Title: Lightning Bug
Author: Donnie
Fandom: South Park
Setting: Stark's Pond, Firkle's House, South Park
Pairing: Ike Broflovski/Firkle Smith
Characters: Ike Broflovski, Firkle Smith, Karen McCormick, Kenny McCormick, Kevin McCormick, Stuart McCormick
Genre: Romance/Humor
Rating: T
Chapters: 1/1
Word Count: 1607
Type of Work: One-Shot
Status: Complete
Warnings: Gay, Slash, Yaoi, First Kiss, Mentioned Child Abuse, Bugs
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: Nobody expected it to happen, but Ike and Firkle weren't exactly disappointed.
AN: Alright, so I wanted to keep writing, and I've been really into South Park again lately. This happened, after searching my Word Prompt folder on my email. I get the daily word from , so I usually use that if I need a prompt. xD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!
Lightning Bug ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ike Broflovski was a wonder and a menace to society, if you asked Firkle Smith. There was a weird aura about him, the way he moved, the way he laughed despite the world being so fucked up. Firkle didn't doubt that his home life was hell, but he kept plugging along, he didn't need to exacerbate his darkness in order to cope with the horrors and atrocities of life.
A mystery presented itself to him one evening, during a solo walk by Stark's Pond. The goth had been minding his own business, taking in the twilight air and capturing a few bugs for his collection. Summer had settled in, and the air was so thick he felt like he was swimming in chowder. Suffering was goth, thankfully, so he didn't mind the black button-up shirt clinging to his tiny form. The seventeen year old was just about to catch what looked like an Assassin Bug in this light, when laughter nearby startled the both of them and he missed his chance.
In the soft light created only from the bioluminescent insects buzzing around the pond, Ike Broflovski sat with one other kid, Karen McCormick, on a bench near the water. Firkle watched them carefully, eyes narrowed as they talked. Having always been fairly observant, he was able to glean their conversation fairly easily.
"What else can we do?" Ike was saying, "If we don't keep going, we don't know how the story would end. That's why I got this." Pulling up his sleeve, Ike showed off a simple semicolon tattoo, "The writer could have stopped, but didn't."
Karen almost looked like she might cry, and if Firkle was seeing things right, her eye was swollen shut. Probably her jackass sperm donor. The thought irritated him; he knew how a drunken parent could ruin a kid's life. Still, Ike's words resonated with him, as well, and he slowly peeked out of the bushes he had been crouched in.
Shrieking when she saw the ghostly appearance of a pale creature gaining on them, Karen practically leapt into Ike's arms. The Canadian was fine, though, simply waving at the goth.
"Karen, it's okay. It's Firkle."
"How is that okay…?" She knew the rumors about him. All he cared about was hurting; himself and/or others.
"He won't hurt you." Ike soothed, petting her hair. "What's up, Firk?"
"...Wonder Boy." Firkle greeted begrudgingly, "Karen. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. You startled the Assassin Bug I was trying to capture." The bug net and little carrier in his hands made that obvious. "I've been after one for a few days, now."
"Shit, sorry, man." Rubbing the back of his neck, Ike shrugged softly, "We could help you catch something else?"
"We can?" Karen's eyes went wide as she looked up at Ike, who smiled lazily at her.
"We can. He deserves something good to happen to him, too. It's always good to help out when you can. Remember? You taught me that."
Blushing slightly, she nodded, "Yeah, I… I guess I did. Okay. Firkle, we'll help you catch a bug."
"Must you?" Seemingly out of nowhere, Firkle produced a lit cigarette and took a drag from it, "It isn't exactly loud work, Wonder Boy. But, if you insist… I suppose I have some spare nets." Not that he expected help, necessarily. He'd had a few break on him in the past. After all, his anger wasn't exactly managed very well.
"Let's have 'em, then!" Ike grinned in that stupid, love drunk way he did, reaching out for the nets that hadn't even been retrieved, yet. Readjusting his leather messenger bag, Firkle dug out the two extra nets, one black and purple and the other just black like the one he held. Gripping the identical one in his hand, Ike passed the purple one to Karen, and the three set about looking for something interesting for Firkle's eclectic collection.
Considering Firkle was the only one that knew what an Assassin Bug looked like, they decided on finding something else, something more recognizable. It was Ike's proposal to try and catch a firefly. Karen decided they should make a contest of it, and whoever caught the most interesting bug would get to be treated to a (relatively) cheap dinner at Raisins. While Firkle didn't eat much, he agreed anyway, because at least if he won, it would be extremely cheap.
Karen ducked into the bushes to see what she could find, while Firkle's eyes were in the trees and near the pond's edge. The pair were so focused on what they were doing that they didn't notice where Ike was until they heard the shout of surprise and a loud splash.
Once more, warm, melodic laughter filled the clearing and Karen and Firkle shared a long, uncertain look. Ike had tipped into the pond, thankfully close to the bank so it wasn't deep, and as he sat there, ass in the mud and hands behind him, he just laughed. Even Karen began to chuckle, and Firkle suppressed the need to join in with a tight-lipped attempt at humorlessness.
"What on earth were you trying to do?" He asked, his voice quivering with the effort of holding back his laughter at the sight of someone else's misfortune.
"There were some fireflies over the water. I guess I leaned too close." Still, it felt fantastic after all of the heat and humidity of the day. "You guys should come in!"
"No way!" Karen laughed, shaking her head, "I don't have a swimsuit!"
"I don't do exercise." Firkle responded, looking away as Ike pulled his shirt off. He hadn't expected the taller kid to have such a strong body, toned and muscled but still sinewy. Gulping a little bit, he looked away, cheeks burning beneath his makeup.
"Aw, come on, guys. It's not that bad."
"The pond smells like shit, literally. Fish and ducks and probably people defecate in there." Firkle informed with a raise of his lip.
"...Valid point." Ike sighed, shaking his head as he finally rose to his feet and climbed out. "Okay, so, we've learned two things tonight."
"You're too loud to catch bugs, and you couldn't even if you tried." Firkle supplied, a soft smirk on his lips before he seemed to notice himself. Forcing a frown just as quickly, he looked away again, crossing his arms.
"No, but thank you for the vote of confidence." The Canadian grinned, "We learned that Firkle likes weird bugs, and that Karen doesn't own a swimsuit. Which needs to be remedied, it's going to get hot this summer and you don't have air conditioning."
"I… Know." Karen sighed, a pitiful giggle on her lips, "Anyway, Ike, I better get back before Kenny and Kevin start to worry. It's getting late."
"Right. Do you want me to walk you home?" Ike questioned, head tipping like a curious puppy's. Firkle almost wanted to gouge his eyes out for thinking that was cute.
Karen glanced between the two boys, brown eyes calculating, before she finally smiled and shook her head.
"I'll be fine. You should walk Firkle, instead." Winking at the goth, who practically sputtered, ready to defend himself, Karen turned and disappeared into the night, leaving the two boys standing in silence. Ike glanced over, blue eyes piercing in the darkness, only to find those beautiful oceanic eyes on the ground. A pretty pout on Firkle's lips was all it took to jar some words out of his mouth.
"Well, do you want to head out? I can walk you home, then… You know. Go home." Okay, so that wasn't as smooth as he had intended. Still, Firkle seemed receptive enough.
"I suppose it would be rude to decline." Not that being rude had ever bothered him before. Still, the taller boy was thankful for the acquiescence, absently wrapping an arm around the other's shoulders. Guiding him to the path in silence, it became apparent that neither boy could really look at the other. It wasn't like Firkle was shoving him away, though. As far as Ike knew, most people couldn't touch him.
The walk from the Pond to Firkle's house wasn't too long, like any brisk walk through South Park. Ike had tried to slow them down a little bit, drag out the moment, but it seemed that the world wanted it to end far too quickly. Standing on Firkle's front porch, looking up at the simple beige house like it had offended him, Ike had yet to remove his arm from the other's shoulders. When the smaller teen turned to face him, and he did the same, he couldn't stop himself from giving in to an impulse he'd been fighting the entire walk here.
Bending a little, he pressed his lips to Firkle's relishing in the sticky feel of his lipstick against his own chapped lips. At first, the goth was still, like everything had come to a halt. Maybe he'd died? Or was playing dead. It didn't take long, however, for him to reach up and card a hand through Ike's hair, kissing him back for but a moment before pulling back with a little, dazed smile. Once more, he remembered himself and everything came crashing back to him at once. Overwhelmed with the conflicting emotions roiling inside of him, he blinked twice before his eyes went wide and his nostrils flared.
Never in his life did Ike think he'd smile his whole walk home with a rather bright, still stinging handprint on his cheek and a spring in his step. He was so going to text Firkle when he got home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN:
Prompt: Biophilia - A love of life and the living world; the affinity of human beings for other life forms.