We're going to do a perspective change in this chapter and see what Craig's up to.

Chapter 5 – Declaring War

Craig laid on his bed with his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling. He hoped he would get to hang out with Thomas again soon. And hopefully they would get to be alone next time. There was something that drew Craig to him, but he wasn't sure what. Sure, the ability to shout swears with no discretion was pretty cool, but it was more than that.

Being the new kid must be hard, especially when he had to move around all the time. Craig would like to say he just wanted Thomas to feel welcomed, but again, he felt like there was more to it than that. Craig had never really thought about his sexuality much, but he sometimes couldn't help but feel he was probably gay.

He had never been quite as interested in girls as the other guys were, and he didn't get excited to talk about them like Clyde, Jimmy, and Token got. Maybe he was attracted to Thomas? Was that it? He wondered if Thomas would be ok with the fact that he was gay.

Rolling over onto his side, he saw that it was starting to get late, so he got up to get ready for bed. Before he could step foot in the bathroom, however, he heard a knocking on the front door. It sounded angry and violent. Craig waited a moment and when he realized no one was going to answer it, he sighed and headed down stairs.

The last person Craig expected to be at his door was Cartman. But there he was, and Craig was quite confused as to why.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked the fat boy. Cartman glared at him.

"I came here to warn you," he scowled, "You'd better stay away from Thomas if you know what's good for you. He's way too cool for someone like you."

Now it was Craig's turn to glare. "Are you threatening me?" he hissed.

"Maybe," Cartman scoffed, "Only if you get in my way."

"Listen, fatass," Craig warned, "Thomas is my friend now too, and you can't force him to hang out with only you! Besides, I can kick your ass any day!"

"As if," Cartman tsked, "Everyone knows I'm the toughest kid in school!"

"You cried for half an hour when you stubbed your toe last week!" Craig pointed out.

"Did not!" the fat boy protested, "Anyway, just stay away from Thomas!"

"Why?" Craig growled, "Do you have a crush on him or something?" He would feel guilty about teasing him, seeing as he probably had a crush on Thomas himself, but it was Cartman so he felt justified.

Especially when Cartman started blushing as red as tomato. Craig grinned evilly at him. "That's it, isn't it?" he jeered, "You like him, don't you?"

"Sh-Shut up!" Cartman snapped, "That's none of your business! If you don't stay away from Thomas, then I'll make you stay away!"

"Then it's on, fat boy," Craig growled, "Just try to stop me, fatass!" With that declaration of war, Craig slammed the door in Cartman's face. He wouldn't let him keep Thomas to himself. He would be sure of that.

…

When school rolled around the next day, Craig was waiting by the school entrance for Thomas. Clyde, Token, and Jimmy were with him, but he wasn't really listening to what they were saying. He was just keeping a sharp eye out for Thomas's car.

A minute later he saw it pull up and he quickly hopped up from where he was sitting on one of the steps. Without an explanation to his friends, he quickly went over to greet the dirty blond.

"Hey Thomas," Craig greeted him with a small smile. Thomas whipped around in surprise, but relaxed when he saw who it was.

"SHIT BALLS! Oh, hey Craig," Thomas said, smiling, "You startled me there. ASS!"

"Heh, yeah sorry," the black-haired boy responded, scratching the back of his head, "But I thought it would be better to greet you instead of just waiting for you to turn around."

Craig moved to stand beside Thomas as the two of them walked towards the school together. Craig's friends looked up as they approached.

"Hey C-C-Craig! Makin' friends with the new kid?" Jimmy asked him.

"Yeah. You guys have met Thomas, right?" Craig gently nudged the person in question, who gave them all a small smile.

"Hey guys. COCK!" Thomas greeted.

"Are you going to be hanging out with us today?" Token asked him.

"If that's ok with you guys," Thomas replied, blushing slightly.

"Of course it is," Craig told him. As they walked towards the school, none of Craig's friends noticed when Craig gently slipped his hand into Thomas's.

And Craig's heart leapt when Thomas softly entwined their fingers.

That's the end of this chapter, but not the end of the story. How will Cartman retaliate?