Ship In A Bottle || South Park Pirate AU

Epilogue

The manor that they were on course for was growing closer. Kyle might have had the foresight to fret over this, but he was far too preoccupied with putting his clothes back on.

"Honestly, Stan," he tutted, sitting back on the plush red carriage seat as he finished with his shirt. "We really ought to have waited until we get back to the ship, after this whole business is finished."

"On the contrary." Stan reached over and undid Kyle's top button again, smoothing down his collar. "I think we timed it perfectly."

Kyle glanced out the window. It was dark, with heavy black clouds obscuring the heavy black sky, but he recognised their surroundings all too well. "Oh, God, you're right. Tell Craig to stop. We mustn't park too close."

Stan thumped on the ceiling. The carriage jerked and rolled to a stop. Footsteps, and then the door opened.

"Shall I stop?" Craig poked her head inside.

"Just out of sight." Kyle nodded. "I'll walk the rest of the way."

"And you're certain that you should be the one to go?" she asked. "You don't think it'd be less dangerous if I went in your place?"

"I'm here for closure, Craig," said Kyle. "How am I supposed to get by sending you in?"

"A by-proxy closure."

"That won't work."

"I still don't understand what you're expecting to happen there," said Stan.

"I just—I left in a hurry," said Kyle. "I want to say goodbye."

"I thought you hated living here."

"I hated the people here," he said, then hesitated. "Well, most of them. But the place itself—"

"Alright, go have your emotional moment," said Craig. "But if you need some extra brawn, call for me."

"Or me!" said Stan, clearly not wanting to be left out in the chain of desirable brawn.

"I'll summon you both, if need be." Kyle gave them a wry smile. "But I think I'll manage."

Stan kissed him on the cheek. "Be safe."

"I will."

"Come back to me."

"Always."

As Kyle walked away, he heard Craig say, "Leave the carriage door open. It could do with some airing out in there." Stan shot something back, probably a defensive and see-through excuse, but his voice was lost on the wind. Kyle quelled the anxious twist in his stomach with the reminder that it would not be lost for long.

He had dressed in all-black for the occasion, attire that he'd not worn since the funeral the crew had held for him about a little over a month ago. It had been more like a party, really, a celebration of the death of his old life and the birth of his new, but Stan had still insisted on a macabre dress code. Kyle suspected this was due, in part, to his vanity, which had returned with a vengeance since they'd started sailing on their new vessel. There was no denying that the captain looked ravishing in black, drawing forth the darker tones of his complexion—hair, lashes, and irises that swelled every time he glanced Kyle, which was often.

After so much time wasted averting their gaze, it had felt like a privilege to finally look, touch, kiss in the open air without fear or shame. With the acquisition of a new ship came the redrafting of the Accords, wherein it was unanimously agreed that rule six would not be revived. Kenny had suggested changing it from "Romantic entanglements amongst crew members are strictly forbidden" to "wholly encouraged," but this was shot down by a snide remark from Craig which Kyle didn't quite catch, but which resulted in a five-minute digression into what exactly constituted "professional behaviour" anyway, which mostly consisted of name calling between the two.