Title: Places of the Heart

Fandom: South Park

Characters: Stan/Kyle

Prompt: .083. And

Word Count: 1,519

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Stan wants to be thought of as his own person. Kyle thinks its conflict of interest to help him.

Author's Notes: Just funny insecurities of teenagers.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

Although he was not like Cartman when it came to impressing Craig and those other guys Stan was eager to please the day he was invited to hang out with them. He ran. He worried not about how he became out of breath. He did not pause when he scrapped his leg and tore his pant's leg when he ran too close to that barbed wire fence. The only time he diverted from his path was when he saw Kenny down the way.

He stopped only when he finally arrived at Craig's house. After catching his breath he rang the bell. Craig was watching Red Racer so Tweek was sent to answer the door. Tweek and Tweek alone was the only friend that could enter his chamber of entertainment (the living room) between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

"Hey Stan," Tweek glanced over his shoulder. "I thought you were coming at 4:31."

"Uh well, I just wanted to get here early. That way I wouldn't be late." Stan explained.

Tweek glared. He stepped outside and shut the door. "Will you be quiet? You're going to get me in trouble. If I have to spend a week with Craig not speaking to me because of this..." Tweek's eyes suddenly bulged. They landed on Stan's ripped pant leg. "Stan wh-what happened?"

Stan frowned. Disregarding Tweek's anger at his early arrival he looked down at his leg. It was throbbing in pain from the scrapes he received. The wire had brought a thin trickle of blood. "Wow, I did not even notice that until you told me. It must have happened when I cut through that yard. I thought I made it over the barbed wire."

Tweek twitched. "You were mutilated by metal and then you came here? When was the last time you had your shots?"

"I don't know..."

"You don't know!" Tweek cried. He was shaking in his shoes. "Oh god! The last time I got mine was a few years ago. I'm pretty sure it's still effective but what if it isn't. What if I lose my leg because of this? Oh shit, oh god! What time is it?"

Stan blinked and looked down at his watch. "Thirty five after."

As if on cue the front door reopened and Craig stepped out. The sudden movement caused Tweek to go into a full fledged panic attack. "He's going to kill me!" Tweek yelled. He ran inside and hid carefully under Craig's bed.

Stan looked sheepishly at Craig. "I didn't mean to."

The other boy simply raised his middle finger. He then led Stan to the kitchen where he disinfected and bandaged Stan. Then he pulled out an emergency container of coffee and put it in the microwave to warm it up.

"Tweek," Craig called from the door of his bedroom. "Stan's clean, I promise."

"Is that coffee?" Tweek emerged when the smell hit him. Craig's words reassured him that it was okay. He sagged against the wall at his first sip. "Thanks Craig."

Craig turned to Stan. "So where's Kyle?"

"I don't know? I didn't see him after school." Stan answered.

"Are you fighting?" Tweek was to into his fix to freak.

"No. Did you invite him?" Stan worried. He realized that he had done something wrong. What it was he did not know.

"We invited you. We just thought you understood that meant Kyle too. You're Stan and Kyle." Craig explained. It was logical to him, to Tweek too.

"I'm Stan. When Kyle's here we are Stan and Kyle. If you wanted to hang out with both of us you should have said so."

The two friends exchanged glances. Tweek shook his head and Craig turned to Stan. "We don't want to hang out with Stan. We want to hang out with Stan and Kyle."

"What? Why not?" Stan argued offensive.

"Stan you're just not as good as Stan and Kyle." Tweek explained. He said this with a grin. He knew what Stan was thinking. Tweek knew that only he was okay, but was better off as 'and those guys.' He accepted it. He embraced it. Being 'and those guys' made Craig his best friend. He knew he'd rather be best friends with Craig then be his own person any day. He grinned because he realized that Stan accept this yet, but it was coming.

"So you're saying..."

"You have to leave," Craig smiled at Stan's dumbfounded expression. "But come back when you find Kyle okay dude?"

As the concept that Craig and Tweek explained to him took hold the dumbfounded expression on his face disappeared. "Dude that's fucked up! I'm just as cool as Kyle and Stan and I'm going to prove it! You just wait and see!" With that declared Stan stormed out of the room and out of the house.

Tweek turned to Craig an amused little smile crossed his features. "I think we just witness the beginning of one of Kyle and Stan's great adventures."

"Weak," Craig flipped Tweek off.

The blond reached out grabbing the finger he linked it with his own middle finger. Then he lowered both their hands. Fingers still linked Tweek suggested to his friend. "We better take cover."

Squeezing Tweeks finger he replied, "Close the door and I'll put you under my covers."

Releasing their fingers was the last thing the outside world witnessed before the door was slammed shut.

Stan ran all the way to Kyle's no detour, no stopping, and no injuries. He let himself in without knocking. He flushed when Shelia Broflovski, Kyle's Mom, stopped him in the living room.

"I'm sorry. I let myself in. I need to talk to Kyle." Stan apologized. He panted catching his breath as he waited to be scolded.

"Its okay, Stan. Go on. He's up in his room." She ushered him up. Surprised but not stupid he headed up the stairs. "It's okay Gerald. Stan showed up, everything is alright." Stan could not help over hearing as he made it to the landing.

Stan froze in his spot. Not only did Craig and those guys think he was better off as a pair but so did their parents! Picking up the pace against he hurried into Kyle's room.

"Kyle do you think I'm my own person." Stan said before he was properly in the room.

The redhead did not flinch. He didn't even get sarcastic at the entrance. He simply looked up from his text book and answered him. "Well you are one to follow trends, but for the most part yes you are. What's this about?"

Stan sat himself on Kyle's bed. The redhead was at his desk but he neglected all for Stan. The other boy looked sheepish once again. "Well I sort of went to Craig's today. He invited me over but when I got there he made me leave, because I didn't being you! Apparently inviting me is an automatic invitation for you too! I'm not good enough on my own Kyle. I am good enough only with you."

Kyle flushed a bit at the idea. "Well Stan, I like you for you, but I've never been with you without me. Maybe you should have Kenny follow you around with a camera in my absence."

"Aren't you pissed Kyle? I ditched you!" Stan disregarded Kyle's offer. It was important, to Stan, that Kyle was concerned about his whereabouts after school.

"Stan you couldn't have been there more then fifteen minutes. It's only 4:50! Craig doesn't see anyone before 4:31! Even if your intention was to ditch me, to hang out with him and those guys, I don't care. You don't have to always hang out with me. You're allowed to have other friends." Kyle smiled a bit. He honestly knew that Stan did cared less about being popular or known, and more about feeling justified for feeling guilty about leaving Kyle behind.

Stan sighed in pure relief. Kyle was not mad at him. He even said that he could have other friends. That meant that as long as he did not ditch Kyle for good it would be okay. It meant that Kyle knew that he did not want to lose him as a friend.

Continuing to the subject at hand Stan said, "I need your help Kyle! I need to be my own person. I cannot let Kyle-and-Stan be cooler than Stan!"

"You want MY help? In competing with us?" Kyle stared the logic made no sense whatsoever. Stan must be very worried about this.

Stan understood Kyle's emphasis. "That's silly. But Kyle in public maybe we should try to separate, a little?" He hoped Kyle would not be offended.

"Stan you do whatever you think is best. Frankly I don't care about this whole thing." Kyle could understand that this was just one of Stan's moments. Stan would understand soon that being Stan alone was lonely.

"Okay so tomorrow at school we'll just not hang out, cool?"

"Cool," Kyle turned back to his work.

"Okay great! Sometimes we can hang out after school, so don't worry."

"I'm not."

"Right, I'll see you."

"Bye Stan."