Chapter Text
Fingers threaded through his hair, snagging on the curls as they tilted his head further back. Kyle ripped his mouth away from the one that had been pressed into his, managing a few lungfuls of air before he was kissed again. Someone groaned as their tongues touched, it might have been him - he wasn't sure. It was hard forming any thoughts at this point, especially since the heat that was rising between them was actively melting his brain into a useless pile of goo.
Never in a million years did he think he'd be in this predicament, tipsy after a chaotic class reunion and with Eric Cartman's hand snaking underneath his shirt while his tongue slid against his. Kyle's face burned, ears picking up sounds from the other room. Laughter and chatter, occasionally joined by the clinking of glasses. He stiffened, squirming in his seat at the reminder that not too far away were other people who could easily open the door to their section of the bar and see him making out with another man.
"Fuck," he mumbled against Eric's lips, foolishly turned on by the idea. A part of himself was ashamed by that realization, not that he could be found with another man - he could never be embarrassed by his sexuality, but by who it was with. If you had told him earlier today he would be pressed into a wall by the brunette and that he would enjoy it, he would be looking up places to go to for a mental crisis. That was the only viable explanation, nothing else made any sense.
Kyle could remember when he first found out about the reunion, it had been weeks ago when he received that fateful email. It had been a long day filled with casefiles and as the work day slowed to a close as their office was gearing down for the weekend, Kyle had been anxiously counting the minutes until he could leave. Hunched over his desk, he aimlessly clicked a pen as he halfheartedly checked his inbox. In desperate need of something to fill the final moments until his shift ended but too drained to do any real work, he switched over to his personal email address and promptly frowned at the new message present. The sender was one he didn't have in his contacts but the name was vaguely familiar. It took him a second after studying the subject line to place it, it was a girl who had been in a couple of his classes during high school. He opened it, quickly skimming over the text. In truth, they had never been close, definitely polite to one another but not talking unless they were paired for some group projects together. Jessica, he noted, had been placed in charge of getting ahold of their graduating class for a reunion in South Park.
He grimaced at the town's name, already feeling his blood pressure levels rising at the memories that brought out. He hadn't been there in years, as soon as high school ended he moved to another city for school and never looked back since. What little nostalgia he had for the simple almost carefree period in his life while being a kid was drowned out by all of the bitterness that swiftly followed, it was something he recognized in his senior year. Sure the therapist his mother made him go to when he was younger for all of that great typical teenage angst and anger issues had pointed out how hostile environments breed only destruction, made him critically think about where he stood and whether staying in South Park was a good choice for his happiness, but it was an idea that had long since hung out in the corner of his thoughts.
South Park was the chain wrapped around his ankle, if he didn't cut it off then he would surely drown. This sentiment wasn't one he only had but several others, everyone when they had the means to seemed to leave. Well... almost everyone. He didn't often head over there, not keeping up to date on the events unless it had something to do directly with his small bubble. And if there was some social gathering, usually they made the drive over to his place or stayed somewhere nearby. Kyle squinted at the message, considering deleting it and maybe telling Stan to send his regards when he attended.
In truth, he was really busy dealing with his steadily growing workload and his crumbling social life, making the trek to his childhood town was at the bottom of his list. His mind made up, he moved his mouse over to the email, about to trash it when his phone vibrated. Blinking, he reached for the device on the side of the desk, flipping it over to read the notification.
Stan
| hey dude did you hear about the reunion? 4:49 pm
He sighed, quickly sending a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching before he replied.
Kyle
| Yeah, just got the email now. I'm not going. 4:50 pm
Predictably bubbles popped up.
Stan
| why not??? 4:50 pm
Kyle exhaled, he could already picture Stan's pout as he wrote his response. He rubbed his thumb's knuckle in between his eyebrows, hoping it didn't come across as an obvious cop-out as he answered.
Kyle
| Yeah, sorry. I've been super busy at the firm, so I don't think I'll get the time off to even go. 4:51 pm
Stan
| dude that sucks!!!! 4:51 pm
He winced, feeling guilty over the lie, it only worsened when it was followed by the next text.
Stan
| you're going to miss out on Kenny!! 😭 4:51 pm
Kyle perked up in his chair, eyebrows rising in disbelief. Hurriedly he asked.
Kyle
| Kenny is back??? Since when?? 4:52 pm
Stan
| his flight landed this morning. said he was going to chill out around town and wanted to catch up. 4:52 pm
"Shit," Kyle mumbled under his breath, giving his head a shake. "Does this kid ever rest?" Even when they were just a bunch of dumb kids hanging out playing video games after school, Kenny would sometimes say after he grew up he wanted to travel. He always felt bad when Kenny said that, he never went abroad for a vacation like his other classmates did, and his parents never had enough cash to do anything beyond the town limits - and even that was a bit of a stretch, it did set him at ease though, that he wasn't entirely alone. Usually, when he and Stan went with their families on trips, they knew Kenny would at least be with Cartman.
He never knew what they got up to when they were gone, the conversation often revolved around what he and Stan did. He could tell, however, despite how happy that Kenny was for them he was also a bit sad too. After high school and when he left, they did slip out of touch for a while. There was an occasional 'hey, you still alive?' but nothing deep like they used to do. Vaguely he recalled hearing from Stan or Butters that Kenny had started some sort of business with Cartman and that it was doing surprisingly well, enough that he could go on yearly trips around the world and travel to all the places he so desperately wanted to go to in his youth.
It always brightened his day when those photos popped up in his feed, to see what corner of the world the blonde currently was in, grinning ear to ear. Without thinking, Kyle exited his messages and went to Instagram, returning to a photo he had liked the other day. It must have been an older one if he'd landed today.
He was wearing a wide-brimmed mosquito hat, red-cheeked and happy as he squinted into the sunlight, a misty mountain and pale lake behind him. In the corner, back to the camera, was a tall solid looking man staring at something in the distance. Kyle's instinct was to snort at the image, even without seeing his face he could recognize Cartman anywhere. Not as though it came as a surprise to see the brunette on an adventure with Kenny, often he was his travel buddy. It even became a running joke between Stan and Kyle to see who could spot Cartman in these photos first, like a warped where's waldo if waldo was an annoying prick. While he never seemed to bother to care to stand directly in the frame beside his friend, he was always a blurry shape in the corner, typically a limb or partially obscured figure. It was kind of impressive how he did it like he had some secret talent for being out of focus.
Which suited him just fine, they hadn't spoken to each other in years and he was satisfied with keeping it that way. He could go the rest of his life happy with only random photos in Kenny's feed that proved he was still breathing, and it seemed the notion was mutual. From his extensive research, he discovered that Cartman wasn't on social media so he didn't need to worry about having his nonsense constantly in his face but even if he was, it was apparent from the lack of DMS from a random account or even texts that he would rather have things remain frosty between them. And honestly, that was a godsend.
No Eric Cartman to harass him meant everything was quiet. His gaze lingered on his old childhood friend, staring at his exposed nape, fixated on it. It was sunburned, he realized. With a sudden blink, Kyle left the app and returned to his messages, trying not to dwell too much on the sudden and odd trajectory his thoughts took.
Kyle
| You know what, I think I'm going to go. 4:58 pm
Stan
| really? 🙏🙏 4:59 pm
Kyle
| Yeah, I think I can book it off. 4:58 pm
With a promise to talk later, Kyle left the conversation to pack up his things. Shutting down his computer and quickly reorganizing his desk for Monday, he gathered his stuff and slipped into his coat hanging on his chair. Offering goodbyes to his coworkers as he walked through the building and headed outside, he greeted the cool evening with a sigh. The sunset painted the parking lot in gold and orange, drenching him in its colours as he crossed the space to his car. He swung his lanyard, humming a song he'd heard on the radio as he approached the vehicle. Oddly, he was looking forward to the event. He didn't know why, this was never his type of thing but there was an anxious buzz running through him.
He chalked it up to the excitement of seeing Kenny, it had been far too long since they met up in person. Pondering when exactly that last was, he needed a moment before settling on the time they went for coffee - that was when he'd gone to Indonesia. Kyle nodded, smiling to himself as those beautiful beaches entered his mind. How funny Kenny had looked, tanned as he was from his love of the outdoors next to Cartman's bright pale skin. Stretched out on a towel under an umbrella's shade, his companion was passed out with a hat lying on top of his face. Empty cocktail glasses spread near him, it was obvious why he didn't notice the ridiculous stack of objects Kenny had placed on his clothed torso. The corner of his lip curling, Kyle clicked on the key fob to open it then slipped inside. Sitting in his seat, he closed the door. The pair clearly had fun on that journey as well.
Kyle frowned, confused by the envy that started to build in him. Deserved as it was for Kenny, he couldn't help but wish he'd gone too. Sure, he'd been on his own with his family and on a few road trips with Stan but in the bottom of his belly, there was this small squirming emotion. Maybe it was the plain joy that always radiated on Kenny's face but on rough days Kyle found himself wishing he was a part of that too. It looked like his friend was having the time of his life, creating unforgettable memories and with Eric Cartman no less.
That in itself was unbelievable, how he managed to do it without killing the brunette.
Their relationship had never been like that, warm and steady like how Cartman and Kenny's were. No, theirs has always been turbulent at best. Thinking to the last time they'd spoken, when Stan had slipped up and told Cartman about his plans to move out of town had been... bad. Looking at his past actions, he could see where the brunette had been coming from but his approach when he confronted him had his hackles immediately rising. Like any other day, they were yelling at each other, voices getting louder and louder until their throats were sore from all of the shouting. He'd expected that night would be like the rest, that after the swearing had died down and they caught their breaths and gave a few angry shoves then they'd shake it off. That was the formula but it had been different that day, the energy was off and he didn't notice until it was too late.
Maybe it was because he was going to put South Park far behind him, but it had gone explosive when it should have been a few sparks. He had been blindsided by the anger directed at him, so surprised by it that it took their friends to move them away to a safe distance so they wouldn't break out into a brawl. Cartman's flushed cheeks and snarl were still so clear to him, he could still feel the tight grip on his shirt, twisting the fabric as he yanked him close. Kyle frowned at the steering wheel, his ears ringing with the brunette's yelled curses. His usual irritating jabs to needle him had been replaced with comments that cut deep, making Kyle react violently in turn.
It had been a mess from start to finish, without the awkward reconciliation outcome. The next time their paths had crossed, to his bafflement, Cartman breezed past him like he didn't exist. The silent treatment lasted until graduation day, the ignoring continuing even when it was his goodbye party, the brunette's spot empty. Just as spiteful and stubborn, he refused to bridge the distance despite all of their friends' begging.
Just like that, years spent as weird kind-of friends went down the drain. It had been strange, even with an unhealthy person suddenly being cut from his life, he still felt the emptiness that it created when he was gone. Like when you go to a concert and the sound cuts out, it takes you aback, how quiet it is especially since Cartman had been the one determined to sever all communication. Not once had he slipped up to even send him a threatening message from a sock puppet account, instead, he'd stood his ground and erased himself from the narrative and hadn't looked his way once.
"Whatever," he muttered, turning the engine on. "It's not like he'll talk to me if we run into each other."