Misery Loves Me {Kyman/South Park}

★ 9 ★

In all the time Eric and I had been a couple, we had completely forgotten about the school dance- the final one for that year. It was ironic, because originally we were supposed to stop "dating" after it, but we had actually ended up in love before we could even think about the dance.
The weeks leading up to the dance were tense- Stan was distant, and always seemed upset. Eric was especially protective of me when we were around Kenny, and Kenny- well, he seemed like he was barely there. I wanted to wake up one day and have Stan out of Kenny's grasp, because I knew that once that happened, we'd all be fine again.

The closest I got to feeling like everything was normal again was on the evening of the dance.
Eric picked me up from my house that night, and it was indeed a beautiful night. The sunset was a rosey pink, the clouds rippling in the sky like waves in the ocean.
My love greeted me with a hug and a light peck on the forehead before gracing my head with a flower crown made of faux roses.
"Awh, Eric..." I stuttered, at a loss for words.
"Ah-" He cut me off as he pulled an identical flower crown from behind his back and placing it on his head. "See? We match now."
I had to giggle. He was so thoughtful. As usual, a far cry from the Eric Cartman I had grown up with. It was surreal, but I liked it.
Together, we walked hand in hand, engaging in no conversation, but sharing the warmth of eachother's palms. It really felt like true peace- with myself, with Eric, and with the world.

We arrived at the dance quite early, and nobody was there aside from Wendy and Bebe, who shared casual conversation over a bowl of colorful candy. Wendy waved and smiled at us. Eric grimaced.
Eric and I sat at a bench, and I laid my head on his shoulder. We watched as the school gym began to fill, and the music got louder. Soon enough, I caught a glimpse of a sight that I was really hoping not to have to deal with that night.
Stan was lurking by the door, desperately trying to engage Kenny in conversation, or at least get him to pay attention to him. Kenny looked- well, less than thrilled at best, and borderline angry at worst.
"God, Eric, do you see this shit?" I said, ripping away from his shoulder. "Kenny just doesn't fucking care. Not one bit. He won't even look at him! Why is this okay? Why is Stan letting this happ-"
Eric pulled me into a hug. "Shhh. It's okay, Ky. Let them work that shit out by themselves. This night belongs to us, okay?"
I nodded, prompting Eric to sweep me up, princess style, and lead me to the dancefloor. When he put me down, we proceeded to dance- if you could call it that. Yeah, we were both terrible dancers. But it was fun, and we were together, and I guess that's all that matters, right?
Soon, the buffet was brought out by staff members, but we opted out. Eric promised to take me out for a nicer meal once we left the dance. However, dancing had left him especially dehydrated, so I got up to get punch. As I grabbed a cup and moved towards the punchbowl, I nearly tripped over something from under the table. Looking down, I noticed that it was someone's foot. Definitely odd.
I bent down, and lifted the tablecloth to see under.

Just my luck, I had stumbled upon Tweek Tweak, throwing a goddamn fit.
"Tweek, what the fuck? Are you okay, dude?"
"Nnng- It's too loud, it's- too much!! OH GOD, I'M GOING TO DIE HERE!!"
He screeched, slamming his head into the back of the wall.
"Where's Craig? Why isn't he with you?" I said, knowing that if Craig was with him, Tweek would be fine. As badly as I wanted to get back to Cartman, I knew I couldn't leave Tweek there to hurt himself any more.
I picked up the shaking boy and he collapsed into me, prompting me to hug him and rub his back, partially trying to comfort him, but also trying to get him to shut the fuck up because he was making a scene and people were staring at us.
"Shhh, Tweek, it'll be okay. We're gonna find Craig."
A glance around the gym, and oh how luckily for me, Eric was nowhere to be found. Great. I could really have used his strength right then. I slung Tweek's arm around my shoulder and started to carry him out of the gym so I could begin my search for Craig.
I sat Tweek on a bench outside the school gym, telling him that I'd be back with Craig soon enough, and not to come looking for me. Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure that was the truth. Craig was a very distant, yet perceptive person. He could find his way out of any situation, plot anything, see through any plan, and nobody would be able to tell that he had put any thought into the situation at all. Finding Craig Tucker would either be way too easy or an incredible undertaking. Unfortunately, it was the latter. I made my way around the whole school several times, even going so far as to check the cafeteria and in unlocked classrooms. Two hours had passed, the dance was almost over, and I hadn't seen Craig or Eric once. This night was not going over as smoothly as it had been earlier in the evening.

Eventually, I had to stop searching. I entered one of the boy's bathrooms and was tempted to slam my head into a stall door until someone came out of one.
It was Stan. He was truly a sight for sore eyes, at least for a second.
"Oh, jeez, Kyle! Have you seen Kenny anywhere? I haven't seen him since the dance started. I'm getting worried."
I let out the most loud, obnoxious groan that I could muster. I absolutely did not want to get caught up in another search, and you can be damn sure that if I did, it wouldn't be for fucking Kennny. Hell no, not with the way he's been treating Stan.
"No, Stan. Sorry, but I'm really not in the fucking mood to put up with his shit right now." I said before stomping out of the bathroom and letting it slam behind me. Another groan escaped my lips. At this point, groaning was just getting to be a habit.

The dance had only one hour remaining. I knew that if I had any chance of finding Eric and Craig, I'd have to clear my head. I needed to think. A breath of fresh night air was likely to do the trick, so I decided to take a step outside.

I still don't know if that choice lead me to exactly what I needed or if it was a fatal mistake.