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Stan couldn't believe what had just happened as he was pushed hard, falling to the cold ground of the dark South Park night.
“You’re staying out all night to learn, you little shit!” Said between alcoholic sobs, Randy, his father, was trying to stand by leaning on the door of his house, looking with contempt at his own son below him. Something a father should never do. His expression was scary.
"What?!" The younger one exclaimed with a somewhat desperate expression. Even in disbelief, the fake-blonde couldn't help but fear his father in front of him, even more so as he was lying on that dirty, cold floor, his jeans and sweater weren't enough to inhibit the cold, not only from the ground but also from the thin winds that left a shiver on his body.
"Ye heard me!" Randy couldn't even speak normally, he was so drunk, but his words were still sharp as a knife. His eyes were half closed, his hair was messy, his clothes were in a deplorable condition... It was shameful for Stan and, well, for the rest of his family, to admit that this frustrated man was his father.
“But-” The young man sitting forcibly on the floor couldn’t even finish his sentence, the door had been closed forcefully by the man who he once called 'father'. His expression was worried, angry, confused, indignant... Everything he could feel, he was feeling.
To make matters worse for the young man, he had no idea where his mother was, maybe she was in some cheap hotel on the road. She wouldn't abandon him, of course, and he knew it, Randy was being twice as cruel to Sharon as he was to Stan. Lucky for his sister, Shelly, she no longer lived with that troubled family.
"Son of a bitch!" They words came out of his mouth inconsequentially, but it hurt him to say them. He didn't like his father, not like he used to, but he was still his father. Fathers are supposed to love and protect their child, right? That hurt in the young man's chest, he hated not being able to love his father like he used to. He hated not recognizing Randy as his father. The only thing they shared was a surname.
He didn't even remember what the fight was about or how it started, maybe it was because of Stan's “disrespectful responses”, as his father always said. Just remembering his contemptuous expression, the strong smell of alcohol and his deplorable appearance made the blonde's stomach churn.
He got up from the ground with some difficulty, that push from his father was strong and the hit was painful, but that doesn't matter anymore.
Stan was desperately looking for his cell phone, an iPhone 3G, it was an expensive gift from his mother to him on his birthday, he had never been so grateful for a gift. The device was in the pocket of his sweater, it still had enough battery.
The blonde searched for the messaging app, when he found it, he opened his most recent conversation, already knowing who it was without even looking, starting to type frantically. He had a single desire in mind, soon starting to practically run along the icy sidewalks. Even looking at his cell phone, the young man already knew the path he was following by heart, since his childhood.
"man"
The message was sent, a few seconds passed, Stan was in a hurry and anxious.
"Hey"
His best friend, Kyle, luckily for Stan, texted back quickly.
“tak e ur parents carr n wait me”
“pls”
At in such a hurry and still running, he doesn't have time to correct his spelling, Kyle would understand anyway.
“What??”
Stan was sweating from the speed he was running, he was constantly almost falling and tripping over things or holes, luckily there was no one on the street at that time for him to bump into, it was already a dark, lonely night.
“pls justake it”
Last message he sent, putting his cell phone in the pocket. In a few seconds he would soon be at his destination, Kyle's house. A short distance away, he could already see the upper part of the Broflovski's residence, even though his vision was somewhat blurred due to the speed he was running, together with the hot sweat from his body in that cold climate, it calmed his mind, at least a little. All that it needed to enter the street where his friend lives was to turn to the left, Stan almost slid on the quick turn he made. The street was empty, like much of the night city, there was only one young man on that street with a car running next to him, and the blonde recognized them well; it was impossible for him not to recognize that sea of red curls and tall stature, it was Kyle, his best friend, and his parents' car.
“Stan?!” The redhead's sharp and harsh voice called when he saw the blonde running towards him, even in that rush, Stan could see his friend's worried expression. He didn't stop, he couldn't stop at the speed he was going and didn't want to, he practically threw himself into Kyle's arms, soon hugging him awkwardly. The redhead, on the other hand, had to lean heavily on the ground to avoid falling with the blonde.
“Kyle…” The low voice was muffled, Stan's face was buried in his friend's dark green wool sweater, he tried to recover physically and psychologically in the redhead's long arms, who soon returned the awkward hug.
"What happened?" Kyle's voice was a little shaky, he didn't know what was going on, Stan never made such desperate requests so suddenly. “Why do you want my parents’ car-”
"Let's run away." Stan untangled himself from the hug, looking up at Kyle's worried face, his voice strangely neutral but commanding.
“What-” The curly man had never been so confused in his life, he knew everything about Stan, he already imagined it would be something with his family, but it was the first time he had said such things. “What do you mean run away?!” The redhead's eyebrows were raised, his entire face was concerned but mostly confused.
“Let's just get out of here,” Stan's low voice was sad, now his entire face was sad, his eyes searched the ground. Kyle was his last hope of being at peace for at least a moment. “Please, Ky…” That nickname always hit the redhead differently.
“But where are we going then?” The taller man's voice lowered, he was worried about his friend; he would always be there for him, especially in moments like this. The night's weather was cold, the wind that made the two young people's hair fly made it all worse.
“I don’t care where, man.” Stan locked eyes with his friend again, his expression was frustrated, he didn't want to be rude to his last hope but he also didn't want to answer so many questions. “Just… away from here, please.” The blonde's mind kept switching between so many emotions he felt all at once.
Kyle needed a few seconds to process the situation, he was always sad to see his friend sad. "... Get in the car."
Stan obeyed silent but promptly, he was waiting and wishing for this moment, he needed to calm down from all the turbulence in his life, Kyle also got into his parents' old car. He knew how to drive, even though he didn't have a driver's license; he was old enough to have one but never did, he never used his parents' car in any way, the only times he used the car was to go out with Stan when it was somewhere far; something that made the process of asking his mother for the key to the machine easier.
The car was already turned on before, Kyle had left everything ready, even though it was sudden.
He is in the car with his saddened friend, he had no idea where he could take them to calm Stan's restlessness and he knew that if he kept asking more questions he would only make the situation worse.
The redhead decided to slow drive in the streets of South Park while searching his memory for an acceptable place to take them and, luckily, Kyle remembered a somewhat far and remote place; Stan's uncle Jimbo's cabin. Surprisingly, The curly haired remembered the route and knew how to drive there, he just needed to take it slowly so as not to make dangerous mistakes and not be stopped by any police officer due to his lack of a license.
Kyle looked at Stan from time to time, his expression sad and worried, he didn't like seeing his best friend like that. Speaking of which, Stan was leaning against the door, looking through the closed glass window at anything passing by, they were still in the city and that made him anxious. He knew that Kyle looked at him painfully from time to time, he also didn't like leaving his friend in all that mess, he hated having to involve the taller one in this, he always did that; He would always run to Kyle when something bad happened. Even though his friend has always made it clear that he doesn't mind the blonde doing this, he feels ashamed for depending so much on his friend, often feeling like a burden to the other. Just remembering this made Stan's eyes even sadder, the young man's face reflected slightly in the window, making the redhead see him.
“Don’t blame yourself Stan, it’s not your fault.” It came out almost as a whisper, but it was still firm and sincere. Kyle always seemed to read his friend's mind, surprising him every time he “nailed” what he was feeling and thinking. And that time was no different, Stan looked somewhat surprised at Kyle, finally bringing their gazes together again. “You know you can always count on me.” The owner of the sea of curls smiled softly.
“You too, man.” His voice was low, Stan returned the smile of gratitude, it was small, but it was still a smile; Only Kyle could make him smile in his worst moments, it was almost magical. Amid the silence of the night, which was only interrupted by the noise of the engine and his low words, the young man felt that he owed his friend an explanation for all this confusion, but just remembering his drunken father left him with a bad taste in his tongue.
“I... I called you because my..” Stan looked away from the redhead, looking at the street in front of him, they had just left the small town where they were born. Continuing that sentence was painful. “My father… he…” The blonde didn't know how to continue his sentence, he couldn't even call Randy his father properly, he felt tears forming in his eyes, but he wouldn't let them escape.
“Stan, there’s no need to talk, I already know.” Kyle said sweetly, he didn't want his friend to collapse there, he had already witnessed his friend collapsing; He didn't want this to happen again.
"It's alright." Kyle looked at Stan, who immediately looked up after his friend spoke, he was smiling softly, it seemed that the redhead knew everything to do and say to calm Stan down, even the smallest details. He knew what the blonde was going through with his family, it's not new that his friend's father is the main problem in his life.
"Thanks dude." Stan returned the smile again, while rubbing his eyes to keep from starting to cry. He was not only grateful for Kyle's words, but also for his friend understanding the blonde's need for silence. He understood that Stan didn't want to say anything, and not only did he understand, he accepted it. Silence hung in the air, a comfortable and necessary silence. The only thing that broke the silence was the car's engine, which wasn't that noisy, even making the atmosphere a little better.
The rest of the trip would be like this, silent, just contemplating the familiar landscapes around and the comforting presence of the other. Eventually, Stan realized where Kyle was taking them.
“Are we going to my uncle’s cabin?” Unlike when he left the house, which had already been at least more than twenty minutes, Stan was already much calmer, his tone of voice was back to normal. Of course he wasn't doing incredibly well, but spending time away from that city really cleared his mind.
"Yes." Kyle responded, not taking his eyes off the road, which was now starting to have a forest around it. Jimbo's cabin was in the middle of a forest, it made sense for a hunter like him. “Do you wanna go somewhere else?” There was a slight concern in the redhead's tone and face, he didn't want to make Stan uncomfortable again.
“No, but you know he won’t be home, right?” Stan looked at the trees ahead, maybe if it were in a different context, that forest lit by the moon and the car headlights, it would be scary, but at that moment, it was very pleasant. You could say it's even inviting.
“Yeah, and that’s exactly why we're going there.” Kyle smiled, the words jumped on his tongue, he liked spending time with Stan, even more so after noticing the difference in his friend's calmness.
Stan fell silent again, knowing their destination cheered him up a little, he liked the location of the cabin, it was calm and alone, exactly what he needed. Kyle joined his friend's silence. They had never noticed, but the lighting of a full moon was beautiful, it was soft, it wasn't too bright, it was truly beautiful.
Eventually, Kyle drove off the paved road onto the dirt road and into the forest. The path was narrow and full of natural obstacles, such as some fallen trees. The car was small enough to follow the dirt trail to the cabin, the redhead was a little scared that he would end up scratching or even breaking his parents' car, he knew that his mother would go crazy on him, but at the moment, Stan was the one who took the biggest part of your mind.
Speaking of the blonde, he was lost in his thoughts looking at the trees around, every now and then seeing a plant that was different from most. He thought about how his mother was at that moment, where she was, what she was doing. The young man knew that it wasn't his mother's fault that his father was extremely abusive, especially towards his own wife, but the blonde felt his mother's absence in those moments. He didn't want to blame her, yet, he couldn't help but feel extremely sad when she left him alone with his father. His head hurt just remembering his parents, they caused that turmoil in Stan's life, who now just wanted to think about what Kyle was thinking about doing when they reached their destination, forgetting all his sorrows in that city.
After a few minutes of trusting his intuition and fragments of memories, Kyle could see an old wooden house in front of him with some difficulty, which relieved him. He looked to the side, seeing his friend lost in his thoughts.
“We’re here.” The redhead said with a small smile as he parked and turned off the car near the old cabin. Stan was awakened from his thoughts, looking around to recognize and see everything he could, he liked the relaxing feeling that place gave. Kyle opened the car door, soon being surprised by a cold wind, which entered the previously warm and pleasant vehicle, the redhead didn't care however. "Let's go?" He asked, looking smiling at his friend, while putting his legs out.
Stan still didn't question it, he wanted to see what the sea of curls planned to do. He repeated his friend's movement, opening the door to leave, with the same wind against his warm body, it was cold that night, especially in the middle of a forest. Because the car's headlights had been turned off, everything was dark, if it weren't for the strong light of the white moon that illuminated them. Of course, it was still dark, but that was the intention in the redhead's mind.
“Where are we going?” Stan asked, from the right side of the car, opposite Kyle, who looked at him tenderly.
"Here." Kyle said briefly, then carefully climbed onto the hood of his parents' car, relaxing his back delicately on the glass, then looking at Stan, asking with his eyes to do the same.
"You sure?" Stan was afraid that he would end up breaking or denting the car in some way.
"Hurry up!" Kyle snorted, he was always impatient and at that moment it would be no different.
Stan obeyed, climbing onto the hood of the car easily but with fear, he arranged himself next to Kyle, also relaxing on the glass.
The point they were in gave a clear view of the dark sky and a sea of stars above them, also having a view of the beautiful white full moon, which illuminated that lonely night. The two boys were very close to each other, the hood of the car wasn't that wide and, even if it was, they would still be close, they were always glued to each other, especially when alone. Both Kyle and Stan looked at the stars above them, they were many, endless, beautiful.
Their hands were touching, it was a warm touch on that cold night. Kyle, on impulse, intertwined his little finger with his friend's, it was cute, they looked like two children. Stan, didn't really know why, but Kyle's soft and delicate touches warmed his body, especially his heart, it was as if he left sparks wherever he touched. The blonde cut the view of the stars to direct it to his friend, who was also looking at him.
He had never noticed the way that the many freckles on his friend's face were like the stars of the deepest night, just like the ones they were contemplating before. Kyle's green eyes, along with his curly red hair, contrasted against his pale skin.
As for Kyle, Stan's slovenly manner was unique, and this trait was present even in his appearance. His faded blond hair, with dark roots undone, his eyes as dark and tired as the night, a smile with a gap between his front teeth, in conjunction with his somewhat dark skin and many moles, made the other special to his eyes.
They both admired the other's peculiarities, not only in their appearance but also in their personality, under the soft lighting of the moon that improved the moment alone. Since they were children, they always felt special with each other, it was as if they were destined to be together regardless of the moment.
With that sight and wonder, the subtle touches of their intertwined fingers, all the chill of the night seemed to dissipate for at least brief moments. Having driven to that point, away from the city, both of them silent in a comfortable and desired silence, was definitely what Stan needed to be at peace.
The melody of the wind making the leaves of the trees move, some possible insects and whatever was in that forest, was calm, they could even hear their quiet breathing.
They didn't know how much they could handle the cold or sleep, but until they started to feel such things, they didn't mind staying there, admiring the sky or each other. They were equally incredible sights for both of them.
They didn't think about anything, they wanted nothing more than to enjoy that silent moment away from the noisy chaos that was their lives.
