Hide away (Stan Marsh x Kyle Broflovski)

Chapter 10

"My father most likely won't recognize me either way."

Stan nodded; Kyle was right. The older had heard Kyle's story multiple times by now; it seemed to be his mother that left him at the lab. Kyle never mentioned him in the story. "Kyle, your dad. Where was he the day you left?" Kyle thought, and he thought hard. He looked at Stan apologetically, and the older knew he didn't remember.

"It's okay. If anything comes up, though, remember to tell me." Stan said and went to the family's old pickup truck. Sparky slept peacefully on the porch, barely opening his eyes as Kyle walked past him. Kyle held his breath, gripping Stan's shirt tightly, but he didn't scream. At the passenger's side door, Kyle turned and stared at Sparky, who sighed.

"G... G-Good boy." He whispered, and Sparky lifted his head up and wagged his tail. The redhead yelped and swung the door open. He hopped in the car, watching Stan pet Sparky before climbing him.

"Look at that! You managed to talk to him!" Stan praised, clasping his hand onto Kyle's shoulder. Kyle gave a wary smile, proud of himself for trying. He sat in the car, patting his hands against his lap as he watched Stan reach for his seatbelt and buckle himself up. The redhead quickly followed suit as he remembered his and Stan's lesson.

He and Stan had been trying to get him used to certain noises. Stan's biggest focuses were people talking, Sparky's barking (and just Sparky in general), and thunder. So far, he's been doing the best with thunder, bringing himself to a steady pace of breathing and reminding himself it won't hurt him. People talking has been the hardest thing to get the redhead used to. Usually, the lesson would start when Stan's parents began yelling. Kyle would most likely end up in Stan's arms with tears streaming down his face, but it was better than him going into a panic. Stan reminded him that all progress was good progress. Whenever he gets anxious, he tries a few techniques Stan's been trying to teach him. Still, Kyle usually opted to lean into Stan's chest.

Stan's also been taking him driving, just around the land around his parent's house. Their previous rides together weren't so casual, so he did it so Kyle wouldn't panic and try to grab onto Stan while he was driving. The car started, and Stan heard Kyle inhale. He leaned back with his eyes closed and exhaled. "Can I play some music?" Stan asked.

Kyle hummed in confusion. He's only heard music from the tv. Stan smiled and connected his phone to the raggedy aux cord, ignoring how Kyle stared at him. The older chose a guitar playlist, no heavy metal that would scare Kyle. The soft guitar strumming filled the car, and Kyle leaned his head back, relaxing as he listened.

The car drove steadily on the road, dirt turning to tar as they entered the town. Kyle wrapped his arms around himself as they were surrounded by more cars. Stan frowned at this and reached over. Without thinking, he intertwined his and Kyle's fingers and heard the redhead sigh. "I can't think of anything," Kyle mumbled.

"That's okay. If we need something, it will come to you."

"You... You have too much faith in me..."

"The same could be said about you." Kyle turned to see a grin on Stan's face. Kyle couldn't help but smile back. He hoped Stan was right. Soon the duo pulled into the parking lot, and Stan led him to the door. Kyle's hand clenched and unclenched as they walked.

The building wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. It sat along the block next to Tom's Rhinoplasty. The inside made it look bigger than it was. A light marble floor with two doors on the side wall, eight chairs in lines of four, and a reception desk. Stan bit his lip as he brought Kyle to the front.

"Hi, we're here to see Gerald Broflovski," Stan said with a small smile.

"Sorry, he's in a meeting, and it just started. It will be an hour or two until you can see him."