Kenny's POV
"Ugh, look at this." Tweek grimaces as we see the bag displayed on TV.
"Yo, Kyle." I kick at the leg of the redhead on the other side of the couch, "You're the gay one, tell me if that's shit or not."
"Fuck you, man." Kyle snarls, but still give a disgusted glare at the bag on TV, "But that really is trash though. Can't believe they're actually selling that crap."
Kyle and I aren't exactly back on bro-modes after our argument but we silently decided to set it aside to help Tweek. That night was a disaster, it was probably worse than the dinner with the Broflovskis because for a minute, the look in Tweek's eyes looks so happy and innocently blissful, like the hero who finally got his happy ending only for that dipshit to pull the rug under all of us and practically erased all Tweek's progress with the outside world.
"It's the Shopping Network. They'd sell anything for a dime or a blowjob." I remark before I notice a familiar scene from a video I saw a while ago, "I think this is the one. Wait for it…" As just I suspected, the dumbass host slips and smash into the wall, "There it is." I chuckle as we watch the host blunder out of embarrassment.
"What a loser."
"People who work on that network pretty much sold their souls."
"I wish Jake'd be the one on it then." Tweek wishes as he chugs the beer in his hand before scowling, "But then he'd probably have middle-aged women drooling all over him."
"Tweek, just forget about that douchebag." I try for the umpteen time to keep his mind off that night.
"How can I?!" Tweek wails in a slightly drunken slur, "Sue's mad at me and I still don't understand why. She won't even come to Harbucks anymore."
"He's got a point there. Haven't seen her a lot around campus either." Kyle adds oh-so-helpfully in my efforts of comforting Tweek, "I think Stan said she was busy training Jake's replacement. Things must be hectic there."
I groan at my friends, Kyle's pessimism and Tweek's angst are making it very hard for me to be around them now. Sober, at least. "God, I'm getting sober. Gimme."
"Get your own, you lazy ass." Kyle chides as he chugs the remainder of his beer down.
"Fine." "You're done with your summer courses, right? Got any plans?"
"Yeah, Stan told me to clear next week. I'm just trying to remember if there's some anniversary I'm forgetting."
"Only you two could have a relationship gayer than teen romance novels." I chuckle, ignoring the middle finger aimed at me as I walk into the kitchen.
"Hey guys." Stan greets as he drags himself through the door, momentarily stunned at the sight of his boyfriend and his caffeine-loving friend lounging on the couch and making snarky remarks about laces, "What are you guys doing?"
"We were watching the Broncos. They sucked and we got bored so now we're getting drunk off our asses watching the Shopping Channel." Kyle explains, giving Stan a peck on the lips as he wraps his arms around Stan's waist, "How'd your day go?"
Stan gladly pulls Kyle in to return the gesture, "I'll tell you later."
I chuckle as I watch the scene before me, at least one of us is having a better time at love. Stan really helped Kyle progress so far, I never thought I'd see the day Kyle would be comfortable enough to initiate a kiss in front of us.
I slip back into my laidback attitude as I plop down into the couch, next to Stan as I playful prod him for this 'surprise' that he has in mind for our dear redhead, "Stanny-boy, my dear friend Kyle told us you've got something planned for him next week. Aren't you gonna tell your friends this? Do you need us outta the house for the night?" I finish with a mischievous wink.
"Kenny!" Kyle cries out of angry embarrassment. I howl with laughter at Kyle's feeble attempts to hide it.
"Relax, I'm just watching out for ya." I manage to explain myself in between laughs, much to Kyle's dismay.
Throughout our little argument, Stan perks up at the mention of his plans. "Actually since you're all here, I might as well give you your surprise now." He cheerfully heads over to his bag to pull out a book wrapped in pokka dotted wrapping paper and gives it to his boyfriend, "Surprise!"
Amused by Stan's antics, he unwraps it carefully (and not ripping the wrapping paper apart like a normal person) to find a used 3 ring notebook. A slight flipthrough of the pages shows that most of the pages have already been writing on. Kyle looks up at Stan's eager face with confusion, "Err… What is this?"
"Our agenda. We're going on a roadtrip all week." Stan declares proudly but he starts to falter when he notices Kyle's baffled expression.
Kyle stutters, "I-I'm not- But… Why? Why suddenly go on a roadtrip?"
"What? I can't have a nice getaway with my boyfriend?" He tries to play it cool, and failing miserably since Kyle just gives him a look that says 'Really, dude?' He sighs and explains, "Ok look, with your schoolwork and my music, we barely had time to do anything together and we're gonna be even busier when school starts on Fall. So why not go on some adventures for old time's sake?" He pouts at the end, hoping that would convince Kyle to go on this roadtrip that he clearly planned for a while now.
Kyle however remains unimpressed.
"Don't worry dude, I'll protect you." Stan promises him.
Still unimpressed.
Stan sighs as he uses his last resort, "We'll even take some nice pictures to get your mom off your case."
Tweek and I smile throughout the exchange, we know Kyle's just playing hard to get. Despite not having much of a love life, Kyle does know the ins and outs of the playing field.
Kyle smirks at poor Stan, deciding to finally give him what he wants. "Fine, you dork. But don't expect me to pose for them."
Kyle revels in that little power trip as he goes back into his room. Stan on the other hand just pumps his arm up in victory as he joins me and Tweek on the couch. I pick up the notebook Kyle left behind and whistle at the amount of detail and planning in it. I was right, Stan's been thinking about this for a while now. "Wow Stan, this is a pretty big distance you're covering in a week."
"It's not that bad, plus I bought camping stuff so we can spend the night under the stars." Stan smiles at the thought of it. Tweek and I share a glance before we know what we gotta do.
I drop my lax attitude and get serious for a moment, "Ok, Stan. You know we're your best friends but we need to talk."
Stan's eyes flicker between both of our faces and groans in realization, "Oh god, is this another shovel talk?"
With that kind of reaction, I pretty much knew that we weren't the first to give Stan here 'The Talk'. "So Ike got you first huh? Well then, we'll make this quick. You better be serious about looking after him. I don't care if you two were 'super best friends' as kids, Kyle's a lot different from when he was ten. Take care of him, because I'll take every death sentence in history if it means punishing anyone who fucks with my friends."
"Of course. It's basically been my job since we were kids. I'm gonna watch over him and kick the ass of anyone who thinks they can touch him." Stan says determined.
"Even you?" Tweek suddenly asks.
"Me?" Stan looks taken off-guard by it, quiet before a smirk appears on his face, "Nah, I shouldn't be considered one." He leaves it at that as he takes the notebook from my hand and skips upstairs, humming what I assume is his new song.
None of that matters right now though. Did I hear it right? Did Stan just say- "No way…" I mutter as I look over at Tweek, wearing the same scandalized expression. That sneaky bastard.
"Go get 'im, Stan!" I howler at him, him giving me a thumbs up before the door closes. "My baby boys are growing up so fast." I joke as I playfully put my arm around Tweek, who's mood has gone up after hearing Stan's 'declaration' He looks more relaxed now after seeing his friends so happy.
"Please don't tell me this is what I'm gonna deal with for the entire time they're gone." Tweek chuckles lightheartedly. We spend the rest of the night making bets about whether Stan's gonna get into Kyle's pants before the trip is over, who'd be the one to make the first move and whether Stan's gonna make it back from this trip alive.
Kyle's POV
The days pass without much of a notice but that could be because I was busy preparing for Stan's surprise trip. I manage to pack everything we'll need for the trip, I wish he'd let me know sooner that I'd need a new pair of boots and possible weapons in case shit goes down, because somehow it always does. But a week's worth of prep is better than nothing.
Today's a Friday, which Stan takes time to visit his mom but this time he asked me to come with him and I gladly tag along. "Thanks for coming along."
"No problem, you visit every Friday right?" I ask with a smile.
"Yeah, but I'm just surprised you'd want to come along." Even though he says that, I know how much me coming along means to him.
"Dude, it's been ages since I've seen your mom. I wonder if she even remembers me."
"Like she'd ever forget the kid who got her son into all kinds of trouble back home."
"Wasn't it more the other way around?" I remind him. "You dragged me on a wild goose chase just because you didn't want people to know you took a shit in the urinal."
Stan rolls his eyes as he parks the car at his mom's driveway, mumbling about moving on from that. Like I'd ever let him live that down.
Stan rings the doorbell and suddenly I can't stand still, this reminds me of girls bringing their boyfriends to meet the family. That's ridiculous, but I wish I can tell my nerves that. The door opens and I see Stan's mom at the door, slightly older than she was when I last saw her, a few wrinkles on the eyes and a few strands of grey hair, but the smile and her motherly nature never changed. "Hello Stanley… and Kyle!" Her tone brightens when she notices me, "I didn't expect you to come."
"Hey, Mrs. Marsh." I greet her. She just chuckles at my politeness.
"I hadn't heard anyone call me that in so long. I've heard about you and Stan, you can just call me Sharon."
"Mom, please." Stan says, "I'm not even on first name terms with the Broflovskis yet."
"Shelia's a tough case but I'm sure my son'll win them over soon enough." She smiles confidently at us, making me blush at her implications.
"Mom…" He groans, looking just as embarrassed as I am.
"Oh right, Kyle come inside." She steps aside, letting us into the house but holding Stan back for a moment, "Stanley, you promised me you'd weed the garden."
"But Kyle and I are leaving tomorrow!" Stan whines.
"That's tomorrow, you're here today; and by the time you're gone, those dandelions better be too." She instructs him, making him march towards the backyard while pouting like a child who had his toy taken from him.
"M-maybe I should go help him." I offer, but she stops me before I could take another step.
"Nonsense Kyle, you're the guest. Is coffee Ok?" She asks as we sit down in the living room.
"Uh… Uh-huh." I nod nervously. Why am I nervous? I've been around the Marshes since I was fucking 4-years-old.
Sharon smiles as she enters the kitchen to prepare the coffees, "You know, Stan's never one for keeping relationships. Even with Wendy, he doesn't bring her home much. But I can tell how much he likes you."
"You're just as lively as I remember you." I say, taking the cups from her and putting them onto the coffee table. "Ma was a little disappointed when you couldn't come to dinner that night."
"I was busy with Shelly then, I'll call Shelia later."
"Speaking of which, where is Shelly?"
20 minutes and half a cup of coffee later, Stan enters the living room, already drenched in sweat from the summer heat and with dirt covering his fingernails. "Done already? Or are you just slacking off?" She questions her son with a raised eyebrow.
"Recharge." He smirks as he quickly lifts my chin up and steals a quick kiss. "Be right back." He winks and heads outside before my mind could even think about what just happened.
Sharon's light laughter brings me out of my frozen state, "Such a sweet boy."
"He's a dork." I roll my eyes, but I know the small smile on my face is betraying me now.
"Maybe, but he's earnest. Kyle, after what he told me that Wendy had been cheating on him with Eric, I didn't know if he'd be able to love someone again so soon. But I can see you've fixed that problem."
"Stan's strong. He's not gonna let that cheating whore get him down." I huff before I realize that I was ranting about Stan's ex-girlfriend in front of his mom. "Sorry."
"It's fine, I've given up trying to tone down Stanley's swearing since he was eleven. You two are adults now." Her tone suddenly shifts into something more sincere, "I am glad that he's been living with you boys, he's been looking livelier than I've seen in years and I owe a lot of that to you, Kyle."
"I can't be that important. Stan created a name for himself with his own talents, he's fighting against his alcoholic tendencies. I'm more the cheerleader on the sidelines." I tell her.
Stan was always a wild card, I might be book smart and Kenny knows his way around people but he has more potential than any of us, more options, and more possibilities. He was the one of us who wasn't bounded by any expectations, but that also means that he was the easily to break out of all of us.
"You'd be surprised how much help that can be."
"I guess so." I nod in contemplation.
After we put our cups into the sink, Stan drags himself into the house, now looking like he just ran all the way to South Park and back, "Done, Mom." He informs her before collapsing dramatically over the couch, "So what've you two been talking about?"
"Oh, just doing my job of humiliating my son in front of his boyfriend like any good parent should." She chuckles, "Which reminds me, Kyle did he ever show you the first song he uploaded?"
His first song? "I think it was a cover of some pop song." I recall, not noticing that Stan's face has gone pale.
"Nope, his first song was the song he first wrote for you."
"The hybrid song?" I exclaim, much to Stan's embarrassment.
"MOM!" He cries indignantly.
To anyone else who heard that would probably find that endearing, even romantic. While I do think that, I just can't stop thinking of it as perfect blackmail material and I can't wait to see Kenny and Tweek's faces when I tell them this little story. "You tried to sing a song you write when you were nine? That's adorable." I mockingly pinch his cheek.
"No it was awful." He groans, his hand covering his face in shame, "God the lyrics were horrible, I'm just glad no one outside of South Park heard that shit."
Sharon and I laugh at his reaction, much to his disapproval. I finally get it out of my system and wrap my arms around his waist, "Man, if little Stan can see you now…"
"If he could, he'd probably freak the fuck out about his future-self cuddling with his best friend."
"Boyfriend." I correct him.
"Right, boyfriend."
"You two are too sweet." She coos. Suddenly her phone alarm goes off, she turns it off quickly and explains to us. "That's to remind me when to pick up Shelly, I have to go now."
That's our cue to leave, Stan and I pick up our stuff and head out the front door. Before we leave, she gives both of us a hug, "It's so nice to see you again, Kyle."
"By the way, Mom. Remember that we'll be gone for the entire week. I'll call you when we stop for the night." Stan reminds her. She nods and asks us to stay safe before we get into Stan's car and start heading home.
"Well, I guess that ticks 'meeting the parents' off the list." Stan muses
"Stan, that's been off the list since we were toddlers." I try to make it sound as deadpan as possible but it still comes off as amusement.
"Still, nice to make it official you know." He shrugs before looking all excited again, "So you ready for tomorrow?"
"You're really hyping this up, I'll let you know I'm not that easily impressed anymore."
"Well, Kyle Broflovski. I accept your challenge."
Shelly's POV
"You're doing a good job, Shelly." Francine says, sitting cross-legged beside me. We've been sitting on the floor of her living room for about 10 minutes now.
I've been visiting Francine again to try and 'fix' myself, or at least to how Mom wants me to be. I have no idea what I want anymore. Francine has promised that she'll help me reconnect with the outside world and with my family as long as I'm willing to keep trying.
This time, she thinks mediation would help.
I sigh as I give up trying this 'inner peace' bullshit, "Why am I doing this again?"
"I've noticed that you let your temper and your aggression get the better of you. As someone who helps manage the thoughts of others, you've gotta keep a level head. This will help you too." She reminds me, still in her Zen mode.
Suddenly a girl comes into the living room, breaking the silence by calling out to Francine before noticing me. "Aunt Francine, I'm- Oh. Who is she?"
"She's one of my clients, Shelly." Francine introduces us, "Shelly, this is my niece Charlotte."
"Hello." She nods courteously.
"Hi."
"Charlie dear, do you need anything?" Francine asks, reminding her niece why she interrupted us.
"Oh, yeah. The hospital called, your phone's upstairs."
"OK, I'll be right back, Shelly." She gets up to enter her office, leaving me with her niece.
"So… you're her niece. Sorry I don't know much about you, she didn't talk much about her family."
"I'm a more recently inclusion, she and Uncle Dexter have been my guardians for a while now." She explains with a more somber tone.
So this is the kid, I've heard that she rescued her nephew-turned-niece from her psycho family and became her new guardian, Francine never really told me her story and I never cared enough to ask.
"She mentioned a little about you." She says.
"Really?" I exclaim, a little surprised that Francine mentioned me.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about what you had to go through with your brother. It's not easy going on without family beside you." She says sincerely.
I'm shocked that this girl who doesn't really know me is suddenly empathizing with me, but then again if anyone knows what it's like, it'd be her.
"I've been trying with my mom, my brother's a different case. Francine thinks that she can fix what's been broken for over 18 years." I fake a huff of disbelief, I know I believe her but my pride can't stomach that.
"Don't doubt her, she's no magician but she's determined." She giggles at my statement before looking up with pride in her eyes, "She's been helping me through a rough time too."
"I kinda noticed, when I first saw you, you had that blank mindless look I had for a while. So what's your deal?"
"Typical teenage drama: break ups and identity crisis." She shrugs nonchalantly but I can see the storm in her head. Was this what I was like when I was holed up in my room?
"Trust me, kid. Those things don't change with age." I scoff at the memories, all the boys I made a big deal about. It seems so trivial now. "I've had a few boyfriends too. You'll survive."
"I guess." That's what she says but the frustration in her tone says otherwise, "I just wish I could be better, I don't want to let him go."
"Then don't. Keep fighting, you won't let go of something if you really need it. I'm starting to learn that."
She ponders for a while before giving me a small smile, "Thanks, Shelly. I hope things turn better for you and your brother too."
I smile in response, it's nice to talk to someone like that. Just a simple conversation with a stranger, not having to worry about impressions or more questions.
Francine soon comes down after a moment. "Sorry about that, Shelly. Your mom should be here soon." Francine then turns to her niece, "Charlie, I'm going to the store. Need me to get you some lunch for tomorrow?"
"Actually, I'll be staying at school a little late tomorrow." She says, surprising her aunt.
"Really?" Francine's eyes widen in relief, it reminds me of my Mom when I was washing dishes with her that night.
"Yeah…" She nods more confidently, "The drama team really misses me and I'm honestly bored of being depressed."
"I'm glad to hear that. Remember that you should never be scared to feel weak, it's just a phase." Francine smiles at her niece, happy that she has her motivation back.
"She's a tough kid." I comment, watching Charlotte go back to her room.
"You're not the first one to say that. It killed me to see her like that, even as a psychiatrist we can only do so much. At the end of it all, it's up to them to pick themselves up."
"Yeah." I don't know why, but that determination that girl has is pretty contagious. I feel myself wanting to try again. "Can we try that mediating thing again?"
Francine seems surprised but pleased at my motivation, but she shakes her head, "I think that's enough for today, but I do have some lemon candles I can give you. You should try it by yourself. You'd find out a lot about yourself if you'd stop and listen."
I nod as I receive the small box of unopened scented candles. Mom soon appears outside the gate, I thank Francine before entering Mom's car. "Hey, Mom."
"Hey Shelly, how was your session?" She asks.
"… It was fine."
"Glad to hear it." She smiles as she starts driving back home.
I've been noticing Mom talking to me a lot more, she's been giving me more attention too. I always thought she was just watching me to make sure I don't go and attack that turd but for the first time, I think she's trying to compensate for neglecting me all those years. I don't know what to think about that, but I do know that Mom cares about me enough to try.
I can see that now.
A/N: Next chapter is Stan and Kyle's romantic getaway. Kenny is definitely excited with what Stan has in mind XD
I'm so sorry for disappearing for so long. A bunch of personal issues and a huge case of writer's block are to blame, I'll try to keep them posted regularly if I can but don't worry if I go off again. I made a promise to you loves that I'd finish this and I will honor that. c:
So in case people are curious, no. Shelly and Charlie have no idea who the other really is. Shelly wouldn't care enough about gossip and the news in her current state, Francine and Stan would have no reason to tell Charlie about Shelly since Stan doesn't like sharing that part of his life and Francine is her doctor so she shouldn't be disclose too much personal information either.
Also, I will be working on something on the side too so don't be surprised if updates are slower. I have another promise I need to keep for a dear friend's birthday cx
Anyways, as always feel free to check out the drama this story is based on, "It's Okay That's Love" by SBS. Please let me know what you think, reviews and comments make my day.
Take care, Loves.