The next story is gonna take a while to be posted, since I haven't finished reading "Call of Cthulhu" yet. However, while I read it, I'll be working on the two unrelated stories I mentioned in the last chapter, which means that they should be posted fairly quickly.
Stan paced around his and Kyle's bedroom fairly quickly. His nostrils flared and his heart was pounding. Kyle's revelation had stirred up feelings of anger and anguish within the raven-haired boy. However, they weren't aimed at Kyle; rather they were aimed at Kenny. A heavy silence surrounded both boys, until Stan decided to ask the most important question on his mind.
"Why?"
"...Why what?"
"Why did you go to him?"
"...I told you, I was feeling like crap that my mom said what she said, and I just wanted to feel better."
"You could have waited for me."
"What do you want me to say, Stan? I'm sorry. It was a stupid mistake to go there, and an even stupider mistake to get drunk."
"I'm not angry at you, Kyle. I'm angry at him."
"It's not his fault. I'm the one who... started it."
"I don't blame you, Kyle."
"But I do." thought Kyle as he avoided staring into Stan's disapproving eyes.
"...Look, Kyle... If you want to be with him, you should be with him. I'm not gonna get mad if you decided to be with him instead of me."
"H-How can you even say that? I love you. I want to marry you."
"Kyle, I'm just saying-"
"You're saying you think I'd leave you when we're about to make what's probably going to be the most important decision of our lives."
"I didn't mean... I-I'm sorry. You're right."
"...Don't apologize. After what I did, you shouldn't have to apologize."
Meanwhile, as Stan and Kyle tried to cope with their situation, each using their own unique methods, Kenny woke up. Unlike Kyle, his headache was minimal. Due to the boy's habit of getting drunk, he was used to the pain, and was able to ignore it partially.
He found himself alone in his bed, much to his surprise. His memories slowly returned, and he smiled.
"I can't believe Kyle... He still likes me. I knew it! I fucking knew it!"
Kenny smiled and giggled to himself as he walked around the room, excited that he had found out that Kyle still liked him. He stood next to his bedroom window and glanced at his alarm clock. It was later than he expected, but still good given his tendency of sleeping until 2 PM. When he glanced out of his window, he saw Eric Cartman heading toward his front door, and knocking on it. Although he wasn't Kenny's best friend, in his current state of excitement, even his visit only enhanced it further.
"I'll get it!"
Kenny rushed downstairs half-naked and opened the door. He resisted the urge to tell Cartman everything, since he knew it would devastate Stan once he heard, but there was no need.
"Hey, Kenny."
Cartman's smug smile made Kenny feel uneasy. Although Cartman generally was a dick to everyone, he knew when he had something good, and was not afraid to show it.
"H-Hey."
Cartman could see Kenny was feeling uneasy, which only added to his own feelings of superiority.
"So... How's Kyle?"
"I dunno."
"Right... Why were you putting your tongue in his mouth yesterday?"
"...You saw that?"
"Hard to miss. I was just coming over to... well, it doesn't matter now. I saw everything."
"No you didn't. Most of it happened in my room."
"What do you want, Eric?"
"A very good question. As I lied at my bed, I was thinking-"
"Get to the point, Cartman."
"I want you to do everything I tell you to do. And I do mean everything, or I'll tell Stan all about your affair with Kyle."
"It was a one-time thing. We were drunk, and-"
"I really, really don't give a shit... So, do we have a deal?"
Kenny could feel shivers running down his spine, along with sweat pouring out of every pore on his skin. He looked at Cartman with obvious tension, and spoke the words he longed to hear.
"...Fine. We have a deal."
"Glad to hear it. Now get dressed. I've got a lot of stuff for you to do."
"Fucking Cartman..."
Kenny spent several hours doing Cartman's chores around his house. From mowing his lawn to cleaning his room, Kenny did everything Cartman told him to. Once he returned home, exhausted and dirty, his first action was to take a long, warm shower.
"At last... I can't believe the day is finally over."
Kenny turned on the warm water and got in the shower. He watched fat drops of water dripping down his medium-sized blond hair and thought about Kyle.
"Kyle, Kyle, Kyle... I just can't get you out of my head. Even when Cartman was forcing me to basically be his slave, all I could think about was you..."
Once Kenny got out of the shower and into his pajamas, he lied down on his bed, still thinking about Kyle. Once his thoughts turned to Cartman, however, he tensed up and decided to do something he hadn't done in a long time.
"Just a quick smoke..."
Kenny grabbed a small pack of cigarettes from a hidden panel on the floor and lit one up. He smoked it until it was all but gone.
"That didn't help in the least... I need something stronger."
Kenny returned to the same hidden panel and removed a small bag from it. He took it to the kitchen, where he warmed a spoon full of water and partially dumped the contents of the small bag onto it. After injecting himself with the concoction, he became more relaxed and passed out on the couch.
"Kenny! Wake up!"
"Hm..." Kenny groaned. "Who's there?"
"It's me, Kyle."
"Kyle?"
Kenny's eyes flew open when he heard the name of the one whom he loved so much. Kyle smiled down on him, somewhat blushing.
"Hey, Ken. Why are you sleeping out here? Come into your room. It's warmer."
Kenny followed Kyle into his room, when he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"H-How did you get in?"
"Shh... Don't worry about it. Come on. Get in bed with me."
"This isn't right... You're engaged to Stan, and you'd never do something like this, unless you were massively drunk."
"Why can't you just accept this?"
"I'm dreaming, aren't I? It's the only logical explanation. Either that or I'm so high I'm hallucinating."
"...Good guess. The truth is, you're dreaming."
"Good."
"Why?"
"Because I can do this."
Kenny put his arm around Kyle, pulling him closer into a kiss. Their tongues invaded each other's mouths, slowly dancing together. After a while, Kenny broke the kiss, stared into Kyle's eyes and started crying. Kyle ignored his ex-boyfriend's tears and kissed him softly on the neck. Kenny, however, pushed him away and dried his tears.
"I wish you were real, Kyle. I wish you loved me again."
"I do, Ken. I do."
Kyle vanished into thin air, and Kenny woke up back on his couch. The dream slowly went away, but the emotions remained. He could feel Kyle's warm breath on his neck, which sent shivers down his spine.
"Kyle..."
Later that day, Cartman visited Kenny yet again. This time, Kenny had already gotten dressed in preparation for his visit. Cartman noticed Kenny's seemingly reasoned acceptance of his situation and smiled to himself.
"C'mon. Today we're going to do something a little different."
"Yeah? What now? Do you want me to suck your dick, fatass?"
"What's with the hostility? Here I was, being friendly, and you go and ruin the mood... Maybe you don't really want me to keep quiet about you messing around with other people's fiancés."
"Such a big word for such a big retard."
"...Fine, Cartman. What do you want?"
"That's better. Now, what I want you to do is..."
Meanwhile, in Kyle's home, he and Stan were discussing their wedding plans.
"Bachelor party?"
"Like any of our friends would want to come to a gay bachelor party."
"We could invite girls as well, you know."
"...To be honest, I really don't feel like having a bachelor party." Kyle said.
"That's alright."
"I'm sorry..."
"It's fine, Kyle. I'm not gonna force you to have a bachelor party if you don't want one."
"Although I can't have one if you don't have one... But that's OK. You're worth that, and more."
"Do you want something special for the wedding?"
"Just you, Stan."
"You always know just what to say."
"...What did Kenny say when you invited him to our wedding?"
"He said he couldn't make it. He said... He said he still liked me too much to be there."
"That seems like a contradiction..." Stan thought.
"Anyway, what else...?"
TWO DAYS LATER
Kyle was once again alone in the home he shared with Stan. His fiancé was still at work, which meant that Kyle had some time alone. It was also their last date before the wedding – Stan had planned a outing under the night sky, away from all the town's lights, so they could properly observe the stars.
Kyle decided to try one last time to convince Kenny to attend his wedding. He headed for Kenny's home, where the latter was once again injecting himself with a large amount of heroin. Kyle knocked on the door, making Kenny answer it, even though his arm was still bleeding somewhat from the injection. Kenny was alone, like Kyle had been, so there wasn't much of a choice. He also expected it to be Cartman at the door – not Kyle – so he didn't think there was any problem with answering the door.
"Kenny! Open up!"
"Kyle?"
"H-Hey, Kyle. 'Sup?"
"I was just in the neighborhood, and... I wanted to talk to you about coming to my wedding."
Kenny, under the effect of heroin, laughed out loud and smiled at Kyle's statement.
"We've had this discussion before. I... I-I can't be there."
"Are you feeling alright?"
"I-I've been... Something t-to calm me down. Cartman..."
"Kenny?"
Kenny's legs gave out, making him fall forward and onto Kyle, who held on to him as if both of their lives depended on it. He tried his best to lift Kenny into his arms, but he was just too weak to do it. Instead, he dragged Kenny onto his living room couch and laid him there to keep him safe. He noticed the needle prick on his forearm and rightly assumed that Kenny had injected himself with something.
"Kenny... Why do you do this to yourself?"
"Kenny... I don't know if you can hear me, but... I want you at my wedding. I need you there. I think... I think I still love you. I know what alcohol does to you, but I drank it anyway... with you. Looking back on it now, I think breaking up with you was a stupid thing to do... I-"
"Kenny! Open up! You forgot to do my homework!"
"Is that... Cartman?"
Kyle opened the door to Cartman, who was surprised to see Kyle together with Kenny again.
"Hey, fag. Why are you visiting your ex?"
"None of your business, fatass."
"Right, the wedding! Of course, how could I forget?"
"...How do you know about that? I didn't send you an invitation."
"Kenny told me."
"What?!"
"He told me a bunch of stuff. He told me where your first date was, and-"
Kyle walked out, angry at Cartman, but mostly disappointed by Kenny's willingness to share information with someone whom Kyle himself despised so much. He walked out, leaving Cartman alone with Kenny. He was so angry that he didn't even think about what Cartman might do to Kenny.
When Kyle arrived back at his place, Stan was waiting for him. Kyle looked like he was about to cry, prompting his fiancé to ask what had happened.
"What happened?"
"I was... out. I was taking a walk."
"You look like you were crying." Stan said as he reached for Kyle's face and stroked his cheek.
"I'm fine. Let's just go." Kyle replied as he pushed Stan's hand away.
Later that night, Stan and Kyle were at their designated spot to watch the stars. Stan had prepared everything, from the amateur telescope he had bought for Kyle's twentieth birthday to a high-resolution camera that they could use to take pictures of the night sky. Everything was in perfect condition, except Kyle, whose mind was somewhere else entirely.
"Kenny... Why did you tell Cartman all that stuff?"
"-do you think, Kyle? ...Kyle?"
"Huh? What?"
"...You're distracted."
"No, I'm... I'm sorry. I was just thinking about something."
"No kidding. I've never seen you so upset before. What's wrong?"
"I was just... Look, it's nothing."
Kyle lied down on the soft, cold grass beneath his feet and stared up at the stars. Stan lied down next to him, and the boys cuddled together for warmth.
"This is nice, isn't it?"
"It sure is, Stan... I love the way your eyes look just like the night sky."
"Really? I hadn't noticed."
"You're lying!" laughed Kyle.
"Totally."
"...I love you so much, Stan."
"I love you too, Kyle."
FIVE DAYS LATER
The big day had arrived. Kyle and Stan had worked out their issues, and Kenny spent almost the whole week doing what Cartman ordered him to do. He split his time between being Cartman's slave and injecting himself with heroin, in order to relax. Every night he had the same dream – Kyle would find him asleep on the couch, wake him up, and offer to share a bed with him. Every night he was content with a simple kiss. However, the thrill of dreaming about Kyle was wearing off rather quickly. Every time he dreamt about Kyle, the kiss became less and less exciting, until he barely felt anything at all. It was as if he became numb to everything that was going on. Even Cartman's blackmail threats seemed like nothing. Kenny felt nothing for anything; the only thing that remained was his desire to be with Kyle again. It was beyond anything he could describe; it permeated every fiber of his being and filled him with regret. Regret that he had pushed Kyle away unintentionally. Regret that he didn't talk to him for several years, until it was already too late. And regret that he had rejected Kyle's offer to be at his wedding.
Kyle had visited Kenny a few times when Stan was away, even though he had asked him not to after finding out about the first visit five days prior to the wedding. Kyle, unaware of Cartman's blackmail threats, didn't understand why Kenny was using heroin again. He thought that Kenny had simply slipped back into his self-destructive path that he had been on since they were kids. Kenny had changed when he and Kyle started dating: he became more concerned for his health and general well-being, but all that went away once they broke up. Kenny knew he had changed for the better when he started seeing Kyle, and he tried to hang on to that change, but, without Kyle, it was simply too hard for him to do it.
"Kyle... I was so fucking high when you came here five days ago... I don't even remember what happened."
Kenny's thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on his front door. He stayed on his bed for a few seconds, prompting the visitor to announce himself verbally.
"Kenny! Get your gay ass down here!"
"Fucking Cartman... I guess it's really my fault, for what I did..."
Kenny rushed downstairs and opened the front door, expressing his discontentment over seeing Cartman. The fat boy noticed this, but completely ignored it. He knew Kenny would do anything he asked, even if he didn't want to.
"C'mon, blondie. My homework is waiting."
"I swear, one of these days, I'm gonna kick your ass... Fucking fatty."
While Cartman led Kenny into his home, to get him to do his homework, Stan and Kyle got dressed for their wedding. Both of their hearts were pounding in their chests from the excitement, specially Kyle's, as he had just found out that his mother would be attending his wedding.
"Did you hear? My dad convinced my mom to come to our wedding!"
"That's great news! I know how much you wanted her to come."
Kyle's heart raced even further when his thoughts turned to Kenny. Every time he visited Kenny, he was either passed out with a needle in his hand and a hole in his arm, injecting himself with a near-lethal amount of heroin or completely stoned. Every time Kyle observed this, he felt as if a small part of him died along with Kenny's self-respect.
"Kenny... I wish I could end your pain..."
"What'cha thinkin' about, Kyle?"
"Just... stuff."
"...I'm so happy for this, Kyle. You wouldn't believe how many times I've dreamed about this... I can't believe it's actually happening."
"I'm happy too, Stan."
As soon as Kyle said the words Stan wanted to hear, his heart dropped. Although he desperately wanted to believe it to be true, he knew that the true reason his heart was racing was because he couldn't stop thinking about Kenny. Deep down, he felt depressed on what should be the happiest day of his life.
"C'mon. It's starting."
"Kenny..."
Meanwhile, in Kenny's home, the blond boy was lying down on his bed, truly resting for the first time in over a week.
"Finally... some much-needed rest."
Kenny closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.
"Kenny... Wake up, Kenny..."
"Leave me alone, Cartman..."
"It's me, Kyle."
Kenny opened his eyes and found himself floating in outer space, with Kyle hovering in front of him.
"Another dream? Let's just get this over with..."
"I'm not here for that, Ken. I wanted to ask you why you're not coming to my wedding."
"We've talked about this many times."
"Right. You still love me."
"...You don't believe me?"
"I believe that, if you did love me, you'd want to be there for me when I make the biggest decision of my life."
"...I can't do it, Kyle. You've always been the strong one out of both of us. I just act tough, but, deep down... I'm nothing without you."
"That's not true, Ken. You're stronger than you know. Go there, for me. Please."
Kenny's eyes teared up from Kyle's words of incentive and he woke up, back on his bed.
"Kyle... I'll do it for you."
Later that evening, Kyle and Stan were standing side-by-side at the altar. Kyle looked at the people who had come to attend to South Park's first same-sex marriage ceremony. Butters was there, along with Kyle's parents and brother, and Stan's own parents and sister had come to watch. Cartman was skulking outside, presumably waiting for the chance to ruin their wedding plans, but nothing surprised Kyle more than when he saw Kenny standing in the very back, alone.
"Kenny... You came after all."
The priest coughed loudly to get Kyle's attention and started the usual speech. Kyle was absent-minded for most of it, completely focused on Kenny, until the priest reached the most important part.
"-you, Stan Marsh, take this man, Kyle Broflovski..."
Kyle zoned out again, still wondering about Kenny.
"I wonder why he's here. What if he expects me to do something? What should I do? I... I can't..."
"I do."
"And do you, Kyle Broflovski..."
"I can't do this."
"I..."
Everyone except Kenny leaned forward from excitement, waiting to hear two of the most important words in the ceremony. However, just as he was about to speak the words everyone wanted to hear, everything clicked into place – why he had broken up with Kenny, why he felt like crap, and what he needed to do.
"I... can't."
Every person in the room gasped in surprise, especially Kenny, and even Cartman, who was still spying from outside, heard Kyle's statement and was left mouth agape in shock. Stan was particularly surprised to hear what his fiancé had said, and couldn't believe his ears.
"W-What?" Stan asked.
"I can't. I'm sorry, Stan. I can't do this. This is all wrong."
"What do you mean? We've been dating for almost five years!"
"I can't... I love... I love Kenny."
"W-What about us? Just a few days ago, you said you loved me!"
"And I do, Stan. I do. I just... I still love him."
"More than you love me?"
"...I think so. I'm so sorry."
"But... you broke up with him, several years ago!"
"And that was a mistake. I'm sorry, everyone! The wedding is off!"
Kyle stormed out of the building with tears in his eyes, completely ignoring Kenny and everyone else who had attended their wedding.
Kyle ran as fast and as far as he could, until he became too exhausted to move another inch. Kenny was hot on his tracks, but nobody else followed. They were too shocked to do anything but stare at each other blankly. When Kenny finally caught up with Kyle, he was faced with a crying boy on his knees, completely soaking the ground beneath him with his tears.
"Kyle?"
"Go away, Ken. I don't want to talk to you."
"...That's not true. I know how you must be feeling, but-"
"Do you? I just blew up my wedding with a guy who loved me more than anything else. When did you do something similar?"
"Five years ago, when you broke up with me."
"...I'm sorry, Ken. For everything... For lying to you."
"What do you mean?"
Kyle finally decided that it was time to tell Kenny the truth behind one of the most significant moments in Kyle's life.
"...I didn't stop loving you, Ken. I was just afraid of what my mom would do if she found out about us. She was piecing it together, and I didn't want her to know. I'm so sorry."
"Kyle, I... I forgive you."
"Kenny... Thank you."
Kenny wiped away Kyle's tears and gently stroked his cheek. Then, with one hand on his waist, pulled him closer to himself and locked lips. Kenny's senses were overwhelmed with a variety of sensations – from the sweet taste of Kyle's mouth to Kyle rubbing his back, everything felt a thousand times better, just because he knew Kyle still loved him.
However, not everyone was happy. Stan sat at the altar's steps on his own, crying, as his friends and family left, until only one was left behind.
"Hey, Stan. Why so sad?"
"Why do you think, Butters? God, I swear, you sound like a retard sometimes."
"No need to insult me."
"...I'm sorry. I just... I wonder what I did wrong. Where did I fail in my duties as Kyle's boyfriend?"
"There's nothing you could have done, Stan. It's not your fault.
"That's easy for you to say. You didn't... You didn't fall in love with the greatest guy in South Park, date him, then propose to him."
"That's right. I didn't. But if you really love him, you'd want him to be happy, no matter what that meant for you."
"...Just go away, Butters. Leave me alone."
"Alright, Stan. Just remember, if you want to talk, I'll be here."
"...Thank you, Butters."
Cartman suddenly entered the small building, pointing and laughing at Stan.
"Ha! Your boyfriend left you!"
Stan snapped. His sadness was replaced with blind rage and hatred for the fat boy, and his body reacted to it. He threw several punches against Cartman's gut and face, until Butters had to pull him away, for fear that he might kill him.
"That's enough, Stan."
"...You know what? Fuck this."
Stan kicked the brown-haired boy one last time before leaving for the home he shared with Kyle. Once there, he started packing his things, to move back in with his parents. He stopped for a few moments when he found an old picture of Kyle in their bedroom. He gently kissed it, stuffed it into his bag and finally left. He felt freer than he had ever felt in years, and although he knew it wouldn't last forever, he didn't care. All he wanted was to be on his own.