek?” Craig called out as he tossed about in a nest. His foot banged into
something, which clattered to the ground.
“The living room,” Tweek said softly. Where were they? They didn’t have a
living room in their shared room. They didn’t have all this crap either, Craig
thought as he rose to his feet. He snuck out of the closet, disoriented and
rubbing his eyes.
“Am I dreaming?” Craig wondered aloud, trying to remember the last day’s
events. Token came and rescued, is rescued the word or is purchased? Craig
wanted to use rescued but something told him it was indeed purchased, that
there was a financial transaction that allowed Token to take the two of them.
“I don’t know,” Tweek said from the doorway. He was staring at a small lump
under the covers, with blonde hair pulled away from her face. She slept with
her mouth open, chest rising and falling as her arm rested on Clyde, who was
drooling.
“Who does she look like?” Tweek broke the silence.
“Like you,” Craig said as he wrapped his arms around Tweek. He snuggled into
his back, kissing at the bond mark on his neck.
“Yeah, I know that. Obviously she looks like me, because, you know,” he took a
deep breath, struggled to break out of Craig’s grip, then resigned himself.
“I know what?” Craig asked, still pressing into the bite mark. “Say it.”
“I don’t want to, man. I don’t fucking want to,” Tweek bit, raising his
shoulders in an effort to block Craig from his neck.
“Just say it. Admit to yourself the reality and accept it,” Craig unwrapped his
arms, shrugging as he fell back onto the stripped bed. The plastic mattress
protector crinkled as he tried to get comfortable.
“I can’t,” Tweek whispered. “It’s hard and I can’t. I just wonder who the
other,” he took a long pause as Craig rested on his elbows to get a good look
at his face, “party was.”
“You mean the Alpha,” Craig corrected with a sigh. Tweek’s face contorted into
a frown as he leaned closer to the girl on the ground.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tweek insisted. “I was just curious. We knew
them, you know? I just wish I knew.”
“Why, so you could pick a fight with them and get your ass beat? Maybe even
die? This isn’t the home anymore, Tweek. There are real consequences to doing
shit like starting fistfights with people who are bigger and stronger than
you,” Craig huffed, the bed crinkling as he walked back to Tweek.
“Like I don’t fucking know that. Like she isn’t living proof that there are
real consequences, get bent man,” Tweek hissed, still watching her sleep.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Craig rolled his eyes, joining Tweek
to watch her from the doorway. “She is awfully cute though. She looks like you
when we were kids.”
“I thought so too,” Tweek added softly. “She’s so old.”
“Six isn’t that old,” Craig reassured, patting his shoulder. “She has lots of
time to get to know her dad,” and with that Tweek bristled.
“I’m not, I don’t want to, I’m just not her father, okay?” Tweek grazed Craig’s
fingertips, blindly grabbing for his hand.
“Fine, I’ll drop it. I’ll stop.”
“Thank you,” he said as he leaned against the doorframe.
“You smell like you’re starting to leak,” Craig whispered to his lover. “Do you
want me to help you?”
“How would you help me?” Tweek asked sultrily, “Would you kiss me?”
“Uh-huh,” Craig said in a bit of a daze, leaning onto his shoulder. “I’d, uh,
God, you smell nice.”
“Do I?” Tweek asked, turning back for a moment, before leading Craig to the
bed. “I’d like if you kissed me,” he pouted.
Craig leaned in, pinning Tweek to the bed for a slow kiss. Their tongues
tangled for a moment, while Craig fumbled with the waistband of Tweek’s
sweatpants. He yanked a few times as their teeth clinked together, before Tweek
helped by wiggling his hips.
“Do we need to go to the heat room? I can wake up Clyde, if it’s about to
start,” Craig stopped, pulling away to size him up. His pupils weren’t entirely
blown, so he figured they were fine, but it was best to be safe. Token would be
displeased if he got a fine for disrupting the peace.
“Don’t say his name. I don’t need anything,” Tweek growled, flipping them, so
that Craig was beneath him. This was how these things usually went. Unless
Tweek was in full blown heat there was no anal penetration, he didn’t enjoy it.
“You need to watch your mouth before I wreck you. It’d be a shame if you were a
bad boy, wouldn’t it?”
“Babe,” Craig called out, his hips rising off of the bed as Tweek pinched his
nipples. “I don’t want to do that today. Just us, okay? No games.”
“Yeah, sure,” Tweek hastily said, pulling off Craig’s pants, then removing his
underwear. The air felt cool on Craig’s skin. He bucked his hips against Tweek,
hopeful that he’d get some kind of friction.
“Face to face?” Craig asked, whining as Tweek bent down to suck his dick. “God,
Tweek, that feels so good. Ah, that, do that thing with your tongue.”
“Your heat isn’t starting?” Tweek pulled off with a wet pop as he worked his
fingers near his ass. “You’re not hardly wet at all. Am I doing something
wrong? Are you not attracted to me anymore? Jesus Christ!” He sat up,
separating from Craig. “How could someone like me turn you on? Now that you
know? This is what I was afraid of happening. Oh God, nnngh, I can’t do this.”
His hands flew to his hair, ripping it furiously.
“No, stop that. You’re still attractive to me, kid or no kid. I need you to
take a breath. Breathe in. Hold it, okay, now breathe out. Keep breathing,”
Tweek did his best to mimic his actions, eyes wide as he curled in on himself.
Craig sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he watched him unravel before
him.
“I’m sorry. I can’t even have sex right anymore. I’m such a screw-up, she was
right. I’m a slutty fuck up,” he cursed as he pulled his pants back on.
“I didn’t say that. I was just trying to help you out with your pre-heat a
little bit, but if you’re not interested, that’s fine too. And no, my heat
isn’t starting. It must be late, but don’t worry about that,” Craig said in a
soft voice, carefully petting Tweek’s hair. “Did you jack off before I woke
up?”
Tweek nodded, struggling to keep breathing.
“Okay, that’s good. So it doesn’t hurt?”
He shook his head this time, hands back in his hair.
“I bet Token brought in our stuff, huh? Do you want to see if we can find our
bag?”
“Yeah, do something. Let’s do something, man,” he keened, leaning in such a way
that he could see the living room from the bed. “She called me a slut,” he
added softly.
“And she was wrong. She’s a kid. Kids are fucking stupid. We know this,” Craig
thought that everyone knew this, but it didn’t seem to be clicking in Tweek’s
mind.
“I’m her,” he trailed off, following Craig off of the bed. They wandered around
the apartment, Tweek right at Craig’s heels. “It’s different. It’s not some
rando kid.”
“She’s pretty random to me,” Craig grumbled, finding a black garbage bag on the
table. He routed around in it, not finding their letters or change of clothes,
but instead found a spare headband, a stuffed bunny whose grey ears were nearly
worn through, and a few girly tops and leggings.
“She’s not to me,” Tweek bit. “She’s,” he took a deep breath then shouted.
“Goddamn it, Craig! I don’t want to fucking talk about her!”
“What! Why are we yelling? Wait, why am I on the floor?” Clyde asked, shooting
up and looking around blindly. The little girl to his left started to cry,
small sniffling at first, and then loud wails.
“Oh honey,” Craig comforted, rushing next to her. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Daddy
just made a loud noise, didn’t he?” She nodded her head, forearm covering her
eyes. It seemed that Clyde had managed to get her into some pajamas, a too
tight, green flannel where the sleeves crawled to her elbows.
“Not her Daddy,” Tweek huffed, rifling around in a new bag. “Not anyone’s
Daddy. Especially not her fucking Daddy.”
“Not the time,” Craig shot back, holding the girl in his arms. She shook as she
cried, burying her face into his chest.
“I had an accident,” she whispered. It was a child’s whisper, and thus Craig
was sure that everyone in the room had heard.
“Uh, what?” He asked, not understanding what she had said. Like she fell off of
her bike?
“She said she had an accident,” Clyde yawned, stretching upwards as he surveyed
the room.
“I heard her. Do you need a band-aid, uh, sweetie?” Craig asked, puzzled by the
entire situation.
“She’d have told me if she was bleeding, I think. Kids are pretty good about
telling me stuff,” Clyde said, standing up and taking the blankets with them.
“I had an accident,” she sniffled. “I didn’t mean to.”
“Right, no one purposely has accidents, that’s why they’re called accidents,”
Craig rationalized, wondering why her pajama bottoms stuck to him as she
crawled closer.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! She’s saying she pissed her pants,” Tweek groaned,
ducking out of a garbage bag with a few articles of clothing. He rolled his
eyes as he yanked her out of Craig’s grip. “I’ll give you a bath, I guess.”
“It was an accident,” she pouted as Tweek held her at arm’s length. Craig
watched as he whisked her out of the room, grumbling about hygiene and
sanitation. He jumped as Tweek slammed the door
“So you and Tweek had a kid? Proud of you, bro. It’s too bad that it’s a six-
year-old and not a baby, but she’s cute, you know? I think she’s got your
nose,” Clyde mused as he dragged the bedding to the front door.
“She’s not mine,” Craig said softly. Clyde looked back as he was tossing the
soiled laundry outside, mouth agape.
“No way, dude. I can’t believe Tweek would cheat on you. I know that two people
gotta love each other to have a baby, so that must be a real blow to your ego.
That’s too bad, dude. I wouldn’t have been so insistent that it be both of you
if I knew he broke your heart like that,” Clyde said as he shut the door,
careful not to make too much noise.
“Tweek didn’t cheat, it’s not like that,” Craig explained slowly. “Do you even
know how babies are born, Clyde?”
“Mom used to say that it was a stork, but Token said that was a lie. We went by
that big building, but Token said that wasn’t it either. He said we’d have to
have an Omega, but like, if you have to love each other to have a baby, it had
to be you. Because I love you, bro,” Clyde hugged him, towering a good head
above Craig, and smelling a little bit like pee. Craig tried to relish in the
sweetness of the moment, instead of the bizarre fact that Clyde, at age twenty-
one had never learned about the reproductive system.
“That’s not it,” Craig droned. “You have to have sex, Clyde. To have a baby.”
“So he cheated on you?”
“No,” Craig sighed, racking his brain for the words to use. “So remember the
kid at school who went into heat in the bathroom?” He looked around, careful to
make sure that Tweek wasn’t within earshot. This was not a story that Tweek
liked to hear about.
“Yeah, I remember. They had to board up that window,” Craig shook his head and
rolled his eyes at the oddity of his memory.
“Weird way to remember it, you freak, but yeah. The time with the boarded
window. Tweek was the kid who went into heat, that’s why he left school,” Craig
tried his best to connect the dots. “And he went to live at the home?”
“The one you both lived at right? Where Token and I went and got you guys? We
would have gotten you sooner but they wanted all this paperwork done, man it
was so much paperwork. Insane amounts of paperwork, then someone had to come
and inspect the house to make sure it was safe, and interview Token to make
sure he’d be a good mate. It was crazy. I’m so glad that’s over with,” Clyde
smiled, taking a seat at the card table.
“Right, that’s where he lived. And because,” Craig looked around the room,
removing the black bags from the table, “Tweek had unprotected sex-”
“He got AIDS? Oh no, that’s too bad,” Clyde apologized as Craig slid into the
other chair, defeated.
“No, he didn’t get AIDS,” because surely Tweek would have told him if he had
AIDS, “he got pregnant.”
“When ladies get fat? My mom had a friend when we were kids who was pregnant.
She was a nice lady,” Clyde drummed his fingers on the table.
“Pregnancy is where babies come from. And then once babies are done,” he looked
upwards, partially for strength from a higher power, partially to remember the
words he wanted to use, “once they’re done being in that person’s belly, they
go into labor.”
“So they work? Babies come from work? We should have a bunch of babies because
all Token ever does is work,” Clyde complained kicking his feet as Craig banged
his head against the table.
“No, that’s not what labor is, it’s where you push the baby out,” Craig huffed.
“Fuck, Clyde, how did you get so fucking stupid?”
“It’s a gift, I guess,” he smiled.
“Give me your phone,” Craig demanded, hoping that the technology hadn’t gone
too far past what he was used to. They seemed the same in adds, besides shit
like fingerprint detection. “I’ll show you labor, and it will make sense.”
“Yeah, dude, anything so I can understand where our baby is gonna come from,”
Clyde hummed as he swiped his fingers over a sleek phone. Craig snatched it
away, searching into google “OMEGA LABOR VIDEO” and scrolling through the
results to find what he hoped would be an accurate representation. He settled
for a video featuring a blonde man, hoping it’s further connect the circuits as
to where Tweek’s child had come from.
“Dude, he looks like he’s in a lot of pain,” Clyde grimaced, listening to this
stranger scream. “Is that Tweek? He looks older than Tweek.”
“No, it’s not fucking Tweek, just watch the damn video, Clyde.” Craig was not
watching the video. He did not want to actively think about his agreement to be
in that sort of misery.
“Why is he letting them tape this?” Clyde asked, snatching the phone from
Craig’s hands and holding it a few inches shy of his noise.
“He probably didn’t have a choice,” Craig said bitterly over the shrieking. “So
the baby comes out like that. You’re watching labor. So when you have sex it
fertilizes an egg, and that makes it so that a baby can grow, and that fucking
mess can happen.”
“It’s not fair he didn’t get to pick. I wouldn’t want anyone taping me during
this. Is this how Token and I are going to have a baby? I don’t want to do
this. And I don’t think Token would want to do it either,” Clyde rambled, eyes
wide.
“Neither of you are going to do it,” Craig gulped. “I am.”
“No way, that’s a baby head. So the baby was just inside him the whole time?
Tweek had a baby inside him? You’re going to have a baby inside of you?” Clyde
wondered, starting to look a bit green. “Is that a whole baby? That man is
crying. That must really hurt. I bet it really hurt Tweek.”
“Yeah, it’s a whole baby. And it did hurt Tweek. He doesn’t like to talk about
it,” Craig said.
“What doesn’t Tweek like to talk about?” Tweek asked, hands on his hips, his
outfit soaking wet. T stood beside him with pants that ran up her calves and
wouldn’t button.
“Having a baby, and I totally get it. This is fucking gross,” Clyde grimaced,
handing the phone to Tweek.
“What is this?” Tweek asked, examining the phone. He gagged upon further
inspection, dropping the phone onto the carpet. “Why would you show me this? Is
this some Alpha mind trick? Are you trying to play games with me, Donovan? I’m
not in the mood to play games! I will murder you.”
“Woah, honey, calm down,” Craig said over the video which was still playing.
The man was crying now, saying something about how pretty his baby was. He
scrambled to pick it up and stop the sound, nearly dropping it a second time.
“He didn’t mean anything. I was just explaining to Clyde where babies came
from.”
“Yeah, bro. I get it now. You had sex with all those Alphas in the bathroom,
and then you pushed a baby through your asshole.”
“How fucking dare you!” Tweek yelled, getting in Clyde’s face. His lip was
still broken from the day before, but he didn’t seem to think too much of it.
Craig rushed to Tweek’s side, trying to hold him back from starting a fight.
“What did I do?” Clyde asked, genuinely confused.
“You know what you did, you dirty piece of shit!” Tweek shouted, pushing him
with both hands. Clyde stumbled back a little, but was otherwise unaffected.
“Yeah, piece of shit!” T echoed.
“That’s not a nice thing to say,” Craig chastised, trying to hold Tweek back.
“We shouldn’t call people names, even if they hurt our feelings, right, Daddy?”
“Don’t fucking call me that!” Tweek pushed Craig this time, causing him to trip
backwards. “Don’t you fucking dare,” he accentuated with a few punches.
“Fucking hell,” Craig cursed, covering his face with his arms. “Cut it out,
you’re going to hurt me.”
“Good,” Tweek spat, slowing down. “Good,” he said again, lowering his fists.
“At least someone else could hurt for a little bit.”
“Dude, you can’t just beat up your partner like that,” Clyde chastised, picking
Craig off of the ground. “You could have really hurt him, and he loves you,
like so much.”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Craig rolled his eyes, breaking away from Clyde’s hold to
chase after Tweek who had stormed out of the room, hands over his eyes.
“Sometimes, when Grandma said something stupid Grandpa would hit her,” T said,
trotting along at Craig’s heels. “What stupid thing did you say that made Daddy
hit you?”
“Look, people shouldn’t hit each other. It’s not nice,” Craig pushed open the
door to the bedroom, scanning for Tweek.
“So Daddy isn’t nice?” T asked, brushing against Craig’s leg. The sun wasn’t
even up, he didn’t have the patience for this bullshit. He didn’t have the
patience for his life.
“I didn’t say that, don’t put words into my mouth, kid.”
“Why would a nice person do a not nice thing?” She asked, following him to the
closet where Tweek was hiding.
“Because they were overwhelmed and haven’t emotionally matured past the age of
fourteen,” he said spitefully, loud enough so that Tweek’s hunched form could
hear.
“So Daddy is fourteen? I have the youngest Daddy,” she laughed, crawling
through the mess to reach him. “Annie’s Daddy is thirty-seven, which is way
old.”
“Maybe some of us would have loved to keep maturing if our bodies wouldn’t have
betrayed us,” his voice warbled. He sniffed long and hard.
“Yeah, well you’re not the only person pissy about their lot in life. There are
others, other people, other people who get into deals to secure our freedom,
that are also not pleased with the situation,” he glared, even though Tweek
couldn’t see him.
“At least you got to make a conscious choice,” Tweek spat, pushing his daughter
away. She tumbled, wailing as she hit the ground.
“That hurt! You’re not supposed to hurt me. Daddy’s aren’t supposed to hurt
their babies, teacher said,” she cried, arms out in the dim light to be held.
Craig leaned over, plucking her from the wreckage of what was once a shoe rack.
“It’s okay, you’re going to be okay,” Craig cooed in his monotone voice. “Did
you scrape anything? Are you bleeding?”
“No,” she sniffled, “but it hurts still. I’m not making it up.”
“No, of course you’re not making it up,” he reassured as she clung to his
shirt. “I don’t think that you are lying to me. Can you show me where it hurts?
I’ll take care of it while he mopes in the closet. Because that’s apparently
what we do now,” Craig added with a sneer, closing the door as he walked her
into the living room.
“My knee, the back of it,” she pointed, kicking him in the process. There was a
small red mark, about this size of a quarter.
“My mommy used to kiss it better. Do you want me to kiss it better?” Craig
asked, dropping her, with accompanying airplane sounds, onto the couch. She
nodded enthusiastically, still waving her leg around wildly. “Okay, you’re
going to have to be super still,” he said. “So still, still enough for a
butterfly to land on you.”
She froze in place, leg at a right angle. Craig ducked under her feet, twisting
so that he could kiss the back of her knee. She giggled when he kissed her with
a loud smack, legs trembling in the air. Within short order, she started
kicking again.
“Hey, no fair,” he joked, flattening her legs into the couch. Clyde chuckled in
the distance, the sounds of pots clattered as she squealed with laughter.
“I go to school,” she said, straightening herself as she sat upright. “I can’t
wear this too school,” she complained.
“Yeah, why not?” Craig asked, eyeing her. She seemed alright. Well her arms
seemed a little bit constricted in the top, but otherwise she seemed fine.
Okay, so the pants being unable to button was also a bad sign.
“It’s too small. I grew too much,” she smiled, standing up and spinning around.
Craig took some comfort that Tweek hadn’t damaged her knee. The last thing he
wanted to do was go to the ER for a problem that stemmed from a domestic
altercation. Who the hell would have known that the Tweak household had been so
violent?
“Do you have other clothes that fit?” He was walking around, looking for the
garbage bag full of her possessions. It seemed fitting that the three of them
would all have their belongings like that. He found hers, dumped it on the
ground, and frowned as he found two more pairs of pants, a pair of leggings, a
few other shirts, and some underwear. Didn’t she have school supplies? Didn’t
she have a coat?
“The stretchy pants,” she said, pointing the leggings that had dirt on the leg.
“Those.”
“Okay, what about shirts? Do the others not fit?” She nodded, so he pushed
those back into the bag.
“Why don’t you have any clothes that fit?” Clyde asked as something sizzled in
the kitchen. Bacon, real bacon. Craig did not remember the last time he had
such a luxury.
“Grandma and Grandpa wouldn’t buy me any. Then I got taken somewhere else and
they let me have these cool pants,” she pointed at the leggings as she shimmed
out of the pants she had on
“And a coat?” Craig wondered, knowing the answer.
“Coats make a man weak, like a trickle of dew turning into a stream,” she
recited. Craig felt his head spin, he had heard an awful lot of clumsy
metaphors from Richard, but never any against coats.
“Well how about we go shopping, huh? Maybe we can even take the day off of
school. Oh man, days I got to take off of school were my favorite,” Clyde said
as he cracked an egg. An actual egg, not the powdered stuff. He had been too
freaked to appreciate the food last night, but this, this he was going to
savor.
“I can’t miss school. If I miss school, I’ll get stupid. Oh God, I don’t want
to be dumb,” she rocked herself back and forth, pants on a pile next to her.
“Hey, hey,” Craig reassured, patting her on the back gently. “You’re not going
to be stupid. Maybe we can just like, go to Walmart before school starts? Do we
still have Walmart?”
“Yeah dude, we still have Walmart. What are you talking about do we still have
Walmart?” He snorted.
“I don’t fucking know,” Craig snapped, handing her the leggings that she left
piled up on the ground. “Hey, hey, no don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. Take a
deep breath, very good. Now let the breath out. No, don’t do it fast,” he
mumbled, pulling her hands away from her hair.
“I’m stupid and if I don’t go to school no one will ever love me,” she keened,
curled into a ball. “Daddy pushed me because I am dumb. I don’t want to be
dumb.”
“Hey, honey, honey, come here,” he panicked as his muscles tensed. She didn’t
even acknowledge him as he grabbed her shoulders. “Okay, never mind, sit still.
Just sit there for a minute.”
He rushed off to the bedroom, tripping over a vacuum that Tweek had apparently
thrown into the walkway. He turned on the lights, hearing Tweek grumble in
response.
“I don’t want to talk,” he complained as the door slid open. “I said, go away.”
“Your daughter-”
“Fuck you, I don’t have a daughter,” Tweek hissed, covering his face with his
hands. “This light is too bright.”
“Your daughter,” Craig repeated, louder, “is having-”
“I don’t have a fucking kid,” Tweek shouted, dropping his hands and clenching
them into fists. He glared at Craig, anger that had usually been reserved for
other people.
“Your fucking kid that you have,” Tweek tried to interrupt but Craig continued
speaking, “she’s your kid and I get that it’s shitty and it sucks but you
should just fucking accept it, you big baby. Your daughter is on the couch
having a panic attack.”
“So,” he said slowly, looking as if he was about to cry. “So what?”
“Get the hell up, is so what. Be a decent fucking parent, because she’s
apparently never had one,” Craig snapped, yanking Tweek to his feet. He
begrudgingly stood, wobbly on his feet, and followed Craig into the living
room.
“I don’t want to be dumb,” she whispered to herself, head buried in her knees.
“Then don’t be,” Tweek said with a sigh. “It’s that easy, just don’t be dumb.”
“Tweek, that’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Craig bit. Clyde sang a song
to himself, loudly and off key, stirring a skillet and looking away from the
current scene.
“It doesn’t work like that, you must be stupid,” she whimpered, glaring at him
with all that she can muster. The situation feels very familiar to Craig, and
he was almost glad that Tweek can have an ounce of vitriol thrown back in his
face.
“I’m stupid,” Tweek mocked. “It means a lot coming from the girl crying on the
floor without pants.”
“Jesus titty-fucking Christ,” Craig sighed.
“I hate you,” she mumbled, unfurling her legs. “I hate you more than Grandpa
hates you, and that’s a lot.”
“Oh yeah, well Grandpa seems to hate you more than me, because at least he kept
me until age fourteen. How old are you?” Tweek taunted, leaning in close to her
face.
“I’m six,” she said softly. She took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and
hawked spit right at his eyes. Craig would have been impressed if he wasn’t
mortified by the whole situation. Tweek stayed unblinking, holding eye contact
despite the wad of spit running down the bridge of his nose.
“Did it feel good to spit on me?” He asked after a few silent moments, legs
trembling from having crouched for so long.
“No,” she admitted, breaking the eye contact. “Why are you so close to me?”
“Oh, you don’t like this?” He asked, inches away from her nose. “I don’t think
Craig likes you being a little shit while trying to get ready, does he? So
Craig got me. Do you want Craig to have to get me again?” He was slow with his
words, deliberate.
“She wasn’t a little shit,” Craig said, voice dripping with horror. “She was
having a panic attack.”
“That’s how you handle that behavior in a six-year-old,” he responded,
shrugging his shoulders as he stood up. “Look, she’s putting her pants on like
you wanted.”
“This isn’t what I wanted at all,” Craig ran a hand through his hair,
exasperated. “Literally no one wanted this. God, you need like a parenting
book. Or a class, fucking something.” T sat on the ground, shoving her legs
into the pink fabric, dusting off the dirt from her knees.
“You asked me to help, I helped,” he shrugged again, turning to walk out of the
room.
“No, this isn’t fucking healthy, good God,” he elaborated, grabbing onto
Tweek’s arm. “Tell her sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” Tweek snorted. Clyde let out a deflated whistle, banging
cutlery around in the kitchen.
“Sorry for screaming at her,” Craig shouted. “Look at me. You’ve got me doing
it.”
“Sorry for stopping your panic attack,” Tweek rolled his eyes. She flipped him
off from the ground, and he returned the favor.
“What has gotten into you? You were so loving less than twenty-four hours ago,”
Craig bitched, shaking his head as he looked back between the two. “Is having a
daughter that bad? Is being with the kid you expressed regret about being
forced to give up less than twelve hours ago, really that fucking bad?”
“It is when she hates you! It’d be different if she was a baby, but she’s not.
She’s six, she’s lived a whole life without me, with my fucking parents, no
less. The worst goddamn people on the planet. Did you know our house already
had a heat room? They just didn’t want me back, Craig. They wanted her, but not
me. And they ruined her, and they did all of this just to spite me, because
they hate me so fucking much. You don’t understand,” Tweek held back a sob,
turning away from Craig.
“Make me then. Make me understand why you are taking out your rage on a first
grader.”
“She’s a kindergartner, actually, she has a September birthday,” Tweek cried,
hiding his face in his hands.
“You’re obviously real invested if you remember her birthday,” Clyde mused,
placing plates on the table. “Woah, you smell really nice. Why do you smell so
nice?”
“Get away,” Tweek growled, stepping in front of Craig. “I am not going to mate
with you. I am not interested.”
“Oh, so you’re about to go into heat? I’ve never smelled a heat, that’s cool.
It smells real nice, but it’s not like I’m gonna jump your bones or anything.
We’re bros. Y’all keep forgetting that we’re bros,” Clyde rambled going back
into the kitchen for another plate.
“Sweetie?” Craig asked as T tried to shove her foot into her shoe.
“Uh-huh?” She responded flippantly, snapping the headband around her neck after
she crammed her toes into her shoes.
“Do you think maybe you’ve been a little bit mean to Daddy?” Craig asked,
exhausted.
“I’m like this to everyone. Daddy isn’t special,” she stuck her tongue out,
then raced to the table. “I hate eggs, but I’ll eat the toast.”
“Great,” Clyde said with a smile.
“I think you know that Daddy is special,” Craig tried to tease an apology out
of her. Anything to make Tweek feel better about the situation.
“Nope, I hate him as much as he hates me,” she said through a mouthful of
toast. “We’re equal, it’s when things are the same. See, I’m not stupid. I’m
going to graduate from high school, unlike Daddy.”
“Or you’ll present as an Omega and it won’t matter if you are stupid or smart.
Zero pressure,” he said bitterly, sulking back into the closet. He didn’t even
bother to shut the door, let alone slam it.
“I’m going to be late to school,” she proclaimed, dropping her toast on the
plate. “The bus doesn’t know I’m here so I have to be a car rider.”
“That’s right,” Clyde agreed. “Being a car rider is extra special, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh, and that means I’m extra special,” she dusted the crumbs off of her
shirt, heading towards the front door. “Are you gonna take me?” She pointed a
finger at Craig, who shook his head. Did he have a license? No. Was he allowed
to get a license? Also no. Some people didn’t even let Omegas sit in the front
seat. Hopefully, Token wouldn’t be like that.
“I’ll take you. I’d be honored to take such a pretty little lady to school,”
Clyde beamed, rapidly eating toast as he talked. “Let me grab my keys, you can
follow me, sweetheart.”
“Bye Craig,” she curtsied as she stood in the front doorway. “Bye stupid Daddy
who I hate so much, because he’s a dumb slut.” There was a bang from the other
room, and then a loud curse, followed by crying.
“That’s not nice,” Craig said as he tried to enjoy his breakfast. “Don’t call
your daddy names, okay?”
“He’s not nice. You don’t have to be nice to people who aren’t. Those are the
rules,” she smiled, waving as Clyde shook his head glumly.
“Token will probably be over in a bit, but I’ll come back after I drop her off.
We gotta catch up, you know, have some bro talks. There’s so much to fill you
in on,” Craig wished he could say the same. That the last five years of his
life hadn’t been bad television and Tweek chasing away suitors like a junkyard
dog.
“Yeah, have fun,” he groaned, shoveling food into his mouth. He could have
sworn it would taste good, but it tasted the same. Everything was dampened by
the stress of the current situation. The door squeaked shut, then the locked
clicked, and Craig was left alone with his thoughts. His thoughts, bacon that
didn’t taste as good as he remembered, and Tweek’s steady sobbing.
***** Chapter 3 *****
"We have errands to run," Token shouted as he knocked on the door. He pushed it
open before Craig could think of getting up. He sighed, letting his head rest
on the table. It creaked when he shifted to stare at Token through one squinted
eye. "What is that awful smell? Ugh, did you burn food?"
"What?" Craig asked, not bothering to sit up.
"It's not food," Token paused, walking towards the bedroom. He gagged when he
opened the door, hands on his knees. "Is that Tweek?"
"Pre-heat," Craig said lazily. "Bad morning, he wants comfort. I'm sure."
"Then hurry up and comfort him so we can go to the courthouse. We have to fill
out paperwork so that our arrangement is legal," Token rushed, pulling away
from the doorway to sit on the couch. "Get on with it."
"I don't want to," Craig huffed. "I'm tired and I don't want to deal with seven
years of baggage."
"I didn't ask what you wanted," Token snarked, crossing his legs at the ankles.
"I told you to go get him ready to go. I took both of you. It's not as if I can
get a refund."
"For fuck's sake, we're not things you buy at the pet store, Token. We're not
puppies," Craig snapped, slowly rising to his feet. "We're people."
"The law begs to differ," Token disagreed. "It's not that you're not great or
whatever, but the rules of a society are the rules of a society."
"You can treat me like a human even if the law doesn't," Craig rolled his eyes,
slowly strolling into the bedroom. It was starting to stink, and he could smell
something sour. "God, he's throwing a tantrum, again."
It wasn't the first time that Tweek had thrown a scent related hissy fit during
his pre-heat. It was a fairly typical experience for Craig to go in and try to
defuse the bomb. In the event that he failed Tweek would be at his neck,
swinging and kicking until a staff member pulled them apart. The shifts in
hormones did not suit Tweek well, even if you could remove the painful memories
of his heats, which, of course, you couldn't. Craig groaned, because instead of
removing the memories, they had been given a physical manifestation. A
manifestation that said he was a dumb slut, no less.
"Babe," Craig asked cautiously, walking on his tiptoes as he entered the room.
"Are you doing okay in here?"
"Fuck off, Craig. I can hear you through the wall. You're only checking on me
because you have to, prick," Tweek hissed, something flying against the wall
with a thunk. Craig flinched at the noise, covering his head.
"What the fuck was that?" Craig asked, not wanting to go any closer to the
closet.
"A shoe. Token is real fucking gay and has at least twenty more pairs in here,"
Tweek said. Craig sighed, then flinched hearing another noise, this time a
bang.
"Don't call me that, you crybaby," Token shouted, bursting into the room. The
door was halfway off of it's hinges, swinging from side to side and dragging
the ground.
"You're a queer, powderpuff," Tweek bit back, apparently not facing the same
kind of fear reaction that Craig was. Craig found himself pressed into a
corner, cursing as he bit his lip. Token was going to kill them. "I bet, you're
the bottom," Tweek taunted.
Craig shook, arms wrapped around himself. Token was stalking towards the
closet, chest squared as Tweek continued to talk trash.
"You're such a weak Alpha, huh? Taking a knot up the ass. I'd figure that'd be
so beneath your majesty. I bet you wish you were like us, so Clyde would want
you. But you're not. You're just a stuffy wannabe leader who gets pounded in
his free time," Tweek screamed. "What would the neighbors think, Token? I bet
your parents are so disappointed."
"Tweek, please stop," Craig whispered, fairly certain that he would go unheard.
He couldn't bring himself to move.
"I can teach you a lesson, if that's what you really want. Sometimes an
obstinate animal just needs extra discipline," Token's voice was cold as he
slid the closet door all the way open. "Get up."
"No," Tweek's voice sounded small. Craig could barely make out his figure
hidden beneath mounds of blankets. "I don't want to get up."
"Get. Up."
His voice was very quiet, but it felt like screaming to Craig.
"Fuck you," Tweek whispered, the blankets flattening.
"I will, if you don't cut this nonsense out," Token said coldly.
"That's not part of the deal," Tweek said, sounding as if he didn't believe the
previous statement.
"You don't have a right to make deals," Token shrugged. He waited a few
moments, then reached his hand down and snatched him by the collar of his
shirt. "Now look at me and apologize."
Tweek dangled in front of his face, not bothering to kick or punch, but
unwilling to look at Token. He trembled ever so slightly as his shirt dug into
the skin around his neck. Craig felt like he was going to pee his pants. He
wanted to do something, anything, but he was frozen. As if he were a statue
about to watch his mate get murdered.
"I don't want to," Tweek whimpered. "Don't hit me."
"Is that piss? Disgusting," Token grimaced, carrying Tweek by the collar. Craig
stealthily followed, hiding as best he could as Token raced his way through the
apartment.
"Where are you taking me?" Tweek asked, still shaking in his grip.
"Heat room," Token nonchalantly replied. Craig went wide eyed as he watched
Token unlock the door. "Come on, Craig. Might as well come with, it's not like
I can leave Tweek alone."
"He's got you whipped. You smell an ounce of Alpha pheromones and you're doing
whatever he says, Craig," Tweek shrieked as Craig stuck to Token's side. They
walked quickly through the yard, Tweek swinging in his grip.
In the moment that Token dug in his slack's pockets for the key to the main
house, Tweek ducked his arms into his shirt, letting the soft cotton slip right
over his head. He sprinted down the cobblestone path, frantically looking for
an exit. Craig made a move to chase him, but was quickly cut off my Token.
"No, stay with me," Token sighed. "You aren't dressed for this weather, we need
to go inside."
"But Tweek," Craig watched him try to climb a tree, arms struggling to pull him
upwards. His feet kicked at the trunk, trying to gain traction with his toes.
"He'll be fine. He doesn't want to come in for his heat, then so be it," Token
coughed, and Tweek looked at them, then shook his head. "He can stay outside
and passing Alphas can have their way with him, that seems to be more his speed
anyway."
"Dude," Craig groaned, still inches from Token. "He didn't want to be fucking
ganged in the bathroom, okay? Stop pretending that he wanted it to happen."
"Yeah," Tweek shouted, just hanging from a branch. "I didn't."
"Well, he's waiting in the front yard, about an hour from his heat, shirtless,
easy pickings for anyone willing to hop my fence," Token shrugged.
"I just started my pre-heat, queermo," Tweek screamed, trying to scamper up the
trunk again.
"You must really like me then," Token snickered, shoving his key in the lock.
"I'm not interested, though. Your first kid is defective, why take the risk on
a second?"
"She's not defective. She's not," he said, as if he didn't believe it himself.
He dropped from the branch, landing on his butt without much sound. Craig
tensed next to Token who opened the front door, ushering them in.
"Would you like to go to the heat room, or would you like to see if a second
child would be different? Pick fast, it's cold."
Before Token was done with his statement, Tweek was sprinting for the front
door, wrapping his arms around Craig full force. He bit at Craig's neck,
nuzzling into the bond mark afterwards. Token shook his head with a smile,
kicking his shoes off on a mat inside the hallway.
"I didn't want to," Tweek muttered as Token led them through the house. They
climbed a staircase with a dark wood banister, panting as they tried to keep
pace with Token.
"I know," Craig responded, holding his hand as they made their way through the
labyrinth of hallways.
"We don't need to speak of it," Token shrugged. "It was," he took a pause,
clicking his tongue a few times, "unfortunate. And it was immature of me to try
to get a rise out of you. I was upset. My apologies."
"Upset?" Craig scoffed, pretending he wasn't in awe of the large metal door in
front of them
"Yes. A surprise child was not in my calculations. It muddies my reputation
quite a bit to take on a charge who has a child out of wedlock," Token punched
numbers into a keypad.
"Sorry about your fucking reputation, Alpha fucker," Tweek snapped, pulling
against Craig's hand. "It has just ruined my whole fucking life, but let's all
stop and drop everything for the sake of your ego."
"You're angrier than I remember," Token huffed, pushing open the door with both
hands. It slid to the left, hiding away in the wall to reveal a cream colored
room with hard stone floor, Craig thought it was marble, but thought better
than to ask. "The sex toys are new, we haven't used them. I think they're all
charged. I told Clyde to charge them."
"You bought us sex toys?" Craig asked, dumbfounded as he looked in a basket
full of colored objects. He tentatively grabbed one, turning it over in his
hands. He jumped back when it began to vibrate, letting the toy fall to the
floor. Tweek elbowed him, giggling at the gyrating penis on the ground. Or at
least Craig assumed it was supposed to be a penis, judging by the shape of the
head. It was larger than theirs. Was it an Alpha dick? Was this what he agreed
to have shoved in him?
"The book said that you'd appreciate the gesture. It was mostly Clyde's idea,"
Token brushed it off, smiling a little as he looked over at them.
"Is that?" Craig's mouth went dry, looking on the far side of the room where a
collection of blankets had been draped over a full sized mattress. And by
collection, Craig meant a set, because all of the dark red blankets seemed to
be intentionally designed to go together.
"Yeah, a nest. I ordered it on Amazon and put it together the other night, no
big deal."
"Big deal," Craig said, slack jaw. Tweek had already rocketed to the nest,
spreading out onto the mattress, and calling for Craig.
"Dude!" Clyde called strolling into the room, then pulling Token in for a kiss.
"I said to wait for me."
"Totally a bottom," Tweek whispered. Craig shushed him, watching them hug each
other. "Ugh, the nest smells like Alpha."
"I would have, Clyde. Tweek is about to start his heat, so we had to make
haste," Tweek groaned from the nest, calling out again fro Craig.
"I know, babe. My snookums wants me around. He likes my sexy dick," Clyde
laughed as Token blushed.
"Clyde, don't do this," Token said, shaking his head as he covered his eyes.
"Why not? We're a pack now. You said we'd be a pack, so it's not like these
things matter. I've got skills in my peen, you guys," Clyde boasted, fiddling
with his belt.
"Don't you fucking dare," Tweek shrieked. "No fucking way, Donovan. I don't
want to. I don't want to. I don't want to."
"A pack?" Craig asked, keeping an eye on Clyde's belt, which rapidly being
removed. "I thought I was a surrogate."
"Tweek was obviously not interested, so I changed course," Token glared at
Tweek who was curled into the bed, sitting on his heels.
"Not interested. I don't want Alpha's in here," Tweek complained. "I don't
trust you."
"Yes, why trust the man who freed you from what was essentially prison? What
could ever be trustworthy about that," Token rolled his eyes as Clyde began to
pout.
"I thought you said Craig was going to have our baby," Clyde mused, dropping
his jeans as Tweek took in air in shallow pants. "Is Tweek doing it?"
"Craig," he whined, fisting the sheets as he wriggled in place. "Craig, make
them leave."
"Uh, could you go? You're freaking him out," Craig asked quietly, watching
Tweek start to buck his hips.
"No," Token said, staring at Tweek. "I'm not leaving my own heat room."
"Craig," he keened, hand sneaking down his pants "Craig, we spend our heats
together. Just us."
"Dude? He's masturbating, like right in front of us," Clyde said in amazement,
gravitating towards the nest. "He smells really nice," Clyde added.
And like a switch, Tweek was another person. He crawled on his hands and knees,
half lidded, mouth open. Clyde stood at the edge of the nest, pants around his
ankles. Tweek fumbled with Clyde's underwear, yanking them down. His penis
stood erect and Tweek groaned, licking at the head.
"It's like porn, holy shit!" Clyde exclaimed, like a deer in the headlights. "I
thought he didn't like me, but now, now Tweek is sucking my dick. Relationships
are complicated."
"Oh no," Craig worried, covering his face with his hands. "Clyde, please don't.
Oh God, Token. Token, he can't do this. Token!" Clyde panted in the background,
hips thrusting as Tweek removed his sweats.
"Clyde, it hurts," Tweek moaned.
"Token!" Craig shouted. "Clyde, I fucking swear to God, that's my boyfriend."
"You said porn was a lie!" Clyde stuttered out. "Oh my God, this feels, ahh,
look at his asshole. It's all wet, like the porn."
"Clyde, I tried to explain it to you," Token reasoned, still standing on the
far side of the room. Craig fretted, working the hem of his shirt in his
fingers. He watched Clyde's hands starting to grab for Tweek's ass.
"Token, that's your friend," Craig whined, feeling like he was going to be
sick. "Token, Tweek is your friend."
"He isn't," Token said bluntly. "He punched me in the face."
"Put it in me," Tweek pulled off of his cock, spit sliding down his chin.
"Clyde, I need it. Clyde."
"No, no, no," Craig looked at Token one more time.
"He's literally asking for it," Token reasoned, turning towards the door.
"Clyde will be happy for a baby, even if it's Tweek's."
"Clyde, buddy. Tweek would hate you for this. You fuckers! Don't fucking do
this!" Craig ripped his pants off, trying to work as a diversion. "I'll fuck
you. Fucking, I will do it. Don't fucking touch him. What the hell is wrong
with you two?"
"Does Tweek not want me to do this?" Clyde put both hands in the air, face
screwing with confusion as Tweek mewed for Clyde's return. "It sounds like he
wants me to do it."
"I want to do it," Tweek whimpered, spreading himself on the bed.
"I'll do it, honey," Craig reassured.
"Why aren't you in heat? The books said that if you have more than one, they
sync up."
"Am I supposed to fuck him or not?" Clyde asked, shaking his head as he stared
at Tweek.
"No-"
"Do what you want, I'm going to get ready for work, since we can't go legalize
our relationship. Someone has to pick up Tweek from school," Token sighed,
sliding the door shut.
"Tweek is right here, right?" Clyde asked, talking loudly over the sound of
Tweek begging.
"Shh, shh," Craig cooed, crawling into the nest, pulling his shirt off. It was
strange to be naked in front of his childhood friend, but he tried to shake it
off as Tweek whimpered with his hips in the air.
"Craig, it hurts," he groaned. "Clyde smells good. Clyde? Clyde?"
"Clyde?" Craig called, climbing on top of Tweek who shook beneath him.
"Oh God? Are you going to screw? In front of me? Like a porn? I really like
porn. Do I get to jack off?" Clyde asked as Craig pumped his dick a few times.
"Yeah, sure dude, whatever," Craig muttered, sliding into Tweek.
"Clyde? Clyde? Please?" Tweek cried, spreading his knees and pressing into the
mattress.
"No, babe," Craig corrected, groaning as he thrust his hips. He hated topping.
He felt dumb while topping. Tweek panted beneath him, rutting upwards in an
attempt to get some relief. "You don't want Clyde."
"I want Clyde," Tweek repeated, looking up at Clyde through his eyelashes.
Clyde was in front of them, touching himself as he watched Craig rise and fall
into Tweek. "Clyde, please?"
"Dude, I should do what he wants. I want to do it. He's totally, ah, he's
totally hot," Clyde moaned, shrugging off his shirt. He dropped his dick long
enough to climb into the bed, pressing into Tweek's side. Tweek immediately
bucked Craig off of him, opting instead to wrap his arms around Clyde's neck.
"Mount me," Tweek mewed.
"No, don't. He's going to be mad. Clyde, don't you fucking dare!" Craig
screamed, pressed against the wall of the nest. He tried to climb atop Clyde,
to stop him from continuing, but his tugs were feeble. Craig wasn't strong like
Clyde was, and goddamn it, this was not going very well.
"He seems really happy," Clyde said, laying flat on his back, dick pointed
upward. "He's literally trying to climb onto my dick. I didn't realize how much
bigger my dick was than yours. It's like three inches longer. Token's is
bigger, but it's the motion of the ocean not the size of the boat, right?"
"Ready?" Tweek asked, looking around dazed for a moment as he situated himself
above Clyde.
"Token said I could so it's not, hnn," he gasped as Tweek plunged downward,
slapping his ass against Clyde's thighs. "Oh God."
"I can't watch this," Craig grimaced, trying to sneak away. He crawled around
the couple, Tweek screaming at the top of his lungs as Clyde gripped his hips,
slamming him down. After a few minutes of resigned horror, Tweek came onto
Clyde's stomach, while Clyde knotted him. Craig bolted for the door when he
heard soft snoring coming from Clyde and little wheezes coming from Tweek.
"Token?" Craig asked, throwing his shirt on as he descended the stairs. His
pants were still in hand, crumpled in a heap in the nook of his arm.
"I don't know why you think that nudity is acceptable in my home, Craig," Token
huffed, snapping a briefcase shut.
"I don't think that," Craig said.
"Your dick is hanging out. Put it away, I'm not interested."
"Clyde is fucking Tweek," Craig said. "Tweek is going to be upset."
"Tweek is a big boy, he'll be able to handle the consequences of his actions.
We'll get him a morning after pill if Clyde wants it," Token said, keys in
hand.
"Don't go," Craig said as his hand touched the knob. He looked back
expectantly, and Craig broke. "Don't go," he sniffled. "My mate is fucking your
mate, and I learned he has a kid, and I'm here instead of my room, and just
don't go. I don't want to be by myself."
"Oh, Craig," Token said, arms hanging stiffly at his sides. "It'll be okay. You
don't have to cry. It's a waste of your energy."
"Don't go," Craig repeated with snot dripping down his face. "Don't."
"Uh, how about you put your pants on, and we can go to the courthouse, then
we'll pick up Tweek from school? We can stop and get you all some clothes too,
nothing extravagant, just something to wear so you're not in nasty pants like
that."
Craig nodded, stepping into his sweats as he steadied himself on Token's arm.
Token smiled softly, hand reaching up to pat him on the back, then returning to
his side without any contact.
"I missed you," Craig sniffed, wiping his nose with his arm.
"Missed you too, dude. Both of you. We both missed both of you," Token
clarified. "Well, you go sit in the car, and I'll grab your flip flops. I don't
think the court would appreciate you being barefoot."
"Okay," Craig said, wiping his face again. "Okay, Token." He shivered in the
cold air as Token opened the front door, holding it open with his shoulder. He
pointed at the black car from the porch, unlocking it with a key fob. Craig
walked as quickly as he could barefoot, trying to avoid the spots of snow that
had fallen into the path. He stopped outside the front seat, wondering if he
was allowed to climb in, or if he was supposed to sit directly behind Token, or
maybe on a diagonal.
He stood outside the car for a few moments, fingertips grazing the handle, then
pulling away. Would Token be angry if he picked wrong? Would Token be so upset
that he'd call of the whole arrangement, deciding instead to pawn of the two of
them on the secondary market? They'd heard about the things that happened to
Omegas whose Alphas cast them out. They worked in sex work, generally.
Sometimes they did other things as well, washed dishes, worked in sweatshops,
worked as maids. Craig remembered the reports on the grainy television in the
group room. Is an Omega working at your favorite restaurant? More at nine.
"Craig, I told you to get into the car," Token said, staring at Craig with his
sandals in hand. "You're standing in the snow, did you even notice?"
"I just," he hadn't noticed the snow, not until Token mentioned it. It had
started to melt, creeping up his pant legs and soaking into the fabric. "Where
do I sit?"
"Oh, Hell, the book said you'd be bad at making decisions, but I didn't realize
the scope," Token sighed, climbing into the car. "Get in the front seat."
"So I'm allowed to sit in the front?" Craig asked for clarification.
"Did you think I was going to make you sit in the backseat alone?"
"Sort of," he said as he opened the door, taking his seat. The engine was
started as Token fiddled with a few buttons by the steering wheel.
"Think a little better of me, will you?" Token snorted, throwing the car into
reverse. "Put your seatbelt on, I've got the seat warmer and heater on,
hopefully your pants dry out by the time we get there."
"Where are we going?" Craig asked as Token pressed a large button on his visor
to open the gate.
"Courthouse, so we can legalize this. Then to the store to buy you some
clothing. I'd love to get clothing first, but I don't like the implications of
taking an unmated Omega into public. But if I take you to the courthouse like
that, I look like an asshole. I'd rather be an asshole than put you in danger,
I suppose," Token mused as snow capped trees whirled by the window. Craig kept
his eyes glued to the scenery, trying not to take an active part in this
conversation. "The book didn't mention this problem. It just assumed you'd have
decent clothing, which is obviously not the case."
"Do you want to pick the station?" Token asked, causing Craig to turn and look
at him. He was smiling slightly, driving like it was easy. Was driving a car
easy? He'd read a report back in sophomore year that said that Omegas didn't
have the brain capacity to handle all of the rules and regulations of the road.
He'd thought he could do it, he had driven his father's truck around a few
parking lots and it didn't seem that hard. He didn't feel stupider for being an
Omega, but maybe he was an outlier.
"I said, do you want to pick the station?"
"Lost in thought," Craig apologized, fighting his urge to flip him off. That
was bad Omega behavior. And after the stunts Tweek had pulled over the last
day, Craig didn't want to add any fuel to the fire.
"Pick the station," Token huffed. "The book said giving you choices that are
inconsequential will keep you happy."
"I don't remember the stations," Craig rolled his eyes, turning back to the
window. "Just pick whatever you like."
"I like NPR and I'm sure you'd be confused by current events. The book said not
to drop anything to weighty on you, especially not at the start of reentering
society," Token said.
"What fucking book do you keep talking about?" Craig spat out before he could
think the words through. Fuck was probably not a great word to use with Token.
His tone was probably not a good tone to use with Token, either.
"Integrating A Homed Omega, it's written by a doctor. He said you might be a
little bit hostile upon reentry, and it seems the book has been correct so
far," Token pulled into a parking lot, a brick building in front of them.
"How about you just treat me the same?" Craig asked. "Like when we were
fifteen?"
"We're not fifteen, Craig. It's silly to think we could go back to that. You're
fundamentally different, presenting alters your brain chemistry," Token
expanded. "You have become more docile, I can tell Craig. Don't blush, it's
nothing to be ashamed of. It what makes you a suitable mate. I'm sure Tweek
would have softened, as well, if the incidents hadn't unfolded the way they
did. Biology wants to make you as desirable as possible."
"I don't think that's true," Craig said. "I feel the same."
"How about we trust the professionals on this one?" Token cut the engine to the
car. Craig felt a shiver set in, and he wasn't sure if it was because he was
cold from the sudden absence of the heater, or because of Token's statements.
"Just treat me normal? Clyde treats me normal," Craig was exasperated.
"If you allow me to be frank, Clyde is defective as an Alpha. He's not a
leader. He's not particularly intelligent. Christ, he couldn't even get into
college. He has no social grace. He'd be hopeless alone, and I think after an
evening together, even you would be able to pick up on the areas in which he
was lacking," Token said, eyes cast down to the speedometer.
"I can see why you love him so much," Craig snarked. "He's obviously such a
catch."
"He's caring and he's sweet. He cooks dinner every night, which I really
appreciate. But we both saw how he hesitated in breeding Tweek. His instincts
are lacking," Token sighed.
"Maybe it was because Tweek screamed at him to go away," Craig rubbed his hands
together, trying to keep warm. Token removed his coat, a grey peacoat with a
wool liner, and tossed it onto Craig's lap. Quickly Craig stuck his arms
through, the sleeves covering his fingers.
"It's a lack of instinct, he was aroused by the smell but pulled back anyway,"
Token huffed, swinging his legs around the side of the seat as he opened the
door.
"You didn't try to do anything," Craig argued.
"Because the smell is repulsive," he hissed. "Because I'm not interested, by
some screw up in biology."
"Being gay isn't a screw up," Craig reassured, nearly falling out of the car.
"Don't speak of my sexuality in public. It'd be a scandal if anyone found out,
I'm sure," Token whispered, grabbing Craig by the arm and pulling him inside.
"Pretend we're a couple and we can get this done, okay?"
"No wonder you're so miserable," Craig said under his breath. Token stopped
walking, tightening his grip on Craig's arm.
"Stop talking, now," he ordered. "This is not up for discussion, and even if it
was, this is not the place."
Craig stared at his feet in his flip flops, toes feeling numb. Token dragged
him along, plastering a smile on his face as he opened the glass door. A woman
at a desk grinned.
"Hello there. Take a ticket and we'll be with you shortly," she said sweetly.
Token did as instructed, looking at it for a moment, then shoving it into his
pants pocket. Craig was underdressed for the occasion, with everyone else, the
two men in the waiting area and the staff, being in business wear. He glanced
down at his sweats, adjusting them so that the legs didn't drag.
They sat in a tense silence, Token occasionally checking his phone, snickering
to himself, then shoving it back to it's hiding spot. He repeated that seven
times, until the woman called a number. Craig rose to his feet, looking around
the room to see another man, older than them, a beard covering his face,
laughing at him as he walked to the desk.
"That's not our number, sit down," Token said, glancing at his phone again.
"How was I supposed to know? You didn't tell me," Craig sighed, sinking back
down into his seat.
"It wasn't information that you needed to know. The book said to not overwhelm
you with excess information," Token rationalized, finger scrolling through
something. Craig leaned over, trying to get a peek, but Token angled the phone
away from him. "This isn't information that you need to know, either."
"I just want to see what's so funny. What am I supposed to do? Just sit here
silently?"
"That is the idea," Token droned, still scrolling.
"Ugh, fine," Craig crossed his arms, leaning back into the uncomfortable chair.
"I'm bored."
"You'll figure it out, I'm certain," Token mumbled, still staring at his phone.
"That seems like it's a nice phone," Craig said, after a few minutes of staring
at him.
"I have a nice job," Token replied, his shoulders sinking as he exhaled. "I
didn't assume you'd need a hundred percent of my attention for the entire day."
"I mean, we haven't talked in forever, that's all," Craig said softly. "I
thought you'd be like, I don't know, excited to have me back?"
"It's not that I am not enthused with the idea, but I'm not about to tarnish my
reputation as a respectable Alpha by making small talk with you in public.
There is a time and a place for everything, and this is neither," he bit, voice
hushed.
After a few tense moments of silence. Token stood up, stowing his phone in his
front pocket. He looked at Craig expectantly, drumming his fingers on his thigh
as Craig sat. He huffed, nostrils flaring as he stared.
"What?" Craig snapped.
"I forgot the briefcase in the car," Token said, still tapping his fingers.
"Okay?" Craig asked, drawing out the word.
"So you need to get up and come with me to get it. You're not allowed to be
here alone. How do you not understand these things? If I get up, you get up."
Craig rolled his eyes, shoving his hands deep into the coat pocket and flipping
the bird. They walked back into the cold, single file, and Token grabbed the
briefcase. Wordlessly, they returned to their seats to wait for their number.
Not that Craig knew the number, Craig was just waiting.
"Number nine," and Token stood up, casting a quick glance at Craig, who
followed suit. Token grabbed him by the arm, like one would a child, and led
him to the desk. "What can I help you with?"
"Here to finalize a mate," he smiled. Craig bit his lip, trying to keep his
eyes focused somewhere. He had no desire to embarrass Token. Well he did, but
he had no desire to see if the rumors about the places he could go were true.
"Name and ID?" She asked, lipstick stuck to her teeth. Craig opened his mouth
to say something, but Token's hand became a vice grip. "Go ahead and take a
seat, this process takes a few minutes."
"Thank you, ma'am," he said, letting go long enough for them to get situated.
His hand was back on Craig the moment his bottom brushed the chair. "Name is
Token Black and my ID," he trailed off, patting his pockets. "Coat pocket."
They sat in silence for a few moments, the smile falling off of the woman's
face. Craig didn't understand why Token was pulling on his arm. What did he
want? They weren't supposed to be talking, he made that clear.
"Craig," he hissed, "my wallet is in my coat pocket." Craig simply took off the
coat tugging out of Token's grip, then placed it in a wad on Token's lap.
"Seriously?"
"Omegas, right?" The woman laughed. "When did simple tasks get so hard?"
"He's new, less than twenty four hours out of the home," Token's smile looked
painful, his eyes half closed. "It can be a tough adjustment."
"Oh, I'm sure," the woman cooed, taking his ID. She wedged it in her keyboard
as she typed something. Craig couldn't see, the monitor was pushed away from
him, and he thought that maybe it was intentional. "His name?"
"Craig Tucker," Craig said.
"Is that indeed his name?" The woman asked Token. Craig snorted. In what
reality would presenting keep him from remembering his name?
"Yes, ma'am. Again, he's new and doesn't realize the rules of society," Token
jabbed, hand back on Craig's arm.
"Hopefully, you can be an adequate teacher. I know they can be resistant to
learning. Do you have his paperwork from the home?" Craig shrank in his seat as
Token dug around for the forms. The woman never looked at him, instead she
alternated between smiling at Token and glancing at her computer.
"I do hope so," he said sliding a bundle of papers into her hands. She flipped
through them, pausing on a very unflattering photo of Craig from when he was
sixteen. Craig wished she had angled that away from him, as she did with the
monitor.
"He looks quite a bit different. He aged well, you're very lucky," she stated,
typing again.
"Thanks?" Craig mumbled, unsure of how he was supposed to react. The hand
around his shoulder tightened, fingertips digging into his skin. He turned
slightly to see Token's face, only to be met with a sneer.
"I will be if he can learn when to talk," Token said, sending Craig the side
eye. Craig sighed, noting the laugh from the clerk.
"Less is more, sweetheart," she was somehow at his level and looking down at
him. He shrank a little bit more in the seat. "Seen but not heard." He nodded
as he curled his hands into fists, letting his fingernails dig into his palms.
"So you paid the fees at the home, and this is your receipt. And you've had a
home inspection, good, good. Alright, just let me finalize it, and done. Seems
like you're all set, Mr. Black." She slid a paper across the desk, then
immediately went back to her work. "Take him to the DMV to get an ID when you
get a chance. Congratulations, sir."
"Thank you very much," Token said, bowing his head slightly. "And ma'am," she
nodded, looking up from her computer, "if I was to wish to form a pack, all
parties would need to be present for that?"
"All Alphas and Betas would need to be on the premises," she nodded, "that's
correct."
The hand pressing into his shoulder told Craig not to mention anything about
the missing party.
***** Chapter 4 *****
"Please don't embarrass me, again," Token groaned, yanking two carts apart.
"I didn't mean to," Craig sulked, dragging his feet as Token took his hand,
wrapping it around the handle. Now tethered to the basket, he walked briskly,
shoulder to shoulder with Token.
"Right, because there's no way you, Craig, would be intentionally disruptive.
Like that wasn't your M.O. for ages," Token huffed as the doors slid open with
a ding. Craig stalled, taking in the bring fluorescent lights and squeaky
wheels. The cart moved forward, pulling Craig into the store.
"Welcome to Walmart," an elderly man greeted looking only at Token, who
immediately dropped the scowl from his face.
"Thanks," Craig murmured. Token dug his elbow into his ribs, making him
sputter. They kept walking as he hunched over, a stinging pain shooting through
his side.
"Keep moving," Token said icily, "don't make a scene."
"That hurt," Craig complained, looking past the bored expression on Token's
face, and at a pyramid of canned vegetables. He had forgotten that was a real
thing, hazily thinking it was a decoration reserved only for sitcoms.
"Why do you think I did it?" Token asked with a straight face.
"Because you're a sadist," Craig whispered.
"Because your smart mouth makes me look bad," Token hissed coming to an abrupt
stop. Craig yelped as his shins rammed into the metal bar.
"I didn't do anything."
"You did," Token insisted. "Work hard and think about it, if you're capable."
"If I'm capable, fuck you, man!" Craig shouted. A woman with a toddler turned
and stared, eyeing his bite mark.
"You know, he really ought to have an identifier. It's the law," she smiled,
eyes narrowed as she looked solely at Token.
"What?" Craig asked. An identifier? What did that even mean?
"He is old enough to know better," she glared.
"He's from a home, state run."
"Aren't you a martyr?" She softened. Craig curled his toes to avoid her pitying
look. "They didn't even give the poor dear shoes, and he's so mouthy. They
don't teach them much in those places, do they?"
"No ma'am, they don't."
"Don't worry, it'll get better, I'm sure. I'll pray for you," she added as she
disappeared down an isle of paper products.
"She'll pray for you?" Craig scoffed, arm banging into the cart as Token
sharply turned towards the shoe department.
"Craig," Token took a deep breath, "do you understand what you did?"
"I talked and everyone freaked out, including you," Craig said, ripping his
hand away from the cart.
"So shut up," Token said, fingers running over a wall of shoes. "Don't touch
anything. You're not allowed to touch anything. Did they not teach you
anything? Honestly."
"Tweek and I mostly, uh," he stalled, watching Token glance at his feet then at
a wall of shoes. "They told us not to go, that'd it'd be a waste, so we didn't.
I only had like two Alphas come in, besides you, and Tweek attacked them. I was
younger, it had been a long time. No one ever came for Tweek."
"Craig," Token sighed, throwing a pair of slip-ons into the basket, "there are
rules."
"Like, I'm not allowed to talk? That's stupid," Craig crossed his arms,
gripping his sides as Token pushed the cart forward. Craig did not move.
"And you have to have identification markers, and you have to stay with me, so
keep up," Token grabbed his hand, prying it away. He stuck it back on the cart,
shaking his head while he moved forward. "Why didn't they bother to teach you?
Two suitors seems awfully low. You are attractive enough."
“One guy complained that my heats were irregular. He didn’t say much before
Tweek tried to strangle him," he said flippantly as the cart stopped again.
Token’s jaw was clinched as Craig turned to see why he had stopped so suddenly.
His knuckles went white as he squeezed the handle, glaring at Craig. He slowly
released his hands, inhaling deeply with his eyes fixed on Craig’s face.
"And you didn't think to fucking tell me this when we met?" Token shouted,
pressing into his temples. "Hey, I'd like you to carry my children. Oh, that's
nice and all but I'm infertile."
"I'm not, no one ever said I was, Token," Craig started to turn red and tried
to push the cart forward. "I'm not, I can still. There's nothing wrong with
me."
"Oh, this is rich," Token snorted, snatching the cart away from Craig. "You're
in denial, and my other option for children is Tweek. Are you serious? What am
I supposed to do, Craig?"
"Not be mad at me."
"I went and sought out you two, specifically. I spent ages on the phone with
inept government workers looking for Craig Tucker and Tweek Tweak, and you
couldn't even bother to be honest with me?" Token steered Craig out of the
store by the shoulder, leaving the cart in the middle of an isle.
"I just didn't think about it," Craig said softly, biting his lip. "I'm sorry."
"I'm so glad you're sorry. It means so much after the fact. God, what the hell
am I supposed to do?" Craig shivered as the doors flew open, his shoulder still
being squeezed by Token. His flip flops dragged the ground, getting snow stuck
in the sandal. He thought better than to complain about the cold, even if he
was in a flimsy tee shirt and sweatpants. "Do you want me to go back and get a
new mate? Do you have any idea how expensive procuring an Omega can get?”
"No, I'm sorry," he repeated as the car doors unlocked. He climbed into the
back seat, the furthest from Token he get, and rested his head against his
knees.
"You've had heats before?" Token asked, starting the car.
"Uh-huh, like six," Craig responded, not looking up. His checks prickled with
heat as he worked his bottom lip.
"And they were normal? Besides how sparse they were? You lubricated and went
through the regular estrus?"
"I don't know," he whispered. "Ask Tweek after, oh God, he's fucking Clyde. I'm
not, I'm going to be sick."
"Don't you dare. Don't you fucking dare, Craig!" Token screamed, pulling the
car off of the road into a gas station parking lot. He rushed to the back seat
and flung open the door, releasing the belt and dragging Craig out of the car.
"I don't feel good," Craig moaned. Token rubbed his back as he felt spit start
to collect in his mouth.
"Of course not," he huffed, resting Craig on the ground.
"Are you mad at me?" Craig asked, resting his head in both hands. "I don't get
why I'm not allowed to do anything. I'm-" and vomit splashed against the
cement, pooling near Token's expensive shoes.
"A little," Token said, hands working their way through Craig's short hair.
“Not being fertile isn't your fault. It's an inconvenience, but it's not your
fault. Omitting the truth is the issue." Craig gagged again, wrinkling his nose
at the smell.
“I didn’t-” he stopped to gag again, vomit dripping down his chin. He brought
the collar of his shirt to his mouth, wiping the vomit away as he shivered.
Tweek was with Clyde, alone. They were mating. Mating in an effort to have a
child, or at least it seemed that way, since Craig wouldn’t be able. He gagged
again, letting the shirt lay flat against his chest.
His stomach was empty.
“Take your shirt off,” Token said softly, tugging at the hem.
“It’s cold,” Craig mumbled, allowing the shirt to brush by his face. Token
slipped it over his hand like a mitten, then wiped it across Craig’s face. He
trembled in the cold air, trying to decide if his stomach was done emptying.
“Get in the car,” Token ordered, breaking away to hold open the passenger side
door. Craig struggled to his feet, grimacing at the puddle of liquid.
Carefully, he tiptoed around it. As he latched onto the handle near the door,
he fought to pull himself up, knees weak. “Oh for goodness’ sake.”
And Token’s hands were on his behind, propelling him into the car with a sharp
shove. Craig was too exhausted to complain. He simply nodded as Token slammed
the door shut and wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to conserve
heat. So he was infertile, he pondered. Was Token telling the truth? Would
Token lie to him? He figured that Token, his friend, wouldn’t, but was he even
the same person?
“I’ll call a fertility specialist,” Token said as he drove down the road.
“Hopefully, it’s an easy fix.”
“Am I really?” He asked, swiping his tongue across the roof of his mouth and
dislodging a bit of partially digested egg.
“I’m not a doctor,” Token huffed, as Craig rubbed his eyes. “I’ll speak with
the specialist.”
“Is it not normal? Am I not normal?”
“It doesn’t make sense to make you worry about it,” Token rationalized.
“I didn’t mean to, I wasn’t trying to trick you,” Craig whispered, pressing his
face against the window. They car turned into a parking lot, Token clicking his
tongue as he killed the engine. “Why are we stopped?”
“Don’t ask so many questions.”
Craig worked his bottom lip as he thought about the lack of information. Was he
being sold? He didn’t think Token would ever do such a thing, but he didn’t
think Token would ever be so upset about what he thought was trivial
information. According to the books Token read, he apparently wasn’t even
capable of thought. How can you prove your capable of thinking? Would you know
if you weren’t?
“Put it on,” Token threw his coat onto Craig’s lap, shivering against the car
door in a tidy button up. Craig looked at the glossy buttons, fake pearl, or
maybe real, as he shoved his arms into the sleeves. As Craig stretched to leave
the car, Token made quick work of the oversize coat buttons, all the way to his
neck. The wool scratched, but he thought better than to say anything. “Don’t
speak to anyone, unless they speak directly to you. Okay?”
“Okay,” he nodded, landing in a puddle. Token chuckled, shaking his head
slightly as Craig mumbled a few curses about how cold it was. The walk into the
building was otherwise silent.
“Seriously?” Craig asked as they stalled outside an automatic sliding door. The
heat seeped out into the street, warming his toes. “What are we doing?”
“I need to get cash. Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to,” Token chastised,
rubbing his temples as they walked into the familiar building.
And there she was, orange hair in a messy bun as she stood in a teller window.
An older man chatted with her, obstructing her view as he scribbled on a
deposit slip. Craig caught himself before he called to her, he wasn’t allowed
to, he wasn’t supposed to. But oh, how he wanted to.
“I can help you right here, sir,” a man in a polo shirt called from behind the
counter. Token smiled, but shook his head.
“I’ll wait for Mrs. Tucker, thank you kindly.”
The man just shrugged and returned to his computer. Laura looked up briefly,
meeting eyes with Token and nodding. She went back to talking with the man,
animatedly using her hands as she pointed at his paper. Craig felt his stomach
churn as she did a double take, eyes straying from Token and onto him. He
smiled weakly, curling his toes, both from the cold and from the tension.
If she recognized him, she didn’t say anything. It had been the better part of
a year since she had seen him, siting car troubles and Tricia’s college fees as
the reason. Tricia, his Beta sister, needed to go to college, he understood
that. She had a future, and he tried not to hold her prioritization against the
family.
Some days, he failed.
“Next in line,” she called, looking at him again. He waved, a half wave close
to his chest. Token pulled them both forward, grabbing onto Craig’s hand. Their
fingers weren’t intertwined, not like it was with Tweek. They didn’t swing
their hands back and forth, either. This wasn’t a relationship thing, he
explained to himself, this was leading a dog on a leash. Even if there was
inherit care in choosing to hold his hand instead of grip his wrist, it wasn’t
a particularly affectionate gesture.
Not that Craig thought Token was someone who showed affectionate gestures, no,
he was more of a willing bystander in all physical contact. He saw the way
Clyde hung off of him, draping arms around his neck, squeezing at his side,
kissing his face. It wasn’t as if Token initiated any of those touches.
“Token, so nice to see you,” she greeted, a grin slowly stretching across her
face. “Who did you bring in with you?” Craig quelled the rage he felt at that
question as her eyes met his again, tears pricking at the corners. He wanted to
tell her that she’d mess up her make-up, but couldn’t. He couldn’t say
anything.
“New mate, Mrs. Tucker,” he said cooly. “A withdrawal slip, if you will.”
“How lovely,” her eyes were watering, a tear snaking a way through her blush.
He mouthed, don’t cry, careful not to let any sound leave his mouth. “He seems
like a very nice young man.”
“He is, indeed,” Token commented as he filled out the form. She stared, as if
she’d seen a ghost. “You ought to come to dinner sometime, at our place.”
“I’d, uh, I’d like that very much,” she stuttered, taking the paper and typing
in all pertinent information.
“He’s not feeling very well, but I think tonight would be best, if you could
manage it,” Token smiled, watching her rifle through her drawer.
“Oh, tonight?” She asked, shock colouring her face as she stared at Craig
again. “Why so soon?”
“I really respect your advice, and there’s a situation with my other mate. The
blonde one,” Token’s eyebrows were raised, hand still clutching Craig’s.
“Oh, you took two mates?” Tears were rolling down her face freely. “They must
be very lucky.”
“I don’t know that I’d call him lucky, in earnest,” Token sighed, looking
quickly around the bank. “There is an incident, yes, an incident from a
previous relationship.” Her eyes narrowed, looking him up and down in a
sweeping motion.
“This one doesn’t look like he has had any previous relationships worth
mentioning,” she hissed out, leaning close to the glass. “Unless there is
something that I am not seeing.”
“No, of course not. The second mate, the blonde one,” Token reiterated, “seems
to have previous attachments from a relationship that ended, well it ended
quite publically, if you can recall.”
“Oh. Oh!” She exclaimed, pulling out a twenty dollar bill and sliding it
through the hole in the plexiglass. “Is this attachment currently living with
you? Do you need help handling the attachment?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Token answered. “It’s an urgent matter, as you would imagine, but
if tonight is not a good night, I understand. Clyde is currently indisposed,”
Craig gulped as Token spoke, feeling his stomach flip, “with my second mate.
You know how these things go.”
“I have an idea. I get off of work at five, if that works alright for you?”
“That would be splendid. I’ll pick up something from City Wok. I hope that is
to your tastes.”
“Yes, that would be nice, Mr. Black. Thank you so much for dropping in. I hope
you, and your mate, new mate, I hope you have a nice day,” she wiped her eyes
with the end of her sleeve, grinding heel of her hand into her eyes. “Your
mate’s shoes look awfully familiar.”
“I think they’re local. Have a nice a day as well, Mrs. Tucker.” Token said as
they turned to walk away, still hand in hand. Craig wasn’t going to cry. He was
not going to cry that he was not allowed to speak to his mother. They walked
back to the car, his flip flops slapping against the tile floor.
“That went well,” Token said as the doors opened. Craig shivered against the
wind, stepping a bit closer to Token, as if being side by side would shield
him. “You did well.”
“I want to talk with her,” Craig sighed, the wool scratching his face as he
rubbed away a stray tear. “And a hug. I miss her.”
“I’m sure you do, she’s very kind. She’s been checking in on me ever since my
parents passed. She seems like an excellent mother.”
“They passed?” Craig asked, snorting snot back into his nose. “That’s
terrible.”
“It was the past, I’d prefer not to rehash those details right now,” Token
deflected as the car honked to life. Craig rushed to the front seat, stepping
in the same puddle again. “Do you feel well enough to try shopping again? We
have until three to go and get Tweek.”
“T,” Craig corrected. “We’re calling her T. That’s her nickname.”
“Her name isn’t particularly important, just that we retrieve her on time,” he
argued, pulling out of the parking lot. “Are you well enough to go shopping?”
“I don’t want to go back to Walmart. I’m not good at just standing there. Maybe
you should drop me off at home,” Craig complained, looking out the window. It’s
not like Token could look back while driving.
“We’re not going to Walmart,” Token clarified, turning the car away from town.
Or Craig though it was away from town, but he wasn't certain. He couldn’t
remember the ins and outs of his hometown. Would he be able to find his
parent’s house from the bank? What about Token’s? Was the coffee shop to the
right of them, or was it the left?
“Why are we leaving town?” Craig asked, drawn from his trance to see exit
numbers. “I’m tired, Token. We didn’t get hardly any sleep last night. Tweek,”
he gagged, wondering if Clyde would be biting over Tweek’s bond mark, the one
he put there, “he was up early.”
“Take a nap,” Token ordered. “It’s a ways off.”
“Are you going to sell me?” Craig asked with a yawn. “That’d be a bitch move,
for the record.”
“God, have an iota of faith in me,” Token said as Craig leaned against the car
window. “I wouldn’t invite your mother over for dinner, if I was going to sell
you before then.”
“So you’re going to sell me after?” Craig murmured as he started to drift to
sleep.
“No, stop talking about it and stop thinking about it.”
“Can you really sell me? Is that legal?”
“Yeah, it is. But I’m not. I’m taking you to a special store. Just take a
fucking nap, for fuck’s sake,” Token groaned as they merged onto the highway.
Craig simply stared at the treeline, until his eyes sagged closed.
***** Chapter 5 *****
“Get out of the car,” Token placed a hand on Craig, shaking him slightly. “Need
you to get up.”
“How long was I out for?” Craig yawned, fingertips grazing the headliner of the
car as he stretched upwards.
“A while,” Token replied, opening the car door. Craig unbuckled his seatbelt,
yawning again as Token held the door open for him. “We’re at Target.”
“Don’t touch anything. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t exist, Craig,” he mocked in
a nasally tone. Token broke into a half smile, raising his eyebrows.
“Not exactly,” Token masked a chuckle with his hand as Craig climbed out of the
car. “It’s a speciality store. Omega friendly.”
“Which means?” Craig asked, flip flops crashing into the ground. There was no
puddle beneath him this time.
“You can touch stuff. Don’t talk to anyone, unless they talk to you,” Token
said, pulling a cart from beside the car, “which they won’t. You can talk to me
though.”
“Oh joy,” Craig teased, “I wanted to talk to Token, that’s it. My life’s dream
has come true.”
“Hush,” Token chided, “grab the cart so you don’t get lost. So people know
you’re with me and not rogue.” Craig did as instructed, following Token through
the parking lot.
“Remember when we used to race these? Clyde would push you and me in the basket
and Tweek would scream that we were going to die while Jimmy taped?” Craig
laughed, trying to ignore the biting cold. Token nodded as they drew closer to
the store. There was a sign in bold red letters plastered on the glass: Omega
Friendly Target.
Beneath it was more text, the font smaller but no less red: If you prefer a
more traditional experience, please shop at our other Denver locations.
“We’re in Denver? You drove me to Denver?” Craig asked as the doors whooshed
opened.
“Yeah, figured you’d have an easier time adjusting if we shopped here,” Token
shrugged, forcing the cart over the lip of the flooring.
“Dude,” Craig paused, staring at the bright lights and the black and white
animatronic dog on top of dollar store items, “you didn’t have to.”
“Oh, I did,” Token corrected. “Because you were not going to make me a laughing
stock in South Park.”
“Hi there, you two,” a young woman smiled, her brown hair pulled back into a
ponytail that swished from side to side as she talked. “How are you doing
today?”
“Doing well, thank you,” Token answered.
“And you,” the woman said, looking at Craig. He didn’t respond, just held the
uncomfortable stare. “Not much of a talker, I see.”
“No, ma’am, he isn’t,” Token sighed, moving them forward as Craig ducked his
eyes away from her. “God damnit, Craig,” he muttered, huffing as they made
their way towards the clothing sections. “She was speaking to you.”
“I’m not supposed to, how was I supposed to know?” Craig huffed, dragging his
feet as if his flip flops were skis.
“She was looking right at you,” Token argued, turning into a mess of garment
racks.
“So was the bitch with the toddler.”
“Please don’t talk like that in public,” Token chastised, slowing down to look
at him. “I understand that you have a sailor’s mouth, but keep the public
cursing to a minimum. For my sake.”
“Hate to bruise your ego,” Craig whispered, taking in the sights of all of the
clothes. He couldn’t recall the last time he saw so many clothes. He had grown
so accustomed to the large bin of donations that sat on the far side of the
common room, that he had almost forgotten that clothes came from the store.
That you could pick clothing by style, as opposed to what was the closest to
fitting.
“We have to go to the Omega section,” Token steered them through the racks,
dresses to Craig’s left and button-ups to Craig’s right.
“We have a section?” Craig asked, reaching out to finger the material of a
silky looking blouse. Was it real silk? Surely Target, the cousin of Walmart,
didn’t have real silk in store. What was it them?
“Don’t touch,” Token hissed, encircling his wrist.
“You said I could touch,” Craig complained, putting both hands back onto the
cart.
“You can’t touch the clothing outside of your section. There are signs
everywhere, I thought you could read.”
“Fuck you, I can read.”
“Language,” Token had stopped in front a few racks, pointing directly in front
of him. “And, if you can read, you ought to apply those skills sometime.” The
signs did, in fact, politely ask, in their passive aggressive chain store way,
that the Omegas refrain from touching clothing from outside their section,
please and thank you, violators will be prosecuted.
“Why take me here, if it’s the same?”
Token pointed to a far off corner of the store, the back of the clothing
section, which was dotted with a fucked up upside down U. Craig recognized the
symbol immediately, from their precursory sexual education classes they had in
freshman year. Not that he paid too much attention, coming from a family of
Betas.
Ω was the sign for Omega. There were other signs too, but no one ever needed to
quickly identify Alphas or Betas. As the items of clothing came into focus he
saw that they were all adorned with the mark. A Ω stitched into the sleeves of
most items, as well as the the back, and the front. Some designs went as far as
to have that be the pattern, repeating over and over from seam to seam.
“This is you’re section,” Token clarified, pointing to the clothes Craig was
already gawking at. “Pick out a three or four shirts for you and Tweek, some
pants, and a pair of pajamas.”
“Each?” Craig asked, hand hovering over the garish racks. The garments were
soft enough, seemingly all cotton.
“Yeah, each,” Token smirked, resting his weight on the cart as Craig browsed.
“You don’t want to do laundry every two days, do you? We’ll get some more stuff
from somewhere a little bit,” he coughed, glancing around the mostly empty
store, “nicer. We’re not trashy, Craig. You can’t look trashy, if you’re my
mate.”
“Good thing I’m not then,” Craig sneered, holding up a green shirt covered with
Ω symbols.
“For all intents and purposes, you and Tweek are my mates,” Token scoffed, eyes
shifting around the room again. “Pick solid colors, please. In case I have to
take you into public.”
“But Token,” Craig teased in a monotone voice, still holding the shirt in his
hands, “I want to really stand out.”
“Just put the shirt back before I pick your clothing for you,” Token jeered,
heading towards the rack. “What are you a small? You’re like 5’ 4”, is that an
extra small?”
“I think just a regular small is fine,” Craig sulked, flipping through articles
of clothing. “Can we just go to the table? I don’t want anything that’s
hanging, it’s all too loud.”
“I think you’re an extra small,” Token pressed, holding what appeared to be a
dress in his hands. “The sizing chart says an extra small in Omega Males is a
5’3” to 5’4”. It’s not like you’re fat.”
“Glad that you think I’m thin,” Craig sighed, walking away.
“Tweek is a medium,” Token called out, following him towards a display of t-
shirts. “Or maybe a large. It says 5’7” is a medium, but then the large starts
at 5’7”. Go with the large.”
“I’m getting a small. I’m not an extra small. I’m not extraordinarily small,”
Craig argued, pulling a two black shirts from the pile, one a small and one a
large. He dropped them into the cart, repeating the action with a dark blue,
and a dark green. Three shirts, done.
“Grab another, get the maroon,” Token commanded, doing the work himself.
“I’m amazed it isn’t above you to touch such lowly items of clothing, Alpha,”
Craig sneered.
“I drove all the way to Denver for you; you don’t need to be such an asshole.”
“Language, Token,” Craig said, a smile tugging at his lips. “Thanks though. I,
uh, I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, pushing the cart to the next section. “Pick out some
pants.”
Craig tried to do as instructed, thumbing through the jeans, pulling out pairs,
and holding them to his waist. They weren’t like traditional jeans though, sewn
into the waist, instead of a button and a zipper, were elastic bands, about as
wide as Token’s hands. He shoved the pair back, grabbing the small from another
stack, and finding the same thing.
“What’s wrong with these?” Craig asked, pulling at the stretchy material.
“Nothing,” Token said nonchalantly, hardly looking up from his phone.
“They’re all, ugh, they’re weird,” Craig complained, placing the unfolded pair
back onto the top of the stack.
“They’re Omega jeans. What did you expect?” Token asked, glancing up from the
phone for a few more seconds.
“I don’t know,” he wondered, picking the pants back up, “a zipper? Why are they
stretchy?”
“For when you get pregnant.”
“But I won’t always be pregnant,” Craig rationalized, holding them to his
waist.
“The average Omega has six children,” Token said, looking back at his phone and
swiping his finger. “Five for affluent Omegas and eight for Omegas below the
poverty line.”
“Six?” Craig asked, mouth feeling dry.
“Per Omega. Not that I plan on having nine children, but you get the idea. It
doesn’t make fiscal sense to have two sets of clothing.”
“But why this?” Craig asked, pulling the elastic band taut.
“I’m sure Tweek will be able to explain to you how uncomfortable pregnancy is,”
Token sighed, placing his phone in his pocket.
“We can’t even have buttons?” Craig asked again, dropping his pants, size
small, into the cart.
“From what I’ve heard from the Beta women in my office, you won’t want them.
Something about pinching, I’m not certain. Just trust the professionals and get
the pants,” Token said, heading over to the table to grab two pairs of size
large pants. “Two dark wash.”
“Fine,” he said, pulling another from the pile and sticking it into the cart.
They continued shopping, strolling by a display for heat wear and accessories.
He looked, open mouthed, at the underthings on display. Lace panties designed
to tear. Cock rings that were flavored, for maximum head during a heat. A rope
kit, as the box read, for a loud heat experience. There was even a bin of toys,
in case you were unable to get off of work, but were tired of coming home to a
destroyed home. Craig couldn’t recall ever wanting to destroy anything while he
was on his heat, but he didn’t recall much of anything about his heats. He
couldn’t even say for certain who he spent his heats with.
God, Tweek was in heat right now, crying underneath Clyde instead of Craig. He
looked at the display again, to see Token rifling through the hanging
underwear, throwing a few into the basket. They weren’t the speciality tearable
kind, but they were a deep red lace, flowers in the design, translucent all the
way around, even the crotch.
“Clyde likes them,” Token whispered, tossing in another pair. “And I’m fine
with whatever he wants, in this sort of thing.”  
“I don’t want him doing that to Tweek,” Craig spat, ripping a pair out of the
cart. He held them up, realized they were much bigger than he or Tweek, then
slowly lowered them back into the cart.
Token burst into laughter, covering his mouth with his hand. He went back to
looking, handing a black pair to Craig.
“Me?” Craig asked, holding them at a distance. “I might not have a heat for a
while,” he trailed off, thinking about their uncomfortable conversation in the
car.
“We have an appointment with a specialist on Thursday,” Token reassured,
patting him on the back a few times. “And not for your heat, just for fun.”
“For us?” Craig asked, wrinkling his nose a bit.
“God, no,” Token harshly whispered. “For Tweek. He seems like he might like to
see you in lingerie. A surprise for you two.” Craig’s eyes grew wide as he
nodded, tossing them into the cart. Would Tweek like lingerie? Craig had a
feeling he would. Tweek was always the more eccentric in their sex life, tying
his hands behind his back with an old shirt, denying him orgasm, skullfucking.
Craig let out a moan at the thought.
“We can get you ladies underthings, if you’d enjoy that,” Token smiled, pushing
the cart again. “Tweek seems like he’d be upset if I did that for him, but you,
it’s a bit harder to tell.”
Craig felt a blush burn through his face as they sifted through the ladies
underwear. He pulled out a few from the pile, less lace than the others, cotton
with lace waistbands in bright colors.
“Is this weird?” Craig asked, holding up a periwinkle pair with a fish pattern.
“Is the cashier going to look at us funny?”
“Doubt it,” Token said, plucking them from Craig’s hand and throwing them into
the cart. “It’s not like we’re buying hot sauce, condoms, Vaseline, and a
cucumber.”
“Clyde,” Craig groaned, remembering the four of them going to purchase those
items from Publix. Jimmy even had the balls to stare at the cashier as he
scanned the items, making small talk about a party they were going to have.
Craig just blushed in the background, as Token and Clyde laughed their asses
off.
“He tries to get me do things like that, still,” Token chuckled, moving towards
a rack of men’s underwear. Men’s underwear was sold in packs, not individually.
There was no sifting for your size and color in a giant bin, just grabbing for
a pack of small men’s briefs. Small in regular men, because there was no way in
hell those would ever stay on Craig’s ass.
“T,” Craig blurted out, passing a fixture with children’s underwear. “She has
no clothing.”
“They gave us a bag,” Token argued, reluctantly following Craig as he snaked
away towards the underwear, wondering if she was a small or a medium.
“They don’t fit,” Craig said, deciding she was a medium. He hoped she didn’t
hate whoever the Paw Patrol was. Dogs were always a hit, right? “She doesn’t
even have a coat.”
“Of course they don’t,” Token sighed, nodding to let Craig know to get the
items. “Just get a few things. Again, we’re not trashy.”
“She likes leggings,” Craig thought aloud, causing Token to grin. “The pink
ones are her favorite thing she has. They gave them to her at the group home, I
guess. Do you think she likes blue? Do girls like blue? She should have more
than one colour of pants, you know?”
“Look at you,” Token cooed, only coming off as a little condescending. “Mr.
Mom.”
“Shh,” Craig shushed as he pulled a pack of seven socks off of a hook, plain
white without any bells or whistles. Tricia used to hate having anything that
would bother her feet on her socks, bows, decals, patterns in the stitching.
Maybe all little girls were the same.
“No, it’s cute,” Token said earnestly. “You need socks and a coat. Don’t forget
about you.”
“She just needs a parent,” Craig clarified, walking towards the men’s socks.
“And you’re going to be it?” Token asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief.
“I always wanted to be one,” Craig admitted with a shrug. “Like a dream of
mine, or something stupid like that.” Craig looked back at the cart to see him
frowning, wrinkles branching out from the corners of his mouth.
“Are you lying to me?” Token asked. “Don’t lie to me.”
“No,” Craig shook his head, grabbing a pack of 15 crew cut socks, size small.
Tweek didn’t have particularly big feet, and neither did he. “I figured I
would. I wasn’t that upset when I presented. It sucks that I can’t.”
“You really didn’t know?” Token pushed, making a U-turn with the cart.
“No,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I wanted too. I was sort of
excited. T is nice, close enough, right? My partners kid is my kid, since I
can’t, I’m not, since I’m broken.” He rubbed at his eyes, tears starting to
trace their way down his cheeks.
“Come here,” Token ordered. He reluctantly listened, dragging his feet against
the ground as he shuffled towards him. He was surprised to be met with a hug.
“We’re going to fix it.”
“I didn’t mean to lie to you, Token,” he choked out, face rubbing into the
starchy button up. “I wanted to. I really want to. It’s not fair.”
“It’s not,” Token murmured into the top of his head. “It’s really not.”
“I used to steal Tricia’s baby dolls, because she was mean to them. She’d bang
their head against the stairs,” he laughed wetly, “and I’d tell her, you can’t
do that, they’re babies. I’d pretend to feed them and I’d rock them to sleep.”
“That was sweet of you.”
“Dad said it was kind of faggy,” Craig laughed louder.
“Yeah, that too. But mostly sweet,” Token agreed, laughing along.
“He told me not to do that in public, ‘cause I’d get my ass beat, so I didn’t,”
Craig stopped laughing, wiping his eyes on the shirt. “I’m not so tough.”
“You don’t come off as tough, at all,” Token admitted. “After like a week of
knowing you, I knew you were a softy. You used to take the bugs Clyde found and
set them free.”
“We both knew he was going to kill them,” Craig said, pulling away from the
hug. “He was a clumsy kid, and I didn’t want those caterpillar lives weighing
on my soul.”
“You need a coat,” Token changed the subject, pushing the car with Craig
pressed into his side. “Tweek, too.
“Like a hoodie?” Craig asked, sniffing loudly.
“No, like a winter coat,” he clarified, heading back towards the Omega section.
“Do you want me to pick it? Are you too overwhelmed to pick one?”
“I’m not like, I’m not a delicate flower, Token. I can pick. Presenting didn’t
make me dumb.”
“I never said it did,” Token argued. “The book says that sometimes, Omegas can
have trouble making decisions that I would see as very simple. I don’t want to
make you uncomfortable.” He grabbed a black coat, draping it around Craig’s
shoulders. “Slip it on real quick, and we can see if it fits.”
“I’m wearing a coat. How do you try on a coat on top of another coat?” Craig
asked, handing the coat back to Token. “This is fine.”
“Want Tweek to match?” He asked, holding up a larger coat. “Would Tweek care?”
“Whatever,” Craig murmured, wiping his eyes again. “The same is fine”
They left the section, returning to the little girls clothing, where Craig
struggled to choose items. He couldn’t decide if she’d like an extra pink pair
of leggings, or a blue pair, or maybe a green pair. Tweek liked green, it was
his favorite, but who knew if that was her favorite. Were favorite colors
hereditary?
“Just grab a few,” Token sighed, looking at his phone. He was typing with both
thumbs, though Craig didn’t dare ask to whom. “Like five pairs, we’ll go
somewhere nicer when thing settle down.”
“Because we’re not trashy,” Craig chuckled, grabbing the green pair after all.
“She needs shirts. What kind of shirts do you think she’ll like?” Craig asked.
“I don’t know,” Token huffed. “Just make sure they fit.” He piled five into the
cart, a random assortment of colors and decals, but all size seven. They didn’t
really match, but she was six. Did six year olds care about fashion? “Grab a
coat. Then we’re getting you shoes.”
“Clyde runs a shoe store,” Craig deadpanned.
“Clyde is balls deep in Tweek, and you need shoes today.”
“Don’t say that,” he whispered. “I don’t want to think about that.”
“What? Can you fault them for going with their basic instincts?” Token plucked
a black coat with a faux fur hood off of the rack. “It’s not like they’re in
love, they’re just doing what nature intended.”
“It doesn’t bother you?” Craig asked, checking the tag on the coat. He nodded,
letting it be added to the growing collection of clothing.
“Is it bothering you?”
“Yes,” Craig admitted, looking at his toes through his flip flops. “Tweek and I
are mates.” Token hurriedly looked around, as if he was making a drug deal in
the middle of Target.
“Not so loud,” he hissed, speed walking through the store. “It’s not like Clyde
is his mate. Clyde is my mate. We’re very comfortable in that. Clyde would fuck
a beta girl. His porn tastes are, how should I say it, inclusive.”
“Besides,” he continued, lifting up Craig’s knee to pull of his shoe, “Tweek
hates us. It’s not like Tweek would ever leave you, especially not for Clyde.”
He sat Craig on a bench, bringing a metal sizer to his foot, adjusting the
knobs as if he had done it a hundred times. “You’re a seven, a narrow, but I
doubt they have narrow sizes. A seven will work for now. Do you care what
kind?”
“Closed toe?” Craig asked, sounding distant.
“Yeah, of course,” Token added, pulling a box from a stack and shoving it into
the cart. “Hey, cheer up. Do you want anything special?”
“Besides a whole wardrobe?” Craig scoffed. “You’ve done enough. Thanks, Token.”
“These are needs,” he argued, grabbing Craig’s hand and pulling him to his
feet. “Maybe not the underwear, but the rest were needs. Let me do something
nice for you.”
“This is nice,” Craig groaned. “You don’t have to do any of this. You could
have just left us there.”
“Nah, I couldn’t, man. We’re friends. Even if you presented. We’re friends.
Even if we’re both different, we’re friends. Do you two read books? Watch
movies? I’m not going to be able to babysit you two all day. Clyde either. Not
until there’s a baby, anyway.”
“Tweek likes books,” Craig drummed his fingers against the the cart, bumping
into Token’s shoulder. “But I don’t know what kind.”
“Board games?” Token asked. “We’ll ask him about the books later.”
“Puzzles,” Craig timidly said, looking up at Token. “We used to do puzzles
together. Tweek is really good at them.”
“You want a puzzle?” Token asked, steering the cart towards the toy section.
“Like 500 pieces?”
“He likes architecture,” Craig murmured.
“Yeah, he used to say he was going to be an engineer,” Token said. “Does Tweek
need toys?”
“T? I mean, yes, probably? I’d want toys, wouldn’t you?” Craig asked, fiddling
with his hands.
“I had toys at six. Everyone had toys. We’ll set her up. I’ll clean that room
out, too. Help me pick.”
Craig nodded, walking through the toy section. He glanced at the price tags,
grimacing as he thought about the money Token was spending. His parents would
never buy him a new wardrobe out of the blue, not that they wouldn’t want to,
but they wouldn’t be capable. He flinched as he grabbed for a box of Legos,
$15.99 for a little box.
“This is a lot of money,” he said as he ghosted his fingers against the
cardboard box. “I think Tweek would play with her, if there were Legos. Those
are his favorite. Were his favorite.”
“How much is a lot?” Token asked, peering at the label. “It’s not even twenty
dollars,” he snorted. “It’s not like I’m poor, Craig. Do you know how much you
cost?”
“You paid for me?” Craig’s jaw was slack. You can’t buy people. There’s no way
you could purchase a person.
“I mean, to say I purchased you is simplifying a bit, but after home
inspections and government reimbursements the two of you were about a hundred
thousand dollars. I got a last minute discount, because Tweek had a child who
was in the system, in an effort to make him more enticing.”
“My family couldn’t build a heat room because it was two grand,” Craig
grumbled, hunching over. “Mom used to skip visits because she couldn’t put gas
in the car. That’s so much money, Token. It’s hard to think about.”
“I tried to give them cash,” he said, clasping a hand on Craig’s back. “I
always tried to give your mother money. Just pick things you’d think she’d
like. You’re the parent, huh?”
“I’m the parent,” Craig repeated. “She’s a good kid. She’ll be a good kid.”
“Think she wants the blonde girl?” Token asked, holding the box Craig was
previously touching. “Just pick a few things and we’ll take her to the store,
later.”
“Can we tell her Tweek picked them?” Craig asked, picking up a box assorted
bricks. “The Legos, so she can think he cares?”
“Say whatever you want,” Token shrugged. “I’ve spent like a minute with her. I
doubt I’ll be very involved.”
“You don’t want to?” Craig prodded, deciding that two boxes of Legos was
enough.
“I mean, legally,” Token snagged another box off of the shelf, throwing it into
the cart without hesitation. “She’ll be Tweek Black, so for what it’s worth,
she’s my kid.”
“Am I Craig Black?” He asked, turning to stare at Token.
“As of this morning, yes, you are. Clyde will be Clyde Black by the end of it,
too.”
“That’s so weird.”
“I guess,” he groaned, “I mean, it’s not weird to me. It’s the natural order of
things. Omega’s take their Alpha’s names. I don’t want her to feel left out,
and it’s not like there’s another Alpha chomping at the bit for custody. It
looks bad to have a child with a different last name under my roof.”
“Oh, okay,” Craig scoffed. “You’re not soft at all, it’s all aesthetics.” They
resumed walking, browsing through the products. “Would she like a soccer ball?”
“Clyde played soccer. I bet he’d play with her,” Token laughed as Craig picked
up a ball, trying to headbutt it. It flew into a rack of cars, causing them to
clatter to the ground. “Stop it. Craig don’t get us kicked out of Target.”
“That was always Clyde’s thing, wasn’t it?” He asked as he scooped cars off of
the ground. Fumbling, he hung them back up, some facing the wrong way. The last
three on the floor, he placed into the cart.
“Yeah, God. The trouble we got into when I was in college,” he snorted,
examining one of the cars in the cart. “He thought it would be cool to be try
to spend the night in IKEA. When they found us in the morning, they were so
angry.”
“Typical Clyde,” Craig grinned, stopping at an endcap. “Do you think she’d like
a doll?”
“I don’t know jack about kids,” Token admitted. “Clyde wants the kids, I enjoy
our bachelor lifestyle.”
“A puzzle!” Craig shouted, then covered his mouth. “Fuck, I mean, damnit, oh
man, this is hard.”
“A puzzle?” Token arched an eyebrow. “You’re going to get Tweek one, why are
you shouting?”
He didn’t explain his thoughts, just rushed towards the puzzles, wondering what
kind of puzzle Tweek would want, and what kind T would be able to do. Was a 100
pieces too many pieces for a six year old? Would 24 pieces be boring? He picked
up two puzzles, one with a fairy princess on the box, sealed in a bag, and
another, 100 pieces featuring a firetruck. Tricia liked firetrucks when she was
little, so maybe T would. He weighed them in his hands, trying to make a
decision.
“Get them both,” Token said. “I don’t care.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, dude, I’m sure,” Token reassured, taking them from his hands and placing
them in the cart.
“Can I get Tweek this one?” He asked, picking up a 1000 piece puzzle of a
decaying castle. He used to talk about abandoned buildings a bunch when they
were kids, saying that there were probably ghosts there. He used to scream when
Craig bragged about how he broke into the abandoned gas station on the
outskirts of town, shrieking that it was irresponsible, that he might be
possessed.
He had mellowed out a lot, Craig thought as Token nodded. When they meet up at
the home, Tweek sulked alone in the corner of the room. It had taken a few days
of staring at the figure wrapped in a blanket for Craig to place him. When he
finally approached him, he thought it was a smart to touch him, to hug his
boyfriend, though he figured they were exes. Tweek had screamed, spitting in
his face and demanded that he take a step back, because he wasn’t about to
become some Alpha’s bitch, even if he did look familiar.
When it sunk in that he was Craig, not an Alpha, just Craig, his long term
boyfriend, who was also an Omega, he clung. They did everything together. They
ate together. They watched TV together. Tweek read his boring nonfiction books
aloud so that Craig could experience the excitement of war, in real time, with
him. Craig had even pretended to enjoy it. The sound of Tweek’s voice was
enjoyable. The familiarity of Tweek was enjoyable.
“Earth to Craig,” Token joked, snapping his fingers a few times. “We need to
get a booster seat, while we’re here.”
“She can eat at the table,” Craig said after a few moments.
“For the car,” Token corrected, a soft smile spreading across his face. “Don’t
worry, I’ll pick it out.”
Craig dutifully followed Token through the store, waiting patiently as he
hemmed and hawed over brands of car seat. He pulled out his phone a few times,
clicking his tongue as browsed through what Craig could only assume were
reviews.
He grabbed a box, rotating it in his arms, looking at the pictures and text. He
sighed, placing it in the middle of the walkway, taking out his phone again. It
seemed like a good option to Craig, but what did he know? Token browsed for a
minute or two, then nodded twice. He bent down, sliding the car seat underneath
the cart.
“We’re good to go. Unless you can think of anything else?” Craig was fairly
certain that the bulk of the store was in their cart. He had never seen a cart
so full, not even with groceries. He shook his head, not wanting to be told
that this was normal, again.
They walked wordlessly to the checkout. Craig stared at the cart, toys peeking
out over the red lip of the basket. Token unloaded it, greeting the man behind
the counter with a canned greeting.
“You two doing alright today?” The man asked, staring at his register. “Toys,
that’s fun. A birthday?”
“Something like that,” Token answered before Craig could open his mouth.
“That’s exciting,” he said in a droll voice. The belt moved forward with piles
of clothes. Craig gnawed at a cuticle, ripping at the nail with his teeth.
“Uh-huh,” Token agreed as the man scanned the underwear. Craig blushed, feeling
like he was going to explode. He probably thought they were perverts, which
would be fair. They were perverts, weren’t they? Weren’t both of their
relationships some sort of perversion? Omegas weren’t supposed to have
relationships with each other, and Alphas certainly were not supposed to be
romantically involved.
Pack dynamics between Alphas were based in submission, not in sexual
attraction. It was an insult to be the second Alpha in a pack, a dig at that
Alpha’s strength. They weren’t Clyde wrapping his arms around Token, sighing as
he kissed him. That’s not what they were supposed to be like.
And Craig was certain that Token knew that.
“$576.98,” the man said, like people spent this much on a daily basis in the
store. Like Craig’s family had spent this much on anything that wasn’t their
mortgage. Token nodded, saying, yes, this is a normal transaction, as he swiped
a silver card.
“Thanks,” the man said, dumping things back into the cart. “Have a nice day.”
“You too,” Craig slipped. The man frowned as they rushed out of the store.
Craig expected for Token to chastise him, to remind him of his place.
“Jesus Christ,” Token laughed, wiping at his forehead. “That man seemed as
excitable as you are. That’s a rarity.”
Craig thought, and it was a fleeting thought, that maybe things with Token
weren’t exactly as they seemed. Maybe Token didn’t think less of him. Maybe
there was an altruistic reason for rescuing the two of them from that place. He
admitted to not wanting children, not even an hour ago, so why go through the
trouble to get them at the age of twenty one?
“You feel well enough to eat?” Token asked, slamming his car door. “There’s a
Panera close.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Craig smiled, fiddling with car stereo.
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