By StarWolf
10/19/2005
Title: Athedin
Author: StarWolf (elendraug at yahoo dot com)
Fandom: South Park
Rating: PG
Warnings: slight A/U, slash
Pairing: Stan x Kyle
Genre: General, I guess.
Disclaimer: Trey's and Matt's and a lot of other people's, not mine.
Distribution: No archiving, kthx.
Summary: I broke it.
Author's Notes: A slight variation of a scene in "Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow." Happy birthday, Stan and Trey! ...even though I kinda hope Trey Parker never sees this!
Bathed in water, baptised in fire, Stan stands soaked and stunned in the corner of the intimidating building. The ceiling's too high and dark to see; the door is blocked by a literal firewall. It's all his fault, all his fault and he didn't make them listen--
"Stan, snap out of it! We have to get the hell out of this place!"
Kyle's placing a hand is on Stan's shoulder, rough and insistent, worried as always. Kyle is responsible. Kyle would've confessed earlier and prevented all this from ever happening in the first place. Kyle could've--
"Stan?"
"Kyle."
"Are you okay, dude?"
Do you really THINK I'm okay do I LOOK okay to you we're going to die we're going to die we're going to get coated in oil and ignite and the floodwater won't wash it off and--
"Can we...is there a way we can leave?"
"No."
"..."
"Not yet, anyway." He glances around anxiously, and futilely brushes damp strands of red hair out of his face and into the sodden cloth of his green hat. It's like Christmas, thinks Stan. We never have normal holidays around here.
"Where's Cartman?"
Kyle shrugs. "Over there, somewhere, I guess." Scoff. "Who cares about him?"
"...yeah." Stan leans back against the cold steel of the wall. "He's an asshole." He egged me on--
The sounds of people screaming and flames crackling do nothing to calm the two boys. Guilty and giving up, Stan closes his eyes and eases downward. His jacket's definitely ruined now, but it doesn't matter, does it? No point in drowning, though -- if a rescue crew ever comes...well, he'd have to just wait.
Kyle grabs for his collar and yanks him back onto his feet.
"Look, Stan, I know this sucks, but try to at least stay awake, alright? You can't afford to zone out now."
Stan stares up with tired eyes. "I know, I know... I just..." He doesn't know how to finish the sentence.
After another quick survey of their surroundings, Kyle tugs Stan closer and kisses him -- or tries to. He misses and brushes his lips against the side of Stan's mouth instead. Close enough. Stan's skin tastes like filthy water, and when their tongues finally succeed in meeting, of days-old fishsticks and the bitter coffee they were handing out at the community center.
They're too near each other to see properly -- Kyle is a reddish-pinkish-greenish blur when Stan decides to test out his eyesight again.
"We're going to survive, dude. We have to." Another lazy lick follows as an afterthought.
"Mm..hey, Kyle?"
"Yeah?"
Stan jolts back, tense and nervous at the sudden noise from above.
"Helicopters!" shouts Cartman, his obnoxious voice a relief for once in a lifetime. Kyle blinks at Stan for a few more seconds before breaking away and dashing towards the stairs.
"Come on, Stan!"
Sloshing after them through the water, both jeans and conscience weighing him down, he whispers what he missed his chance to say.
"...I promise I'll tell them soon."