Chapter Text
"I swear to God, I'm seriously going to do it this time." Kyle Broflovski muttered as he slumped into the library chair that stood at the edge of the table. Stan and Kenny looked up from the textbook they were sharing to study for a global quiz that would take place next period. Kyle released his own folder onto the table with a thump, and settled into the chair with a defeated look upon his expression. "I'm seriously going to murder Cartman."
Stan Marsh put his textbook aside, exasperation falling into his tone. "Oh, brother. Here we go again."
Kyle crossed his arms, blinking at his best friend. "No, I'm being sincere. I actually have a real motive to do it now."
Stan rested his cheek in his palm. "You say that all the time."
"What'd he do this time?" Kenny questioned, curiosity overtaking his aim to study. Ever since they were children, the ongoing feud between Kyle and Eric Cartman had been notorious around the town of South Park. Now, being juniors in high school with an intent to be more mature, their antipathy for each other had lost its edge over the years. Still, there were nostalgic moments of conflict every now and then, and Kenny found it incredible that there were some things that had the perfect ability to never change after all these years.
"Our debate class—which, need I remind you, he only joined to spite me—had the topic of discrimination. And of course, of fucking course he had to volunteer to argue against me! He went on and on about how minorities shouldn't exist in America because each country should have a, quote on quote, 100% population of one race! Who the hell does he think he is? I couldn't even interrupt him because it's a rule that we can't debate before the opposer is finished talking!"
Kyle took a stormy breath, dropping his flushed face onto the table with frustration. He still wore a hat over his head, red curls dripping from his hair beyond the fabric like spilt wine. Kenny watched as the strings of hair fell into the boy's eyes while he grumbled to himself.
"Dude, you've got to relax. Take pills, or something." Stan said warily, before looking back to the textbook absentmindedly. "Cartman is just an ass. He'll grow up one of these days."
"But that's just it, Stan." Kyle replied with defeated emphases. "We keep excusing his actions by saying, oh it's just Cartman. Oh, it's just South Park! I'm tired of it!"
Kenny nudged the red head's shoulder. "You know, the librarian is gonna kick your ass if you don't lower your voice."
Kyle looked up, nervously waving at the glaring librarian who stood with a glare from her position at the front desk. He lowered his voice, shifting harrowingly in his seat. "I just want out."
While he kept it to himself, Kenny knew that if Kyle wanted out, then he wanted out too. It was as clear as a gleaming crystal in a pitch black cave, or the shore that reflected an ocean as blue as the sky. Kenny's mind bounced from wall to wall, and his heart hammered at the reoccurring thought.
He wanted to run away with Kyle.
He wanted to keep Kyle safe.
He liked Kyle.
Stan was speaking. "We'll be out of here in a year. You'll be going off to Yale or Harvard, and me and Kenny will visit you from Arizona, or something. Right, Kenny?"
The blonde was caught off guard. "Huh? Oh, yeah... definitely!" He slipped an easy grin, sitting up. Stan gave him an odd look. “But uh, what were we talking about?”
"You okay?" Kyle asked with gentle eyes focused on Kenny. "You're all jumpy."
Fuck, fuck, and fuck. Kyle was going to start realizing something was off. He was smart like that. Kenny's clammy hands tugged anxiously on the lose string dangling from his sweatshirt. It had been almost a week since he realized that he liked Kyle, and if Kenny didn’t stop acting so off soon, Kyle was going to realize it too.
"No, I'm good." He cleared his throat in response. "Just... thinking about college stuff, I guess."
While Kyle didn't look convinced, he took the hint that the boy wished for a change of subject. "Oh. Yeah, me too. It feels like everybody's just like, watching to see me fail, you know?"
Kenny was quick to disagree. "There's no way you're failing at anything. Don’t think like that."
Kyle looked deep in thought for a moment, before shaking his head and reaching into his backpack. Stan went back to his own work, and Kenny watched as the redhead slid out a thick textbook with neat post-it notes sticking out on certain pages. He opened his textbook and skimmed through pages, before grabbing a set of different highlighters out of his pencil case.
Kenny raised an eyebrow. “Adorable, Ky.”
Kyle gave a lighthearted eye roll in response. “Shut up.”
”No, sincerely! The way you color code every little thing in you bag reminds me of our kindergarten days. Aren’t we juniors now?”
“Fuck you, dude. It’s actually a very efficient way of keeping all your books organized. You know, ever since I started this system in second grade, I’ve been able to separate all my classes and organize different sections. Like, with homework, I’m able to keep all the sheets in separate binders and then I put color coded post it notes on the sheets that I have to either study or complete at home. I put red post it notes on the ones that’ll take me the longest to do, and green post it notes are the ones I stick on homework I can finish quickly. Yellow post it notes are for the mild assignments. The ones that could go either way. Like stop lights, you know? Then, when I get home, I pull out the sheets with the red post it notes and—“
“Kyle!" Stan interrupted as the redhead seemed to get lost in his words.
Kyle’s mouth finally shut, and he turned curiously to Stan. “What?”
“You’re going to run out of breath.”
“You’re the one with asthma. Why’d you stop me?”
Kenny, on the other hand, was hooked by Kyle’s words. “Continue, Ky. I’m on the edge of my seat.” He remarked with an entertained snicker. “Stanny stopped you because he’s being a party pooper.”
“No, I stopped him because you, Kyle, can talk for hours and hours, and you, Kenny, encourage him. I need to get this paper finished by the end of the period.”
Kyle crossed his arms in an offended response. “Well, at least someone likes hearing me talk.”
Stan held back an eye roll at the dramatics. “It’s not that I don’t like hearing you talk, Kyle. You guys are just obsessed with each other and Kenny lets you get away with everything.”
Kenny laughed loudly, earning a glare from a studying student a few tables away. He stretched his arm to wrap around Kyle’s shoulders and pulled him close, painting at Stan. “You think we’re obsessed with each other? Wasn’t it you two that called each other super best friends until the 8th grade?”
Stan let out a surprised burst of laughter at the reminder of their former nickname for each other. "Oh man, we were so annoying."
"I stand by that label," Kyle added with a playful beam.
"You three!" The librarian hissed. "You're too loud!"
It was silent outside of their own table, and it was only then that they had noticed the scowls other peers around the room had been giving them.
"Sorry," Stan answered after a moment in a cautious whisper. "We won't be loud anymore."
"One more chance." The woman replied huffily.
"Alright, lets shut up now." Kyle suggested quietly. "I still have to finish—"
"What's up, gaywads?"
The booming voice echoed throughout the silent library, and Kyle groaned with defeat.
Eric Cartman's footsteps approached their table, and his loud voice was deafening in the stillness.
"So, Kyle. What did you think of my suggestion in debate class today? You know, the statement about diversity in America? I think I made some pretty valid points, and I'm really liking the whole 'no interruption' rule. I can actually get my opinions out there without your big mouth intruding on my goddamn beliefs every five seconds and—"
"You four! Out!" The librarian practically screeched from across the room.
"But it was him being loud, not us!" Kyle defended quickly.
"I said out!"
Kyle opened his mouth to retort but Kenny was fast enough to cover the boy's lips, leaving his words to be mumbled angrily behind Kenny's hand.
"Let's just go already." Kenny encouraged, nodding at Stan to wrap up his stuff. "It's still nice outside so we can—shit, Kyle! Did you just fucking bite my hand?"
"It was in the way of my teeth." Kyle spat sarcastically with a glare.
Kenny smiled mischievously and raised his eyebrows. "Well if you're into that stuff in bed, all you had to do was ask."
"Ugh, Kenny. I hate you."
"No you don't." The blonde replied, the consistent toothy grin still stuck on his expression.
And yet, through all the joking and teasing, Kenny's heart was a beating drum. Kyle was everything.
The four exited the library and headed down the hall to their lockers as their free period came to an end, and Cartman's rambling showed no signs of stopping.
"So, there's this super cool Xbox game that my mom is planning to get me as a surprise. We picked it out together online."
"Well, then it's not a surprise, is it?" Kyle.
"Yes it is!" Cartman.
"You helped her pick it out! What kind of surprise is that?" Kyle.
"I was surprised when I saw it on the shelf!" Cartman.
The two went back and forth until they reached their lockers. Stan caught sight of Wendy putting on lipstick and dashed up to talk to her with eager puppy dog eyes. Much to Kyle's delight, Cartman's locker wasn’t very close to his and Kenny's, and the bickering died down as Cartman went off further down the hall.
It was only in the rest of action and commotion that Kyle realized the burning sensation on his index finger. Kenny looked at him questionably when the redhead looked at his hand and winced.
"Paper cut." He explained.
Kenny stared at the thin blood that dripped carelessly down his friend's finger. "Kyle, that actually looks pretty deep."
"I know. Don’t let my mom find out." He joked as he gathered books from his locker. "I'll see ya after class, okay?"
Kenny stared at the blood with uneasiness. Memories of splatters of thick gore traced across his memory, and his face grew pale at the graphic image in his brain.
"Woah, what's the matter?" Kyle's tone suddenly shifted to worrisome as he watched his friend's wide grey eyes become haunted.
"Is he okay?" Stan asked as he approached the two.
Blood. Blood. Blood.
"Sorry," Kenny rasped out, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. "Um... I'm fine. Sorry."
Stan and Kyle looked at each other questionably.
Kenny couldn’t deal with this right now. "Listen, Kyle. Put a band aid on that."
Kyle looked down at his bloody finger, formerly not realizing how bad it had looked. "Right, yeah. I will. Are you like, okay?"
"Jesus, dude. What happened?" Stan demanded with alarm. Kyle swiped his hand off to the side and away from his friends stares.
"It's just a papercut. Seriously, Kenny. Are you okay?"
"Yes. Just..." Kenny let out a jarring breath just as the bell signaling the next class to begin. He looked to Kyle urgently just before turning to walk away as he quickly ordered, "Just clean that up, okay?"
*
Kenny didn't think much of Kyle's bloody finger. Accidents happen, right?
Just like they had happened over, and over, and over again in his lifetime.
A meteor would drop from the sky.
" Oh my god, they killed Kenny! "
" You bastards! "
He would get burned alive by being in the same area as a spark of fire.
" Oh my god, they killed Kenny! "
" You bastards! "
Routines did get awfully tiring.
Kenny walked home with Karen that day. Usually, he would take the bus with the rest of his peers, but Karen had been tutoring some of the younger kids in math, and he decided to wait for her.
“So, what’re you doing for Halloween? Are you dressing up?” Karen questioned. She was nearing her final years in middle school, and the spark of innocence that remained in the good of her heart all these years made Kenny a proud big brother.
“I’m a little old for that, I guess.” He chuckled. “Do you need help with your costume when we get home?”
Karen shook her head. “I’m making it all by myself. It’s like, a zombie prom queen. I just need to find some green paint to splatter all over me for the zombie factor.”
“We could go to the store to get some safe body paint right now if ya’ want.” Kenny suggested. “The paint we have a home is for construction stuff. What do you say?”
“Yeah, lets do it!” The brunette exclaimed eagerly.
The store wasn’t far from the school, and the pair was easily able to cross a few streets to reach their destination. The two found their way over to the body paint section, and while Karen began to look through the options, Kenny pulled out his phone. The groupchat had increased his amount of notifications, and he laughed down at the messages.
Kyle Broflovski: I JUST FELL DOWN THE FUCKING STAIRS
69stanmarsh69: HAHA
bigboned: told u guys jews don’t have balance
Bigboned: changed Kyle Broflovski’s name to clumsy jew
clumsy jew: Fuck you, fatass.
clumsy jew: And I hit my finger on the way down and it started bleeding again. Now I have a bruise on my knee and a big ass cut.
69stanmarsh9: ur luck is awful today omfg
kenny mclongdick: it’s like ur cursed
Cursed. Cursed. Cursed.
“I die all the time. And you assholes never remember!”
Cursed.
“Found it!” Karen cheered as she pulled a bottle of green off the shelf. Kenny blinked as he was brought out of his disturbing thoughts. He put on a smile for Karen as his expression shifted in a matter of seconds.
“Looks cool. You ready to head home?”
Karen nodded and Kenny pulled out the ten dollars he had earned for his shift at City Wok the other night as they walked toward the register.
He let out a deep breath as his phone beeped once again.
69stanmarsh69: so what r we doing for halloween tonight
clumsy jew: I want candy.
bigboned: I WANT CANDY
69stanmarsh69: craig and those guys are having a party at tokens place there’s supposed to be a shit ton of treats
69stanmarsh69: and drinks
clumsy jew: Okay, so let’s go to that. What time?
kenny mclongdick: im free anytime after 7 after i drop karen off at a friends house
69stanmarsh69: kay sounds good it starts at 8
69stanmarsh69: not to b a mother but kyle bring your insulin if you’re gonna have alcohol kenny don’t get too drunk and cartman don’t eat all the fuckin candy
bigboned: what i choose to do with the candy at the party is my business hippie
*
Halloween night had been the highlight of the year so far for Stan Marsh, and it was barley past 9pm.
Token’s parties were always loud and vibrant, but Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman had only been to a few. As time went on, they weren’t exactly the most popular group. They were always getting into trouble, and there were more than several students who held grudges from their misadventures in the fourth grade. Things in South Park had calmed down, but what the four experienced in that period of time was enough craziness to last a lifetime.
Stan had been hanging around Tweek, Craig, and Clyde, who had each been different variations of high and drunk. They had been playing an intense round of beer pong, and Stan had gotten bored of watching Craig rest his cheek on Tweek’s peachy blonde hair.
He wandered away from his source of alcohol, wobbling unsteadily on a mission to find his best friends. Kyle and Kenny couldn’t have been far.
“Stanny!” Kenny greeted as he wrapped a hug around him.
Kyle appeared beside the blonde with a content expression and a fruity drink in hand. Kenny had two beers for himself, and shoved one into Stan's hands.
"Can you hol' this for me, Staniel?"
"Mhm." Stan replied sluggishly, overall feeling the weight of his own alcohol. "Have you guys seen Cartman anywhere?"
"God, Stan! If I see Cartman, I swear, I'll just die!" Kyle claimed with wide eyes and an even louder tone than usual. "I don' even know what to do about him these days. Not like I'm obsessed with him or anything, but I gotta... gotta keep my guard up, y'know? Right Stan?"
"You talk so, so, so much."
"So are you saying you hate me? Are you, Stan?"
"No! You're my best friend, and I would die for you. Seriously, Kyle. I swear to god."
"Super best friend?" Kyle questioned, mystified.
"Yes. Now where th' hell did Kenny go?"
"Attention!"
Stan and Kyle turned to see Kenny's wobbling statue standing next to a bowl of chips on a wooden table, not too far from where he had stood a minute ago. He was using his beer can as a not so useful microphone, and he pointed to Kyle.
"I'm gonna sing a song for the best—the best person! The greatest in here!"
Stan, while drunk, noticed something sparkling in Kenny's eyes. Something raw and honest and true.
"Kyle Broflovski, you are the greatest! The best, best, best person ever!" Kenny broke out into a drunken sloppy melody, singing in a high pitched voice. "Broflovski Kyle, the best!"
No one was really paying attention at that point. Teens had gone back to dancing and making out with each other on the leather couches. Stan noticed Tweek grabbing himself a drink and mixing it in with his coffee, while Token was adjusting the volume of the speakers.
And then there was Kyle. Stan curiously looked to his best friend, and there was something so similar in his eyes—like he and Kenny were emotionally linked. He was looking up at Kenny singing his heart out on a table in Token Black's mansion, and Stan hadn't ever seen Kyle look so enamored.
Stan looked back to Kenny once again, and that same look remained dancing across his expression like shadows in the dark.
"What the fuck." Stan whispered to himself as he came to realization.
Kenny liked Kyle. Kyle liked Kenny.
Holy shit, dude.