Kyle sighed as he looked at the light brown door of the two bedroom apartment he shared with Clyde, Kenny, and Cartman. They rented it out two days ago to escape their overreacting parents and so far, it's been hell. Cartman and Kenny have been fighting constantly about how to decorate their room, and it's led to more than one fist fight that Kyle had to break up since Clyde would always be out getting something when the fights occurred. That was actually the main reason Kyle wanted to go to Denver with his fiancé, so he could avoid the inevitable fight between Cartman and Kenny.
He looked down at his hands and began to twist around the gold engagement band around his left ring finger that Clyde gave him a month ago. That was part of the reason he had to move out of his house; his mother, Sheila had a conniption when she saw the ring and very nearly just kicked him out. Until they actually rented the apartment out, Kyle was living with Clyde's family, who didn't seem to care all too much.
"Hey, babe," Clyde said as he grabbed Kyle's left hand from the driver's seat of his jet black Grand Am, "you okay?"
Kyle smiled as his fiancé. "Of course I am. What would make you think otherwise?"
"Well, the look on your face was one reason, but I figured that was because we both know that Kenny and Cartman are probably fighting in there. I meant, about seeing Stan. I know you two were really close when we were all in elementary school, and that you were devastated to see him go all those years ago, so it must've been…well, I don't know. For me, it was weird, but you seemed so happy to see him. I haven't seen you like that in so long."
Kyle chuckled humorlessly. "It's just been forever since I've seen him. My only thought was that I was looking at my best friend again…I could've hugged him."
Clyde smiled softly. "I noticed that." He kissed his fiancé on the forehead. "Come on, lets go inside before those two tear everything apart."
Kyle nodded. "Okay." He opened up the passenger's side door and hopped out of the car as he grabbed the box that held the gaudy stained glass lamp and the Lowe's bag next to it that had the box of nails. Clyde popped the trunk and grabbed the piece of plywood out of it before the two locked up the car and made their way into the apartment.
As they thought, Kenny - who still wore his red-orange parka and pants - and Cartman - who was wearing a white t-shirt and baggy blue jeans, his bright red down jacket was hanging on a coat hanger - were screaming at each other. Kenny, though, had a black eye that wasn't there before they left. Kyle sighed and set the lamp on the old gray couch that sat across from a small TV that didn't have cable at that point in time. He sat the nails next to it and walked over to his friends.
"Guys, stop fighting!" He yelled, effectively shutting them up.
"Why should I listen to you, you damn Jew?" Cartman demanded. It was obvious he was pissed off at something Kenny said, and it was looking like he wasn't going to simmer down for some time.
"I told you before," Clyde said defensively - he'd set the piece of plywood next to the now closed door, "if you keep ripping on Kyle, I'm kicking your fat ass out."
"I'm not fat, godammit!"
"If your mother says your fat, then you're fucking fat," Kenny argued.
"Shut the hell up, you fucking whore!"
"Both of you, stop it!" Kyle screamed, once again shutting them up. "I have something to tell you guys that will hopefully keep you quiet for the next few hours while we finish up the bookshelf." Kyle and Clyde were building a small bookshelf for all of Kyle's books, and with the constant interruptions from Kenny and Cartman, something that would normally take a few hours had turned into a two day project.
"What is it?" Kenny asked, completely turning away from Cartman so he couldn't see him.
"You guys remember Stan, right?"
"Of course." He nodded.
Cartman nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"Well, he's been living in Denver ever since he was banished," Kyle said excitedly. "We found him working at the Lowe's, and even had dinner with him."
"Really?" Kenny smiled wide. He had been close friends with Stan and missed him dearly. He was really happy to hear that he was okay and living only about an hour away.
"Yeah. We should all go visit him tomorrow, it's Saturday after all," Kyle said hopefully.
"I like the idea," Kenny agreed with a nod.
Cartman, though, rolled his eyes. "I don't care if that fuckwad is alive, he was banished for being an asshole and not voting. I'm not going to go see him, and if I'm not, you can't either Kenny."
"Fuck you, dude." Kenny glared at his boyfriend. "I've missed Stan, so I'm going to go with Kyle to see him tomorrow."
"Bullshit you are." Cartman took a few heavy steps and slapped Kenny. "How do I know you won't try to fuck him? You're a whore after all."
Kenny ground his teeth and, instead of fighting back, ran out the door and down the street. Kyle told Clyde he was going to get Kenny and ran after him as Clyde began trying to "calm Cartman down."
Kyle knew exactly where Kenny was running to, the high school to meet up with Butters, who would still be there practicing his cello with a few other band geeks. He was there five minutes later, and ran inside of the band hall. He saw Kenny sitting against the wall, listening to Butters - who still wore his light blue jacket and dark green pants - play Apocalyptica's "Beautiful" with Token on the drums.
"Kenny," Kyle muttered as he sat next to his friend.
"Hey Kyle," Kenny muttered back, not taking his eyes off of Butters. Kyle could see the want in the other boy's eyes for the blonde, but knew that unless Kenny actually left Cartman, and therefore give Kyle and Clyde full permission to kick him into the streets, he'd never get to be with Butters. "He's getting better…much better."
"He is," Kyle agreed.
"They were finishing up 'Nothing Else Matters' when I walked in."
"Good song."
"Yeah…"
"Kenny," Kyle began to ask, "why are you still with Cartman? You don't love him, he treats you like you're the worst person to ever walk the Earth, and it's obvious that you want to be with Butters."
Kenny sighed. "I am with Butters."
"What?" Kyle's eyes widened and he took his eyes off of Butters to look at Kenny. "You're dating Butters? But…why are you still with Cartman then?"
"Why do you think we were fighting when you and Clyde got home?" Kenny shook his head as his eyes became forlorn. "I tried to break it off with him, but he refused to let it happen. He got angry and cold cocked me."
"Well, we're home now, so you can try again tonight. I'll tell Clyde what's going on, and he can steal Cartman's key–"
"I know that would be the best thing to do, but," he pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them, "I'm scared. Not for myself, but for Butters."
Kyle nodded, understanding. Cartman had never liked Butters, even though he'd tricked the boy into believing he did more than once, and even went to extreme lengths to keep him away from Kenny. Freshman year, at the beginning of their relationship, Cartman actually paid the goth kids in the high school to rape Butters as a warning to stay away from Kenny. It was then that he began playing the cello, and when Kenny found out a year later, he tried to leave Cartman to protect Butters. That was when all of their relationship issues surfaced and Cartman became abusive.
"We could hire a hitman to kill him," he suggested. Kyle wasn't kidding, he honestly thought Cartman would be a better person dead and buried six-feet in the ground.
"Don't have the money," Kenny sighed, "otherwise I would've done that a long time ago."
"Yeah…"
"Hey Kenny," Butters said happily as he walked up to them with his cello, "hey Kyle."
"Hey Butters," they both said happily, making sure that their tone didn't tell Butters what they'd been talking about.
"What're you doing here?" Butters asked as he put his instrument away. "You never come here on Fridays." He then saw the black eye Kenny had. "Oh. You and Eric got into a fight, huh?"
Kenny gingerly touched the edge of his eye and nodded. "Yeah."
"Was it because you tried to leave him?" Kenny had told Butters he was going to leave Cartman so they could be together without worry two days ago, when the four first began renting out the apartment.
"…Yeah…"
"H-Hey there guys," Tweek said as he walked up with a flute in his hand. His head twitched a bit to the side, sending his spiky blonde hair swaying a bit, as he knelt down and began putting his flute away. His gray jacket was still buttoned wrong, as it was in elementary, and he wore dark blue skinny jeans now.
"Hey Tweek," they greeted.
"W-Was Craig's Mustang outside?"
Kenny thought for a moment and then shook his head. "I didn't see it, but he could've still been in football practice."
"Oh no!" Tweek began to freak out. "What if he forgets I'm here? I'll have to walk home, and then s-someone will–"
"Relax," a boy wearing an open blue jacket and hat over a green football jersey and blue skinny jeans said as he sat on his knees and wrapped an arm around Tweek's shoulders, "I'd never forget you."
"Hey Craig," Kyle said with a small wave.
"Yo," he simply responded. "Hey, where was Clyde today? I know the coach excused him for something, but we were weak without him."
"We had to run up to Denver for a few things."
"Okay." Craig stood up with Tweek and walked out into the parking lot with him.
"I-I'm ready to go whenever you guys are," Butters said as he bumped his fists together.
Kenny and Kyle stood up and walked with Butters outside. Neither of them had thought to grab a car, so they ended up walking the mile and a half to Butters' house in cold. Halfway there, snow started to fall, and it just kept getting heavier and heavier the closer they got to the house.
Butters let them inside and said they could stay until his parents got home, and then they could take them back to their apartment since it was snowing pretty hard.
As Butters and Kenny went into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for the all of them, Kyle looked out of one of the living room windows at the snow. He couldn't help but wonder if Stan could see snow too.