#ler!kyle

Their houses were literally right next door to each other. Their desks at school were right next to each other. Hell, their “assigned” seats at lunch (not that the two were attending some authoritative, prison-like hell hole or anything- they had just been sitting in the same seating arrangement for the past ten years, that changing it at this point felt like a crime.) were right next to each other too. You’d think with someone being so close, it’d be absolutely impossible to miss them. 

Yet, here Kyle was. 

Somehow, despite how incredibly close they were locationally and emotionally, Kyle couldn’t help but feel like Stan was being…kinda distant. 

It wasn’t like Stan was ignoring him or anything, but Kyle could feel that, at the very least, Stan was limiting how long they interacted. Their conversations felt shorter. Stan wouldn’t do the stupidly funny thing he always did in Chemistry: make stupid faces at him during class, trying to get Kyle in trouble like the asshat he was. It was little things like that. Kyle hated to say it, but he felt like Stan was distancing himself on purpose. 

Kyle didn’t understand. Sure, one could make the argument that the two were outgrowing each other- but Kyle couldn’t, and honestly wouldn’t, accept that- there was no way their friendship had survived until their senior year of high school just for it to fizzle out. That just wasn’t possible. Kyle wasn’t the type to let things go without answers, a trait that he’d never admit he inherited from his mom. And as he sat there in his bed, staring at the window into his Super Best Friend’s one, he’d remind himself of the times where Stan would somehow manage to climb up Kyle’s wall and into his window; despite the fact that Kyle would scold him through cackles about how he could’ve just gone through the front door. 

Now, Kyle wasn’t going to go that far- surprisingly Stan was more of the theatrical one, and Kyle really didn’t have the energy through all the Midterms, and papers, and group PowerPoints to be able to hoist himself up Stan’s wall and Flynn Rider his ass all the way to Stan’s window. But, he wasn’t going to wait for Stan to come to him and actually express what was happening- because Kyle had a very strong feeling that day would never come. So, with a need for answers, Kyle threw his shoes on-  and walked those thirty seconds over to Stan’s house. 

The conversation, if you could even call it that, with Stan’s mom was really short. Her face lit up the moment the door swung open, and besides the hello, her only words to him were “Stanley’s upstairs in his room!” 

Kyle had to admit, he was actually kinda shocked walking up those stairs. He wasn’t greeted with the blaring of Nirvana or The Brobecks coming from Stan’s room. That was shocking. That meant one of two things, Kyle knew. Either Stan was taking a nap, which Kyle, obviously, was really praying wasn’t the case because talking to him would be literally impossible; or he was ruining his eardrums by blasting music into his ears. Kyle had a hunch it was the latter option. 

Of course, a possible third option danced in his mind: that being Stan simply wasn’t home, but Kyle seriously doubted that. First of all, his car was still parked in the driveway- and Stan treated his little red “Terrance” SUV like it was the second coming of the lord. Kyle couldn’t imagine a world where Stan would walk anywhere anymore. Secondly, Kyle was pretty sure Stan was bedrotting right now; which was another reason he wanted to talk to him. Kyle knew Stan’s mental health fluctuated more than that one rollercoaster they rode at Cartman’s stupid theme park when they were kids. Kyle figured checking in wouldn’t hurt. 

Kyle would knock, since he wasn’t raised in a barn, and after a few minutes of no answer- Kyle would let himself in. 

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Kyle was right. Stan was laying in bed, almost-sorta starfishing as he stared up at the ceiling; phone on his lap, headphones in his ears, and eyes glued to literally nothing. Kyle knew Stan well enough to know that this meant Stan was deep in thought; which, Kyle hated to admit, was normally not a good thing.

Kyle didn’t want to scare the shit out of him, but at the same time, Stan genuinely didn’t seem to realize he was even alive right now. The lights were off, but the room was still nicely lit from the sunshine beaming through the window. South Park could be a real pain in the ass, but the sun was always beautiful. Kyle hoped that this meant turning on the lights wouldn’t scare the ever-loving-bejusus out of him. 

Kyle was very wrong. 

 Stan would shoot up in his bed, a yelp escaping him as his hand flew to his mouth; an audible slapping sound ringing throughout his bedroom. An airpod would fly across the room, conveniently landing at Kyle’s feet. Stan would sputter, eyes adjusting to the newfound light and other person in his room. Kyle could only describe the look Stan was giving him as one that he’d might give if Kyle had poured water on him, and Kyle couldn’t tell if he should laugh like an asshole or feel genuinely bad. 

“You fucking- dickwad!” Stan’s words were very hushed compared to the yelp that had flown out of his mouth a few seconds ago, the very kind “dickwad” barely connecting with the two words that came before it. “You scared the shit out of me, dude! I could’ve broken my phone!” He’d say, in a tone that Kyle had a feeling came out way whiner than Stan intended it to. Stan would even gesture to the phone that was glued to his balled fist, as if Stan had even the slightest doubt that Kyle would know what that foreign word “phone” meant. As if Kyle didn’t have one of his own. 

“Sorry- I didn’t mean to scare you,” Kyle would apologize, genuinely. He’d crouch down to pick up the runaway left airpod, just for safe measures. He wouldn’t want to step on it and have Stan totally hate him for the next week and a half. “I just wanted to stop by and-”

“Oh shit, did we have plans today? Kyle I’m so fucking sorry, man-” Stan would, somehow, very kindly interrupt. Normally Kyle hated being interjected, but this interjection confused him more than anything. “Dude, I’m sorry- just give me like…five minutes. No. Not even five. Like- three. Three minutes. My head’s been fucking everywhere- I’m sorry, Kyle-” 

An audible, “Huh?” would escape Kyle as Stan threw himself out of bed and sped over to his closet. He had to give credit where credit was due, Stan was making pretty good time for the hypothetical plan that the two didn’t even have today. “No, no- Stan you don’t have to- dude, we don’t have plans or anything...”  Kyle would attempt to explain, and those words seemed to semi-get-through to Stan, since he’d put the shirt he was holding back in the closet. Kyle recognized the look of confusion on Stan’s face before the words even came out of his mouth. Kyle would speak before Stan could. 

“What? I can’t come visit my Super Best Friend?” Kyle would ask in a very genuine tone, so he didn’t really appreciate the chortle that would come out of Stan. 

“You missed me that bad?” Stan would tease, clearing not buying whatever Kyle was hypothetically selling. “Uh-oh…I don’t want to tell Wendy she’s got competition…” Stan would pucker his lips at Kyle before laughing again, (a sound that Kyle never realized he missed all that much until now) sitting back down on his bed. 

“Well…I..” Kyle fought the urge to get red, because the first part was actually true. But a part of him knew that…that wasn’t a bad thing. If he wanted Stan to be transparent the transparency would have to start with him. So, he’d concede. “Actually…yeah, Stan.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Kyle didn’t know why the hell his voice sounded the way that it did. His voice was soft, fragile, and most of all…concerned. Kyle didn’t mean for that to come out like that- at least not at that very moment. 

Stan would catch it immediately. “Wait- really?”  The sincerity would match Kyle’s in an instant. “Oh fuck- are you okay? What happened, man?” Stan would gently ask, patting the spot next to where he was currently sitting with a welcoming smile.

As bad as Kyle felt for making Stan worry, he had to admit it was kind of sweet how quickly Stan would drop the teasing. “I’m okay, Stan…I just…” Kyle would take Stan’s silent invitation to sit down next to him on the bed. Stan would hold out his hand and Kyle would simultaneously put the AirPod in it. Stan would quickly and quietly put it back in its case, along with the one that managed to stay in his ear. 

Stan wouldn’t say anything; he’d just stare at Kyle with his big, expecting eyes. Kyle hated to say, that made him a little nervous. He’d try to search for the right words…but when that didn’t work, he’d just say the first thing that came to his mind.

 “I’m worried about you, Stan.” 

“Me?” A laugh would infest that word, but Stan’s tone would quickly go back to the kindhearted way it was before. “Kyle…I’m fine, dude. You don’t need to worry about me, man..” 

Stan’s words were so sweet, but they pissed Kyle off so bad. He couldn’t help it- he couldn’t stop the words from coming. “But I do need to worry about you, Stan. When we were kids I promised you I wouldn’t let you suffer in silence when you’re upset-” Kyle’s ramble would stop for no one or nothing, not even Stan’s very confused “suffer?” that would come out as soon as Kyle said that word. 

“And I can’t help but feel like something's upsetting you- and I don’t like not knowing what that is- because at least if I know what it is, I can do something about it, you know? At least if I know what it is, I know it isn’t me- and it sucks not knowing if I did something to piss you off. Because if I did- obviously I’d want to fix it, Stan.” Stan would stop the attempt of interjecting, now just staring at Kyle as Kyle continued. 

“I want us to be able to talk about when things bother us. I mean-it sucked when you lived on that stupid farm with your dad- but you’re back, and you’ve been back, so I’m sorry, Stan- you’re within range for me to worry about you. That’s just the price you pay for living right next to me.” The apology was not at all genuine, it was extremely sarcastic, but Kyle knew Stan had come to expect that. Or, at least, Kyle thought Stan knew that. Kyle wasn’t expecting the somber look on Stan’s face. Kyle knew that he must’ve said something that deeply resonated with him, or worse, really called him out without Kyle intending it to. 

Kyle would run back the monologue in his head. Why was Stan looking at him like that? Kyle couldn’t help but panic a little. Stan looked kind of like a kicked puppy- and from Kyle’s point of view, he didn’t say anything to warrant that look. If anything- that whole speechlet was to prevent that look. 

“...What happens when I’m not “in range”, Kyle?” 

The silence in the room was deafening. Even more deafening than “Better Than Me” by the Brobecks probably was to Stan’s ears a few minutes ago. Kyle really didn’t think that little jokey, sarcastic comment would be the point Stan got out of the whole spiel, but he’d bite. 

“What do you mean?” He’d quietly ask. 

“I can’t stop thinking about it, Kyle. I just- man, it fucking blows. I didn’t think it would hit me yet- I thought I’d have more time..” 

“What?” Kyle would normally like to brag about how well he could read Stan’s mind- but he was stumped. The vague, ominous “it” wasn’t ringing any bells to him- and it didn’t help that Stan was looking at him like it should. 

Stan would turn his face to look at his closet, or…what Kyle assumed was just Stan’s way of looking away from him. “I’m not an idiot, Kyle. I mean…shit, I always knew that you were…you know.” 

“I really don’t.” Kyle would mutter, trying not to turn Stan off from the vulnerability train he was on. Stan would continue to keep his face turned anywhere but in Kyle’s direction, and Kyle couldn’t but worry a little about why Stan was trying to hide so much. He wouldn’t say much, but he’d keep an eye out.

“I always knew you were going to get out of here, Kyle.” 

Kyle didn’t understand why those words gave him chills. He wouldn’t have time to unpack that as Stan continued. 

“I mean…shit, dude. I always knew you were going to get into some really impressive ivy league school or some shit- and you were going to become…something. Become someone- someone who’s really successful…and probably makes a lot of money.” Kyle assumed that was a genuine attempt at a joke, but Stan seemed to abandon it mid-delivery. “And any day now you’re going to get a letter back from Yale, or Brown, or some really prestigious college- and everyone is going to be so fucking thrilled for you. Which, yeah, they should be. I’ll be thrilled too. But…I’ll also be really pissed off.” 

Kyle’s ears would perk up at the sound of Stan’s voice cracking as he spoke. The understanding of what was really happening right now hit Kyle far too quickly. He’d rush to put his hand on Stan’s shoulder, silently supporting him before he shut down. Kyle could tell Stan had been thinking about this for a while, and he’d be damned if he didn’t get it out. 

“...I’ll be really pissed off- ‘cuz- even though I’ll be really happy for you…fuck, I’ll be so fucking mad that you’re moving thirty hours away from me-” Stan would take a hand and swipe at his cheek a bit too aggressively. He’d still refuse to look at Kyle, but Kyle wouldn’t comment on that yet. “And then I’ll feel like a total douchebag for making it all about me- b-because- because I know I should be happy that you’re doing something that I know I never could- but I’ll just hate the f-fact that I know you’re going to do so many sick things without me- and you’re going to meet p-people who are just as smart as you are- so when you come back to South Park…” 

He’d stop speaking for only a moment, his breath shaky. Stan’s nails would dig into his knees, with the occasional break to beat the tears off his own face. God, Kyle really couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Stan cry. He hadn’t missed the feeling. 

“If you come back to South Park..”

Seeing Stan cry always made Kyle’s breath hitch. He’d get a pit in his stomach. He’d feel like now he needed to cry too, just to feel united in some way. But all Kyle could do was stay silent as Stan finally looked at him. Kyle suddenly wished he didn’t. 

“You’d realize that you were always too smart for this stupid mountain town.” 

Stan’s cheeks were stained with tears. His eyes were glossy, tears rolling down his cheeks as he stared at Kyle. 

“You’d realize that you were always too smart for-” 

“No.” 

Kyle would firmly interrupt, shaking his head. “I’m not even going to let you say it, Stan. That’s not true.” Kyle couldn’t take it. A part of him felt like he should let Stan get the full vent out; lord knows Stan would, and did, for him all the time- but Kyle couldn’t stand hearing Stan, genuinely the coolest person he’d ever had the privilege of knowing, saying all these horrible, and blatantly untrue, things about himself. “Are you hearing me?” Kyle would grip Stan’s arms, turning him to look at him. 

“That’s not true at all. No one at college- no one I ever meet is going to…I don’t know- hypnotize me into thinking you aren’t my favorite person.” Kyle would say with his usual conviction, not an ounce of doubt in his words.

“…I’m your favorite person?” Stan would ask, voice cracking yet again. He’d stare at Kyle with the look of wonder; and Kyle couldn’t help but get a little ticked off that that was even a question Stan could even fathom asking.

“Dude! You’re my Super Best Friend! Do you seriously think I just give that title out to any Joe-Fuckin’-Schmoe I meet?” Kyle would ask with a laugh, nodding his head with a definite answer. “Yes, dude. You’re probably always going to be my favorite person.” 

Stan’s eyes would, somehow, soften even more than they already were. “W-Well…when you get with a really pretty…probably jewish- girl in college-“ He’d start. Kyle would cut him off pretty fast.

“Dude, you still make time for me, right? Even though you’re dating Wendy?” He’d reason. Stan would seem to have an answer already prepared. 

“That’s different- you’re still here-“ 

“Stan, I’m not going off to war- I mean, my god, this is all one major hypothetical we’re running on. I don’t even know if I’m getting into an Ivy league-" Kyle would jokingly begin, ignoring Stan’s grumbled, “you definitely are. Only Ivy League people randomly use the word hypothetical.” as he continued on. 

“You make time for me, so I’m going to make time for you. You’ll just have to trust me on that, okay? You can do that, can’t you?” Kyle would ask. Stan would nod immediately. 

“…of course I trust you.” Would be the first words Stan would say that actually sounded more familiar to the “normal” Stan Kyle was used to. His shoulders would loosen, and it warmed Kyle’s heart that he was able to tell that those were the words Stan believed the most out of everything he had said. 

“And I trust you. So…there we go. You have nothing to worry about, Stan.” Kyle would reassure him, keeping direct eye contact. He wanted Stan to know that if anything Kyle ever said was true, this was the most sincere thing he’s ever said. 

Stan would smile weakly; and Kyle didn’t know why he was so caught off guard when another tear daintily rolled down Stan’s cheek. He’d softly sniffle in, what Kyle assumed, was an attempt to make it seem like he wasn’t crying; despite the fact that Kyle was literally watching him do it. 

More tears would come, and before Stan could try to beat them off; Kyle would take his hand and delicately wipe them off of Stan’s face without a word. That seemed to encourage even more tears, and before Kyle knew it, a fond, “C’mere,” was leaving Kyle’s lips. Not even a millisecond would pass before Stan practically threw his arms around Kyle, holding him tight. 

Stan would hold onto Kyle so tight; as if letting go of him meant he’d disappear forever. Kyle’s hands would land on Stan’s back, drawing soothing circles into his back as the most heartbreaking sobs escaped his Super Best Friend’s mouth. Kyle would shush him softly, trying to lull him the best that he could. He’d whisper words that he hoped were supportive enough: soft “let it out”’s and “it’s okay”’s. The "I'm staying right here for as long as you need me to” seemed to really get to Stan, and Kyle would allow him to squeeze tighter. 

“...is this why you’ve been kinda’ distant with me?” Kyle would finally work up the courage to ask, and he’d immediately be met with more incoherent sobs. He’d physically feel Stan nodding into his shoulder, before he’d make out a few repeated “i’m sorry”’s and “i didn’t mean to”’s. Kyle would lazily tsk at that; mentally high-fiving himself for not convincing himself that he was making that all up. 

“Stan…you could’ve just told me. I’m always here for you. You know that, right?” Kyle would ask, his hands migrating a bit lower from Stan’s upper back. That wasn’t entirely purposeful. He’d hear the letter “I” come out of Stan’s mouth- but that was about it, because the next thing he knew, he could’ve sworn he heard something akin to a laugh come out of Stan’s mouth and cut him off. 

Kyle’s face would scrunch up in confusion for a minute. What did he say that Stan found funny? Did he do something funny? His eyes would instinctively go to look over Stan’s back to look at his own hands…and the realization hit him like a freight train. 

Kyle couldn’t believe he was thinking this. 

He had completely forgotten Stan was ticklish. 

Well, no, completely forgotten was a total stretch. Obviously, in moments where he’d purposely poke at him; or moments where Stan would purposely make a jab at him- Kyle would remember. Obviously, if you were to ask Kyle if Stan Marsh was ticklish; he’d laugh at you so hard before scoffing a quick, “have you met the guy?” But, for some reason, at this very moment- Kyle’s brain hadn’t correlated that if his hands accidentally got too close to Stan’s sides….

For some reason, it just didn’t click that that would tickle him. 

But it clicked now. 

Oh, it definitely clicked now. 

Just by the look on Stan’s face, and by how quickly Stan would let go of the tight hold he had on Kyle, Kyle had a feeling that the same exact thought process clicked for Stan too. Kyle wouldn’t even let the “Kyle-” come out of Stan’s mouth before he started fluttering his fingers on his Super Best Friend’s sides. 

“Kylehehe!” Stan would flinch away immediately, failing to bite back his laughter as he threw himself against his pillow. Kyle would be quick to follow, continuing to attack his sides as Stan’s legs flew up towards his stomach in an attempt to protect himself. “Duhude- Kyle, come ohon!” Stan would clench his teeth together, as if that would stop the noises that were already leaving his mouth. “I’m sohorryy!” 

The more Stan, horribly, fought his laughter; Kyle suddenly realized he genuinely didn’t remember the last time he had legitimately, seriously tickled Stan like this. Maybe eighth grade? The more Kyle thought about it, the more it stumped him. 

“I don’t know why I don’t do this more often.” Kyle would casually think out loud, tazing his fingers into Stan’s sides sporadically. Stan would yelp, a peal of boyish laughter escaping him before he could stop it. “I mean, it’s not like it’s hard to tickle you. You’re really ticklish.” 

Sure, maybe Kyle was teasing a little bit to get Stan to actually laugh more; considering Stan was always the type to try to hide his laugh. But, on the other hand, Kyle was just speaking his mind. Genuinely- why did it take him so long to do this again? 

“Shuhuhut uhahahap!!” Stan would whine; the teasing, admittedly, kicking his ass and doing exactly what Kyle intended it to do. “Yohoure mohore- gaHAHa! You’re more tihicklish thahan mehe, yohou ahahahass!” Stan would protest, his legs thrashing as Kyle scribbled on his knees. 

It wasn’t lost on Kyle how Stan’s ears turned a bright shade of red the more he spoke. He had almost forgotten how red Stan would get whenever Kyle tickled the shit out of him when they were kids. That was…actually pretty rare; specifically because of the callout Stan just said. Normally, Stan would be the one doing this song and dance. But…now that it was Kyle…

Kyle would be lying if he said a little part of his younger-self wasn’t healing right now. That’s not to say Kyle was never the one in this position- but Kyle normally didn’t get this long. Normally, when they were younger, Stan would just tickle him back; and Kyle would, embarrassingly, crumble the moment that happened. 

But…maybe Kyle taking a very long break from tickling him worked in his favor today; because Stan seemed to be malfunctioning- like he didn’t know what to do with himself. Realistically, if the two wrestled for a bit- Stan would get the upper hand eventually. But Stan wouldn’t even attempt to put up much of a fight, his hands more focused on covering wherever they (incorrectly) assumed Kyle would go next. 

“Wahahait! Wahahait!!” Stan would curl into himself further as Kyle’s fingers walked up his ribs; as if Stan was trying to sink into the bed frame. “Nohohot- aheehe!! Nahahat thehehere!” Stan would begin to plead; and Kyle couldn’t help but smile as Stan’s laughs turned into “girly” giggles and squeaks. Kyle genuinely forgot how much he enjoyed making Stan sound like that.

“You know, Stan, maybe we can make a tradition out of this!” Kyle had to have his fun while he had the upper hand. “Whenever we see each other during a break or something, when we come back from college, I’ll just tickle the shit out of you! That way, you know I still remember who you are. How’s that sound?” 

Stan would frantically shake his head, only managing to get out a high, “Noho wahahay!” Kyle couldn’t help but tease him some more. 

“No? Why not? I dunno, I think it’s a good idea, Stan.” Stan would squeal as Kyle inched higher up his ribs, and Kyle couldn’t help but laugh along with him. “Okay, okay! We’ll raincheck the idea…” 

As fun as this was, Kyle still couldn’t shake the confusion. Oddly enough, Stan didn’t really…seem like he was fighting him? Sure, he was ‘shielding’ himself, if Kyle could even call it that; he was doing a pretty shitty job at it. Kyle wouldn’t let himself linger on it for too long, since he was pretty much just absentmindedly tickling him the more he thought too hard-but he had to admit that…for a moment, he considered that Stan wasn’t doing a good job on purpose. 

“Okahay! Wahahait- pffft! Kyle sehEEHERIOUSLY-!” Stan would all but scream, his hands suddenly recalibrating themselves. Kyle would quickly feel Stan’s right fingers interlock with the ones on his left hand; and before Kyle really even thought about it, he’d yank his hand upwards- in turn, yanking Stan’s hand upwards with him.

Kyle’s full attention would come back to him now; and he’d very quickly realize the sudden urgency from Stan came from Kyle’s fingers getting higher and higher. Although that wasn’t entirely intentional- it definitely was going to be in a minute. Kyle’s fingers would still, and he couldn’t help but smirk at Stan as his eyes traveled to his upheld arm, and then back to Stan. 

It seemed to hit Stan all too quickly that he had; for the lack of a better word, completely fucked himself. “Kylehe..” Stan would, very anxiously, giggle out; although Kyle couldn’t help but notice Stan’s own efforts to yank his arm down weren’t as effective as they normally would be. 

“What? What is it, Stan?” Kyle would, ever so sweetly, ask-only to be met with more anxious giggles and big, scared eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is everything alright?” 

Stan wouldn’t respond, so Kyle would raise the stakes by hovering his fingers directly over Stan’s exposed armpit. The reaction was immediate- Stan’s eyes would immediately shut, and he’d cringe to his right, his giggles becoming more frantic as he gritted his teeth. 

“Staaan…don’t tell me…” Kyle would trail off in a fake surprise, his hand inching closer and closer. “You’re not…you’re not ticklish, are you?” Kyle would tease with the most shit-eating grin on his face; said grin only growing wider as Stan’s face, somehow, turned more red than it already was. 

“Because…I don’t know…you’re laughing so much…and I’m not even touching you.” Kyle would laugh, and as mean as it was, Kyle had to get back at Stan for all the times he would say the exact same thing to him when they were kids. “I just feel like only a reeeally ticklish person would do that.” 

Stan had clearly bit his tongue for as long as he could, but as soon as those last few words left Kyle’s mouth; a quick, “Fuhuck ohoff!” would slip out against his better judgment. 

Kyle would, of course, take those as fighting words. 

“Oh, okay!” Would be all Kyle would say before he abruptly began spidering his fingers over every inch of Stan’s right armpit that he could reach. 

Stan’s reaction was immediate. His eyes would immediately snap open as the most dorky cackles flew out of his mouth, as every attempt of Stan stopping himself from laughing flew right out the window.

Stan would shriek, his arm immediately shooting down to actually protect himself. “WAHAHAIT! BahaHA-! WAHAIT, KYLE-!” Were the only words Stan would manage to muster out of his mouth, before he made a noise that Kyle seriously did not remember the last time he heard. 

Kyle had been making mental notes of how much he had missed Stan’s laugh this whole time; but the moment the snort that Stan made entered the room, Kyle was absolutely sure that was the sound he missed the most. 

Stan’s hand would immediately go from shielding one of the most ticklish parts of his body to covering his mouth, the slap ringing throughout the room as it went silent. 

“…Oh my god.” Were the only words Kyle could fathom at first. “You still snort when you laugh!” He’d cheer, which would, of course, make Stan flush out of embarrassment.

“…I thought I grew out of it..” Stan would grumble as his hand was still, practically, stapled to his mouth; his cheeks burning. 

“Oh please,” Kyle would, lovingly, roll his eyes as he shook his head. As if. “There are just some things you can’t grow out of, Stan. Like...our friendship!" He would quip, only waiting a beat before speaking again. “…Well, c'mon! Let me hear another one!” Kyle would demand playfully, yanking Stan’s hand off of his mouth and starting his fingers back up again without much of a warning. 

Stan would try to get a “hell no” out of his mouth, but all that would come out were cackles as Stan, not so willingly, complied to Kyle’s demand and snorted yet again. 

“okahAHAHAY! OKAHAHAY!” Stan would scream through his snorts, trashing so hard that the pillow that had been holding up his head flew off the bed. “fuhuhuck! Kyle, I cahaAHAHANT-!” Stan had decided he was no longer above begging as soon as Kyle drilled his thumbs into his armpits. 

“Sure you can, dude! You can do anything you put your mind to!” Kyle would, ever so kindly, encourage. “Besides, my hands are a little trapped here. Soo…I guess we’re just gonna’ keep at this!”

Poor Stan was in stitches at this point; so much so that he couldn’t even get his arms to lift up to ‘free’ Kyle’s ‘trapped’ fingers. All he could do was beg for mercy and surrender some more through his, extremely embarrassing, barrage snorts as tears formed in his eyes. “StohoHOP! Stohohop pleheHEEHEASE!” 

Kyle would stop immediately. 

“Sorry, dude…I got a little excited.” Kyle would sheepishly admit, yanking his hands away on his own accord. “…I am a little bummed I didn’t get to your actual arms, but that’s for next time, I guess.” Kyle would playfully tease for the last time, offering a hand that Stan would very quickly take. 

“Gohod…man, you're an ahasshole…” Stan would giggle as the sensations faded, grabbing his pillow from off the floor and placing it back on the bed. “You’re…you’re meheaner than my sister…”

“Okay, now you’re just being dramatic.” Kyle’s eyes would roll once again, playfully punching Stan in the arm as the two just took a moment to sit with each other. They’d both laugh for a minute, before silence consumed the room. The silence was happily welcomed, the two just taking in each other’s presence.

“…Look, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know what’s going to happen after we finally graduate.” Kyle would admit after a little while. That sentiment seemed to worry Stan, but Kyle would speak again before the thought really overtook his train of thought.

“But, I do know whatever does happen…we’ll get through it together- no matter how far we are from each other.” Kyle would turn to give Stan a friendly, genuine smile; thrilled when Stan would return the gesture. “We’ll take it one day at a time. Until then, let’s try not to freak ourselves out about it, okay?” 

“…I don’t know what I’d do without you, dude.” Stan would confess, not seeming to care how ‘sappy’ that sentiment may seem. 

Kyle would nod, smiling as Stan leaned against him.  Heartfelt moments for the two weren't exactly rare, but Kyle couldn't help but cherish them every time they happened.

Kyle deeply appreciated it, especially considering how shared the same sentiment to a T. Kyle had known since the moment he met Stan in kindergarten, he had met someone who was going to be in his life forever. This was the guy that was going to be the best-man at his wedding; the guy who he was going to be the god-father to his eventual kids- Stan Marsh was going to be in Kyle Brofloski’s life forever. 

And Kyle would do whatever it took to make sure that never changed. 

“Me too, Stan...”

“She was so fucking pissed off, guys, seriously. What bitch, right?-”

Kyle and Stan exchanged the same annoyed look. Kyle, who was always more outspoken about Cartman’s annoyances, groaned and rubbed his temples to soothe his headache. 

“Oh my god, shut the fuck up, Cartman. Your laugh is the ugliest thing I’ve ever heard.” 

Cartman’s laughter cut off abruptly, the sound replaced by an awkward silence. He blinked, the smile frozen on his face for a moment before it vanished after looking at Stan and Kenny who were nodding their heads in agreement. 

“Are you serious?” Cartman barked defensively as he abruptly stood up, “you all sound like little girls when you laugh! Screw you guys, I’m done with my lunch anyways.” He huffed as he picked up his 3 empty lunch trays and tossed them in the trash, purposefully avoiding the recycling bin where the trays were supposed to go.

The rest of the boys just looked at each other, the tension quickly dispersing as soon as Cartman left.

“Good riddance.” Stan grumbled, earning chuckles from Kenny and Kyle.

Meanwhile, Cartman was now sitting on the other side of the cafeteria, waiting for the period to end. He never thought he’d be so eager to leave lunch.

The longer he stewed over Kyle’s words, the angrier he became. He didn’t understand why he was so affected by the insult since he’d been called every name under the sun, and he prided himself on never feeling insecure because of it.

His laugh was just a part of him. He hadn’t even considered that it might be something people hated.

He thought back to the times his friends had laughed with him… Had they been laughing at him instead?

For the first time in his life, Cartman felt a twinge of self doubt.

Days passed and he became almost sedated as he moped around. He was quieter, less boisterous, but most of all, he didn’t laugh.

Even when he was amused by something, he’d press his lips tightly together to restrain a snort and even refused to smile.

At first nobody noticed or cared, since Cartman went through these phases all the time, but after a month the absence of his usual unapologetic cackle was louder than the laugh.

“Is it just me, or is Cartman being… weird?” Stan asked as they walked to the bus stop, finally voicing what they were all thinking and didn’t want to say. 

“He’s always weird,” Kyle muttered, though he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. “He’s just going through another one of his episodes, he’ll be over it in another week.”

Stan didn’t seem convinced or comforted by Kyle’s words. He knew Cartman was an asshole, but he was still their friend… his mother always said ‘you’re only as happy as your saddest friend’. 

“I have a feeling it’s our fault though.” Stan mumbled, kicking a rock as they approached the bus stop. 

Kenny was already there waiting and he waved at them cheerfully before noticing their demeanor. “Whaff gofin onth?” He asked through his hood.

“Have you noticed that Cartman hasn’t been laughing?” Stan asked Kenny, who promptly nodded. Stan was relieved he wasn’t the only one who was concerned. 

“Do you think it’s because we made fun of his laugh?”

Kyle looked caught off guard by Stan’s words, unable to believe that Cartman could be affected by anything they had to say. 

“Isn’t it a good thing? We finally got him to shut up… why mess with that?”

Stan and Kenny shared a concerned look, torn between their two friends. Finally, Stan sighed. 

“Come on, Kyle. We all know you miss having him around too.”

Kyle blushed and quickly denied it. “What?! I could care less if he laughs!”

“...saying that you ‘could care less’ implies that you do care at least a little bit.” Stan poked Kyle’s side with a teasing smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

Kyle let out an undignified squawk mixed with a giggle, “S-StAHaahan! You smartass.” He slapped Stan’s fingers away.

Stan gasped, “That’s it!” He wriggles a finger into Kyle’s rib once more before finally letting the redhead catch his breath. “If he won’t laugh, we’ll just have to make him laugh and prove that it’s not as bad as he thinks.”

Kyle panted and glared at his best friend through teary eyes. “I thought you’d know by now that you can’t make Cartman do anything he doesn’t wanna do.”

That was pretty much basic knowledge, and the boys couldn’t help but agree with Kyle on that note. Still, Stan’s conscience wouldn’t rest until the fatass laughed again.

“When has that stopped us from trying?” Stan probed, trying to light a fire under Kyle’s belly.

 Whenever he was able to get Kyle’s heart set on something, his super best friend would follow him to the ends of the Earth, even if it meant cheering up Cartman.

Kyle shifted his weight from foot to foot and bit the inside of his cheek, symbolizing his reluctance.

He desperately wanted to see Cartman miserable, but his friends were important to him. And they, for whatever reason, saw something in Cartman.

“...Fine. But only for you.” 

Cartman was supposed to be at Kyle’s house for a group project, but he’d made an excuse not to go, claiming he was violently ill and throwing up.

While he assumed his friends were hard at work, Cartman was at home shoveling mass amounts of rocky road ice cream into his mouth.

When the door rang, he groaned. “Myeeemmm, someones at the door!”

“Coming!” Liane said in a sing-songy voice as she brushed past her son, giving him a small pat to which the boy smacked her hand away. “Oh, boys! What a lovely surprise.”

“Hi, Ms. Cartman. Can we talk to Eric?” Kyle asked respectfully.

He didn’t exactly like Cartman’s mom, since he believed she was the reason why he was the way he was, but he also understood she got dealt a bad hand in life.

Liane smiled and stepped aside for them to come in. “I really hope you can cheer up my little poopsikins. He’s been so blue lately.”

They all cringed and looked at each other, all sharing the same look of guilt. They were led into the living room to see Cartman laying there in a pile of snacks.

“Too sick to study, huh? How’s your tummy feeling?” Kyle said sarcastically, startling Cartman.

He turned down the TV and turned to look at his 3 friends standing in the doorway. 

“... What the hell do you want?” Cartman grumbled.

“We want you to stop moping around like a sensitive crybaby.” Stan exclaimed, sitting down on the couch to which Cartman quickly whined that he was messing up his stuff.

Cartman growled and kicked his blankets and wrappers off the couch. “I’m not sensitive!”

“You sure?” Kenny asked as he sat on Cartman’s other side, a smug tone in his voice that made Cartman tense up a bit. 

“O…Of course I am. It’s not like I care that you said my laugh is the ugliest thing you’ve ever heard.” 

Kyle, who was standing across the room with his arms across his chest, softened a little at Cartman’s obvious insecurity.

He could pretend to be tough and unaffected all he wanted to, but Cartman was clearly much more delicate than he thought he was.

“Well you seem to remember it pretty well for someone who doesn’t care.” 

Cartman bit the inside of his cheek and looked away, feeling cornered by his friends as they stared at him. He usually loved attention but ever since his pride was wounded, he wasn’t as eager for recognition.

After a beat of awkward silence, Kenny decided to make the first move, lightly fluttering his fingers on Cartman’s chubby belly.

Cartman was very caught off guard by the action, and a surprised laugh escaped him that made the boys smile.

Cartman protected the side that Kenny was attacking. “Wh-what the hell, you gay assh-ahahaAHAHAH!” 

Cartman’s laughter escalated as he neglected to protect his other side, which Stan had immediately followed suit in his own tickling. 

“STAahahann!” He snorted and covered his mouth. “Fuck off, kill yourselves!” Cartman shrieked as he shrunk away from their fingers, falling off the couch and trying to escape.

“Grab him!” Stan exclaimed, knowing that Cartman was pretty slippery.

They followed him to the floor and managed to pin his flailing limbs which were thrashing wildly in an attempt to escape or injure his captors. 

“Ey! What’s the big idea?! You trying to rape me or something?!”

Kyle growled, shoving his hands into Cartman’s now exposed armpits. 

“Shut the hell up, you fat fuck. You had this coming to you.”

Cartman barked out a laugh as he wriggled like a worm on a hook. “Pft- Aahahahah! Stop, I don’t wanna laugh!”

“Well that’s too damn bad.” Stan smirked, poking at Cartman’s thighs which caused the bigger boy to scream bloody murder. “We felt like assholes for making you all insecure.”

Cartman’s cheeks began to feel warm at the realization that his friends were doing this just to hear him laugh, even if it was loud and somewhat ugly.

As he looked up at them through teary eyes, he noticed them smiling too, almost in fondness. Still, he wasn’t about to let them get away with it.

“G-Gahahaha, STOP IT ALREADY!” Cartman cackled, pounding his fists into the carpet of his living room floor.

“Hm… We’ll consider it if you forgive us.” Stan gave the other two ticklers a look, to which they both nodded in agreement.

“Fuck no!”

Kenny fluttered his fuzzy gloved fingers over Cartman’s neck which caused a stream of snorty giggles to escape him. “Awwhh…heth sounds like a pihggie!” 

“Yeah. Looks like one too.” Kyle commented as he watched his friend thrash and squeal. 

Cartman couldn’t speak through his laughter, and they knew damn well how dramatic he could be, and they’d never hear the end of it if they pushed him too far… so all 6 hands withdrew from his body for him to catch his breath.

Cartman laid sprawled on the carpet, red-faced and panting like a winded dog. His cheeks were flushed, hair a mess.

He glared daggers up at the trio hovering above him, still catching their own breath and grinning like they’d just won a prize fight.

“You guys are such assholes,” Cartman growled between gasps, wiping at his eyes as if to hide the tears of laughter that still clung to his lashes.

“Yeah, well,” Stan shrugged, “at least we don’t smell like bean dip.”

Cartman groaned and flopped back dramatically onto the carpet, his arms sprawled out in surrender. “I hate all of you.”

“No you don’t,” Kenny said cheerfully, plopping onto Cartman’s stomach like a beanbag.

The boy huffed and smacked at Kenny’s back in protest, but it was half-hearted at best.

“You missed us.” Stan knelt beside them, nudging Cartman’s side gently with his elbow.

Cartman turned his head away, cheeks puffed. “I didn’t miss you, I missed the ice cream that you bastards interrupted.”

Kyle, who had been suspiciously quiet during the aftermath, crossed his arms and glanced away, trying to appear unaffected. “For the record, I still think your laugh is annoying.”

Cartman rolled his eyes. “Yeah? Well for the record, I think your hair looks like a mop.”

Kyle’s eyes widened as he stepped forward, mouth agape. “You son of a—”

“BUT,” Cartman interrupted, smirking up at him now, “I guess I can forgive you guys. Eventually. Maybe.”

Stan snorted. “You guess? You’re lucky we even bothered cheering your mopey ass up in the first place.”

“You know what, screw you—”

“We’re gonna tickle you again if you don’t shut up,” Kyle warned with a dangerous smile, wriggling his fingers ominously.

Cartman shrieked and curled up instinctively. “OKAY, OKAY! Truce! Fucking truce!”

The boys laughed, collapsing in various positions around Cartman on the living room floor. For a while, no one spoke. Just the soft hum of the TV in the background and the sound of their breathing as they relaxed into the chaotic peace they’d grown up with.

After a long pause, Cartman muttered, “You know… I still think my laugh is kinda dumb.”

Stan looked over. “Dude. Everyone’s laugh is dumb. That’s what makes it funny.”

Kenny nodded. “I thound like a dying walruth when I laugh too hard.”

Kyle smirked. “And I sound like a goose getting choked.”

“…You really do,” Cartman muttered.

“See?” Stan said, nudging him. “We all sound ridiculous. Who cares?”

Cartman was quiet for a second. Then, slowly, his lips twitched into a reluctant smile. “You guys are gay.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s gay to care about your friends,” Kyle corrected before relaxing back onto the carpet. “But you’re stuck with us, fatass. Just like we’re stuck with you.”

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚

a/n: yeesh this one was bad... but it was rotting in my WIP file for literal months, so i hope someone appreciates it

While Kyle struggled and fought back as much as he could, Joe seemed amused by the whole scene. The prince could feel a drop of sweat trickling down his temper, the heat gathering around his collar and the blush rushing across his face. The air itself felt warm, almost hot enough to suffocate, but also comforting enough to make him consider–

No! This wasn’t it!

“You’ve never come inside my hut before… Am I dreaming?” Joe mumbled softly, her voice gentle and peaceful, calm. A faint blush spreaded over her cheeks as well, and even if they were lost, her eyes seemed to glisten in the dimly lit bedroom.

Kyle opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Joe smiled at his reaction, giggling quietly.

“Joe,” he sighed, “I know you don’t remember, but last time- mmph!”

And just when he lowered his guard, thinking her clinginess was coming to a halt, Joe moved her hands. She held him by his face, gently but firmly, and pulled Kyle towards herself.

Before the prince could say anything, their lips met, stopping his words and thoughts in their tracks. He could still taste the alcohol lingering in her mouth and, hadn’t he been so shocked, Kyle felt like that kiss would have made him crumble right there and then.

After a couple seconds, they lips parted. Kyle’s face, still held between Joe’s hands, was even redder than before. She squeezed his cheeks slightly, smiling at his flustered expression.

“It’s okay because this is a dream, right?” She giggled, smiling fondly while her thumbs caressed his face. 

‘What was she thinking?’, Kyle yelled inside his head, trying to stick to his better judgement and keep in mind that she was drunk, not thinking straight. This had to come to an end, Kyle told himself. 

The prince slowly reached for Joe’s hand at his face, closing his fingers around her palm to dislodge it from his face. Or so he wanted to, but found himself hesitating to break the touch between them.

Even if she was drunk, her smile made his chest ache, as if the space around his heart suddenly became tighter than ever.

“Kyle..~” Joe called, tilting her head in her pillow while moving her free hand down to his shoulder and then to his chest, “hehe, are you nervous? Your face is so red right now ~”

He pressed his eyes shut, refusing to take another look into that sweet expression, even if it was just for a single more second. “Kyle always looks so cute, but in my dreams you’re extra handsome right now…”

“You’re not- h-hey, get yourself together, now,” he groaned, feeling a shiver creeping up his spine when her fingers roamed next to his ribs, pressing into the soft spots between each bone. “I s-shouldn’t be here in fihi- h-hey!”

[“He looks so serious, I want him to smile more…”]

Kyle widened his eyes as those words made it from Joe’s head to inside his own. She wasn’t just getting handsy, it was something worse, way worse!

“J-Joe, nohow it’s not- agh, gehehet off! Thihis isn’t t-the time for fooling aharound!”

No matter how much he tried to scold her, the only answer he would get from her was a lazy chuckle, poised with the alcohol from earlier. Kyle would push one hand away from the side of his chest, just to have the other one poking at his side. 

Besides that, keeping his balance with just one arm while being tickled was proving to be a more difficult task than he first expected. Kyle felt his muscles tremble, threatening to falter and fail their owner - and he couldn’t have that, not while Joe was right beneath him!

“Heh, aren’t you just so cute? Kyle is so ticklish… ~” Joe giggled, amused by their play-fight. “Kyle’s flustered smile is much better than a flustered frown… he should always be like this when he visits me in my dreams, heheh…”

“S-stohop the nohohonsense!” Kyle groaned, arching his back in a vain attempt of moving his stomach away from Joe’s hands. He tried to move and cover his ribs and sides, but her hands would always find their way back to his body, making those restrained, helpless giggles escape his lips.

“But it’s my dream! And I want to tickle Kyle in my dream…”

Such a nuisance!

He gritted his teeth, his eyes pressing shut and even his nose scrunching up a little as he tried to resist the urge to dissolve into a laughing mess on top of her. If that would make Joe behave, should he just let her have it? At least this would mean that there was no risk of her wandering around or running into some kind of problem, after all.

Against the better judgement, he lowered the hand that he was using to protect his body from the assault, placing it back by the side of Joe’s body. “D-dohohon’t be soho harsh, at leheheast!”

Joe gasped, happy and surprised. What an amazing dream, she thought (and made Kyle’s cringe with it). “Kyle will let me tickle him? This is the best- eheh, best dream ever!”

“I-I’m nehehever lehehetting you drihink again, you- ahAHAh, I- I tohohold you to behe gehentle!”

Those words, however, made it to one of her ears and then came out of the other, with not a single one of them sticking up to her intoxicated brain. Kyle scrunched up his shoulders and pressed his chin down towards his chest, hoping to build at least one effective barrier against Joe’s fingers.

She tickled his neck, managing to push up her fingers past the tight spaces and tease the sensitive skin. She tickled him at his armpits, prodding and vibrating right into that sensitive nerve in the middle of his underarms, hitting that soft spot over and over in a maddening way that made Kyle want to crumble.

Her hands continued to roam, and much to Kyle’s demise, to tickle the prince as much as they could. His ribs, sides, stomach, and even down to his waist. 

On the contrary of what Kyle hoped for, Joe didn’t seem to be getting tired or satisfied - at least, not at any time soon. The more she tickled, the more encouraged she seemed to get by his laughter and strangled pleas.

With a smile plastered on her face, Joe looked up to her fairytale prince. “You look so cute right now, heheh… chirping for me just like a little canary! ~”

Those words made Kyle feel like his stomach was turning upside down. If only he wasn’t so busy laughing, he would probably retort or snap back at that. Properly, at least. “S-shuhut it! AHAhaha, I-I’m nohot a bihihird!”

“Of course you’re not - birds are not this handsome or… heh, sexy…” Joe added, grinning as she cupped Kyle’s cheek with one hand while the tickled back at his armpit, making him twist in a funny way that made her chuckle along. “I also don’t have dreams about birds, just about you ~”

Kyle clenched his hands, clasping so tightly at the bedsheets that his knuckles were turning white while his palms trembled a little.

As if the tickling alone wasn’t enough to make him crave an exit from this awful situation, the teasing was making ten- no, a dozen times worse. He wasn’t sure if he was feeling shy or secondhand embarrassment, truth to be told.

That sweet talk was too sweet. Nauseating, even. He felt like he was being exposed to the depths of Joe’s feelings with no filter or social cues to hold her tongue - or fingers, for this matter - back.

And on top of that, the fact that Joe, of all people, was the one saying these obscene absurdities to him… Probably being thrown a tomato in public would feel less humiliating than this. He should stop her, Kyle knew it, but a part of him wanted to pry more into these feelings, to let it happen and see just how much Joe would be willing to share.

Still, there had to be some other way to do this than being tickled to his dismay. “J-Joe! Yohohou ahAHahre- ahAH, s-stohop sahahaying nohOHohonsense, you dah- AHaha, w-wahahait!”

“It’s not nonsense, your highness,” she cooed, cupping both sides of his ribcage and slowly wiggling her fingers up into the tight spaces under his arms, her thumb teasing his chest while she did so. “I wish I could stay in this dream forever, just to see you laughing like this, my dear Kyl- ah.”

Enough- that was enough of that humiliating talk. Kyle gasped, his hands that were on the mattress suddenly lifted from the bedsheets, his fingers closing around Joe’s wrists and pulling her hands away from his body once for all. In a blink of an eye, the control over the situation was stripped from her hands.

“I tohold you- hahh, to stop these absurdities, Gingja Ging!” Kyle scolded, his flushed face and disheveled hair contrasting his anger features. He still felt the heat around his collar, the burning in his lungs and the tingles on his skin, but above all that, Kyle still felt the embarrassment from the way Joe talked so casually about him. Yes, she was drunk, but there was only so much he could take. “You s-shouldn’t have pushed your luck.”

“Eh?” Joe giggled, clueless. In her intoxicated mind, this was all but reality, after all. Was the Kyle in her dream going to act scary now? This wasn’t really the Kyle she always thought about, but the idea of a ‘bad boy’ of sorts was… curious.

Still, these would’ve been better kept inside her mind only. “Stop having these foolish thoughts!” Kyle hissed, “you-”

“Kyle looks so handsome when he is angry, heh,” she smiled at his rage, tilting her head.

The prince opened his mouth to talk back, but no words came out. His lips, then, pressed back into a thin line, refraining from letting anything unneeded escape him at that moment. There was no reason, not at that moment at least. “Let me do it your way, then.”

With few things making sense inside her brain at that moment, Joe calmly watched as Kyle gathered her wrists under just one of his hands, pinning her arms right above her head. Her eyes shifted from where their hands were back to Kyle’s annoyed smile, trying to figure him out. Was he going to do something nast-

!!!

“W-whAHahat- ahahah, K-Kyle, thihihis tihihickles!” Joe laughed, her back arching off the mattress while the prince began to wiggle his fingers against her side and then at her ribs. His touch was rougher than usual, but as ticklish as ever.

In silence, Kyle shook his head, feigning disapproval as he continued to tickle. “Don’t start complaining now, you brought upon yourself,” he scolded, his eyes narrowing into a cold, sharp gaze as he clawed at her stomach, pinching and squeezing whatever soft spot he could get a hold onto.

Joe shook and pressed her head back into the pillow while free, careless laughter poured from her lips. “NohOHOH, ahhahah, t-thihihs is my dreheheam! I waHAhahanted to tihickle you moHOHore!”

“You- ugh, just stop talking at once!”

“K-Kyle, noHOHOH! AHAHA!! ~” She squealed, her feet kicking the sheets behind them as the tickling seemed to step up a notch all of the sudden. Why was the man of her dreams so angry at her? Wasn’t he just a cute, giggling canary in her hands moments ago?

She was as loud as she could possibly be, loud enough to make Kyle worry if there wasn’t going to be any inconvenient passerby to get the wrong idea about what was happening inside that bedroom, but, still, Joe deserved this punishment. “Spare your voice, I don’t want to hear whatever you may have to say!”

Despite the cold nature of his words, this was as far as he could possibly get while acting angry at her. The more Kyle looked at Joe now, the less sense this whole scene seemed to have. Maybe even under the effect of alcohol, Joe still had a better understanding of the situation than him.

“You should think about what you did,” he added later, his tone less fierce than before. He moved his fingers and focused his tickling under her arm, gently clawing at the middle of her armpit before moving further down to tickle her ribs.

Just like Kyle’s anger, Joe’s laughter was slowly dying down as well. Maybe because the tickling wasn’t as harsh as when it started or maybe because she was growing used to the feeling, but her laughter began to sound more lighthearted, tranquil even. 

She dragged her heels over the bed in a playful squirming and lightly arched her back, barely going anywhere as she was still trapped inside Kyle’s grip. Her cheeks were as red as they could be, but something about Joe’s smile made it look even more genuine than when she was teasing the prince.

And when Kyle realized these were none other than his own thoughts, his hands froze in their tracks, with his fingers pressed - but staying completely still - against her side. For some reason, despite Joe being the one that was tickled for the past minutes, Kyle found himself out of air at that moment.

His heart was beating fast and his chest felt like it was clenching around his heart when he looked down at her. Was this..?

The prince shook his head, trying to recover his better judgement of the situation. He sighed, getting off of Joe’s lap and running a hand through his hair, giving her a stern look with the corner of his eyes. “Looks like you had enough, after all.”

She didn’t answer, only giggling to herself while staring blankly at the ceiling of the room. Joe looked like she was in a daze, lost in thoughts kept to only to herself this time. Maybe it was better like this, Kyle thought, sliding to the edge of the bed.

“I’m going to get a physician, so… please, behave,” he muttered, hoping to not wake Joe from whatever dream she had going on inside her head.

However, just as he was about to stand back on his feet, her hand closed around the back of his clothes. With her tight grip closed shut, Joe pulled the prince back into the bed, quickly wrapping her arms around his body.

“Don’t go,” she hummed, quickly securing the upper hand and straddling his lap instead this time. Joe looked down at him, her smile just as wide as when she was getting tickled just now. Kyle felt his heart skip a beat, swallowing whatever words he had to say back to her when he looked at her face.

“This is my favorite dream ever,” Joe giggled, leaning forward to hug the prince and rest her head on top of his chest, “Kyle appeared in my dream… we kissed… I could tickle him… and he tickled me back, hehe…”

Kyle clenched his hand, feeling something funny stirring up inside his stomach. Her words reached him, one after the other. Part of him wondered what it would be like later on - was she going to remember this moment and cherish it like a precious memory? Or was it going to become a blurry memory, a feverish dream at best?

The other part of him, however, couldn’t focus on anything else but the present, but the woman he had just before his arms and the way she made his heart beat faster and faster, out of rhythm and control.

He sighed, his hand hesitating before wrapping itself around her body as well, turning that awkward position into a comforting hug. “So… am I always like this in your dreams?”

“Not always,” she hummed, nuzzling her cheek into his chest, filling her nostrils with his scent, “sometimes you act shy and then you get angry, but you always have that cute face and a handsome body… sometimes, heheh, I have really fun dreams…”

“F-fun?”

“Yeah… we are all by ourselves and… you and I… heheh…”

“‘You and I’..?” Kyle repeated, feeling his throat drying up at the sound of those words. Could she mean that they..?

…

“Ahm, Joe?” He called, waiting a couple seconds in the dead silence of the room before calling her out again. Still, no response. “Joe..? You, you didn’t fall asleep, right? Hey, Joe!” He called, louder this time, as he shook her body by her shoulder.

“You can’t be serious!! Gingja Ging! Wake up!! Don’t you dare fall asleep on me again,” Kyle shouted, now on his knees as he stood by her side, trying to get Joe out of her deep, deep slumber. 

________________________________________________

It was late December, a snowy day in South Park. 

“Cartman, I can’t share a seat with you, you're too fat.” “YES YOU CAN, KENNY!”

Cartman squished against the bus window, trying to make room for his friend. Kenny rolled his eyes as he tried to fit on the seat next to Cartman. 

“Can’t you, like, tuck it into your pants or something?” Kenny said as he started pushing his friend’s stomach trying to make room for himself.

“Kenny! Kehenny, stahap!” Cartman giggled as he pushed his friend’s hands.

Kenny smiled under his parka, “What, is your big tummy ticklish or something?”

“Shut uhup, Kenny! Stop!” 

“SHUT UP BACK THERE! DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE PRINCIPAL?!” 

Kenny let up at the sound of Mrs. Crabtree’s raspy voice. “No Mrs Crabtree.” Both boys said in a small voice. 

“That's what I thought.” Mrs Crabtree said as she turned her attention back to the road.

“Nice going Kenny. You got us in trouble.” Cartman harshly whispered, “you’re so annoying”

Kenny grew worried at that word. Annoying. For some reason, at that moment, it scared him. He brushed it off, however, as they got arrived at the elementary school. 

~~~ In Class ~~~

Mr. Garrison was talking about some kind of pop culture thing he saw on the television. Kenny was bored out of his mind. As he was tapping his pencil on his desk, he got an idea. 

Kyle was also bored, but felt bad completely tuning out Mr. Garrison, so he was trying to pay attention as much as he can. However, his attention was dragged somewhere else when he felt a poke on his side. His arm shot to his side, causing him to hit his elbow on his desk in the process. 

“Ow!” Kyle winced as he held the hurt joint. The whole class, including Mr. Garrison, looked at the red-haired boy in confusion. When Kyle looked at Kenny, his eyes narrowed. Both of Kenny’s hands were covering the part of his parka where his mouth would be, effectively silencing his giggles completely.

“KENNY, I’M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!” Kyle shouted, which made Kenny giggle so loud that he had to hold his stomach, causing everyone to hear his adorable giggles. 

“Kyle Broflovski and Kenny McCormick, if you can’t pay attention to my lesson, you could just go down to the counsellor’s office.” Mr. Garrison said with a shake of his head.

“No Mr. Garrison! I was paying attention! I swear! It was Kenny!”

“I said, go to the Counsellor’s office! Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mr. Garrison.” Kenny and Kyle said as they walked out of the classroom and down to the school’s Counsellor.

“What the fuck, Kenny? Why did you do that?”

Kenny started to giggle again, “I was bored!”

“Yeah, well now we’re in trouble! God, you are so annoying! If my mom finds out about this, she’s gonna–”

As Kyle went on, Kenny couldn’t help but feel his heart drop a little again. There was that word. Annoying. The sentence played back in his head, “God, you’re so annoying!”. Why was this effecting him so much?

~~~ After school ~~~

“So, you guys gonna come over to my place after dinner? I got the new Mario Party for Christmas, and it looks really cool!” Stan said as he showed his friends the game with a smile on his face. 

“Keeewl!” Cartman said, taking the game from Stan, “I’m totally gonna kick all your asses!” 

“Yeah right, fatass! You lose all of the other times we play!”

“I do not, Kahl! Besides, this is a new game! New game, new me! That’s totally a saying.”

“It’s new year, new me, dumb fuck!”

“Nu-uh! It’s game! Maybe you’re just–”

As the two bickered for probably the 10th time that day, Kenny felt a pit fall in his stomach. The boys were about to pass the building Kenny died in front of the day before. He doesn’t remember much of it, but he remembers something big and heavy landing on him, crushing him into the sidewalk. 

“Uh, guys?” Kenny said with a shaky voice, looking up to the roof of the building.

The boys looked back at their friend. “What’s up, Kenny?”

“Could we go a different way home? Y’know, being that I kinda got crushed yesterday…” 

“Kenny, don’t be a pussy.” Cartman deadpanned, “you’ll be fine, that was yesterday. New day, new you!”

“For the last time, Cartman, it’s new year. Not new game, not new day. New. Year.” Kyle said as he continued walking.

“Kahl, I can say whateva the hell I want! It’s freedom of speech, after all!” Cartman said, following Kyle.

“C’mon, Kenny, we have to go home and eat!” Stan said before running after his friends to catch up.

Kenny stood there for a second. He couldn’t believe his friends would just leave him like that. Well, he could. They have before. But it’s not like anything happened those last times, so nothing’s gonna happen now! 

… Right?

With a deep breath, he ran past the building with his eyes closed. He screamed when he ran into something hard, thinking he just ran into a moving car, or the same object that crushed him yesterday with his luck.

“Kenny! What the hell?!” Turns out, it was Stan’s back, “I almost fell into the snow!”

“I'm alive…? I’m alive! WOO-HOO!” Kenny threw his hands in the air in his excitement.

“... Yeah, dude, we know.” Kyle said, with a straight face, “now come on, we have to eat dinner, so we could go to Stan’s house.” 

Did they really not care?

“… Yeah, yeah, of course. I’m gonna go this way home,” Kenny said as he pointed to a side road.

“Are you sure, Kenny? We always go this way,” Stan said, a look of slight worry on his face as he turned to Kenny.

“Yeah I’m sure! See you guys!” He waved enthusiastically at his friends.

“Yeah, dude, see ya” Kyle said as he and the others turned to continue down the street.

Kenny stood frozen for a moment. What had he done? Was he really that… that… annoying? 

The blond collected his thoughts and headed down the road to his house.

~~~ At Stan’s House ~~~

“You all suck ass!”

“Shut up Stan! We just need to- Cartman! We’re supposed to be working together!”

“Oh, we are?”

“Yes, fatass! Get Stan!”

Kenny giggled as his princess Peach dodged every attack Stan’s Yoshi threw at him in the mini-game. That mixed with Cartman’s Mario pushing Kyle’s Toad in the way of one of the attacks, causing Toad to lose 1 out of the 2 lives that were given. 

Stan eventually gave up on Kenny, and went for Kyle, considering her had one life left. The blond was sat in between Cartman and Stan. When he was left alone, he looked at Stan’s sides. He smirked and squeezed it, chuckling at how Stan threw his controller up when he felt the sensation.

“Kenny!”

“Whaaat~?”

“TIME’S UP! … Mario, Peach, And Toad Win!”

“HA! SUCK MY ASS, STAN!” Cartman yelled, pointing to the TV screen.

“That was so weak! Kenny made me throw my controller!”

“All I did was help my teammates, dude!”

“Well, dude, what you did was totally cheating!”

Kenny giggled as the others watched as Toad, Mario, and Peach take 20 coins from Yoshi each, leaving him with 10 left. 

“Fuck! He’s still in first place!” Kyle said, leaving back on the couch. Although Stan only had 10 coins, he still had 2 stars (2 more than everyone else).

“Ha! Kenny’s little trick was pointless! See you losers after this round!” Stan said, grabbing his controller off the ground and getting ready for the next – and final – round.

Kenny rolled his eyes. He kinda felt upset that he did that, though. You’ve annoyed them enough for one day, Kenny. God, get a grip. That's what he thought as he watched his friends take their final rolls of the dice. 

The game ended how everyone knew it would; Stan in first place, then Kyle in second, then Kenny in third, and Cartman in fourth. Cartman was far from happy. Stan and Kyle high-fived, laughing at Cartman’s grumpy face.

“What happened to “new game new me”, fatass?”

“SHUT UP KAHL!” Cartman yelled, throwing his controller on the floor, “You know what?! Screw you guys, I’m going home.” Then Cartman waddled out of Stan’s house, and actually went home.

It was only 5:30 since the guys ate as soon as they got home from school to go over to Stan’s place. 

“Hey, we still have 4 hours until we have to go home,” Kyle said, looking at the clock, “What do you guys wanna do?”

“Uh… Kenny? Are you ok?” Stan asked as he noticed his friend was suspiciously quiet.

Kenny was thinking about the events that transpired throughout the day while fidgeting with the joycon of the controller.

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry.” Kenny said, his face heating up at how easy it was to read him.

“No you’re not, dude,” Kyle said, placing his hand on Kenny’s back, “What happened? Did we say something?”

“Well… Not- not just that.”

Stan and Kyle looked at each other with worried looks on their faces. Stan then moved to sit on the floor in front of Kenny to get a better look at his face. “You can tell us, Ken.”

“Ok. How come nobody cares about me? I die every day and no one cares! It fucking hurts, but nobody asks me if I’m ok the next day.”

Kyle furrowed his brows at that statement. “Kenny, dude, we care.”

“No you don’t Kyle! Not you, not Stan, not Cartman! Nobody! I asked if we could go a different way, and you all just called me a pussy and left me! I hate dying! This might come as a shock to you guys, but it’s not fun!”

“Kenny, we’re so sorry, we didn’t mean to make you feel bad. We were just-”

“Just joking, right?” Kenny finished Stan’s sentence, his hands turning into fists, “you’re always “just joking” cause “we’re guys” and it's normal for your friends to rip in you, and it’s no big deal. I’m sorry I’m so annoying, but-”

“Woah, Kenny, you’re not annoying!” Stan said, putting a hand on his friend’s knee, “when did we say that?”

“It’s all that’s been said to me all day! And if you didn’t say it, you showed that you were annoyed. Like, I know I’m annoying. I know that you guys forget I’m here. It’s whatever, I’m used to it.”

“Kenny, are you… crying?” Kyle’s face dropped when he heard Stan say that.

“No…” Kenny lied. He pulled the strings of his parka, so his face was barely visible.

“You’re gonna get your parka wet! That’ll be uncomfortable.” Kyle said, feeling tears coming himself. He couldn’t handle seeing the people he loves cry. “Kenny, I promise we care. We only say that you’re annoying to joke around, and I know that won’t make you feel better, but it’s the truth.”

“Yeah, we don’t actually mean any rude thing we say. I promise you, we don’t think you’re annoying.”

“You guys are just saying that to make me feel better.” Kenny said, reaching into his parka to wipe his eyes.

“I swear! Scout's honour!”

“Yeah, Scout's honour!”

“Even when I tickle you throughout the day?” Stan and Kyle looked at each other again, this time confused. Sure, they get embarrassed when Kenny randomly goes up and tickles them for no reason, but the two found it more funny and endearing more than annoying. 

“Is that’s what this is about, Kenny?” Stan asked.

“Not all of it, but kinda.”

“Aww, Kenny, you’re not annoying when you tickle us! It’s honestly kinda fun having the surprise aspect!”

“... really?”

“Yeah! It’s like, you never know when it’s coming! Right Kyle?”

“Y-Yeah! Kenny, if we genuinely found you annoying, we would tell you.”

“Thanks guys.”

“No problem, dude. Now get out of your parka!” Stan giggled as he reached up and unzipped Kenny’s thick parka, and Kyle took down the hood. 

Kenny smiled a little, not entirely used to having his full face exposed to his friends. However, those said friends loved the sight. Kenny’s blond hair was a little messy from being in the hood, and his tears dried up. His face was also a little pink from all the complements and reassurance. 

“Thanks you guys, seriously. I needed to hear that today.”

“Of course, Kenny! We love you, man!” Kyle smiled, no longer feeling teary-eyed as he saw Kenny’s little smile, “Is there anything else we could do to make you feel even better?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Kyle looked at Stan, and smiled at the expression he had on his face. It was a glint in his eyes and a sinister smirk. Kyle knew that face more than anyone. Oh, this was gonna be good.

“I actually know something we could do, Kenny! Why don’t you lay down on the carpet over here?” Stan said, patting the rug beneath him. 

Kenny grew confused. How could Stan know how to make him feel better? He was more curious, however, and did as he was told.

Kyle then joined them, already knowing what to do when he saw Stan sit above their friend’s head. Faster than Kenny would have anticipated (if he knew what they were planning), Stan reached down and grabbed Kenny’s hands, sitting on them so they were stretched above the blond’s head. At the same time, Kyle tased both of Kenny’s sides at the same time as he sat on the blond’s thighs.

“AHH!” Kenny shouted. That’s when it clicked. He thanked god that Stan’s parents and sister were out shopping, “whahat was thahat, Kyle?!”

“Oh, just the warm-up!” Kyle said with a smile, and went to squeezing Kenny’s ribs.

“Ahahaha! Kylehehe! Whyyy!” Kenny giggled, shaking his head and pulling at his arms.

“Stan, some help, please!” Kyle said as he saw the wasn’t getting much of a reaction. 

“Oh yes, of course!” Stan said. The boy then started lightly scratching at Kenny’s underarms, now exposed thanks to the lack of protection from his parka, only relying on the thickness of his undershirt (it’s not that thick), “Kyle, go lighter! They tickle him more~”.

“AHHahahaha! Nohohoho!”

“Oh, thanks, dude!” Kyle switched to lightly tickling his friend’s ribs, occasionally going down to his sides.

“KYLEHEhehehe, Plehehehease! Dohohohohon’t”

“Don’t what, Kenny?”

“Nohohohot fahahalling fohohor thahahat!” Kenny squealed as Stan’s touch grew lighter as well. “STAHAHahahahan! AHAHahahahaha!”

“Aww! Listen to his giggles, Stan! They’re just so… cute!” Kyle said, a huge smile on his face, “Who knew Kenny could be so adorable!”

Kenny’s face immediately grew red at the comment, “Shuhuhut uhuhup! Thehehehey ahahare NOHOHOT cuhuhute!” 

“Yo, Kyle, let up for a second!” Stan said, as he stopped tickling Kenny, Kyle following. “Kenny, tell me, can you feel the tickles?” Stan then raised his hands above Kenny’s underarms and ribs, wiggling his fingers slightly.

“Oh, Stahan fuhuhuck ohoff!”

“You didn’t answer~! Can you feel the tickle tickle tickles~?” God damn, Stan was going all out. Kyle was even turning red, just imagining how Kenny felt.

“YES ohohokay?! IhI cahahan!”

“Funny, ‘cause we’re not even touching you,” Kyle smirked, joining in on the bit by hovering his hands above Kenny’s stomach, a known death spot.

“KYLE! I swehehear to gohohod, if yohohohou gohoho thehehere, AH! Stahahahan!” Kenny squeaked as he felt a single finger go down his bare forearm. Why did you wear a t-shirt, Kenny?!

“What’s up, Kenny? Are you a little, ticklish?” Kenny was going insane. If they didn’t start soon–

Nevermind.

“AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHH! GUHUHUYSS AHHAHAHAHA!” Kenny screamed with laughter as Kyle and Stan lowered their fingers. Stan lightly scribbling up and down Kenny’s forearms, and Kyle reaching under Kenny’s shirt to tickle his bare stomach.

This really couldn’t get worse.

“Hey, Stan, remember how Kenny cheated during Mario Party?”

Oh shit.

“Oh yeah! He did! The audacity he had, we should get him back!”

“NOHOHO! NONO- STAHAHAHAN!”

“You’re right! But how should we?”

“Hmm… How about you squeeze his hips, while I go for his tummy?”

Kenny grew more red of the use of the childish word. “WEHEHEHE DOHOHON’T HAHAHAVE TOHOHO- AHH! AHHHAHAHAHAHA! NONO- I’M SOHOHORRY!”

“Shush, Kenny, I’m thinking!” Kyle said as he used one hand to pinch at his hips while keeping the other one on this tummy. 

“AHHHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA- KYLE! NAHAHAHAHA!”

“Anyway, I think that would be a great idea, but I heard from Butters that his back is also a good spot! Maybe we should see for ourselves?” Oh no. Oh nono. Butters, you traitor!

“Ooh, great idea, Kyle!” Stan said, ceasing his attack, Kyle following a second after. “Would you like to do the honours, or me?”

“Guhuhuys!” Kenny was so beyond embarrassed. His literal crush talked about how ticklish he was to his best friends! “Dohohohn’t!”

“Don’t?” Kyle questioned, forcefully turning Kenny over so he’s laying on his stomach, “That’s funny, seeing as you enjoy being tickled so much, I thought you would be excited for this?”

“I don’t lihike this! Thihis is gahahay!”

“Kenny, you never asked us to stop” Stan smiled as he saw the blush spread to Kenny’s ears. Kyle then sat on Kenny’s right arm, Stan sitting on his left. Then Kyle got to work.

Kyle ran his fingers roughly up and down Kenny’s back, noticing how behind his sides seemed to be a particularly good spot. 

“Nohohoho! I’m sohohorry!”

“Kyle, go lighter! They’re more ticklish on him, remember?”

“Oh right, thanks!” Kyle smiled as he lightened his touch. Now THAT got a reaction out of him!

“AHH! AHhahahahaha! Guhuhuyss ahahahaa! AHH NAHahahahaaha!” Poor Kenny couldn’t even form a proper sentence! This whole situation was way too flustering for him. 

After a bit, Kyle let up and him and Stan flipped Kenny back onto his back. The sight they both saw was downright adorable.

Kenny’s hair was messy from the trashing, and his eyes were glistening from how hard he was laughing. His face was red from embarrassment, and his happy smile was bright enough to light up a dark room.

“Woah, dude, you’re so cute!” Stan gushed as he pinched Kenny’s cheek, feeling how hot they were from the blush.

“Shuhut up Stan!” Kenny said, pushing Stan’s hand away. 

“No, he’s right!” Kyle piped up, “your smile is so nice, actually!”

Kenny felt his cheeks heat up more, “I- no- shut up!” Kenny then covered his face. 

“I think Kenny like the compliments~!” Stan teased, poking at Kenny’s stomach.

“Wihill yohou!”

“Fine, but one last thing.” It was Kyle’s turn to smirk as he suddenly lifted Kenny’s shirt and blew the biggest raspberry he could muster right on the center of the blond’s stomach.

“AAHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KYLE! Why! Why wohohould yohohou dohoho thahahahat?!”

“Cause I felt like it,” Kyle said with a smile, lowering Kenny’s shirt, “how ya’ feeling, Kenny?”

“Ehehehe… be-better,” he said with a smile, “Thanks you guys.”

“Woah Kenny… are you saying you…” Stan smirked, “like being tickled?”

Kenny’s eyes widened, “What? No I don’t! That’s gay!” 

“Really? Cause you didn’t tell us to stop.”

“Shut up Kyle!” Kenny’s face was back to being red, “I don’t like it!”

“Sure, Ken,” Stan said with a smile and a poke to Kenny’s side, his smile widening when Kenny squeaked and covered his side, “now, wanna play Mario Party again?”

Kenny’s smile went wider. Kyle nodded his head, “Yeah, and this time, I’m gonna win, Stan!”

“In your dreams, Kyle!”

The three boys giggled as Stan got the game back on.