Chapter 17

Stan was the first one to wake up that next morning on Sunday, February 16, 2009, at 8:00 a.m.

"Yawn…" He stretched, extending his wings to the ceiling, Kyle, wake up.

"*snore*… No, Mom, five more minutes, please… So… tired…" Kyle muttered.

Is that how you're going to be, Prince Kyle? Stan smirked, becoming a winged cat in the blink of an eye, Fine. Have it your way.

Stan then roared into Kyle's left wolf ear with all of his might, causing the 16-year-old Jew boy to spring wide-awake.

"Ow…" Kyle rubbed the ear Stan yelled in, "Stan, you could have damaged my hearing."

"Your fault for being such a lazy bum," Stan reverted to humanoid form.

"But it's the weekend, Stan. Normally, I sleep until about 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning."

"Hmph," Stan looked away, "Well, I'll have you know I normally wake up at 7:30. Early bird catches the worm, you know. If you weren't here, I probably would have awakened at said time."

"You brat," Kyle yanked on Stan's cat ears, "Well, since we're awake, we can make breakfast together, if you want."

"Good idea," Stan nodded, "Should I go fly over to a farm somewhere and kill a pig for bacon?"

"No, no," Kyle shook his head, "Don't do that. It's someone else's property. Besides, as beastly as we are, we do not know how to cut bacon from a freshly killed pig."

"I was just joking, Kyle," Stan laughed, "Well, let's go."

The two boys wasted no time in heading for the kitchen, making it there before anyone could say "peanuts".

"All right!" Stan clasped his hands together, "What should we make for breakfast?"

"Lots and lots of bacon stuff, I think," Kyle stated rather bluntly, "I'm in a mood to eat a crapload of meat."

"Idiot!" Stan bit Kyle's ear playfully, "Try to consider what everyone else wants. We're not 'Bakin' Bacon with Macon' here."

"I wish we were…" Kyle nearly staggered backwards, "Eggs, then. But still, we must cook lots of meat."

"Fine," Stan began to put the bacon on the skillet and fry it, "As a proper host, I need to take what my guest wants to eat into consideration."

"Aww, how considerate of you," Kyle surprised his boyfriend with a hug from behind, "You're acting like you're my wife, Stan."

"Now, now, now!! I'm only doing what a proper host would do for his guest! We're not married, and I'm not sure if we'll ever be married!" Stan jumped back, causing the skillet to move and release some grease on him, "Ouch!"

"What happened?" Kyle came back to Stan's side.

"Some of the skillet's oil got on my hand…" Stan rubbed where the oil had hit him, which was in the middle of the brand on his right hand.

"Oh, shame…" Kyle smirked, taking the hand and licking the precise spot of the burn, "I'll make it all better, you'll see. Such a coincidence that it landed on your Branded mark…"

"Kyle! Get off!!" Stan barely managed to budge his hand due to Kyle's tight grip on it, "Mom and Dad are going to wake up any second! Kyle!!"

"Don't worry, they won't," Kyle's reassurance didn't seem to help Stan much, "And what do you mean, 'We'll never be married?' They allow gay marriage in Spain, don't they? We could go there and have ourselves a romantic, Spanish-themed wedding."

"That's true, but…" Stan spoke through all his fluster, simply adoring what Kyle was doing to him, but got a message from Ashera, "Crap! I just heard Ashera's voice!"

"And? You say it like it's a bad thing. What did she say?"

"That Mom and Dad are coming right now!!"

"Okay," Kyle got off Stan, putting his arms in the air, "Sorry about that."

"Hum de dum de dum…" Stan whistled as he flipped the bacon over on the skillet. Kyle put some ground coffee and water in the coffee maker to make coffee.

"Oh, how nice of you two boys to make breakfast for us!" Sharon clasped her hands together as she saw what her son and his best friend were doing, "Kyle, I think it's too much trouble for you. You're a guest, making breakfast. I find something a little wrong with that. I mean, I can see why Stan is doing it, since he needs to move his butt and do some chores, anyway."

"Mom, please…" Stan begged with his ears low, "Not while Kyle's here…"

"It's the least I could do, Mrs. Marsh," Kyle went over to the stove and flipped some over-hard eggs, "It's my thanks for letting Ike and I stay here often."

"Speaking of which, is Ike even here?" Stan spoke to Kyle aloud.

"No," Kyle answered, "He stayed at home." I came over here because I wanted to sleep in your bed, remember, Stan?

Recalling the event, Stan's face grew rosy in color, and he only said, Uh… sure.

"Well, I have to hurry up and eat breakfast," Kyle grabbed some bread, putting an egg, mayonnaise, and 5 bacon strips between the bread slices, "I have a football game in 1 hour."

"1 hour?" Randy nearly choked on his coffee, "Against whom?"

"Nobody too tough," Kyle spoke through mouthfuls of food, "The North Park Pioneers, that's all."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Randy didn't seem like he would calm down any time soon, "They're probably the third best high school football team in all of Colorado."

"Yes, but…" Kyle finally finished breakfast, grabbing his football jersey and shorts from the nearby couch, "They're nothing for me."

"Well, of course," Stan agreed, "You're probably the best on the whole Cows' varsity team. But with your new wings, I'm sure they've said that you can't fly. Even so, you have quite a lot of running power."

"That's true," Kyle shouted from the bathroom, hurriedly coming out of it, all ready to play football, "Well, if you guys want to go, you can. I'm going to fly there. Stan, you coming?"

"Of course!" Stan smiled and nodded, After all, I love seeing my man play football…

Why, thanks for the compliment, Apostle! Kyle returned the grin, "Well, let's go, then."

Yanking on Stan's sleeve, Kyle ran out of the house with him, knowing that time was short. In midflight, Stan said, "Why do you insist on calling me 'Apostle'?"

"Well," Kyle tried to explain, "How could I not? You are the voice of two goddesses, and you have so many powers."

"But… If we're lovers, wouldn't it make sense that you call me by your first name?"

"I suppose that's true. Imagine me calling you 'Apostle' when we're married!"

"You mean if."

"But… But… Waaah!" Kyle gripped Stan with a titanic force, "You don't love me, Stan?"

"I do. Don't get me wrong; I really love you, Kyle. It's just… I don't know if our parents would be willing to spend 1,000 something dollars on us just to go to Spain. Then there would be the marriage costs – decorations, cake, paying the church, etc…"

"Screw that. We can just fly!"

"Kyle…" Stan stopped himself and Kyle in midair, close to South Park High School's football stadium, "I… I just don't know…"

"We'll try to do that," Kyle took his delicate boyfriend in his arms, "You and me… we'll stay together forever, just like we promised last night. You do promise to be by my side forever, right, Stan?"

"Yes…" Stan looked at the wondrous emeralds in Kyle's eyes, "I swear… I swear to always be with you, whether it be physically or spiritually."

"Always…" Kyle closed his eyes, drawing his face close to Stan's. But right when his lover's lips were 1 centimeter away from his, a voice over the football stadium's P.A. shouted, "All players to the football field! I repeat, all players to the football field! The game will begin in approximately 5 minutes!!"

"Dammit!" Kyle growled like a wolf, pulling away from Stan and heading over to the football stadium, "I hate it when things like that interrupt my time with you, Stan. Well, come on."

"I hate it too…" Stan whimpered as he followed Kyle to the nearby football stadium, landing in a front row seat.

"Kyle!" Coach Anita Phart reprimanded Kyle's tardiness, "There you are! We were about to start the game without you, and I was also about to make you run three laps around the football field. A minute later, and I would have done just that."

"Hehehe…" Kyle, with his helmet on, bowed, "I deeply apologize, ma'am."

"Well, you better be," Coach Phart went on, "Well, I didn't get you here to listen to my babying. It's time to play ball!"

Coach Phart flipped the coin in the air, which signified the start of the game. Kyle shouted some football jargon, and a player somewhere behind him kicked the ball, which was really what began the game.

"Wow…" Stan spoke aloud with eyes sparkling at Kyle's every move, including just now, when the wolf prince made a touchdown, Kyle, you're awesome!!

Thanks! Kyle, who had his chicken egg-sized sending stone in his pocket, beamed at the apostle.

Throughout the course of the game, Stan admired how Kyle ran, kicked the football, and such. He spent the whole game looking at him, complimenting the lupine prince with every touchdown. The game ended up being 42-30, which was the closest the South Park Cows have come in a while.

"Kyle, you were fantastic out there!" Stan managed to dodge Kyle's swarming fangirls after Kyle was in his normal clothes again, "There is nobody better at football than you! Honestly, you could make the best football player in the world jealous."

"Hey, hands off!" some of Kyle's fangirls yelled, "Only girls are allowed to talk to Prince Kyle that way!"

Don't mind them, Kyle looked at Stan, On the contrary, you're the only one who can talk to me that way. These bitches don't realize that they're talking to my one and only boyfriend.

Prince Kyle, you praise me way to highly, Stan teased, resisting the urge to poke his lover in the cheek, You're right. These stupid girls have no idea… what we really are. Nor should they ever know.

They're so stupid. God, I want to kill them so they can leave us alone.

"Man, Kyle, you were sooo amazing out there!" a familiar voice in hiding came out.

"Hey, is that-" Kyle pointed his ears in the direction of the voice.

"Wow, sure, Kyle is THE best friend in the world to have!" Cartman, who was the source of the voice, came out of hiding, "He's so good that you'll invite him to your birthday party instead of the great Eric Theodore Cartman!"

"Hey!" some girls growled at the fat kid, "Don't talk to Prince Kyle that way!"

Hmph, Stan pouted, At least they protect you from thugs like that fatass over there.

"I can talk about that damned Jew however I want!" Cartman pushed the girls surrounding him away, causing them to fall to the floor with some scrapes.

"C-Cartman!" Kyle growled, opening his mouth wide to intimidate Cartman with his mighty wolf fangs, "Get out of here! You're hurting people!!"

"Says who?" Cartman cocked his head, as if to annoy the wolf prince.

"Says Apostle Stanley, that's who!" Kyle's wolf blood seemed more dominant that usual.

"Yeah!" Stan was now acting like his boyfriend, letting his cat blood take over, "Get out, or else!!"

"Tell you what," Kyle calmed down a little, closing his mouth, "How about... we fight right now, your magic versus my fangs and claws. If you win, you can go to my house, take all of the food you want, and have the pleasure of 'putting a taint on the Jews' name', just as you've always wanted."

But Kyle!! Stan looked at the wolf prince with worry, You can't… you can't put your family in danger like that!

Fret not, Kyle solaced, If that's what he does, then I'll tear him to shreds either way.

I hope you're right… Stan bit his fingernails, and Kyle was almost sickened by the chaos he sensed in his boyfriend's heart.

"Hmm, interesting!" Cartman scratched his chin out of curiosity, "I accept those as my stakes. But what are yours, Wolf Prince?"

"You leave Stan and I alone..." Kyle started, "...and you will not even think about being annoying again. You are not to hurt anyone else in the way you do. Not intentionally. And while this may seem irrelevant, get bariatric surgery, eat better, and exercise regularly."

By now, there was a whole crowd of both boys and girls. They gasped, thinking that Kyle was losing his mind.

"Gee, you think he's gonna accept?" Butters looked over at Kenny.

"Mff mpmppfpppfmp pmppppppffpp. Mfffmpfmm mmmpppffmppfpppmppfmm mfmmmmppmmpp!" Kenny exclaimed.

"I find those hard to accept," Cartman, who was sitting down for the whole talk, got up, "But with what terms I have, plus the fact that you can't win against my finely tuned magic skills, I won't have to worry!"

"Then it's on!!" Kyle declared as the crowd cheered. "Okay, I guess I can be the judge of the fight," Craig stepped forward to volunteer, "There's only one rule in this game: fight dirty and hard as you want. If either of you die or get injured enough to where you cannot fight, you lose. Deal?"

"Oh, it's a deal, all right!" Kyle smirked, taking no time in transforming into a winged wolf.

"You'd better be prepared," Cartman held his fire tome in front of him, "because the tome I used on Stan was only an Arcfire tome. The one I am holding today... It is the legendary Rexflame tome."

Again, the whole crowd gasped in amazement.

"Dude, Rexflame?" Token, a black boy, sounded like he was about to lose his marbles, "I've heard of that crap, man. It's the king of all fire spells. It's supposed to create a sea of lava to fell its enemies."

"Kyle doesn't stand a chance," Clyde shook his head, "Not a damned chance in hell, man."

"But Prince Kyle is the prince of wolves!" Bebe poked Clyde very painfully, "He'll tear that fat boy to shreds with fang and claw!"

"Yeah!!" the rest of Kyle's fangirls shook their fists at the boys, who for the most part were cheering for Cartman.

Kyle, don't do this… Stan closed his eyes, predicting doom, Ashera and Yune both tell me that the results will hurt you dearly…

Like I said, don't worry, Kyle said, If I can protect you from harm, then that is all I really care about.

"On my count..." Craig announced as Kyle arched his back, ready to pounce on Cartman, "1 for the money... two for the show... three to- Aw, screw it, just go already!!"

Kyle then utilized his sturdy hip muscles, using them to leap at Cartman. The fat boy jumped out of the way, firing a small fireball at Kyle, which the lupine prince took rather well.

"Amazing, Prince Kyle!" Cartman laughed, "Simply amazing! You're even stronger than the apostle!"

"I protect the apostle," Kyle responded, barking at Cartman, "I am also more accustomed to fighting than he is."

"Well, let's just see how the rest of the fight goes!" Cartman snickered evilly, "Remember what I get when I win!"

"You mean if you win, you bastard!!" Kyle roared as he aimed for Cartman's left arm, which held the Rexflame tome. His fangs, which were about the length of an average adult male's middle finger, dug all the way, and Cartman was now bleeding severely.

"Ouch!" Cartman winced at the twinge, "You... You aren't a wolf prince for nothing, you damned Jew!"

"Heh, I know," Kyle managed to smile, even with his 3 1/2 inch fangs in Cartman's arm.

"But you are not getting away that easily, Kyle!!" Cartman shook the winged wolf off with a fireball.

"Damn, that really burnt me..." Kyle put a paw to where the rotund fire mage had aimed the fireball, "You're not half bad as a mage, Cartman!"

"And you're not half bad as a laguz fighter, Kyle!" Cartman reciprocated the compliment, "But this will end now!"

"Oh, hell yeah, it will!" Kyle charged for Cartman again, slashing him across the chest with his claws, which were nearly as long and strong as his fangs.

"Ugh..." Cartman instantly fell to the ground, in a pool of his own blood.

"That attack took a lot out of me..." Kyle fell where he stood, becoming humanoid again.

"Kyle!" Stan managed to catch Kyle right before he landed, "Are you okay? Shall I use Sacrifice on you?"

"No..." Kyle groaned, "I'll be fine. Besides, it will put your well-being in danger if you use Sacrifice now, since I have so many gaping wounds. I'll just go to the emergency room and get healed by normal means there."

"Oh, I'm just glad you're safe," Stan hugged his best friend.

"I guess..." Kyle returned the hug, "...that I am, too. If I'm gone, then who's to protect you, Apostle?"

"Aww, how sweet!" the guys cooed and whistled at seeing this touching reunion scene.

"Gaaaaag!!" Kyle's fangirls wished that they were Stan right now.

"Don't challenge Cartman to a duel anymore, Kyle," Stan helped Kyle get up, "Now, come. I'll fly you to Hell's Pass Hospital."

"That sounds good," Kyle agreed, but wiggled his ears in Cartman's direction, "What's that?"

"It sounds..." Stan did the same with his ears, "...like a burning flame... like a sea of lava... Oh, no! It's Cartman's Rexflame attack! Kyle, no!!!!"

Surely enough, an enormous wave of semi-liquid, 10,000 degrees Celsius lava was heading Kyle's way. Kyle dilated his pupils, unable to move out of the way, until Stan blocked the lava, and it hit him instead.

"No!" Kyle shouted as both Stan and Cartman fell to the ground, extremely close to death, "Apostle Stanley!!"

"My goodness..." Stan barely managed to open his eyes, looking at Kyle above him, "I'm so glad... that you're okay..."

"Don't waste your energy talking to me," Kyle requested, then pointed at Bebe, "Bebe, call 9-1-1. Tell them that we have two 17-year-old males. One has minor lacerations everywhere and the other has a major 3rd-degree burn all over his abdominals."

"I will!" Bebe rushed to the nearest phone, calling 9-1-1 as she was told.

"Is... Are you okay, K-Kyle?" Stan was only half-conscious now.

"Please..." Kyle took Stan's right hand, clutching on to it in desperation, and cried tears like waterfalls, Please, Apostle, hold on for just a while longer... The ambulance is going to be here soon, so they can heal you, and we can be together forever...

No... Stan shook his head, I think... I think I'm... going to join Izanami... soon...

Stan quickly lost consciousness after that. With the sole exceptions of an extremely faint breath and a heartbeat that only Kyle could hear, Stan was dead.

"No!!!!" Kyle howled as his wolf blood wanted him to, You… you promised me… this afternoon… that you would never leave me! We would get married in Spain, have a happy life… Why, why would you lie?!

"Kyle!" Bebe ran to Kyle.

"What is it, Bebe?" Kyle attempted to wipe his tears away, and let go of Stan's frozen, pale hand.

"EMTs are already here! Hey, our victims are over here!" Bebe beckoned for the medical professionals to come over.

"Stan, the EMTs are already here. So, please... wake up... Don't die on me..."