The song came on and Cartman's dark eyes glared heatedly at her-but he raised the mike to his lips nonetheless. As he sang, Fable leaned against the computer and couldn't help but watch him do a very silly feminine act while singing; his stocky and tall build made the movements awkward and all the more hilarious. She gazed out at the crowd that had gathered; multiple people lounging on beanbags, drinks in hand. Kyle stood near the door with a bottle of water, watching. His ears were pink and he glanced at Fable who gave him a devious smirk and a wink. He flipped her off.
She rolled her eyes good naturedly and continued to scan the room, finding Kenny standing over a beanbag filled with Craig and Tweek. Craig had his arms around the sporadic blonde to keep his twitching under control and was having a conversation with Kenny, that blank look on his face as his chin rested on Tweek's shoulder. They had ditched their pointy hats. Kenny looked annoyed, his eyes near slits as he glared down at Craig and occasionally flicked up to Cartman. He didn't even glance her way, but Fable ignored the pang of her heart and returned her attention to Cartman doing his best Katy Perry impersonation.
"I wanna see your Peacock, cock, cock~ Your peacock, cock~ I wanna see ya~ Come on baby, let me see whatchyo hidin' underneath~"
Laughs, cheers, and applause followed his act and he bowed theatrically before walking over to where Fable was and handed her the mike. "Your turn, ginger whore."
She rolled her eyes and strolled up on stage, readying herself to whatever tortue Cartman would put her through. The music started, very rappish, and the crowd that was paying attention began laughing. A spout of nerves tightened in her stomach as she noted Kenny's blue gaze was watching her, his face morphing from bristled annoyance to that cool, blank mysterious look he seems to constantly wear.
"Shawty had dem apple bottom jeans, jeans~ Boots with tha fur, with tha fur~ The whole club lookin' at huuur."" Fable sang, giving the rapper impersonation her all. She even did her best to move her hips in a thrusting manner and acted all thuggish.
Kenny watched, his lips curving into a smirk. The curly ginger looked absolutely ridiculous in her rather hot witch costume and doing what she probably thought was manly thrusting. Her pale skin was flushed with the effort she was putting into it and her emerald eyes alight with happiness. If he was being honest with himself, Kenny would admit how jealous he was. She came alive under pressure, under the limelight. Kenny was comfortable in the background and shadows, where he could blend in and cause little damage. It was what drew him to her in the first; Fable inexplicably had a way with making people trust her with that bright, friendly smile.
Kyle grinned, but it wasn't at Fable. He was grinning at the cross look on Cartman's face as Fable quickly won over the crowd with her antics. Though he knew constantly staring at Cartman would be out of character even if he was laughing at his annoyance so he kept glancing between Fable and him. That was why he caught when Fable's blinking became closer together, more of her clenching her eyes shut. Her voice became less enthusiastic, more strained. He made a beeline for the stage, pushing past Kenny as her voice stopped all together and she clutched her head.
He took the mike from her and an arm around her, ushering her down the stairs as Cartman sent him a quizical look. "For once, fat ass, please just help and don't ask questions."
Cartman caved at the utterly pleading look on Kyle's pasty face and took the mike, instantly springing into the song to and rousing the crowd. Kyle led her towards the door and spared Kenny a glance as he joined, hovering over them like a panicked mother.
"What's wrong? Is she okay?"
Any other day, Kyle would had laughed at his uncharacteristic worry. But he shook his head and continued to lead Fable out of the room and into the hallway as she dug her palms into her eyes, stumbling over her feet. She whimpered when they finally stopped, Kyle standing her up in the hallway corner as Kenny and Kyle kept her covered.
"Fable?" Kenny asked urgently, absentmindedly pushing Kyle back to put his hands on her shoulders, thumbs massaging circles into the bones.
"Colors...Returned." She said in a choked voice.
Kyle sucked in a breath, "Auras? They went away?" She gave a meak nod, still grinding her fists against her eyes. "And just came back? Fuck, being around so many peopleā¦"
"Speak fucking english, damn it!" Kenny snapped.
"Relax, she'll be fine. Her senses just went into overdrive. It's odd though, how the auras just went away. Why didn't you say anything?"
Fable slowly pulled her hands back and blinked hard a few times before focusing on the two tall males hovering over her. Kenny's face had gone from the worry Kyle saw back to his blank look, his eyes piercing hers. It didn't match the expressive voice he had used earlier and Fable wondered if it was her imagination and he didn't care as much as she thought he did.
"I dunno. It didn't seem important."
"Didn't seem-" Kenny sighed and ran a hair through his ruffled bed head, his eyes scanning her face. "Nevermind. Fable, you've been in a ritual and you need to tell us when things like this happen. Are you still seeing them?"
She nodded with her eyes watching her fidgeting hands. Despite her parents being gone, Fable still felt her anxiety spike when she was in trouble. "Yes, but your guys' lights are blocking out the people behind you so it doesn't hurt."
"Why did it just start up again? Mine's been with me ever since the accident." Kyle mused, going all philosophical on them.
Fable shrugged, suddenly tired. Lights faded in and out behind Kyle's bright aura and Kenny's throbbing one. "I don't know."
Kenny took a deep breath in through his nose. "Okay, we'll figure that out later but Fable looks pale-"
"I'm always pale, I'm ginger."
"You need to get out of here." he firmly gripped her elbow and was about to lead her away when she tugged back.
"No, I don't want to go." He gaze turned hard, defiant. "Kenny, this is my first party."
He looked at her, stared into her eyes to gauge what exactly she was feeling. Utter hope shone in her eyes. Had she really been so deprived of fun? Kenny sighed. "Fine, but you're getting some fresh air for a bit."
"Okay."
"Well, Cartman's going to have questions, what should I tell him?"
Kenny thought for a bit and by the nibbling of Fable's lower lip, she was too. They shared glances and Fable's eyes lit up, "I have an idea. Tell him to ask me about it if he wants answers."
"You sure?"
She nodded and Kyle shrugged, ducking back into the karaoke room. Kenny, on the other hand, began to lead Fable firmly into Token's backyard, light snowflakes falling with the gentle breeze. It felt nice against Fable's skin; she hadn't realized how sweaty she had gotten from all her dancing and merriment. Kenny, in nothing but ripped jeans, bloodied t-shirt, and zombie makeup, resisted the urge to shiver after a few moments and watched Fable's eyes close and her head tilt upwards. Her skin caught the moonlight, seemed to be drinking it up.
There was silence for the longest of times in which they stayed like that; Kenny's hand on her clothed elbow with a steady and comforting grip, his eyes watching Fable's face soften and relax, Fable breathing deeply as snow clung to her cheeks and eyelashes, listening to the gentle swoosh of the breeze. Both were content. Until Fable opened her eyes to catch Kenny staring at her, turning her cheeks a nice pink color.
"What?"
"Nothing, just makin' sure the fresh air did you some good." He said as if he wasn't phased. Inside his rib cage, his heart began beating faster. It was unfamiliar.
Eyes narrowing, she scrutinized him as if she didn't believe him but then caught sight of the goosebumps running along his arms. "You're cold. Here." Before Kenny could object, she undid the cape and wrapped it around him and tied it.
It kept out the wind and her heat lingered. As did her peppermint perfume. But Kenny knew she'd begin shivering soon so he moved to remove it, stating, "I'm fine, you have less body weight. You'll freeze out here."
"Then we have two options: go inside or," Fable smirked a bit and moved his hands so she could wrap her arms around his waist and lay her cheek on his chest. Kenny seemed to catch on because he quickly wrapped her in the cape. "we can stand like this. Your choice."
She felt Kenny chuckle and his chin rested on her head. "I'm fine here." Kenny was smirking as he breathed in her scent. He enjoyed being this close to her, she felt so fragile in his arms. She was his to protect. But he knew that wasn't true, they were just friends who have to work together to fix a problem.
Fable could feel that nervous ball of bees banging and buzzing around her chest and stomach while she listened to his heart beat under her ear. He smelled of soap and something she couldn't peg; a dark, woodsy scent like he'd been climbing trees all day. This was nice, standing here with his arms wrapped around her, but it made a part of Fable hurt, too. He was, to her, something that was unattainable. One moment he cares and the next moment he's acting like they're just barely friends. It confused her.
But both of their thoughts were cut short when a voice drifted to them, "Sorry to break up the lip-making, but I need to talk to the slut."
Kenny fought off the urge to growl and instead, his jaw clenched as Fable pulled back from his embrace. He reluctantly let go and turned to face the fatass. Fable stood next to him and raised her eyebrows at Cartman who glared at her.
"Yes?" She asked. Kenny wondered why she didn't snap at him for the previous insult.
"Kyle told me to seek you out, ginger. For answers. And if you don't, I'll ruin you. Even Kenny wouldn't want to talk to you."
Kenny's already rising anger spiked and he opened his mouth to snap at Cartman when Fable smiled and shook her head, "Okay. Kenny, I'll meet you inside." She turned to him and her green eyes were strong. She had some kind of plan.
Without a word, he left them and went back inside. But he wasn't going to leave her completely alone; he stood in the kitchen, watching them out of a window.
"First off, stop calling me slut. Or any other synonyms. Ginger is fine." Fable said, her hands on her hips. Of course she knew her defiant attitude would piss him off.
"You don't get the right to fucking make demands. I do. Now what the hell is up with you." He poked her shoulder hard, his honey brown eyes very guared.
But Fable merely held up her hands. "See, I can't tell you everything. But I do need your help and I can do something for you in return."
Cartman scoffed but some glint in Fable's eye made him ask, "And what would that be?"
"Kyle."
That one word was like a shock to his system. His entire body stiffened and he quickly grabbed her by her dress, the fabric bunching in his fist. Fable swallowed and stumbled as he pulled her close. So close, his breath tickled her nose. Smelled like cheesy poofs.
"Why the fuck would I care about that Jew?" he snarled. "Don't test me. I'm not someone you want to piss off."
"I know. You don't think I've heard stories?" Fable was surprised her voice was still steady. "But my gaydar has never been wrong before and you've got it for him bad. I won't tell a soul, of course, if you help me. Or I can offer you something even better; I can help you win his heart."
For six heartbeats-Fable counted- Cartman's icy eyes sent daggers into her skull and she swallowed back a bite of fear. Then he let her go, utterly silent. She breathed a sigh of relief and straightened her dress out. But he still didn't speak, so she wasn't out of the woods yet.
"...How do you know?" His voice was so silent, Fable almost didn't hear him.
"Because, we're closer than you think." Fable admitted cryptically. Then she continued, shoulders shrugging. "I can prove it to you if you like. And no one would find out about your crush either way, so...All I need is one favor in return."
The brunet mulled it over for quite sometime, his hard eyes pinning Fable where she stood. But Fable's expression didn't tip him off on anything too suspicious so he relented, "Fine, what do you need and what do you propose, ginger?"
"What I need can come later. What I propose is we begin dating." His eyebrow quirked and she continued, "If we began dating, Kyle would get mad at me because I know he likes you. You can hear him talking to me and listen as he admits it himself. And if he doesn't, you date the new hot girl and no rumors of your sexuallity can even be considered."
"That's actually not a bad idea...For a ginger." She grinned at him and he smirked back. "So, how do we start this thing?"
"Easy. Give me your jacket."
"What? It's freezing balls out here I'm not gunna let you infect it."
"It's what a boyfriend would do." Cartman still glared. "Would you do it for Kyle?"
He grumbled and grudgingly draped the leather jacket around her shoulders. "You look like a drowned pup in that."
"It's cause you're so fat, fat ass." She shot back with a smile. "Just try and act like you would if I was Kyle, okay? Put your arm around me."
He complied and they walked back into the house, turning heads. Fable fell in step with him as Cartman led them to the couch and they snuggled up on it, Fable's head resting on his shoulder with his arms around her. It was odd, and not enjoyable for either party. But the discomfort distracted Fable from the glowing light surrounding every person in the room, even Cartman. His was a deep red, like blood. Her eyes closed and she heard Cartman grumbling under his breath.
"Just try and relax, news will spread fast."
After a few minutes in which Fable had begun dozing off, Cartman shifted and startled her. He pushed her up so she was facing him, their noses almost touching. "This isn't fast enough."
"Cartman-" He had that look in his eye, that twinkle (I've got a golden ticket~~ (couldn't help myself...I'll go back to the story now)). "Oh no, don't you dare."
"Just try and relax, news will spread faster." His lips quirked up into a vicious smirk and then they were pressed against her own.
Her eyes widened and she tried hitting his chest but he gripped her fisted firmly, keeping her pressed against him. He kissed her forcefully and Fable tried to protest but he kept it up. Cartman was stronger than her. With the utmost disgust and resignation, Fable began moving her lips with his. He wasn't a bad kisser but it definitely wasn't pleasant for either of them, but Cartman was right; that got a reaction. He let go of her hands to drape one over her waist and the other in her hair. She used this new freedom to snake hers around his neck. They kept it simple and Cartman was quick to angle their faces so spectators were free to imagine just what they were doing.
"Fable? Cartman? What the fuck are you two doing?" Kenny McCormick spat behind them.
Fable instantly broke apart from Cartman and turned to look at him wide-eyed. Soooo not who she wanted. He looked pissed, more so than that day they had their first semi-fight. His dark blue eyes glinted with malice and his usual smirk was twisted into a sneer. Cartman rolled his eyes but even he was a little put off by Kenny's anger. They were attracting attention.
"Kissing, what the hell does it look like?" Cartman snapped back, making Fable want to go die under a rock even more.
She swore a vein popped from Kenny's neck. He was about to snap. He knew it was a good idea to get the hell out of there because he had no reason to be so angry, but his feet wouldn't move and if he moved his arms, he'd punch Cartman in his fat face. But luckily for all of them, Fable jumped to her feet and pulled Kenny away. It took a few tugs but she eventually was able to pull him into the nearest bathroom and lock the door, where his glare was trained on her. Man, how many times was she going to get glared at today?
"I know what you're thinking, but you've got it wrong."
"I win the bet." Was all he said before his anger seemed to vanish. The blond crossed his arms and stared at her with a newly blank face, eyes empty. Fable hated that.
"You win the bet? Seriously?" Something in her sparked at his sudden change. "After all that god damn fuss, that's all you have to say?! Next time, don't interrupt my good time just to gloat!"
Kenny quickly repressed his hurt from her rash words and merely rolled his eyes, staying silent. Fable huffed. After a moment of glaring at him, she stormed back out of the restroom and back to the party where people had gathered around Cartman, asking him all sorts of questions. Kyle was on the edge, watching. When he caught sight of Fable, the look on his face nearly made her cry. She felt so guilty but right now, her anger was controlling her. She shoved past the crowd and took Cartman's hand, all but dragging him out the front door.
He stumbled then caught his footing, working double time to keep up with her angry strides. Once they were nearing the gates of Token's mansion, she rounded on him with an angry growl. "Who the hell does that bastard think he is?!"
" Ay! Don' yell at me for Keeny's sandy vagina!"
"Sandy-No, no you're right! He's on the damn rag! Getting so angry and worked up over nothing! It isn't like he owns me, he has no right to get angry! He's so-"
"I warned you!"
"Warned me about what?!"
"Him!"
"God I should have listened to you! Ugh." Fable was nearly tearing her hair out.
Cartman was smirking and nodding like a complete jackass but at least he was agreeing with her. Until he glanced beside her and and his eyes widened a fraction of an inch. She turned to see the guarded yet frustrated look of Kyle.
"Are you really that stupid, Fable?" He asked, ignoring the fat boy to stare at the flushed girl.
She bristled at being called stupid. "Excuse me?"
"He was angry because he felt he had a chance with you even if he was too afraid to admit it to himself. You're blind." He shook his head. "And then you go and kiss one of his least favorite people. He had hope in you, Fable. I had hope in you."
"Kyle-wait!" She called as he walked back to the mansion. He didn't turn and him and his fake vampire teeth vanished, leaving Cartman and Fable staring after him. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "I told you."
"That didn't prove anything." Cartman pointed out.
Her glare almost made him flinch. "Yes it does. He had hope that I would help you win him over. He came out here to tell me that, he just happened to catch my ranting. Don't pass on the opportunity to get on his good side. I'll let you know my favor when I need it. If you want more of my help, it comes free of charge."
And Fable slipped through the gates, walking the handful of miles back to Kyle's house.
Author's Note: I know, I know, you guys probably don't want to hear this, but should I continue this? I mean, I love all the ideas in my head but I just don't have the time to write them all out if it's just for me. Even if it's one fan that's continually reading the updates, I would greatly appreciate a heads up so I don't just flat out quit on this.
