Happy birthday to my little sister who wouldn't be caught dead reading this.
Butters threw another rock into Stark's Pond. Everyone in town was freaking out over The Coon's message, even though it only really mattered to them. The Coon was finally getting some attention, and people were trying to remember who the hell Mysterion had been. Funny, how they could forget after all the fuss they'd made about unmasking him. But maybe there was something else they were forgetting...
He'd have to ask Kenny sometime. Not now though; he was probably with Vicki, making sweet, sweet love. Unless she was with Kyle; word had spread pretty fast that they had hooked up, thanks to Clyde. Now everyone from Bebe to Pip knew. And Butters didn't really know what to think about it. Vicki was his friend, but that didn't mean he approved of everything she did.
"Hey Butters."
Butters felt his stomach give an unusual flop at the sound of Jason's voice coming up the path behind him. "H-hey Jason."
He had to admit, he'd been very curious about Jason's maybe kinda liking him. Or even just liking Marjorine. But no one seemed to know much more. Not that he'd asked a lot of people. Just Kenny, and Pip. Because they seemed to hear everything people talked about. But no one was talking about Jason; no one ever talked about Jason. It was like people always forgot him, even the class list hadn't had him last year...
"Friends all busy?" The brunette asked calmly, skipping a rock across the pond.
"Yeah. Kenny and Vicki are probably together, or she's with Kyle. Stan's got his hands full convincing Wendy her friends aren't going to die, and everyone else is busy freaking out about The Coon."
"Why? He's obviously after Mysterion. Whoever he is."
"Kenny." Butters replied. "Mysterion is Kenny. I remember because I used to play supers with them when we were younger. I was the villain."
Jason looked at him disbelievingly. "You? You're like the least villainy person we know."
"It was a game, we were kids." Well, it wasn't entirely a game. It hadn't even started out as a game to him, or Kenny, or Cartman. "We do stupid things when we're kids."
"Like dressing you up as a girl to get a hold of a cootie catcher." Another stomach flip. They were awfully close to the topic now... "But sometimes we keep doing those, 'stupid things' right?"
Oh... what the hell. "Kenny told me about the pictures. I wish I'd known sooner, before Cartman used my 'secret' to blackmail me."
"Blackmail you?"
"It's how he escaped. I brought him what he needed to escape, even though I didn't know that's what he'd use it for. But I didn't want anyone knowing I still dress up like Marjor—"
Butters was cut off by Jason's hand on his shoulder. "Why would you want to hide it, Butters? You shouldn't hide what you are."
He looked so sincere, it was hard not to think that maybe it wasn't so bad if Jason liked him, or Marjorine, or whoever it was Jason wanted him to be. "And if I'm both?"
"The only people who would have a problem with it are Cartman and Craig. And seeing as Cartman's crazy, and Craig's just a dick... I think it'll be pretty damn awesome."
Jason was smiling at him, and this time it was Butters' heart that flopped. Yep; he was hooked. And he might have let it slip... but his phone broke the silence.
'I'm not perfect, but I keep tryin', 'Cause that's what I said I would do from the start...' He read Vicki's text, and sighed. She wanted him to stay with Stan tonight. "Looks like my friends have decided I need someone to watch me until The Coon is caught. I'm supposed to go to Stan's. Just in case."
"I could walk you there... just in case."
Now that was a definite mild flirt, but Butters let it pass. "It's not far. I'll see you around."
Jason just nodded, looking torn between disappointed and hopeful. It was probably the 'see you around' that had done it.
ϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰ And all the pain I put you though ϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰ
Vicki watched Kenny walk to the end of the block, and then slumped down onto the chair she'd been peering out the window from. He was probably going to die tonight, and she couldn't help feeling restless. She needed to go out, she needed reassurance this was the right thing to do, she... she needed to talk to someone who knew about when to take risks, and when not to.
Pulling out her phone, Vicki scrolled down through her contacts until she found 'The Mole'. Christophe was coarse enough he'd tell her she was being an idiot, and charmed by her enough he wouldn't verbally attack her like he usually did others. It was best not to offend the woman you were trying to get a one-night-stand out of.
"Bon soir, Victoire." He always insisted on calling her the French version of her name; Victoire. "You 'eard I was back in zis 'ell 'ole?"
"Took a chance. You've heard about Cartman breaking out?"
"Absolutement. Worried?"
He had no idea... "Beyond worried. Can I meet you at your place?"
A moment's pause. "...Let me get rid of ze British annoyance," Gregory, his roommate. They'd been emancipated a year now. "And you can come. Will you be bringing ze boyfriend?"
"No, he's busy right now."
"Excellent. I'll change ze sheets."
"You can say that all you want, but it doesn't mean I'll ever wind up in them." This was the problem with Christophe; he took the rest of his life so seriously, he became just as bad as Kenny whenever he could.
"You break my 'eart, Cherie."
"Funny, I was under the impression it was your dick that loves me so."
"...Just get zat beautiful ass over 'ere, and we'll talk."
Hanging up, she noticed Kyle standing in the doorway to the living room. "The Mole." She explained. "He's almost as bad as you, except he's only interested in the sex. And I have more sex than I can handle with just Kenny."
"Oh." He had the look written all over his face. The 'so if you don't need sex, what was last night to you' look.
"Kyle, after tonight, we're gonna go back to our regular lives. And for me, that means having Kenny as my boyfriend, and you as my best friend. Because you are—you are probably the best friend I've got. And I don't want to lose that."
"Maybe you should have thought of that last night. Because I don't think Kenny's text said to have sex twice."
He was hurt that she had wanted to ignore what they'd had—what he'd perceived they had—in favour of things going back to how they'd been. But they'd never be able to look at each other quite the same. Even she knew that. But he didn't understand that there would be others, and he would forget about loving her eventually. And unfortunately, she'd done nothing to discourage him.
"I'm heading over to The Mole's. He'll walk me home if it's dark when I leave."
"...Okay."
She probably shouldn't have been leaving Kyle now, but Vicki didn't want to handle it. There was too much going on right now, and for the first time since Matt had died, her heart was a mess. When she had herself sorted out, she could sort out Kyle.
ϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰ I wish that I could take it all away ϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰ
Christophe Delorne regarded the young woman sitting on his couch, sipping some of Gregory's tea while staring off into space. He was fond of Vicki, both as a woman and as an overall person. She was smart, and witty, and sexy, and even though she didn't seem to realize it, decidedly European in her attitude. The type of girl even his mother would have approved of. And she hadn't approved of anyone.
Crazy bitch. He was glad to be out from under her control. Woman had had a bi-polar attitude towards him. One minute she wanted him to have never been born, the next she wanted to protect him from the world and find strong faith in God. He blamed it on his Algerian Mobster rapist father from Orange...
"You know, talking about things works better when you actually say something, chère."
Vicki seemed to rouse herself from her funk. "Kenny's died eleven times since I met him. Seven of those times have been right in front of me. Tonight he's going to do it again—to keep me safe from Cartman—and I don't know if I can take it anymore. Even though I love him, I hate that he leaves me like this..."
If there was any way in which they all knew McCormick wasn't good for her... that was it. The dying—especially by choice—when she was the only one who remembered every moment, had to be to the hardest thing a person could go through. Even he, who's closest relationship was the antagonistic one he held with his roommate and 'business' partner, knew that. "Maybe you need to decide what is more eemportant for you. An 'ealthy boring relationship, or 'im. Because I know you could do boring with ze Jew. 'E cares deeply about you."
"And that's another part of the problem. Kenny has been so insecure about Kyle that he told me I should have sex with him, to prove to himself I love him... and I did. Now Kyle thinks we have something we don't. I mean, we're close—I trust him with my life—but I don't love him. I don't think I would have ever loved him—even if I'd never known Kenny."
Christophe resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have even tried to talk relationships or feelings. But part of Vicki's self-defence training had been psychological and emotional. So while he was normally the worst for this sort of thing, for Vicki he was the best. He knew her mind.
"Victoire, if you love Kenny as much as you say you do, you know what you need to do. You need to show zem both zat you 'ave made your choice, and will stick with it." He said decisively. "If I were you, I would take a vow of promise in front of all your friends."
She raked her fingers through her hair, and nodded. "If someone had said three years ago I would be vowing to be with someone forever, I would have thought they were crazy. But now...it's the one thing I'm not afraid to do."
He couldn't help laughing at that. "I suppose zat makes eet definite zat no matter 'ow much I try, ze erotic beauty zat is Victoire Monroe will never achieve la petite mort in my bed."
"Christophe, no matter how much you could have tried to woo and seduce me... I know better than to get tangled up with a French Mercenary. Despite the fact that 'ze French are lovers, not 'aters'. Besides, I've been with Matt-the-sex-prodigy, Kenny-the-sex-God, and Kyle-the-firecracker; it'd probably end up being me teaching you a thing or two."
He hated to admit it, but maybe she was right. Maybe Vicki was too much woman for him. "I s'pose I'll go back to taking foreign V-cards from ze lovely daughters of Europe."
He was glad to hear her laugh at that. "You and Gregory, deflowering virgins across the continent. How's the Brit anyways?"
"Being a fucking pussy. Doesn't want to take a mission zat will pay very big money in Yemen. Apparently eet's too dangerous for 'im."
"And that's why he's 'The British Annoyance' today?"
"Actually, zat was because he was 'alf-'oping 'e could join in for a ménage-a-trois." He admitted. Something Christophe was in no way interested in doing with his partner. Maybe McCormick, but never Gregory.
"Have you ever considered, Christophe, that maybe he's not interested in me, but in you?"
Apparently it was fucking hilarious to see him looking absolutely horrified, because she didn't stop laughing for almost five minutes.
ϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰ And be the one who catches all your tears ϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰ
Kyle hated that he needed to bother his Super Best Friend with this. "Stan... what should I do about sleeping with Vicki?"
"Elaborate dude."
"I love her, you know that. But I don't want to be the bad guy and break up her and Kenny. But I can't let her go without trying either."
Even over the phone, he knew Stan was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Kyle, you can love Vicki as much as Romeo loved Juliet, but that's not going to make her yours if she doesn't love you. And you know that she doesn't; it was just sex."
Just sex. This coming from the guy who had to set up a special date in order to feel like he even deserved to have sex with his girlfriend of four years. "It's never just sex, Stan."
"I think with Vicki, it can be."
"Then what was the point?"
"I don't know dude; maybe there isn't one! Maybe there isn't any point to any of it; you just take the experience and move on. Until you find the girl who you can see yourself marrying, and having kids with, and growing old with. And maybe you'll have to fuck a lot of girls before you find her, and maybe you never will. But you know Vicki isn't her. And all you're gonna do is waste your life if you keep looking for some hidden message of love that isn't there."
It was a harsh message, but he knew his Super Best Friend wasn't going to sugar-coat it, because it wouldn't do him any favours. He needed to hear what his heart kept telling his head to deny; that Vick, the goddess of his dreams, was a lost cause.
"...What do you think's gonna happen when Kenny dies for the last time?"
He could just make out Stan's sigh of mingled relief and worry. He wasn't the only one thinking this was too epic not to be the last time. "Honestly? I think it'll be the apocalypse. But everyone else thinks that's gonna happen in 2012, so I don't really know."
"Even if it's not the End of Days, I think it will destroy Vicki's whole world."
ϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰ That's why I need you to hear ϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰϰ
Cartman could just faintly feel it, stirring within the blackness he was trapped in. The end was near. He hadn't expected to be overthrown by his alter ego when he'd put on the full set of claws, but then again, it wouldn't have been the first time he'd underestimated the power of things he had decided to use without knowing just what they were capable of. Now he was unable to control his own body, or even press a thought up to the surface. This personality—his true one—was too fractured and weak to fight The Coon.
He couldn't help wondering what would happen if The Coon were to get them killed. Would he get a chance to see and hear and feel the world one last time? Or would he even be aware of it? He felt dead already. Like his soul had died, but his body kept living, and was out of his control. Maybe The Coon had killed Cartman. Maybe this was what it felt like to no longer exist... Well if that was the case, it wasn't so bad. At least he could rest, with the fragmented thoughts slowed down to a near standstill.
Bet you didn't think we'd hear from Cartman, did you? Not there's much there. I have to admit I'm facinated by Disassociative Identity Disorder, and wonder what happens to the personality that gets supressed. Is it still aware of itself?
