The night was quiet and there was a cool breeze. Kenny allowed Stan to lead them to the restaurant, holding hands. He tried to put thoughts of Cartman, Wendy, Kyle, and Bast out of his mind. He had to trust that things would be okay. He could monitor the situation through his link with Cartman, but was hoping that wouldn't be necessary. If he was acting any stranger than normal, Stan didn't make any comments about it. Stan simply squeezed his hand a few times, trying to offer reassurance, encouraging Kenny to keep going. Stan was clueless as to why Kenny suddenly decided he wanted to eat out at a restaurant but he was not going to let the opportunity go to waste.
They finally came to a stop in front of a light blue building, obviously a fairly recently opened restaurant with the new coat of paint, no peeling at all. A bright, colorful mural with the words, Peace and Plants, was painted amongst the light blue. Hundreds of vibrant green plants hung from the ceiling in varying heights, macrame keeping them from falling to the floor. Each pot was a colorful mini mural, sunflowers, peace signs, sunglasses, rainbows, marijuana leaves, and the Volkswagen vans painted on all the pots in psychedelic colors and patterns. Stan supposed Cartman wasn't wrong to always throw the word "hippie" at him, but Stan could not help but be drawn to places like this and feel able to relate to them, at least the want for peace, harmony, and general kindness in the world even if he was aware he might be being too idealistic. When he did forget he was being too idealistic, usually Kyle or Cartman would be quick to bring him down to Earth. It was still fun to enjoy restaurants like this.
The fact that Kenny asked to even go to a restaurant was nothing short of amazing in Stan's mind. Granted, Kenny was usually agreeable with him and had been okay when going out on a couple of other dates. Still, usually going out on a date was Stan's idea so this was exciting. He glanced back at Kenny. Kenny was glancing up at all the plants hanging from the ceiling, an unreadable expression on his face. Stan grinned, hoping Kenny was at least fascinated by it all and not horrified. It wasn't like he was Cartman. He would definitely be disgusted by all this. Stan led Kenny to their table. There was no chair to pull out as the tables were little white tables that had the stools attached to them, firmly in place.
"Here's our table," Stan announced to Kenny, glancing down at the paper in his hand to make sure they were at the right one. It was table "No 8" and that was the number on the paper that the hostess had handed him when they first arrived. The restaurant was busy so they had waited about fifteen minutes in relatively companionable silence, Stan excitedly reading some snippets of Google reviews about the restaurant to Kenny. He and Kenny both sat down and Stan watched as Kenny glanced up at the ceiling again, taking in all the plants that covered the ceiling. There was hardly any ceiling visible with so many plants hanging from it. Stan grinned. "Isn't it great? There are a lot of herbs in those pots that they use in our food," Stan explained, glancing at the menu in his hand and some of the informational blurbs about the restaurant. "Other plants are there for air purifying, supposed to be good for you or something like that," he said with a shrug, becoming absorbed in the menu items. He wanted to make sure Kenny enjoyed the meal here, too, and had a decent idea of what flavor combinations Kenny preferred so wanted to see if there was something he could suggest.
Kenny quietly perused his menu, not saying anything in response. Both he and Stan knew he would struggle reading a menu like this, but Stan did not comment on it, choosing to throw out suggestions. Gratefully Kenny listened to each suggestion Stan made. He patiently explained in full detail what each menu item was that he thought Kenny might enjoy.
Stan looked over his menu to steal a look at Kenny, who appeared to be deeply absorbed in whatever Stan was saying, which was just explaining what ingredients were in different meals listed on the menu since he doubted Kenny could read the menu in full. Not that Kyle wasn't working on that with him, but it did take time when someone had missed a few years of school to catch them up to everyone else's level. Maybe it might have been academically wiser to put Kenny a few grades behind, but socially it likely would have been devastating so he was sure that whoever had decided to stick him in with his old classmates had just been hoping and praying they had made the right decision. "I think you'd really like the lentil meatballs with coconut curry sauce," Stan told him. The meatballs were a veganized version like everything else in the restaurant. Stan had long caught on that Kenny liked spiced dishes more than the bland ones. The ingredients included fennel seed, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt, pepper, and fenugreek leaves. That was just the spices. Stan's mouth started to water. Maybe he wanted this, too. He may have to abandon his plan on ordering different items so they could try each other's meals.
"You think I'll like that one?" Kenny asked, staring at the menu, trying to determine exactly which item Stan had been reading about. He could spot some words here and there and could read enough to figure out the gist of what was being said, but if asked to read it out loud, it would not go well.
"Yes," Stan nodded. "I think you will. You like those types of spices and you usually enjoy all the lentil foods I make."
Kenny smiled softly. "Because you're the one who made them." A thrill of glee shot through him at seeing Stan's face start to turn a light shade of red.
Stan tried to hide his embarrassment. "If you liked my food, then you should love this food," Stan pointed out, his face still red, a smile in his eyes at the compliment.
"Doubt I'm going to like it more than your food," Kenny countered in a teasing tone.
Stan shook his head, his face turning a darker shade of red. Thankfully, he was saved by the server who stopped at their table, pen poised in hand, ready to take their order. Stan gave the server their order after confirming with Kenny that he did indeed want the lentil meatballs. Stan decided to go for the beet poke so they could try each other's food and he could get an idea if he wanted to try to recreate the recipe.
Being a vegan was so exhausting sometimes, he was constantly trying to be aware of new food ideas so he didn't fall into the rice and beans trap that some less experienced vegans fell into due to lack of experience or when they were lacking resources. Rice and beans were cheap and easily accessible, after all. The server came back after a minute with two white pots that looked similar to the colorful pots that were hanging from the ceiling.
Kenny shot a questioning look at Stan when the server put them on the table with some flourish and explained that if they could return them by next Friday, the restaurant would be rotating plants and they would hang theirs then. Stan grinned at Kenny. "I ordered the pots, too,- on the restaurant's app," he explained with a slight shake of his phone. "We paint them," he pointed to the plants hanging from the ceiling, "to look like that. You know, 'hippie.' Though, I guess 'bohemian' is what everyone says now. Then we bring it back, they'll hang ours with everyone else's."
"That's neat," Kenny said, glancing back up at the ceiling at all the pots. All those must have been painted by other customers.
Stan nodded. "Yeah, it's a really cool idea. The profits from the pot painting goes to the children's hospital in Denver. And I thought it would be fun for us to do."
Hopefully without Cartman, he thought but didn't say out loud. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, he asked, "Is everything okay? You seemed a little…. stressed out on the phone earlier." Admittedly, it was the reason Stan had decided to swing by after talking to his mom. After talking with Kenny, he was worried that Kenny had seemed more uptight than usual and asked such odd questions. At least, Stan thought they were odd for Kenny. In his experience, Kenny was generally more concerned about his late siblings than who Stan had been dating in the past. His blatant envy of Wendy had left Stan a little uncomfortable, but Stan was no angel here- he had been worked up over Cartman not that long ago
Confusion flitted through Kenny's eyes for a moment, not understanding at first. It took him a minute but he realized Stan must have found all his questions earlier strange. Was it strange to ask about the past like that? Kenny hadn't thought so, but maybe it was strange. He supposed it had come out of the blue to Stan. "Oh. Eric and I had a fight," he offered, hoping he could steer the conversation away from Wendy or any of Stan's past flames. He did not want to expose Stan to his jealousy any more than he already had.
Stan cocked his head, finding this to be curious. He racked his brain, trying to recall an instance of Kenny and Cartman fighting in front of him recently and came up empty. He had been to their house a ton and was often around the two at the same time, but it seemed mostly he and Cartman that fought. He sensed something was off but could not put his finger on it. "You two never fight," he pointed out.
Kenny raised his brows at this. "Eric and I fight all the time, Stan."
"What?! You two have never fought while I was there."
Kenny was quiet for a moment. "Because you were there."
A stab of jealousy went through Stan. Not that he particularly wanted to witness Kenny and Cartman argue, but just that Kenny felt comfortable enough to fight with Cartman and readily admit to fighting with him often left Stan on edge, his own jealousy creeping up again and there was an urge to get a drink after dinner. Stan started to say something else but was cut off by the server reappearing with their food.
Stan smiled at the food, sparing a quick look at Kenny to make sure he was in the right frame of mind to eat. The last thing he wanted was for his boyfriend to break down in the restaurant screaming about his brother and sister and how he was undeserving of food. Kenny's presence had already caught a couple of stares and if he noticed, he pretended otherwise. Stan noticed and it had him on edge. He liked to assume any one that was eating here would be slower to judge, but it was a new restaurant so a lot of Google guides and people in general were stopping in to check it out and get a feel of what it was all about.
Kenny ate slow deliberate bites if only to please Stan. He didn't have an appetite, especially knowing what was going on back at his house. Kenny started a little, surprised at his thoughts. It was his house now, too. He usually thought of it as Eric's house, but there was no denying it was now his home.
Thoughts about the house inevitably led to Kyle and Wendy. He wanted to enjoy the meal and pretend that none of the last couple of hours had even happened. If there was some way to erase it, he knew he would jump at the opportunity. Unfortunate because he believed he knew a way to do just that. At least some of it. If he planned things right, he could erase the memories from Wendy, and wouldn't that be doing her a favor? What kind of lunatics went looking for trouble the way Wendy and Kyle had?
Kenny always thought Cartman was a loose cannon but at least he didn't have a death wish. It was nothing short of amazing that Wendy and Kyle were not in worse shape, though he supposed that was due to Cartman realizing what they were doing. Annoyance flickered through him at the thought of Cartman. They had gone to Kyle's house together that night to speak to Kyle about what he had been experiencing. When had Kyle started digging this deep into things and with Wendy? And why and how had Cartman kept it a secret?
Stan chewed his food thoughtfully, trying to keep his expression as blank as possible. Kenny was acting strange, randomly stabbing at the lentil meatballs, seemingly deep in thought. Even if the bites were small, Kenny was eating, but the process was unnecessarily forceful with the meatballs. Stan thought maybe he was just trying to prove a point to whatever ghosts were haunting him at the moment. It wasn't as if this was the first time Kenny was acting strange since returning into his life.
Stan took the opportunity to check around them and see if he recognized anyone else at the restaurant. The place was bustling and they were there at dinner time so servers rushed around, dealing with the seven o'clock dinner rush, trying to turn as many tables as possible to get tips while maintaining a positive attitude and trying to make the experience enjoyable for the customers. He spotted Token and Clyde at another table, along with Bebe.
That was odd, but Stan didn't think much of it. The three were in deep conversation and seemed concerned about something. Token must have felt Stan's eyes on him because he turned and raised a hand in greeting. Stan nodded to acknowledge him, hands busy with his utensils.
Kenny forced another small bite of the lentil meatballs in his mouth, relieved he could use the food in his mouth as an excuse to not have to participate in conversation as he mulled over his options. It was an easy solution for Wendy. Kyle was more…problematic. Kenny had thought he knew too much before the encounter with Nug. At this rate, he might surpass Cartman, of all people, in the knowledge of what all was going on. He hated this, this feeling of being so exposed, knowing full well Bast was attempting to do just that with Wendy and Kyle.
Kenny could sense Cartman was still shaken up from the encounter with Nug, then having to deal with Wendy and Kyle in such bad states, and now he was on edge about whatever Bast had up her sleeve. Kenny was shaken up but for different reasons. He was shaken up that Wendy and Kyle even knew who Nug was and where to find him. Bast could show them what she wanted but she was still limited. She could only show so much and not everything.
It was still annoying and would worsen his relationship with Kyle, but that was likely doomed once Kyle started remembering his deaths. For good reason, Kenny thought helplessly. He didn't respond like Cartman, Kyle was having too many issues with all of it. Kenny pushed down memories of another time he suspected this had occurred, choosing to focus on the present. It was odd that Bast was willing to introduce Kyle to further trauma and she surely had to know Kenny wouldn't be able to do anything about it like he could with Wendy or anyone else that didn't remember his deaths. He narrowed his eyes at one of the meatballs before stabbing at it, trying to decide what to do.
Bast was correct that he and Cartman were usually more careful. He had encountered her a long time ago as a kid when exploring the afterlife, inside R'lyeh- the corpse city. He was a corpse quite often, after all, and it was the city that imprisoned Cthulhu. She had taught him how to summon her if he ever needed her. Later Kenny had taught it to Cartman, but Cartman had human limitations that were not placed on Kenny. Cartman could only summon her so many times and he was down to one. If he had known earlier about Wendy and Kyle, he could have tried to time things better. Bast would do what she thought she needed to do and then vanish back into R'lyeh. She could at least stick around to deal with Kyle, he thought with annoyance. Cartman and Stan were finally getting what they wanted: Kenny wasn't obsessing about his late siblings for once.
"So the fight you had with Cartman must have been pretty bad?" Stan's voice cut through Kenny's musings. Stan's plate was empty and he worried that Kenny was about to stab a meatball so hard that it would go flying out of his bowl. These fights between Cartman and Kenny must be intense. "Jesus, I thought me and Kyle had some bad fights."
Kenny lowered his fork slightly, brows drawn slightly as he tried to decide how to respond, "Yes. It was pretty bad," he admitted. "They aren't usually like this," he added, feeling relieved he could be somewhat honest.
Stan nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I was so angry at Shelley earlier, I still can't believe she did that. What did Cartman do?"
Kenny pursed his lips. "Eric is just being…. Eric. You know." He offered with a smile. Stan nodded and a bright smile spread across his face. All the worries Kenny had just been mulling over melted away, a sense of peace and belonging filling him at the sincerity in Stan's eyes.
"Yeah, he can be a bit much," Stan readily agreed with a laugh. Kenny loved that sound. Stan looked at Kenny's bowl of lentil meatballs, noting that most had been eaten. "Seems like you're liking the food? I thought you'd like those."
Kenny beamed at Stan and his smile grew, he nodded, eating another meatball, determined to finish it all without thinking about anything else except Stan. "Yeah, it's great," he assured Stan, more than happy to see how pleased Stan looked with himself at the comment. I'm in too deep, he thought. When Stan looked at him like that, he swore he would do anything the other wanted. This balance of power was unfair. Stan had much more power than he realized.
A familiar voice interrupted their thoughts, "Hey." Token stood at their table, having decided to stop by before leaving. Stan returned the greeting and Kenny offered up a small smile in greeting. Token was troubled and it showed on his face. "Uh, have either of you heard from Wendy?"
Kenny mechanically bit his meatball off his fork and gave a slight shake of his head. Stan looked up at Token, concerned. "No. Why? Is everything okay?"
Token shifted his weight from one foot to the other, uneasy. "I don't know," he said honestly. "No one has heard from her after school and it's been a few hours now. It's just not like her. Her parents got in touch asking for her. Bebe hasn't heard from her, either and can't get in touch. It's not like Wendy not to respond to anyone, especially her parents."
"You're right, she's usually really good at getting back to people," Stan agreed, sounding concerned now, too. "I haven't heard from her."
Token sighed. "I didn't think you would have, but still thought I'd ask. Last I heard, she was studying with Kyle."
"Have you tried him? You know those two are nerds, they could be studying and just lost track of time." Token gave him an odd look and Stan suddenly felt out of the loop.
"Yeah, we did. And….no one has heard from Kyle since school and can't get in touch with him, either. I know he doesn't always charge his phone, but it's weird. I went to his house earlier with Craig after Wendy's parents called me- freaking out- to see if maybe she had accidentally muted her phone or something." Token shook his head. "Her parents are going to go to the police soon if we can't find her. Kyle's parents were upset, too, but they know his phone isn't reliable. Still, they were supposed to be studying together and no one can get in touch with them."
Stan's mouth fell open. "What? How long have you all been trying to get in touch with Kyle? And why did no one call me about it? First I've heard of it."
Token shrugged. "Clyde said he went to your house but ran into your dad and he just said you and Shelley were grounded and couldn't speak to anybody. I was surprised to see you here."
"Uh, I'm not grounded! My parents found out I've been dating Kenny thanks to Shelley being a blabbermouth so I'm not, like, allowed to spend the night anywhere ever again, but my parents didn't ground me. Why didn't you text or call?"
"I did," Token said, confusion clear in his voice. "I tried a while ago but figured you were busy. It's not like I thought it was going to turn into this. I honestly thought Wendy's parents were being dramatic at first, but I'm really worried now."
Stan was quick to pull his phone out and scroll through the missed calls. Sure enough, he saw Token's name. It was around the same time he had been on the phone with Kenny. "Oh, you did. This stupid phone. I was talking to Kenny and sometimes it doesn't send me the notifications when I'm speaking to someone on it. It's so weird."
"Don't worry about it, man. I tried Cartman, too," Token said, this time speaking to Kenny. "Is he okay?" Both Stan and Token looked at Kenny expectantly. Kenny fought down the panic he was starting to feel rising within.
He nodded. "Yeah. Eric is at the house."
"Wendy and Kyle didn't stop by there, did they? Wendy said Cartman was sometimes joining them even if he was being a bit annoying about it." Token explained and Kenny had the urge to yell at Cartman again. Did everybody know about these study sessions except him?
"No," he said with a slight shake of the head. "I haven't seen them since school." Lying was too easy and he should be more concerned about this. He couldn't tell them the truth even if he wanted to, though, they would simply forget.
Token slammed his hands on the table and squatted down, whispering conspiratorially to them. "Guys, I am freaking out. My girlfriend is missing. This is not going to go well for me. The police are going to come to my house and who knows what they'll do."
"It's not like you did anything. You're trying to find her," Stan pointed out.
"Yeah, but Stan you know they always suspect the boyfriend, girlfriend, or whoever the significant other is at first. None of this is in my favor."
"But I thought her parents loved you." It was true. Wendy and Token might not have been taking their relationship that seriously but their parents sure were and both sets of parents were thrilled about who their child had been dating. Stan could remember feeling so bitter at Wendy's parents when she had first started dating Token. They had never warmed up to him the way they had to Token.
"Yeah, they do," Token kept his voice low, "Until the police start putting ideas in their head that I'm not trustworthy or something."
Kenny cleared his throat and both looked at him. "Wouldn't the police just think Wendy and Kyle ran off together?"
Token grinned at him. "Thank you, Kenny. Exactly. That's what any normal person would assume. But this is the police, Kenny. They need to figure out who did this and no one is going to think Wendy and Kyle ran off together without telling anyone." He sighed. "Even if they did run off together, it's not like either of them to not tell anyone." He ran a hand over his face. "I hope they are okay."
"Who did what? What is 'this'?" Stan asked, not liking a single thing he had just heard out of Token's mouth. He was implying there was someone that had done something to Wendy. That would mean Wendy was actually hurt and Kyle was the last known person to be with her. He did not like where this was heading at all.
Token stood back up with another shake of his head, his eyes betraying disbelief in the situation he found himself in. "Look guys, I'll text you tomorrow with any updates. Wendy's parents are planning to start searching the woods tomorrow if no one hears from her soon. They're trying to see if they can get an Amber alert on her."
"Wow." All other words failed Stan and nothing he could say was adequate. "Yeah, text me. Definitely, we'll help out. Though I hope we won't need to do that."
"Me and you both." Token waved to them and left their table and the restaurant.
Stan shook his head, still in disbelief even as he paid for their food and left a tip for the server. Kenny was anxious that Stan paid, insisting he could contribute as well. Stan shook his head, saying he would pay. He grabbed his phone and shot off a quick text to Kyle, hoping against hope that Kyle would respond but he was not surprised when he didn't get a response.
Kenny bit his bottom lip, knowing how worked up Token's conversation had gotten Stan. He wanted to assure Stan that Wendy and Kyle were both safe and at his house. They were not fine as they had been exposed to Nug and experienced petrification and it could take a while to heal from that. There was no way to explain any of this to Stan. Even if he wanted to, Stan would think he was crazy and then likely forget everything later, anyway.
It was a miracle that Kyle had somehow roped Wendy into all this. Why Wendy had been willing to explore the woods looking for an actual monster was a mystery. This was no good, though, Wendy or Kyle wouldn't be able to heal completely for at least a few days. That was just addressing the physical aspect of it, who knew how long it would take their minds to heal. People that had survived petrification usually had side effects for years, unable to completely expunge the terror they had felt out of their minds. Kenny remembered a corpse in R'lyeh that had wound up there from a petrification spell and the effects had followed them even into the afterlife.
"Kyle didn't answer," Stan mournfully informed him. "I figured I would try him just to see," he said with a sigh. "I can't believe I didn't even know he was missing. It's not really odd that he doesn't text back right away, but it is really odd for Wendy." His gaze stayed on his phone as if willing either one of them to text him that was all was alright.
"Maybe one of them will text back later," Kenny said. "I'm sure they're okay." They would be, they had to be. At least he was sure Wendy would be. He had doubts about Kyle, but couldn't focus on that right now and certainly couldn't express any of that to Stan.
"I hope so." Stan shook his head. "I just can't believe this." He looked at Kenny earnestly. "You don't mind helping us tomorrow if we have to search the woods, right? I can pick you up. I'm sure my whole family will go to help."
Kenny nodded. "Of course I'll go. Aren't you and Shelley mad at each other?"
"Yeah, but this is serious. We'll get over ourselves." His confidence that he and his sister would come together over this was amazing and nearly took Kenny's breath away. Stan could care less about all his other problems. Kyle and Wendy could be in danger and that was his priority.
The restaurant was not too far from Kenny and Cartman's house. Stan wished he could hurry up and get a car. He had his driver's permit and was certain he would pass the driving test if his parents would let him just go and take the test. Even then, he would still need a car. He and Kenny walked in companionable silence for a few minutes, each lost in their thoughts. Stan simply was not able to process that Wendy and Kyle were missing. This surely had to be a mistake. Surely any second now, his phone would vibrate with a notification from one of them about how they had accidentally left their phone lying around somewhere and apologize for causing concern.
Kenny sighed inwardly, already dreading the next day. It was apparent to him that they would be searching the woods tomorrow. This was getting out of hand. Even if he opted to not do anything and see how things played out, how would Wendy and Kyle explain their absence? There was an option he was weighing in his mind. He and Cartman could always just drop the two off at a hospital and say they found them drugged up. Still, he was sure the hospital likely had cameras out and he didn't want to be the center of another investigation. He hated that the date had been interrupted with such bad news.
Kenny reflected on the evening, fearful that he was on his way to losing Stan at this rate. He would make this right; he refused to let this end in a disaster like it had with his family, he would not be haunted by Stan's spirit the way he was haunted by his brother and sister. Having a goal was healthier for his mind as all the worries about his brother and sister ebbed away only to be replaced by concern for Stan.
Stan had been willing to run after him that first day at the school when Kenny had planned to just leave. He partly wished Stan had let him go, but he was happy that someone cared so much. Stan truly did like to save things, he had not forgotten this. Even as kids it had been Stan who had wanted to save whales and veal and other things that Kenny could not keep track of. It was admirable how Stan kept trying despite having failed in all those previous endeavors. That was the true tragedy, Kenny couldn't help but think. Stan was doomed to fail in this endeavor, too.
The problem went beyond Kenny's belief that he didn't deserve to be saved, but he also didn't want to be. Stan had been the one to follow him that first day back at school. Stan had found him after school and hugged him and held him for hours. Without knowing a single thing about what had happened that day with Kenny's family. Even now, he asked no questions, trusting Kenny completely. Stan was just that kind of person, unconcerned about how a person came to be in pain and only concerned with how to ease it.
They were in front of the house and Stan stopped at the door, Kenny trailing a little behind him, lost in his thoughts as usual. "I'm glad we were able to do this," he said with a grin, hoping to pull Kenny's mind back to the present. "It was a great idea." A shiver ran down his spine when he realized Kenny was now right behind him. Hands were suddenly on his shoulders and Kenny spun him around, crowding him up against the door, his blue eyes bright with an intensity Stan had never seen in them before. "Kenny?" he whispered, feeling unbelievably vulnerable under the intensity of Kenny's stare. It was like Kenny was looking straight into his soul and burning his presence into it.
"You trust me," Kenny stated lowly. It wasn't phrased as a question but Stan nodded anyway. "How much?" Kenny asked, maintaining the intense stare.
Stan didn't hesitate, quietly assuring him, "Completely." Lips were on his in a bruising kiss. Stan felt weightless, only grounded by Kenny's hands gripping his shoulders keeping him firmly up against the door. There was so much passion and need in the kiss, Stan felt dizzy from the intensity of it once Kenny separated. Stan fought down a whine, having barely been able to react to it. He wanted more.
Kenny smiled at him, appreciating how the kiss had clearly affected Stan. As tempted as he was to continue it and drag Stan inside with him, he didn't want to risk Kyle or Wendy suddenly screaming and scaring the crap out of Stan. He had no idea how he would ever be able to explain this situation to Stan. His companion still stood frozen at the door in a daze. "Thanks for dinner, Stan." He gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek and walked into his house. "Have a good night," he said over his shoulder, before quickly shutting the door.
Stan stood at the door for a couple minutes, uncertain if he should bang on the door and demand more from Kenny or not. Now he was suspicious that Kenny was being purposefully coy as he couldn't make out where that had come from. Kenny had been so confident and in control during that kiss, that was something Stan would love to get used to. Deciding that if Kenny wanted more, he would have stayed outside, Stan left the house and walked slowly to his own, lips still feeling the ghost of Kenny's kiss.
Ω Ω Ω
Cartman was sitting comfortably in the chair, overseeing the unconscious forms of both Kyle and Wendy when Kenny walked back in. There was a fire in his eyes he hadn't seen for quite some time. "Had a good time with Stan?"
Kenny grinned before it dimmed as he stood at the foot of the queen bed with their two friends on it. "Wendy's parents want to search the woods for her tomorrow. They are trying to get an Amber alert out on her."
"Shit, won't the police just think she ran away?"
"She didn't, though," Kenny pointed out.
"They don't know that!" Cartman scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "The fuck! Are the police going to suddenly become competent now?" Kenny shrugged, glancing around the room. Clearly, he was trying to figure out where Bast had gone. "She left," Cartman explained, surprised he even needed to say it. Kenny must have been laser-focused on Stan while out. "She said they would be okay, just to make sure we had water ready for them when they wake up." He didn't clarify that she had said if they wake up, but he didn't need to. Kenny already knew that.
Kenny stared at Wendy and sighed, shaking his head. "She had to have known."
Cartman frowned and stared at Wendy uncertainly. "Known what?" Usually, he could piece together what his friend meant by their shared connection, but it was rocky now, out of whack, partly his own fault. What could Wendy possibly have known? About Nug?
Shaking his head, Kenny allowed a small smile, immediately aware of Cartman's confusion. "No, I mean Bast. She had to have known what I'd plan to do after all this." He allowed his walls to lower some and for some of his plans to spill through their connection. Cartman's eyes widened and he gave Wendy's sleeping form a grim look. He wasn't sure if Kenny's plan would work. Kyle whimpered a little and Cartman's gaze immediately shifted from Wendy to Kyle. He sighed.
"I wonder how much he knows now."
"Too much," was Kenny's dark reply.
"Your plan won't help him. Might make it worse."
Kenny's eyes darkened and his mouth pulled down into a grimace. His words were resigned and sad. "I know." He sighed heavily, looking down at Wendy again. "But it will help her and create a way for us to get these two back to their families without having to search the woods tomorrow." He paused and looked at Cartman.
"I'll move them, I know, I get it." They didn't say anything else for the next few minutes, simply quiet while listening to Wendy's regular breathing and Kyle's labored breaths. "Do you want to do it or want me to?"
"You," Kenny answered easily, guilt eating at him a little. He had promised Kyle not to do this anymore, but this was different. "Make it quick."
Cartman nodded and was quick indeed. He put his hands around Kenny's neck, who offered no resistance, and soon there were three unconscious, unresponsive bodies in the room. Cartman watched as the life left Kenny and felt the walls within his mind ease and that pressure of someone else there disappear though he knew it would be temporary. It always was. He picked up Kenny's body and opened the window, feeling slightly bad about tossing him out the window and onto the lawn, hearing a couple screams from innocent neighbors walking their dog. He hated that he needed to do that, but he needed word to spread about Kenny's "death" as soon as possible.
With a heavy sigh, he lifted Wendy, tossing her as gently as possible over one shoulder. If they were playing their cards right and this worked out the way Kenny wanted it to, his death would help erase a lot, if not all, of her memories related to this. If he did this quick enough, anyone seeing Cartman carting Wendy and Kyle around town would soon have false memories of a different event happening once Kenny's death was confirmed. He cast another grim glance at Kyle. He would not forget any of this. With a heavy sigh, he heaved Kyle into his arms, worried that his condition would worsen if thrown over his shoulders. For whatever reason, Wendy was in much better shape than him. Cartman groaned, irritated that Bast had left instead of assisting with this. As if she hadn't caused enough problems. She could have stuck around to help clean up.
Ambulance and police sirens wailed nearby as he heard a woman frantically shouting into a phone. He heard his mother suddenly screaming, she must be back from work and had been greeted by the sight of Kenny's body on the lawn. He quietly slipped out the backdoor, determined to get his two friends to their houses as quickly as possible. He couldn't let Kenny's "death" go to waste.