Love is a Battlefield, Volume 1

by CommanderHusky

The boys from South Park have gone trough a lot together, but now, as they start their teen years, a lot of things change. Multi volume, multi chaptered novel focused on the lives of the four main boys from South Park as they discover new things about themselves. Mostly focused on Kyman. Angst, comfort, hard themes and lots, lots of fluff. Rated M but with some MA content later

25. Chapter 25

Love is a Battlefield

Volume 1 Chapter 25

Drink one for me

June 8

After a whole day of needed rest, the boys met up again at the bus stop to start another week of school. This time though, they were in a greater mood since they had only two more weeks of school before starting their summer vacations.

- Guys, have you thought yet about what we're gonna do this summer? - Asked Eric - There's still time to plan something, but we shouldn't lay back on this -

Stan looked at them with a little gloom on his face and said - Guys, I'm sorry I haven't told you before, but I won't be able to spend the whole summer with you. My parents are going to spend the summer in LA because some coworker of my dad has a house there that he won't use this year and of course I have to go with them... It will be for just three weeks, but it's right in the middle of the summer so any hope of us spending July together is busted... -

- That sucks ass... - Replied Eric - But maybe we could schedule something for later in the summer... -

- I'm afraid that my summer is pretty much ruined too - Said Kenny - Having no school means that I will have to be all day helping my father at the shop. I like to work there and I will finally be able to save some money for myself, but it also means that I practically won't have summer vacations... -

- Man! - Exclaimed Eric - Is this a joke? Our first summer together as good friends is going to be wasted? - He looked at Kyle - Well, at least we'll be able to spend some more time together, right honey? -

The red haired boy looked to the floor and Eric asked - What? Why are you looking like that? -

Kyle gazed to his boyfriend and said sadly - Well, I'm not sure yet, but I think that my parents are also taking us away for the summer... -

The chubby boy looked at him with his mouth agape and a deep sadness appeared in his eyes - No... Please... - He said quietly.

Kyle looked at Eric, who was at the verge of starting to cry and said - Honey, it's going to be just for a while, I'm not going away forever... Besides I'm still not sure about it, I just overheard my mother talking to a friend of hers about possibly going on vacations this summer, but they haven't told Ike or me anything yet, so maybe they will end up doing nothing... -

The husky boy sniffed and closed his eyes trying to control himself, then, opening his eyes said - I know that you're not going away forever, but still feels like it... I mean, is our first summer as boyfriends and I just can't believe that we're gonna spend it away from each other... - He sighed - Is like a cruel joke. Like if life would be giving me a taste of happiness to then take it away from me... -

Kyle looked at his boyfriend not knowing what to say. He wanted to comfort him, but he too was feeling the same and was having real trouble stopping himself from crying too since the last day when he had heard about their parent's trip. Taking a deep breath, he got closer to the chubby boy and said - Sweetheart, I'm really sad about this too, but we should have known that this could happen. Besides, we still have a lot of summers ahead of us to be together - He sighed - I'm hating this as much as you do, but we gain nothing feeling miserable about it - Then he got an idea - Listen, I'm gonna ask my parents about the trip today, if they say that we're going, I'll ask them if you can come with us -

Eric looked at his boyfriend and saw that the smaller boy was giving him a big and hopeful smile, but he simply said - Kyle, you know that won't happen... -

- We don't know - Replied Kyle, determined to stay optimistic - You invited us to spend Christmas at your grandma's house once, I'll just ask my parents to return the favor... -

The husky boy sighed and tried to smile, knowing that his boyfriend had the best intentions, but also knowing that Kyle's parents would never bring him along with them on such a long vacation. Still, he gave the red haired boy a light but grateful smile and said - Okay, ask them... Thanks for doing this honey. But if they say no, I want you to not feel bad about me and promise me that you'll have fun, okay? -

- Don't get ahead of things - Replied Kyle - I'll ask my parents and then we'll see - Just then, the school bus arrived and the boys got inside.

During the whole day at school, Eric remained with a slightly sad look and his friends knew that the boy was feeling pretty bad. After all, he had been thinking and planning awesome things to do with his friends and boyfriend during that summer since that idea came to them, and now, in just a few minutes, all those hopes had been shot down to the ground like an airplane in the middle of a war.

During lunch, Kyle tried to cheer him up, telling him that even if they couldn't spend this summer together, they had a whole year ahead of them to plan for the next one and make sure that they could do something together. Eric appreciated his boyfriend's efforts, but at the end of the day, when he got into his bed, he couldn't help but to cry for a long time, pressing Clyde Frog tightly to his chest, feeling that after all, good things always come accompanied by sadness.

That same night, but earlier, Kyle returned to his house after school and was determined to convince his parents about taking Eric with them on vacations, but as soon as he entered, he was met by his mother, that was looking at him with an angry look and an envelope clutched firmly on her hand - Kyle, come with me to the living room - She said calmly, but the boy could feel the anger in her voice.

Kyle went to the living room and sat on the couch, he knew that his mother was about to scold him for something that he had done, and looking at the envelope, he got an idea of where her anger could come from.

Mrs. Broflovski stood in front of her son for a couple of seconds in silence then she said - Kyle, do you know what this is? - She waived the envelope in front of him and without waiting for a response continued - This is the phone bill for the last month. You know that I asked the details of the phone calls to be printed every month, hoping that I wouldn't find anything wrong with them - Her voice started to raise - But today, reading trough the bill, what do I find? Someone called a cellphone plenty of times on the same day without asking for permission - She lowered her voice a little and squinted her eyes, something that scared Kyle a little since she only did that when she was really upset - I've already asked your father and he knows nothing about these calls, Ike obviously either... That leaves only you Kyle. Did you called to this cellphone without asking permission? -

The red haired boy looked to the floor, he had expected this moment to come and now he only wanted to get out of it with the less damage possible. He knew that trying to lie would just make things worse, so he quietly said - Yes mom... I made those calls -

His mother looked at him for a couple of seconds, visibly upset - And would you care to tell me why? And why you didn't tell me before? -

Kyle raised his eyes and tried to look back at his mother as firmly as he could - That day, something happened and I really needed to make those calls... - He sighed, the events of that day came again to him, but he fought to not let the sadness overcome him - The thing is that... After school, Eric... Got into a fight... Actually, someone started to argue with him, and that person told him... Really awful things... So horrible that he was devastated... He didn't fight back though, he got away - Kyle tried to fight his urge to start sobbing and made his best effort to control his voice - I... I knew that he was feeling really bad but I couldn't saw where he went to, so I went to his house but he wasn't there. Then, I came here and called Kenny and Stan to see if they knew something about him, but they didn't. I was really worried because I thought that maybe he was feeling so much pain that he could do something stupid... But not knowing where to start looking for him, the only thing I could do was to call to his cellphone. He didn't answered though, I tried some more times, and then it looked like he had just turned it off... - The red haired boy closed his eyes, trying to not let the tears show - Finally, I went to bed, but I was so worried that I came back here and tried one more time during the night... -

Mrs. Broflovski stared at her son for a while then she calmly said - So you were just trying to help a friend? - Kyle nodded and looked to the floor again. Hesitantly, his mother asked - What happened after that? -

Kyle looked at her again with a little surprise in his face; he had expected his mother to start yelling again. He sighed and said - Well, remember that day that I went almost running to Stan's house in the morning? - Kyle's mother nodded - Turns out that the night before, when I made those calls, Stan was walking by the railroads and found Eric... Wandering alone in there... Stan brought him home with him, since Eric wasn't feeling alright to be alone... That's why Stan called me the next morning, to go to his house and help Eric to feel better... -

Mrs. Broflovski sat beside her son and looked at him with no trace of anger left in her eyes - You were worried about your friend and wanted to help... That's really thoughtful of you Kyle. Still, you should have told us about it, maybe we could have helped too... -

- Well... At the moment I wasn't thinking really straight... - Replied Kyle - I was so worried that I didn't knew what to do. And after that, I just tried to let that in the past... I'm sorry for not having asked before to make those calls, or about not telling you after... -

- Well, I can see that you're sorry about it, and after all, it was for a good cause, so I will let this go for now - Said Kyle's mother - But you got to learn to be responsible and to ask us for help if you don't know how to deal with something -

- I know mom - Replied Kyle, really surprised that his mother wasn't grounding him or something - It won't happen again -

- Let's hope not - Said Mrs. Broflovski - Now go do your homework before dinner is ready -

- Thanks mom - Smiled lightly the red haired boy, he got up from the couch and walked towards his room as his mother went to the kitchen. As he was about to climb the stairs, Mr. Broflovski went out of the kitchen and said - Kyle son, can I ask you a question? -

The red haired boy looked a little puzzled but just said - Yes -

- I couldn't help but to listen to what you told your mother about those phone calls... - Said Kyle's father - And I wanted to ask you, when you did those calls, you were apologizing right? -

Kyle stared at his father with wide eyes. How could he know that? Then again, Kyle had noticed that his father seemed to know a lot about what he was doing, or at least that was the feeling he got from all those knowing looks his father used to give. Kyle looked to the floor and said - Yes... - He sighed - I was the one that told Eric those awful things... -

- Why did that happened? - Asked Mr. Broflovski, sitting at the start of the stairs.

Kyle sat beside him and looking to the floor said - I got blinded by my thoughts and suspicions... He had been acting a little weird and I feared that he was going back to his old self again... So I ended up mistrusting him and calling him a liar... -

- And that hurt him deeply because the first person that had trusted in him when he had changed, was now mistrusting him again... - Replied Kyle's father quietly.

Kyle looked at his father with a little surprise at how quickly he understood the situation. Mr. Broflovski looked back at his son and said - I told you that the feeling of betrayal could be devastating... -

The red haired boy stared at him, remembering that afternoon when his father had said those words. He had thought that his father was talking about him, but maybe he was talking about how Eric could feel if he saw that his efforts had been in vain. Pretty surprised by his father's words Kyle asked - How do you know all this? -

Mr. Broflovski sighed - I've just lived a little more than you, and I've seen a lot of things... I've seen people doing their best, and then falling even harder than before, when their efforts didn't managed to gain them anything... I've seen lifetime friendships wasted in just a moment of rage... - He looked at his son - Kyle, I know that you didn't do that on purpose, you're a good boy and you wouldn't hurt a friend like that intentionally. But you gotta be careful. You've said it yourself before, Eric has gone through a lot, and going through a change as big as his, can leave a person really vulnerable. So, the next time that you start feeling upset or angry, just try to calm down and think about the best way to express that to the others without hurting them -

Kyle sighed - I've been thinking the same... I don't want to make the same mistake again, I can't... - He looked at his father - Thanks dad, you're being really understanding about this whole thing -

- Well, that's what I'm here for as your father right? - Replied Mr. Broflovski with a light smile - Just, try to think about this the next time you're into something big, you can talk to me about what's going on in your life... -

- I know - Said Kyle smiling back - I'll try to come to you if something overwhelms me again, before doing anything rushed -

- Now go son - Said his father - Or your mother will be pretty upset if you're not ready by dinnertime -

Kyle smiled again and went to his room to do his homework, feeling really better after having that somewhat strange, but comforting conversation with his father.

A couple of hours later, Kyle heard his mother calling him to dinner and he went down to the dining room where the rest of his family were already seated at the table.

The red haired boy was anxious for asking his parents about their plans for the summer, so just a little while after they started dinner, he asked - Mom, dad... Do you have any plans for this summer? -

Kyle's parents looked at each other and Mrs. Broflovski said - Well children, we had meant to tell you after you finished school but... - She smiled - We bought a trip to Florida for the whole family! We're gonna have a three weeks cruise around the islands all the way to the Bahamas and then we'll stay another two weeks in Miami. Of course that we'll go to Disneyland too - She seemed really excited and Kyle's father added smiling - I'm sure that you two will have lots of fun there -

The red haired boy stared at them, he knew that they would probably go on vacations during that summer, but he never thought that it would be for so long - So... It's gonna be for a whole month? - He asked quietly.

Seeing that the look on Kyle wasn't anything near as she had expected, Mrs. Broflovski asked - What's the matter bubby? Aren't you happy about going on a trip? -

Kyle sighed - I am... I mean, it's great to go there... But this means that I won't see my friends for a whole month... -

- I understand how you feel Kyle - Replied his father - But you can't be with them all the time, and you gotta learn to enjoy things on your own. Besides, you could make new friends during this trip -

- Yeah... I know - Said Kyle - It's just that we had been talking about doing something together this summer since is the first one with us being so close and fine... - He sighed again. Then he took a deep breath, knowing that if he was going to ask his parents about taking Eric along it should be now - Um... Mom, dad... I know that maybe it's too much to ask but... Could Eric go with us on the trip? -

Kyle's parents looked at each other again, this time with a slight concern on their eyes. Mrs. Broflovski said - Bubby... We can't do that... We barely could afford this trip because you father won an important case and it gave him a nice bonus. We couldn't take another person with us... Besides, this trip is meant to be for the family... We want to enjoy this kind of things with you before you grow up and go away... -

- I understand that mom - Replied Kyle looking really sad now and not caring if it showed - But I really feel bad about Eric... Stan is going to LA with his parents, Kenny is going to work all summer with his father, and with me going away too he's gonna be all alone... - He felt the need to say more, to say that he didn't wanted to spend the summer away from his boyfriend, that he wouldn't be able to enjoy the trip the same way being so far away from the love of his life... But he refrained from doing so. That could have only made things worse.

Kyle's father looked at him and could notice the sadness that the boy was feeling - Kyle, I know that you feel bad about this, and if we could, we would do it... But your mother is right about both things. We can't afford to take your friend with us and we wanted this trip to be for us as a family. We know that you're about to start going out even more with your friends and we want to spend as much time as we can with you before you make your own life -

The green eyed boy stared at his plate for a moment, feeling really miserable but knowing that his parents only had good intentions about the trip. He looked up again and said - Well, at least I'll have a couple of weeks of summer to spend with my friends too… And I am happy about the trip, really, I know that I'm not showing it but that's because I still have to learn that I can't have all I want in life... - He tried to smile a little - When would we be going? -

- Well, we'd be leaving on June 29 and spend all July on the trip, returning on August 1 - Replied His mother - I know it's a long time, but a trip like this doesn't come easily and we want to make the most of it -

- Like I said, you're gonna have fun there - Said Mr. Broflovski - And if you want, you can use part of the money we gave you for your birthday to have a nice vacation next year with your friends. After all, it was meant for that -

- Thanks dad - Smiled Kyle - But we'll see. I was thinking about saving that up to buy an apartment when I turned eighteen... -

- You're very responsible - Chuckled his father - But when the moment comes, if we can, we will help you with that. So enjoy your gift while being young and don't hoard it for later -

Kyle laughed a little at that and started to eat again. He was still feeling really sad about having to leave his boyfriend behind for so long, but at least he had the prospect of having a really nice vacation with him and their friends the next year.

June 9

Standing at the bus stop, Kyle was waiting for Eric and Kenny to arrive so he could tell them about his trip for the summer. Finally, the boys got there and the red haired boy could see that Eric looked tired and sad, but when they crossed their eyes, the chubby boy gave him a little smile, trying not to look so bad.

- Hey Kenny - Greeted Kyle.

- Hey dude - Smiled the blond boy.

- Hi honey - Said Eric still with a light smile on his lips.

- Hi sweetheart - Replied Kyle. They remained in silence for a moment and then Kyle continued - Um... I asked my parents about our trip yesterday... - He looked to the floor - We... We're going to Florida for the summer... It will be a five weeks trip... Starting at the end of June and returning in August... -

Eric looked away and quietly said - That's... That's fine sweetie. I hope you have fun... -

Kyle looked up and could see tears amounting in his boyfriend's eyes. The chubby boy quickly wiped them off but didn't looked back at Kyle.

The red haired boy felt his heart shattering at the sight of his lover hurting so much. Gathering his strength said - I asked my parents to take you along with us, but they said they couldn't. I'm... I'm really sorry... -

The husky boy sighed and looked back to his boyfriend's eyes - Honey, don't be sorry. It was obvious that I wasn't going with you on this trip. And you were right yesterday, I should have known that this could happen, after all, we're just kids still and it's natural that our parents would want to have vacations with us... At least in your case... - He sniffed and smiled warmly at Kyle - Listen, I won't lie to you, I am really sad about this, I really wanted to spend the summer with you, doing a lot of fun things without having to worry about going to school the next day and stuff... But I really think that you should enjoy this trip you're having. It's an opportunity that doesn't come easily and I'm happy for you - He scoffed a little - Before you ask, yes, I've been crying about this all night and I will probably do it some more after you leave... But I don't want that to stop you from having as much fun as you can. In fact, I want you to have fun for the both of us okay? - He put a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder - We will be able to make a trip of our own in the future and maybe, if we go to Florida someday, you'll be able to show me all the nice places you went to this summer... -

Kyle stared at the chubby boy for a couple of seconds, the sadness of leaving his boyfriend behind was being eclipsed by the warm and honest smile on Eric's face. Kyle sighed, and trying to smile too, said - Well, you're right about that. After all, it's good to have someone else than you as a guide... -

- Hey! - Replied Eric with a light frown but chuckling.

Kyle chuckled too and then said - Sorry about that... I am sad too, I don't want to leave you behind and be apart from you for so long, but maybe we should get used to this, at least a little, because there will be other times that we will have to spend some time away from each other. I'm not saying that it's a good thing, but we should try to make the best of it so when we get back together, we will have many new things to share with one another -

- That's what I'm talking about - Replied Eric gently squeezing Kyle's shoulder - I will miss you, but I will also be waiting for you with a lot of love and kisses and wanting to hear your stories... -

- And I will come back with a lot of things to share with you and with much more kisses and hugs to give to you... - Smiled Kyle.

Both boys smiled warmly at each other, setting aside their sadness and knowing that even a time away like this, wouldn't hurt the love they felt for each other.

June 15

The final week of school finally came for the boys, and even if that meant their time of separation was closer now, they still felt relief and joy about leaving behind a school year that had been like a roller-coaster of emotions. Stan and Kyle were reaching the bus stop as usual, only that now the heat was starting to be really felt, so their usual warming walk was now feeling more like a burden. Eric and Kenny were already waiting for them, and after the boys greeted at each other, Eric said with a big smile - Well guys, we're at the final lap now, and the next weekend will be our last quiet one before Kyle has to go away... - The red haired boy looked down a little but his boyfriend kept his smile and continued - So I thought that we could at least spend the next weekend all together. My house is at our disposal and I'll ask my mother for some extra cash so we can have plenty of snacks and drinks to keep us going all the weekend on -

- That sounds great! - Said Stan - But we could do it on a week day too right? I mean, we have a full week free before June ends -

- Yeah, but I'll be working with my dad from day one of our vacations - Replied Kenny, looking disappointed - My dad's workshop is doing so great that now he has more work than he can handle alone, and he needs my help as soon as I can give it. So he allowed me to spend the weekend with you guys, but on Monday I have to start working with him... -

- Dude, that's really harsh... - Said Kyle - I mean, you're only thirteen, you shouldn't have to be working all summer at this age... -

- Well, that may be true - Said Kenny - But my family has never done so great as we are doing now, and every bit of help I can give goes straight to having a better life afterward. So yeah, it sucks having to spend the summer working, but next year, we will all be able to live more comfortably, and if my parents keep up the hard work, we will never be hungry again... -

The other boys remained silent for a moment. They had never thought so carefully about what all this meant for Kenny, having spent his life on the bottom line had been really hard and now that things were going fairly well for his family, he wanted to give his best to keep that going.

- You're a great guy Kenny - Smiled Eric finally - It must be hard to miss a whole summer working, but you're doing it to help your family and that is a pretty great thing. I want you to know that if you need anything, you just have to ask me for it, even if you need help at the shop, I may not know anything about cars, but you know that I'm a fast learner... -

- Thank you dude - Smiled the blond boy - I really appreciate this, but I think we can handle it for now. But I'll keep that in mind -

- I wish I could say the same - Said Kyle with a sigh - It feels unfair for me to go on a trip with my parents while you have to work all summer... But when I return, I'll also be there for you if you need me -

- That goes for me too - Said Stan - I'll be back sooner so don't hesitate to ask me for anything you need -

- Guys, I'm really grateful for this - Replied Kenny - You're all great friends and I want you to know that even if you're far away, or even if I'm working, you too can count on me for whatever you need -

- Wow... All this feels so great - Said Eric - I mean, we've spent almost all of our lives hanging around each other but just now it's like we're finally here for one another... -

- I get what you mean - Said Stan - We've always reacted to what was happening, but now that everything is a little calmer, we finally see that we're really best friends after all -

- Like I said before... - Chuckled Kenny - The Four Musketeers... -

- You're right about that - Chuckled Kyle - We are finally all for one and one for all... -

The four boys smiled at each other, realizing that the friendship they had built now, would last no matter what could happen in the future.

***Disclaimer: I don't own the South Park characters or any of the brand names mentioned in this story. I don't own any of the songs mentioned on the story or used as chapter titles.

***Chapter title's song is Drink one for me by Jason Aldean