Chapter theme: Car underwater by Armor for sleep
The Walls Became Fuel
Chapter Two; The Wound that Cut too Deep
Ike sat alone in his garage as bitter tears streamed relentlessly down his cheeks. His shaking fingers stroked the pages where he knew Karen's once were while absorbing every word she had filled her personal journal with. Her first entry was about her brothers, naturally. She also wrote of the lover she left behind and spared no details when explaining just how much she loved him. When Ike's already watering eyes skimmed over his own name he choked out a sob and bit down on his knuckle to keep from being heard. He didn't like hiding his pain from everyone. He didn't like keeping it all bottled, but he didn't want to let it out either. Grieving was admitting she was gone for good and Ike just didn't want to feel anymore. Sometimes it felt like she was just on a really long trip and she would be back home again soon. It may have been unrealistic and unhealthy, but he didn't care.
Liquid slid down his cheeks and dotted the brown wood of the work bench he was seated at. The garage was engulfed in darkness with nothing but dim and flickering lamplight to keep his missing love's words illuminated before him as he read. He sniffled as all of his defensive walls began to crack and crumble, leaving him feeling scared and defenseless. What was he going to do without her? She was his world, his universe, his everything, and now that she was gone so was all of that too. All the plans and dreams they had built together were in a pile at his feet and the realization was beyond overwhelming.
He began to sob loudly and uncontrollably as tears streamed down his already damp face. He couldn't understand what he had done to deserve all of this pain. He couldn't understand how any merciful god could allow such destruction of his innocent sons and daughters.
Then, out of the darkness of his garage, a gentle hand made itself known when it tightened it's grip around his trembling shoulder. Ike froze at first, but wiped the bitter water from his cheeks before turning to face whoever was attempting to comfort him.
"It's not good to cry by yourself you know," Kenny said in a soft voice he rarely used "It makes people bitter."
Ike leaned back in his chair, pressing the back of his head against Kenny's stomach and allowing the man to link his lower arms around him in a weary and half-assed hug. Kenny was still so unsure around Ike and he could feel that.
"I meant what I said, you know," Ike offered as the pair of arms wrapped tightly around him began to loosen with confusion, "It really isn't your fault. I should have never put something like that in your head. Hell, I should have been thanking you for trying to help her."
"I could have helped her."
"No you couldn't of," Ike snapped suddenly when he felt tears welling up again, "There wasn't anything you or anybody else could have done to save any of them. I should have been happy you were alive instead of pushing all that blame on you. It was selfish of me."
"It's my fault she was there." Kenny murmured softly with his eyes narrowing in hatred of himself.
"No, it isn't... We can't blame anyone like that. You and Kevin invited her over, I let her go and all else is history."
The lamplight flickered as Kenny found himself speechless. Heavy rain continued to fall onto the tin roof above them, leaving the gloomy weather sounding more soothing than irritating. His blue eyes closed as he inhaled a deep breath of air dampened by the rain. Ike's shaking fingers wrapped around Kenny's linked ones and the younger man couldn't keep in his feelings of pain.
"Your still family," He tried to reassure Kenny through a gasp of air and a sob, "I don't care about all the problems you've had with my family before, you're still my brother, okay?"
"Okay." Kenny murmured softly. It felt oddly comforting for Ike to say those kinds of things to him. He had no family left so to hear those words, even though all ties Ike and him once had had been severed, was a pretty big deal.
"And you were always welcome here, you know. Even after I yelled at you." Ike continued with a quivering lip.
"Okay...," Kenny whispered quietly as he kept his eyes trained on the darkness outside of Ike's garage window, "I'm going to go, okay?"
"What? No. It's storming still." Ike reasoned as he dabbed at his watery eyes with his sleeve. As if on cue the sounds of a distant crack of rolling thunder drifted into the open garage doors.
"It's okay... I'll come back to see you and Ruby again soon... You should really start closing your garage door, too. Somebody could take your tools."
Ike laughed half-heartedly at the suggestion, "I live on a mountain. Who's gonna come all the way out here to steal a couple wrenches from my garage?"
"Touché," Kenny mumbled as he loosened his grip around Ike and turned to return to his car.
"Wait, where are you going to go?" Ike asked with concern when Kenny yanked on his car's door handle.
He didn't answer as he opened the door and slid inside. Where he was going was none of Ike's business, or anyone else's besides Kenny's for that matter. His car started with a sputter, but soon roared to life as he backed out of the inclosure and took off down the mountain. Ike watched him with a small pinch of anxiety building in his lungs. Kenny was a broken and hurting individual. With that in mind, Ike could only hope Kenny told the truth when he said they would see him again. No. He felt as if he needed to give Kenny more credit than that.
If he wanted to die he surly would have by now.
As Ike returned to his fiancé's diary Kenny was barreling down the winding mountain path with no regard for his own life. The tires of his old fixer-upper squeeled against the ashfault every time he made a sharp turn and he found himself blaring his shitty radio as loud as it could go.
Kyle.
Out of all the things that had to happen why did it have to involve Kyle? Kenny felt like he should hate him for leaving. He was sure no one would blame him if he did. However, he couldn't make himself hate the person he once loved. He couldn't make himself hate the person he used to share his life with. And it's not like Kyle left and never tried to talk to him again. They had a few long distance calls over the years, but knowing that Kyle just picked up and left him behind really hurt. It tore at his insides and devoured his heart.
And what hurt Kenny the most was realizing he still had feelings for his estranged ex.
Of course he hadn't actually seen him in almost four years, but sometimes wounds can cut so deep they refuse to heal. Kyle was definitely one of those gouging wounds. Kenny missed him, but of course he did. He missed the way he smelled, the way he talked, the way he walked and the way he laughed. He missed the way he smiled, the big breakfasts he liked to cook, the way his wild hair frizzed when it rained and sharing holidays together. He even found himself missing Kyle's frustrating lectures every time he slammed a door too hard or set a cup on a table without a coaster. It was really quite pathetic how much he longed for this person who had left and abandoned him, but his feelings were far more complex than that.
Since Kyle left him he has tried to fill the gaping void he left behind with other people. With women, to be specific. He's had a couple dozen sex partners and a few short term girlfriends, but no matter how much mindless sex or failed attempts at love he ended up in, nothing ever made that void go away.
So yes, he missed Kyle and from time to time found himself wishing he could have him back, but those thoughts always had the feelings of pain and abandonment attached to them. As far as Kenny knew he didn't do anything that would make Kyle want to leave. He was good to him, he was faithful to him and he provided for him. What else could he have possibly wanted? What was so damn important about college after they had already been doing just fine on their own as it was? Sure they weren't rich and Kyle's mom wasn't at all happy with the life he chose to live in a tiny apartment with Kenny, but they were well fed, had a roof over their heads and they were happy.
At least Kenny thought they were.
Once Kyle left Kenny found himself back in his parent's house. He could have easily stayed in the apartment him and Kyle once rented together considering at the time he was making quite a bit of money as a mechanic, but he couldn't bare to stay in that place without his boyfriend. The whole apartment was suddenly barren and empty and the silence drove him insane. On second thought it really didn't matter anyway, considering he wouldn't have been able to afford the place after his boss caught him with drugs in his system. That was yet another bad habit he tried to replace Kyle with, just like the alcohol under his driver's seat.
It seemed like life always decided to give him more and more reasons to do those things. Now that he was more alone than he had ever been before it was easy to make up excuses. It was easy to smoke a little weed, drink just one more sip, or shoot up one more time when there was no one to stop him. Kevin, Karen, Stan, Cartman, Kyle and so many others that could have easily made him put down the bottle or throw away the drugs were gone.
They didn't care about Kenny anymore, so why should he?
He slammed on the gas when he reached a long stretch of road, making his car lurch forward as he sped down the street at dangerously high speeds. Everything around him was dark except the road, which was illuminated by head lights. The yellow stripes lining the middle of the black street were his only indication to where be was until the lights of South Park glowed dimly in the distance. Rainfall still poured and the thunder still rolled as his speeding car slowly began to regain a normal speed. The last thing he wanted was for Craig fucking Tucker of all people to pull him over on the side of the road and deal him out a big, fat, harry ticket. He wasn't planning on getting in trouble and he wasn't planning on resting his eyes. He wasn't going to allow himself to sleep just so his painful memories of a smiling Kyle or his screaming sister could get the better of him again. No.
That night Kenny was going to die.
He didn't want to die dramatically like he had so many nights before. He wanted it to be quiet so he could feel relaxed and at ease. He wanted every memory he's ever made to wash off of him and leave him feeling numb. The moment that thought passed his mind he found himself at Stark's pond; where he would be spending the rest of his night under water.
As he approached the large gorge of water he did not stop or even slow down, rather he slammed his foot on the gas and jerked his steering wheel violently to the left. His car swerved and his tires screeched as the vehicle barreled through a dirt parking lot. The darkness engulfed him as the metal hood slammed into the dense liquid of Stark's pond.
He wanted to disappear. He wanted to completely erase his existence so he did not fight or struggle when he began to sink. Water swallowed up his metal scrap heap like a Hot Wheel and drug him all the way down to the bottom of the lake. Tires thumped against the loose lake floor and dirt puffed up like big brown clouds around him. Water was pouring into his car and pooling around his knees at an alarmingly fast pace. His puffy eyes closed pleasently as he allowed the cool liquid to take him over. It slid in like a waterfall from all sides and soon it was up to his chest.
He didn't even consider grabbing at the door handle to free himself. This is what he wanted and the only thing that upset him was knowing he still may wake up in his backseat.
His clothes and other personal items were disheveled and floating around him as he felt his chin getting wet. He glanced up at the mirror and ran his soaked hand through all his little trinkets. They clinked together in the dim lighting as thick tears slipped down the sides of his clammy cheeks and mingled with what was surly about to end his life.
"Keep me with you, Karen." He mumbled only seconds before the water consumed him completely.
...
South Park was just like Kyle remembered it on the surface. None of the houses had changed very much, all of the streets were the same and he caught glimpses of familiar faces walking along the sidewalks and shouting hellos to each other just like they always had. However, he still bit his lip awkwardly with nervousness. Everything looked the same on the outside looking in, but he knew nothing would really ever be like it was before.
A lot can happen in four years time and there were a few people he didn't want to face just yet. His brother was one of those people. While his mother was begging him to leave Kenny and go to college Ike was imploring him to stay. He warned Kyle that he wouldn't find anything in Georgia that he couldn't find in Colorado and leaving would do nothing but destroy Kenny, who he was very close with at the time.
Obviously Kyle didn't listen. Kenny was the strongest person he had known and he was sure he would get along just fine without him. Nonetheless, he hadn't heard one good thing about his ex since he left. Stan and Ike had kept him pretty up to date until recently. It seemed like Kenny dropped off the face of the earth for a few months because Stan no longer hung around him and Ike decided to be an ass and get in a fight with him. It worried Kyle to know he didn't have anywhere or anyone to go to. Sure they weren't together anymore, but he always felt as if Kenny was his responsibility; even when he was miles and miles away.
Realizing his tank was almost empty he decided to fill up at the local gas station and grab himself a smoothie just like he and his friends always did when they were younger. That day was going to be a day of reminiscing, after all. He might as well have started with something that made him smile.
He sighed to himself as his vehicle came to a stop in the parking lot. That place definitely looked different to him. They had repainted and seemed to have added on a Subway, which he thought was rather unnecessary. When he stepped out of his car he took special care to see if he could recognize any of the other vehicles parked around the station. None of them looked at all familiar, which was disheartening, and he managed to park right next to a police car. The hot summer sun beat down on him so he was quick to get into the air-conditioned building before baking alive.
A loud ding ringed behind him when he stepped through the glass door, which didn't used to happen before. The interior looked even more different than he anticipated. The rows that used to be stocked with potato chips and snack food had been moved around and repositioned and some sort of bakery was in business where the refrigerated drinks used to be. He looked around for the smoothie machine, but was only disappointed when he realized it must have been taken out during all the renovations.
Kyle felt detached from this place all of a sudden and he began to feel like a stranger in his own town. People began to pass him by that he couldn't name or didn't recognize at all. He migrated to the back of the store and peeked into a plastic window that protected a wide assortment of baked goods.
Last time Kyle visited this place, the night he began his drive to Georgia, a pregnant Bebe had been working the counter. Her belly wasn't very big at the time, but the bump was visible as she maneuvered around the cash register. He was hoping she still worked there so he could have a familiar face to chat with, but he had no such luck. However, he could feel someone's eyes watching him with curiosity so he glanced in that direction as casually as he could muster. A policeman stood before him in full uniform, weapons and all, giving him an unsure gaze. Kyle gulped with anticipation as the officer approached him, but the man looked more curious than suspicious.
"Is your name Kyle?" The officer asked awkwardly as if he was pretty sure he might be wrong. However, the redhead was happy the policeman looked familiar, even though he couldn't place a name.
"Uh... Yeah. Kyle Broflovski."
"Didn't recognize you without that ratty old hat." He replied with a smirk as he tipped up his hat, allowing Kyle a full view of his face.
"Craig? Your a cop now?" Kyle asked with his eyebrow raised in confusion.
"I was in the academy before you left," Craig answered without changing his pitch whatsoever, leaving him sounding just as monotone and boring as he had ever been, "Why are you back in town?"
Kyle smiled nervously before replying with, "Um... I got my teaching degree and my brother is having some issues so I decided to come back and help him out."
"Oh, you mean with Karen? I was there when it happened," Craig said as his eyes hazed over, "When her family was in trouble, I mean. Kevin was a good friend of mine."
"Yeah, I remember... I couldn't believe it at first. I used to spend almost every day at that house with Kenny... Hey, have you seen him recently? I heard he's been in and out of trouble."
Craig let out a puff of air from his nostrils and his lips curled into a crooked smile, "More in than out. Why would you care?"
Kyle opened his mouth automatically to defend his intentions, but he really didn't know what to say.
"Okay, to be honest with you I don't know much about Kenny. Only that the dumb ass keeps making my job more difficult than it has to be." as Craig spoke another man with crazy blond hair and big yellow eyes came up beside him. Kyle immediately recognized the twitching figure as Tweek Tweak, who had a blue hoodie draped loosely on his shoulders and a big box of donuts in his arms. Craig, who had always been a hateful hard ass, greeted the other person with a soft smile, and then wrapped his arm around Tweek's shoulders. Kyle blinked in disbelief with Craig's sudden transformation from a coy asshole to a doting boyfriend, but thought best not to question a uniformed officer.
"Anyway, it's nice seeing you again," Craig relayed robotically to Kyle with little to no real feeling behind his words at all. Tweek smiled and offered his hand as a friendly greeting, which Kyle happily took. He wrapped his hand around Tweek's bony digits and was surprised when he felt something hard under the edge of his pinky. He glanced down at the hand he was shaking and caught a quick glimpse of a silver band around it's ring finger. Tweek didn't seem to mind at all when Kyle kept his hand long after the greeting was over to examine the ring closer, which had a pretty good sized stone set.
There was no doubt in his mind that what he was touching was an engagement ring.
He glanced up at the two people standing before him and couldn't help but feel even further away from this place than he had before. Tweek was distracted by something across the room as Craig kept his loving gaze trained on the side of his fiancé's face. It was always weird for Kyle to see such a contented expression on Craig, but it wasn't the first time he had seen it. Those two had always been a couple, after all. They were even together in high school like Kyle had been with Kenny, but suddenly being aware of their engagement made him feel terribly out of the loop and even a little mad at himself. He left to experience new things and learn to handle himself because he thought he was way too young to be settling down, but Craig and Tweek were content with just being together.
Why hadn't he been content with that? It felt so long ago he couldn't remember anymore.
"Gah! I promised Bebe I'd get her f-food for the baby! S-sorry... Kyle, we'll see you around." Tweek sputtered out before quickly scurrying to the door and dragging a bewildered Craig closely beind him.
Kyle just stood there for a moment, still feeling a little overwhelmed from his realization, but eventually got out of his stupor to buy a coke and a candy bar. He then paid for his gas and after pumping his tank full he sped off to his brother's house.
Every inch of land he passed felt so close, yet so distant. He knew every piece of that town, yet he knew nothing of it at all. His little group of close knit friends had disbanded long ago and the only ones who even spoke to one another were Kyle and Stan. All the places their group of hellions once frequented we're now barren or over-run with faces he didn't know and for a moment he caught himself wishing he could go back in time when it was him and his friends who were skateboarding down those sidewalks. He wished it was them who were running around town and causing trouble everywhere they went. However, his friend's faces had been replaced by younger strangers, just as theirs will be replaced too one day. It was a sad fact of life that Kyle had learned to cope with, but didn't appreciate.
As he approached Stark's pond on the very edge of town he saw something peculiar that caught his attention and made him slow to a stop in the middle of the street. A very familiar Toyota Supra was stationed in the dirt parking space by the pond as it's owner stood by the water's edge and basked in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. Kyle poked his head out of his window with curiosity as the blond man in nothing but blue swim trunks stretched out his back and dipped his toes in the cool water. Kyle could make out his own name tattooed on the man's left arm, which left an uneasy feeling swimming around in his stomach. He knew who that person was the moment he laid eyes on the intense string of tattoos up his spine, but seeing his own name permanently inked into their upper arm only solidified that the person before him was really Kenny McCormick.
Kenny continued to lazily stretch his muscles before he dove head first into the shallow waters of the bank and Kyle began to feel a little weird for watching so closely. When Kenny came back up from under the water he was lathering soap into his hair, proving that he wasn't swimming as much as bathing. By this point Kyle thought it best to continue on his way, but kept Kenny in his rear-view mirror for as long as he could.
...
"Holy shit, took you long enough," Ike let out with an irritated sigh when he opened the door for his brother to come in, "Did you get held up in traffic?"
"Yeah, there was a crash on the interstate." Kyle explained in a mumble as he walked in through his brother's kitchen. The place was a mess, but considering Ike's state of mind he thought it best not to nag.
Suddenly a pair of snarling dogs appeared on the other side of a gate that lead into the living room. Ruby was sitting idly on the couch while flipping through stations on Ike's old television, completely unfazed by the growling beasts just a few feet away from her.
"I see you finally got dogs." Kyle noted aloud nervously as his brother let a little smile spread across his face.
"Yeah. The German Shepard is Tamara and the Mastiff Rottweiler mix is Goblin. I've had them for a few months now." Ike beamed with pride as he glanced at the dogs behind the gate, "They're daddy's babies."
Kyle was never a fan of dogs, especially not big ones like the massive beasts being held in his brothers living room by a flimsy gate, but he knew Ike's therapist had suggested the animals to help his brother recover from his massive psychological scars and considering the beaming glow on Ike's face he had to agree that it was a good idea.
"So," Ike continued on, "Are you planning on staying here? As I said Ruby is living with me now so you would have to sleep on the couch."
Ike was rather conflicted when it came to his brother. He loved him of course, but Kenny wasn't the only person he abandoned when he left. Ike had needed him too. There were so many days when things just got so hard and all it would have taken to cure his ill was a long talk with his older half. Hell, Kyle didn't even need to talk to him to make him feel better. A good few hours of co-op on their favorite video games could lift his spirits enough to get him through the day, but when Kyle left he took all of those comforts with him. Sure Ike could always call him on the phone, but it was never the same.
No amount of begging or pleading could keep Kyle home where the ones he loved needed him and Ike didn't know why. He didn't understand why his brother wanted to leave so badly. No one really did, actually. Even Kyle forgot sometimes.
"Oh... Well, Stan did invite me to stay with him," Kyle replied over the barking dogs, "God knows I won't stay with mom so I guess Stan is my only other option."
Ike let out an amused chuckle and nodded in agreement before mumbling out, "I don't blame you."
The rest of the day was spent rather uneventfully and lazy. After Kyle's long drive all he really wanted to do was relax, which he accomplished by taking a long nap on his brother's leather couch. It turned out that Ike's dogs were much friendlier than their growling first impressions implied so he got to use Goblin as a pillow and Tamara as a very heavy and bony blanket. Besides being nearly shoved off the couch during a twitching fit from Goblin he was quite comfortable as he was lulled to sleep by faint voices from his brother's ancient television set.
However he was awoken quite rudely around eight O'clock that night when Ruby pulled Goblin out from under him. He groaned sadly at the loss of warmth and curled himself against Tamara before she was snatched away as well.
"What do you want?" He grumbled out with an irritated scowl before rolling against the back of the couch.
"Ike's gone out," Ruby said with her arms crossed, "I'm going to the fair. Do you want to come, too?"
"It's eight O'clock," Kyle complained as his eyes adjusted to the digital clock across the room, "Who the hell goes to the fair this late?"
"You. If you've forgotten. You used to go every night with me and my brother," she reminded him, "You can't just lay in bed forever, anyways. You need to get out and visit with people."
"No, Kenny used to go every night with you and your brother. I just got dragged along and there isn't anyone I want to see."
Ruby, now frustrated at hearing Kyle mention Kenny so nonchalantly, grabbed a cushion and yanked it out from under his head.
"Ah! God damn it!" He hissed in groggy irritation before sitting up and rubbing his throbbing skull.
"You don't have to stay the whole night, but I already promised everybody you would be there and Stan is gonna come. Don't be a lazy bitch." She barked as she buttoned up a red blouse over her sports bra.
Kyle sighed defeatedly and pawed at his unruly hair. In all reality he loved the fair, he just didn't think he was ready to face all the memories that came along with it. Every time he saw a sugary elephant ear all he could remember was Stan and Cartman's foolish contests to see who could consume the most at a time. Kyle thought foolish because everyone knew Cartman would win every time no matter how much faster Stan tried to scarf down his food.
When carnival games came into his mind all he could think of were the masses of stuffed animals and trinkets Kenny had won for him over the years. Kyle could still envision the determination on Kenny's face as he aimed the sharp end of a dart at a balloon, knowing that if he was successful he would get to see Kyle's eyes light up as he handed him a teddy bear.
Those memories of happy times with a group of people who no longer considered one another friends left his heart yearning for more. A feeling of bittersweet nostalgia rushed over him every time he found himself back in that place in his mind where his friends were still friends and Kenny would still hold tightly to his hand. Even when he was preoccupied with work and college in Georgia he would find his mind wandering back to those times that replayed in his homesick mind like old movies. The one that played back the most was the only one that didn't have a stop button. It took place during the summer after their sophomore year of high school. He was actually crushing on Stan at the time and decided to go to the fair for the first time since he was a small child in hopes of making something more of his infatuation. Much to Kyle's dissapointment Stan came along with Annie, leaving him feeling rather crushed and lonely. He still remembered the beautiful lights keeping the ferris wheel aglow as he climbed aboard with Kenny, who was trying to figure out what was the matter with his sulking friend. It took quite some time to break down Kyle's walls and make him lower his guard, but when he finally let the blue eyed blond in the unexpected happened.
Kenny took his hand and laid a soft kiss on Kyle's trembling knuckles.
Bewildered and confused Kyle tilted his head to the side as his tears continued to wet his cheeks. Kenny smiled as his blue orbs glistened and the bright lights of the ferris wheel cast multicolored tints across his fair skin. Kyle had never really stopped to get a good look at Kenny before that night. He always thought the other boy was the best looking of his group, but he didn't realize just how gorgeous he was until his soft lips caressed the callused skin over Kyle's knuckles.
Then, those same lips parted to say one phrase that would leave a certain pair of green eyes even damper than before.
"You came for Stan, but I came for you."
They went back to the fair alone the next night where they sat together on a bench and had a long talk about anything and everything. Kenny said something funny, Kyle luaghed, and then they just looked at each other for a while. That's when a realization hit Kyle like a bag of cinder blocks.
Kenny really liked him and he was starting to like Kenny.
It was memories like those that made him second guess his decision to leave in the first place. He made a lot of really good friends in Georgia and he didn't regret going, but he couldn't help but daydream about where he would be if he would have just stayed.
"You ready to go?" Ruby asked loudly from the kitchen.
"Uh," Kyle murmured as his thoughts left him feeling queasy and unsure, "Yeah... I guess so."
...
If there was one thing that hadn't changed in the four years Kyle went missing it was definitely the fair. He stepped in through the front gate with Ruby scanning the land for her brother and his boyfriend. He followed her eyes around the carnival and felt a pinch in his lungs when he realized he might as well have just stepped back in time. The ferris wheel was spinning in the distance. It's lights were aglow so it stood out strikingly well against the black night sky. The consessions were bustling and an elephant ear was in nearly everyone's hand. The carnival games were in as well and Kyle watched with a feeling of nostalgia as a man tried with everything he had to win a teddy bear for the girl cheering him on.
"I don't see any of them," Ruby complained as they walked through the carnival, "They're in a pretty big group so they shouldn't be too hard to spot."
"Who's in the group?" Kyle asked as Ruby pulled him through a rather large crowd of people.
"Craig and Tweek of course... And um... Wendy, Red, Millie, Annie, Bebe, Cartman, Stan and Benjamin I think. Ike might be with them, but I don't know for sure if he's coming tonight."
"Wait, who's Benjamin?" Kyle asked with his brow cocked as the younger girl with him continued to search the crowd.
"Oh, Bebe and Token's little boy. He's just the cutest thing too... Oh! There they are!"
Kyle could see Bebe waving them down from the other side of the fair. A little boy was attached to her leg before she bent down to scoop him up in her loving arms. Ruby quite literally drug Kyle along behind her as she excitedly joined her close knit group. He was amazed with the warm welcome he received. Wendy quickly snatched up the bewildered redhead in her arms and gave him a tight and unrelenting squeeze. A circle of ecstatic women greeted him happily with hellos, hugs and questions as Stan stood to the side with a grin on his face. Craig and Tweek also stood a few feet away, to engrossed in one another to know or care what's going on, and Bebe offered Kyle a big smile as she balanced her three year old on her hip.
Everyone was so different.
Bebe, who Kyle remembered as being a conspicuous party girl, looked much more like a doting and responsible mother than he imagined her to be. Red seemed to be in some sort of hipster phase, which she swore she would never do. Craig looked far more mature and Tweek had an odd air about him, smiling much more than Kyle recalled. Cartman actually thinned out and it looked a little weird to have Wendy hanging on his arm so lovingly.
Stan was barely recognizable. His once boyish features where sharper, more pronounced and he looked so different without his red puffball hat atop his head.
"Long time no see." Stan voiced from the crowd of Kyle's old peers.
He smiled pleasantly and threw his arms open for a hug, which Stan happily walked into.
"God it's been so long! How was your trip?" Stan asked excitedly.
"It was alright. Long, but alright," Kyle assured his friend before he was released from the embrace.
The next few hours were full of reminiscing old friends, but no matter how distracted Kyle's mind was his thoughts always gravitated back to the one person who seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth. Other than spying on Kenny bathing in Stark's Pond earlier in the day he hadn't seen or heard much about him. The large crowd of friends laughed and went along with their marry making as if the missing blond didn't even exist and for some reason that really bothered him.
Eventually their group began to split up into smaller parts. Kyle, Stan, Craig, Tweek, Bebe and her son split off from the others when Bebe got distracted with a visually appealing game booth. She handed Benjamin to Craig who ruffled up the small boy's frizzed black hair as Tweek pulled out a digital camera to snap a shot. Craig stuck out his tongue at the lens, revealing a purple tongue piercing as Benjamin tried his best to mimic the older man he considered an uncle.
"That'll b-be a good one for Token." Tweek said with a grin and a chuckle as the flash went off. Craig pulled him into a one armed embrace to place a sloppy kiss on his cheek while Benjamin reached for the camera in Tweek's preoccupied hands.
Stan was going on an on excitedly about all the things him and his super best friend needed to catch up on as Kyle sucked on the end of a straw and soaked in everything in front of him. He found the relationship dynamics between the people mingling before him somehow intriguing. He could tell by how closely Craig held those around him that he was the pillar that supported not only his immediate family, but Token's as well. Since his two closest friends decided to drop everything to serve and protect their country Craig thought it his responsibility to look out for the ones they left behind. He held and communicated with his best friend's child as if he was his own son and he talked with Bebe as if she were his sister. Kyle couldn't begin to imagine how much strength it must have taken for Craig to step up to the plate like he had and he was genuinely impressed with how much he grew as a person since he last saw him, even though he was still sort of an asshole.
"I'm gonna go get another drink." Kyle said, interrupting whatever Stan was saying as he crushed his cup in his hand.
"We'll probably still be right here when you come back." Stan replied with a chuckle as Bebe fumed at the stack of blocks she couldn't knock over.
"Okay, I'll be right back."
Kyle weaved through the crowd of people that swelled around them as he made his way to the concession stands. It was very dark and he was having a hard time seeing where he was going in the crowd. However, he did manage to find his way to the soft drink venders without incident. He smiled at the young women behind the counter as she poured him another lemon aid. He sipped cheerfully at the familiar taste before turning back to return to his group, but was stopped suddenly when he accidentally slammed into the person who was standing behind him. His lemon aid gushed from it's paper container and left both him and the person he ran into drenched in the sugary drink as he apologized frantically.
"No no, don't worry, it's alright." The darkened silhouette replied through the dim lighting.
Kyle dabbed at the front of the strangers jacket with his own sleeve before looking up at exactly who he had just poured lemon aid all over. His lips went slack and his heart shot up in his aching chest when this supposed stranger looked down at him with apprehension and disbelief in his bright blue eyes.